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(My, how things can change in a year. This time, last year, I was fighting alongside Buffy as Angelus was terrorizing the people of Sunnydale, and here I am now, fighting alongside Section against the humans that terrorize the Earth.) Willow shook her head as she thought of everything that she had gone through over the past months. Her training with Section. Her friendships with Michael and Nikita. Her love with Birkhoff. And, Angel. The bond between that had been formed during the restoration ritual had only been strengthened when she returned him from hell.
The two of them often had long conversations, not only when they were asleep, but also when they were meditating. It was one of the advantages of the new bond. Angel told her about the reactions to his return. How Buffy had kept him a secret. About the new slayer, Faith. About Xander and Cordelia, which Willow still couldn’t believe. And about everything going on in Sunnydale. Willow talked about her life in Section. How Michael and Nikita were actually living together, as were Willow and Birkhoff. How she was doing in her training. And how Michael and the others still missed their friend Liam. Willow still loved knowing about Angel’s past as Liam. For some reason, the two of them were very comfortable around each other and he had found himself telling her all about his past, both as a mortal and as a vampire. She loved hearing them. The two of them were as close as friends could be. She just wished that he was able to find someone to care about him as she had.
Angel had told her how Buffy and he had tried to patch up their relationship. To move past what he had done when he didn’t have his soul, but he knew that it wasn’t going to work. That no matter what Buffy said or did, she would never be able to separate Angel from Angelus and that hurt Willow. Granted, she hadn’t been there the entire time that Angelus had terrorized Buffy and the others, but she was the first one that he had tried to kill. If Willow was able to forgive him ,why weren’t the others. But, then again, maybe Willow was able to see past all of that because of her involvement with Section. She had a feeling that her friends in Sunnydale would never be able to understand the changes that had taken place in the young hacker’s life. No longer was she the shy quiet one, although she still had an innocence around her that made everyone love her. In her place, was a strong and confident woman who would do whatever was necessary to get the job done. Yup, what a difference a year makes.
"Okay, everyone knows that plan. We move in five." Michael and Nikita were in the back of the van, preparing there group for the attack on a supposed red cell headquarters that was holding some political prisoners. They were going over last minute details with Willow who was going to be working the comm for the mission. It was the third time she had been allowed on a mission by herself in the year that she had been with Section. It was the fastest any recruit had ever been put in the field and Willow was proud of her accomplishment. She knew that Ops, Birkhoff and Madeline were listening in back at Section, observing everything that was happening.
"Okay, I am only reading 3 possibly 4 targets around the area of the hostages," Willow told the operatives, pointing them out on the computer screen in front of her. "All five hostages appear to be in one central location."
"Fine. Let’s move out then."
Willow was excited about the mission. For once, it wasn’t about killing terrorists, although she knew that there would be humans killed. It was about rescuing the children of some high government officials that were being held for some reason that Section had yet to determine. Willow watched as her friends and the others went into the building, listening in as they reported their positions.
"I’m in position," Nikita reported.
"Michael?’
"In position," came the accented reply. Shortly after the others also confirmed that they had reached first position. Willow monitored everyone’s positions as they grew closer to the target area. Then she heard it. A scream of absolute terror from one of the men from Abeyance.
"What was that?" Nikita could be heard asking.
"Don’t know," Willow replied, looking at the monitor to find the last position where the operative had been at. Where there should have been some kind of indication showing the body temperature of the man, there was nothing. Not even anything that indicated an attacker. "Not showing anything on the screen. Continue to targets."
"Copy." Willow continued taking in everything on the monitor, looking for any possible sign of trouble so that she would be able to alert the team. She had actually had a hand in planning this mission and she would be damned if something went wrong that would cost her friends their lives. Suddenly another scream came out, indicating someone had run into something unexpected. Willow saw another member disappear. She was not happy.
"Everyone, report in positions," she commanded, wanting to see who was still left. They hadn’t taken many people in, figuring that it would be an easy mission. That was quickly changing.
"Nikita, position 4."
"Michael, position 4."
"Jones, positio…..," his report was cut off by the sound of a struggle, then gun fire. Then Willow heard silence.
"Jones, report." Nothing. "Jones." Damn, she had lost him.
"Nikita, Michael can you see the targets?"
"Affirmative," Michael answered in a clipped voice. Willow heard Nikita gasp.
"My God."
"Nikita, what is it?" Willow asked, a sudden uneasy feeling coming over her.
"What are they?" Nikita whispered. "Their faces." That’s when Willow knew. She could hear Ops and Madeline on the headsets back at Headquarters and realized that the secret that she had been keeping during her stay with Section was about to come out or she would have to risk the deaths of her two closest friends. Willow reached over to the bag that she always carried with her. A habit that she hadn’t bothered breaking when she left Sunnydale. She was just better equipped to use some of the items in it.
