Dark are the Shadows

Ms Hunter Ash

Pairings: Xander/Anya, Willow/Tara, Giles/Angelique, Buffy/Quentin, Julia/Thomas, Joe/Maggie

Rating: PG13

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SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA

"Anyone else getting tired of chasing our tails?" Hector Lopez grumbled as the small group of Slayer and Watchers moved down another alley near the Bronze.

"You could say that," Angela Farnsworth replied.

"Look, we know whatever this golem is, it's controlled by that sorcerer and he's targeted Buffy and her crew," Mark Hampton said. "We've got the Slayer and her Watcher here, what could be more tempting?"

"Then where is the thing?" Hector complained.

"He's right, Giles," Buffy said to her Watcher. "They've gone after Xander and Anya, the potential and after my mom and Dawn. Why isn't after me?"

"I do have a theory on that," Giles said. "It's... ill-formed, however."

"Spill, Professor," Hector urged.

"Well, Buffy died for a short time," Giles said. "Fighting Glory, she was killed while saving the various universes including ours. She was brought back by the Powers That Be or some higher power."

"Astounding," Dr. Sam Grimm muttered.

"Go on," Mark replied.

"My fear is losing my step-daughter, my Slayer," Giles said. "That's happened. We grieved and attempted to move on. That could be why the sorcerer or whatever he is hasn't focused on me. The same for Buffy, she's faced death twice, knowing that she'd likely not survive."

"So why isn't he preying on the general population?" Angela Farnsworth asked. "I mean they'd supply all the fear anyone could thrive on."

"That's the next question, isn't it?" Giles agreed.

"So how do we draw it out?" Mark asked.

"By running around with newbies like you," Buffy said as she stopped.

Mark followed her gaze to the end of the alley. "Oh man. Okay, that's creepy."

Staring at them was the unthinking golem of mirrors and the sorcerer or demon "teenager" next to it.

"Hi, guys!" he said cheerfully. "Wanna party?"

"Get 'em out of here," Buffy yelled and pulled a tire iron from her coat.

Giles and the others turned and stopped.

"Well, now we know what the boy has been up do," Giles muttered. "Buffy, there's another golem, the same type."

Buffy glanced around as the mirror golem facing her began to move slowly. "Get them up the fire escape!"

"We can help!" Mark protested.

"Move!" Giles snapped. "Don't look at the boy!"

Hector lifted Dr. Sam in his arms and she grabbed the lowest rung of the fire escape and he brought her and the ladder down. "Go!"

Sam scampered up the fire escape followed by Angela and then Liu. They began trying the window on every floor as they climbed higher and higher.

"Go on, boss, get up there," Hector said as Mark hesitated.

"You aren't as fearless as you think!" Mark protested.

"I know that, move!" Hector yelled.

Mark handed him a tire iron and began climbing the ladder.

"Don't look at the kid!" Giles yelled at Hector as the younger Watcher moved next to him.

"Giles, get him up the ladder," Buffy yelled as the golems increased their speed towards the three.

"Him first!" Hector yelled and shoved Giles toward the ladder.

Giles grabbed the ladder and started to climb and winced when he heard Hector scream. He glanced back and saw one of the golems slicing the younger Watcher across the chest and throat. He saw Buffy swinging two crowbars at the other golem. "Come on!"

The golem killing Hector turned and grabbed Giles by the collar and pulled him from the ladder and threw him across the alley into a wall.

"Giles!" Buffy screamed.

"Come on!" Mark yelled from a fire escape three stories up.

Buffy hesitated and something sliced across an arm and then hit her, sending her into the ladder. Buffy grabbed a rung with one hand and swung a crowbar with the other, cracking the mirror over the face of one of the golems. She swung the crowbar in a downward angle as she began to climb. It caught the necklace around the creature's neck and yanked it away.

The golem stopped moving and fell over backwards, mirrors cracking and breaking upon impact.

She looked around and frowned. "Where are they?" she yelled, looking up as Mark began to make his way down the fire escape followed by the other three.

"The golem grabbed Sir Rupert and they rushed away," Mark yelled back. "It moved....like a sprinter."

"No," Buffy said softly and jumped down from the ladder and approached the non-moving golem.

She sensed the Watchers moving to join her.

Dr. Grimm squatted down and began examining the creature. "Nothing but clay and mirrors."

"We have to find Giles," Buffy said with a frown. "Which way did they go?"

"Back that way," Liu said and pointed down the alley. "There was a van waiting. The boy jumped behind the wheel."

"Damnit!"

"Hector," Angela said softly and touched the young man's cheek.

