Retrograde Chapter 19B
Title: Retrograde Chapter 19B
Author: guardian_erin
Rating: R
Fandom: BtVS/Ats crossover
Pairing: Galen(Spike)/Buffy
Disclaimer: I'm a poor beggar girl, and I own nothing.
Summary: Buffy and Angel prepare to take Galen back as a reclaimed missing person. However, they soon find out that their cover story is all too real, and no lucky coincidences are going to bring him home, or even help them find him again. This time it may be too late.
Previous Chapters (1-18)
Retrograde Chapter 19
I've been nominated!
If you've been enjoying this story, I'd appreciate a vote under 'Best Plot - Spuffy'
Thanks!
Sunlight seemed to linger in Buffy's hair when she came in through the front doors of the Hyperion. She shook out her blonde hair and pulled it back into a ponytail, swiping a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "This was well worth the sick day," was her greeting the unnaturally vacant lobby. The place was usually teeming, but today Angel was her only audience, it seemed. He leaned against the counter, watching her. She smiled and approached him, smoothing down a pretty but respectable blue top, which reflected her hard-earned position as a slayer.
"Do I look like girlfriend material to you?" Buffy froze as soon as she let the words leave her mouth. Her lips twisted into an awkward grin when she laughed. "Sorry."
"No," Angel let out a chuckle, and pretended to assess her. "You look good."
Buffy gave him a girlish smile and ducked her chin, frowning when she realized she wished that Galen could say the same.
"Don't over think things, Buffy," Angel warned her gently. "You'll start to doubt yourself. This is the right thing to do."
"It's the only thing to do," Buffy corrected, lifting her chain again. A bang like a balloon exploding made her jump slightly and turn around to see a plume of purple smoke that Willow frantically tried to wave away.
"Willow," Buffy said, walking towards her. "I didn't see you way over here on the floor. What are you doing?"
"She's been trying to call Hectate all morning," Angel spoke.
Willow coughed slightly and put out the cinders of the latest failed spell. "Not true. I've tried other goddesses…" she trailed off sheepishly, wishing she had a better report of success. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I feel like I'm an amateur again. No. Worse than that. At least when I was an amateur my spells worked, they just didn't go as planned. Either something is blocking my mojo, or I just fail at witchcraft."
"You don't fail at witchcraft," Buffy placated her. "You've never failed at anything."
"But I've always relied on my natural connection to the Goddess," Willow said, resting her hands on her knees. She felt like she was on the verge of tears, because all of her researching had led her to a very limited possibility of choices. "I don't feel very connect-y anymore."
"I have faith in you, Willow," Buffy said. "Maybe you'd feel better if you waited for Kennedy, though?"
Willow nervously sucked on her bottom lip, thinking, and then nodded. Buffy offered her a hand to help her to her feet and Willow gently brushed off her skirt.
"So you're going to go rescue your knight in shining armor?" Willow asked, wearing a fresh smile on her face.
"That's a bit of a role reversal, isn't it?" Buffy laughed nervously.
"Um, Buffy…" Angel started awkwardly. "I just…. Wesley wanted me to talk to you, actually. He just wanted you to consider that Galen is a different person altogether-"
Buffy held out her hand, stopping his flow of words. "I already got the 'Spike is Really and Truly Dead' speech from Giles," Buffy told him. The vampire visibly relaxed, the burden of having to have a Talk with her gone. "So he did that to you, too, huh? What's with the second degree from the Brits?"
"They're a bunch of doom-and-gloomers," Willow pouted.
"They have a valid point," Angel defended lightly.
"I know. That's why I hate it so much," Buffy sighed. "So… what's our game plan? I know that I'm the girlfriend. Galen's grief-stricken lover who is overjoyed to find him again."
"Just remember that his name isn't Galen," Angel said. "We'll go with William, because Galen is just the name they stuck him with. We think Galen might be William, but you shouldn't identify him as anything but William."
"Got it. Have you decided your role?"
"I'm the detective who helped you locate him," Angel said. "You thought William must still be in the area and hired me to help you locate him. I found a man named Galen who fit the description, and we're following up to see if you can positively identify him in person."
Buffy shivered, excited by the prospect of finally being able to take Galen home. "That's so close to the truth, and he doesn't even know it. When can we tell him?"
"I think Wes will only let us if he shows signs of recovering memories, or if it's necessary."
"Makes sense to me," Buffy nodded. "Should we practice what we're going to say?"
