CHAPTER 4

Joining Tara by the bed, Willow watched curiously as the older girl placed the Compendium, an athame, and a decanter of salt on the floor.

“Do you want to be inside or outside the Circle?” the blonde asked.

Willow hesitated. “Umm, inside, I guess.” She smiled. “I’ve never done anything so big before. I won’t distract you or cause the spell to go wrong, will I? Cause my spells still don’t work right.”

Tara smiled crookedly. “I think I can deal with your sexy self being in the Circle, Willow.” She blushed. “Sorry, that came out wrong.”

Brushing off the apology, the redhead focused on getting started. “Do you want me to get anything else or is this it?” She gestured at the three items on the floor.

“M-maybe something to write on an-and a pe-pencil,” Tara mumbled. She gazed at her companion as she snagged the requested items from her desk before sitting cross legged on the bed. She sighed. “I’ll draw the Circle. Just sit tight, OK?”

The blonde opened the decanter and slowly poured the granules on the floor in a small circle surrounding the bed. As she moved backward, Tara chanted. The white salt burned blue once it touched the floor. Closing the Circle, the blonde crawled to the center of the bed and raised her hands to the ceiling. “Goddess Diana, grant that this Circle remain hallowed ground. Aid us in our search for answers. Ward this space against those who would do us harm.” The blue energy rose slowly until it reached the ceiling. Tara lowered her hands and stretched.

“What’s next?” Willow wasn’t tired any longer.

“We need to call the faeries and send them on their way,” Tara explained. She opened the Compendium and set it in front of the redhead. “I need you to write down which demons the spirits identify and how many of them the Initiative is holding.”

“OK.” The younger girl grinned in excitement.

Tara paused, regaining her focus and drawing in power. Ready at last, she carefully incanted the spell, magical energy rippling in the air with each word. Merrily twinkling green lights surrounded the blonde witch. Frowning in concentration, Tara spoke, “Go. Find the information I’ve requested.”

The lights dimmed in understanding and then disappeared. The taller girl climbed onto the bed and rested. “Did it work?” Willow couldn’t refrain from asking.

“You saw the faeries. It’s just a matter of waiting for them to start returning.” Tara closed her eyes. If they did the empathy spell, she’d need to recover a bit. The blonde witch felt the bed shift and a warm body lay next to her. She caught her breath and fought to hide her reaction. She needed to find something to say or do. “So, were you ever going to tell me about Buffy being the Slayer? I mean, before you needed my help?”

“Tara?” Willow asked in confusion. Her friend sounded upset. “Sure. I would have told you, but normally, I don’t just blurt it out. You haven’t even met any of the gang yet.” The redhead licked her lips nervously. “Did you not want to help? Buffy’s always saying I need to slow down and stop pushing people.”

In spite of her efforts to stay detached, Tara smiled at the babbling. “I’m fine, Willow, and I want to help. I was curious about how you bring people into the inner circle, so to speak.”

“Oh. Oh, good,” the younger girl chirped.

How can she have all that energy this late? Maybe it was time to divulge a few of her own secrets. The blonde tensed, but pressed on. “Hey, W-Willow? Umm, there’s something I need to –“ She broke off. Agitated green lights blipped into the room. They swirled around the girls in a chaotic pattern, winking in and out.

“Is this supposed to happen?” Willow asked.

Trying to understand the information the faeries offered, the blonde didn’t immediately answer. “Get the book. Something has them terrified.” Tara shooed the balls of energy toward the Compendium.

Clustering together, they hummed and hovered over the tome. Hesitantly, the younger girl flipped through the pages, watching their informants carefully. Nothing happened. Feeing foolish, but needing answers, Willow continued through the large magical text. Without warning, the lights dropped down, blanketing a particular page. “OK. We have a Polgara demon in the Initiative,” the young witch reported. More pages turned. The lights repeated their actions. “Mohra demon, check.”

“Will, look!”

The redhead jerked at her companion’s tone. A second cluster of lights entered the room. Cradled between several of their number lay a dark shape. “Oh, Goddess, it’s dead.” Willow felt sick. This wasn’t supposed to be dangerous for the playful creatures.

