Title: Wishes and Desires
Author: Michael Weyer
The X-Files, all rights and characters owned by Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions and FOX.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, all rights and characters, owned by Josh Whedon, Mutant Enemy productions and FOX.
Wandererverse created by Steven Pantovich
Exact Wishverse of this story created by Tim Knight
Okay, get ready for Wishverse 101:
The Wishverse broke away from the Wandererverse on two points:
In 1993, Steven St. Wolf was beheaded by James Horton and his hunters and in 1997
Buffy Summers did not come to Sunnydale.
Here's the changes:
Buffy:
1. Buffy Summers stayed in Los Angeles after her parents divorced and didn't
come to Sunnydale until the events of "Be Careful What You Wish For."
2. Joyce Summers was killed by a vampire in 1996.
3. Without Buffy, the Master arose, the Harvest occurred and Sunnydale was ruled by vampires until "Be Careful What You Wish For."
4. Willow and Xander were both turned into vicarious vampires and lovers, the Master's trusted aides.
5. Angel went to Sunnydale to wait for Buffy but she never came. He attempted to
stop the Harvest but was captured and tortured by Willow and Xander for two years.
6. Rupert Giles was a Watcher without a Slayer and organized the "White Hats," humans who fought the vampires, including Oz and Larry.
7. Oz was never bitten by his cousin and is thus not a werewolf. Oh, yeah and he and Larry are lovers.
8. In "Be Careful....." Xander and Willow were cursed with souls while Angel was recursed without the "moment of happiness"
clause. All three help fight the vampires in Sunnydale, with Buffy and Angel taking the first steps towards a relationship.
9. Catherine Madison was never a cheerleader and she and Amy have a much better
relationship therefore. Amy is a brunette, a powerful witch and sleeps with Vamp Xander and Vamp Willow.
10. Amy is an Amazon, with Giles, Larry and Oz given equal empowerments by the Genie from "Aladdin."
11. Jenny Calendar came to Sunnydale after the events of "Be Careful." The gang knows who she
is and she helps out with perhaps the chance of becoming an Amazon someday.
12. XXXX
13. Wish Amy is starting to teach Vamp Willow witchcraft.
Highlander:
1. The events of the fifth season finale occurred and Duncan beheaded Richie.
2. When Steve St. Wolf was beheaded in 1993, the Hunters realized how he truly fought demons and repented, ending their hunting of Immortals and
going after demons instead.
3. Duncan McLeod became the wielder of Demon Slayer after St. Wolf's death.
4. Ceirdwyn works as a police detective in Sunnydale and is getting into a possible relationship with King Arthur Pendragon, who was awakened from his
sleep during "Be Careful......" Ceirdwyn also is helping to train Buffy.
5. The character of Katya, played by Justina Vail, appeared in the sixth season Highlander episode "Justice."
X-Files:
1. Mulder, Scully, and Melissa Scully were shot and killed by Krychek in 1996
(the X-Files second season finale) and became Immortal but didn't understand it at first.
2. Amanda was their teacher.
3. Skinner is their Watcher (and, in the Wishverse, has a full head of hair).
4. No empowerments so far for either of them.
5. Mulder and Scully are still only partners, no relationship just yet (so far).
6. Margaret Scully was killed in a car crash in 1995, Scully's father is still alive.
Author's note: This takes place entirely in the Wishverse, as you'll see. It was
going to be purely a "backstory" tale, then evolved from there. Thanks to Tim and Steve for help in figuring things out. Enjoy.
Sunnydale, CA
January 17th, 1997 - 1801 Hours PST
"I can't do it."
"Yes, you can."
"I can't."
"You can."
"I can't!"
"You can."
"I. Can't!"
"Okay, now we're just getting monotonous."
Jesse Balfour smiled a bit at the glare Willow Rosenberg was giving him. The two were walking through the park, cutting their way towards the Bronze, ready to meet their best friend, Xander Harris who, it turned out, was the topic of conversation.
"Look, Will," Jesse said, his hands in the pockets of his jeans, his loose t-shirt giving him a very casual look. "You're nuts about him, have been for years, it's so obvious."
"Not to him," Willow said with a pout, kicking at a stone. The shy redhead was wearing a frumpy pair of slacks and blouse, showing as little skin as possible.
"Well, that's because Xander's a part-time idiot," Jesse remarked with a shrug. "But come on, Will, it's a new year, we're in high school now, it's time to lay it on the line with him. Be up front, be assertive and tell him you love him."
"What if he won't believe me?" Willow asked. "Or worse, he laughs at me?"
"Come on, Willow, this is Xander," Jesse stressed. "You know he won't laugh."
"But come on, Jesse, look at me!" Willow said, stopping and waving at herself. "I'm just a little computer geek, I'm not one of those buff and hot women he looks at, like Cordelia or Harmony."
"Yeah, but you've got a lot more than either of them has," Jesse pointed out. "You've got brains and skills and most of all, he's known you all your lives, he knows you care for him, just not in that way. Make him see that, Will."
"How?" Willow asked, shrugging.
Jesse looked her over, rubbing his chin. "Well, you could try changing the appearance a bit. Nothing radical," he quickly added as Willow stared at him. "Just......tweak the image a bit, wear nicer clothes, maybe even something a little revealing. Get his attention with that and he'll soon see how special you are."
"You think so?" Willow said, smiling hopefully.
"I know so," Jesse said with certainty. "Look, I'm going to go to the Bronze, see if he's there yet. Why don't you go home, use a little makeup, find something cool and come right over? It'll be fun."
Willow thought for a long moment before nodding. "Okay. Okay, you're right, Jesse, I'll do it, I'll do that right now."
"Good for you, Will," Jesse said with a smile, happy for her. "See you later." He turned and moved to the Bronze, looking forward to seeing the look on Xander's face when he saw Willow a bit gussied up.
