Wolves, Slayers 4/4 - B/W/T - R

["Dana-Cooper" <hunterash@xxxxxxx>]

Wolves, Slayers and Cages
Red Moon Rising, Book 2
Part 4

Author: Hunter Ash 
Copyright © 2001-2005 by Hunter Ash. All Rights Reserved.
Email: ripperbard7@xxxxxxxxx
hunterash@xxxxxxx  
Feedback welcome!!
Homepage Addy: http://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.
X-File Crossover

F/F romance: the story assumes a loving and sexual relationship 
between people of the same gender 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: Some general 5th season stuff, but nothing major.  This 
universe splits off before New Moon Rising.

Summary:  Willow has been captured as a Hostile by the Initiative, 
experimented on and tortured.  The Scooby Gang is determined to get 
her back and destroy the Initiative's power with a little help from 
two FBI agents.  

Rating: R, violence, major character injury, angst, hurt and 
comfort.  Character death.  It's Buffy, there's violence, there's 
also sex.

Author's Note: By the way, this will be posted in parts.  This being 
part one.  Feedback always welcome.  Pairing: B/W/T

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++

"Do we have enough tranquilizers for several hostiles for the day?" 
Joyce asked Scully as they rode in the back of the specially designed 
bus.  Xander wasn't exactly known for his smooth driving and 
adjusting to the size of a small school bus wasn't going well 
either.  Joyce just hoped he wouldn't crash into anything and attract 
attention.

"Yes, I have no idea how Mulder pulled this off," Scully commented, 
roaming around the bus and investigating it.  "I think someone on the 
hill is unhappy with this project and is secretly funding us."

"On the hill?" Joyce questioned.

"Capital Hill, someone in political power who wants the Initiative 
shut down but can't do it legally for some reason," Scully explained 
as she admired the planning the Initiative put into everything.

The bus was perfect for transporting "Hostiles," as they were 
called.  There were two slots for hospital gurneys and several built 
in cots against the steel walls.  Thick iron gates, forming tiny 
cells, surrounded the cots. A couple of the regular bus seats were 
also sectioned off with iron grating from the driver as well as four 
seats up front.

Scully had discovered a large cabinet area that held restraints of 
all kinds and sizes and a medicine cabinet, which had been empty.

"What will you do if Willow is hurt mentally and physically?" Scully 
questioned.  "If Buffy does wipe out their records, Mulder and I 
might be able to get her and the others some help."

"Thank you but I think everyone will want to avoid government help 
for awhile," Joyce smiled slightly, shifting slightly on the 
uncomfortable seat.  "We'll take care of Willow, whatever she needs 
to recover.  The others will be taken to Los Angeles; Buffy and the 
gang have friends there who can help."

"This is just so unbelievable," Scully complained.  "I'm helping save 
a werewolf from the government, for which I work for, and aiding in 
the destruction of a government group."

"You're helping us rescue a kidnapped young woman from an illegal 
government group," Tara countered.  "Willow might be a werewolf three 
nights out of the month but she's still an American citizen and 
didn't agree to be subjected to medical testing."

Scully frowned and Joyce decided to leave the agent with her 
thoughts, unaware that Scully was remembering several months of her 
life that were still unaccounted for and the evidence there was that 
she had been experimented on as well.  <Maybe it was even the same 
government group>, she thought with an intense frown.

"I'm sorry, you're right," Scully said softly.  "I just wish we could 
do this through legal means."

"I'm sorry if you're putting your career at stake, you haven't even 
met Willow," Joyce commented.

"It's not my career.  God knows I put that in danger every day I'm 
with Mulder and the X-Files," Scully smiled slightly.  "It's the 
legality of everything.  I believe in the law and doing things the 
right way."

"I agree most of the time," Brad joined in the conversation, leaning 
over the back of a seat.  "That's why I became a cop in New York and 
then I moved to Sunnydale to give my kids a safe place to grow up in."

Scully raised her eyebrows in surprise and Brad Santiago laughed.

"Yeah, I then discover that we moved over one of the mouths of Hell," 
he smiled.  "To make it safe for my kids, I have to bend the rules 
sometimes.  I don't believe the Initiative is playing by the rules 
that our government originally intended, so I don't have a problem 
stealing Willow back from them when they kidnapped her in the first 
place."

"Hey, guys, private airport road coming up," Xander announced and 
only ground two gears as he shifted down to make the turn onto the 
dirt road.  Joyce gritted her teeth and Scully grabbed onto an 
overhead bar to balance.  "Sorry." Xander called to the back.

"According to the map, we'll be there just about dawn," Brad 
commented.