Tara would have commented, but the gathered faeries flew at her in a bright wave. She fought her first reaction to swat at the lights as if they were mosquitoes. They pushed close to her, brushing her face and hair. Where they touched, the witch’s skin heated and the blonde sensed their emotions. Fear skittered through her mind. The little winking balls of energy were terrified. More of the faeries joined those already touching Tara. An image formed in her mind. A tall man loomed. No, it wasn’t a man. The figure looked freakish, skin pieced together with hooks or staples. It saw the lights searching the room and extended its right hand. Electricity leaped from its fingers and exploded when it reached the cluster of faeries.

***

Buffy and Forrest hurried to the briefing area, arriving seconds before Professor Walsh. “OK, people. How did it go?” the intense blonde scientist asked.

“Ma’am, the Hostile took us unaware,” Riley responded crisply. He stood at rigid attention just left of the rows of chairs.

It was apparently unwelcome news. “How did that happen?” Impatience dripped from every word.

No one answered. Buffy watched in amusement as a flush crawled up the woman’s neck and face. “I asked a question, Marines.” She turned on Riley. “Agent Finn, this was your operation. Why didn’t you know the location of the HST?”

The Slayer didn’t wait for her boyfriend to offer a response. Bouncing to her feet, she confronted the scientist. “The Marines didn’t know because their equipment can’t track demons.”

“I beg your pardon?” Walsh glared at the shorter blonde.

“You heard me. You’ve got the guys out looking for demons and vampires with radios and ray guns. Great.” Buffy paced forward. “Humans don’t stand a chance of tracking something with supernatural hearing or speed.”

“Buffy-“ Riley tried to interrupt.

“No, Agent Finn. I want to hear what she has to say.” Maggie Walsh drew herself up and crossed her arms over her chest.

Not bothering to consider her words, Buffy continued, “I want to know what you think you’re doing here, Professor. In the time you’ve been in Sunnydale, you’ve captured and studied nearly fifty demons. Where are they now?” She was on a roll. “Do you let them go? Or is something else going on here?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” the professor spluttered.

Frustrated, Buffy threw caution to the winds. “What’s the 314 Project, Professor?”

She finally got a reaction. The older woman’s eyes widened and she paled. However, a klaxon sounded in the base and the moment was shattered. Marines in battle gear raced across the facility, heading for a cordoned off portion of the lab. The phone in the front of the briefing area rang and Walsh hurriedly picked it up.

“Yes?” The Slayer watched as she frowned. “How did that…Never mind. I’ll deploy Alpha Team. I’ve got a contingency plan for our other problem.” She slammed the handset down.

“Agent Finn, we have a security breach. Take your team and report to Sector 3. Check with Base HQ on arrival for further instructions,” an angry professor snapped.

“Yes, ma’am.” Riley saluted and motioned for his team to leave the area.

Buffy started after them, but the scientist stepped in front of her. “I need you on a different assignment. It’s a small job – reconnaissance. It’s probably a waste of your abilities, but my boys are already on their way out.”

“No problem.” The Slayer was surprised at the sudden shift in mood. Walsh was smiling and relaxed. “What do you need me to do?”

The scientist led the smaller blonde to a table laden with maps. “We have reports of a Class 3 Subterrestrial moving through the sewers on the north edge of town.” She traced a finger over a section of the map.

“Class 3?” Buffy inquired.

“It’s a low level threat,” her new boss explained. “Minimal aggression; meager defenses.” She paused, taking a tazer rifle from a young Marine. “They barely even show up on the scans, and occasionally turn out to be raccoons.” The older blonde held the rifle out to Buffy.

Raising her eyebrows but accepting the weapon, the Slayer quipped, “You guys really don’t like raccoons, do you?”

As usual, her humor fell flat. Professor Walsh ignored the small joke and picked up a headset. “I just need you to wear this. It’s a visual transmitter. I’ll be able to see what you see and relay orders from here.” She pressed the equipment into the young girl’s hand. “I don’t want to put you in any unnecessary danger.”

Awkwardly swinging the gun in the scientist’s direction, Buffy juggled all of her new equipment. “Hey, don’t worry about it. Danger’s my birthright.” She hesitated. “Professor Walsh,” she met the woman’s intense gaze, “no one’s answered my questions about the Initiative and the 314 Project. Let’s talk when I get back.” Clutching her rifle and the headset, Buffy trotted passed the astonished scientist, heading for the sewers.

