Title: Knights Fallen
Part 11 of the ABC series
Author: Frau Hunter Ash
Copyright © 2002 by Hunter Ash. All Rights Reserved.
Email: hunterash@sti.net Feedback welcome!!
Homepage Addy : www.hunterash.com
Disclaimers: The characters and show all belong to Joss Whedon , Fox, Mutant Enemy, Kuzui , and God only knows who else. The storyline, however, is the sole property of the author. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies of this story may be made for private use only and must include all disclaimers and copyright notices.
F/F romance : the story assumes a loving and sexual relationship between people of the same gender, different genders, and may even include 3 at the same time <G>. If this offends or is illegal for you, then please leave. Come back when you are older, have an open mind, moved, or changed your laws.
Spoilers: Sometime after Wrecked
Summary: Why do Rack and Amy want Willow? How will the gang disperse
the wild sexual energy Willow was hit with? Will it affect their
relationships? Will Rack and Amy go away without their prize?
Rating: 15
Author's Note: Pairings: W/G, B/F, A/C, X/An
Buffy moaned and pinned Faith's body against the wall, her leg going between Faith's. The brunette Slayer moaned into Buffy's lips and clung to the blonde. Faith broke off the kiss and moved her lips to Buffy's neck and felt for the pulse point, biting down. Buffy cried out as her body jerked.
"Bedroom or I'm going to take you right here!" Faith warned.
"Any room," Buffy corrected, feeling just as out of control. She drew back slightly and pulled Faith towards the stairs.
The two women didn't make it to Faith or Buffy's room, Faith matched Buffy's growl and kicked open the first door they came to, an unused bedroom that had a broken down bed.
The brunette Slayer surprised Buffy by grabbing her and throwing Buffy down onto the bed and covered the blonde's body with her own, her lips finding Buffy's again.
"Ah!" Buffy cried out again as Faith's teeth moved to her neck, hands of both Slayers impatiently tugging and pulling at clothing.
* * *
Tracy moved slightly on the bed, readjusting her body as she channeled the energy from Willow back into the earth. She glanced up and smiled as Tara continued to talk to Willow , keeping the red-haired vampire witch distracted from using the erratic energy.
" Tara !" Willow screamed, her hands clawing at the ropes on her wrists. "Giles!"
" Tracy ," Tara said slowly.
"I know," Tracy said firmly. "Sexual energy is escaping all over the place."
A scream of excitement from down the hall confirmed what Tara and Tracy suspected; the sexual energy was escaping and hitting everyone in the mansion.
Tara moved up along Willow 's body and gently stroked Willow 's cheek. " Willow , can you hear me?"
The vampire witch moaned and thrashed on the bed.
Tara said a quick prayer and leaned over to kiss her former lover.
Tracy closed her eyes but opened them again, despite herself. She heard Willow moan and saw the vampire's body arching as she responded to the passionate kiss Tara was giving her.
Tracy saw a familiar flush spread over Tara 's face and upper body as the witch unbuttoned her blouse and then Willow 's, letting their bare skin touch. Each woman shuddered and Tracy felt a wave of heat spread over her own body as she watched. She closed her eyes and concentrated on channeling the energy.
Tara moved back to Willow 's lips, her hand trembling as it sought out Willow 's breast. She moved to nuzzle Willow 's neck with her lips and teeth.
"Oh Goddess, Tar," Willow mumbled, her head thrown back into Tracy 's lap.
Tara whimpered as her lips moved to replace her hand and her hand moved lower under the band of Willow 's sweat pants. Willow cried out as Tara bit down lightly on the closest nipple and entered her with three fingers.
Tara could tell it wouldn't take much and glanced up at Tracy, her lover.
Tracy , sensing the look, opened her eyes and nodded. "Almost enough, lover. It's okay. I'm not jealous over here." <Maybe a little turned on,> she thought to herself.
Tara nodded and returned her attentions once again to her former and first lover and set a familiar rhythm, her body remembering Willow 's body and reactions. Willow 's body jerked and Tara increased her attentions, pulling another cry out of the vampire. Willow 's hips jerked and her back arched when Tara reached up with her thumb to begin caressing the witch's clit while entering her.
Willow screamed as her muscles clamped down around Tara 's fingers. Tara kept the rhythm up as Willow screamed again, crashing back onto the bed panting.
" Tracy ?" Tara said softly, holding Willow 's body close to her.
