Allison rolled over onto her side and splayed her arm out, hoping to make contact with her husband. When her hands hit only empty sheets, her eyelids fluttered and opened. The place beside her on the bed was empty. She sat up and glanced around the small room, but Howard wasn’t there. She strained her hearing out towards the silent house, wondering if he was in the shower. There were no sounds coming from the bathroom across the hall. Allison frowned, wondering where he could possibly be.

The night hadn’t been what she thought it would be. Once they retired for the night, she thought that Howard would want all the details of the last few days, and that they’d sit up talking about all of her exciting adventures way into the dawn. She figured he’d be curious and concerned about all of the events that had occurred. Isn’t that why he had come all of this way to find her? Because he cared about her, missed her, and was concerned?

When they came to bed last night, they made love. It was nice. It was always nice. But as soon as it was over, instead of sitting up and listening to her story, Howard rolled over and went to sleep. Allison was confused, and a little hurt, but she knew he was tired from his trip. He had come a long way. So she let him sleep, figuring they would talk in the morning. Instead, she awoke to an empty bed, and an empty room.

She quickly changed into some clothes and quietly left the room, searching for her husband. First she peeked out the back door to see if he was in the yard or sitting in the swing. He wasn’t. He also wasn’t in the bathroom, or living room. Allison didn’t find anyone, until she wandered into the kitchen and saw Spike.

“Top of the morning to you, pet.” He winked at her, and then dipped an Oreo cookie into his cup of blood. Allison grimaced. Instead of a milk moustache, Spike developed a bloody one. He wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve and gestured towards the table. “Join me for breakfast? I’ll make you some tea.”

Allison slowly sat down at the table with a nod. “You haven’t seen my husband this morning, have you?” She was amused by how domestic Spike looked while in the kitchen, putting the water on to boil, gathering a cup for her, steeping the tea. Big bad irony?

“Nope. Figured you wore him out and he was still sleeping like the dead.” He chuckled at his own joke. Allison blushed, shaking her head. “I seem to have misplaced him this morning.”

Spike filled her cup and placed it in front of her, joining her at the table. “Only people I saw this morning were Giles and your friend, Carolee. Those two seemed right cozy with each other. I’m sure Giles will get a good shag in no time, which has been a long time in coming for that wanker, let me tell you.”

Allison wanted to object about this conversation, but couldn’t seem to find her voice as she watched Spike’s throat muscles work when he swallowed another gulp of blood.

“Those two were heading back to Eugene for the day. Something about getting Carolee’s baby? She has a kid?” Spike quirked an eyebrow at her, causing Allison to giggle.

“No, that’s the name of her cat.” Allison’s eyes got big at Spike’s expression. “A full grown cat, not a kitty to play poker with!” Spike laughed at her glare. She was so cute, he couldn’t help himself. He just nodded then and finished his breakfast. Then he reached out and grabbed the bag of Oreos off of the kitchen counter, offering her one in the process. She hesitated, and then figured, why not? She took two, twisting them apart before putting each side in her mouth separately. Spike grinned.

“I don’t know where he could be.” Allison dipped her last cookie section into her tea before placing it into her mouth. Now Spike was the one captivated.

He shrugged in regards to her distress. “I’m sure he’ll turn up. Probably got lost in this monstrosity of a house.” He grabbed another Oreo, twisting it apart to mimic Allison’s cookie eating habits. “So, what are you two crazy kids doing today? Any wild plans in this crazy, one stoplight town?”

Allison giggled, shaking her head when he offered her another cookie. “I don’t know what Howard has planned.”

“Oh, so I was right then. You didn’t do much talking last night.” He laughed heartily at her blush. “No reason to be embarrassed, luv. You are man and wife after all.”

“I’m not embarrassed.” Allison objected with bowed head.

“Yeah, right.” Spike’s grin seemed to be in a permanent place upon his face. He liked that. He liked that about her. She always made him smile, and that was a rare thing. “More tea?” He jumped up to wash out their cups in the sink after she declined more tea. “What do you say I let you beat me at another game of poker before your husband wanders back.” He raised his hands in surrender at her look. “No kitties, I promise.” She laughed and nodded. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a deck of cards, shuffling them with ease.