"Only about fifty times," Cordelia called out, striding into the room and to her workstation, a travel mug in hand. "Making a convincing appearance is crucial. The entire story falls on you, Buffy. Angel knows his role. He has stoic, broody detective down pact. You're the one who breathes life into the whole thing. You should be desperate and overwhelmed and just composed enough to speak rationally to them. You're driven beyond any reason or logic to find the man you love unconditionally. And when you do find him, you'd better break out the fireworks. If you do that all right, there's no way they can argue with you."
"That shouldn't be a problem," Buffy said. "This is all so close to truth, I probably won't even have to think about faking it. I just get to… let go of everything I've been holding back for a while. I just hope they don't break out the legal red tape."
"If Galen receives us well, they shouldn't find any reason to," Angel said. "He's a grown adult and if he wants to live with us, who's to tell him he can't? Between the dozen of us, there's bound to be someone with enough legitimacy to become a legal guardian, if it's necessary. Their only concern should be if we'll take the responsibility of caring for him."
"I can feed him," Buffy said quickly, agreeably. "Anything."
"I think he can feed himself," Willow nudged the blonde gently, laughing at her friend. "He'd just need the place to be blind-friendly."
"Unless you want to feed him, like, in a kinky, sexual way," Cordelia chimed in, much to Buffy's further embarrassment. "In that case, go right ahead."
Buffy groaned softly and covered her face with her hands. "I'm going to patronize him. He's going to hate me."
"He couldn't possibly hate you, Buffy," Willow comforted. "He likes you. He loves you."
"He likes you, he loves you," Cordelia repeated, slightly mocking. "Look, you could have the guy wrapped around your finger if you wanted. There's no need to be so insecure. Take him home, put your moves on him and he'll be in your bed at the drop of a hat."
"You may speak some truth," Buffy frowned at Cordy.
The brunette smiled. "Guys love a girl with confidence."
~~
"Hello, my name is Buffy Summers. This is Angel, of Angel Investigations. We were looking for a friend."
"Stop. You sound like beggars."
Buffy pouted at Wesley, who remained firm. She took a breath and tried again.
"My name is Buffy Summers, and this is Angel. We're here to find someone who went missing, and one of your residents matches his description."
"Stop," Wesley said again, holding up his hands. "Buffy… I think you're taking on a bit too much. Let Angel say the last bit. It's something fitting of a detective."
Buffy bit her lip. "Do I still introduce?"
"Yes, you may," Wesley nodded, folding his arms again.
The blonde shook out her hands, mostly to relieve the urge to strangle Wesley. She'd have to keep her cool with the nurses, too.
"My name is Buffy Summers, and this is Angel, of Angel Investigations."
"Good afternoon," Angel slipped himself into the mock conversation. "Ma'am, we're here on a missing persons case. This young lady filed the report, and my sources have told me that you recently had a gentleman check in-"
"Stop."
"God, what, Wesley?" Angel asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"You're giving her too much of an opportunity to push you away," Wesley said critically. "You need to push the agenda more, and perhaps throw in a description of William as well. She's likely to have seen many young men come and go, and may try to dismiss you."
Angel and Buffy glanced at each other, and then she looked at Wesley. "Should I…?"
"Angel, pick up."
"Right. Good afternoon, ma'am," Angel said again, less leisurely and more like an agent who wanted to get down to business. "This young lady filed a missing persons report a while back, and recently my offices have reason to believe he matches one of your patients. Looks to be in his thirties, brown hair, blue eyes, 5'8", slender build, distinguished cheekbones, and an English accent."
"Stop. Too much specific detail. Seems suspicious."
"Looks to be in his mid-thirties, brown hair, blue eyes, 5'8", slender build."
"Please," Buffy added, for a touch of desperate lover. "He's my boyfriend. He went missing a few months under mysterious circumstances. We were going to be engaged in the fall."
"Give Angel the 'mysterious circumstances' line, and cut out the bit about engagement," Wesley said.
"Don't I get to say anything?" Buffy protested.
"Only if it makes sense. Start over with Angel, and fit in that mysterious circumstances line."
"A few months ago, this young lady filed a missing persons report. Her boyfriend disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Recently, my offices have discovered that a patient here matches the description. Looks to be in his thirties, brown hair, blue eyes, 5'8" with a slender build. Ring any bells?"
"Please," Buffy paused to give the imaginary woman her emotional eyes. "William never would have disappeared like that. I've been so worried that something awful might have happened."
"She might try to tell you that there is no William," Wesley directed, biting his knuckle decisively as he judged their acting skill.
"According to my report, you took in an amnesia victim around the same time that William disappeared," Angel stated. "We'd like to see if there's a chance that he's our missing person."
