Chapter Five: Against the Unknown

[Buffy Summers]

Although most of those who had fought bravely slunk happily to their beds, there were a few still awake in these early hours of the morning.

Those who knew the identity of the mysterious vampire leader, those who knew Drusilla, and those who were curious, followed Buffy, anxious for information.

Drusilla, still unconcious, was taken to a holding cell specifically designed to keep vampires in.

[Buffy Summers]

:: Buffy stormed into the building and down a series of corridors to the specially constructed library. She knew Giles would be there. She knew - no matter what his condition or how long it took - he would have waited up. ::

"Giles! We have a problem..."

[Mesektet Ra]

Spike followed Buffy's breakneck pace laguidly, keeping track of the twists and turns of the corridors without so much as a second thought.

He was at her shoulder as she banged the library doors open, strolling in confidently past Buffy and draping himself on the overstuffed red leather couch opposite Giles and resting his Doc Martens on the table separating the two. He quirked a grin in Giles's direction, nodding his head in greeting. He must've looked horrific - the cuts and bruises on his face didn't have enough time to heal before their little impromptu meeting.

"Feels just like old times, eh, Ripper?" He asked, taking out his silver Zippo and flicking it open and closed repeatedly, the lighter making metallic clanging noises that reverberated throughout the library. Spike looked questioningly up at Buffy, waiting for her to continue.

[Lyri]

::Gwen threw her head back onto the pillow of the stretcher she was lying on, and sighed in frustration.::

I am spending WAY too much time in this place, she thought to herself as she watched the nurses and doctors as they hurried around, tending to the many wounded soliders.

::A nurse had taped a huge piece of white padding to the wound on her neck, telling Gwen that the bite would have to be stitched. Gwen had only nodded as the nurse told her she would be back in a few minutes.

::That had been almost twenty minutes ago.

::Growing impatient, Gwen swung her legs over the edge of the stretcher and hopped down onto the floor, making her way across the medical suite to the door.::

"Ms. Raiden, you really shouldn't be out of bed," said the nurse who had been tending to her, appearing from nowhere. "You're wound still needs to be stitched. You've lost a lot of blood, you really should stay here."

::Gwen put a hand to her neck and shook her head.::

Nurse: "Nah, the bleeding's stopped. I'll be fine. Really."

::As she turned back to the door, Gwen heared the nurse telling her that she could have concussion, that she should be alone. Gwen threw her a smile over her shoulder.::

Nurse: "Don't sweat it, I won't be alone. I've got Spike."

::She left the medical suite into the corridor, walking in a random direction.::

If I can find Spike.

[Wanabee-slayer]

::Angel walked the halls anxiously with Buffy, Spike and the others awaiting to here news of Drusilla and the vampire leader.::

[Buffy Summers]

:: Buffy paced as she spoke, motioning with her hands for emphasis. ::

"So we move in there, right? No problem, bunch of vamps, stake 'em and go home, right? Wrong. First of all, it's some tacky vampire dance party. Second, they have some chick who thinks she's the Master reigning over them. And do you want to hear the best part? The 'Oh we really pulled one over on the old Buffster' moment?"

:: Buffy put both hands on the table in front of Giles. ::

"Spike tells me she used to be a Slayer. How could this happen Giles? And how come we didn't know about it?"

[Anita Blake]

::Faith had been hanging towards the back of the group slightly confused. She hadn't been near enough to Buffy or Spike to hear anything, but she heard that::

(What the hell? A slayer?)

Outloud: "What?!? A slayer? How is it possible and how come no one told me?"

[Black Eye Guy]

::Willow had followed Buffy to find Giles, she was standing in the room with the others when Buffy revealed the big secret. Her eyes shot open in suprise::

"What!?!"

[buffetofsporks]

:: Andrew also was surprised at the news. ::

Group: "Wow ... A vampire vampire slayer right under our noses ... This isn't good is it?"

[Black Eye Guy]

Andrew: "No think the opposite of good. A Vampire... Vampire Slayer... huh!

::Willow has a look of total confusion on her face. Then she looked to Spike::

Spike: "How do you know she was... is...

::Looks at the others confused::

Spike: ...a Slayer?

[Angels baby101]

::Illyria had decided to stray off from the group when they arrived back at the camp, she quickly found the kitchen, for some reason her shell craved those messy burgers she had tasted, saddly the menu changed so she just grabbed some fries and a cheese burger still delightful but not as good as the messy burger Sloppy joes::

(I sensed there was something was not right.)

::Illyria took another bite of cheeseburger and put it down.::

[Mesektet Ra]

Spike locked eyes with Willow. "She was the Master's prize - of course I knew. Old sod couldn't keep his gob shut about it if you paid him in kittens."

He looked around the room, at the shocked faces glaring in his direction. He sighed and leaned forward, kicking his feet off the table and putt his elbows on his knees. He continued to flick the lighter as he spoke. "She was strong as a Slayer, too. Fast. She knew what she was doing, and gave the Master a run for his money when she was alive. If our Miss Summers here hadn't ground the master's bones to make her bread," he gestured to Buffy, "then I have bets it would've been Ansara."

[buffetofsporks]

:: Andrew sat down beside Spike and gave a heavy sigh. ::

Group: "So ... why did Aaliyah have all those vamps penned down there in that room? What were they doing?"

[Lyri]

::Walking aimlessly around the training camp, Gwen kept poking her head in and out of rooms, looking for Spike, and not finding him anywhere.

::Closing the door of another room, and sighing in frustration, Gwen turned and saw Gunn coming down the corridor towards her.::

Gunn: "Hey, you okay?"

::She remembered during the fight that Gunn had recieved a nasty blow to the head, but was glad when he told her that he was fine, had already been checked out.::

Gunn: "You haven't seen Spike, have you? I've been looking all over for him this place, but it's like he's just vanished. I rode back with him, so I know he's here." she gave a nervous chuckle.

::Gunn smiled at her and pointed over his shoulder, back the way he'd come.::

"Last I saw, he was in the library the rest of the higher ups. Talking about those vamp chicks we met."

Gunn: "Thanks."

::Gwen waved at Gunn as he started walking again, and she headed off in the opposite direction, looking for the library she had spotted the day before.

::Standing by the open door, she listened carefully as Spike told everyone that the lead vampire had once been a slayer.

::She didn't like the shocked looks on everyone's face as she hovered by the door, not wanting to come in until she was noticed.::

[Anita Blake]

::Faith crossed her arms and glared at Spike::

Spike: "And you're just telling us now? What, like it was on a need to know basis, and you thought 'Oh gee, its not really that important so they don't need to know'? Or maybe it just slipped your mind."

::She turned raking a hand through her hair. Turning to Buffy, she sighed::

Buffy: "So what now? We got a vampire...vampire slayer on the loose and there's another vampire in the infirmary which I'm still not exactly clear on...and I really have the urge to beat something up."

[Wanabee-slayer]

::Angel stood quietly in the corner watching the scene unfold before him. Everyone was so tense.:

Spike:"Spike you seem to know Ansara better then anyone else here - does she have a weakness?"

[Winifred Burkle]

::Oz decided not to follow the group to Giles. He figured he'd get the explainations in the briefings later. Right now he needed to relax and maybe eat something. He headed for the cafeteria and got a sandwich and a bottle of juice and sat down at the same table Illyria sat at. But he chose a seat on the opposite of her and a few chairs down. He didn't care to cramp her, plus he liked his space. He glanced at her though and nodded in greeting, but said nothing.::

[Mesektet Ra]

Spike rolled his eyes in Faith's direction. "Didn't feel it nessecary. She's been off cavorting, doing the whole Master bit with the minons and the like. Never thought she'd show up here."

He flicked his gaze, and his lighter, to Angel. "Met her once in passing, poof. Doesn't mean I've got the low down on every move the bint makes."

He stopped suddenly, sniffing the air. A small smile played on his face as he turned his gaze towards the door. He darted from his spot on the couch and was there in a second; he poked his head around the corner to find Gwen, looking sheepish and a little bit surprised. A full smile blossomed onto his face for a second before melting into a look of unabashed concern.