Willow turned and headed towards her house. "This can work," she thought to herself. "This really could work, I'll just go, doll myself up, go to the Bronze, go to him and then I'll lose my nerve at the last minute and babble and make myself look like a fool----------"
Before her downward turn in thoughts could be completed, a pair of hands reached out from some bushes and grabbed her, yanking her away. Before Willow could even cry out, she felt a sharp stinging pain in her neck, the last sensation she would ever have as a live human.
Sunnydale Public Library
Sunnydale, CA
January 17th, 1999 - 1747 Hours PST
"What do you mean, you don't know where they are?" Buffy Summers, the Vampire Slayer, asked, glaring at the people gathered in the library, many of whom cringed a bit at the look on her face. Although she had made great strides in the last few weeks, Buffy still had a lot of attitude with her, still getting over the years of solitude she had put herself in before going to the Sunnydale of the other reality. Right now, that attitude was coming to the forefront as she let her anger show, the scar on her lip seeming to flash a bit as she took in the nervous glances of the others.
Rupert Giles, Buffy's Watcher, swallowed, adjusting his glasses, a force of habit seeing as how he didn't really need them. *My doppelganger was right. 20/20 vision can be a beneficial side effect of empowerment.* "Buffy," he cleared his throat. "We had thought that you would know where Willow and Xander are and that they would be coming with you to the meeting."
"How would I know?" Buffy asked, throwing up her hands. She motioned towards the red-haired young woman at the end of the table. "Why not ask her? She's the one who spends every night of the week sleeping with both of them."
Amy Madison threw up her hands, the Amazon witch's posture going on the defensive. "Hey, last I saw was this morning before I came to school, they spent the night downstairs together. They never said anything about being late or anything."
"You don't think they've run into trouble or anything, do you?" Larry Blasidwell asked in concern. The powerfully built young man was leaning on a nearby table, which seemed stronger than usual in order to take his impressive weight.
"They run into trouble, they can handle it," Oz Green spoke up, shrugging at his boyfriend. They were a decidedly unlikely couple and not just because they were both men. The powerfully built jock and the smaller, thin rock guitarist whose hair was currently a deep shade of purple. Oz simply lounged in a chair, seeming totally relaxed but Buffy knew fully well he was ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.
"Thank you for that exhaustive analysis," Buffy said sarcastically. She turned towards the final person in the library. "How about you? You know anything?"
"Why would I?" Jenny Calendar asked with a frown.
"Well, you are the big vamp expert here with the whole spy network and everything."
Jenny sighed and rolled her eyes, running a hand through her raven-black hair. She was wearing a pair of jeans and dark shirt, a more casual look than she employed as computer teacher. "Buffy," she said carefully. "I only knew about Angel before I came to Sunnydale, not any other vampires. And when I heard the curse on him would be permanent, I gave up any idea of spying on him, you know that. So, no, I don't know where they could be."
Buffy paced, arms folded before her. "What about our other buddies?"
"Arthur and Ceirdwyn are still on the way back from San Francisco, handling the talk with those Kindred beings we heard about," Giles informed his Slayer. "Buffy, Oz is correct, those two are capable of handling themselves."
"Sorry," Buffy muttered. "I'm just a bit worried. They've both been.....off the last few days."
"How can you tell?" Larry said with a snort.
"No, she's right," Amy added. "Both of them have been distant even when we're......you know. They just seem distracted, is all."
"For good reason."
Everyone jumped a bit and turned to the door to see the man standing there. He slowly entered, his long coat billowing around him, his handsome face drawn in seriousness as he looked over the group.
"Hats off once again for the guy who can scare the kids," Larry said sarcastically as he looked at the new arrival.
Buffy sighed and looked at the man, trying to hide the attraction she was really starting to feel for him. "Angel, you know something we don't?"
"A lot of things," Angel said softly. "But I know why they're not here, why they won't be here tonight."
"Enlighten us, o wise and brooding one," Buffy said mockingly. "Why?"
Angel glanced towards Giles. "Giles, does this date mean anything to you?"
Giles frowned at him, brow knitted in confusion, his mind trying to do some quick math. He stopped, his eyes widening and his jaw falling open. "Oh, dear lord, of course," he whispered, his face pale.
"What?" Jenny said, staring at the Watcher in confusion.
Giles slowly rubbed at his chin as he looked at the others. "It was two years ago, tonight, that Willow and Xander were first turned."
A long silence covered the room as the others took that in, all with various looks of sorrow and understanding. "Damn," Buffy muttered. "So......guess they have stuff to take care of."
"They do," Angel confirmed with a nod. "I doubt we'll see them here tonight. They have a lot to work out."
"I don't get it," Amy stated, frowning. "I mean, they seem to have it together a lot."
"Maybe they do most of the time," Angel answered with a shrug. "But this is different. This is the anniversary, their first since they got their souls back. That makes it hard."
"Angel, I think we know what they feel--------"
"No, Giles, you don't," the vampire replied. "You can't. None of you can. None of you can imagine doing the things they've done, the things we've done, and then care about it. They've made progress, they really have, but tonight......tonight is going to be rough on them. It's a lot of bad memories and trust me, those always come up at the worst times."
Home of Xander Harris
January 17, 1997 - 2004 Hours PST
The doorbell ringing roused Xander from his stupor in front of the television. Rising, the teen moved towards the door, wondering who it could be. His parents were, for a change, out, probably on another beer run together. Xander took it as a small break from their constant state of drunken stupor and berating of him. He hoped it would take his dad a while to get going, he was in no way in a mood to handle his crap later on.
Opening the door, Xander was surprised to see Willow standing there. She had a little smile on her face as she looked up at him, her look seeming.....different somehow. "Hey, Will, come on in!" Xander said, moving away.