"That'll do," Wesley said. "Somewhere in there, I suspect that Galen will make himself known. It will help your argument if he and Buffy show enough chemistry to convince them that he is William, and that she is his lover."
"That was pretty good," Cordelia gave her acknowledgement.
"Well, as long as the queen approves," Buffy said, and glanced at her watch. "Visiting hours have been open for forty-seven minutes. Angel, we'd better decide how you want to travel. …Does anyone else feel like they might throw up?"
~~
"This makes me nervous."
"You'll do great. Have you got everything you need?"
"Yup. It's all here."
"Good. We're here."
They stopped and climbed out of the car, squinting at the bright sun.
"I want to do a dry run first - so to speak - and then fuel up," Fred said, dragging parts of her flamethrower out of the backseat. She had disassembled it enough to make it look harmless, but kept the pieces under a blanket, just in case. With a couple screwdrivers and nimble fingers, it would be back together in no time.
Gunn looked around at the barren, sun-bleached field, which was secluded enough to let them do the testing. He popped the trunk and took out the can of fuel, and brought it back to Fred.
"Is that thing going to work?"
"Oh, sure it is!" Fred smiled. "I just have to put the parts together correctly, and I've taken this baby apart and putting it back together several times already. Did you get the water?"
Gunn shook his head and went back to the trunk, taking out two gallons of water. He closed the trunk and watched Fred tighten screws.
"I guess that by the time we get back, there's going to be another guy running around," Gunn said, leaning against the car.
Fred 'hmm'ed, trying to look busy. "I guess so," she agreed with a laugh.
"You still like him, don't you?"
"Of course I do. I'm just worried about the backlash… and about everything else."
"Well, you shouldn't be too worried. If there's anything I know about Buffy, it's that the girl is unstoppable," Gunn said. "If she wants to rescue him, you can bet that by nightfall he'll be sitting in the hotel with that dog of his."
Fred managed to let a smile spread on her face. "That will be so nice. I hope everything goes well." She clicked the last piece into place and lifted the weapon, testing it. "I think this is good. Load a capsule with water for me?"
Gunn shivered. "You've got a thing for weapons, don't you?"
"I grew up in the south," Fred replied, leaving it to be self-explanatory.
~~
The street was cast in shadow when they arrived. The address led them to a one-story, white building that looked slightly dilapidated. It had probably seen better days. The sight of the building made Buffy wince slightly. "Is this the place?"
"Yes," Wesley confirmed, peering out from the driver's seat. "I'm sure it's nicer inside," he added.
"It's a place for drug addicts and schizophrenics. It's not meant to be luxurious," Angel pointed out, testing the shade. He only felt the burn of the sun vaguely, and figured he could make it to the front door. "Let's do this."
Buffy nodded and they crossed the street, dropping into role right away. Buffy paused at the door. She had slain countless demons in her lifetime, and right now she was terrified of the little doorbell in front of her. She jabbed it with her thumb anyway. It glowed at her menacingly.
The door clicked and then opened, revealing the face of a middle-aged woman. She had brown hair that was pulled back into a severe knot.
"May I help you?" she smiled, regardless of her stern appearance.
"Yes, I think you can," Buffy glanced at Angel, who looked like a statue. "May we come inside?"
"Certainly." The woman granted them entrance, and Buffy looked over the astutely sterile kitchen.
"Are you here to visit Elizabeth?"
"Who? Um, no," Buffy frowned. "My name is Buffy Summers, and this is Angel, of Angel Investigations."
"We'd like to ask you a few questions regarding a missing persons case," Angel picked up, skipping any formalities. He swiftly removed a hand-held notepad from his coat and flipped it open. "We're looking for a man, about mid-thirties. Brown hair, blue eyes, 5'8", slender build. Ring any bells?"
"We don't have anyone matching that description."
"That's not what my sources say," Angel covered his surprise. "William disappeared a few months ago, under mysterious circumstances. About the same time, you had a man suffering from amnesia check in."
"Please," Buffy added. "I've been going out of my mind wondering what happened to him. He's my boyfriend."
"I'm sorry, but unless your boyfriend has a history of substance abuse or mental illness, there's no way he's here," the woman said. "We don't take in amnesia patients. There's another support center on the other side of town. You should also try to hospital and the homeless shelter if you haven't already."
"Could you give me the address of that other home?" Angel requested. "Miss, uh… Mary, correct?
"Mary is away on leave," the woman said. "My name is Brenda."
"Brenda," Angel repeated. "Have you ever had a young woman check in here by the name of Rachel?"
"That's against protocol to say, but truthfully we've only had one, and that was many years ago."