"Now's a good time to start praying," Xander called to his friends.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Buffy, her back to Anya, reflected that everything seemed to be going 
their way for once. Which usually meant things were about to fall 
apart and go insane.  Scully had reported that she and the rest of 
the group had no trouble signing the bus out of the repair shop.  
Their orders hadn't been questioned at all, even in the middle of the 
night.

The mechanic reported that the oil leak had been fixed and hadn't 
even given the small group a second look after seeing Xander and Brad 
in camouflaged uniforms and Joyce, Tara and Scully in medical coats 
with proper IDs clipped to their coats.

Unknown to him and the rest of the Initiative, the real transport 
crew had received last minute orders via the computer, canceling 
their mission.

The saboteurs were now on their way to take over the transport of 
Willow and the other Hostiles.

Buffy, Anya, and Spike were busy bracing themselves against the walls 
of the machines they were hiding in as they were bounced around 
slightly in the back of the delivery truck.

Anya was mercifully quiet for once and Buffy found that she wasn't up 
for conversation either as they rode along in the claustrophobic 
boxes in the dark.

Buffy's sharp ears caught the motion and sound of the truck gearing 
down for something and listened closely.  When the truck started 
moving again at its regular pace, the Slayer figured it had merely 
been a stop sign.

"Buffy, I want you to know, I am in love with Xander and would like 
you to tell him if something goes wrong," Anya said softly.

"You've never told him, have you?" Buffy guessed.

"No, it's a very scary word.  It means that the relationship is very 
deep and not just great orgasms," Anya explained.

"I understand that one," Buffy grinned in the dark.  "Nothing is 
going to go wrong and you can tell him yourself when we get out of 
here."

"Just in case," Anya insisted.

"Okay.  You tell Tara and Willow I couldn't live without them, right? 
And that I love the rest of you guys."

"Of course," Anya agreed and fell silent as the truck slowed once 
more.

Buffy had no idea how long they had been traveling but impatiently 
figured they had to be close to the University by now.

The truck stopped longer this time and Buffy thought she could make 
out voices outside the truck.  She quickly reached over and squeezed 
Anya's shoulder reassuringly when they heard the back of the truck 
open up.

"How many boxes and what do they contain?" a male voice demanded.

"Three crates, some kind of machines.  Computers or something," 
Mulder answered in a voice that was an octave lower than his normal 
voice.

"Open them up," the male voice demanded and the three hidden 
saboteurs heard and felt someone jump up into the truck. 

A moment later Anya winced at the sound of nails being pulled out of 
the crate they were in by a crowbar.  Buffy shifted and clasped her 
hand over Anya's mouth as the wooden lid of the crate hit the floor 
with a loud crash.

Someone else jumped up into the truck, apparently to look in on the 
crates.

"Where are these scheduled for?" the voice asked.

"Says Research and Development, computer area," Mulder growled.

"Okay, back the truck up to the service entrance, take the elevator 
down," the voice instructed.  "Turn left past the warehouse area and 
leave the crates in the third room on the right."

"Left past the storage area, third room on the right," Mulder 
repeated.

"You got it.  Leave a copy of the invoice on top of one of the crates 
and sign out when you come back up the elevator," the voice 
instructed.

"Cool," Mulder agreed.

Buffy felt Anya's heart begin racing faster and knew hers was also up 
a few beats.  <One thing about the Scooby Gang,> she reflected, <they 
didn't need drugs.  Slaying and living through the things they faced 
was enough of an adrenaline rush for anyone.>

She removed her hand from Anya's mouth as the truck began to move 
again.

"Not much more, Anya," she whispered.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Xander and Joyce were sitting on some crates in the shade while they 
waited for the private plane to land.  Brad and Tara paced restlessly 
and Scully kept watching the sky.  

"One coming in!" Scully called out and everyone got to their feet, 
trying not to look as anxious as they felt.

It seemed to take forever for the small cargo plane to approach the 
runaway, line up, land and actually taxi to a stop near the small 
group and the bus.  Xander thought he was going to dance out of his 
skin from impatience and felt the same energy radiating from Tara as 
well.

"Easy, guys," Brad suggested softly.  "This is just routine, 
remember.  You've seen a 100 Hostiles before.  Remember, they aren't 
considered human."

"Okay, okay," Xander said, taking several deep breaths.

Xander leaned against one of the crates, his weapon casually over his 
shoulder. Tara pretended to consult her notebook; and Joyce and 
Scully appeared to be in a deep discussion while Brad watched the 
airport personnel place blocks behind the wheel and begin their usual 
routine of going over the airplane and refilling it.

Finally the door opened and a figure in military fatigues jumped out 
and pushed a set of steps against the open door.

"Hey you two!" he yelled to Brad and Xander.  "Secure that rifle and 
get over here!"