CHAPTER 5

The conversation with the professor bothered the Slayer as she traveled through Sunnydale. Riley and the guys had been called out on a security problem. That sounded way more important – and dangerous – than the peaceful demon. Buffy needed to get answers. She entered the sewer Walsh had indicated on the map, and pulled her thoughts back to the job at hand.

The tunnel reeked, and discolored liquid flowed sluggishly in the drainage channel. Brandishing the tazer rifle with her right hand, the Slayer held the microphone from the headset tightly to her cheek. She continued walking, senses on high. Despite the information supplied by the Initiative, the blonde didn’t see any sign of demon habitation. In fact, other than the usual vegetation hanging from the ceiling, the tunnel was amazingly clean. Maybe Professor Walsh had been mistaken. Buffy took a couple more steps into the sewer, considering a swift return to the base. It never happened.

Her senses sounded an internal alert. “Professor Walsh?” The blonde spoke urgently into the headset. “Are you getting this?” No response sounded in her ear, but the Slayer continued providing an update. “That possible HST? Make that a definite.” The demons were closing in. She heard movement ahead in the tunnel. From the noises, it was more than just one opponent. Two robed and armed figures walked slowly into the passageway. “He’s brought along a friend. They seem…”

The Slayer broke off. The duo seemed familiar. The lab! Professor Walsh and some scientist types had been examining the same kind of creature when she had gotten the grand tour of the base. What the hell is going on? Raising the rifle, Buffy vowed to get the truth from the humorless professor. The weapon was awkward, and the blonde wished she’d brought something from her own arsenal. Taking aim, she pulled the trigger.

Electrical current slammed through her system. A hoarse scream tore from her throat, and she staggered back, dropping the sparking gun. Behind her, metal grating descended, cutting off her exit. OK. Answers not needed. This is so the setup. Anger quickened her pulse. The emotion helped keep the fear at bay. A quick scan showed nothing she could use as a weapon.

Deciding to go for broke, the Slayer leapt off the raised pad she stood on. Performing a flawless scissor kick, she drove both demons back several feet. She landed and faced off with her opponents. “So, guys, did you just take a wrong turn or did someone drop you off here?” Two green-mustachioed faces looked at her expressionlessly. “OK. Not the talkative types I see.” Buffy found herself bracketed by the strange looking demons and traded blows with each. They were good, maybe too good. One of the robed figures managed to connect with its axe handle. Buffy went down hard, the communications headset sliding across the floor. Direct attack wasn’t going to work.

She and Riley had been working on different styles of combat, and the blonde realized it was time to turn practice into reality. Clambering to her feet, Buffy dove between the two demons, tucking and rolling until she stood behind them. Taking advantage of their momentary confusion, she swept one’s legs, sending it crashing to the floor. The other swung the large axe. Ducking, she used the heavy weapon’s momentum. Grabbing the handle of the three foot wooden piece, she swung in the direction of the original blow. The demon came off the ground, flying across the tunnel. He hit the wall with terrible force and lay motionless after sliding to the ground.

“Oops! Sorry about your friend,” she quipped, facing off with the final demon. It seemed confused and weakened with the loss of its partner. Using the axe from the downed demon, Buffy finally managed to behead the creature.

“Now, how do I find out if you were planted here?” The Slayer roughly searched both bodies, grimacing at the gruesome sight of the headless torso of the nearest one. Nothing. No clues anywhere. “Well, fuck. What did I expect, a tattoo saying “Property of the Initiative?” The blonde glared at the bodies, thinking about the demons’ actions. Despite the strength of their attack, they’d been wooden, unimaginative.

I wonder… Reaching for the loose head, Buffy grumbled, “Damn. I really liked this top.” The axe was not the correct tool for exploratory brain surgery, but it did the job in a pinch. Covered in gore, the Slayer examined the computer chip she’d located in the brain of the demon. “Think I owe Will more than just a mocha for this one.”

***

The blonde witch screamed. “Tara, what is it?” Willow shot forward, grabbing her friend’s hand. “Tara?” she said, getting no response.