"What about a man named Eamon?"
"I can honestly say I've never even heard that name before. What is this about?"
"Nothing, ma'am, just protocol," Angel said, flipping to a blank page in the notebook. "That address?"
While Brenda told Angel the other address and he double-checked it three times with her, Buffy desperately looked around to see if anything suspicious stood out. It took all of her restraint not to demand to know what the woman had done to Galen. There were playing cards on the table, and a half-empty glass of juice, but that was the only real sign of life in the place.
"Thank you," Angel finally said, signaling their leave. Buffy reluctantly pulled herself away and Angel guided her out of the place, worried that she would turn back at any moment to slay Brenda.
~~
"She's lying!" Buffy exclaimed as soon as she got into the passenger side of the car.
Angel shushed her urgently and quickly climbed into the backseat.
"What happened?" Wesley asked apprehensively.
"He's gone," Angel breathed, unable to believe it himself.
"Everyone is gone," Buffy said, shutting the car door, hard. "Galen, Eamon, Rachel, and even Mary, the nurse." She stopped for a moment, trying to wrap her head around it. "Are we sure this is the place?"
"It's right in line with the library," Angel said, equally frustrated and confused. "The hospital is in the other direction, and the homeless shelter is blocks away. There's no other possible place."
"What does this mean?" Buffy asked, fighting tears of anger.
Angel sighed and stared hard at the white building. "It means he's a missing person."
~~
Flames shot out five feet in front of her. Fred held tightly to the flamethrower, watching the stream of fire.
"Damn girl!" Gunn shouted, impressed by the display.
Fred remained perfectly controlled, however. The most dangerous moment was to come. She would have to release the trigger and hope that the shut-off valve worked the way it should. If it failed to close properly, the flames could go into fuel chamber and cause an explosion.
She took a shaky breath and then let go of the trigger. The fuel cut off and the flames burnt off the remaining liquid streaming through the air, disappearing in a puff of flames.
"It worked," Fred said slowly, nearly shaking. Her wits came back to her and she burst into a wide grin, overcome with joy. "It worked! Gunn, I made it work!"
"I saw it, baby!" Gunn exclaimed, sharing in her triumph. She set the flamethrower down on the ground and flung her arms with him, hugging him hard.
"I knew you could do it," Gunn added while her tiny arms crushed him. "You're a genius."
"An' don't I know it," Fred smiled, letting go of Gunn and bouncing on her toes excitedly for a moment. "Wesley is going to be so thrilled when I tell him all about it," she said, brightening even more. Gunn's face fell slightly, watching her go back to being a busy bee. She started packing up components to the flamethrower, starting by removing the fuel canister and deactivating the triggering mechanism.
"This will do the job, but as soon as I can, I'm going to increase the range," Fred babbled. "I want the stream to be more concentrated and go to at least eight feet, ideally. Also, I need to find some larger fuel canisters."
It wasn't necessary for Gunn to reply, so he didn't. He was beginning to realize he had no place in that conversation.
~~
"Welcome back," Willow greeted. Her bright smile evaporated when she saw that Angel, Buffy, and Wesley were returning alone.
"Where is he?" Cordelia asked, confused. "Don't tell me they wouldn't let you take him."
"He wasn't there," Buffy said, feeling numb now. "We were in the right place, but he wasn't there."
"They sent him away?" Fred's eyes were wide.
"They seemed to have denied his existence," Wesley corrected.
"What?"
"Galen wasn't there, neither was Rachel, the girl he mentioned," Angel said. "Mary wasn't there. We spoke to Brenda. She told us she'd never heard of Eamon, even though she was one Galen said he hated."
"It's a cover-up," Cordelia said. "Someone took him and covered their tracks."
"Wolfram and Hart did this," Buffy stated, verbalizing what they all knew. "They brought him back, and they're taking him away again. I'm not going to let them do that to him. We're not going to let them do that to him. Willow, Wesley, I want you guys to figure out a way to crack their mojo. Whatever it takes, I want it done, and then I want to know exactly where Galen is and who we have to kill to take him back."
"Are you sure this isn't a bit over the top?" Wesley asked, needing to be the one who put on the brakes.
"Not a bit," Buffy replied without hesitating.
"Neither do I," Wesley admitted. "But consider the consequences of declaring war on Wolfram and Hart."
"They probably have an arsenal," Buffy said with consideration. "But we're stronger than they are, and we have something to fight for. They're just toying with us. Showing us that we have no power. But they're wrong. This is no different than if it were you in there, or Angel, or me. I need you all together on this. We're going to hit them fast and hard, and no one is going to be left behind."