Xander, noting the man's rank as Staff Sergeant in the Army, moved to 
quickly hand his weapon to Tara and trot over to the plane with Brad.

"You two help with the unloading," he instructed, pointing to the 
back of the plane where the tail was being lowered to the cargo 
space.  "I haven't seen you two before, you new?"

"Yes, Staff," Xander answered.  

The Staff Sergeant looked both of them over closely, taking in 
Xander's fresh military haircut, crisp uniform and United States 
Marine Corps emblem and rank of Corporal.

Brad's uniform wasn't as crisp and his trousers were tucked into his 
boots instead of boot blousers  like Xanders' and his uniform said he 
was with the United States Army, 82nd Airborne, and a Sergeant.

It had been Xander's idea to have them be from two different branches 
of the military and to have obvious difference in the uniforms and 
appearances.

The Staff Sergeant nodded for them to get to the back of the plane, 
apparently convinced by those differences.

"Xander, I owe you a beer," Brad whispered as they trotted to the end 
of the plane.

Joyce and Scully moved forward to greet the medical personnel exiting 
the airplane next to the SSgt.  

The next half-hour was spent unloading one vampire, encased in a 
black plastic box on a gurney and a demon, restrained at the wrists 
and feet with iron chains.  Joyce pretended to know what the medical 
technician was reporting to her and asked general health questions 
that might be expected in a "medical transport" situation.  Scully 
was a little more detailed in her questions and the medical officer 
eagerly answered her questions.

"You know, Dr. Anderson," the other doctor, a Doctor Silas, 
smiled.  "It's nice to see someone who is really curious and not 
jaded after handling so many Hostiles."

"Well," Scully answered.  "I've discovered that each case is 
different, no matter how many times you see a vampire, each one has a 
different story and level of progression."

"Exactly!  Like the next two cases," Silas commented, moving around 
to the back of the plane.  "Both are werewolves, a male and a 
female.  The male is blind but still dangerous as hell and very 
experienced."

"To what level?" Scully asked, making notes on her chart.

"Full voluntarily conversion," Silas grinned, his face reflecting his 
enthusiasm.  "He can change at will any time, day or night."

"Is the change still involuntary on the full moon?" Scully asked, 
hoping it was a good question.

"Yes, even when he tried to fight it at the lab, he still changed," 
Silas nodded.  "He is more Hostile on the full moons, very little of 
the humanity coming through in his thinking, but other times when he 
changes, the human is in control over the wolf."

"Fascinating!" Scully agreed.  "The second case?"

Brad and Xander glanced at each other, their eyes wide, silently 
asking each other if they had heard the description about the male 
werewolf correctly.  Brad nodded slightly.

"A female werewolf, her first total change took place last night," 
Silas answered.  "She has an injured hand that your crew will have to 
decide what to do about.  Details are in her chart."

Brad looked up to take the end of the outgoing gurney and quickly 
dropped his head.

"Hey, I'm going to check the restraints on the bus, can you get this 
one?" he suddenly asked Xander.

"Yes, sure, Sarge," Xander asked, his face a question as he grabbed 
the gurney and wheeled the semi-conscious Willow out of the plane.  
He stopped the gurney by Scully for her "medical" check.

Brad trotted back over to Xander.

"That tech inside is one of my police officers from Sunnydale, the 
one from the hospital," he whispered.

"Oh damnit!" Xander growled.  "Okay, keep your cover low and stay out 
of his sight."

"Cover?" Brad questioned.

"Hat, your hat!" Xander hissed and went to the back of the plane, 
suddenly knowing that the police officer would probably recognize him 
as well.  Xander just hoped that his military bearing and uniform 
would confuse the officer long enough for them to get out of there.

He barely glanced up as he grabbed the gurney containing a groggy 
Oz.  Xander fought hard to keep his face neutral as he recognized the 
scruffy musician in his hands.

"Okay, Sergeant, take this one to the bus," Scully instructed Brad.

"Yes, ma'am," he said and wheeled the gurney to where Tara was 
waiting to help load Willow into the bus.  "What did you do with the 
others?" Brad asked as he began shoving the gurney onto the ramp.

"Safely locked away.  The vampire is in his box in one of the cages, 
the demon is in one of the seats.  We'll keep this one on the gurney."

"Unlock her restraints?" Brad suggested.

"We don't know what mental shape she's in," Tara said, her voice 
threatening to crack.

"Okay, let's get the last one," he said.

Xander stopped next to Scully with the gurney containing Oz when the 
Initiative officer stepped out from behind the plane and spotted Brad 
walking over to grab Oz's gurney.

"Hey," the police officer shouted and Xander spun around with his 
pistol drawn.

"Don't move!" he shouted and the Staff Sergeant and Dr. Silas found 
themselves looking at a pistol in Scully's hand.

