Oz and Cordelia leaned in closer to get in on the conversation. Oz spoke up. "Letting them go now is the only way I can see to get to Xander in time, even with this Blood Token thing. So you have to give in on that one. And, you can promise not to follow them to England. That's easy." He lowered his voice considerably. "But Willow told me about a friend of yours named Kendra who COULD go to England."

Giles almost smiled. "He's absolutely right. With a little training, you could show Kendra all their weaknesses and she could go hunt them."

Cordelia spoke up. "We have to save Xander. Angel could have started that ceremony already. Please?" The sight of Cordelia pleading for someone else's life caused Buffy to decide.

Decision made, Buffy turned back to Spike, who was waiting patiently. "Okay, you have a deal. You guys leave tomorrow and I'll back off. Now, we're in kind of a hurry, so could you…"

"Do you promise not to follow us to England?" Spike interrupted.

"Yes. Now--"

"What guarantee do I have that you won't?" he demanded.

Buffy looked around, impatiently. She glared at Spike and met his eyes. "I swear to you that I will not follow you to England on the life of my Watcher and the lives of my friends."

A slow smile spread on Spike's lips. "Agreed."

Xander blinked a few times in the semi-dark that now enveloped him. He was slightly warmed, but still much colder than was comfortable. He wanted to say something to Angel, something threatening or at least witty, but he could barely breathe, let alone speak. And he couldn't think very clearly. Most of his thoughts were very jumbled. It was more images than real thinking. But if that was all he could muster up right now, so be it. He tried to take in his surroundings. I want to know where I'm going to die, he thought absently. Finally he noticed a row of garbage cans. Oh, the alley. Damn alleys. Nothing good ever happens in an alley. I don't want to be a vampire. I'd rather be dead. Just plain old dead. He looked around for his friends, but they were nowhere to be seen. He thought of the three women in his life.

He felt sad thinking about them. When he was gone, Willow would be so upset. Willow had already lost Jesse. She deserved better than to have her few friends die. He tried to comfort himself with the thought that Oz would take care of her. And Xander knew that if there was one thing he could count on in this world besides Willow being there for him, it was that Oz would look out for her when he himself no longer could. But deep in his soul he knew he would miss Willow the most. She'd always been there for him. Always. No matter how stupid or mean he was to her. She'd come right back to offer her support and friendship to him. He hoped she knew how much he loved her. He hoped she didn't blame herself for what was about to happen. Mostly he hoped she would find a way to stop this. He knew that Willow would try to save him. But he remembered how Angel had thrown her across the alley like a doll, and he remembered his own horror as she tried to trade her life for his. He realized abruptly that their friendship was still what he prized most in his life. He hoped he got the chance to tell her so. I know you're trying if you can, Will. I love you.

He liked to think that Cordelia would be upset too, but he still wasn't sure how she felt about him. He wished that he had told her how much she meant to him. How proud he was that she was trying to improve herself and shed her bitchy image. He thought that with time, they really could have had something. Even with all the fighting. Cordy, I did love you. I really did.

But oh, this would be hardest on Buffy. He hoped that if Angel failed at making him a vampire that Buffy didn't find his body. He hoped if Angel succeeded that he and Buffy would never have to fight. If they did, he prayed she would have the courage to stake him. She would never forgive herself. Especially since it was Angel who was going to kill him. She had been trying to get up the courage to kill Angel for a little over a month now. She would place the blame for his death squarely on herself and her inability to kill Angel before this happened. He could picture her over his empty grave, asking forgiveness. Am I prophetic now too? He wondered. I forgive you Buffy, he thought. Even if you can't forgive yourself. If I can somehow, I'll come back and tell you so. It was my own fault. I followed the vamps outside. I lost. It was my own fault, Buffy. Not yours. I forgive you for not being there. I forgive you for not being able to find me now. I forgive you. Please forgive yourself. It wasn't your fault. I love you Buffy. I forgive you. I forgive you. I forgive you.

As Angel lit the black candles and prepared the to perform the ceremony to convert Xander, he thought he heard Xander say, "I forgive you."

He smirked. "Forget forgiveness. Later you'll be thanking me."

Willow crouched in a row of hedges across the street from the warehouse. She could see Giles' car out front. She had waited a full ten minutes after her arrival to cross the street and get closer. Okay, so they must be in there fighting Angel. Otherwise, they would have come out by now. Right? She told herself. Or maybe they had all been captured! Or maybe they found Xander and he was… Oh God!

Unable to restrain herself any longer, and despite her good intentions about not letting Buffy see her, Willow approached the door to the warehouse and peeked in. She saw Giles and Buffy standing across the room -- leaning over SPIKE -- who was in a WHEELCHAIR - reading something. And on the other side of the room sat Oz and Cordelia, talking quietly and having tea with DRUSCILLA?! She really didn't mean to, but the shock knocked her already unsteady feet out from under her, and she fell through the doorway.

