Joyce grabbed Dawn’s hand and pulled her towards the door, plucking her keys up off the counter as she did so. “Quiet Dawn. We have to go, NOW!” Joyce whispered urgently, motioning to Dawn that she should be silent.

Dawn, having been prepared to loudly complain at the brusque treatment, fell silent without uttering a sound at the look her mother’s face. She allowed herself to be led out of the house and back to the Jeep. As she climbed in and fastened her seatbelt, she noticed the worried look her mother was casting at the house. Looking in the same direction as her mother’s gaze, she noticed that the curtains in one of the upstairs windows moved slightly.

Joyce backed the Jeep out of the driveway, her eyes darting from the rearview mirror to the house in a constant flitting motion. As she pulled away from the house, she kept a sharp eye out for anyone following or watching them.

“Mom, what’s going on?” Dawn asked tremulously. “Why did we have to leave the house? I thought we were gonna have dinner?” She looked at her mother with a scared look in her eyes. “Was someone in the house? I saw the curtains move upstairs.”

Without looking at Dawn, Joyce shrugged and said, “I’ll explain when we get to Rupert’s place, so please be patient. Oh, and if you could keep an eye open to see if anyone is following us, I’d appreciate it.” Joyce fell silent, her hands gripping the wheel so tight that her knuckles turned white.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“If I don’t open the store Xander, how can I make money?” Anya complained as Xander drove them towards Giles’ apartment.

“Ahn, somehow I think being alive to open the store tomorrow, beats being dead today and being able to make money ever again.” Xander replied in an exasperated tone of voice.

Anya thought for a moment and then nodded vigorously, “You are right Xander. Drive faster; I do not want to die. Giles has to make them stop!” she ordered her boyfriend in a firm voice.

“Yes dear,” Xander said with a smile, which he was careful to keep hidden from his ever-so-practical girlfriend, not wanting to start an argument so early.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hands clasped, the two Wiccan ladies walked across town towards Giles’ apartment, only the faint shimmering of the air around them indicating the shield spell they were maintaining around themselves.

“I hope Giles knows what’s going on,” Willow said in a thoughtful tone. “That guy was human.” She looked sheepishly at Tara. “If I hadn’t of knocked him out, we could have gotten some answers from him, maybe.”

“Sweetie, if you hadn’t of knocked him out, he might have shot either you or me, or maybe both of us.” Tara said soothingly.

“Well, he did have a gun, didn’t he…?” Willow said softly. “I just don’t like having to hurt people. Wish I knew why he attacked us.”

“I’m sure Giles will be able to help,” Tara said with a tender smile and a reassuring squeeze of her girlfriend’s hand. “He is quite knowledgeable about stuff like this.”

“Yeah, he is.” Willow said with a small giggle. “Maybe it’s because he’s old?” She paused in thought. “I wonder if the others are okay. Do you think whoever this is… that he had help?”

Tara looked up in alarm. “If he had help, do you think they went after Giles? Or even Mrs. Summers and Dawnie?”

Willow snorted. “I someone went after Dawn or Mrs. Summers, I hope their life insurance is paid up, because if Spike didn’t kill them, I’m positive Buffy would.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Whistler started to squirm frantically, trying to get someone’s attention, anyone’s attention, hoping he could at least tell his side of the story before judgment was passed on him. However, from the looks of annoyance he was receiving, it did not appear likely.

Buffy cast a quelling look in Whistler’s direction, causing him to cease his attempts to attract attention. She then turned her attention back towards Angel, who was now in the hands of a ceatric, and from the looks of things, fuming mad. She chuckled to herself, wondering if she could make him mad enough to say something stupid. With a wry grin, she realized that it would not be at all that hard, seeing as he had yet to say something that was not stupid since she had met him.

Deais, after seeing that the vampire was restrained, turned to Buffy and inquired, “Why was the Cursed One chained in the bathroom of your daughter’s home? Surely it wasn’t in response to what he did to make you stab him?”

“No, what he did to make me restrain him was much, much worse.” Buffy answered with a grimace.

Angel started straining against the hands that held him, but was unable to break free, so he resorted to yelling. “Don’t listen to her, she’s lying. I didn’t do anything!” After struggling a little more he growled, “I demand to be set free! I do not deserve this kind of treatment! I am the Chosen Champion for the Powers! LET ME GO!”

Buffy snorted inelegantly as she smirked at the struggling vampire. “Chosen Champion? I think not. That title is reserved for the Slayer, not for a soul-cursed vampire with delusions of grandeur. As for letting you go, I highly doubt that is going to happen.” Tapping her fingers on her chin, Buffy began to pace across the dais. “And as for what you did…” her voice trailed off as she turned to Deais. “How positive are you that he still is in possession of the soul?”

Deais stared at Angel for a moment, as if trying to see within him. “It appears that the soul is intact.” She turned her eyes on Buffy, “But I don’t see the significance of that fact.”

“The significance of that is,” Buffy paused and sighed softly, “Is the fact that he entered into a binding contract with the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart.” Several gasps were heard throughout the chamber as she said this.

Tannis looked between Angel and Buffy, noting the almost pained expression on Angel’s face. “What kind of contract?”

Angel started shouting again, “Don’t listen to her! She is a lying little bitch. She’s just trying to make you doubt me as your champion!” He struggled ineffectually against the ceatric’s hold.

Buffy slid two fingers into the top of her right boot, extracting a piece of parchment. “In case my word is not enough, I have proof of his perfidy, in his own hand, in his own blood.”

Everyone watched, as Angel seemed to go almost gray in shock as his eyes fell on the innocent-seeming piece of paper.


A/N: I have had a request to clarify what a 'ceatric' is. Basically it is a very strong, very dumb demonic being that the powers use as guards. They will do whatever the powers tell them to, and are incapable of speech.

It is also an alternative spelling for Ciatrick Fason, who is a Running Back for the Minnesota Vikings (american football). Guess it tells you my opinion of American Football Players... *GRIN*