He took her by the arm and led her a little ways into the room. "Are you sure you should be up and about right about now? Shouldn't those prattling White Coats be stitching you all right and proper?" He took another calculated sniff of the air - he stopped her, craning his head forward to examine the the white gauze covering the twin puncture marks on her neck. He peeled the tape back slowly, trying not to cause any strain on the wound. The skin was red and puckered as though it was trying to pull itself together; the blood had already clotted. But it still looked deep, and Spike raised a worried eyebrow at her.

He led her the rest of the way into the room, arm hovering along the small of her back. He made vauge shooing motions at Andrew, who scooted with and eye roll, and sat Gwen down. He draped himself in the spot next to her, his arm draped protecively behind her on the couch.

He flicked his lighter open and shut once more, kicking his feet back onto the table. He took all their gazes in turn, and waited for someone to reply.

[Black Eye Guy]

:: Willow looked down at her feet, confused by all the information that was flying around ::

"Is this even possible! I mean the way she threw Buffy across the room... She is stronger then a normal vampire, but it can't be true! A vampire can't also have the strenght of Slayer...right?"

:: Willow looked around the room at everyone's ::

[Lyri]

::Gwen grew embarrassed as Spike led her into the room, checking on her wound, showing obvious concern in front of everyone, and not worrying at all.

::She couldn't surpress a giggle as Spike kicked Andrew off the couch, making enough room for both of them to sit together.

::Gwen waited for someone to say something, anything, but they all seemed to be in too much shock at what Spike had just told them before she was brought into the room.

::Finally, Willow spoke, but the young witch appeared as if she couldn't wrap her head around the concept, and wasn't making much of a point.::

Everyone: "Well, why can't a slayer be made into a vampire?"

::Everyone in the room turned to face Gwen as soon as the words left her lips, and the gril's face grew even redder and she tried to skin further into Spike's arms, trying to hide. But she knew it wouldn't work, so she pressed on.::

Everyone: "I mean, a slayer is human, right? Or at least, she was? I'm sorry, I don't really understand all of this. But if she was human at some point, she can still be turned. But because of all of her extra powers, only a certain vampire can do it?"

::Gwen realized she was babbling and looked pleadingly into Spike's eyes.::

Spike: "Am I making any sense? Help me out here."

[Black Eye Guy]

:: Willow looked confused ::

Gwen: "Well no... a Slayer is a girl that has heightened abilities, there was only one in every Generation chosen, then I changed that and made all of the potential's, Slayers. But this is something different... I mean.. Well I've never herd of a Vampire being turned into a Vampire... But well It is weird that this, supposed to be dead girl, would still have the strength of a Slayer"

:: Willow looks stressed as she realised that she had no idea what she was saying. She plonked herself on the closest tables, looking totally confused, then she looked to Giles. ::

Giles: "Ok please take over cuz I so can't explain this."

::She smiled weekly then stared at Giles, hoping he had an answer::

[Mesektet Ra]

Spike looked as Gwen as the question was poised. He had opened his mouth to reply, but Willow beat him to the punch.

Spike squeezed Gwen's shoulder idly as he leaned forward, trying to make a point. "Slayer's no different than a regular human." He screwed his face up as he backtracked mentally, realizing what he just said. "Except for the superstrength. And that whole healing bit." He sighed. "Sod all. What I'm getting at is, when the demon takes over her body, her physical form doesn't change. She's still a Slayer. She's just...enhanced."

The words dropped like a bomb in the middle of the room. Shock struck one face and another in quick sucession. Spike swallowed the urge to gloat, and slumped back into the couch with the exaggerated air of someone who just dropped the bombshell.

"Also," he said, eyes ticking to Gwen, "it doesn't take someone like the Master to turn the girl. It can be your run-of-the-mill fledgling. Any sodding creature of the night. All they have to do it catch her on one-" flick of the lighter, "bad-" flick, "day." Flick, and his eyes locked on Buffy's.

[Buffy Summers]

:: Buffy wondered if Faith might go off half cocked and try to fight this thing herself. But no, she wouldn't...at least not right away... Explaining for Giles, she told him about their other surprise. ::

"Oh and guess who's back in town - Drusilla. It's like a party. Without the little hats and the, uh, fun. We've got her in a holding cell in the East wing."

[Wanabee-slayer]

:: Angel stood back trying to take in everything that was happening from Spike's concern for Gwen to evryone's reaction to the return of Drusilla. Then Angel spoke only loud enough so Spike could hear::

Spike: "It must feel great to have all these women chasing after you. I wonder how Buffy feels about it."

[Lyri]

::Gwen stiffened at Angel words, felt her breathing grow shallow and her face grow red all over again. It must have been obvious to everyone in the room how close she and Spike had become over the last day or so, but she didn't understand their relationship herself, and Angel words, while embarrassing to her, also made her angry.::

Angel: "Hey, whatever's going on here, it doesn't have anything to do with Spike. This is about how we're going to handle that Vampire Slayer Vampire and the chick we got in the holding cells...Drusilla, right? Why don't we lay off of the personaly feelings for now, until we get thins things sorted?"

[Anita Blake]

(Just when I thought I was too jaded to be shocked. Something like this has to go and jump me.)

::Faith was pacing the room angrily. Coming to a stop in front of Giles she glared at him::

Giles: "So is this like a shock to you or what? 'Cause you're awfully silent for someone who doesn't know whats going on. What the hell is going on? Slayers can become vampires? And why the hell wasn't I told. We're told that we're going to die young, and have no life outside of slaying, no family, nothing resembling normalcy but did you ever tell us that we could become the very thing we hunt at night? No!"

::Giving Giles a disgusted look, she turned and ran her fingers through her hair. Spotting Angel and Spike she turned her glare on them::

Spike and Angel: "Turning slayers? When did that become fun? Is that like the vampire holy grail or something? 'If you turn a slayer, you have finally arrived'?"

::Looking at Buffy, she frowned::

Buffy: "Drusilla? I thought that she was bad news. Why did you bring her back with us? We should've staked her like the others we were fighting. Did that throw across the room injure your brain in some way? We're supposed to kill the vamps, not start some sort of shelter for them. What if this Ansara chick was planning on making a whole army of slayer-vamps and you just fell right in with her plans, by bringing a vamp, who by the way was working with her, back to our home base?"

::Slamming her fist into a table hard enough to punch a hole in it, she didn't even feel the small shards of wood imbedded in her hand as she looked around the room::

Outloud: "I refuse to become a vampire. Do you hear me? I'd rather kill myself then to become one of them. I've tried the evil thing before. I don't think I can handle it a second time."

::She stared at the blood stain slowly appearing on the floor underneath her hand::

[Buffy Summers]

:: Buffy didn't know why Faith's outburst shocked her, but it did a little. She clearly was still working through some issues - she was doing her best to hide it, but Faith was scared. Buffy wondered if Faith had the dream too... ::

"Faith - Drusilla was with them, she was incapacitated. She might have information we can use..."

:: Then she looked back to Giles, characteristically quiet. ::

"But I'd like to hear the answers to her other questions."

[Mesektet Ra]

Spike glared at Angel and opened his mouth to speak. Yet again, he was beaten to the punch, this time by Gwen.

Spike looked proudly at Gwen as she told Angel where to stick it. "Woman after my own heart, you are." He said, giving her shoulder a well deserved squeeze. He made a face at Angel and turned his attention to Faith's growing ire.

As she rounded on Spike and Angel, Spike knit his brows together in irritation, clenching his fists. He flinched as her fist smashed against the table, blood welling up from the wound. His eyes softened a bit in sympathy. He could smell the fear and desperation in her, and a part of him wanted to go to her and console her, for whatever it was worth. Far be it for Spike to see a lady in pain and not react.

But he didn't. He just sat on the couch next to Gwen, eyes locking on Faith's for a moment. He nodded once at her, and turned his attention to Buffy.