* * *

“No, no, no. It’s all wrong. See, the spell reads ‘consanguineus,’ not ‘dominus.’ You said the wrong Latin phrase, you pillock. You called a ‘husband’ and not the ‘sister.’” Ethan Rayne turned on the minion with rage. “What the hell am I supposed to do with him? I needed the Key, the Slayer’s sister, not some little Chinese man with bad hair!”

“Hey. There is nothing wrong with my hair, you swarthy English dolt.” Howard stood up in a five by five cell. It reminded him of Hannibal Lecter’s cell in the later half of the movie, “Silence of the Lambs.” It was free standing in the middle of the warehouse. He gripped the bars and glared at his captor.

Howard had no idea how he got here. One moment he was falling asleep by his wife’s side, and the next moment he awakened in this dank prison. A British moron seemed to be in charge, spouting magic spells, and little brown robed monks were bowing at the sorcerer’s beckon call. They ignored Howard’s outburst. He had no way of knowing that Ethan had put a sound shield around the cell, keeping his protests out. Ethan and his minions had magically secured the warehouse so that they could keep their prison indefinitely. Unfortunately, somehow, they had the wrong prisoner.

Ethan flopped down in a chair, sprawling his long legs out before him and glaring at Howard. He dismissed his minions. He needed to think, and their babbling got on his nerves. Finally, he came up with a plan of sorts. He pulled out a piece of paper and a pen and jotted down a quick note. Then he folded the note and placed it in his back pocket. He bellowed to the monks to guard the prisoner while he was gone. Without another word, he left the warehouse and drove off towards Whispering Pines in his black Porsche.

A little while later, Ethan parked the fancy car in a corner lot and took a seat under an Oak tree at a quaint outdoor café. His feral grin aimed at the waitress coming his way made her skin crawl. “Hello, sir,” she greeted him with a tight lipped smile.

He leered at her, glancing down at her name tag. “Hullo there, Heidi. Coffee, tea, or me?” He winked, oblivious to her disgust. She placed a lunch menu down on his table and made her way back to the kitchen. She glanced at the clock. Thirty more minutes and she’d be off for the day. Why couldn’t this jerk have been thirty minutes later? She sighed as she changed the coffee pot, refilling the beans and dumping the old grounds out into the trash. She wished every customer could be like that sweet couple with the Earl Grey tea earlier that morning.

Eventually she had to make her way back to the table. The man ordered a beer, and she delivered it as quick as possible, dropping his check at the same time. He reached out and held down her hand, pressing it down on the table. The blood drained from her face and she was about to scream out when he released the pressure, but not his grip. “Do you know the Scobie Manor?”

She shook her head indicating that she did. Who didn’t? It was the biggest estate in town. It was rumored to be haunted, and had been empty for a few years until last summer when a strange family of sorts had moved in. At least, that’s what the word around town was.

“Good.” He released her hand and pulled a note out of his pocket, along with a hundred dollar bill. “I’d much appreciate it if you’d drop this off for me. It’s intended as a surprise, so I would rather not disclose myself to them at this time. I’d be eternally…grateful.” He placed the note and the hundred dollar bill on the table, holding them down with the now empty beer bottle. He then stood without another word, and left the café. Heidi watched him leave with that smug look and confident gate. She shivered, and then picked up the money and piece of paper. She could definitely use the money. And Scobie Manor was right on her way home. She shrugged, shoving them both into her apron.

She checked out for the day and hopped into her Volkswagen bug. It didn’t take long for her to travel the few blocks to Scobie Manor. She parked on the side of the road in front of the mansion, slowly making her way up the front walk. No goose bumps came, no fear prickled at her senses. Instead, it felt just like any other house in the world. That surprised her. Perhaps all the ominous rumors were not true.

Heidi softly knocked on the front door, and smiled as she heard a female shout from within. “I got it.”

A blonde woman, perhaps in her early to mid twenties, opened the door. She smiled at Heidi. “Hello. Can I help you?”

Heidi pulled the note out of her pocket. “Hi. Um, this is going to sound weird, but I work at the corner café. My name‘s Heidi.” Buffy nodded encouragingly. “This morning a customer gave me this note and asked me if I’d drop it off. He said he wanted it to be a surprise.” Heidi decided not to disclose the money transaction.