Brad and Tara ran over to grab the gurney and began to wheel it 
towards the bus.

"What the hell is going on?" Dr. Silas demanded.

"We are freeing kidnapped victims from your unlawful detention, 
Doctor," Scully responded.

"What?  We have authorization!" Silas protested.

"Not from these legal citizens!" Joyce countered, taking the pistol 
from the police officer's combat belt and headed for the bus.

"Get the last one on board and disable the plane," Scully ordered 
Brad and Xander.

"You bet!" Xander agreed readily.

Joyce screamed when another soldier appeared around behind the police 
officer soldier with a pistol in hand and Xander fell clutching his 
shoulder.

The Staff Sergeant grabbed Scully and struggled with her over her 
pistol as Brad returned fire, grabbing Xander by the collar and 
pulling him towards the bus.

The soldier with the weapon barely missed Scully with his next few 
rounds.  She spun the SSgt around and winced as he took the next 
three rounds in the center of his back.

"The bus!" the police officer soldier shouted.  

The soldier with the weapon moved around the other side of the plane 
as Brad fired, hitting his fellow police officer in the center of the 
chest.  Then he shot Doctor Silas as the doctor continued fighting 
with Scully.

Tara pulled the gurney with Oz on it alongside the bus, hoping to get 
him out of the line of fire as the soldier continued firing at all of 
them.  The soldier rushed over to the bus and threw several objects 
inside.

"Grenades!" Xander screamed and Brad dropped his collar and rushed 
towards the bus but fell to the tarmac holding his leg, trying to 
stop the sudden bleeding.

"Willow!" Tara screamed and started around the bus when a hand 
stopped her.

"Unhook me!" Oz demanded.

"Oz?  It can't be!"  Tara whispered.

"Unhook me!" he shouted.  

Tara, not trusting the werewolf, shook off his hand.  

Oz growled as he changed into werewolf form and extended his hands 
into claws and ripped at the restraints holding him now that he was 
no longer drugged.

The werewolf sliced through the restraints and rolled off the 
gurney.  

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"I'm tired of waiting!" Anya hissed.  

"Me too!" Buffy whispered.  "Let's move!"  

Buffy pulled the lever that controlled the panel of the machine they 
were hiding in and carefully moved it aside.  She discovered that 
they were in a computer room with no one in sight.  

She glanced around quickly and was very satisfied, a windowless, 
nondescript room with several huge computers and four smaller ones on 
simple government tables.  Buffy motioned Anya out and tapped on top 
of the other two machines that had been brought in with hers.  

A moment later Spike kicked open the false front and Buffy caught it 
with a snarl.

"Be careful, damnit!" she snapped.

"Yeah yeah yeah," he grumbled.

The Slayer turned her back on the vampire and sat down at one of 
computers and slipped the disk into the drive.  Buffy typed in 
several lines of code from the piece of paper Mulder had given her.  
She waited for five minutes while data was transferred and then Buffy 
quickly booted up the disk and clicked on the icon.  The screen 
changed to show something downloading with a bar marking its progress.

"Five minutes and this place goes bananas," she announced.

"Do we wait for the fireworks or get the hell out of here?" Spike 
demanded.

"We wait for the alarms and stuff to go off; we'll slip out in the 
confusion," Buffy announced as she pulled a pistol out of her lab 
coat.  She tried not to giggle at the sight of Spike in a black t-
shirt and military fatigues.  Anya had a lab coat that matched hers.

Buffy pulled out her cell phone and dialed quickly.

"It's on," she said simply and clicked off.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Damnit!" Giles yelled as the phone clicked off.  "She's early."

"Probably best," Mulder commented.  "Much longer and someone is bound 
to go to work in that room."

"Yes, of course," Giles muttered.  "I just wish we knew what was 
going on in Las Vegas."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Oz reached the end of the bus, half turned into a werewolf, still 
half human.  He leaped easily into the bus and sniffed.

"Where's Willow, get them out!" he growled.

"I can't undo the straps!" Tara shouted.

Oz followed her voice and sliced through the restraints and lifted 
Willow into his arms.  

"Go, lead me with your voice!" he shouted.

"This way! Follow me, four more steps!" Tara yelled as she jumped out 
of the bus.  

Oz knelt down and straightened his arms out, trusting someone to grab 
Willow.  

Tara screamed as she pulled Willow under the bus and everything went 
red.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Willow! Tara!" Xander screamed as he pulled the hot metal away from 
where he had last seen Tara.  A moment later Brad, Joyce and Scully 
were next to him, pulling aside pieces of the bus until they could 
see under the burnt out wreck.

Tara was curled around Willow and both were coughing.

Joyce and Scully reached under the bus and pulled the two girls out.


