****Wesley, Giles, Willow, and Xander****

****Move to the Quest for Skulls Blog****

     Mr. Giles explained that he and Willow were loath to share the entire plan because the magic was mentally resonant � to some degree it drew upon the expectations of those implementing the spell, and those who were the target of the spell.  It was better that Wesley and Xander went into this endeavor with only the expectation that it would right all the wrongs rather than knowing all the minute details.  Wesley was of a mind to object, because he would doubt the efficacy of the spell unless he knew all those minute details, but he decided quite judiciously to keep those thoughts to himself and trust in Rupert.  Despite Wesley�s year in Los Angeles, the older Watcher was still far more experienced in these matters.

     Wesley and Xander were instructed create a pentagram in the cemetery above the Master�s Lair, and then place an Orb of Thesulah at the pentagram�s center and ignite bundles of herbs at each of the pentagram�s five points while Willow and Giles entered the lair itself.  Wes and Xander would have to defend the pentagram at all costs, including if Buffyvamp or Angelus showed up intent upon destroying it.  Willow conjured some borrowed magic for both Xander and himself as a contingency, but Wesley doubted its effectiveness.  Nonetheless, he would do his best to maintain an expectation of efficacy, because that�s what this spell was all about, apparently � you believe it to be true, therefore it is. 

     The trip to the cemetery was solemn.  They all knew this was their one shot to heal Buffy and Angel, and to stop the resurrection of the powers of Aurelius.  If they failed in any of those three things, they were likely to die.  And if the powers of Aurelius were reborn, not only were they likely to die horribly, but the world as they knew it would change drastically for the worse.  The sun was in decline, headed for the western horizon.  But they still had about two hours to implement the spell.  If it took longer than that, their chance of success declined substantially, because darkness would provide cover and the ability for vampires to move about without fear of self-immolation.   Wesley certainly wanted the opportunity to defend the pentagram in full sunlight.           

�I concur.�  Giles and Willow sat at the table in the back room of the Magic Box.  Willow had just outlined her plan to correct everything that had gone wrong over the last week or two.  He removed his glasses for a cleaning with his handkerchief, �Simply brilliant, Willow.�  After a thorough scrubbing, he put the glasses back on and scrutinized the young woman.  �But also extremely dangerous.  We neither fully understand the magic trapped in the Master�s Lair nor comprehend precisely how it is related to that of the three skulls.  But I have to agree that they likely have a common thread, a common origin.  And that links them in ways that leaves them vulnerable to outside manipulation.�

In his mind, Giles flipped through their other options, �But under the circumstances, I see no other viable plan.  Yes, it is dangerous, but the consequences of having the powers of Aurelius restored are most dire indeed.  Apocalyptic in fact.�  He understood why Willow had only elected to share her plans with him, and not the others.  �You were right to bring this to me in private.  The fewer of us that know the details, the less likely it is that the plan will be undermined.  Nonetheless, it would be unwise to implement your plan without Xander and Wesley.  So we will have to tell them enough that they understand what must be done.  Quickly now, let us gather what we need, brief our companions, and then get underway to the Master�s Lair.  As you say, the hourglass is running precariously low on sand.�     

Will looked at the Sunnydale map in horror, �Cripes!  We�re running out of time.  There�s only a few grains of sand left in the hourglass, guys.�  She was thinking of Dorothy up there in the castle of the Wicked Witch of the East for some reason.  �It must be Harmony and Spike, or maybe Darla who has the skulls, because Buffy is still across town from the cemetery, and we know that Drusilla and Angelus are with her.�

She didn�t know if Spike or Darla had the expertise to actually pull off the spell necessary to activate the skulls, but the skulls being in the Master�s Lair complicated things.  The Lair is a hub of ancient power; its why the Master chose it in the first place.  It could make the spell go wonky or it could make it easier.  It just depended on how the magic was conducted.