He looked at Buffy as she spoke, and then back to Giles, who had remained stoic and silent throughout the entire conversation. He raised his eyebrows at him, and flicked his lighter. "I've gotta say old Rupe, girl's got a point. I'd like to know the answer to a couple of those questions myself."

[Edmund Blackadder]

::Giles had sat still, and quietly, while everyone had talked about this new threat. His earlier medical issues sudsiding, he looked at the room. He took in the news of Ansara with a certain level of acceptance. Though he felt a look of concern cross his face::

Buffy: 'Ansara?'

::Saying the name instantly registered something in the Watchers memory. It had been years since he had read the Watchers Diaries concerning the Master, though, the information flooded back::

Buffy: 'Sit, please.'

::Giles watched as everyone in the room moved into a more comfortable position to face him::

The Group: 'Before i go into detail, this is something i was forbidden to reveal, and subsequiently 'neglected to remember'. Ansara, was the First Vampire Slayer to come face to face with the Master. She disappeared during the fight, and as a new Slayer was called, the council assumed her death. Buffy, Faith, i am aware that the assumption has been made on your part that a Slayer was immune from being 'turned' was propagated by the council, and i am sorry, but you can hopefully imagine this is worst case senario for us.'

::Giles looked at the room, and saw looks of surprise::

Buffy: 'I think we should finish this conversation in my private library. I have greater information about Ansara. Now to the other matter. Drusilla, i would be interested in your reasoning for keeping her, but again, that should wait until we have adjourned to the library.'

::As Giles said that last line, his eyes fell on Spike, almost accusing him of some underhanded reason, yet he had no evidence to say that Spike was behind Drusilla's capture::

Nurse: 'Can you please get me a Wheel Chair?'

[buffetofsporks]

:: Andrew remembered the unconscious vampire they had brought in. ::

Buffy: How do we know she'll even talk? I doubt even Spike could get much out of her ... I mean, him being soulfull and all. And from what I hear, she's kind of in the nuthouse anyways. Odds are it's a bust.

[Black Eye Guy]

::Willow stood up with the others, then Andrew spoke::

Andrew: "Hey, I'll go inside her mind and walk around until I find something if that’s what we need to do to get some answers!
But yeah she is not em... fully there mentally"

[Mesektet Ra]

Spike glared at Giles, and watched with wide eyes and Willow and Andrew spoke.

"Okay, bloody well standing right here!" He bit, raising his hands. He nodded once in Willow's direction and said, "If Red here can't do the mind-trip on Dru, I'll be the fallback. Try to wrestle as much information from her as possible."

He looked at Gwen, an unreadable emotion in his eyes. A mixture between hope and hurt, love and anger. He looked down at the hand holding the lighter and flicked it once, expression forlorn. He clenched his fist in a sudden bout of rage and the lighter made a rending crack; metal bit into the palm of his hand and drew blood. He hissed and dropped the twisted mess of his favorite Zippo onto his lap. The acrid stench of lighter fluid bit into his nostrils.

"Bloody hell." He hissed, clenching his fist to stop the bloodflow. He dropped his bleeding hand defeatedly into his lap, thinking, Of all days, of all things - I wasn't prepared for this. Not for her.

[Lyri]

::Gwen heard the sound of crunching metal and looked at Spike, just as he dropped his lighter to the floor. Then she noticed the blood pooling in the palm of his hand.::

Spike: "Oh, my God! What did you do?"

::Grabbing the sleeve of the white t-shirt she had changed into, Gwen ripped the material free, and pressed it onto the vampire's hand. The bright red blood soaked the cloth almost immediatly, but when she removed it, Gwen could tell the wound was already beginning to heal.

::Looking up into Spike's blue eyes, she couldn't read the expression there, didn't understand if it was because of Buffy, Ansara, Drusilla...or Gwen herself. She took a deep breath.::

Spike: "So, what's got you all fired up? Is it Drusilla? Or the Slayer vampire, or whatever she is? If you need some space, I could leave you alone for a little while."

::She desperatly hoped that wasn't the case.::

[Wanabee-slayer]

:: Angel saw the hurt in Gwen's eyes and felt sorry for the girl. Then Angel remembered how he felt when Darla came back and although he hated himself for doing so he felt sorry for Spike.::

Spike:"Are you okay?"

[Buffy Summers]

"First we find out all Giles knows about Ansara...then we'll deal with Dru. She should be awake by then."

A wheelchair was summoned and the group made their way down a narrow corridor into Giles' private study.

[Anita Blake]

::Faith followed the others down the hall to Giles' study. She was cradling her hand to her stomach staring at the blood seeping from the wounds.::

(Its so red...Man, I'm so losing it. I totally destroyed that table back there. And probably the carpet...so much blood...blood on my hands...)

::Still walking behind the others, she held out her hands and looked at them::

(There's so much blood...just like...Oh God, I'm going to be sick.)

::Stopping, she placed her uninjured hand against the wall and leaned over. She started taking deep breaths, breathing through her nose. Closing her eyes, she leaned her forehead against the wall::

(Don't think about it. Don't think about it. DON'T THINK ABOUT IT! Get ahold of yourself! Now is not the time for self-pity! Especially when you don't deserve it. You will not throw up. You will not throw up!)

[Angels baby101]

::Illyria had finished her burger and looked over at Oz who was sitting by himself, she didn't understand why, he seemed to have known some of the people at the camp. She shrugged her shoulders, maybe he liked the silence, She looked down at her trey then took it to the trash and tossed it in. She turned back to the table, Oz looked as if he was in deep thought, and Illyria wasn't sure if she should introduce herself or not, She knew that is what 'People' do when they first meet to be polite but this simply was not her. Though she had been trying to Change since she lost Wesley, trying to be more of what he would have liked.::

"You fought well."

[Mesektet Ra]

Spike limply let Gwen worry over him, the whiteness of her shirt soaking the blood on his hand. He felt like something nessecary had been sucked out of him - he felt hollow, lifeless. Much like the corpse he was.

He looked at Gwen, meeting her eyes. He saw her desperation and her worry - so much worry. He smiled meekly, gently taking the bloodsoaked shred of her shirt from her hand, and wrapped his bleeding hand with it. He tied it with a sigh, dropping his hands to his side in a decidedly defeated gesture. "'S not you, pet," he said softly, staring down at his hand, turning it over. He watched the blood soak the cloth for a moment, eyes distant. He snorted, crooked grin on his face. The smile didn't meet his eyes; he looked at Gwen, and let his hand drop into hers, his fingers threading through her own. This time, it wasn't in worry, or compassion - he was clinging to her like a rock. "I think I need you to stick around for mo'."

He looked up at Angel as he spoke. "Yea," Spike answered, defeated note disappearing completely. The swagger was back in his voice and step - he started to lead Gwen along with the others through the corridor to Giles's study. "Don't worry your pretty lil' head about it, Peaches. Nothing I can't handle." He grinned over his shoulder at the older vampire, and transferred the grin down to Gwen, giving her hand a squeeze.

[Winifred Burkle]

::Oz looked up and nodded at Illyria.::

Illyria: "You too."

