Chapter 7

Buffy was getting a headache. She rubbed her temples and tried to blot out the sound of Angel and Spike's bickering. It was truly beginning to get on her nerves. The two vampires argued about everything and anything. Angel was driving, and at this particular moment Spike, from the back seat, was taunting the "Big Poof's" driving skills.

"God, do I miss England," she blurted out. The two vampires gazed at her intently. "Oops, did I say that out loud?" She frowned at them. The shrill ring of Angel's cell phone punctuated the momentary silence inside the car.

The conversation was one sided. Angel listened for the most part, and Buffy couldn't tell one way or the other from his expression whether it was good news or not. Finally he signed off, and turned the car sharply into a U turn, throwing Buffy up against the side of her door, and Spike flying across the back seat, slamming him into the side of the car. "Hey! Bloody Hell!" the bleached vampire shouted.

"My sentiments exactly." Buffy glared at Angel. "You want to tell me what's going on?"

"That was Fred." Angel stated. "The phone call this morning to set up the Fyarl demon's appointment was traced to a phone booth across the street from Wolfram and Hart, and the Seers just reported to Gunn that a Fyarl demon is in an abandoned building just down the street from our offices."

"Under your nose the whole time, eh?" Spike chuckled.

"This isn't amusing, Spike. Wesley is in danger, and injured. For all we know, he's in serious shape."

Buffy reached out and patted Angel's knee. She didn't notice Spike's sneer at the gesture, or how her gentle affection both touched and bothered Angel.

"I'm sure he's fine, Angel. We'll go in there, kick some Fyarl butt, save Wes, grab the books, and life will get back to normal. You'll see." She pulled the silver letter opener out of her inside jacket pocket, admiring its sharp edges. "It's not like I don’t have experience or anything." She shuddered at the memory of almost gutting Giles. If she hadn't looked into his eyes, she would have never known he was the man within the demon.

The sun began to set as Angel sped back the way they had come, and Buffy's thoughts swirled around her Watcher. She felt bad. She should have phoned him by now, and updated him on the events that had occurred regarding Spike. But something had held her back from picking up the phone, and with all the excitement and all, she just hadn't done it. She replaced the silver weapon back into her pocket.

Buffy did yearn to hear his voice. Unlike the vampire bickering, Giles' voice was soothing and comforting, and unselfish. That is what Buffy had learned the most in her short time here in LA. Everyone here did what they did for personal reasons. Even Angel. They didn't fight evil because of destiny, or even by choice. They didn't fight it because it was the right thing to do, even if it destroyed your own life in the process. At least, Buffy hadn't seen that to be the case. She knew Angel used to be tried and true, but now all she saw was that he was entrenched in Wolfram and Hart, thrust into a situation without a purpose. His heart wasn't in it, that was for sure. Gunn and Fred and Lorne all seemed to get off on the power and control of their own domains. Buffy hadn't really observed enough of Wes to have him figured out yet. She hoped that in the end, she would be proven wrong on her misgivings with this whole scene here in LA. Either way, she already knew she wouldn't be staying.

Giles, on the other hand, was completely selfless. Giles lived and breathed selflessness everyday. She never saw him worry about himself, or his own comforts. He had opened his home to her and her friends, had abandoned his own English life due to her, living in Sunnydale, fighting by her side, and giving her strength. Even when he wasn't physically by her side, he was giving her strength, and teaching her to find it within herself. He was loyal, and did what must be done with conviction, and not because of any power or gain that he could get out of any particular situation. She silently chuckled to herself as she recalled how angered he had been last year when her and Xander had been heading out on their respective "dates." Giles couldn't understand how they could be focusing on a social life when the First was looming over them. Perhaps he had been right, but Buffy also thought that at times, Giles needed to lighten up and just live. She saw that lighter side of him in Europe. She suspected being home had restored his spirit. Buffy vowed to take that up as her new mission in life, to lighten Giles' load, and help him to enjoy life. They all earned it, after all.

Now that Buffy had been in Europe, she realized just how much Giles had given up for her over the years. She would never know how to repay him for all of that. She couldn't even begin to tell him how much he meant to her, how much she cared for him. This trip back to California, however, had shown her that this place, once and for all, wasn't her home anymore. She was tired of it all. Fighting evil would always be a part of her life, but she had found a peace and serenity in England that now traveled inside of her…a small piece inside her heart and soul. She had found her spirit renewed as well. And now she was anxious to return there, to where her friends waited, and where Giles waited. Buffy was impatient to see him again, and tell him in person about her epiphany. She'd leave the vampires here to argue each other into the ground. She knew they were trying to prove to each other who was more worthy, but frankly, neither one would ever measure up to Rupert Giles.