"I think we can bring Giles in," Tracy said softly, sitting back and wiping the sweat from her forehead. "Goddess, that is a rush that I don't want to be tempted with often!"
"Yes," Tara said softly. "We okay?"
"Yes, I'm not as freaked as I thought I'd be," Tracy admitted.
"I'll stay with her while you get Giles?" Tara suggested.
"Okay," Tracy agreed and crawled over Willow 's tied arms and rolled off the bed rather in a clumsy manner. Tara squeaked and climbed over Willow 's stomach to check on her lover to find Tracy sitting on her backside looking embarrassed.
"I'm fine!" she grinned.
Tara laughed and watched her mate go out the door and moved back up next to Willow .
The red-haired witch opened her eyes and blinked in confusion.
" Tara ?"
"I'm here, Will," Tara said softly.
"I remember Rack and Amy and then the weirdness again," Willow said, her voice harsh.
"They hit you with that energy that wiped you out the first time," Tara nodded.
"What the hell do they want?" Willow growled and then frowned at her tied wrists. "That out of it?"
"We kinda had to hold you while we drained that energy off slowly," Tara explained and untied the ropes, pulling Willow closer.
Tara began blushing as Willow looked down at her open blouse, Tara 's open blouse and how her own body felt.
"Giles?" Willow asked softly.
"No, he couldn't handle that raw magic energy," Tara whispered.
"Is Tracy okay with this?" Willow asked shyly.
"Yes, she was draining off your energy," Tara answered.
Willow didn't question what Tara had been doing, her body's responses told her enough.
"Thank you," she said softly and then broke into a wide smile when the door opened and Giles walked in hesitantly.
"I'm going to leave you two alone now," Tara smiled and leaned down to kiss Willow 's forehead.
Giles reached out and stopped Tara .
"Thank you both," he said softly.
"We're friends, Giles," she blonde witch smiled and touched his cheek gently. "Take care of her."
"Always," Giles smiled as Willow rubbed her bruised wrists. "Oh, you might want to join Tracy in your room. Angel and Cordelia didn't make it to their room and they have the front of the fireplace staked out for a romantic interlude."
"Oh," Tara 's eyes widened as Willow giggled.
* * *
Faith curled up in Buffy's arms, both women panting.
"B, I…I…wow!" she muttered.
"Total agreement here!" Buffy mumbled, holding Faith tightly. "I don't know what happened but ending up with you was nice."
"Should we call Dawn or something?" Faith muttered.
"I left a message when they called earlier that we'd probably be here all night," Buffy mumbled, nuzzling Faith's neck.
"That sex energy of Will maybe?" Faith pondered.
"Yeah, whatever," Buffy grumbled, keeping her eyes closed.
"We gotta figure out what those bastards want with Willow ," Faith growled.
"In the morning," Buffy insisted.
* * *
It was actually after noon when Buffy and Faith woke up in each other's arms. Both of their hearts were pounding wildly with apprehension and joy. Each one feared rejection and wanting wanted more of what they had shared the night before.
"B?" Faith asked slowly.
Buffy smiled, relieved to see the same hesitation and fear in Faith's eyes.
"No regrets, Faith," Buffy answered. "It won't be easy, I seem to be hard on relationships and I've got a lot of baggage."
"As if I've had better luck!" Faith countered. "The only guy I trusted that cared about me was a homicidal ego-maniac immortal."
"You trusted Angel," Buffy pointed out.
"Not because he cared about me but because it's his nature, I guess," Faith said thoughtfully. "He saw through that last rampage I went on for what it was.”
Buffy snuggled further into Faith's arms.
"What about Dawn, Riley and everything?" Faith asked softly.
"Dawn will go back to school in San Francisco , I like it that she's out of town," Buffy said slowly, her fingers slowly moving over Faith's ribs and stomach. "Riley is gone and I've got to deal with that. I think this happened a little fast and know it was because of the magic here last night. I still need to grieve for Ry, Faith, but I don't want to let this go either."
"Why would Rack and Amy want Willow ?"
"Willow and Tara broke up because Willow was out of control and Tara didn't want to enable her anymore,” Buffy began explaining. "Willow figured out how to reverse Amy's spell and de-ratted her. Amy was still a powerful witch and helped tempt Willow to use easy dark magic. Willow liked it, it made her feel something instead of empty from Tara leaving."
"You know something about that?" Faith asked softly.