"Let's go, people," Mark said firmly. "Doc, grab your samples and lets go. We can't answer how Hector died. Maybe the witches can find Giles."

Buffy nodded and smashed the deactivated golem's face and head several times until the clay broke apart. "Let's go."

The Slayer pulled her phone out as the small group moved quickly out of the alley.

"Will, is Tara there? Visiting for the night and stuff? We need you and Tara at the mansion to work with our witch friend from back east, she got in earlier tonight," Buffy said urgently. "I'm bringing the Watchers in after they agree to some conditions. One of them was killed and that damned brat took Giles."

Buffy pulled the phone from her ear as Willow screeched. She placed it against her ear a moment later. "I know it's a risk but they'll be onboard or I'm going to kick them out of town and handle this ourselves. We may need them. See you there."

"What was that about?" Mark demanded as the Slayer closed her phone.

"All of you are going to agree to a few conditions before working with us to track this kid and golem down and get a little payback for your fallen Watchers and Raquel," Buffy said calmly.

"Like what?"

"I've got vampires working with us that aren't a danger to civilians," Buffy said. "Their souls are intact and can't be lost. You're going to agree to work with them and not tell anyone else about them. They're also witches and can help find Giles and this jerk off teenager. You want to help stop this guy and get a little justice for the team you swear to never mention my vamps to anyone."

Mark looked at his team members and each nodded. He looked back at Buffy. "We swear we won't speak, write or pantomime about your vamps."

Buffy managed to smile. "Let's go."

# # #

COLLINSPORT, MAINE

Maggie smiled as Roxanne stepped into the diner. “Good morning, I'm handling the diner today with Sam, our cook. Want some orange juice while you decide what you want for breakfast? My treat.”

"Sounds good," Roxanne said and blinked. "Anyone else up?"

"Joe went to the plant, Caleb is out back shoveling the back walk and no one else is up," Maggie said and placed a large glass of orange juice in front of Roxanne as the former vampire sat down at the counter. "Are you doing okay? If you don't mind me saying, you're a bit pale. Not that any of us are getting any sun this week."

“I'll be all right,” Roxanne said. “I didn't.... donate last night. I wanted to say Thank You for trying to help him recently, he said you encouraged him to try and fight back and heal.”

“We care for him a lot,” Maggie said with a nod. “We are definitely glad you're here. Oh Caleb may want to talk to you today at some point. You don't have to talk to him or answers questions if you don't want to.”

"Okay," Roxanne said. "Can't promise I'll answer everything he might come up with. How about the diner breakfast special?"

"How do you like your eggs? Wheat, white or sourdough toast?" Maggie asked.

"Over medium and sourdough, please," Roxanne said. "I'm still figuring out what I actually like, it's been awhile."

"I remember Barnabas didn't really eat much when he was human," Maggie said. She turned and entered the order into a POS machine. She smiled when she turned back to talk to Roxanne again. "I can't even image how weird it must be for you and for him at times."

"He's mentioned that he just couldn't handle the strong taste of most things," Roxanne said and looked over when Caleb entered the diner.

"Hi, Mom," he said and leaned over the counter to kiss her cheek. "Hi, Roxanne."

"Good morning," Roxanne responded. "Join me for breakfast?"

"Sure, want to grab a table?" he suggested and Roxanne nodded.

Roxanne took a sip of her orange juice as Caleb sat down with a cup of coffee.

"Can I ask some questions?" he asked. "Sorry, that was abrupt. It's nice to meet you and the others. It's just a lot to take in."

"I understand," Roxanne said. "I had amnesia and discovered I was a vampire. It was extremely traumatic."

"Wow," Caleb said softly. "That had to be... What caused that?"

Roxanne gave him the story of how she had become a vampire and why Barnabas hadn't been there to help her.

"That's incredible," Caleb commented. "and now you're human but you want to be a vampire again?"

"Yes," Roxanne answered. "Barnabas is a vampire and I want to be with him for a very long time."

"It's hard to comprehend that someone would want to be a vampire other than nutso fan-boys and girls," Caleb remarked. "It doesn't sound like an easy existence."

"It's not," Roxanne said. "There's a lot of restrictions and dangers and the fact that we need blood is really hard to deal with."

"And you want to go back to it," Caleb noted.

"I was a vampire longer than all my years as a human," Roxanne replied. "For Barnabas I absolutely will go back."

"Mom and Dad said he went back in time," Caleb mentioned and smiled as he mother brought over breakfast for both of them. "Careful, Mom, you look like a natural there!"

"Spent plenty of time moving across these floors with dishes in hand," Maggie agreed. "This is where I first met Vicki, Barnabas and others. Enjoy, you two."

