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When Buffy, Angel, and Cordelia arrived back at the library, Giles was just finishing up a conversation with someone on the phone. He gestured for the trio to wait a minute, wrapped up the call quickly, and replaced the receiver in its cradle.
"That was Xander," Giles informed them, walking out from behind the counter. "He's at the hospital... Apparently, Willow was injured during the earthquake and seems to have developed a fever during the time it took to get there. Well, that and her water broke." He paused, rubbing at his eyes. "The doctors are doing everything they can to bring her temperature down, but if it doesn't work, they're going to have to deliver her baby by Caesarean section."
Buffy bit her lip, overwhelmed by all the bad things that had occurred thus far. *How much worse can this night get?* she wondered briefly. She looked downward a moment, then focused her gaze back on Giles, noticing he had left something out. "What about Ivory?" she asked. "Is she okay?"
"Other than being very shaken up by the tremors, she's fine," Giles assured Buffy and Angel. "Xander said a nurse is seeing to her and trying to calm her as we speak."
Buffy nodded, releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding. "That's good," she half whispered, smiling up at her husband when he put his arms around her. Then, she quickly went to fill Giles in on what had become of Jenny and Stefanie.
Giles paled slightly upon hearing this news, but amazingly took it all in stride. "Well, as long as they're safe and out of Ethan's reach, I see no reason to worry... In the meantime, we have bigger things to dwell on."
"Like how to remove an annoyingly painful thorn in our sides?" Buffy quipped. "I'd have to say yeah." She paused a moment, mulling over what they knew so far. "But as to Ethan saying he just wanted me dead... I don't get it. I mean, knowing Ethan, he would never settle for something that simple."
Giles had to agree with her. "I couldn't imagine what else he may want though," he admitted.
Buffy settled for spelling it out for him, surprised she knew his former "friend" better than he did. "Ethan's power-hungry. He likes casting spells and he likes wreaking havoc. And what could be more appealing to him than opening our local portal to hell? I mean, he could have been lying when he saw you earlier, in order to throw you off track."
Giles shook his head. "Ethan Rayne is many things, but I've never known him to lie. If he says he's here for you, then we can safely assume that's true. And if he does have some ulterior motive, the odds are that he won't be around long enough for us to discover what it is."
Buffy sighed. "True enough," she conceded. "Okay... Main question is, how do we find him?"
Giles moved to the countertop, motioning to the other three to follow. Holding up a rolled piece of parchment, he said, "Shouldn't be too hard. I found Ethan's calling card pinned to the door when I got here."
Buffy took it and unrolled it quickly, letting Angel and Cordelia read over her shoulders. BE IN THE CAVERN BENEATH THE LIBRARY IN AN HOUR, OR SOMEONE IN SUNNYDALE WILL DIE EVERY TWENTY MINUTES, it read in a large gothic scrawl. She stared at it a moment, then crumpled it up and tossed it over her shoulder towards the nearest trash can. "Gee, Cryptic Guy he's not," she quipped, turning to Giles. "I'd say it's time to crack out the weapons," she said, a hard note in her voice. "In one hour, once and for all, Ethan is going down!"
Giles and Cordelia quickly went to do Buffy's bidding, while Angel led his wife over towards the swinging double doors. He threw a quick glance at the clock, noting that it was barely past midnight, then looked down at her. "Are you sure you're up to this? You may know Ethan pretty well, but he knows you and your weaknesses too," he said. "He's bound to use one of them against you."
Buffy didn't back down though, raising her head a notch with a determined look in her eyes. "I won't let him. I can handle this, Angel."
He sighed, then added, "For both our sakes, I hope you're right." Without another word, he leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips, at the same time that Buffy rose slightly to meet his embrace. And, just as always during their kisses, the world and all the problems surrounding them just seemed to melt away. It didn't change anything in the long run, but it did provide the happy newlyweds with a brief reprieve and sense of calm...
In the heart of the cavern beneath the library, Ethan was seated in a chair, biding his time while waiting for the Slayer and whomever she might bring with her. His minions, however, weren't as passive, as one of the lesser vamps approached him angrily.
"How much longer are we being made to wait?" she snapped. "I want this over with!"
Ethan looked up at her with a smirk. "Patience, my friend," he said in his usual charismatic tone. "The Slayer will be here in no time. Only then will we strike." He paused, then leaned forward. "Just be sure that you don't forget the plan... I want her down here alone as soon as possible... I'll know she'll be bringing at least two friends, and one of them is bound to be her Watcher."
Ethan stood, continuing to review the plan for those with a forgetful mind. "I want the Watcher injured at the first opportunity, but not killed. If I know the Slayer, she'll want him carried to safety, which she'll likely leave to her new husband if he comes with her... And then, once Buffy is truly alone, that's when we move in for the kill...