"Yeah, when Willow and the gang brought me back, I felt empty inside," Buffy nodded, not looking Faith in the eyes. "The only time I felt something was when I was fighting Spike or…or…"
"Screwing him," Faith finished.
"Yeah," Buffy admitted. "Then I realized I wasn't feeling, I was just running away from feelings. Willow was too. The magic became like a drug and she needed more and more."
"Let me guess, Rack," Faith prompted.
"Yeah, I have no idea how Amy found him but she led Will right to him," Buffy continued. "He deals magic like a drug and Willow got really messed up. She almost got herself and Dawn killed or worse."
"And got Willow into bed? Hadn't she like switched at that point?" Faith frowned.
"Yeah but Will told me that Rack used the magic like a date rape drug," Buffy exclaimed. "When Willow disappeared a few days later I got my act together again and threw Spike out."
"Then Captain America came back," Faith ventured.
"Yeah, he was hurting from losing his wife and I was hurting from losing Will. We comforted each other and found that it didn't hurt as bad when we were together," Buffy said.
"Did you love him?" Faith asked softly.
"Yes," Buffy said slowly. "As much as I could anyone that wasn't you or Angel.”
"You love me?" Faith asked, her voice sounding young and vulnerable.
"I did and I think I might be falling for you again," Buffy amended. "Last night certainly helped!" she teased.
"I wanna try, B," Faith said softly.
"So do I," Buffy said softly, reaching up to kiss the other Slayer.
* * *
Giles looked around with a small smile; it was almost like old times. Everyone was gathering around the dining table with new faces added. After a moment of embarrassment, Tracy and Tara hugged Willow and Giles and the tension was broken.
"Cordy and I need to return to LA, Gunn and Wesley are having problems with Wolfram and Hart," Angel said slowly.
"We don't want to go if Willow is in trouble but…" Cordy frowned.
"It's okay, Cordy," Willow said calmly. "Honest. Everyone has to start moving on or its just going to keep going around in circles."
"Tara and I are staying, Willow," Tracy said to the group. "We can help with this."
"Thanks, guys," Buffy said gratefully. "Faith and I are with you, Will."
Willow nodded, thankfully.
"Anyone have a clue as to what those two idiots want with Will?" Xander asked as Anya leaned her head on his shoulder, bouncing Jesse on her knee.
Willow frowned, almost withdrawing into herself, looking very much like the shy college student they once knew. Giles wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.
"No, something about needing my energy for a triad," she said softly.
"So they tried to giving you a magic fix to set off your addiction again," Buffy pondered.
"I am so sick of being the target!" Willow growled and glared as Buffy laughed.
"Hey, that's my Will!" Buffy grinned.
"At least I didn't end up eating bugs or a pig," Xander smirked as Willow rolled her eyes.
"So, how do we figure out what they want?" Faith complained.
"Good question," Giles muttered. "I suggest someone try to find out what we can from Willie's Bar and among the underworld."
"That's me and Faith," Buffy volunteered. "If Angel and Cordy are leaving, that is."
"Yeah, we've got to head back but we're going to stay in close contact and can be back here in a few hours," Angel nodded unhappily.
"Thanks, you two," Willow said softly with a smile.
"Any ideas for the future?" Cordy asked everyone.
"We're going to stay here, I think," Giles said slowly as Willow nodded. "We'll continue on with the slaying, taking over for Buffy's partial retirement."
"Dawn is going back to school in San Francisco ," Buffy added.
"I'm…I'm staying in Sunnydale too," Faith said softly. "Buffy's gonna to let me work at the dojo."
"After the screaming coming from your room last night, I figured you were sticking around," Cordelia smirked as Buffy blushed and Faith glared at her.
"Tactful much?" Buffy demanded.
"Nope!" Cordy smiled sweetly. "My specialty."
"We're going to stay here until Rack and Amy are taken care of then we'll figure it out from there," Tracy said as Tara laid her head on the red-head's shoulder.
"I'm going to make some phone calls and see if there's anything in the records about prophecies or if the magic users community knows anything," Giles said.
"Records? Council types?" Buffy demanded.
"No, outside of the Council," Giles reassured them. "I do have contacts outside of the Council."
"Let's see if we can find some answers, Faith," Buffy suggested. "You and Willow stay here with Tara and Tracy until we get some answers?"
"Alright," Willow nodded.
# # #
After three days and nights with no sign of the two dark magic workers, the small group began to relax slightly. Anya went back to running the shop, Xander to his contractor foreman job, Buffy and Faith putting the dojo business back together and the witches helping at the shop.
