Queen Bee
by cathy nort
chapter 12
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Giles was in his library bent over his books when he heard the knock. "Oh my." he glanced at his watch and saw that it was after 1:00 AM. This could only mean trouble. Willow, Dawn and now Buffy were missing already. Could there be more bad news beyond the door?
He rose and went into the hall and down to the front door. The knock had grown more persistent by the time he reached the door. When Giles opened it he found a very frazzled red head. That red head being Willow Rosenberg. When the door swung open Willow all but collapsed into his arms.
Half sobbing Willow staggered forward. "They've got Buffy."
Giles took Willow by the elbow and led her back into his library where he sat her down in the chair by his desk. "I was afraid that was the case," he said more to himself than to Willow. "Did you escape? And Dawn? This is Dusty's doing isn't it?"
"Dawn's fine. They released her too. We didn't escape. They let us go since they didn't have any use for us once they had Buffy." Willow folded her hands in her lap trying to calm herself. "I wouldn't have left Buffy. Oh God Giles. She knocked me out and when I came to I was lying behind some bushes in Sunnydale Park. Dawn was there too. She was still unconscious. I didn't want to deal with the police just then so I flagged down a motorist and told them there was a girl lying in the park and to call the police. Then I came right here."
Willow grasped Giles hand. "I'm afraid Giles. I just know that Buffy is in great danger."
Giles went around his desk and sat down his heart sinking. He was at a loss as to what to say to Willow. How can I comfort her? Buffy was in greater danger than Willow realized If Giles suspicions were accurate she was in grave danger. He looked over to Willow whose eyes pleaded with him for something he was powerless to deliver. "Tell me what happened." Giles said.
Willow went over everything she could remember. The kidnapping. Her relatively brief confinement and when she told Giles of overhearing a brief conversation between her captors Giles skin crawled with chill.
"I heard them mention Buffy's period. And something about needing her blood." Willow stopped when she saw the expression on Giles face. "What's the matter Giles?"
Giles didn't have the strength to look at her. He bowed his head and buried his face in his hands.
"Giles? Giles? What is it." Willow pleaded. Then when Giles didn't answer she became more alarmed and then his silence angered her. "Damn it!! What is it?"
Giles rose and went over to a bench that was shoved against the far wall. He picked up a dilapidated hard covered book from it and brought it back to his desk. He handed it over to Willow who glared at it as if it were her most hated enemy. She opened it and saw it was written in a script she couldn't begin to decipher. That seemed to anger her more. "I can't read this crap Giles. What is it? What's it say?"
"It's written in an ancient Mayan language. I studied the language as a young man at the University. The book is about ancient rites, curses and beliefs."
Willow slammed the book shut. "I don't need a history lesson. I need to know how this affects me. And more so how it affects Buffy."
"It's not good news Willow," Giles warned glumly. "You are going to have to be strong."
"Tell me what it says. I must know."
Giles at back down then in a calm, even voice he told of what he had read. "It says there is a small cult that has managed to retain their youth........and in some cases restore their youth. The secret has be well guarded since there is only a limited amount of serum and if too many people demanded it the supply would be insufficient to meet the demand. The serum consists of a mixture rare blood, the type of blood Buffy possesses. that blood basically is mixed with the blood and hormones of even a rarer type of bee. A queen bee only found in a small area of South America. The species was thought to be extinct. In fact it is still thought to not be in existent but I'm afraid because of what we know now, Dusty's regaining of her youth, and what you said about needing Buffy during her menstruating cycle I can only conclude that Dusty must has access to this species. How she got it I don't know. Maybe she has bred or harvested......."
"For god's sake get on with it!!" Willow was all but screaming. "Get to the point."
"All right. I'll be more direct. The legend is that they extract the fluid from the queen bee and inject it.....how they did that in the old days," Giles saw Willow was glaring and he stopped himself from rambling. "They inject it into the host. A woman who has the correct blood type and is menstruating, The queen bee fluid bonds with the hosts blood and in a short time a vial of blood is drawn from the host and injected back into the one seeking........youth as it were. It doesn't say exactly how this works but in the end it recaptures youth. And if one receives a strong enough dose it recovers youth. It moves back time as it apparently has done for Dusty."
For a moment Willow was relieved. There did not seem to be any threat to Buffy. She would be injected, then Dusty would drawn blood and inject that into herself and her 'crew'. After that they wouldn't need Buffy so they would release her as they had done with Dawn and herself.
Looking over at Giles, Willow saw that he had turned haggard before her very eyes. But why? His news was good for Buffy. Wasn't it? Willow expressed her thoughts to Giles.
When Giles again spoke his voice was low. "I'm afraid it is not like that. When the fluid is injected into the host the host's body accepts it for a while. There is a herbal drink that fools the host's immunity system into not recognizing there is an invader inside. It fools it for a while. Then it discovers it and attacks. But it finds the invader to be too strong and the body fights and fights until it can no longer fight. Until it is spent."
"What do you mean? Until it no longer ........can?" Willow's voice broke. She didn't want to hear what she knew Giles was about to say.
Giles' words came out low, weary. "It can't fight because........." He couldn't go on.
"SAY IT!" Willow did scream it out this time.
"Because the host .........dies."