"Thank you," Willow answered, smiling widely as she stepped into his house, looking around. "Are your parents here?"
"Nah, off on another resupply mission for their next trip to Brain Cell Kill Land," Xander answered, trying to seem nonchalant. He looked at Willow, noticing how her walk suddenly seemed so different, almost.....sultry. "So," Xander said, shaking his head. "I waited at the Bronze for a while but you didn't show up. What happened?"
"Oh, just ran into someone who gave me a new look at life," Willow said, turning towards him. "It gave me the courage to finally say something I've been wanting to for a while."
"What?" Xander asked with a frown, peering at her.
"I love you."
"Well, hey, Will, I love you too------"
"No, no, no," Willow said, slowly moving forward. "I don't mean 'I love you' in the best friends way. I mean 'I love you' in the I-want-to-take-you-and-fuck-you-right-here-and-now way."
"Huh?" was all Xander could say, his jaw dropping at the sound of sweet, kind, dependable Willow suddenly cursing in a bewitching tone. He found himself stepping back as Willow moved toward him, his back pressing on the door. Willow moved in close, arms wrapping around Xander's neck, looking up at them. Had Xander been a bit more alert, he might have realized how, despite their closeness, Willow was giving off no body heat.
"I always wanted you, Xander," Willow said, her face taking on a pouty expression. "But you never noticed. All those signals I threw out and you never noticed, never thought of me like that. You never did, Xander. So, I guess I'm just going to have to fix that."
Xander's mind was whirling at the words he'd just heard. Love Willow? How? She was his best friend and that was all, the person he could always talk to, the person he'd always depended on, the person who was always ready to hear about his problems, the first one he thought of when there was trouble, the person he most worried over being in trouble, the person.....
The woman.......
That he loved too.
Xander's eyes widened and his mouth opened. He licked his lips, swallowing from his suddenly dry throat as he started to speak. "Willow.....I......I think I......I think I might-------"
What else might have happened would be lost to fate for it was at just that moment that Willow's fangs sank into Xander's neck, her arms holding on tight as he automatically struggled. As the lifeblood drained out of him, Xander felt his world fade away, slowly falling to the floor. He was dimly aware of Willow doing something with her arm, her wrist at his mouth. "Drink," he heard her say in a commanding tone and, unable to resist, he opened his mouth and felt a rush of warm liquid enter it. And that was the last truly human perception he would have.
Willow paced a bit, arms folded, looking down at Xander, trying to keep from snarling with impatience. How long could this possibly take? From what she understood, she hadn't taken too long herself so she couldn't understand the delay. She hoped she hadn't taken too much so it wouldn't work. She wanted this, she really did.
She heard a strange sound and looked down at Xander's limp body. She watched as his face suddenly crinkled up, ridges appearing on his forehead, fangs growing in his mouth. He opened his yellow eyes, glancing about, looking up at Willow. With a smile, the redhead let her own demonic visage appear as she leaned down.
"Welcome back," she cooed. "How do you feel?"
"A bit woozy," the newly made vampire responded. Without warning, he grabbed Willow and pulled her into a passionate kiss. They remained lip-locked for a full three minutes, tongues wrapped around each other, neither needing oxygen to break the kiss.
They finally broke apart, looking at each other with desire in their eyes. "I feel a lot better now," Xander added with an evil grin.
"Oh, this is going to be so good," Willow stated, hissing as she held onto him tight. "I can just imagine how we'll paint the town red."
"Well, wait on that a bit," Xander said, slowly rising up. "I'm starving and I need something bad."
"Who you wanna make your first meal?" Willow asked, licking her lips.
Xander paused in thought, rubbing his chin. "I never liked my civics teacher," he finally decided.
"Snyder?"
"Why not? Hell, the entire school will be grateful."
"Let's go."
St Peter's Cemetery
Sunnydale, CA
January 17, 1999 - 1802 Hours PST
The two people stood in the opening of the cemetery, utterly still, not even breathing. They held hands, each staring at the opening and the rows of graves inside, both lost in their thoughts. The male wore leather pants and a jacket over his white shirt. The woman was in a very tight leather red leather outfit that accented her chest a bit, brushing at her shoulder-length red hair.
"You ready for this?" Xander Harris asked, looking at his lover and long-time best friend.
"Not in the least," Willow Rosenberg replied. "But it has to be done, right?"
"Yeah," Xander said softly. "Yeah, it has to be done." Giving Willow's hand a strong squeeze, Xander led the way into the cemetery, the two separating, each going to a different side, each dreading what they were about to yet looking forward to a bit of closure.
Sunnydale
January 17, 1997 - 2127 Hours PST
"What do you think of this?" Xander asked as he tossed a leather jacket over the dressing room door. "Think it'd be perfect on me?"
"Hmmm. Fits the pants," Willow's voice came over the doorway. "Go for it." Xander nodded, sliding the jacket on, making sure it fit right. He liked it, it felt good on him, natural. He turned as the door opened and Willow stepped out. Xander's eyes bugged out at the sight of his friend and sire in a tight leather outfit. "Damn," he muttered. "I never thought you'd be that hot."
"Thanks," Willow responded, grinning as she gave herself a little twirl. "Is it really okay? I can't see my reflection, so......."
"Oh, it's perfect, trust me," Xander grinned in answer. "And me?"
"Hmmmm, good enough to eat," Willow said, moving in. "Oh, wait, I already did that." She and Xander laughed and shared another kiss.
"Come on, Wills," Xander said, breaking away. "Let's get going."
"Sure." Willow nodded, walking off, stepping over the body of one of the store's clerks, her neck still showing trails of blood from where Xander had bit her. Willow paused and gazed at a stack of necklaces. "Ooooh, this would be a great addition," she cooed, picking one up. She glanced about the seemingly empty store. "Hello? Service, please?"