Buffy took the note from the girl’s hand, a look of curiosity gracing her features. “A man?”

Heidi nodded. She wasn’t sure how much she should say to the girl, if it was supposed to be a surprise.

Buffy opened the note, and the blood drained from her face as she read each word.

“Is everything alright?” Heidi became concerned at the look on the blonde’s face.

“What did this man look like? And who are you really?” Buffy’s glare froze Heidi in her place. Now the goose bumps did break out on her arms.

Heidi stuttered out in protest. “I’m just the waitress. I promise. I’ve never met the man before this morning!” Buffy gestured for her to continue, clenching the note in her hand. “He was British, I think. He had a goatee, kind of swarthy. He leered at me a lot.”

The goatee threw her off momentarily, but it really could only be one man. “Ethan Rayne.” Buffy clenched her teeth and hissed out his name. “What did he say exactly. And Heidi, don’t leave anything out.”

Buffy, though small, looked fierce standing there on the front porch, her hands on her hips, the note hidden in her fist.

Heidi decided it was best if she came clean. “He came into the café and ordered a beer. He flirted a lot. I wasn’t interested. He creeped me out. Then he asked me if I knew where Scobie Manor was, and gave me a hundred dollars to drop that note off. He said it was a surprise. Really, that’s all I know. I didn’t know it was a bad thing.”

Buffy believed the girl. She looked quite terrified standing there. “OK, it’s fine. Thank you, Heidi.” Buffy shut the door firmly in Heidi’s face. She stood there for a moment, in a bit of shock and surprise. Then she turned on her heel and grumbled under her breath as she made her way back to the car. “Maybe the rumors are right after all.”

Buffy strode into the kitchen, the note firmly in her grasp. “Listen up people. I found Howard.”

Allison lurched out of her chair. “Where is he?” She wrung her hands in front of her, now seriously worried. It had been hours, with no sign or word from her husband.

Buffy glanced around at the faces in the kitchen: Allison and Spike, Xander and Dawn and Willow. Giles and Carolee were the only ones not there, but she’d have to call them on Giles’s cell phone and get them back here immediately. “It must be Tuesday.” Buffy sighed as she sank into a chair and unfolded the note.

Hello,

I have the Chinese man with the bad hair. I’m assuming you want him back, so I offer you this trade. The husband, for the sister. I need the Key. Place her at the corner of Pine and 12th at midnight tonight, and I’ll return the man. If your sister is not in place by midnight, the man will die. Follow this simple plan, and no one gets hurt. Not even your precious key. I just need her for a moment. Once she’s been used, I shall return her.

See you at midnight…

It wasn’t signed.

Everyone started speaking at once. Buffy stood, kicking her chair back into the middle of the room. “Quiet!” They all closed their mouths with a snap, waiting for Buffy’s direction.

“It’s Ethan Rayne. Some waitress from the corner café said he gave her this note to drop off here. She didn’t know anything.”

“How did he get away from the Initiative? Are you sure it’s him?” Willow was frantic. Buffy just shook her head.

“I don’t know anything more, but I’m sure it’s Ethan. It’s his M.O. anyway.” For the first time, Buffy thought of Dawn, glancing at her sharply. She was standing next to Spike. He had his arm around her shoulders in a protective gesture.

“He wants me? But I’m not a key anymore. I’m done being the key, aren’t I?” Dawn’s voice was soft and quiet, full of fear. Spike tightened his grip around her shoulders. “You’ll be fine, Lil’ bit. No need to fret.”

Buffy tried to give her a re-assuring smile. Then she turned towards Allison. Allison was deathly quiet. Spike had his other arm around her, and she was leaning against him for support. “We’ll get your hubby back too. We always win in the end. We’re the Scoobies, you know.”

Buffy sneered at him. “You are not a Scooby, Spike.” They met in a glare of wills and stubbornness and pain for a moment. Finally Spike looked away, turning his gaze down to his feet. Allison took one of his hands in her own, squeezing it gently. “Thank you, Spike.”

“I need to call Giles.” Buffy pivoted on her booted heel and stalked out of the kitchen into Giles’s den to place the phone call. Ethan Rayne was back.