Giles and Willow ran the shop at night and worked at researching what Rack and Amy could possibly want with Willow .
# # #
Buffy smiled as she and Faith entered the Magic Box after patrolling one evening. Seeing Giles huddled over magic books and Willow clicking away on her laptop felt like old times to the Slayer.
Giles looked up with a smile, noting the slight trace of vampire dust on both Slayers. “Have a good evening? This means we don't patrol?”
“Well, Rack usually keeps vampire hours so, no patrolling until we skin the rat,” Faith shrugged. “How goes the research?”
Willow shook her head, still intent on her computer screen.
“There's no rumblings in the underworld about any upcoming rituals or workings,” Giles responded. “The next holiday is the Equinox, the harvest. The next high holiday for pagans, witches, and Satanists is Hallows.”
“At least the creepy guys take the night off,” Buffy sighed. “So we've got either two weeks to the Equinox or a month and a half to Halloween. That doesn't make sense. Rack and Amy aren't known for their patience to wait that long for a ritual. Keeping Willow around that long doesn't work, especially knowing we'd go after her.”
“I quite agree,” Giles nodded, pleased with Buffy's logic. “Therefore I'm thinking it's something not related to a holiday or known special time. That makes it a little more difficult to track. I've been through the Greek and Roman holidays earlier. Now working on known Egyptian ones.”
“And I'm tracking the Slavic side,” Willow added.
“What if its something American Indian?” Faith suggested. “Being here in America and everything.”
Giles sighed. “That's next. The problem is there are so many different tribes of your natives and different holidays for different regions. Eastern United States has a definite Fall season. Here in California , we go from air conditioning to jackets in one day. Holidays fall in different spots because of that.”
“Well, we thought we'd check in and warn you guys to be careful going back to the mansion,” Buffy smiled. “We dropped by before patrol and left some stuff for you guys from the butcher. Fresh stuff.”
“Thank you, very much,” Giles smiled.
Buffy shook her head and smiled. “Weird, my Watcher thanking me for bringing him his daily blood. I thought Spike was weird.”
“I try and not think about it,” Faith grumbled.
“Jealous I got Giles horizontal and you didn't?” Willow teased.
“Yeah right,” Faith smirked. “I got B, you can keep Tweed Guy.”
Giles chuckled and shook his head.
“We're off, take care guys! We'll see you tomorrow night,” Buffy laughed, dragging Faith out the door with her.
An hour later Tara and Tracy arrived to help close the shop and escort the vampires home safely. On rare occasions Giles and Willow would go out for the evening but always somewhere with plenty of people and they were careful not to get caught isolated.
They had seen Rack watching them occasionally but he maintained his distance.
# # #
“ Willow !”
The vampire's eyes snapped open and she tried to jump up off the bed but her body was sluggish. She instantly knew it was two hours after sunrise and she had been very deep in a vampire sleep.
She glanced over and wasn't surprised to find Giles still asleep. Being a younger vampire, it was harder to wake him during daylight hours. At this stage in his vampire youth Willow knew someone could break in the door, approach him and Giles wouldn't awaken until the stake was beginning to pierce his chest or fire licked at his skin.
“ Willow !”
The vampire blinked and shoved the bed curtains aside and dashed out of the bedroom.
Willow snarled, shifting into vampire visage when she looked down and saw Rack holding Tara by the throat and her former lover was turning a bright red, clawing at his hand.
“Rack! Let her go!” Willow shouted, her eyes blackening to magic black.
Rack glanced up and grinned. Willow raised her hands, preparing to send a blast of magical energy at the sorcerer when something hit the back of her head, sending her falling down the stairs and into darkness.
Rack grinned as he dropped and unconscious Tara next to Tracy and trotted up the stairs, stepping over Willow 's body. He hugged Amy as she dropped the baseball bat.
“Shielded against magic, they forget the basics,” the male sorcerer smirked.
Amy laughed and pulled out a Coroner's body-bag out of a backpack. “Let's grab our prize and get out of here before the white-light types wake up.”
# # #
Willow shook her head and looked around. Tracy was helping Tara sit up, both witches' throats were bruised and swollen.
“Giles?” Willow whispered. “Giles!”
She dashed up the stairs with vampire speed and tore the curtains back on the medieval style bed, one designed for vampires in mind with heavy curtains to keep any daylight out.
The bed was empty.