A moan got her attention and she looked down to see the other shopkeeper, a teenaged girl, crawling on the floor, her broken right leg trailing behind her, the girl's eyes filled with tears due to pain and terror. She stopped, screaming as Willow's heel stepped down on her broken leg, sending new pain through her. "Excuse me," Willow stated, leaning down. "Do you think this is good on me?"
The girl didn't answer, simply whimpering in fear, begging and praying under her breath. "I said, is this good on me?" Willow asked impatiently. As the woman did nothing but cry, Willow rolled her eyes and reached down, taking the woman's head in her hands and savagely twisting it to the right. A loud cracking sound went off and the clerk was dead before she even realized it.
Willow stood up, brushing her hands. "The customer is always right, honey," she intoned, sliding the necklace onto herself. She looked up at where Xander was grinning at her. "We'll definitely save a fortune on shopping," he noted. His eyes were caught by a set of watches in a display case. "Wait outside, Wills, I'll be right out. I need a new timepiece anyhow."
"Don't keep me waiting," Willow said in a half-teasing, half-threatening tone. She walked out and to the street, taking a moment to spin in place, her vampire senses taking in all that was around her. All these people, walking Happy Meals, all around her, none of them knowing their proper place as her food. Hers and Xander's. If the last hour was any indication, the two were going to have one bloody good time.
Willow felt someone bump into her and instantly went on alert, spinning around and snarling at the newcomer. "Oops, I'm sorry, miss---------"
Jesse broke off as he took in the face of the woman before him, his eyes widening. "Willow?"
"Hello, Jesse," Willow answered, relaxing a bit and feeling herself get excited at the thought of her second-best friend being here before her.
Jesse's eyes raked over her leather-clad body and took in her new style. "Wow. When you change your image, you don't go halfway, huh?"
"Oh, Jesse," Willow cooed. "That's so sweet. You know, I'm so grateful you talked me into going home instead of going straight to the Bronze, Jesse. It gave me such an opportunity."
"Really?" Jesse said, brightening. "So, you talked to Xander?"
"Oh, we did more than talk," Willow said with that funny smile she had.
"A lot more," Xander said, coming behind Jesse and slapping a hand on his shoulder. Jesse yelped, partly from surprise and partly from the pain of Xander's surprisingly hard slap. He watched as Xander moved around to Willow, bringing her in and the two sharing a long kiss.
Jesse was a bit thrown by the sight, for various reasons. On the one hand, he was happy to see his two best friends finally together in the way he wanted them to be. However, he was getting a very uncomfortable feeling seeing the two like this. They seemed to be enjoying flaunting themselves before him, which was very unlike them. And the outfits. He would have sworn Willow would never be caught dead in anything like what she was wearing.
"So, um," Jesse coughed, trying to get the attention of the duo. "What have you guys been up to all night?"
"Oh, this and that," Willow answered as they broke the kiss. "Just enjoying the night life."
"Well, you guys better get going home," Jesse said with a smile. "School day tomorrow, remember?"
"Oh, I don't think you'll be seeing us there tomorrow," Xander answered lightly. "Me and Will are sort of blowing it off."
"What?" Jesse asked, frowning.
"Yeah, we've got more important things to do," Willow said with a nod. "Like eating." She looked over at Xander. "You want to get something to go?"
"Sure," the man replied. Slowly, the two looked over at Jesse.
Jesse felt a very unpleasant sensation of foreboding danger come over him as the two smiled. It was at that point that they changed. With a strange crackling sound, their faces shifted, their brows growing ridges, their eyes turning yellow and very large fangs sprouting in their mouths.
Jesse stood, frozen in horror at the sight of what had been his two best friends. Finally, instinct kicked in and he immediately turned and ran as fast as he could the other way. Behind him, the two shared a smile and took off after him.
Jesse ran, his mind unable to face what he had just seen, his legs automatically pumping as he raced down the street. He didn't even know where he was going, he just had to get away from the sight of the two monsters wearing his friends' faces. He rushed into a street, not bothering to check the lights and only barely caught the headlights of the car racing toward him. He stopped and held up his hands, the car braking hard and coming to a stop only inches away from him.
The car was thrown into park, the driver coming out to face Jesse. "Will you watch where you're going?" the man said in a British accent. "I could have------" He broke off as he looked at the young man. "Mr. Balfour?"
"Mr. Giles," Jesse got out, his breath coming in hard heaves. "I'm sorry.....I have to-----I have to try and--------"
"Oh, look," Xander's voice came as he and Willow moved onto the street. "He got us a little desert."
"That's our Jesse," Willow smiled. "Always such a good friend."
Rupert Giles stared at the two vampires for a moment, his eyes widening. He swiftly ducked into his car, popping open the glove compartment and reaching inside. He pulled out a cross, holding it up before the two advancing vamps. They both stopped, hissing as they stepped back, Giles producing a vial of holy water and holding it up, ready to throw it. "Leave, demons," he said in a cold tone. "Leave now."
"Why, G-Man," Xander said lightly, backed away. "You suddenly grow a pair? Since when does the librarian carry that stuff around?"
"Back off now," Giles stated, the cross held at arm's length. "Or die."
Willow curled next to Xander, her face shifting back into human form. "Bored now," she said flatly. "Come on, honey. Let's go have some real fun."
"Sure, babe," Xander said, sharing a long look with Jesse before he turned and walked off with Willow.
Jesse slowly tore his face away from where the two had gone, looking over at Giles. "What the hell is going on?" he said weakly.
"Hell, Mr. Balfour," Giles said softly as he lowered the cross. "May be exactly what's going on."