“Thanks,” Roxanne responded and reached for a serving jar of strawberry jam. “Yes, Barnabas went through time a few times to save family members and Maggie.”

“Mom?”

“The Collins family and Collinwood were being destroyed,” Roxanne said. “Barnabas and Julia changed history and stopped it. They changed time so Collinwood stands and no one died.”

“And one of those weird time warp things is where you met him?” Caleb asked.

“Same time, parallel universe,” Roxanne responded.

“Thanks for telling me,” Caleb said after a moment. “I've a feeling Barnabas is more reserved in his answers. There's stuff he won't talk about, isn't there?”

“Probably,” Roxanne said. “I think he's been in more danger than he's let on. Some of it I found out about from others, like being chained in a basement and being walled in to die of thirst. It took days for someone to find him. That was one of his trips to the past.”

“My God, it's like something out of Poe,” Caleb said softly.

Roxanne nodded. “He was bricked up again recently and he was injured. A vampire won't die from that but the thirst can drive someone almost insane before they slip into a sleep-like coma. He was slipping away when we found him.”

“Wow,” Caleb said.

“Tell me about your wife and kids,” Roxanne suggested. “Maggie and Joe said that you're a police officer.”

“A detective,” Caleb answered. “After a short stint with the military I roamed the continent for awhile and settled into police work and married my highschool sweetheart.”

“What branch of the military?”

Maggie smiled as Caleb and Roxanne began chatting like old or new friends. When she refreshed their coffee Roxanne was telling Caleb what it was like during the late 60s and early 70s and how mistreated soldiers were when they returned to the States from Viet Nam.

To Maggie it seemed like yesterday and very distant at the same time.

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SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA

“Have you lost your mind?” Willow demanded of Buffy when the Slayer entered the mansion with the Watchers. Willow pulled her friend away from the door. “Tara and Angelique are nervous as hell.”

“And we don't have a lot of time before sunrise when we lose them to sleep for the rest of the day,” Buffy countered. “Let's get Giles back.”

“Even if it means that Giles and girlfriend will have to go into hiding?” Willow asked, her voice sharp.

“Yes,” Buffy said softly. “As long as he's alive, even as a vampire or on the run, I don't care.”

“Okay, you go talk to Angelique, she's up in their room. I'll talk with the Watchers and explain about Tara, she's waiting in the master bedroom,” Willow suggested.

“This will be fun, not.”

Buffy trotted upstairs and knocked on the door to Giles and Angelique's bedroom.

“Hi, guys,” Willow said to the Watchers. “Come sit down and let me tell you a little bit about what happened with the Leviathan. Not all of it because we don't have a lot of time to find Giles.”

Angelique answered the door and stepped aside so Buffy could enter. “Willow said that Rupert has been taken by whatever that boy is with the Golems.”

“Yeah, we need the three of you to find him,” Buffy said. “It's hard to track people in Sunnydale, the Hellmouth protects evil on a lot of levels. There's a vial of his blood in the fridge, hidden in a cottage cheese box. There's a vial of blood from all of us.”

“And Watchers will know I'm a vampire and a witch,” Angelique asked with a frown.

“We won't use your name and you can borrow one of Xander's hoodies,” Buffy suggested. "If they turn on us you can take Giles and run. I just want him alive and sane."

"I agree. I have a cloak here, one moment."

Buffy stepped out into the hall and nodded when Angelique joined her, the vampire's face hidden by a black cloak.

Willow tried to smile when the two joined the larger group. "I've explained about Tara, the Reader's Digest version. I'm going to talk to her and get her past the anxiety. Uh, what do we call you tonight?" she asked Angelique.

"Circe," a voice responded. "I will set up."

"Willow told us about Tara," Mark Hampton said. “I assume Circe here also has her soul.”

“I do,” Angelique said. “Excuse me for a moment.”

Tara was nervous when she and Willow stepped out into the living room from the hallway and it showed.

“Hello, I'm Mark Hampton, that's Angela Farnsworth,” Mark began, “Liu Wong and Dr. Sam Grimm. It's a pleasure Ms. Maclay.”

“Hi,” Tara said with a tentative smile.

Angelique brought over a covered mirror from the den and placed it on the dining room table.

“I'll get the candles,” Willow offered.

“Incense and the blood Buffy told me about,” Angelique called. “It is very likely the teenager is actually a sorcerer. That may mean it will be difficult to find...Giles. We can use the boost.”

“We have to hurry,” Tara said softly as she joined Angelique.

“If we can find him Buffy and the Watchers can find him if its too close to sunrise,” Angelique whispered.

Buffy and the Watchers moved closer as Willow lit the candles an incense.

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