Sunnydale

Spike had come in just before sunrise and avoided his sire. His mind was working on why the slayer’s little friend had been and how he could use that information to his advantage. He still hadn’t come up with anything by the time he awoke later that day and had searched out Angelus to let him in on what he had discovered.

"Spike, what is it?" Angelus asked as soon as Spike entered his room. "What’s on the mind of yours?"

"It’s the slayer’s red-headed little friend," answered Spike. Angelus appeared to be in thought for a moment.

"Willow, what about her?" he replied with a dismissive tone.

"I saw her last night being taken away from her home. It appeared that she was not planning on returning."

"Taken?" Angelus asked with sudden interest. "What do you mean, taken?"

"There were two people. A man and a woman. They were taking the witch away. She had a trunk, box and a suitcase."

"What kind of vehicle were they in?"

Spike was taken aback by the question. (Who cares what kind of vehicle they had.) Then it occurred to him that Angelus might know who was behind Willow’s leaving. "A van. Black. No windows. Do you know who they were?"

Angelus took this information in. (So Madeline decided to recruit little Willow for Section. Interesting. ) It took him a minute to realize that his childe had asked a question. "You could say that I am familiar with those that have taken her."

"Will they be a problem for us?" Spike asked, concerned that the slayer and her friends may gain some more allies.

"No, I don’t think so. I don’t believe that they know about vampires, nor anything else that is here at the hellmouth. And I don’t think the witch will tell them anything. Not if she wants to stay alive." Spike’s interest in this group was piqued.

"What do you mean?"

"Section is very select in who they take. If you fail any part of the training, you will be canceled." At Spike’s confused look, Angelus elaborated. "She would be killed. This group is not one that accepts failure."

"Sounds like a fun group. Maybe we should visit them sometime," Spike mused.

"No," snarled Angelus. Spike was surprised at the vicious tone in his sire’s voice. "Let them be." Spike backed away at the tone in his sire’s voice.

"Okay, I got it. Leave them alone," the blonde vampire conceded. "How do you think the slayer will react when she finds out that Willow is gone?"

Angelus knew exactly how the slayer would react. She would be highly pissed off. (And she’ll think that we took her. She’ll cause us more problems than the little witch is worth.) "If I know Section, they will make it look like Willow just disappeared. With the mortality and disappearance rate in Sunnyhell, no one would suspect anything different. But the slayer, " Angelus hissed, "will believe that we have taken the red-head as a way to get back at her."

"You know, as much as I like a good fight, I would prefer it be over something I actually did."

"Then we will make sure that they know that we aren’t responsible for the witch’s disappearance," Angelus said. "Leave so I can think of how I want to use this information. We won’t have much time." Spike left his sire knowing that whatever Angelus had planned for his former girlfriend, it would do nothing but hurt the girl. (This will definitely be an interesting turn of events. Wonder what this Section is and what Angelus hates it so.) If Spike had thought about it anymore, he would have realized that it wasn’t hate that was in his sire’s voice, but fear.

Sunnydale High Library

Buffy pushed open the library doors harshly as she searched the room for her friend. When she didn’t see the red-head anywhere, she yelled out for Giles.

"Giles, have you seen Willow?"

Giles came out of his office, his head in a book. He looked up when he saw Buffy. "W.. what did you say?"

"I asked if you had seen Willow today?"

"Why, no. She hasn’t checked in yet. Why?"

Buffy flopped into one of the chairs in the library. "Well, she hasn’t been in class all day and I’m not getting any answer when I try her house." Giles took this information. (Where could that girl be? It’s not like her to not be in school or at least tell us where she is going?)

"Do you think Angel had something to do with it," Buffy said, interrupting Giles’ thoughts.

"I don’t think so. Considering his history, it would seem more than reasonable to expect him to tell us if he had done something to Willow," he replied, coming over to the table. "It would make sense that he would make sure that we knew that it was him if he had anything to do with Willow’s disappearance. I’m afraid that this may be something completely different."

"But what? Willow said something about a prophecy but she didn’t elaborate," Buffy began, worry clear in her voice.

"Well, I thought there was a new prophecy," Giles explained, "but when I looked it over more, I realized that it wouldn’t happen for a few years. There hasn’t been anything that would suggest something sinister was coming."

"You mean, other than the usual vampires and such?"

"Ummm, y…yes," Giles stuttered. Suddenly the library doors slammed open to reveal a very upset Xander. Behind him came an upset Cordelia.

"Is she here?" Xander asked. Buffy knew exactly who he meant.

"No, Xander, she hasn’t been here all day," Buffy answered. "I was about to go over to her house to see if maybe she was there and she just wasn’t picking up her phone."

"That’s where we just came from and she’s not there," Cordelia explained. Buffy was surprised to see the concern on the cheerleader’s face. "And, according to Xander, a whole lot of her stuff was missing." This brought Giles attention to the teenager in front of him.

"What exactly do you mean, some of her stuff was missing?" he inquired.

"Exactly that," Xander said. "Her magickal trunk and some of her books. Some of her clothes and her computer disks. Even that stupid stuffed frog I gave her. It’s like she was going away and not planning on coming back." Xander’s emotions were playing havoc with him. (She’s my best friend and I don’t even know where she is. What could have happened that would make her leave?)

"Do you think she could have run away?" Buffy asked tentatively. The thought of her friend, alone, scared her more than she wanted to admit. Vampires and demons she could handle, but a friend missing and possibly in trouble was too much. The teenagers looked at Giles, expecting him to have all the answers. What they didn’t expect was the voice that came from the stacks.

"She ran away, but not by choice," Angelus replied. After thinking about everything that Spike had told him, and what he knew of Section, he had decided that he wanted the pleasure of telling the slayer and her friends what had happened to the little hacker.

"Angel," hissed Buffy. "What are you doing here and what have you done with Willow?" He watched as the group moved as a one into attack positions. He couldn’t help but laugh at them.

"I haven’t done anything to your little friend, but I do know who did," he answered. When he saw them waiting for him to continue, he went on. "She was taken by something that not even you can do anything against. They’re human."

"Human," Giles asked, flabbergasted. (What would humans want with Willow. Unless it’s to prevent Buffy from doing something.) Angelus could see where the watcher’s thoughts were leading him.

"Yes, most definitely human and it has nothing to do with your little pathetic group of slayerettes. She was taken for her computer skills. I know all about the little group that Willow is a part of now."

"So what exactly are they," Buffy couldn’t help but inquire. She didn’t trust Angel, but for some reason believed him when he said that he didn’t have Willow.

"They are called Section and they are the most elite of anti-terrorist group in the world," he explained. "Most recruits have come from life sentences, sometimes even death row. Occasionally, as in the case of Willow, they will bring someone from the outside if they show an aptitude for something. In her case, that would be computers."

"What happens if she doesn’t want to join," Xander asked. (I can’t believe little Willow would willingly work for an organization that would kill people. It’s not like her at all.)

"That’s simple. If she refuses to cooperate, or they are not satisfied with her training, she will be canceled." With that last bit of information, Angelus disappeared back into the tunnels that had brought him to the library. In his wake, he left a stunned group of friends.