Author: guardian_erin
Rating: R
Fandom: BtVS/Ats crossover
Pairing: Galen(Spike)/Buffy
Disclaimer: I'm a poor beggar girl, and I own nothing.
Summary: Buffy and Angel prepare to take Galen back as a reclaimed missing person. However, they soon find out that their cover story is all too real, and no lucky coincidences are going to bring him home, or even help them find him again. This time it may be too late.
Previous Chapters (1-18)
Retrograde Chapter 19
I've been nominated!
If you've been enjoying this story, I'd appreciate a vote under 'Best Plot - Spuffy'
Thanks!
Sunlight seemed to linger in Buffy's hair when she came in through the front doors of the Hyperion. She shook out her blonde hair and pulled it back into a ponytail, swiping a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "This was well worth the sick day," was her greeting the unnaturally vacant lobby. The place was usually teeming, but today Angel was her only audience, it seemed. He leaned against the counter, watching her. She smiled and approached him, smoothing down a pretty but respectable blue top, which reflected her hard-earned position as a slayer.
"Do I look like girlfriend material to you?" Buffy froze as soon as she let the words leave her mouth. Her lips twisted into an awkward grin when she laughed. "Sorry."
"No," Angel let out a chuckle, and pretended to assess her. "You look good."
Buffy gave him a girlish smile and ducked her chin, frowning when she realized she wished that Galen could say the same.
"Don't over think things, Buffy," Angel warned her gently. "You'll start to doubt yourself. This is the right thing to do."
"It's the only thing to do," Buffy corrected, lifting her chain again. A bang like a balloon exploding made her jump slightly and turn around to see a plume of purple smoke that Willow frantically tried to wave away.
"Willow," Buffy said, walking towards her. "I didn't see you way over here on the floor. What are you doing?"
"She's been trying to call Hectate all morning," Angel spoke.
Willow coughed slightly and put out the cinders of the latest failed spell. "Not true. I've tried other goddesses…" she trailed off sheepishly, wishing she had a better report of success. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I feel like I'm an amateur again. No. Worse than that. At least when I was an amateur my spells worked, they just didn't go as planned. Either something is blocking my mojo, or I just fail at witchcraft."
"You don't fail at witchcraft," Buffy placated her. "You've never failed at anything."
"But I've always relied on my natural connection to the Goddess," Willow said, resting her hands on her knees. She felt like she was on the verge of tears, because all of her researching had led her to a very limited possibility of choices. "I don't feel very connect-y anymore."
"I have faith in you, Willow," Buffy said. "Maybe you'd feel better if you waited for Kennedy, though?"
Willow nervously sucked on her bottom lip, thinking, and then nodded. Buffy offered her a hand to help her to her feet and Willow gently brushed off her skirt.
"So you're going to go rescue your knight in shining armor?" Willow asked, wearing a fresh smile on her face.
"That's a bit of a role reversal, isn't it?" Buffy laughed nervously.
"Um, Buffy…" Angel started awkwardly. "I just…. Wesley wanted me to talk to you, actually. He just wanted you to consider that Galen is a different person altogether-"
Buffy held out her hand, stopping his flow of words. "I already got the 'Spike is Really and Truly Dead' speech from Giles," Buffy told him. The vampire visibly relaxed, the burden of having to have a Talk with her gone. "So he did that to you, too, huh? What's with the second degree from the Brits?"
"They're a bunch of doom-and-gloomers," Willow pouted.
"They have a valid point," Angel defended lightly.
"I know. That's why I hate it so much," Buffy sighed. "So… what's our game plan? I know that I'm the girlfriend. Galen's grief-stricken lover who is overjoyed to find him again."
"Just remember that his name isn't Galen," Angel said. "We'll go with William, because Galen is just the name they stuck him with. We think Galen might be William, but you shouldn't identify him as anything but William."
"Got it. Have you decided your role?"
"I'm the detective who helped you locate him," Angel said. "You thought William must still be in the area and hired me to help you locate him. I found a man named Galen who fit the description, and we're following up to see if you can positively identify him in person."
Buffy shivered, excited by the prospect of finally being able to take Galen home. "That's so close to the truth, and he doesn't even know it. When can we tell him?"
"I think Wes will only let us if he shows signs of recovering memories, or if it's necessary."
"Makes sense to me," Buffy nodded. "Should we practice what we're going to say?"