Angel pulled up behind a dark, imposing building. It looked like an old, abandoned warehouse. As Buffy climbed out of the car, she could see on the horizon the Wolfram and Hart building, dwarfing all of those around it. Spike was right, in a sense. This building had been right under Angel's nose.

The three hurriedly made their way to the backdoor. No sounds could be heard from within, and after trying the door and finding it locked, Angel reeled back and kicked it in.

"Always have to be the show off, don't you? Drama Queen, I say." Spike shook his head and rolled his eyes before motioning for Buffy to follow Angel in to the warehouse. Spike then brought up the rear.

Angel and Buffy both ignored Spike's remark, focusing instead on learning the lay of the land.

The warehouse was void of light or furniture. It was bare, and huge. The rafters in the ceiling were caked with dust and spider webs. The wooden floor was covered with dust as well, except for one pair of hoof like footprints that wound their way to the far side of the building, and down the stairs towards the basement. The three crept their way down the stairs, noting a flickering candlelight illuminating the bottom of the stairwell.

Buffy had never been much on the element of surprise tact. She was more for the hurrying in, kicking butt, and getting the job done. But Angel was the leader here, so she kept quiet and behind him as he slowly made his way down the stairs. Spike was right on her heels, and she could tell he was just itching for a good fight. He hadn't been allowed anything really physical since his "rebirth", and she didn't think he could restrain himself much longer.

She had glanced back to look at Spike and hadn't noticed that they had reached the bottom of the stairs, or that Angel had stopped before her. She ran right into him and sucked in her breath to keep from crying out loud. He turned to shush her before she could say anything, and then gestured and pointed down into the gloom.

Wesley was tied up and slumped against a wall. The Fyarl demon had the books opened and arranged in a circle, in which he sat in the center. He appeared to be sitting on a trap door of sorts. Candles were also lined in between each opened book.

"Where's the second mate?" Spike whispered. Angel glared at him, and Buffy held a finger up to her lips to indicate that he should remain quiet. Spike just glared at them.

Angel was trying to determine if the demon was alone, or if he had back up. If it was just the demon, then the three of them should easily be able to overtake him, and rescue Wesley and the books. But things never seemed to ever be as easy as they appeared.

Spike was impatient. He bounced from one foot to the other. What were they waiting for? Finally Angel had seemed to come to the conclusion that it was three against one, but before he could formulate a plan, Spike sauntered into the middle of the room, rushing past Buffy and Angel.

With a whoop and a billowing of his leather duster, Spike ran up behind the demon and kicked him in the back of the head. The Fyarl demon fell forward, pushing one of the books into a candle, knocking it over. The book began to go up in flames. The Fyarl demon screamed, and Spike leapt upon the beast, punching and kicking. More of the books caught fire.

Angel was screaming at Spike, trying to pull him off the demon and save the books at the same time, but it was hopeless. Buffy flicked the letter opener over to Angel, before running over to untie Wes. The young watcher was slowly waking up. "We have to get out of here, Wes. Now!" Buffy shouted at him over the roar of the flames and the struggle of the two vampires and demon.

The books were all aflame now, and the dry floorboards of the building had caught fire as well. Spike, finally realizing that the building was quickly being engulfed in flames, jumped off of the Fyarl just as Angel sunk the silver weapon into the demon's chest. It fell down dead in a heap amongst the flames.

Buffy was trying to pull Wesley out of the room and towards the stairs, but he was struggling and yelling something that she couldn't make out in all the noise and commotion. Sweat was beginning to roll down her neck. Her eyes were beginning to burn from the smoke. The two vampires had finally dispatched the demon and were also clamoring up the stairs.

When they reached the top of the stairs, Wesley fell down onto the flooring, pulling Buffy down with him. He was still yelling something, and Buffy could barely make out his words, "You have to help him!" he was shouting.

"Who? The demon's dead. We have to get out of here."

"No, its Mr. Giles! We can't leave him down there!"

Mr. Giles? Giles? "GILES?" Buffy screamed frantically.

"The second man." Angel whispered. He fell to his knees and grabbed Wesley's shoulders, "Where is he?"

Wes turned his haunted eyes from Angel, to Buffy. "He was down there, down the trap door. Underneath the floor."

Giles was trapped below the trapped door, underneath the body of the Fyarl demon, in the epicenter of the fire.

Chapter 8