CH.17

Immediately after he landed, Ryan knew something was wrong. He left the airport as fast as his feet could carry him. On his way to Sunnydale, he broke the sound barrier. Shooting off like a rocket he sped to where he knew Willow to be.

When he got to school he ran passed multiple people, sending their clothes and belongings flying as his speed increased yet again. When he stepped into the library he saw a young African girl grab ahold of Willow and start to question her.

"Who are you-" He raced forward, but stopped in his tracks when Willow reacted on instinct grabbing the girls hand and flipping her over till she was forced into an awkward position of having her face pressed into the floor with her own arm wrapped around he neck Buffy spoke up.

" Wow! Go Willow! I didn't think you had it in you?Kendra meet Willow and her boyfriend Ryan! Ryan and Willow meet the new Slayer Kendra!"

Looking Kendra over for a second while she struggled to breathe in her grasp she replied.

"I guess I still have some of Black Widow's memories left over from Halloween. Oh, hey Ryan! What are you doing back so soon?"

" I just got in. I felt that something bad was happening. So I ran here straight from the airport! I'm just glad my presents wasn't needed, this time." Smiling he nodded to Willows current position, thinking to himself.

-Halloween sure was worth it! I wonder what else she kept from Black Widow! Unless? I hope I'm wrong!-

Going pale at the stray thoughts he nodded to himself, understanding now what must have had her so freaked after Halloween.

Seeing him nodding weakly, Willow let the girl go. While rubbing her now sore throat, Kendra said." Another Vampire? Are you dating this one as well?"

Willow stood up for Buffy saying." Buffy would never date a vampire, well except for that one time she's dating a vampire. But other than that she wouldn't right Buffy?"

Buffy confirmed by saying. "Yeah, just the one. Wait how did you know I was dating a vampire?"

Kendra smirked." Well, I saw you kissing him at da skating rink. And I followed him to a bar, where he was threatening a human."

"What did you do to him? What did you do?" Buffy demanded, getting into Kendra's face.

" I didn't do a ting to him except lock him up the da animal he is." Kendra continued to smirk.

"Alright, you're coming with me!" Buffy demanded, dragging Kendra along with her.

After they left, Ryan turned to Giles and Willow saying." Ok, now what did I miss and why is there another slayer?"

Giles took off his glasses answering as best he could." Spike is back in town with Drusilla. They tried robbing Du lac's crypt only we suspect they failed to find anything because their next step was trying to kidnap Willow here. When that failed mostly on account of some ingenious uses of a fire spell, they tried to send the order of Taraka after Willow they sent word to us of what he tried to do and apologized in advance. When he found out about your little gambit with the upper demons, he turned to the order and sent out a hit on Buffy. They must have accepted it because Buffy and Angel killed one of their number last night. We suspect he's looking for Du Lac's cross because of the attempted grave digging and the fact that my copy of Du Lac's diary went missing."

Looking more than a little pissed and confused, Ryan asked. " Why would they go after Willow? Wait! This cross was it about a foot long and made of enchanted gold with a dagger at the hilt?"

Giles rubbed the bridge of his nose." We suspect that the request to take out Willow was to be used as some sort of distraction. As for the cross, your description sounds about right."

Planting his head on the table Ryan commented." I knew I recognized that name! It was one of the items Lyndsey found for me along with the ring of Amara. I have it at my place. That's probably why they tried going after Willow as well. They wanted leverage to trade for the cross!"

Putting his glasses back on Giles told him. "Then we must warn Buffy because if they went after one of us for leverage they'll probably go after the others as well. Speaking of which has either of you seen Jenny? I haven't seen her since yesterday."

Feeling a cold pit at the bottom of his stomach Ryan asked." For that matter, was Xander at school today?"

Heading to check on their friends, they found that Jenny hadn't come into work today. When they searched further, Xander showed up with Cordelia in tow saying." We just met the second member of the order of Taraka! Bug boy tried to kill us by swarm."

Arriving later, Buffy and Kendra showed up empty handed. " It seems that the owner of the bar let him out before the sun could hit him. He said that he left Angel in the sewers underground. I thought he was immune to sunlight now?"

Kendra started." A vampire immune to sunlight! What are you, crazy? It would take something like the ring of Amara to do dat!"

Buffy smiled at that and mimicked Kendra's voice." Indeed I tink it 'twas da ring of Amara?"

Dropping the the Jamaican accent Buffy continues." So seriously now I thought he was immune! What gives?"

Giles went to answer, but was stopped when Ryan started speaking before him." It does make him immune to sunlight, but I highly doubt it makes him immune to hunger. Spending all night stuck in a cage. Unable to feed. It'd make even the strongest vampire weak."

Xander and Cordelia were now going through the old Watcher diaries when Ryan left saying."I have to go pick up my car and luggage at the airport before they send it back to Italy. Call me if you find something!"

This time when he left, he decided to take Willow with him. Carrying her in his arms, he took off as fast as he could go, while wrapping a small barrier around her.

When they got back to the airport he let her down saying." I need to know how much of Black Widow's memories you remember."

Seeing him finally connect the dots she decided to answer." All of them. The red room, her time as an assassin, her time at shield. Everything, even her love for Bruce Banner."

Shaking his head and silently swearing to kill Ethan Rayne, he asked."How bad is it? Are you having nightmares?"

Shaking her head she replied. "Honestly, their not as bad as they were when it happened. Their fading as more time passes. Today was a fluke. It was just some muscle memory and instinct left over. You should have seen it when I put Buffy on her butt the day after, when we had a slumber party at your house. She couldn't win no matter how many times she tried! The worst part that I still remember was the graduation present from the room."