"Only about fifty times," Cordelia called out, striding into the room and to her workstation, a travel mug in hand. "Making a convincing appearance is crucial. The entire story falls on you, Buffy. Angel knows his role. He has stoic, broody detective down pact. You're the one who breathes life into the whole thing. You should be desperate and overwhelmed and just composed enough to speak rationally to them. You're driven beyond any reason or logic to find the man you love unconditionally. And when you do find him, you'd better break out the fireworks. If you do that all right, there's no way they can argue with you."
"That shouldn't be a problem," Buffy said. "This is all so close to truth, I probably won't even have to think about faking it. I just get to… let go of everything I've been holding back for a while. I just hope they don't break out the legal red tape."
"If Galen receives us well, they shouldn't find any reason to," Angel said. "He's a grown adult and if he wants to live with us, who's to tell him he can't? Between the dozen of us, there's bound to be someone with enough legitimacy to become a legal guardian, if it's necessary. Their only concern should be if we'll take the responsibility of caring for him."
"I can feed him," Buffy said quickly, agreeably. "Anything."
"I think he can feed himself," Willow nudged the blonde gently, laughing at her friend. "He'd just need the place to be blind-friendly."
"Unless you want to feed him, like, in a kinky, sexual way," Cordelia chimed in, much to Buffy's further embarrassment. "In that case, go right ahead."
Buffy groaned softly and covered her face with her hands. "I'm going to patronize him. He's going to hate me."
"He couldn't possibly hate you, Buffy," Willow comforted. "He likes you. He loves you."
"He likes you, he loves you," Cordelia repeated, slightly mocking. "Look, you could have the guy wrapped around your finger if you wanted. There's no need to be so insecure. Take him home, put your moves on him and he'll be in your bed at the drop of a hat."
"You may speak some truth," Buffy frowned at Cordy.
The brunette smiled. "Guys love a girl with confidence."
~~
"Hello, my name is Buffy Summers. This is Angel, of Angel Investigations. We were looking for a friend."
"Stop. You sound like beggars."
Buffy pouted at Wesley, who remained firm. She took a breath and tried again.
"My name is Buffy Summers, and this is Angel. We're here to find someone who went missing, and one of your residents matches his description."
"Stop," Wesley said again, holding up his hands. "Buffy… I think you're taking on a bit too much. Let Angel say the last bit. It's something fitting of a detective."
Buffy bit her lip. "Do I still introduce?"
"Yes, you may," Wesley nodded, folding his arms again.
The blonde shook out her hands, mostly to relieve the urge to strangle Wesley. She'd have to keep her cool with the nurses, too.
"My name is Buffy Summers, and this is Angel, of Angel Investigations."
"Good afternoon," Angel slipped himself into the mock conversation. "Ma'am, we're here on a missing persons case. This young lady filed the report, and my sources have told me that you recently had a gentleman check in-"
"Stop."
"God, what, Wesley?" Angel asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"You're giving her too much of an opportunity to push you away," Wesley said critically. "You need to push the agenda more, and perhaps throw in a description of William as well. She's likely to have seen many young men come and go, and may try to dismiss you."
Angel and Buffy glanced at each other, and then she looked at Wesley. "Should I…?"
"Angel, pick up."
"Right. Good afternoon, ma'am," Angel said again, less leisurely and more like an agent who wanted to get down to business. "This young lady filed a missing persons report a while back, and recently my offices have reason to believe he matches one of your patients. Looks to be in his thirties, brown hair, blue eyes, 5'8", slender build, distinguished cheekbones, and an English accent."
"Stop. Too much specific detail. Seems suspicious."
"Looks to be in his mid-thirties, brown hair, blue eyes, 5'8", slender build."
"Please," Buffy added, for a touch of desperate lover. "He's my boyfriend. He went missing a few months under mysterious circumstances. We were going to be engaged in the fall."
"Give Angel the 'mysterious circumstances' line, and cut out the bit about engagement," Wesley said.
"Don't I get to say anything?" Buffy protested.
"Only if it makes sense. Start over with Angel, and fit in that mysterious circumstances line."
"A few months ago, this young lady filed a missing persons report. Her boyfriend disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Recently, my offices have discovered that a patient here matches the description. Looks to be in his thirties, brown hair, blue eyes, 5'8" with a slender build. Ring any bells?"
"Please," Buffy paused to give the imaginary woman her emotional eyes. "William never would have disappeared like that. I've been so worried that something awful might have happened."
"She might try to tell you that there is no William," Wesley directed, biting his knuckle decisively as he judged their acting skill.
"According to my report, you took in an amnesia victim around the same time that William disappeared," Angel stated. "We'd like to see if there's a chance that he's our missing person."