"Get them on the plane; we'll use it to get out of here!" Scully 
instructed.  "Xander, convince the pilot that we're going with him on 
his return trip."

"You got it!" Xander growled and dashed for the plane, pistol in hand.

"Willow?" Tara continued coughing.

"She's safe," Brad said.

"She can't hear us," Scully said.  "The explosion, all she can hear 
is ringing right now.  What about the others?"

Brad nodded and looked in the back of the bus and shook his head.  He 
bent down and turned over the one remaining Hostile.  A fragment of 
the bus was buried in the boy's neck and most of his back, including 
his hair had been burned away.

The detective returned to the side of the bus and shook his 
head.  "No survivors."

"Let's get these two on the plane," Scully instructed and helped Tara 
to her feet.  Brad leaned heavily on Tara's shoulders as the witch 
shook her head, trying to clear it.

Joyce and Scully pulled Willow up between them as the young woman 
tried to open her eyes.

Xander leaned out the pilot's window.  "He agrees, let's go!"

They belted Willow and Tara onto gurneys and while the women worked 
at shutting the doors, Brad grabbed his cell phone.  

"Brad here, having a great time here, Giles.  Lady Luck deserted me 
for a while but I'm walking away a winner and going to head home 
now.  I've decided to catch a flight instead of driving.  Why don't 
you pick me up," Brad said and hung up.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Oh, thank God," Giles muttered as the phone clicked off.  "They got 
Willow.  Something went wrong and they're flying back."

"One more minute," Mulder announced, looking at his watch while they 
waited on the street outside the Frat house.

Giles grinned as "students" began pouring out of the Frat House.  He 
and Mulder could hear faint sirens from inside the house.  Soon the 
Initiative soldiers were followed by people in lab coats, military 
fatigues and surgical scrubs.

Both men stepped out of the truck, hands resting in their pockets, 
hands on pistols as they watched anxiously for Buffy, Anya and Spike.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Buffy quickly moved through the crowd in the hallway.  Everyone was 
shouting and moving back and forth, demanding answers or shouting 
orders that no one was hearing over the klaxons.

"Hey!" one of Riley's commandos stepped in front of her and Buffy 
quickly kicked him between the legs and finished the attack off with 
a right cross.  She grabbed him and tossed him to two of his platoon 
mates.

"Get him out of here!" she ordered.  

"Yes, ma'am," one of them snapped, not recognizing the Slayer in the 
confusion.

Anya stomped on one guy's foot as he got in her way and threw him 
aside as he danced on one foot.

Spike bumped into a security guard and tossed the guy through the 
window of one of the offices.

"Let's get out of here!" Buffy urged, fighting her way to the freight 
elevator.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Willow?" Joyce asked as Scully unbuckled Tara's restraints.  The 
young witch sat up quickly and grabbed her head as she winced in 
pain.  Scully held her for a moment until Tara opened her eyes and 
nodded. 

The FBI agent helped Tara stand and go over to Willow's gurney.

The red-haired witch blinked but didn't seem to focus on anything.

"Willow, can you hear us?" Scully asked. 

The young woman didn't even blink.

"Get the lab coats off," Scully instructed, helping Tara out of 
hers.  "Try to reach her while I tend to Brad's leg and Xander's 
shoulder."

"Willow?" Tara said softly, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks 
as she held Willow's good hand.  "Willow?  We're going home, home to 
Buffy."

Joyce winced when her daughter-in-law didn't respond.

Tara glanced around, taking in Xander holding a pistol on the pilot, 
Scully ripping Brad's trouser leg open so she could see his bullet 
wound and no one else in the plane with them.

"We disabled their phones and all Initiative personnel were killed," 
Brad was telling Scully.

"Good, if Buffy was successful, then all their records are erased by 
now and they have no record of Willow or the others," Scully said.

Tara looked over at Joyce.

"Oz didn't make it?" she asked.

"Oz? Oz was one of the Hostiles?" Joyce asked.

Brad looked up.  

"I saw his body, he was thrown out of the bus by the explosion," he 
told everyone else.

"He s-saved Willow," Tara explained.  "I c-couldn't get her s-straps 
undone.  He came into the b-bus and sliced them and c-carried her 
out.  He c-couldn't see, he followed my voice," Tara began crying 
freely.

"Oz went into the bus?" Xander questioned from the open door of the 
cockpit.

"Yeah, he followed Willow's scent so he could save her," Tara 
answered.

"He must have changed when they got a hold of him," Xander muttered.

"He started this mess, maybe this makes up for some of it," Joyce 
commented.

Tara wiped her eyes and then closed them, keeping a firm grip on 
Willow's hand.