::That was actually an understatement. He'd seen Illyria fight, and she seemed quite strong and naturally skilled. Oz didn't actually know what she was, but it was a pretty safe guess she wasn't exactly human. However he asked none of those things, as he wasn't one to pry generally. Plus he'd just taken another bite of his food. And he didn't like to talk with his mouth full.::

[Angels baby101]

::Illyria didn't smile at the guy sitting before her, she nodded back then walked back over to where she originally sat and drank down what they called "soda" it tickled her throat the bubbles did. Illyria sat staring at the wall replaying the last moments she had with Wesley. He was the only one who wanted to save her. Mostly because she reminded him of his love "Fred" but that wasn't important, He helped her when she had nothing to live for. She respected him, he died for the fight, and she blammed herself for comming to late. a tear formed at the corner of her eye she quickly touched it with a finger and looked at it for a moment. The more she was in this world. The more she had started to feel, not only for Wesley, but for the other humans she had been fighting along side. Illyria didn't exactly understand the feelings she had, in fact they sometimes disgusted her. Though she knew it would have pleased Wesley to see her fight along the side of good, and protect his "friends" even if she did dislike Angel.::

[Winifred Burkle]

::Oz noticed Illyria seeming to shed a tear and then looked at it. It almost looked like she'd never cried before. And then he wondered if that could be the case. He had no idea what she was, perhaps crying wasn't a normal thing for a member of her kind. It was sort of strange, all these people Oz didn't know, but were clearly highly involved in the lives of those he does know, or at least did at one time. He glanced over at the blueish lady again, wondering who she was to the others.::

[Black Eye Guy]

::Willow made her way into the study with the others, She was quiet and kept going over the information they had just heard. Although it would of course effect Buffy and Faith more than anyone, she did feel shook up by the news. and she was not directly connected to the Slayer line but she was part of it, ever since the spell to awaken all the potentials, she was able to feel slayers, she could sense them, this made locating them that little bit easier, But she was also taking this more personally then she thought she would::

[Mesektet Ra]

As Spike made his way through the corridor with Gwen on tow, he was stopped short by a leather-clad back.

He knit his brows together, and craned his head over to notice it was Faith. "Half a mo'," he said to Gwen, releasing her hand and striding over to the girl. He stopped short of her, not quite sure what to say. And that, in itself, was saying a lot.

He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder - he noticed for the first time that her breathing was staggered and labored, and sweat was beading her brow where she was leaning her head against the crook of her arm. She started at his touch; he pulled away quickly, and replaced his hand where it was.

"You all right, pet?" He asked softly, head cocked to the side with concern. Faith and he had never been the closest of friends, but he respected the girl and sympathized with her fears. She had once thought she was invincible - and now, here, there was stark evidence to the contrary.

[Anita Blake]

::Feeling a touch on her shoulder, Faith jumped slightly. Feeling slightly hysterical, she "sensed" it was Spike, as he removed his hand::

(Now the vamps are getting the jumps on me.)

::Relaxing slightly, she felt his touch again on her shoulder. Faith lifted her head up and looked at him, trying to grin::

Spike: "Of course. Probably just feeling the fight."

(I will not let him see me as weak. I am strong dammit! I don't need him or anybody. It will not bother me.)

::Straightening up, away from the wall, she became slightly dizzy. Putting a hand out to steady herself, she leaned on the closest thing to her -- Spike. She focused on her hand on his arm, once again seeing the blood that coated it.::

(Oh God. What's wrong with me. I'm supposed to be strong, I'm not supposed to feel like this.)

::Quickly pulling back from Spike, she looked up at him, seeing the concern on his face was too much::

Spike: "Don't look at me like that."

(Shouting at Spike): "I'm strong dammit! There's nothing wrong with me!"

[Mesektet Ra]

Spike knit his brows at her as she pulled away from the wall, and offered his arm as she dizzily tried to stand upright.

As she pulled back, screaming, Spike took a couple of steps backwards, hands raised. "Well, sod me then, eh? Excuse a bloke who's trying to help a lady."

He snorted and shook his head, sidestepping her to walk right past her.

[Anita Blake]

::Faith, having shocked even herself with her shouting, watched as he started to walk away::

(Woah, girl. Get a hold of yourself. Where the hell did that come from. Poor Spike...he's the only one of the lot who even acts like he cares.)

::Reaching out her hand, she grabbed his arm. Taking a deep breath she looked him in the eye::

Spike: "I don't know where that came from. Look. I'm...I"m sorry. I didn't mean it. Not really."

::She looked away from him at the wall and then turned back, her hair falling across her face::

Spike: "You were being nice and I...I was wrong. Its just that....I'm not used to it is all."

::Lifting her other hand, she went to pull her hair back, but stopped and frowned at the blood::

(I should get cleaned up.)

[Mesektet Ra]

Spike shoved his hands in the pockets of his duster as she spoke, head cocked to the side, looking as if he could give a damn.

As she finished, his expression had softened a bit, his stance less accusing. He saw her stare down at her own hand. He took it from her, looking over it with a critical eye. "This is a right mess here, pet," he said, letting her have her hand back. He nodded back they way they came, toward the medical ward. "Need company to the Land of the Sniveling Whitecoats?" He looked past Faith to the rapidly retreating backs of everyone else. "'S not like I'm need here anymore. They got all they wanted out of me."

He eyes narrowed into pained slits as he watched Buffy walk away, compeletly unware. He turned back to Gwen, who had watched the proceedings with an unreadable expression. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Faith and I are gonna head to the medical ward to get her fixed right and proper. Go along with the others; shouldn't be more than a mo'."

She nodded and Spike turned to Faith. "On our way, then, yea?"

[Anita Blake]

::Accepting her hand back from Spike, she gave him a small grin::

(This isn't that bad, now is it?)

Spike: "If you're sure you want to accompany me...I'll even try not to yell at you anymore. But, no guarantees..."

::Watching the others walk past, she noted the way Spike looked at Buffy::

Spike: "Well, I don't think I can handle being their right now. I'll find out the facts later. I just can't...I can't talk about that right now."

::She smiled as she watched Spike and Gwen::

(Much as I love Angel, B, really is missing out on something.)

::Feeling better, she grinned when Spike turned to her::

Spike: "Ready when you are Blondie."

[Edmund Blackadder]

::Giles opened the Llewellyn Diaries on the Table::

The room: 'Daniel Llewellyn was one of the most respected Watchers the council have ever had. He became head of the Council in 1732. Under him the Council took great strides in creating a global network of Council operatives. He was the man who made the Council you know. But before all that, he was the Watcher of a young Slayer, Lorena Marten. According to Llewellyn's own diary, She was beyond the power of a Normal Slayer.'

::Giles Picked up the book and began to read a Chapter::

Reading to the room: "............Miss Marten has show increased strenth and endurance these past weeks. Part of me wonders if this is not a symptom of something that will indeed endanger us all. In the last few eves, she has eradicated four Nests of Vampires, and taken out The Demon King. Although she did this well, and alone, it worries me she has become a little complacent............"

::Giles looked at the room for a Minute::

Buffy and Faith: 'You see, she had a great deal of strength, but also had a naivity regarding the other world. She believed she was indestructable.'

::Giles picked the book up again and began reading more::

The room: ".....Miss Marten has, against my advice, sort out the Vampire known as the 'Master'. From the information i have recieved, he has learned of Lorena and her defeat of the 'Demon King', and taken it upon himself to meet her. I fear she is not ready for a battle with this Vampire, i have read things about him that she will not be prepared for......'

::Giles looked again at Buffy, feeling that she too had often attacked a foe without having the full details, though lucky for her, and Giles, she was still alive::

The Room: ".....It is with a heavy heart that i write this passage. I recieved a telegram this morning from the head of the Watchers Council. A new Slayer has been activated. This can only mean one thing. Miss Marten died either en route to finding the Master, or at his hands. Lorena Marten died as she lived, a hero to us all. May God have Mercy upon her Soul......."

::Giles sat and took another look at both Faith and Buffy. Both these women had their own issues, but as the people standing before him, he was proudof their efforts. He was proud of them, both::

The Room: 'Every Watchers greatest fear is the loss of his Slayer, it is not only the loss of a precious life, but it is the loss of someone close. If they view the Slayer as i have, they see them as a daughter. The story of Lorena doesnt end their.'

::Giles picked up another book::

The room: 'Christophe Manuel was one of the first Watchers of non British lineage. He was never given a single Slayer as his own Charge, he was better used seeking out potentials and assigning them someone.'