"That'll do," Wesley said. "Somewhere in there, I suspect that Galen will make himself known. It will help your argument if he and Buffy show enough chemistry to convince them that he is William, and that she is his lover."
"That was pretty good," Cordelia gave her acknowledgement.
"Well, as long as the queen approves," Buffy said, and glanced at her watch. "Visiting hours have been open for forty-seven minutes. Angel, we'd better decide how you want to travel. …Does anyone else feel like they might throw up?"
~~
"This makes me nervous."
"You'll do great. Have you got everything you need?"
"Yup. It's all here."
"Good. We're here."
They stopped and climbed out of the car, squinting at the bright sun.
"I want to do a dry run first - so to speak - and then fuel up," Fred said, dragging parts of her flamethrower out of the backseat. She had disassembled it enough to make it look harmless, but kept the pieces under a blanket, just in case. With a couple screwdrivers and nimble fingers, it would be back together in no time.
Gunn looked around at the barren, sun-bleached field, which was secluded enough to let them do the testing. He popped the trunk and took out the can of fuel, and brought it back to Fred.
"Is that thing going to work?"
"Oh, sure it is!" Fred smiled. "I just have to put the parts together correctly, and I've taken this baby apart and putting it back together several times already. Did you get the water?"
Gunn shook his head and went back to the trunk, taking out two gallons of water. He closed the trunk and watched Fred tighten screws.
"I guess that by the time we get back, there's going to be another guy running around," Gunn said, leaning against the car.
Fred 'hmm'ed, trying to look busy. "I guess so," she agreed with a laugh.
"You still like him, don't you?"
"Of course I do. I'm just worried about the backlash… and about everything else."
"Well, you shouldn't be too worried. If there's anything I know about Buffy, it's that the girl is unstoppable," Gunn said. "If she wants to rescue him, you can bet that by nightfall he'll be sitting in the hotel with that dog of his."
Fred managed to let a smile spread on her face. "That will be so nice. I hope everything goes well." She clicked the last piece into place and lifted the weapon, testing it. "I think this is good. Load a capsule with water for me?"
Gunn shivered. "You've got a thing for weapons, don't you?"
"I grew up in the south," Fred replied, leaving it to be self-explanatory.
~~
The street was cast in shadow when they arrived. The address led them to a one-story, white building that looked slightly dilapidated. It had probably seen better days. The sight of the building made Buffy wince slightly. "Is this the place?"
"Yes," Wesley confirmed, peering out from the driver's seat. "I'm sure it's nicer inside," he added.
"It's a place for drug addicts and schizophrenics. It's not meant to be luxurious," Angel pointed out, testing the shade. He only felt the burn of the sun vaguely, and figured he could make it to the front door. "Let's do this."
Buffy nodded and they crossed the street, dropping into role right away. Buffy paused at the door. She had slain countless demons in her lifetime, and right now she was terrified of the little doorbell in front of her. She jabbed it with her thumb anyway. It glowed at her menacingly.
The door clicked and then opened, revealing the face of a middle-aged woman. She had brown hair that was pulled back into a severe knot.
"May I help you?" she smiled, regardless of her stern appearance.
"Yes, I think you can," Buffy glanced at Angel, who looked like a statue. "May we come inside?"
"Certainly." The woman granted them entrance, and Buffy looked over the astutely sterile kitchen.
"Are you here to visit Elizabeth?"
"Who? Um, no," Buffy frowned. "My name is Buffy Summers, and this is Angel, of Angel Investigations."
"We'd like to ask you a few questions regarding a missing persons case," Angel picked up, skipping any formalities. He swiftly removed a hand-held notepad from his coat and flipped it open. "We're looking for a man, about mid-thirties. Brown hair, blue eyes, 5'8", slender build. Ring any bells?"
"We don't have anyone matching that description."
"That's not what my sources say," Angel covered his surprise. "William disappeared a few months ago, under mysterious circumstances. About the same time, you had a man suffering from amnesia check in."
"Please," Buffy added. "I've been going out of my mind wondering what happened to him. He's my boyfriend."
"I'm sorry, but unless your boyfriend has a history of substance abuse or mental illness, there's no way he's here," the woman said. "We don't take in amnesia patients. There's another support center on the other side of town. You should also try to hospital and the homeless shelter if you haven't already."
"Could you give me the address of that other home?" Angel requested. "Miss, uh… Mary, correct?
"Mary is away on leave," the woman said. "My name is Brenda."
"Brenda," Angel repeated. "Have you ever had a young woman check in here by the name of Rachel?"
"That's against protocol to say, but truthfully we've only had one, and that was many years ago."
"What about a man named Eamon?"