Staring into space, the blonde was frighteningly still. Careful not to break the Circle, the younger witch climbed out of the bed and moved to stand next to the frozen woman. “Hey, come on. You’re scaring me.” She shook the girl by the shoulder. It seemed to help; a spark of life showed in the blue eyes. “Tara? What happened? What did you see?”

Tara blinked slowly as the vision faded. Looking up, she saw a frantic Willow at her side. “Willow, we-we ha-have to get out of here.”

“Why?”

At any other time, the blonde might have thought the constant questioning cute. Right now, it wasted time. “There’s a demon at the Initiative. He killed the faerie and he’s tracking our spell.”

“Oh. Oh!” Green eyes widened. “We can go to Giles.’”

Unfurling from her lotus position, the older witch merely nodded. She had to take down the Circle before they could leave. Normally, Tara was careful when grounding magical energy. Tonight, speed won out over safety. Murmuring a few words, she made a slashing motion with her hand. The Circle flared a brilliant blue before exploding in a shower of energy. The particles of magic floated to the ground and were absorbed back into the mystical power lines under the building. “Let’s go.”

Willow made a beeline for the desk, not following Tara to the door. “Will, hurry!” The blonde could feel the magical trace getting closer.

“I am! But we may need my laptop to get more information. And,” she grabbed a fanny pack loaded with holy water and a cross, “it won’t do us any good to get munched on the way.”

They startled a few students as they sprinted down the hallway and slammed into the stairwell. “Is there any way to block the tracking spell?” Willow’s mind raced along, creating and discarding solutions to their problem.

“Maybe,” Tara panted. She was already tiring, and they hadn’t left the quad. “I can’t do it, though. The tracer spell is locked onto my signal. If I draw in too much energy, it’ll be like setting off a homing beacon.”

“Got it. No spells for you.” Willow grabbed the slower girl and pulled her along. “Could I do it?”

Tara didn’t answer immediately. They pounded down a walkway that ran along the edge of the campus. It went through some dangerous territory for night travel, but it was easily the fasted route to Buffy’s Watcher. “Yeah. I think you could do it, but not while we’re running. We’d have to be stationary and I’d have to write the incantation down for you.”

“Think we can wait til we get there? Or should we stop?”

“No. No stopping.” Tara was sure of that. She couldn’t probe too hard if she wanted to avoid alerting her follower. However, reaching out along her power signature, she could still sense the demon. It had located the dorm room. “They’ve found the dorm.”

They stopped talking and concentrated on running. By the time they reached the stairs to the Watcher’s apartment, both girls were exhausted. Willow dragged herself to the door and pounded on the wood. It was late and no lights shone through the window. She kept pounding until an irritated voice called out, “Hang on, you bloody blighter!” The door wrenched open, and Giles glared at the redhead.

“Oh, good Lord,” he exclaimed, seeing her condition. Willow couldn’t speak, too busy sucking in air, but she waved at Tara, leaning against the railing. “I’ve got her, Willow. Go on inside.”

The young witch was only too happy to stagger into the apartment, where she immediately dropped onto the couch. Giles joined her minutes later, the blonde in his arms. He settled his bundle into the recliner and stepped back. “Have you recovered sufficiently to explain, Willow?”

It still hurt to breathe, but the Scooby knew she had to help Tara hide from the tracking spell. Concentrating on choosing words to quickly get her point across, she stared directly into questioning brown eyes and said, “Initiative…spell…found lots of demons.”

Luckily for Willow, Giles had grown adept at figuring out his young charges’ often strange patterns of speech. Making sure he had translated correctly, he repeated, “You did a spell and located many demons at the Initiative.” He was rewarded by a blinding smile. “While I appreciate the importance of the information, my dear, I’m sure it could have waited until morning.”

The young girl leveled a fierce glare in his direction and tried to explain. “One demon…traced spell…need…hide Tara.”

“Bloody hell.” Giles looked at the unconscious witch in his favorite recliner. “There’s a spell.” He began pulling books from the shelf behind Tara. Mumbling to himself and wildly turning pages, he hunted for a particular incantation. “Here!” He moved to the couch and shoved the spellbook at Willow. “It will let you disrupt her power signature.”

