"It's Walsh?!" Tara exclaimed, and Buffy pulled the two of them below the glass window into the lecture hall, just in time as Walsh looked over at the door, certain she heard something.

"I know, my own teacher. My own psychology teacher. My own pysch—Oh it's beginning to make sense now." Buffy motioned for Tara to walk with her, away from the classroom. "Giles says we can't just bust in and confront her, not without evidence or blackmail. Xander and Anya are at Giles', if you're don with class, I was going to head over there."

"I-I'm done with classes." Tara nodded, following Buffy, still holding her books.

"Great! We figured you'd want to be there, since you are Willow are such good friends. And we're down a witch and could really do with one. If we can find Riley, he's someone we can confront."

"Your boyfriend? You think he'd k-kidnap Willow?" Tara raised an eyebrow, looking sideways at Buffy as the headed out of the campus grounds. She didn't understand why anyone would want to hurt Willow, she never hurt anyone, and she was almost certain she never would.

"All I know is last week no-one could talk, and this week my best friend is gone and my boyfriend, ex-boyfriend, has vanished off the face of the damn Earth." Buffy kicked at a stone as she walked, sighing. "We're gunna get her back. Alive. And in one piece."

"I will start removing body part, Hostile." Riley growled at Willow, how was back in an examination room, hands tied to the chair. The electric feel was gone, so she thought that Walsh might be over her Milgram phase. Walsh wasn't back from lecture yet, so she was instead left with Riley, who was acting more violent towards her than ever.

"And I told you, threatening me won't make magic work." Willow spat back, angry at the man. No, boy. He came to her room, abducted her, and thought he could boss her around.

"I wouldn't be threatening you if you just light the wood on fire." Riley growled, really close to her ear this time. It was the second time he'd done that, and both he and Willow knew she wouldn't attack him, not after the first time she head butted him and caused herself more pain because of that damn chip. Any thoughts she had that Spike was over dramatic about it went out the window. The one way window.

"You expect me to have the strength to light wood on fire? I was just cut open, you sick asshole!" Willow faked towards him, and he just shoved her back into the chair.

"Well we have to find out what makes you tick." Riley pointed to the wood. "Walsh wants that on fire by the time she gets back, Hostile, so you better make it happen. Now."

"I'm afraid we have a slight apocalypse." Giles is cleaning his glasses when Buffy and Tara arrive, looking anywhere but Buffy. Nothing could really prepare him for having to tell his Slayer she's have to pause looking for her friend, to stop some cultist demons from completing a Sacrifice of 3.

"A female student at Sunnydale University woke up to find a dead male student on her bed with her." Giles steps back, allowing the two blondes in. Xander waves to Tara when she sees her enter, and Anya glares at her, but only for a second this time, before distracting Xander by handing him a biscuit.

"Giles, I don't care about this. The Initiative guys are probably on it. Which would mean it's the best time for us to strike and get Willow back." Buffy walked with the other two into the main area of Giles' house, grabbing her own biscuit from Anya's plate.

"I agree. And I'm still up for plan Kick-Riley's-farmer-boy-ass-back-to-Iowa, by the way." Xander piped up from behind Buffy, swallowing the last of his biscuit. "We need Willow back. It's getting towards May and I feel a bog apocalypse coming on. Like every May."

"It's January." Giles glared. "I still don't like that we're basing the next apocalypse being stopped on the hopes that the military will visit your burnt down high school."

"I still don't like the fact we haven't found Riley." Buffy crossed her arms, surveying everyone in the room. "Find Riley, find our way in to the Initiative, find Willow, and put a stop to the Initiative."

"Well I got part of that down." Spike drawled from the doorway, holding Riley by his collar. "Bloody difficult to grab the guy, convinced the chip I didn't want to hurt him, dragged him back here."

"Let go of me, Hostile 17!" Riley swung for a punch but Spike ducked, laughing at his efforts. Riley didn't even notice Buffy advancing on him until she was grabbing his collar and ripping him away from Spike, slamming his back into the wall.

"Where the fuck is my best friend?!"

"Your records are quite fascinating, Hostile." Walsh smiled at Willow, although her smile was anything but comforting. "Your parents, never around were they? Of course they weren't. Probably not your real parents, you're not human." Willow had learnt by now it was best to just stay quiet and ignore her until she goes away. "Although your vivisection reports show that you are indistinguishable from a human."

Willow flicked her gaze back to the security camera, glaring at it as a way to calm herself and not lash out.

"Bet you ran away a lot as a child. Acted out. Tried to be the best you could be. Studied, learnt, became the best. But nothing got their attention. Bet they wouldn't notice for months if you cut your hair."

"Shut up." Willow growled quietly, angry at herself for retaliating.

"Of Hostile, you haven't learnt. You can't tell me what to do. I tell you. And I'm telling you you have one day to write that resurrection spell or you'll be the person that needs resurrecting!"

I'm not dead, I'm still here, just having trouble writing. If you have any ideas for direct, review or PM me and I'll try and include it.

SWC