St. Peter's Cemetery
January 17, 1999 - 1809 Hours PST
Willow knelt before the two graves. Planted side by side, each bore the same style in the words chilsed into them, the Star of David prominent on both headstones. Willow wanted to reach out and touch it but knew of the pain it'd cause. Her eyes slowly took in the words carved into them. Ira Rosenberg 1952-1997 Beloved husband and father Sheila Weinstein Rosenberg 1949-1997 Beloved wife and mother
Willow cleared her throat, sadness in every word she began to speak. "Mom.....Dad.....Hi. I know it's......been a while. And I know this may be a surprise, me suddenly coming to you like this. I guess you know what's happened to me. Then and now. I guess I just couldn't get the courage to do this before. I'm sorry."
She paused, looking down, feeling her eyes grow misty. "I'm sorry," she repeated softly. "Oh, God, I'm so sorry, for everything I did, I'm so sorry for that, for everything, for everything, I'm so, so, so sorry, please, God, I'm so sorry........"
Rosenberg Residence
Sunnydale, CA
January 17, 1997 - 2222 Hours PST
"What do you mean, you don't know where they are?"
Ira Rosenberg looked up at the man who gazed threatingly at him. In the five minutes since Stanley and Judy Harris had come to his home, Ira had come to the conclusion that he intensely disliked both of them. Judy was lounging in a chair in the Rosenberg's living room, sipping at a drink with a posture that told Ira this was hardly her first of the evening.
She, at least, was sedate. Stanley, on the other hand, was a burly man who leaned in towards Ira, the other man less concerned with Mr. Harris' size than by his breath, which reeked of alcohol. Calming himself, the well-dressed man replied. "Mr. Harris, as I just said, Willow called us and told us to wait, she had something important to tell us. I had no idea Xander had called you and asked you to come here until you came bursting in, rather rudely, I might add, and demanded to know their whereabouts."
"Listen, pal," Stanley hissed, his breath threatening to knock Ira over. "It's been a long and hard day and the last thing I need is to have to come over to some well-to-do big shot's house just to pick up my own son, who should be home with me!"
"Mr. Harris, I understand how hard this is," Sheila Rosenberg said. "I do, I truly do. But understand, Willow and Alexander are at an age where it's quite common to act out against the overbearing protectiveness of their parents."
"What, so it's okay for him to just disrespect me anytime he wants?" Stanley yelled at Sheila. Ira tensed at the treatment of his wife but calmed down, letting her do the talking.
"It's not disrespect," Sheila went on in a cool and clinical tone. "It's simply a by-product of age, that's all. It'll pass, don't worry about it, it's perfectly normal."
The ringing of the doorbell was a thankful break for Ira, who quickly made his way there. He opened it to see Xander and Willow standing on the other side. Ira stared in open amazement at the outfit his daughter was wearing and the wicked grin she was throwing him. "Hey, Dad," she said. "Can I come in?"
"Um, yes, yes, of course," Ira said, stepping aside to let Willow enter, unable to tear his eyes off this radical new look she had. He looked back to see Xander still standing on the porch. "Oh, um, I guess you can come in too, Xander."
"Thanks, Ira," Xander nodded in answer, entering and giving the older man a playful whack on the shoulder. Ira was thrown by the usage of the first name but touched at how Xander was polite enough to wait to be asked to be invited in.
"Hi, Mom, still doing the case working?" Willow called out as she entered the living room. Sheila looked at her, eyes widening a bit before nodding. She looked over to the Harrises and pointed at Willow. "See, this is a perfect example of what I was saying," she related as if Willow wasn't even in the room. "She's acting out a bit, trying to make herself over with a new outfit and makeup. Of course, underneath, she's still the same girl, she'll bounce back in no-----"
"Bored now," Willow interrupted with an exaggerated yawn. She smiled as Xander entered the room, throwing a sneer at his parents.
"Boy, what is the meaning of this?" Mr. Harris said dangerously. "You better be careful or I might-------"
"Might what?" Xander snorted. "Might try to do something? Please, I'm amazed you can even stand, the stench of beer on you is nastier than ever right now. Course, that could be just me."
Stanley was shocked at how his words didn't seem to make any impact on Xander at all. "Boy, when we get home........"
"Willow," Ira put in, quick to try and stop a fight. "Just why did you call us all here?"
"Oh, well, me and Xander had something to tell you all, in person." Willow smiled as Xander came up behind her, draping his arm around his shoulder. "Me and Xander are a couple now."
Ira and Sheila stared, Judy simply took another drink and, after a few seconds for her words to fully impact in his alcohol-induced haze, Stanley exploded. "WHAT?!" He yelled, glaring at Xander. "This is what you've been up to all night, boy? Getting in the pants of this kike bitch?"
"Mr. Harris!" Ira yelled, fury in his eyes as he looked at Stanley. "That is enough! You are not going to insult my daughter like that, in my own home!"
"Now, let's calm down here," Sheila said, holding up a hand as she faced her daughter. "Willow, I understand that at your age, you want to try and be with boys, I get that. And, yes, Xander has been a good friend so it's natural you feel close but you have to be careful, honey, these are harder times and------"
"Mom?" Willow said sweetly. "There's something I've been wanting to say to you for years." Without warning, she was in front of Sheila, her face tight as she yelled right into her mother's face. "Shut...the FUCK...UP!"
"YOUNG LADY!" Ira yelled, glaring at his daughter, Sheila in total shock over what Willow had just said. "How dare you treat your mother that way! We do not use language such as that in this house, and certainly not to each other!"
"Why not?" Stanley said sourly. "It's probably how she got to be what she is."
"I beg your pardon?" Ira said, his rage now turned to Stanley.
"Hey, she's obviously just some little slut who wants to get pregnant so she can trick my boy into marriage," Stanley stated with a sneer, throwing a hand towards Willow. "Look at how she's dressed, she probably turns tricks to-------"
"That is enough!" Ira interrupted, having reached his breaking point. "I will deal with my daughter, Mr. Harris. And I will also deal with you."