“Me?” the redhead managed. “I can’t…”

“You have to. It takes a witch.” The older man rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I’ve dabbled, but I don’t have the talent or the training for this.”

Swallowing hard, Willow took the book and glanced at the spell. She frowned. It was in a spidery script and in an obscure dialect of Sumerian. Glancing at Tara, the young witch vowed to get this incantation correct. “OK, Giles. I need salt, bay leaf, essence of toad, and…umm, a knife.”

They rushed around the tiny apartment, hurriedly gathering supplies. Willow wasn’t sure how much time they had, but she was sure it wouldn’t be long. Piling everything on the end table, the redhead rushed through the incantation. Tossing the ingredients into a bowl and mixing them, she began to chant the words of the spell. Holding her arm over the mixture, Willow reached the final stanza. Using Giles’ paring knife as her athame, the witch drew the tiny blade across the palm of her hand, letting blood fall into the ingredients just as she finished chanting. Smoke exploded from the bowl, all the lights in the room sparked, and Willow felt an electronic buzzing fill the air.

“We’re good, Giles. No more tracing going on in here.” She was flushed with excitement. Her spell had worked.

“Marvelous job, my dear,” the Watcher commented. “Now, you seem to have recovered. Could you possibly elaborate on the earlier tale?”

Nodding rapidly, the young witch dropped back on the couch. “Yeah. I don’t know it all. Tara did the spell at the dorms, but I’ll tell you what I know.” She highlighted the purpose of the casting and the alarming return of the faeries. “Tara told me there was a demon at the Initiative who could do magic. He was the one who started the trace on her power signature.” She grabbed her computer bag and pulled out the text she’d ‘borrowed’ from the Englishman. “We used this to identify the types of demons the Initiative was holding.” Ignoring his reproving look, she finished her story. “The faeries only pointed out a few demons before they came to show Tara their casualty. Whatever’s going on down there, I don’t think the Initiative is here to help with the Slaying.”

“No, they’re not.”

Watcher and witch spun around. Buffy stood by the entrance to Giles’ tiny kitchen, covered in grime. “Professor Walsh sent me on a rigged mission, trapping me in the sewer with two of her pet demons. I dug this,” she held out the computer chip, “out of one’s head.” The blonde looked fierce. “If she thinks that’s all it takes to kill a Slayer, she’s got another thing coming.”

CHAPTER 6

“You’re saying Maggie Walsh set you up?” Giles asked, disbelieving.

“Hello, Giles!” Willow commented. “I’ve been saying all along something was wrong with her.”

The older man regarded her sternly. “Willow, I don’t think now is the proper time for you to say ‘I told you so.’ Buffy, why would Professor Walsh try to kill you? She just offered you a position on her team.”

The filthy blonde tried to run a hand through her hair and grimaced. “We so need to talk this over, Giles, but could we maybe hold off long enough for me to clean up?”

“Of course, Buffy.” The ex-Watcher gestured to the stairs. “Go ahead and use my bathroom. I’ll search around for clothing you can use.”

“Thanks.” Moving slowly, the Slayer climbed the stairs to the second floor.

“Willow, perhaps you could contact Xander and Anya while I get Buffy something to wear?”

“Sure, Giles.” Checking to make sure Tara was resting comfortably, she bounced up and grabbed the phone. Punching in numbers from memory, the witch considered the news Buffy had brought. New, magic-wielding demons, computer chips…

“Yeah?” Xander’s grumpy voice barked into the phone.

“Oh, hey, Xand. It’s Willow.”

“Really? Cause I thought it was Brooke Shields,” the boy said sarcastically. Then he sighed. “What’s up, Will? Another Apocalypse that just can’t wait a few more hours til morning?”

“Um, maybe.” The redhead didn’t bother with a long explanation. She could see Tara stirring in the chair. “Look, we found out some scary stuff about the Initiative. We’re at Giles’ and could use your help with the research and all.”

Through the phone, the witch heard sheets rustling and a female voice in the background. “An wants to know if she should come, too.” The flood of talking in the background nearly made Willow laugh. She wondered exactly what the ex-demon had really said.

Despite her dislike of Xander’s outspoken girlfriend, the witch knew they could use her expertise. “Yeah. She should come. We’re trying to identify a new demon.”