Everyone looked up at her in surprise. She hastened to get up quickly, "I'm okay," she blurted.

Oz and Giles hurried to her side, each taking an arm and supporting her. "Will, what are you doing here?" Buffy asked, bewildered, as they led her to a sofa.

"I just thought I could help more here than in the hospital, you know…" she trailed off as she saw the absolutely venomous look Giles was giving her. "Well, I meant to hide, but then you were in here so long…" she started.

"Nevermind that now," he sighed. "How are you? Dizzy, I bet."

"Only when I see my friends having tea with our sworn enemy," she replied. "Up until then I was doing pretty well."

"I see. Well, Spike and er, Druscilla are going to help us find Xander and stop the transformation in exchange for a favour."

"We're working together? Oh dear. I think I'd better …Oh, I am sitting down. Good for me."

Oz put his arm around Willow and held her steady while she digested this turn of events. "You okay?" he asked. He lightly traced the bruise on her cheek. She noticed his gauze bandage was gone, and noted the jagged scab partially hidden by his now-orange hair. She absently wondered if werewolves healed faster.

"I guess so," she replied, not sounding certain at all.

Oz planted a soft reassuring kiss on her lips. "I'm so sorry Angel hurt you, Willow. But we'll DO this. It will be okay. I'm sure Xander knows we're coming for him."

Druscilla stopped in front of her with a tray. "Would you like some tea?" she offered.

Willow's mouth dropped open again. Buffy and Giles returned to Spike.

"So, if you're going to stop the ceremony, you have to blow out all the candles, and burn this book that contains the spell," he finished. He clapped the book closed and handed it to Giles.

"And you're sure he's gone back to the alley?" Buffy prodded.

"He was afraid you'd go to his apartment next. He wanted to perform it in the library - that's his idea of a good joke, you know - but he's been specifically uninvited there and can't get in. He told us he was going back to the scene of the crime." Spike paused. "There's two things he's counting on to make this happen. The first is that you and your friends here will be in no shape to find him and stop him tonight. The second is that you're still too weak to kill him."

"Angel has no idea how strong he's actually made me," Buffy replied. She grabbed her discarded crossbow off the table and motioned to Giles. He followed her to the group at the sofa. "Okay, Cordelia you take Willow back to the hospital, and -"

Willow jumped up so quickly she startled everyone. "No! I'm not going back. We do this together."

"Will, you keep swaying from side to side and I'm really worried about you." Buffy grabbed her hands and looked at her intently.

"But Buffy, it's XANDER." Willow's plea spoke volumes of her devotion to her friend.

Buffy then put her arm around her, looked into her eyes. And saw her own concern and desperation mirrored there. She couldn't just turn her back on that. And she knew, without a doubt that if she'd been in Willow's position, she'd be doing the same thing Willow was. "I know, Will, I know." She handed her crossbow to Giles so she could envelop her friend in a hug. "Okay, you come with us. But you have to stay in the car."

Giles began to protest, but Buffy silenced him with THAT look.

They all trooped to the door and Buffy turned to Spike and Druscilla. "Thank you," she said.

"Just remember our deal," Spike replied. Then they all piled into Giles' waiting car.

They stopped at Buffy's house so she could get matches and lighter fluid to burn the book. Oz and Cordelia accompanied her into the house to grab extra stakes as well. Willow and Giles sat in silence in the car for a moment before Willow spoke. "I'm sorry Giles. I'm not sorry I'm here, but I am sorry you're mad at me."

"Willow-" Giles began.

"But, I have a way to stop Angel! I studied the spell I gave you from Ms. Calendar's disk. And I bought an orb! I have all the spell components right in my bag here, and I was -"

Giles smiled at her slightly as he interrupted. "Willow, I had the exact same idea. And although I was disappointed that you decided to sneak out of the hospital, I'm glad you're here now."

"You had the same idea? Do you have an orb?" Willow asked.

"Yes," Giles replied, reaching down beside his seat and retrieving his satchel. He fished around in it for a moment. "Here." Willow studied the orb in the dim light. It was an orb of Thessulah. Just like hers. "I didn't have time to study or to gather the spell components," he admitted. "I was going to try and improvise in case of an emergency."

"There are only three components, Giles, and I have them all here," Willow informed him. "Did you get Buffy's permission?" she asked softly.

"Well, yes, but only providing Xander's not in danger. If she doesn't have to fight Angel, she won't."

They were suddenly distracted by the return of the others. They opened the small trunk and put as many supplies in there as they could. Giles' car barely fit the passengers, let alone room for pointy stakes. Giles started the engine, and with a groan, the car pulled away from the curb. Showtime, Buffy thought.