::Giles reads the book::

The room: "....I've heard tales in the Vampire world of a vile Demon going by the name of Ansara. She is a powerful Vampire in the 'employ' of the 'Master'. It has also been suggested that Ansara was a Vampire Slayer. It has always been speculated that a Vampire Slayer turned would be beyond measure of strength, an unholy Hybrid of the Demon and Slayer. If this is true, then we must prepare for something truly devastating......"
'That was the last heard from Christophe, he too sought out the Master. Though there are references to Ansara, in a few other passages, the only evidence that was truly compelling was these passages. Llewlleyn did send parties to search for this 'Ansara' but no one ever found her. Llewellyn himself died through a Vampire attack, though we do not know who the vampire was, though at the time there was Speculation that the 'Master' or 'Ansara' was behind it. This caused the New Head of the Council to cease any further attempts to locate either, and classed Ansara mythical.....Though we were still informed about her and told, never ever, inform the Slayer.'

[Buffy Summers]

:: Buffy became very quiet at this last statement. ::

"Nice time for you to start listening to the Watcher's Council."

:: She turned on her heel, and walked out of the room. ::

[Mesektet Ra]

Spike had the distinct feeling he'd been here entirely two much in this three days of being at the compound. Maybe because I have, he thought wryly, watching as the nurses started to pluck the splinters from Faith's hand.

The nurses and doctors gave Spike the looks he'd come to loathe - morbid fascination, fear, distrust, and above all, false, plastered cheer. Like sewing someone's intestines back into their body was the highest form of joy in the world. Spike tried very hard not to gag.

He stood by, silent, arms crossed across his chest, very much the stony bodyguard. Her hand had already started to heal around the shards of wood inside it, and they had to cut her open again to retrieve the bigger pieces.

They didn't stitch her, Spike noticed - maybe because the jagged slash of split skin along the side of her palm was already starting to close, or maybe they just felt like the girl could a few more scars. Don't think this bird here needs anymore scars.

[Anita Blake]

::Faith winced as one of the doctors cut her hand open, so they could get to the splinters::

(Ouch. Sometimes having speed healing sucks...)

::She was very aware of the fact that Spike was standing next to her looking like a grim shadow::

(I'm starting to get mushy. I actually like that someone's here with me. And even more that that person is a vamp. Hmmm, did I hit my head during that fight?...)

::Shaking her head, she resisted the impulse to make a scary face at the nurse who was trying to stay as far away from Spike as possible::

Spike: "Thanks. For coming with me. You...you don't have to stay."

[Mesektet Ra]

Spike smiled crookedly, melting instantly out of the bodyguard pose. He let go of his arms and stuffed them in his duster pockets, fingering a pack of cigarettes.

"'S not like I've anything better to do," he said, shrugging. "'Sides, I think I need a smoke. Join me?"

[Anita Blake]

::Faith glared at the nurse as she wrapped gauze around her hand::

(It's not like I'm not going to rip that off as soon as its stops bleeding...I hate hospitals.)

::Grinning at Spike she jumped off the bed.::

(Feeling better already.)

Spike: "I'll take a walk with you, but I still need my lungs to breathe, so I'll say no to the smoke."

::Walking out the door, ignoring the nurse who was giving her instructions about how to care for the wound, she stopped and looked back at Spike::

Spike: "Coming, Blondie?"

[Mesektet Ra]

Spike smiled at Faith as he followed her from the medical ward.

They made their way through the winding corridors of the compound; through the hallways of the bedrooms, through the training center, through the mess hall. They finally found the door leading to the outdoors.

Spike pushed through the doors, taking a strong whiff of the night air. He relaxed, and pulled the pack of cigarettes from his duster pocket. He dug for his lighter; he started, remembering the crumpled mess of lighter fluid and Zippo he left on the library floor. "Got a light?" he asked Faith, head cocked.

[Lyri]

::Gwen boosted herself up onto one of the dark colored tables that decorated the library. She realized that she was tyring to make herself part of the team, but trying to stay distant from them at the same time. She had never needed anyone in her life, and the feelings she had been having since that night in the alley were unnerving her quite a bit.::

Guess I'm not so tough after all.

::Listening to Giles speak, reading through the diary, Gwen thought she understood what was going on, what the older man was trying to say. But something inside of her stopped her from putting voice to her theories.

::Seeing Spike leave with Faith had helped Gwen to better understand her relastionship with the blonde vampire. He was a protector, he looked after those he thought needed help. And Gwen was someone who never had anyone in her life who thought she needed protecting...or anyone who wanted to protect her. That was why she clung to Spike the way she did. And Gwen realized that it wasn't fair on the English man.

::Looking down at her shirt, she reached up and tore her remaning sleeve free, stuffing the material into the back pocket of her black pants.

::She looked up just in time to see Buffy walk out of the room.

::The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.::

Room: "What did I miss?"

[Black Eye Guy]

::Willow listened to what Giles had to say, then watched as Buffy left the room, she knew Buffy was going to take this hard, she remember back to 8 years ago when they had their worst nightmares come to life, one of Buffy's had been being turned into a Vampire.

She knew there was no point in following her, she was not the one that was going to be able to help her.

Then Gwen spoke. Willow smiled, it was weird to see someone who was not going to understand how deep this was effecting everyone personally::

Gwen: "Allot"

[+ Matt +]

::As Gwen looked on at the rest of the gang she felt a presence behind her, turning around to see a young woman staring at her. The woman smiled sweetly at the self-proclaimed 'freak'.::

Gwen: (Calmly) “Hello.”

::The tall brunette brushed past Gwen, oozing with confidence, and strutted into the centre of the room. She caught Willow’s eye and smirked.::

Willow: “Hey Will’ how have you been?”

::She took a seat near to her former red-headed friend and let out a deep sigh.::

Willow: “Well, aren’t you happy to see me?”

[Black Eye Guy]

::Willow stared at the woman that had just entered the room, then she stood up, never taking her eyes off her, anger rising::

Amy: "Amy what the hell are you doing here!?

Actually I don't care!

I'm serious..."

::Looking straight at Amy::

Amy: "...leave, now."

[+ Matt +]

::Amy gave a smile from the corner of her mouth and withdrew a letter from the inside of her jacket pocket. She teleported it to Willow's right hand with her magic.::

Willow: “I’ve been told I can train here.”

::Folding her arms, Amy’s smile began to consume her entire mouth.::

Willow: “My coven was a little angry and it’s not as if I need your help, but pass on an opportunity to fight along side my oldest friend? Why should I not want to be here?”

::A red light appeared at the tip of Amy’s index finger which she sent twirling into the air beautifully.::

Willow: “Don’t you just love having all this power?!”

[Anita Blake]

Spike smiled at Faith as he followed her from the medical ward.

They made their way through the winding corridors of the compound; through the hallways of the bedrooms, through the training center, through the mess hall. They finally found the door leading to the outdoors.

Spike pushed through the doors, taking a strong whiff of the night air. He relaxed, and pulled the pack of cigarettes from his duster pocket. He dug for his lighter; he started, remembering the crumpled mess of lighter fluid and Zippo he left on the library floor. "Got a light?" he asked Faith, head cocked.

::Looking at Spike, she shook her head::

Spike: "Sorry, no light. Must've left it in my other pants."

::Looking towards the complex, she stared in the direction she thought Giles' study was::

(Man, I so don't want to deal with that, but I hate not knowing what's going on...)

::Folding her arms across her chest, she turned and looked into the night::

Spike: "What do you think he's telling them?"

[Black Eye Guy]

::The Letter appeared in Willow's right hand, It had her name written on the envelope, there was something familiar about it but she could not place her finger on it, she looked at Amy, while slowly opening the letter::

Amy: "Amy, no offence, well you can take offence if you want, But there is no way in hell you are staying here, around my friends. You are unstable, and we have already reached our quota on crazy people for the month"

::She took the folded piece of paper out of the envelope, and looked to Amy again::

Amy: "What is this a letter of recommendation from your coven?"

[Lyri]

::Gwen hopped down from the table as the newest member breezed past her into the room. She didn't say anything as the girl spoke to her, just watched as she sat down near Willow and the two of the stared at each other.

::As soon as Willow told the girl to leave, Gwen knew she must have been bad news. Since that night in the alley, Gwen had grown to trust the witch's judgement and wasn't about to stop now.::

Room: "Okay, I know I'm not part of this little clique you guys have, but I'm part of this, and I think I need to know what's going on."