"I can honestly say I've never even heard that name before. What is this about?"
"Nothing, ma'am, just protocol," Angel said, flipping to a blank page in the notebook. "That address?"
While Brenda told Angel the other address and he double-checked it three times with her, Buffy desperately looked around to see if anything suspicious stood out. It took all of her restraint not to demand to know what the woman had done to Galen. There were playing cards on the table, and a half-empty glass of juice, but that was the only real sign of life in the place.
"Thank you," Angel finally said, signaling their leave. Buffy reluctantly pulled herself away and Angel guided her out of the place, worried that she would turn back at any moment to slay Brenda.
~~
"She's lying!" Buffy exclaimed as soon as she got into the passenger side of the car.
Angel shushed her urgently and quickly climbed into the backseat.
"What happened?" Wesley asked apprehensively.
"He's gone," Angel breathed, unable to believe it himself.
"Everyone is gone," Buffy said, shutting the car door, hard. "Galen, Eamon, Rachel, and even Mary, the nurse." She stopped for a moment, trying to wrap her head around it. "Are we sure this is the place?"
"It's right in line with the library," Angel said, equally frustrated and confused. "The hospital is in the other direction, and the homeless shelter is blocks away. There's no other possible place."
"What does this mean?" Buffy asked, fighting tears of anger.
Angel sighed and stared hard at the white building. "It means he's a missing person."
~~
Flames shot out five feet in front of her. Fred held tightly to the flamethrower, watching the stream of fire.
"Damn girl!" Gunn shouted, impressed by the display.
Fred remained perfectly controlled, however. The most dangerous moment was to come. She would have to release the trigger and hope that the shut-off valve worked the way it should. If it failed to close properly, the flames could go into fuel chamber and cause an explosion.
She took a shaky breath and then let go of the trigger. The fuel cut off and the flames burnt off the remaining liquid streaming through the air, disappearing in a puff of flames.
"It worked," Fred said slowly, nearly shaking. Her wits came back to her and she burst into a wide grin, overcome with joy. "It worked! Gunn, I made it work!"
"I saw it, baby!" Gunn exclaimed, sharing in her triumph. She set the flamethrower down on the ground and flung her arms with him, hugging him hard.
"I knew you could do it," Gunn added while her tiny arms crushed him. "You're a genius."
"An' don't I know it," Fred smiled, letting go of Gunn and bouncing on her toes excitedly for a moment. "Wesley is going to be so thrilled when I tell him all about it," she said, brightening even more. Gunn's face fell slightly, watching her go back to being a busy bee. She started packing up components to the flamethrower, starting by removing the fuel canister and deactivating the triggering mechanism.
"This will do the job, but as soon as I can, I'm going to increase the range," Fred babbled. "I want the stream to be more concentrated and go to at least eight feet, ideally. Also, I need to find some larger fuel canisters."
It wasn't necessary for Gunn to reply, so he didn't. He was beginning to realize he had no place in that conversation.
~~
"Welcome back," Willow greeted. Her bright smile evaporated when she saw that Angel, Buffy, and Wesley were returning alone.
"Where is he?" Cordelia asked, confused. "Don't tell me they wouldn't let you take him."
"He wasn't there," Buffy said, feeling numb now. "We were in the right place, but he wasn't there."
"They sent him away?" Fred's eyes were wide.
"They seemed to have denied his existence," Wesley corrected.
"What?"
"Galen wasn't there, neither was Rachel, the girl he mentioned," Angel said. "Mary wasn't there. We spoke to Brenda. She told us she'd never heard of Eamon, even though she was one Galen said he hated."
"It's a cover-up," Cordelia said. "Someone took him and covered their tracks."
"Wolfram and Hart did this," Buffy stated, verbalizing what they all knew. "They brought him back, and they're taking him away again. I'm not going to let them do that to him. We're not going to let them do that to him. Willow, Wesley, I want you guys to figure out a way to crack their mojo. Whatever it takes, I want it done, and then I want to know exactly where Galen is and who we have to kill to take him back."
"Are you sure this isn't a bit over the top?" Wesley asked, needing to be the one who put on the brakes.
"Not a bit," Buffy replied without hesitating.
"Neither do I," Wesley admitted. "But consider the consequences of declaring war on Wolfram and Hart."
"They probably have an arsenal," Buffy said with consideration. "But we're stronger than they are, and we have something to fight for. They're just toying with us. Showing us that we have no power. But they're wrong. This is no different than if it were you in there, or Angel, or me. I need you all together on this. We're going to hit them fast and hard, and no one is going to be left behind."