“OK. We’ll grab some sugary sustenance on the way.” He hung up and Willow wandered back over to the couch.

The blonde witch regarded her friend wearily. “I don’t feel the trace anymore. What happened?”

“I did this really cool spell Giles had to disrupt your power signature. It must have worked, because no creepy demon guy showed up.” She grinned. “I can’t believe I did it – and it worked.”

A crooked half-smile worked its way across Tara’s lips. “You just needed some confidence in your magic.”

They both turned as Giles came back downstairs. “Well, she might not be as fashionable as she prefers, but at least she won’t be covered in demon remains,” he commented. “Are you alright, my dear?” he asked Tara

“I’m f-f-fine, Mr. Giles,” the blonde stuttered and then blushed.

Sensing her discomfort, the Englishman patted her hand gently on his way to the couch. “Willow tried to describe what happened, but could you give me details about the demon you saw? The one with the magic?”

“Good idea, but let’s wait until the rest of the Scoobies are here,” Buffy commented from the top of the stairs. The Slayer made her way downstairs without her usual grace. She wore a pair of her ex-Watcher’s jeans. Even belted and rolled up, she kept tripping over the excess material. An old sweater covered her top. It, too, was drastically too large, and the shoulders of the grey cashmere rested at the blonde’s elbows. Seeing the mischief sparkling in green eyes, Buffy glared at her best friend. “Don’t say it, Will.”

“Say what, Buffy?” the witch replied innocently.

“Oooh, like I believe that act, Rosenberg.” Finally reaching the couch, the Slayer flopped down at the far end and dropped bare feet into the redhead’s lap. “I take it Xand and Anya are on the way?” At the trio of nods, she smiled. “Cool. Full house for the party. Although, Willow, it might be nice if you introduced me to your friend.” She slanted an eyebrow at Tara.

The blonde in the recliner blushed as everyone in the room looked at her. “Oh, sorry,” Willow gushed. “This is Tara. She’s a witch I met at the campus Wicca meeting. Only, she’s a real witch, not like the rest of the wanna-be’s.”

The shy blonde nodded, but didn’t say anything. “So, you’re here to what? Help with the magic stuff?” Buffy looked at Giles. He seemed calm, which was unusual. Normally, bringing in a new Scooby caused her father figure to freak.

“I h-helped Wil-Willow try to identify the demons at the Initiative last night.” Tara glanced at her redhead companion.

Seeing the look, Buffy’s eyes narrowed. Is she checking Will out? the Slayer asked herself. It certainly appeared that way. The taller blonde stared at Buffy’s best friend with longing in her eyes. Whoa! How did I miss this? She glanced at Willow. The redhead seemed oblivious to Tara’s intimate regard. Huh, she thought with an inner smirk, I’m not the only one missing things.

Xander and Anya interrupted her thoughts, bursting into the apartment. “Hey, guys!” the brunette boy announced, holding two boxes of doughnuts in the air. “Food’s here.”

“Great,” Buffy said. “Let’s get down to business, then.”

A few minutes passed while everyone grabbed doughnuts and drinks. When they were all settled in the small living room, Giles kicked things off. “Tara, my dear, why don’t you tell us what you and Willow discovered with your spell last night?”

Although uncomfortable being the center of attention, the older witch nodded. “Sure. Willow and I tried to find out how many demons the Initiative was holding and what types they were.” She smiled at the redhead. “It didn’t work out the way we planned.”

“Yes.” Anya said. “Willow’s spells never work right.” She glared at Xander when he poked her. “What? Have you forgotten what happened when Oz left?”

“Be that as it may,” ever the peacemaker, Giles tried to redirect the conversation, “I believe we need to listen carefully to what Tara has to say.”

“Sorry,” Xander apologized for himself and his tactless girlfriend.

“It-it’s OK,” the blonde mumbled. She pulled into herself, arms wrapped tightly around her middle. “The faeries went to the base and came back to show us what they’d found. They pinpointed demons in a book Willow had.” She took a deep breath, shaking off the memory of the demon-man she’d glimpsed. “One of the faeries was killed and its companions showed me what happened.”

“Yes, Willow mentioned a demon that could do magic,” Giles said. He apparently wanted more information and less background.

