To Conquer Death
by Rainne
Part Seven
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They never got a chance to leave the store. Willow and Giles had taken Tara in the back room to cast the glamour on her and Faith was reaching for the door handle when the door was pushed open from the outside. The bell jangled as two men and two women, dressed impeccably in black suits, pressed themselves into the shop. Dakota and Faith fell back immediately into semi-defensive postures at the top of the steps. Janna slid off the counter and moved closer to Buffy, who picked up a crossbow off the research table and held it loosely at the ready.
"Come now," the first man said, a patently false smile plastered across his face. "There's no need for this. We're all on the same side, aren't we? My name is Dobson, Mary Dobson. These are my associates: William Frasier, Claire Beecham, and David Campbell."
Claire Beecham stepped forward slightly. "Janna, you've been very naughty. You do understand that, don't you?"
Buffy glanced behind her with an expression so quizzical as to be nearly dumbfounded. Janna shook her head. "My new Watcher," she murmured. "Believe she thinks I'm simple." She raised her voice then. "Actually, Miss Beecham, I think I've done rather well for myself, considering."
Miss Beecham's eyes narrowed, but she subsided. Miss Dobson took over the conversation. "Now, then. We need to see Mr. Travers, please."
Buffy nodded. "Not a problem. Janna, would you?"
Janna nodded and scampered back into the training room, where she was confronted by the sight of Willow, Giles, and two Quentin Traverses. She grinned broadly. "Excellent, really excellent. And not before time, either — Miss Dobson, Mr. Frasier, Miss Beecham and Mr. Campbell are out front."
"Oh, dear." Giles cleaned his glasses. "Well, we must simply give it our best effort. Tara, are you quite sure of this?"
The Travers who was not bound nodded his head. "I can do it," he said.
Janna shivered. "Ooh, you even got the voice! Bang on, Willow! Good show."
Willow grinned. "Thanks. Well, here goes nothing."
"Wait!" Janna said. "Tara, you have to know who they are. It will seem odd if you don't. The blonde woman is Miss Dobson, the man without glasses is Frasier. The man with glasses is Mr. Campbell, and the brunette is Miss Beecham."
Tara-as-Travers nodded. "Dobson, Frasier, Campbell, Beecham. Got it."
The four of them trooped back out front to hear the four Watchers murmuring together near the front of the store. They all turned as Giles, Willow, Janna and Travers came out of the back room. "Ah," said Dobson, "Mr. Travers. Are you well, sir?"
"I am," Travers replied. "I believe our business here is concluded. We're going to leave Sunnydale, Miss Dobson. Janna will remain here to train with the current Slayer and her Watcher."
Dobson blinked in surprise, and suddenly Mr. Frasier spoke for the first time since they had entered the store. "Nice try. Dissipate!"
At his word, the glamour over Tara wavered slightly. It didn't break — Willow's power was a great deal stronger than Frasier's — but it rippled enough that everyone could see it. Dobson began to laugh. "A glamour. How charming! Unfortunately for you, unsuccessful. And how unfortunate for your little watchdog."
"Xander?" Buffy whispered.
"Xander? Is that his name? Young chap, dark hair, somewhat stupid. Yes, that's it. He's ah... shall we say, in custody."
Just then, the phone rang. "Ah," Dobson said. "That should be one of my compatriots now, letting me know that the young man is safe. Be a good man and answer it, won't you, Mr. Giles?"
Giles picked up the phone. "Magic Box."
"This is Birdwell, Mr. Giles. Please put Miss Dobson on the phone."
Giles did so. Dobson's side of the conversation was less than enlightening. "Dobson. Yes, Birdwell. The boy is secure? Yes. Very good. Awake, is he? Well, make sure he doesn't alert anyone to his presence. No, Birdwell, don't hit him again. We need him alive, you imbecile, remember? Just... just keep him quiet."
Dakota and Buffy exchanged a long, eloquent look during this conversation. Buffy nodded slightly and Dakota casually strolled to the back of the store. "I'm gonna use the bathroom," she announced to anyone and everyone, and then disappeared into the workroom.
Dobson turned to them. "Well, it would seem that each of us has something the other wants. Our terms are simple. Return Mr. Travers and we'll give you the boy's body. Return Mr. Travers and the rogue Potential Janna Markham, and we'll give you the boy alive. Return Mr. Travers, Janna Markham and the vampire, and we'll give you the boy alive and unharmed. Clear? Good. You obviously know the number where we can be reached. You have two hours to come to a decision."
The four Watchers left the store. They didn't know they were watched when they decided in quiet tones to split up on their way back to their motel, to lessen the chances of being caught. They split up then, each of them moving in a different direction. Dakota smiled and gave herself up to the demon.
She didn't kill them. It was hard to control herself, but she didn't kill them. She left them unconscious, drained almost to the danger point, but they were alive when she left them. She got Beecham first, in the alley behind the Magic Box, and then sped a block and a half west to nab Frasier in the deserted street outside the Espresso Pump. Two blocks north, she caught up with Campbell not far from the place where she herself had been caught by Darla. Then she called the magic shop on her cell phone and told Giles where she'd left the bodies. "Tell Buffy to meet me right now," she added, giving him an address. "Tell her to put some Slayer speed on it — I'm tracking Dobson."
Within five minutes, Dakota knew where Dobson was and had Buffy coming up the street toward her. They set off together and came up behind him as the woman was approaching the motel. Buffy held out a hand, warning Dakota to wait, and then crept up to the window of the room she was in.
"Yes, Birdwell. Where is the boy?" A pause. "Her Majesty's Secret Service." Another pause. "Yes. Yes. A crypt? Is that wise, in the cemetery at night on the Hellmouth? Ah. Garlic all round, you say? And holy water. Very good. Yes, I've given them two hours to hand over Mr. Travers, the girl and the vampire. Yes, call back in two hours. All right, then."
Buffy sneaked as quietly back to Dakota as possible. "They've got him in one of the cemeteries."
"Which one, Buff?"
Buffy thought about it. "No idea. We'll take them consecutively. We've got the time."
They found him in the third cemetery they tried. Dakota called the shop on her cell and instructed them to bring all the weaponry they could carry, as well as Travers, and come on the double. Within twenty minutes, Faith, Giles, Tara, Willow, Janna and Travers were all in the cemetery with them. Buffy studied the door to the crypt and then called Faith and Dakota to her. "On three, kick," she instructed. They all took their stance and then, "One, two, three!" With a thunderous crash, the door came off its hinges and flew inward, taking out Birdwell and Charles. Smythe cringed back against the back wall. Xander, bound and gagged on the floor, yelled a muffled greeting to them. Janna darted in and removed the gag from his face.
"Hey, gang, glad you could make it," he quipped as Janna moved behind him to undo his bindings.
Giles and Willow followed Janna in and, the instant their backs were turned, Travers turned and darted away into the depths of the cemetery. Dakota caught the movement out of the corner of her eye and debated chasing him down, then decided that he wasn't worth the effort. They worked together to pull the three Watchers out of the tomb, and then Dakota dialed the motel to speak with Dobson.
"Dobson."
"Hey, Dobson. Dakota Walsh. Listen, we decided not to take you up on your offer. We figured we'd come out on top if we just came and got Xander ourselves. So you don't need to worry about him. Beecham, Campbell and Frasier are all at Sunnydale Memorial — minor cases of spontaneous neck rupture and a little blood loss, you understand, but they'll be okay. And Birdwell, Smythe and Charles are over here at the cemetery, but they might be needing a hand, you understand. As for Travers, well, he took off. I don't give him too many chances alone in Sunnydale at night. Best of luck." And she disconnected.