A hub of magic� an idea began to take shape, magical formulas and spells churning around in Will�s head like a complex brew inside a gigantic witch�s cauldron.  But she�d need some supplies.  And she�d need some help from Giles.  �We have to get to the Magic Box pronto.  And not just for the Orb of Thesulah.  Giles, I have an idea, but I�m going to need your help.�     

So they all went back out into the parking lot and piled into Giles� Citroen for the ride back to the Magic Box, where Will would collect more magical whatsits to maybe fix what was wrong out there, which was all sorts of things now.  Minute by minute, event by event, things seemed to be slipping away from the good guys.  They were snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, or however that contorted, lame saying went.  But what did they expect?  They�d lost their hero or heroine or whatever.  Buffy had turned bad.  Xander thought of Parker, laying on the floor dead.  Buffy had turned really bad.

As they got underway, Xander unfolded the map of Sunnydale in the back seat, to check on where Buffy had gone.  The little dot that indicated her location was moving along 4^th street, headed back into town.  But something else had changed, and for the worst.  �Guys, I think we have a problem.  All three of the skulls are in one place now.  They�re in the cemetery, like right in the Master�s Lair from what I can tell.�  He looked to Willow,  �That�s like majorly bad, right?�

�I think Angelus was right.  I think maybe my spell did work.  We did everything right and� I felt something, that little snap when magic kicks in, when a spell engages.�  Willow had done enough magic now that she knew when spells went wonky.  If felt differently, or she felt nothing at all.  Not like this time, not like what happened with this spell.

Will knew all about Jenny�s translation of the gypsy spell to re-ensoul Angelus.  She�d been the one who found it, on a 3.5� disk on the floor between Miss Calendar�s desk and her computer station.  Maybe they could make it work. But she had the impression that the spell had an expiration date.  �I�m not sure about Miss Calendar�s spell.  I thought it was a one time thing, all used up.�  Then something occurred to her, �Unless we can tweak it just a little, not enough to change what the spell does, but enough to make it different.�  She brightened visibly, because something she�d read in one of Giles� books on the shelves above the stacks at the back of the Magic Box had hinted that something like this was possible.  �And we�ll have to retune the Orb of Thesulah, too, but I can do that.� 

     Wesley kneeled down next to the sprawled body of the young man.  He did not know Parker Abrams personally, he only knew of him by reputation.  Wes felt for a pulse at his carotid artery and found none.  His face was pale, his lips blue.  His dark eyes, with the almost feminine lashes, were already beginning to glaze over.  �He�s dead,� Wes stated flatly, although he suspected the others assumed it was a foregone conclusion.  Wesley had hoped for a miracle but of course a miracle eluded him.  As Xander had so succinctly put it, they weren�t faring very well in this power play.  They needed a miracle.

     They had lost Buffy, at least for the time being.  Angel too.  As Willow�s spell hadn�t worked, or perhaps it had, as Angelus had implied, Wes was at a complete loss as to what to do about Buffy.  But Angel was another matter.  �Willow, you could perform the Ritual of Restoration.  I know you are strong enough.  We have Jenny Calendar�s translation.�  He looked towards Giles.  �We just need a few simple items, plus an Orb of Thesulah.  We can return Angel�s soul to his body��  He ran his fingers through his hair, �if we can find his soul.  Willow, perhaps you could perform a locater spell.� 

     He paced the floor, once toward the door, and then back again while his mind was calculating the risks involved with their relatively few options.  �We need to adjust our priorities.  As we�ve failed with Buffy, I now believe we must find and secure at least one of the skulls.  I know Buffy did not have the two skulls with her, but I think we have to assume that she and the others know where those skulls are.  They simply hid them in a safe place.  We must use the Tishinian Power stones to locate the skulls, and get one of them into safe keeping.  Perhaps protect it magically.  If Angelus or another of the line of Aurelius obtains all three skulls and performs the ritual, then not just Angel and Buffy will be lost to us, all will be lost.�  

     Outside, the rain suddenly stopped.   