///Willow?/// Tara reached out with her mind and spirit, letting her 
love through the contact.  ///Willow? Come on, Baby.  Come back to 
me.  We'll be home with Buffy soon.///

The blonde witch felt Willow's shield shift a little and took a deep 
breath.  She concentrated on the mental image of the huge wall Willow 
was projecting and began letting her mind chip at it.

///Willow, come on, Baby./// Tara tried again.  ///I love you and I 
can't do this without you.///

Several stones fell away from the wall.  

///Joyce Mom is here and so is Xander.  We love you, come back to 
us.///

More stones fell at her feet.  Tara concentrated even harder and the 
wall dissolved.

Tara screamed inside as she fell into darkness.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Buffy and Anya appeared from around the side of the Frat house with 
someone between them covered with a blanket.

Giles quickly moved to the back of the truck and opened the door as 
the two young women and a vampire hurried across the lawn towards the 
vehicle.

Buffy grabbed Spike by his collar and threw him into truck and jumped 
in after him.  Giles grabbed Anya by her waist and helped her in 
behind the other two and shut the door.

Mulder already had the engine running as Giles jumped into the 
passenger seat.

They both ducked down in the seat when a massive explosion rocked the 
truck and sent everyone on the street to the ground.

"Go!" Giles urged as Mulder sat up and put the truck into gear.

Giles answered his beeping cell phone.

"Giles!" he answered.

"Any word on Willow?" Buffy demanded from the back of the truck and 
he waved her to be quiet.  After a moment he put the phone down.

"Yes, Brad called and said they're bringing her home," he 
answered.  "Something went wrong but they're coming home by plane."

"What went wrong?" Buffy demanded.

"I don't know, he kept it short and coded," Giles explained.  "Can 
you sense anything?"

"No," Buffy said, her voice a little more softly.  "I can't sense 
anything on Tara or Willow."

"Brad or Agent Scully would call if something was wrong," Giles tried 
to reassure her.

"When will they be in, Giles?"

"About an hour, we're driving right there," he said.

"Get some drive thru, we're hungry back here," Buffy suggested.

"And what shall I get Spike? A pig to go?" Giles quipped and was 
pleased to hear Buffy's laugh.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Tara mentally calmed her breathing and got her sense of balance.  She 
shut out the flashes of light and noises attempting to overwhelm 
her.  

///Willow, come back to me.  I love you. Buffy loves you./// 

//Tara?// Willow's voice echoed in the void of blackness.  

///Willow, come to me! We're going home.///

//Tara, where are you?//

///Come back, blink your eyes and focus, my love.///

Tara felt Willow's warmth, her, and spirit touch hers and backed out 
slowly back into her own consciousness before opening her eyes.

Willow blinked several times.

"Willow?" Tara said softly, Joyce's hand on her shoulder.

Willow blinked again and focused on her lover.  Tara sobbed in relief 
when Willow attempted a small smile.  

"Hey," Willow managed to choke out as Tara hugged her mate closely. 

Joyce worked at undoing Willow's restraints.

"Oz?" Willow asked, her voice sounding like she had been gargling 
glass or had a throat infection for two weeks.

"He-He saved you," Tara answered.  "He g-got you out of there b-
before the Initiative blew up the bus with the others in it.  Oz d-
didn't get out in time."

"He was the old Oz," Willow whispered.

"Oz c-could have stayed outside the bus b-but he went in after you," 
Tara explained.

"He was a good guy at the end," Willow nodded, stroking Tara's hair 
as the witch leaned against her chest.  The red-haired witch wiped at 
the tears escaping from her eyes.  "I love you." 

"I love you, Baby," Tara responded.  

"Will we get home before dark?" Willow questioned.

"Yes, it's barely 8:30am in the morning," Joyce smiled.

Willow nodded and let Tara help her sit up on the gurney.  

Scully finished bandaging Xander's shoulder while Brad watched the 
pilot and moved down the plane to the two college students.

"I'm Dana Scully," she said softly, taking note of Willow's guarded 
expression and shaking hand as she sat down in one of the seats next 
to Tara.  

Willow's eyes were sunken, darkened and fearful.  Scully recognized 
the typical signs of someone coming out of a trauma.

"I'm Mulder's partner.  I'm a Special Agent with the FBI and I'm also 
a doctor," she said slowly.  "I'd like to examine you, I'm not going 
to draw any blood or anything like that and I'm not going to give you 
a shot, okay?"

Willow whimpered and leaned into Tara's arm as the witch wrapped her 
arm around Willow's shoulder.

"Its okay, Willow," Tara said softly.  "She's with Mulder and she h-
helped us get you back."

"Okay," Willow whispered and Scully carefully took Willow's broken 
hand and examined the fingers and the cracked cast closely.  She took 
the edge of her badge and ran it over the tips, gauging Willow's 
reactions and nodded after a moment.

