Chapter 2: In Which There is Much Dread "They disappeared. Just like that?" Giles rubbed his eyes. His glasses swung in his hand. "Yeah. The lines disappeared and they were gone." "That's very peculiar. Go over again the exact spell. Maybe we can correct your mistake." "Mistake? I usually don't make mistakes…well maybe I do. But not lately. Maybe it's your fault. Maybe that weird warding spell you did caused cosmic reverberations that stayed attached to me and interfered with my spell." Willow spewed angrily. She hated it when her magic was criticized. They stared at each other. "Do you really think that's possible?" For once Giles was relying on her for her expertise. "I don't know. Maybe. This is Sunnydale. Weirder things have happened." "They could be anywhere." "Wow." "Poor Buffy." "We'll just have to do another spell. A scrying one." "Another spell?" Willow looked at Giles. "Oh fine. Don't blame me if your bad mojo sends us all to outer space. "I do not have bad mojo- oh nevermind. We'll do a simple one. Deduce if they are in this dimension. Then we'll see." "I really don't like the sound of that." "You'll like it even less when I suggest we get Anya to help. She might understand a bit more than we do at this point." "Anything to have Buffy back. The Hellmouth feels all really evil when she's not here." "An interesting way to put it Willow." Giles picked up the phone and called up Anya's. She wasn't home. With a little grimace he dialed Xander's and she picked up. He explained quickly, trying to keep the mental image from forming and told them to meet him at The Magic Box. "Giles got a dose of The Sexcapades." Willow snickered to Tara. They followed him outside to his Cherry Red Convertible, courtesy of a midlife crisis. The book that lay forgotten on the floor changed. It grew extra, blank pages at the end, which were being filled at the moment with words and colorful illustrations of a new chapter. Once they were at the Magic Box Giles got together all the ingredients for the spell. Willow and Tara dug through the books and found one suited to their venture. Xander and Anya arrived a few minutes later looking sleepy and disheveled. "Ok. We are a go." Anya gave them a thumbs up. "What?" "As I was trying to ask you on the phone Anya, do you know where Spike and Buffy might be?" "You guys did a spell. Then Willow went home and did another, and you think they did something to each other?" "Yes." "Giles and I did a warding spell then I did one that warns me and Tara if Glory comes near any of us using a sort of chemical friction reaction thing with this pentagram connecty spell.." "Oh! I think I know this one. Wait a second." She furrowed her brow in concentration. "Either the ingredients in your spell reacted with the spell in Giles house when you connected him or you messed up." "Explain it again. In English?" Xander asked. "It's like a computer. Say Giles uploaded something onto a networked computer then Willow did but the 2 files clashed so they messed up the other computers, but only certain ones." Everyone nodded. Then Giles jumped up. "Where's Dawn?" Everyone looked at each other. "I thought she was with you." Xander looked at Willow. "No. I thought she was with you, while Buffy went to talk to Spike." Willow shook her head. "No. Because I had to help him back to his crypt." "She can't have gone far. And plus she's out of that I Wonder If I'm Real? State so it should be alright." Anya said. "We have to find Buffy. But we need to find Dawn. Ok. Girls you stay here and figure out how Buffy's computer short circuited while Xander and I go find Dawn." "That was only an example. But it's kinda funny considering the Buffy dummy." Anya gestured to the robot, propped up in a corner. "I have an idea. You guys work on the spell." Willow went over to the Buffy robot and pulled off the control panel. "I hope it's not kinky." Anya said more to herself than Tara. Tara shifted and began setting up the ingredients. Chapter 3