Chapter four

"I can’t believe it...a mansion? How is that for living the cliché?" Buffy wondered aloud.

Willow and Eric had just completed the location spell. They had been surprised when they had found out Electra's hiding place ...a mansion.

Spike couldn't help smiling at Buffy's words. They were loading bags with weapons, ready to go and fight Electra. They had already established much to Willow and Giles' disappointment that Eric, Buffy and he, were going to be the only ones to go to that mansion.

He took a look at Eric; he was lightly frowning while looking at the map they had laid down on the floor.

"What is it, Eric?" Spike asked, although he already knew the answer, he had been thinking the same things.

"The Slayer is right...it's too clichéd...too simple. It just smells like a trap..." Eric looked at him and shrugged, "I don't like it...Electra probably knows protection spells, yet we haven't had troubles in tracking her..."

Spike nodded, "I know...it's just like she wants us there..." he shrugged and added smiling, "and we don't want to disappoint that cow, do we?"

Eric smiled back at him and said, "Of course we don't..."

"Am I the only one who's wigging out seeing the two of them smiling?” Xander asked looking first at the two vampires then at his friends. He was still sitting on the stairs, he had barely been able to hide his disappointment when Eric hadn't asked for his help, especially after what had happened a month before.

Buffy and Giles were next to Spike, they were looking at each other, it looked like a silent conversation was going on between the two of them. Willow was putting away the components of the spell, a strange frown marring her brow.

Anya who had been silent 'til that moment said, "Oh, I don't know Xander, they look kinda cute..."

Xander shot a look at her girlfriend; she smiled and added, "In a wigging out kinda of way..."

Willow smiled at her friends' words, but her smile faded when looking at Spike said, "You are going to fall for her trap, aren't you? Why?"

"We have to stop her, Red...I should have staked her, when she got into my crypt this afternoon..." Spike said matter-of-factly.

"But you didn't ...why?" Willow asked.

Spike didn't answer her. He swallowed and turned his back at her, closing one of the bags. From the corner of his eyes he could see Buffy looking at him.

He couldn't tell them, he had been so surprised by his reaction to her macabre gift and by what she had told him that he hadn't had the chance to do anything.

Buffy though, seemed to feel that because she said, "It doesn't matter now, don't you think? She wants us there, and we'll happily oblige!"

Eric looked at Buffy. He could feel her power; he was getting strange vibes from her.

<She doesn't know, yet>

He thought. He could feel Spike's eyes on him, he turned and looked at him, he shrugged at him, deciding he was going to talk to him about the Slayer after they stopped Electra.

"I guess it's time to go..." Buffy said closing her bag. She turned toward Giles, the man was next to her, she smiled at him but didn't say anything. Giles smiled back at her. He stretched a hand and took hers in his, squeezing it. He looked at her for some long seconds before saying, "Be careful, Buffy..."

Buffy nodded at him. She could see in his eyes, how worried he was for her. She knew they had willingly chosen to fall for Electra's trap, but she felt they had to stop her, not matter what.

It wasn't just for the possibility she could expose the other Eletti...Spike's words about his dreams, and the look in both his eyes and Willow's had scared her.

She looked at Eric and said, "Wanna stop the big ho?"

Eric nodded at her, then looked at Spike; the younger vampire was looking at his red-head. He wasn't talking and neither was she. They were just looking at each other, their feelings evident on both their faces.

He could almost hear the words they were silently exchanging. Although Spike was trying his best to keep up his facade, he could clearly see how scared he was both for himself and for the red-head.

He barely resisted the urge to unnecessarily sigh and shook his head. He turned toward Xander asking, "How do you feel about helping us?"

Xander blinked, surprised, but nodded and got up from the stairs, he looked down at Anya and asked, "Is that ok for you, An?"

The former demon shrugged and stretched her hand, squeezing Xander's before saying, "I know you want to...just be careful..."

Xander nodded and smiled at her, wondering for a second when Anya had changed so much, he was so proud of her, he knelt next to her and softly kissed her lips before saying, "I love you..."

"Love you too" she whispered.

He got up and looked at Eric saying, "I'm your man..."

Eric smiled and said, "We'd better go, then..."

Spike looked at them. He knew Eric and how he'd been impressed by Xander's potential and by the courage showed by the young man, during the attempted heta7tanatos. He made a mental note to himself to talk to Eric about it when they were alone.

Eric headed to the door, followed by Xander and Buffy. Spike stood still at the centre of the living room, oblivious of Giles and Anya's eyes on him. His gaze was still locked with Willow's. The red-head smiled at him but he could feel how worried and afraid she was...for him.

He smiled back at her then turned, heading to the door, wondering why just like in his dreams, he felt like he was being ripped in two.

He swallowed, steeling himself. He looked at Eric, the older vampire nodded at him and whispered, "Block anything else out, William...we have to stop her..."

"You can bet on it, mate..." Spike said through clenched teeth

Eric nodded and said, "Alright...oh, by the way how do you feel about having me as your room mate for a while after we stop our honey?"

Spike snorted and almost growled, "Oh, joy! First the threats to the Eletti, then to my girlfriend, then to me and now you're going to live with me...Electra is going down...that's a promise...and Eric? Gheraious or not you're sleeping on the floor!"

*~~*~~*~~*~~*

"I hoped you were more of a challenge, William...I'm deeply disappointed!"

Electra said shaking her head while looking at Spike and his friends through the Solomon's Mirror.

It was one of the first things she'd learned from her European friends, a simple iron plate, adjusted with two or three words repeated like a mantra for a while could work magic....literally.

She was surprised that none of the magic users among them had noticed it. She let out a chuckle, they had been so busy in trying to locate her...they were right about one thing, though.

It was a trap...she smiled when she thought that none of them had the faintest idea about what was going to happen, though.

She covered the mirror with a blue velvet sheet and began to pace her room, thinking, waiting.

She could feel the power, and marvelled at the freedom to use it.

She'd always felt the strength of those hidden powers, the sheer joy of manipulating the facts, the objects, the people. The strength derived from saying few words, which contained a power able to bend the four elements. She hadn't used them, though. She had relied on her strength, on her training as Eletti.

She hadn't dared using her powers...until she had been freed. Only then had she really felt them for the first time, they had engulfed her, they had made her see things, things she had never noticed before.

She had been utterly surprised when she had discovered Spike was one of the Eletti. When she had known him, almost a century before she hadn't been able to sense it.

She had just wondered at why she hadn't been asked to stop him, she had been surprised just by how one of the more sadist vampires she had ever known could be such a caring lover for his mate.

Thinking about Spike made her slightly shiver with pleasure.

She had spied on him since she had arrived to Sunnydale. She had known about his love for the red-headed human. He had defied the orders and blown his cover to save her.

She had been told about them, but she had wanted to see it with her own eyes...only then she had been able to make sense of things.

He had power within him, the power of an utter, soulful love which wrapped him up like an armour

She had sensed the tight control he kept on his demon; she had sensed the nobility of his soul and had marvelled at the idea to bend it.

"From an autumn at the end of the century a knight will be borne. His armour will be blood, his condemnation, duty, his faith, lies." she whispered, smiling. The words as melodious as music

on her ears

A loud thud echoed in the mansion. Electra smiled while she approached a table in her room. She took a little oak box from it and opened it smiling at its content.

She could hear screams and noise of the battle.

"Welcome home, William..." she whispered closing the box.