"I don't think you hurt the hand last night.  I want to wrap the cast 
and put your arm back in a sling.  Is that okay?"

Willow nodded willingly.  

"You've both got a couple of cuts and scrapes on your faces and 
hands, I'll let Joyce clean up," Scully suggested.  

Willow sat up and melted into Joyce's arms.

"Joyce Mom!" Willow whispered.

"Its okay, Willow," Joyce said softly, taking Tara into the hug as 
well.  "We'll be home soon."

"They'll just grab me again!" Willow sobbed.

"Not if Buffy was successful," Tara smiled.

"Buffy?"

"Mulder and Buffy are sabotaging the Initiative's computers, all over 
the world, and taking out the Center in Sunnydale," Scully answered 
as she began wrapping Willow's cast.

"Wow," Willow whispered.

"We're going home, Willow," Tara said softly, holding Willow tightly.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Mulder jumped out of the truck and dashed into the small office of 
the airport manager.  

"Special Agent, FBI," Mulder announced, flashing his FBI 
badge.  "You've got a plane coming in from Las Vegas.  I want you and 
your personnel gone for the next hour.  The plane is carrying a 
federally protected witness."

"What, what the hell do you mean? What are you talking about?"

"I want you and your crew out of here in five minutes until I put my 
witness in the back of that truck!" Mulder yelled, drawing his gun.

"Yes, sir!"

"You make one phone call and you'll find yourself in a cell tonight, 
clear?" Mulder demanded.

"Yes, sir!"

"Good, you have your orders, soldier," Mulder snapped, taking a 
chance that the personnel of the private airport were part of the 
Initiative personnel.

"Yes, sir," the middle aged male snapped and quickly stumbled out of 
the office, calling for his three man crew.

Mulder watched from the door of the hanger with his gun casually in 
his hand as the manager and his three workers climbed into an old 
beat up pickup and drove off towards town.

Giles jumped out of the delivery truck and opened the back.  He 
noticed Spike hovering far in the back, away from the sunlight.

Buffy and Anya jumped out, stripping off their lab coats and looking 
around.

"Mulder got rid of the airport workers, we got a call from Brad that 
they'll be here in ten minutes," Giles explained.

"Oh God, the waiting is going to kill me!" Buffy complained.  

"Let's get into the hanger in case those workers call for 
verification or backup," Giles suggested.

Mulder trotted over to the back of truck.  He reached into a small 
box in the back of the truck and bent down.  Giles glanced down and 
saw the FBI agent changing the license plate on the truck.

"Behind the seat are some sticky labels, change the signs on the side 
of the truck cab," Mulder instructed.  "There's also clothes, Giles."

Buffy moved to change the `company logos' on the truck while Giles 
pulled off his delivery man clothes and reached for a dress shirt to 
go over his t-shirt.

After changing the truck and, along with Giles and Mulder, the small 
group waited just inside the hanger, impatiently.

Finally, a small plane approached and landed smoothly, stopping in 
front of the hanger and an anxious Slayer.

Buffy stood in front of the plane and spotted Brad holding a pistol 
on the pilot.  The police detective waved and disappeared with the 
pilot.  In a moment the plane door opened and Scully stuck her head 
out.

"We're fine, bring the stairs over," she called.

Mulder appeared from behind the office door and holstered his pistol 
as Anya moved around him and dashed towards the mobile stairs for the 
plane.

Buffy rushed to help her and waited at the bottom.

First in the door was the pilot, who exited with his arms raised, 
followed by Xander holding a pistol on him.

Mulder moved forward and drew his weapon.  "Come on down.  Let's find 
somewhere to handcuff you until your friends get back from their 
break."

The pilot, deciding early on in this misadventure that silence was 
best, didn't say a word as Mulder led him into the hanger.

Xander moved slowly down the stairs and winced as Anya grabbed him 
tightly.

"Easy, woman!" he grinned.  "Wounded hero here!"

"Wounded!  You were wounded!" she demanded.

"I'll be fine," he assured her and Buffy as they waited at the bottom 
of the stairs.

Next came Joyce with Brad, she helped him to the stairs and he used 
them to get down to the bottom with his injured leg.

Anya and Xander helped him to the truck.

Next came Joyce down the stairs and she quickly hugged Buffy.

"Go up and help Tara bring Willow out.  Willow is fine but very weak 
and tired," she told her daughter.

Buffy rushed up the stairs and into the small plane.  She sighed with 
relief when she saw Tara and Willow moving down the aisle.  

A three-way embrace was what the Slayer was aware of next as she held 
the two witches closely.

"My God, Will," she muttered.  "I love you both! I missed you."