Xander starred down at dead Parker Abrams.  He wanted to feel sorry for the schmuck, but he really couldn�t. Still, none of this had gone down the way it should have.  They were supposed to have rescued Buffy.  Instead, Buffy walked out the door with blood on her lips with Angelus and Drusilla.

�Ok, so that went well.�  He stated flatly and sarcastically.  �Can we rewind?  Like start over?  Did I really just see Buffy walk out here with Angelus and Drusilla? Let me count the ways that that sucks.  Our two champions have gone to the dark side and we lost two of the three skulls.  By my score, I�d say its four to zip.  If they get the third skull, game over.�    

�Very good, Rupert!�  Angelus clapped his hands.  �You do understand.  Appearances are deceiving, aren�t they?  Its what�s under the skin that counts.  Its what one believes that is nine tenths of reality.  Buffy knows it�s a spell, knows that she�s been glamoured to be a vampire.  But the proof of what she is lies at your feet.�  He nodded to the body of Parker Abrams.  �It probably didn�t occur to you that Willow�s spell might have worked.  But it doesn�t matter anymore.  Buffy believes herself to be a vampire, therefore she is a vampire.  You believe yourself to be a bad-ass Watcher, therefore you are.�  With lightning speed, Angelus lunged forward and took the crucifix from Giles� outstretched hand.  He grinned as he watched the smoke rise from his own hand, just before he flung it across the room where it embedded itself in the wall.   

�I could take that crossbow from Xander or that shotgun from Wesley just as fast, and before anyone of you could do anything about it, I�d have one or both of them rammed up your ass.  If you think you can take us, try.  Just so you know, Buffy is faster than even Dru or I.  Must be some synergism between her slayer powers and vampirism.�

The jukebox suddenly came back to life, playing an old Johnny Cash song, Ring of Fire.  �So you�re going to let us walk out of here, and we�re going to let you live.�  He went to Buffy�s side, slipped an arm around her slender waist and kissed her cheek.  He so wanted to taunt Giles about Jenny Calendar, and to play on Wesley�s insecurities, but this was neither the time nor place for that.  But the time would come.  �So Buffy is coming with us.�  As a group, he, Buffy, and Drusilla started towards the door.  �But we�ll stay in touch.  I promise.�  He held a fist up to his ear with the thumb and pinkie finger extended, �I�ll call you.  We�ll do lunch.�  As the three vampires slipped out into the night, he added, �And you�ll be on the menu, Rupert.  For Buffy.  Family blood is always the sweetest.�  Then they were gone.

It nearly broke his heart in two to see Buffy donning the visage of a vampire.  And she had blood on her lips.  She had taken a victim. Buffy had become the thing that the Slayer was magically bound to destroy.  How could this have happened?  How could a glamour trump generations of accumulated slayer magic and power? 

After seeing Buffy, Giles almost expected that Willow�s spell wouldn�t work.  This was not going to be easy.  But now they had a problem, because they had three vampires against them.  Angel had left the building, that was pretty clear.  Giles held a large crucifix out in front of him.  Xander had a crossbow pointed at Angel�s heart, and Wesley had the 12-gauge Mossberg, which was cocked and loaded with wooden pellets pointed at Drusilla. 

Giles pleaded his case, �Buffy, you aren�t really a vampire.  It�s merely a glamour.  Think, Buffy!  You were never bitten.  You never drank from a vampire.  You did not rise from the grave.  You must know its an illusion.  And if its an illusion, you can fight it.  Your slayer powers provide the means for you to overturn the glamour.�  He wasn�t certain of that, but if deep down inside the remnants of the slayer believed it, then it might indeed be true.  The power of suggestion.  But what now?  Would they have to use their weapons?  Could they afford to just let this trio walk out of here into the night, knowing they would create mayhem?  And Good Lord, what if they retrieved all three of the skulls?  Angelus and Drusilla were of the line of Aurelius.