"Daddy......"
"Daddy's talking, Willow. Mr. Harris, my daughter is a fine and upstanding young woman with whom I have enjoyed a wonderful relationship."
"Daddy......"
"Not now, Willow. I know my daughter, sir, she can always talk to me, she knows I'm always there to listen to her-------"
"Daddy........"
"Not. Now. Honey. I will not stand for any more disrespect in this house, from anyone!"
"Really?" Willow said, moving toward her father. "Then I bet you're just going to hate this."
She reached out, gripping his shoulder hard and spinning her father around. Ira stared, first in surprise, then in horror as for the first time he saw the utter lack of any humanity in his daughter's eyes. Before he could even register what was happening, Willow took his head in her hands and, with a simple twist, snapped his neck, letting his body drop to the floor.
Silence reigned in the room, everyone unable to cope with what they had just witnessed. Even Judy Harris was thrown, the drink falling from her hands as she stared at Ira's body. Stanley tore his eyes away and looked up just in time to see Xander grab him by the neck and hoist him up off the floor. As Xander gave an evil grin, Stanley Harris, in the last moments of his life, realized just how his son had long felt when he would go into a drunken tirade.
Milking the moment, Xander slowly held up his other hand, staring his father dead in the eye. "I can't tell you how good this is going to feel," he coldly said. He let out a laugh and then lashed out, his fingers slicing into Stanley's neck, digging in and then puling back, his throat tearing out in a bloody mess.
Xander let his father drop, Stanley twitching for a bit, making choked gurgles before going still, a pool of blood forming on the carpet before him. Judy's eyes were frozen on her dead husband and never even felt it when Xander ran up to her, grabbing her head by the chin and slamming it back. A cracking sound went out and Judy slumped in the chair, her head at an unnatural angle.
Willow frowned at her boyfriend. "You didn't drain them?"
"What, and wake up with a hangover tomorrow?" Xander sniffed. He slowly looked towards Willow's mother, Willow following his gaze with a smirk.
Sheila Rosenberg was in absolute shock, staring at the body of her husband, not even able to comprehend that he was dead at their own daughter's hands. She suddenly saw a shadow come over her and looked up to see Willow grinning down at her with a lust for violence on her face. "What's the matter, Mom?" she said in a mocking tone. "No analysis of this? No quoting from some volume of child psychology? No comments on what shrink or social worker thought about patricide being a cry for attention? You know, Mom, I might just have spared you if at any time in your life, you treated me like a daughter instead of a case study." She shifted into her game face, loving the added horror on her mother's face as she did. "Then again, maybe I wouldn't."
Sheila's mind was wracked with regret as, in the last moments of her life, she realized just how bad she had treated her daughter and was overwhelmed with guilt over so many wasted opportunities. She loved Willow, she always had but had never expressed it enough. She opened her mouth to try and say that but all that came was a scream as Willow lunged at her, her fangs sinking into her mother's neck, biting down and sucking away every drop of blood she could.
Xander walked forward, pausing to give his father's corpse a kick in the ribs as he watched Willow drain her mother. Sheila slumped in her chair, eyes shut, life flowing out of her body as Willow finally broke away, her mouth lined with red. She looked over at Xander and he couldn't take it anymore. The flush of the kill, of finally paying back his parents, the sight of Willow in leather with her mother's blood on her face and years of pent-up sexual frustration finally erupted and he lunged at Willow, the two falling onto the ground, rolling about and kissing. They ended up near her father, going for each other's clothing, ready to consummate their bloody relationship and bond forever.
St. Peter's Cemetery
January 17, 1999 - 1812 Hours PST
"Over your bodies," Willow sobbed, her face streaked with tears. "We did it right over your bodies, God forgive us." She heaved with a fresh wave of sobs, unable to hold herself back, lying on the ground and letting it all come out, all the pain and regret that had been building up in her all these weeks coming loose at once.
She lay there for several minutes, letting her tears run their course before slowly pulling herself up. "I can never forgive myself for what I did," Willow whispered. "I can't. I still see it in my nightmares. I've killed so many people but yours are always the faces I see the most. I don't care if it was the demon, it was my hands, my teeth, my body that killed you. And I can't possibly say I'm sorry enough for that."
She wiped at her face, feeling the warm tears streak across it. "There was so much I wanted to say to you," she continued. "I never stopped loving you, no matter what. I never did. I just------just wish you had given me more time for it."
She shook her head, looking away. "I don't think Xander feels quite the same about his parents," she said softly. "Oh, he's guilty, no doubt about it. But.......but they're not the deaths that tear at him every night, the ones that he feels the most guilt over. No. No, there's only one death he caused that can give him pain like that."
Across the cemetery, Xander stood by a simple stone marker, one of three that were placed close together. He slowly stepped forward, careful not to mess up the dirt, his hand reaching out and patting the headstone. "Hey, buddy," he said softly, his voice choked. "Guess who's back? Yep, it's me. The best friend who ended up murdering you."
Xander's voice choked, his gaze fixed on the marker as his mind whirled back in time.
Sunnydale Public Library
January 18th, 1997 - 0947 Hours PST
Jesse burst into the library, a newspaper in his hand. "Have you seen this?" he demanded, throwing the paper down.
Rupert Giles looked down at the paper, adjusting his glasses to see the front page. It held a photo of police around the Rosenberg home, with the story devoted to the massacre inside. "Yes, sadly, I have."
Jesse stared as Giles turned away. "And?" he demanded.
"And what?" Giles asked with a frown, turning to him.
"Well, don't you think we should do something?" Jesse shot back his arms spread. "I mean, Willow and Xander are still out there, with......things like this!"