"Describe them," Ops ordered.
"Deformed. Ridges on their faces. Eyes are yellow."
"Damn, damn , damn just when I thought I could leave this all behind me," Willow swore, surprising everyone that could hear her. She never swore, no matter how upset she was.
"Willow, do you know who they are?" Michael asked, concerned for Nikita’s safety.
"Get the hell out of there now," Willow barked, hoping her friends could escape. It was the middle of the day, so she knew that the vampires wouldn’t be able to follow. Then she heard a voice she thought she would never hear again.
"Well, well, well pet. It looks like we have some company."
"Michael, Nikita, I’m coming in," Willow grabbed her bag and sprinted from the van, ignoring the protests that were coming from her comm set. She had studied that blueprints to the building so much, she knew exactly were she had to go and the quickest way to get there. She also knew that one side of the room had a huge stained glass window, that blocked the suns rays. That’s where she was heading for now. She could hear Spike taunting her friends, which made her run even faster.
"Did you come to save these poor little children?"
"What are you?" Nikita asked as a vampire came up from behind her and pushed her and Michael closer to the blonde vampire in front of her.
"Me?" Spike queried. "I’m your host. And you’re my dinner." Suddenly there was a loud crash as the stained glass window was shattered into tiny pieces, throwing sunlight into the dark room, igniting quite a few vampires in the process, including Drusilla. "Bloody hell," Spike cursed as he turned to face the new intruder. He was surprised to see who it was. "You."
"Hello, Spike. Long time no see," Willow grinned at him. "Hope you don’t mind me dropping in, but I was in the neighborhood."
"Willow," Michael said, "do you know him?"
"Spike?" Willow asked, not taking her eyes off the bleached blonde vampire as she walked over towards where her friends were being held. "Oh yeah, he and I go way back. Gee, how many times did you and the insane one try and kill me and the others."
"Not enough because here you are, still causing trouble," Spike growled. "So, is this where the slayer comes in to save you and your friends?"
"Spikey, now you know I don’t hang with Buffy anymore," Willow taunted, finally reaching Nikita and Michael. She took something out of her bag. It was a water gun. She aimed it at the two vampires holding Michael and Nikita, wetting all four of them, but only harming the vampires. As the holy water burnt them, Willow quickly plunged a stake into their hearts, dusting them.
"That’s right. Peaches told me about the group that took you," Spike said as he watched two of his minion try and sneak up on Willow.
"Willow behind you," Nikita screamed. Willow turned quickly, a roundhouse kick connecting with the first vampire. She again quickly staked the second vampire, before turning the his partner, who had recovered from the kick. She hit him with a series of punches before dusting him also.
"Spikey, Angelus would be very disappointed in you for the minions that you have following you," Willow taunted. "I mean, really, not up to your usual standards."
"What can I say," Spike shrugged, looking for a way out. Willow had taken out the only vampires not destroyed by the sun. "They weren’t mine in the first place. Only here for protection."
"Excuses, excuses. That’s why we came in so unprepared. No body heat, no temperature readings."
"Yeah, well, red cell decided that they needed some added insurance," Spike said, finally deciding to just attack Willow, who dodged his attempted, hitting him on his back in return.
"Insurance for what?" Willow wanted to know. "What is so special about these kids?"
"For a little surprise for your friends back in good ole Sunnyhell, pet." Spike chuckled as he saw Willow’s eyes go wide. "Let’s just say, graduation will be pretty interesting." Willow ran straight for Spike, throwing punches left and right, him able to block only a few, while landing some of his own.
"What *punch* is *hit* going *kick* to *punch* happen?"
"Let’s just say, a little ascension during the mayor’s speech."
"And Red cell’s involvement?"
"To take out the slayer and that annoying group of hers before hand so they don’t cause any trouble."
"Over my dead body Spike."
"I can arrange that," Spike morphed into his game face and attacked Willow. Michael and Nikita watched in horror as the vampire attacked their friend, unable to do anything about it because they didn’t know what they were dealing with. They didn’t bother answering the tense voices coming through there comms, instead focusing on the fight in front of them. Finally they saw Willow get the upper hand as Spike lay flat on his back, her straddling his chest.
"Well, at least I can say hello to Peaches in Hell. I’ll have to look him up," Spike grinned slyly, knowing that he was going to die, but not able to resist one last comment.
"Sorry, Spikey," Willow grinned back at the surprised vampire, "I got Angel out of hell a few months ago. He’s in Sunnydale and I can’t wait to let him know everything you just told me." Spike screamed as he saw the stake hit his chest and then he was dust. Willow looked from where her enemy had been to see Nikita and Michael staring at her.
"I’m thinking that you want an explanation huh?" Both operatives nodded their heads. "You’re never gonna believe me."