::Gwen inclined her head at the new girl, the one Willow had called Amy.::

Willow: "What do you mean by unstable?"

[+ Matt +]

::Amy teleported the letter back into her own hands, looking arrogant as she showed the rest of the gang how her powers had evolved.::

Willow & Gwen: (Reading from the letter) "Dear Miss Madison, we are pleased to inform you that you're abilities have not gone unnoticed within your coven and would like to offer you our facilities in order to expand on your powers....Blah, bah, blah."

::Sending the letter back to Willow, Amy turned to Gwen.::

Gwen: "Hey could you get me some cheese? I had a long trip.

::She brushed her hair back over her shoulders and relaxed in the comfort of her newly found chair as Willow scrolled down the rest of the letter with her eyes. ::

[Lyri]

::Gwen stared open mouthed at Amy, as she walked towards her across the room.

::She felt herself grow angry and she knew that when she was angry, her power became volitile. She made a conscious effort not to fry the girl.::

Amy: "Hey, do I look like a maid to you, honey? You want cheese? Kitchen's that way."

::Gwen pointed over her shoulder at the door as she turned to face the rest of the room.::

"Would anybody mind if I fried her?"

[+ Matt +]

::Amy gave a nervous giggle and raised her hand into the air.::

Gwen: "I'd have a problem with that."

::She looked the woman in front of her up and down as she lowered her hand. What did she mean when she asked the if she could 'fry' her? Was she a witch too, or something different?::

Gwen: "And you would be?"

::Amy's head titled back slightly in fear of insulting someone, or something, possibly more powerful than herself.::

[Black Eye Guy]

Willow read the rest of the letter::

Gwen: "...I would too"

::She said a little startled her eyes still on the letter, she slowly looked at Amy. Then she said to Amy, in a Angry/confused tone::

Amy: "What is this?!?!"

::she walked towards her holding the letter out in front of her::

Amy: "And I am not kidding, answer me now! Is this one of your jokes!"

::she was yelling as she spoke the end of the last sentence::

[Lyri]

::Gwen allowed a smile to slowly creep across her lips. The girl was afriad. She was right to be.

::She watched as Willow walked towards Amy, the letter clenched in her fist.

::Not really understand what was going on, but knowing she was on Willow's side, Gwen held up her hand and allowed her power to course through her, making blue sparks dance up and down her arms.::

Amy: "I'm Gwen. And the lady just asked you a question. I'd answer, if I were you."

[+ Matt +]

::Amy's eyes widened at the sight of Gwen's arms, however she kept a straight face to look strong against her verbal attacker. ::

Gwen: (Sarcastic tone)"Oh I get it...You're a human toaster."

::Speaking before thinking, Amy took a step back in her defence and turned around to face Willow. She had expected some heat from her old friend, but she had also assumed that Willow would be thankful upon her arrival, as another witch fighting for the powers of good would be safer for everyone.::

Willow: (Snatching the letter from Willow) "This is my invitation to stay here for as long as I like. And what's up with this? When did you go all macho book-worm? After I turned you into Warren?!"

::Amy dodged eye contact with Willow and moved eighty degrees to her right so that she could see the movements of both Gwen and Willow.::

[Lyri]

::She known this woman less than three minutes, and already Gwen hated the sight of Amy.::

Amy: "Human toaster? Would you like to be the TOAST?"

[Black Eye Guy]

:: The information of the letter started to sink in now, she spoke more slowly now, as if slightly upset, staring straight at the letter ::

"...Tara ..."

:: she said it more to herself, but everyone in the group herd her. She looked at Amy ::

Amy: "Amy where did you get that letter from, who gave it to you?"

::Then the anger started to rise again, ("It can't be from her!, ...but the handwriting?")::

Amy: "And if you don't tell me everything, Gwen here, won't get a change to fry you!"

[+ Matt +]

::Amy stared at Willow, and then at Gwen. She could almost taste the anger which was being given off from her two oppositions, causing her to let out another nervous giggle.::

Gwen: "So I guess my request for cheese from you is out of the question, huh?"

::Until she could work out what sort of creature Gwen was and what level of witchcraft Willow had reached, she did not want conflict. Her eyes stared downwards at her feet as her mind worked out some sort of plan.::

[Black Eye Guy]

"AMY!"

::Willow yelled, Rage burning in her eyes ("She has gone to far")::

Amy: "Where did you get the letter from!"

::Then telepathically to David::

David: "David, it's Willow, send two guards up to Giles’s private study, ASAP, please"

[+ Matt +]

::Amy's eye tightened as her head shot up and she began to stare down Willow.::

Willow: "For Hecate's sake, I don't know! All I know is that a letter was sent from someone here, asking me to join with you all."

::Pulling her hair back behind her ears, Amy magically forced the door behind her open and stormed out, muttering under breath.::

[Black Eye Guy]

::Willow looked around the room, before running after Amy::

Amy: "What, do you mean someone here sent the letter, it's from Tara. Why do you think it came from here?"

[Lyri]

::Gwen watched as Willow followed Amy from the room, before looking at the faces of everyone else. No one seemed inclined to go after them, so Gwen took it upon herself to follow.

::She knew Willow could look after herself, she had seen the effects of her magick, but something urged Gwen to go after the two witches. She didn't trust Amy, and didn't want to leave her alone with Willow.

::Letting the door swing closed behind her, Gwen stood back as Willow and Amy faced off, ready, just in case.::

[Wanabee-slayer]

:: Angel had been thinking and realised there was something he had to do back in LA. He couldn't do it alone he needed help and with that he set off.
Angel searched the base sniffing for a familiar scent in the air and then he smelt it. He followed his nose till he found Oz::

OZ:"Oz can I talk to you for I minute I need your help with something."

[David]

[ As Willow and Amy left the study, they were met by David and an escort of several security personnel. He looked at the two witches in turn before speaking to Willow. ]

"Everything all right here, Miss Rosenberg? The sensors picked up this intruder - she apparently gained entrance to the compound with a counterfeit, yet very convincing, invitation from the school. We have identified her as-"

[Black Eye Guy]

David: "Amy Madison, and I'm not sure, make sure you keep an eye on her. she is dangerous, don't underestimate her."

::Willow looked at Amy::

Amy: "Fine if you won't answer me, I'll find out myself"

::Willow closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then opened her eyes looking straight at Amy, she looked not just at her but into her, searching for the information she needed, she saw flashes of images from Amy's life, some she remembered herself, most of it she did not. But nothing about the letter, Amy was telling the truth, she did not know where the letter came from.

Willow slowly closed her eye's, ending the spell. She opened them again and looked at Amy::

Amy: "So that's a new side of you, telling the truth. I still don’t trust you. But I have bigger things to worry about now"

::she looked at the letter still in Amy's hand, it disappeared and reappeared in Willow's. Then she turned to Gwen::

Gwen: "Could you maybe watch her too, I know David's men can take care of her, but she is powerful, so if she tries anything, feel fry to fry her.
If she gets to out of hand come get me, I'll be looking into this letter"

::She looked once more at Amy, then nodded to David, and left the room.

She headed back towards her room, she was walking along the corridor towards the dorm, the letter clenched in her hands. When she burst into tears, she stopped and leaning on the wall for support she slowly let herself down to the floor. Looking at the letter brought on more tears::

("How can this be from her")

[buffetofsporks]

:: Andrew watched the entire scene with Willow and the new girl with intense awe. Once they left, he shifted in his seat and realized he and Giles were the only ones left in the library. ::

Giles: "That was weird ... I mean ... Yeah. Weird."

:: Andrew got up from his seat and made his way outside into the hallway. Giles was great, but it was damn awkward when you were alone with him. ::

[+ Matt +]

::Amy leaned her head back against the wall gently. She felt awkward in her current situation, however she had no intentions of leaving the compound. Her eyes gazed over in Gwen's direction.::

Gwen: "So Miss Microwave, how did you get involved in all of this?"