Giles sighed, removing his glasses and rubbing at his nose. After their encounter, he had taken Jesse home, explaining to him along the way about vampires. Jesse had been in disbelief at first but had been forced to accept it, given what he had seen the night before. Apparently, however, the young man didn't understand everything Giles was saying. "Jesse, I hate to say this but chances are, it was Willow and Xander who did this."
Jesse scoffed. "Oh, come on! They could never do this to their parents!" He paused in thought. "Well, Xander, maybe but Willow? Willow could never kill anyone."
"It wasn't Willow," Giles said in a dark tone. "It was the demon who now possess her body. They are soulless creatures, Jesse, they have no pity, no remorse, no morality and no compunction whatsoever about killing those closest to them."
Jesse stared as Giles' words sunk in. He had gotten less than an hour of sleep, his brain reeling from the fate of his friends, unable to tell anyone about what he had seen. "How? How could this happen?"
"It's a long process that I won't bore you with relating now," Giles explained. "Suffice to say, your friends were both turned and are now vampires. And they're not the only ones. This town seems to have a rather sizeable undead population, much greater than I had believed before I came here."
"So, what do we do?" Jesse said in a softer tone.
Giles sighed and rubbed his face. "I have to contact.....some people I know, get some more information," he explained. "You......you go to your classes, try not to let people know what's wrong. When you get home, spread some crosses and garlic by the windows and should they come by, don't invite them in. Vampires can't enter unless invited in."
"But what do we do about Xander and Willow?" Jesse insisted. "We can't just leave them like this, we have to help them--------"
"Mr. Balfour!" Giles said in a sharp tone, breaking through Jesse's stunned mind. The British librarian faced the younger man with a tighter expression than Jesse thought he could possess. "Jesse," Giles went on in a less intense tone. "I am sorry, I truly am, but for all intents and purposes, the people you knew as your friends are dead. It is vital for you to understand that what you saw last night, what you may see again, may look like them, talk like them, act like them, may even on some level believe they are them but they are not. They are murderous demons using their bodies. The best you can do for them is to kill the vampire and let their soul rest in peace."
Jesse stared at him in disbelief. "That's cold," he choked out.
"It's a cold world," Giles replied in just the same tone, turning back towards his office. Jesse watched him go and then, shaking his head, slowly made his way out of the library.
Balfour Residence
1624 Hours PST
"I'm home," Jesse called out as he entered. He was in a sad mood, his mind still coping with the fact that his two best friends were now soulless demons. Even though, on some level, he accepted what Giles was saying and that they were dead, he just couldn't believe that they could be responsible for the bloodbath at Willow's home.
"Mom? Dad?" For the first time, Jesse was struck by how quiet it was in his house. Surely, his parents had to be home by now, they usually came back right before dark. Jesse turned into the kitchen-------and froze in place at what he saw.
"Hiya, Jesse," Willow cooed, stretching in her chair, the leather of her suit straining against her body. Xander stood by the counter, the same wicked smirk on his face as he took in the stunned Jesse. "About time you got here, we were getting bored."
"How------How?" Jesse stammered, frozen in fear and shock.
"Your mom," Xander answered, letting out a grin that chilled Jesse to the bone. "You know we always drop by so she was more than happy to invite us in."
Jesse's eyes widened as he stepped back. "My parents?"
In a blur, Xander was by him, his arm around Jesse's shoulder, pulling him in. "Oh, they're okay," the vampire said in a jovial tone as he pulled Jesse along and into the kitchen. "They're tied up in the basement right now."
Jesse stared at him, confusion breaking through his fear. "You-----you didn't kill them?"
"Nah," Xander said, shaking his head. "We figured you'd want to do it."
"It's a great way to start," Willow smiled as she slowly rose to her feet. "We know."
Jesse stared at her, then Xander, before understanding came over him, followed by a fresh wave of horror. "You------you want to make me a vampire?"
"Why not?" Xander said, squeezing Jesse's shoulder, causing him to let out a gasp of pain. "Come on, Jesse, old bud, think of it! Live forever, never grow old, never have to work or pay any bills, party like there's no tomorrow, it's great!"
"Yeah," Jesse said dryly. "Except for the no sunlight and having to kill to feed."
"Ah, you make it sound so much worse than it is," Xander sniffed. "Look, you're our best bud, we want to give you the chance to know what we know, live like we live."
"Think about it," Willow softly said, smiling as she came up to Jesse, running a finger down his chest. "The three of us. Together, forever, best friends for eternity." She leaned in, her tongue slowly licking at Jesse's ear. "You can't imagine what I can do for you," she whispered huskily.
"See, that's what I mean," Xander whispered into Jesse's other ear. "I'll share Willow with you. Buddy, trust me, she is *so* worth dying for."
"Flatterer," Willow smiled at her lover. She turned to Jesse. "So? Which of us would you like to do it to you? Or would you like us both?"
Jesse swallowed, bringing himself up to speak out. "No."
The two vampires looked at each other in confusion, then at Jesse. "No?" Xander repeated, frowning. "What do you mean, no? Come on, we're you best friends."
"No, you're not," Jesse said, shaking his head as what Giles had been trying to explain finally impacted him. "They're dead, I get that now. They're dead and you're just using their bodies. You can go ahead and kill me if you want but there's no way I'm going to become a damn, miserable, tasteless ghoul like you--------"
Snarling, Xander grabbed him and pushed his head to the side, his mouth going to Jesse's neck and biting down. Jesse yelled in pain as he felt Xander bite him, the vampire waving Willow off and continuing to drink from Jesse. Jesse felt himself go weak and slump to the floor as Xander continued to bite down on him, taking him to the edge of death.
Breaking away, Xander raised his wrist and used a nail to open up a cut in it, pushing it to Jesse's mouth. "Drink," he commanded.