She surprised Willow by lifting the redhead off her feet and into 
Buffy's arms.

"I love you, guys," Willow whispered, her voice still harsh.

"Let's get you home," Buffy said softly and carried the witch down 
the stairs and to the truck.  Buffy turned, quickly hugged Tara and 
helped her into the truck.

"Does this mean I get a treat in my blood today?" Spike questioned as 
Scully shut down and secured the airplane.

"Yeah, we'll put oyster crackers in your blood," Xander snapped.

"Good, gives it substance," the vampire growled.

Mulder and Scully closed the doors and climbed into the cab, heading 
for Giles' condo.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Mulder and Scully really weren't surprised to find a young man 
dressed in commando clothing and a woman in a lab coat.

"Want to take a bet that is Professor Walsh?"  Mulder grinned.

"You'd win, I recognize her picture from the file," Scully grinned.

"Better get Giles and Buffy out for this," Mulder suggested as he 
shut the motor off.

Scully moved cautiously around to the back of the truck and opened 
one of the doors.

"Buffy, Giles," she said.  "Walsh and some soldier are waiting for 
us."

"Ah," Giles commented.  "I expected that." 

Both Watcher and Slayer jumped out of the truck and joined the FBI 
agents as they crossed the street.  They weren't surprised that the 
soldier was Riley.

They all knew that everyone in the back of the truck, except Willow, 
was armed and had their weapons pointed at the back door.

"Do you have any idea what you have done?" Walsh shouted angrily.

"I'm Special Agent Mulder, this is Special Agent Scully," Mulder 
introduced them calmly.  "We all have a pretty good idea what was 
accomplished today."

"It won't do any good," Walsh growled.  "We'll get Hostile 52 back."

"Don't try it," Buffy growled.

"While in your complex, someone downloaded all your secret files," 
Mulder told the Professor.  "I got a look at some of them while we 
waited for the plane.  ALL of your files, Professor Walsh, including 
the ones about the steady stream of enhancement drugs and speed used 
by your troops.  Ever miss your vitamins, soldier Finn?" 

The small group couldn't help but notice the frown on Riley Finn's 
face as he looked at his mentor.

"That's a lie!" Walsh snapped.

"Really? Want us to tell the press about it? That you're 
experimenting on unsuspecting soldiers?" Scully smiled.

"That's just the tip of the iceberg," Mulder continued.  "The 
information has already been transmitted to several safe locations.  
One move against Buffy, Willow or any of the others and that 
information gets taken to a Senate investigative committee and to the 
press."

"What do you want, all of it can be denied and you don't dare 
exposing Willow to the public," Walsh countered.

"We can protect Willow; can you hide all your secrets?" Mulder 
demanded.

"What are your terms?" Walsh said in a flat voice.

"Clear out of Sunnydale, leave the slaying problem to Buffy and her 
friends," Mulder began.  "Don't ever show up here again and leave all 
of them alone.  One glimpse of you or any Initiative personnel and 
those files become public, including something ciphered 
called `Adam.'"

"Agreed! Let's go, Finn," Walsh snapped.

"We can take Willow back!" Finn protested.

Buffy stepped in front of Mulder, her blue eyes blazing with fury.

"You ever come near Willow or Tara and I will rip them off instead of 
just bruising them like last time," she threatened, her hand hovering 
below his belt.  "Give it up, Riley.  You've worn out your welcome in 
Sunnydale."

"Come on, Finn," Walsh ordered.  "We have to help with the transfer 
of personnel to their new assignments."

"Yes, Professor," he grumbled but followed her to a sedan parked in 
front of Giles' condo.

The group waited until the car was out of sight and Buffy rushed back 
to the delivery truck.

"All clear!" she yelled before approaching the door.

"What's the name of your pig?" Joyce's voice demanded.

"Mr. Grodo," Buffy smiled and then grinned when the door opened and 
Tara jumped down into her arms.

Both of them reached up to help Willow down and into the hug.

"Let's get cleaned up and then some food," Buffy suggested, reaching 
back to help Xander and Brad down.

"Yeah, then lock me away for the night?" Willow asked bitterly.

"Will," Buffy said softly, pulling Willow back into her arms.  "We'll 
get through this.  I promised we'd get you back and we did."

"Yeah, as long as I have both of you," she whispered and leaned 
against Tara's shoulder.

"Come on, gang!" Spike yelled.  "Lend me a hand with this bloody 
blanket! Some of us don't suntan well!"

Buffy grinned at the vampire's complaints.

Willow was right; they had two more nights of a full moon to prepare 
for.  They also needed to find out what had happened to Willow and 
what lasting affect it might have on the young witch.






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"It's a good fight, Buffy, and I want in."
"I kinda love you."
Buffy & Willow, 'Choices'

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