“I’m not sure it was a demon. Well, not entirely a demon,” Tara tried to clarify. “It looked like a man, but it had patches of green skin mixed with normal skin. And,” she shuddered, “there were metal plates and things on its on head and chest.”

“Professor Walsh built it,” the Slayer stated.

A silent group stared at the blonde in horror. “Are you sure, Buffy?” Willow finally asked.

“Pretty sure. I overheard her talking with another scientist about using part of a Polgara demon for something.” She turned to the witch in the recliner. “The patches of green skin you saw, could they have been demon skin?”

Eyes widening at the question, Tara nodded jerkily. “Yes. Yes, it could have.”

“So the Initiative built whatever it was you saw,” Willow said. “Buffy, do you think it might be the 314 Project?”

“I don’t know, Will.” The Slayer started to pace. “It makes sense.”

“You know, Buffy, this is all your fault.” Anya pointed out. “I mean, you seem to have absolutely tragic taste in men.”

Looking confused and a touch defensive, Buffy looked at the ex-vengeance demon. “What does my taste in men have to do with this?”

“Oh, really-“ the blonde next to Xander began.

Leaning forward, the brunette Scooby slapped a hand over her mouth. “Nothing, Buff, just ignore her. We didn’t get enough sleep and it always makes her cranky.”

”I am not cranky,” Anya protested, moving away from her boyfriend. “Well, OK, maybe a little, but only because Willow interrupted us in the middle of having orgasms.” Everyone in the room flinched. “But, Buffy, you don’t really think Riley was crocheting booties for your future children while you were off getting trapped in the sewer.”

Shocked hazel eyes swept the room. Although no one else had spoken, the Slayer saw silent agreement in three sets of eyes. The fourth pair belonged to Tara, and she hadn’t been one of them long enough to have an opinion. “You guys think Riley had something to do with this?”

“Probably not,” Giles assured her, tidying up the cluttered room. “But,” he turned to lean against an end table, “we would be remiss if we didn’t think on all the possibilities”

“Right. Remiss,” Buffy parroted. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she dropped her eyes. It wasn’t Riley’s fault he worked for a mad, power hungry scientist. A small hand touched her shoulder, and the Slayer looked up into sympathetic green eyes.

“Stop it, Anya. It isn’t Riley’s or Buffy’s fault. They didn’t ask the Initiative to come here.” The young witch glared at Anya. “We need to stop pointing fingers and come up with a plan. Tara’s a powerful witch and that demon was still able to sense her magic and track her.”

“Then we need to do a little recon,” Xander commented. “It’s the only way to find out what’s going on underground.” He held up a hand when Anya started to complain. “Don’t, An. This is serious. I know I promised not to do any of the dangerous stuff, but I can’t just sit and do nothing. I’m the only one with military knowledge.”

He stood up and met Buffy’s eyes. “It’s time to go undercover.” He returned the Slayer’s smile. “Will, is there a way to get us in?”

“Yeah, Tara and I were talking about a glamour to fool the sensors, and…”

“Will, we don’t need magic.” Buffy grinned at the witch standing at her side. “I don’t think the Professor’s had a chance to remove my security clearance.” She sobered. “We need to get the rest of you to a safer location, though. Giles, they’re going to be looking for us. Is there someplace you can all go? They’ll look in all the places we normally hang out.”

The ex-Watcher thought for a moment. “Well, I suppose we could use the safe house the Council maintains here in town.” He seemed very uncomfortable with the thought.

“Oh, yeah.” Buffy’s voice was flat. “The house where they had Kralick try to kill me and Mom.” No one said anything as Watcher and Slayer faced off over the memory. “Good idea, Giles.” The blonde shook off the lingering resentment. “Can you swing by the house and pick up Mom? I don’t think the Initiative would hurt her, but…”

“They might try to use her as bait.” Tara ended her silence. “I think it would be good if Willow went with you, Buffy. You might need some magical protection if you run into the demon. I’m still too wiped out and my power is unstable.” She smiled fondly at the younger witch. “She’s good. She’ll be able to help.”

Buffy wanted to argue, but the other blonde had a point. “OK, Xand and Will, you’re with me. The rest of you, go with Giles.”

Next Chapter