Going really pale now, Ryan hugged her whispering. " I'm so sorry Will, if I'd even suspected I would have searched for a way to remove them. I'll heal any leftover damage if there is any!"

They spent several minutes just hugging in the parking lot. A small dim light could be seen forming between them, until the sound of an airplane taking off brought them out of their own little world.

Dealing physically better than she had since the incident Willow informed him. "We should be heading back. Miss Calendars' missing and we need to get the cross in case we need to trade it for her."

They drove back after getting his things from collections and explaining to the airport security that there was a family emergency.

When they arrived back in the library they found out that Spike indeed had miss Calendar and he was ransoming her for the cross.

He sent one of his goons with a taped message saying." If you want to see her again alive you'll bring me my bloody cross. Do be sure to only send the redhead I don't want any funny business."

Later that day when Ryan was away getting the cross from his place, Oz was shot by another order of taraka member saving Willow from catching a bullet. When he heard this Ryan nearly went insane!

He declared. "So long as Spikes hiring assassins your not leaving my sight! I don't care if I have to slaughter the order, I'd rather commit mass murder then see you dead. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." While pulling her into his lap.

Kendra spoke." Dats nice and all, but how are we supposed to send her to trade for the hostage, if she cannot leave your side?"

Smiling widely he answered in an unnerving voice." I said sight, not side. I can see far better than you could possibly imagine, little slayer. And so long as she doesn't leave my sight I can save her from even the fastest bullet!"

Taken aback by his declaration, Kendra asked. " What are you? You are no human and if what you say is true, then your certainly no vampire I've ever heard of!"

Smiling like a Cheshire cat, Ryan implied." I'm far older and more powerful than any vampire to walk this earth! And since now isn't story time, that's all you need to know!"

The exchange went down just after nightfall. Willow took the cross with her to an old mausoleum. When she went inside, she asked."Where it Miss Calendar? I brought your stupid cross."

Spike being himself went to corner her and was surprised when she grabbed his arm and pinned it behind his back shoving the cross into his face. "Ok, ok, she's in the crypt! If you don't get her out soon, she might run out of air!"

Willow dropped the cross running over to the stone crypt trying to push the lid off. Spike saw this and picked up the cross, stowing it away before saying. " To bad you won't be able to save yourself!" He lunged at her from behind, but was met with a kick to the face from the new slayer.

Seeing his attacker spike said. "Who the bloody hell are you? Sick 'em boys!"

Just like that ten vampires descended upon them. Three cornered Willow while she was trying to open the crypt. She ignored them, knowing she wasn't in any danger. The rest of the vampires split off the fight the incoming Scooby gang.

Seeing the whole group attack Spike thought it better to leave. While he fled, the three vampires that surrounded Willow burst into dust simultaneously.

Willow smiled a little and told the newcomers. "Miss Calendar's in the crypt!"

Upon hearing her, newcomer beside her grabbed the stone lid and threw it at a vampire that was attacking Giles, with enough force to instantly smash it to dust.

Turning back to Willow, he commented. " I told you I'd be here for you!"

She smiled fully now saying. " Yeah, yeah. Nobody likes a show-off! Help me get her out of there."

Seeing the vampire he was fighting due so abruptly, Giles ran over beside Willow yelling. "Jenny!"

Ryan picked up the body in the coffin and laid it down on the stone floor. Checking for a pulse and finding none Giles went to start CPR but was stopped by Ryan, when he waved him away.

Ryan brought his right-hand over her chest and slammed it down as it started to glow. When his hand made contact Jenny sat up coughing as if she swallowed water.

Turning back to the fight Ryan waved his hand and the vampires froze in place. He walked over next to Buffy and Kendra saying. " The first one to tell us what Spike is planning gets staked! The rest get erased!"

Seeing that he was being serious for once the slayers backed off. Well, Buffy did anyway. Kendra went to stake them but was stopped when Buffy grabbed her hand and shook her head. Following her lead, Kendra backed away.

Annoyed now, Ryan yelled. "Speak." Loud enough to shake the very air. Everyone held their ears, but the frozen vampires. When they refused to speak he waved his hand again and the vampires' burst into flames.

Strangely enough, they still didn't die. They stood on the spot screaming in agony. Unable to move or die. That is until one of them begged." I'll talk! Please just make it stop!"

He waved his hand again and that vampire was de-flamed. "Very well, you have one minute any more and I'll leave you in this mausoleum burning for the rest of your undead life!"

Shivering at the threat the rest of the group, besides Willow, took a step back, instinctively afraid he might somehow include them. The vampire began speaking as if his life depended on it.

"Spike is planning to use a ritual to bring cure his sick girlfriend! She's crazier than he is! They paid Willy the barman to give them Angel, Drusilla's sire. We don't know when or how he's planning on doing it but he's using some coded book he said he needed the cross to translate!"

When the vampire was done speaking, the rest of his comrades burst, imploding in on themselves. Ryan stood back as Buffy stepped forward and staked the informant.

When Ryan turned around everyone but Willow looked a little weary. Willow herself, gave him a comforting nod and held on to his arm. Kendra watched as they left saying. "Seriously he's not human! What da hell is he?"

Xander spoke up." Let me tell you a story.- Blocking our everyone else Ryan took Willow to his car and drove back to the library in silence. Receiving a comforting look every now and then from the passenger seat.