“Giles!” Willow screamed and jumped over the balcony onto the ground floor. She started towards the front door when both Tara and Tracy tackled her.
“It's daylight!” Tara shouted.
“You can't help him if you're dust!” Tracy added.
“Why did they take him and not me?” Willow wailed. She stopped fighting and clung to the witches.
“Probably what he's wondering right about now,” Tracy said grimly.
“I'll call Buffy,” Tara said softly as Willow wept.
# # #
Giles woke slowly, the blows to his face finally getting through his vampire sleep. He tried to strike back, face vampiric, snarling only to find he was restrained on a table by chains at his wrists and ankles.
He looked down and found that he was clad only in his boxer shorts and Rack was watching him closely.
“Hello, vampire,” the sorcerer said cheerfully. “Sorry to wake up in the middle of the day but I couldn't wait any longer to have some fun.”
“What the hell do you want? Where's Willow ? Going to torture me to force her into whatever you want?” Giles demanded, not bothering to shift back to human form.
“Nah,” Rack smirked, running his hand over the vampire's chest slowly. “You've still got some magic energy in there. I'll be glad to remove that for you. We left Willow behind by the way.”
“What do you want?” Giles growled. “I'll rip your throat out, you slime! It was because of you she went out and was vamped!”
“Yeah, well I wasn't happy about that either,” Rack frowned. “I wanted at least a month of her magic running through me and her under me.”
Giles glared but refused to respond the taunts other than struggle against the chains. Rack's grin returned as he reached in his shirt pocket and held up an object that stopped the vampire from struggling, Giles' eyes widening slightly.
“Bet it must be strange,” Rack smirked. “Former Watcher and now vampire. Fearing what you once relied on for your safety. Even with a soul you still fear this cross, don't you? Holy water, religious objects and fire, and I bet you hate mirrors? Run in terror from the sun?”
Giles refused to answer but the vampire's eyes watched the cross rather than the sorcerer and Rack laughed.
Giles' body arched in pain and he hissed as the cross was laid on his chest. After a moment Rack pulled it off and Giles fell back onto the table, panting, smelling the burned flesh.
“As long as we feed you a little blood, I can keep this up forever,” Rack appeared to ponder the concept. “Wonder how much you can stand before your mind snaps?”
Giles glared, remembering torture at the hands of Angelus and how physical torture hadn't worked. Like any field Watcher, he had been tested on pain tolerance and taught how to withstand physical and most mental torture. Cross, holy water and fire were a new twist but the vampire was sure he could hold out until Buffy and the others found him.
“What do you want?” Giles repeated.
“I work for someone and he thinks you might know where something is, Watcher-vampire,” Rack shrugged. “We'll wait a bit though. Until then, I'm going to have some fun. What happens if sunlight hits your leg?”
The sounds of Giles' screams sounded throughout the small warehouse.
# # #
Willow paced by the door of the mansion, waiting for the sun to finally leave the sky. She turned and jumped back into the shadows as the door opened and Buffy and Faith entered.
“Buff?” Willow asked anxiously.
“Nothing,” Buffy shook her head. “Willie and the other bartenders haven't heard anything planned and none of them know how to find them. Rack's not running his usual black magic-drug like den of sin.”
“Then how is he getting his energy?” Willow frowned. “Why take Giles? They had all of us. Why not just take me then?”
“Well, maybe they meant to take him and him alone,” Faith suggested. “They zapped all of you and did it in the day time so you couldn't follow.”
“Why Giles though?” Willow began pacing again. “I'm the one with the most magic and experience.”
“S-something about Giles?” Tara ventured, reaching out for Willow 's hand and encouraging the vampire to sit down with her and Tracy. “Something not magic? Watcher type stuff?”
“That used to be the reason they'd grab Giles,” Buffy nodded. “I'll call Angel and ask if he knows what they might want.”
“Well, we can't call the Council for help,” Tracy complained, laying her head on Tara 's shoulder. “And Willow can't track him, they drained her magic to almost nothing. It'll take a few nights to regain that.”
Willow glared at the witch and then nodded. “You're right. They've also magically ‘erased' his trail. We have to do it the old fashioned way.”
“Threaten Willie, vampires and demons until we find them,” Buffy said firmly. “And we research what they might want with Giles.”
“Come on, girlfriend,” Faith grinned. “I like threatening Willie! He squirms so nicely.”
Willow shook her head, trying not to cry in front of the others.
Next: Lake of Fire