::She raised her hand into the air and made a circular pattern lazily, leaving behind golden sprinkles after each movement. Magic had become her life. It was no longer something she learned everyday for fun - it was who she now was..::

[Lyri]

::Gwen glared at Amy and gritted her teeth.::

Amy: "I've just been given permission to fry you, so pissing me off? Not a good idea. My name is Gwen.::

::She studied the girl, trying to figure out if she was asking her question because she was curious, or if she had some sort of alterior motive. But after a few seconds Gwen decided that she herself wasn't really part of the big picture here. Telling Amy how she became part of this gang wouldn't do much damage in the long run. She hoped.::

Amy: "I've known Angel and Gunn for a while now. When I saw them fighting in the alley, I decided to lend a hand. I guess I just got swept along for the ride. What about you?"

[+ Matt +]

::Amy looked at Gwen in confusion as if she had missed something in Gwen's last question.::

Gwen: "I got a letter asking me to come here...Where have you been for the last five minutes?"

::Her eyes moved on from Gwen and she began to stare at the other wall opposite her. She had to maintain conversation with the woman so that she could indenitfy what she was, however without her goal becoming apparent.::

Gwen: (Trying to sound distant) "What's the deal with your arms then?"

::Could she get into Gwen's mind? She'd used the same mojo on others, but this woman could possibly cause damage to her if she interfered. She needed to try via words first.::

[Lyri]

::Gwen tried to hide the fact that she had misunderstood the girl's question, but she didn't know if she'd succeeded. And she didn't really care. Amy's last question had raised her suspisions.::

Amy: "What's it to you? I'm a freak. Case closed."

::Gwen let her power run down her arms again, hoping to convince Amy not to mess with her. She didn't know what the newest recruit could do, but she felt that she could hold her own against her, if she needed too.::

Amy: "What's with the sudden need to know, anyway? Looking for something you can exploit?"

[Angels baby101]

::Illyria saw Angel come in to talk to Oz, she got up slowly, gave angel a look then walked out the room, she wondered down a few rooms and heard voices. She openned the door seing Gwen and some other woman talking. Or more like fighting she openned the door fully and stepped in wanting to watch a good fight::

[Mesektet Ra]

"Bugger," Spike replied, sticking the cigarette back into his pack and shoving it in his duster. They began to walk, Faith's question hanging in the air.

"Dunno, pet," he said at last, his fingers fidgeting restlessly in his duster pockets. He sorely wished he hadn't destroyed his Zippo, or at least had Gwen around to zap a cigarette to life. "S'pose somethin' Watcherly or the like. Never was one for the group meetings myself."

They walked in silence for a while, Faith's apprehension and worry a cloud that threatened rain on the both of them. Spike resisted the urge to comfort her - Faith wasn't that type of girl. Instead, however, he let his silence be his condolence, nothing but the sounds of the night following them as they walked.

After a while, though, Spike grew restless - he stopped dead in his tracks and looked at Faith, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. "Alright, love, this midnight stroll is romantic and all, but I've got to do sodding something." His stomach rumbled. He looked down at it, and looked back up at Faith, head cocked exactly at the thirty-two degree angle he'd perfected. "Looks like food is in order, then."

[+ Matt +]

::Even at the sight of Gwen's arms once more, Amy did not show any weaknesses in her physical appearance. Instead, using her magic, she sent a fireball from her left hand across the room, however had it disappear before it made any sign on the wall. She stared deeply into Gwen's eyes.::

Gwen: "You're a one-trick pony. Think you can try to scare me again with a little electricity up your arms? I can do far worse."

::Amy took a deep breath to show her calmness, but did not take her eyes from Gwen.::

Gwen: "Why would I need to exploit you, when I am far superior?"

::Was she speaking the truth? Even she did not know. She had never seen someone like Gwen before, however all Gwen had shown her was a little bit of electricity. Amy knew for more tricks.::

[Lyri]

::Gwen tried her best not to flinch as the fireball soared across the room. Something in Amy's eyes told Gwen that the girl was testing her, trying to figure out what kind of power she actually had.

::Out of the corner of her eye, she sensed Illyria enter the room, but didn't know if the ex-god was going to be on her side, or against her.

::Keeping both figures in her sight, Gwen moved towards Amy, and, not giving the girl any chance to react, laid her hand on the side of her face. It took everything she had to keep her power at a minimum as the elecricity flowed into Amy's body, giving the girl a slight shock. Then she gave her a slap across the face, holding back as much as she could.::

Amy: "Who's a one trick pony?"

[Anita Blake]

"Bugger," Spike replied, sticking the cigarette back into his pack and shoving it in his duster. They began to walk, Faith's question hanging in the air.

"Dunno, pet," he said at last, his fingers fidgeting restlessly in his duster pockets. He sorely wished he hadn't destroyed his Zippo, or at least had Gwen around to zap a cigarette to life. "S'pose somethin' Watcherly or the like. Never was one for the group meetings myself."

They walked in silence for a while, Faith's apprehension and worry a cloud that threatened rain on the both of them. Spike resisted the urge to comfort her - Faith wasn't that type of girl. Instead, however, he let his silence be his condolence, nothing but the sounds of the night following them as they walked.

After a while, though, Spike grew restless - he stopped dead in his tracks and looked at Faith, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. "Alright, love, this midnight stroll is romantic and all, but I've got to do sodding something." His stomach rumbled. He looked down at it, and looked back up at Faith, head cocked exactly at the thirty-two degree angle he'd perfected. "Looks like food is in order, then."

::Faith stopped slightly ahead of Spike, wondering at his abrupt stop. Hearing his stomach growl, she grinned at him::

Spike: "Awww, is wittle Spikey Hungwy? Thats so cute."

::Turning she started walking back to the complex::

Spike: "Good suggestion though. You know how fighting always makes a body feel hungry..."

::Looking up at Spike, she smiled mischeviously::

Spike: "Well that and other things. But one thing at a time, huh, Blondie?"

[Winifred Burkle]

::Oz stood up when Angel came over.::

Angel: "Sure. What's up?"

::Oz wondered what the vampire could need his help with. He noticed when Illyria got up and left, leaving the cafeteria, at least for the moment, somewhat empty. He tried to get a read on if this was a 'bad' thing, or just a 'thing' Angel needed help on.::

[Mesektet Ra]

Spike looked mildly taken aback by Faith's abrupt come-on. The look quickly dissolved, though, into a wicked grin. "Not my type, Slayer." He said, eyes glittering.

They made their way back to the swinging double doors that led to the cafeteria, opening one of the doors for Faith and stepping aside. "Ladies first," he said cordially, his eyes betraying his amusement.

The walked in shoulder to shoulder, heading towards the long line for food. It seemed, at least to Spike, that the line never dwindled, no matter the time of the night. There were so many young girls and Whitecoats waiting to be fed the cooks must work a startling amount of overtime.

Spike caught Angel and Oz talking quietly in the table at the corner. He cocked his head in curiousity and shrugged, not caring enough to pry.

His hearing picked up the sounds of a heated struggle, but throughout the din, Spike couldn't hear who was who and what was what. As they got into line, Spike looked down at Faith and asked, "So, this is your job now? Training all the Bitty Buffy's into Slayer-types?" He caught sight of over fifty girsl in the mess hall alone. His eyebrows raised as his gaze found Faith again. "Must be a bundle o' fun."

[+ Matt +]

::Amy stroked the shocked side of her face with the knuckles of her right hand. How much electricity could this creature give out? She took a step back slowly and gripped the tips of her left fingers together, before shooting a yellow spark of electricity out of them at Gwen's hip. ::

Gwen: "It's still you"

::Having struck Gwen, Amy rose around three inches into the air.::

Gwen: "All you've used in front of me is electricity...I can manipulate everything. You see Willow? You see her power? I'm so much more than that."

::Obviously Amy couldn't prove that she was stronger than Willow, nor could she know it for a fact. However Willow took a break from magic after Tara's death, so surely that had handed Amy the advantage?::

[Black Eye Guy]

::Willow sat on the floor crying, still looking at the letter, She could not help but keep changing her mind, one moment she did believe the letter was from Tara, another she said it was impossible.

But she wanted it to be. Just because it meant she had contact with her. But she knew it could not be.

The letter was an invitation for Amy to come to the camp, but the handwriting was Tara's.

Willow was staring at the letter so intensely that she did not notice Kennedy come up to her::

Kennedy to Willow: "Willow?... What the matter?"

::Willow jumped startled, then looked up at Kennedy. She had not seen her all day, she had been with the other Slayers, training.
Kennedy came and set beside Willow on the floor::

Kennedy: "Amy turned up, here"

::Kennedy looked startled, then slightly pleased::

Kennedy to Willow: "Hmmmm, good - This means I can kick her ass, because I owe her::

::Willow looked to Kennedy smiling::

Willow: There's something else...

::She handed Kennedy the letter, and let her read it::

Kennedy to Willow: "This is from Tara? but how is that possible...."

Kennedy: "It can't be, I mean she invited Amy here - recently. I think someone has faked the letter. Which is why I have to find out who.
Which means I am going to be investigating this thoroughly"

Kennedy to Willow: "Of course! I know what your getting at, but don't worry I'm fine, you should find out who did this"

::Willow smiled and wiped the tears from he eyes, then she tried to stand up. Kennedy jumped up and helped her up.

Willow looked at her::

Kennedy: "Thanks"

::They kiss::

Kennedy to Willow: "I am gonna go train with the other slayers, I'll be in the training room if your looking for me"

::With that she turned and walked down the corridor and out of sight. Willow turned and walked up the rest of the hall and went into her room::

[Lyri]

::Gwen felt the yellow sparks of electricity bounce of her hip and travel up through her body. Arching an eyebrow at Amy, who was now floating in the air, Gwen opened her palm and sent the power back to the witch.::

Amy: "You seriously think a little shock of electricity is going to harm me? You're more stupid than you look."

::Clicking her fingers, Gwen amped up her own power, and sent another current of electricity through Amy.::

[+ Matt +]

::Yes, Amy was a witch, however she was also, more importantly, a human being. The current struck her body, sending her to the ground and across the cold ground. Her hair fell loosely over her head as she crawled along the floor, trying to get back up. She felt angry and embarassed as she did not realise sooner that attacking with electricity was a dumb idea..::

Gwen: (Muttering) "You wanna go?"

::Amy got up onto her feet and pulled her hair back over her forehead, revealing to Gwen that her eyes and turned black as coal.::

Gwen: (Gazing over at the door) "Shatter!"

::Having yelled these words, the door which she had entered from shattered into many, blunt planks of wood and darted at Gwen speedily. Amy did not care that she did not own the door, nor did she care that there was a very intimidating demon with blue hair standing right next to it. She was being threatened and she did not like it.::

[Angels baby101]

::Illyria sheilded herself from the door then looked at Amy, she then walked over toward her and smirked::

"That is not power.That is weak. The other which is more powerful then you can comprehend."

::Illyria pushed amy too the side hard up agianst a wall and walked to the other side of the room sititing in the chair.::

[Wanabee-slayer]

::Angel looked at Oz and saw the concentration on his face that meant he was contemplating what Angel had said.::

Oz:"I'm going back to L.A to get a friend of mine. She's a werewolf. I need your help to convince her to learn how to control it. I think your the only person who might be able to get through to her."

[Lyri]

::Gwen screamed as the wood came flying at her. Dropping to her knees, she protected herself as much as she could, and escaped with only minor cuts on her naked arms, and a few on her back.

::Regaining her feet, Gwen watched as Illyria slammed Amy into the wall, and couldn't help but chuckle.::

Amy: "You wanna see power?"

::Gwen didn't have the right to harm this girl. She didn't know if she was needed or why she was here. She figured Willow would want to talk to her again at some point. So as as her power grew to maximum level, Gwen aimed at the wall, six inches from Amy's head. As her power flowed from her hands it struck the wall, creating a huge hole, that sent drywall, dust and plaster everywhere.::

Amy: "What else ya got?"

[+ Matt +]

::Amy growled through her teeth as the plaster fled down her hair. She rose onto her feet again, her black eyes showing anger. She was through with conversation.::

Gwen: "Excudo!"

::Gwen flew backwards into the wall behind her, creating a dentation in it. Amy turned to the blue demon.::

Illyria: "I'm just getting started."

::She turned back to Gwen, but quickly shot back to Illyria.::

Illyria: "And I had a long trip!"

[Lyri]

::Gwen hit the wall hard, her head smacking the drywall with a loud crack.

::Gritting her teeth, she painfully got to her feet. The urge to do something drastic was almost overwhelming. She had tried to live her life without hurting humans...by at this particular moment, her principles were failing.::

Amy: "I should kill you were you stand."

::Controlling her power, Gwen shocked the witch, hitting her squarly in the chest.::

Amy: "You have no idea what I'm really capable off. You better pray that you don't find out."

[Anita Blake]

Spike looked mildly taken aback by Faith's abrupt come-on. The look quickly dissolved, though, into a wicked grin. "Not my type, Slayer." He said, eyes glittering.

They made their way back to the swinging double doors that led to the cafeteria, opening one of the doors for Faith and stepping aside. "Ladies first," he said cordially, his eyes betraying his amusement.

The walked in shoulder to shoulder, heading towards the long line for food. It seemed, at least to Spike, that the line never dwindled, no matter the time of the night. There were so many young girls and Whitecoats waiting to be fed the cooks must work a startling amount of overtime.

Spike caught Angel and Oz talking quietly in the table at the corner. He cocked his head in curiousity and shrugged, not caring enough to pry.

His hearing picked up the sounds of a heated struggle, but throughout the din, Spike couldn't hear who was who and what was what. As they got into line, Spike looked down at Faith and asked, "So, this is your job now? Training all the Bitty Buffy's into Slayer-types?" He caught sight of over fifty girsl in the mess hall alone. His eyebrows raised as his gaze found Faith again. "Must be a bundle o' fun."


(Maybe, I'm being a bit to much. He looks slightly shocked....)

::Grabbing a tray, Faith quirked the side of her mouth::

Spike: "Oh, yeah. Bunches. Its so great having to deal with people, who don't know one end of a stake from another."

::Pushing her tray, down the counter, she grabbed a plate with a cheeseburger on it::

Spike: "But they do have their entertaining moments. Especially the ones who think we're full of it, when we tell them about vampires and demons, really existing."

::Placing a boat of fries on her try, she picked one up and popped it into her mouth. Chewing swiftly she swallowed it and looked up at Spike::

Spike: "But, man oh man, you've got to see their faces when we take 'em out to patrol, and they catch sight of their first vampire. Its just about some of the funniest stuff you could witness."

::Grabbing a bottle of water at the end of the counter, she walked away from the line::

Spike: "You don't really have to worry about those. They learn and do what they're told. Suitably cowed by the sight of a real live vampire. Its the ones that already know that evil exists, and that have experienced it, that you have to watch out for. They're more likely to go off half-cocked, thinking they can do better out there, than learning here."

::Finding empty seats at the table, a little ways away from Angel and Oz, they sat down. Faith gave Spike a tight smile::

Spike: "I'm good at spotting them before it gets anywhere though. They remind me of myself..."

[Mesektet Ra]

Spike toyed with his buffalo wings for a moment before replying. Taking a bite and talking with his mouth full, he said, "Sounds 'bout right, from what I've heard," he finished chewing, and swallowed. He picked up a wing and gestured at her with it "We've all been bad, ducks. We've all got blood on our hands. We've just gotta-" he shrugged, taking a bite of the wing, "learn to get on with your merry little lives. Make things better. And by the sounds of things," he gestured to the room around him, "you are."

[Angels baby101]

::Illyria smirked at the witches comments. She loved to watch a good fight but then agian she loved to be invovled, Illyria sighed and decided to sit back and watch a bit more.::

"Long trips should not be an excuse. Excuses make you weak."