Jesse weakly shook his head and tried to brush the arm away. Snarling, Xander pushed his wrist to Jesse's mouth, forcing blood into it. He took it away, only to have Jesse spit the blood out, refusing to swallow it. He looked up at Xander and Willow, the two wearing the faces of demons and whispered. "I know......it's not you......I forgive you......"
With a snarl of anger and hunger, Xander went back to Jesse's neck, biting down hard and draining the young man of whatever was left. Jesse's mind slowly went black as his body slumped on the floor, Xander gorging himself on his neck before finally rising up and wiping his mouth with his wrist.
Willow pouted, staring at Jesse's body. "Pooey," she sniffed. "I wanted another playmate."
"Ah, we'll find someone you can play with," Xander promised. "In the meantime, why don't we see to it that his parents spend some time with their son?"
"Okay, that'll be fine," Willow smiled, the two vampires moving to the basement door, not even giving a final look back at the body of their best friend.
St. Peter's Cemetery
Sunnydale, CA
January 17, 1999 - 1902 Hours PST
Xander knelt before Jesse's grave, his head in his hands, crying as the memories came over him. He didn't even know when Willow joined him, her head on his shoulder, her arms wrapped around him as she began to cry too, the two vampires overwhelmed with guilt over what they had done to their best friend.
"It hurts, Will," Xander got out through the tears. "It hurts so much."
"I know, hon," Willow said, crying into his shoulder. "I know it does, I felt it too. God, what we did to him, to them, to all those people, and feeling good about it......."
"It just hurts so bad," Xander went on, holding her. "How are we supposed to live with this, Will? With what they did?"
"By reminding yourselves it wasn't you."
The two vampires froze, their guilt and mourning vanishing as they heard a voice they never thought they'd hear again. They slowly turned around to see a young man standing before them, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, which were both white, a glow seeming to surround him. "Wow," he said, smiling. "Never thought I'd see you two speechless."
Willow's mouth moved up and down but no sound came out while Xander just stared dully. "J----J----Jesse?" he finally got out.
"The one and only," Jesse answered, giving a little bow. He paused to bend his head. "Well, actually, that's not exactly true but that's a long story."
"How?" Willow stammered as she and Xander slowly rose, staring in shock at the ghost of their friend.
"Let's just say I got special clearance to pop by for a visit," Jess answered. He moved forward and hugged Xander tight. "Good to see you, buddy," he whispered, squeezing his friend.
Xander was frozen for a long moment before returning the hug. "Oh God, it is you," he let out, tears returning, only now they were tears of joy. He felt Willow join the embrace, the redhead also crying as the two held Jesse tight, the angel simply returning the warm embrace.
They finally broke away, the two vampires still amazed at seeing Jesse here. "I-----I just can't believe it," Willow whispered. "I can't believe you're here!"
"Well, I'm sorry I can't stay long," Jesse said. "But, I knew this was going to be rough, your first anniversary with your souls back and thought I'd help you out a bit."
"How?" Xander said, still not believing he was talking to Jesse again.
"By letting you know it's okay," Jesse said. "I don't blame you for what happened."
"You don't?" the two vampires replied with surprise.
"Nope," Jesse shook his head. "It wasn't you guys. I know that. You could never do that to me or your parents. Oh, and on that subject, they couldn't come but your parents all wanted to say they don't blame you either."
He turned to Willow. "Willow, you think you're guilty? Believe me, your mom and dad spent months thinking of nothing but all the blown opportunities they had to get close to you, they actually blamed themselves at first for what happened. But, they got over that. They love you, Will. They always did, no matter how out of it they may have seemed and they still love you and don't blame you for what happened."
As Willow's eyes brimmed with tears, Jesse turned towards Xander. "Xander, your parents say the same."
"Yeah, right," Xander couldn't help saying. "What's their heaven, the Busch Brewery?"
"Hey, cut them some slack," Jesse said. "Dying and going to Heaven makes them see how they wasted their lives on drink and neglect. And they're sorry, Xander, they're both sorry for everything they did to you. You're hoping they can forgive you? Buddy, they're hoping you can forgive them."
Jesse looked over the two. "That's why I'm here, you two guys are going seriously overboard on the guilt. I know you feel responsible, but come on, you guys were dead and possessed by demons. You can't keep blaming yourself for what they did."
"But all that pain--------" Willow started but Jesse cut her off.
"I know. And I know it's not fair. But pain is part of life. I know it sounds trite, but it's true. But trust me, guys. It may seem too much now but once you get back on this side, you'll understand why that pain was there. Because that makes what's waiting for you in Heaven all the better."
Willow and Xander stared at him in silence. "What is it?" Jesse asked, frowning at the looks the two were giving him.
"Get back?" Willow said softly. "Are you saying that we, uh........"
Jesse rolled his eyes at his slip. "You want to know if you *were* on this side, huh?"
"Something like that," Xander said with a little worry in his tone.
Jesse sighed. "It's like this, guys. When you're on this side, it's Heaven, like they say. When you're on your side of things, you don't remember anything but your side."
"But-------" Willow started.
"Guys, you were here," Jesse clarified. "Heck, you were waiting for me when I got up and it was throwing me a bit to see you two there after I'd just seen you kill me. What you don't remember is the p.o.'ed looks on your faces when Joan of Arc came to you herself and told you what was happening and you were being sent back." He held up a hand to Willow's open mouth. "I can't go into details. I wish I could, but I can't. I got clearance from Joanie to tell you that much. You guys, in a way, *chose* to come back, in the bodies you're in now. But you're not going to remember it until the day, someday, when you guys come back."
"They won't allow us to remember Heaven?" Xander said in disbelief. "After what we've been-----"
"Guys, take it from me," Jesse said. "What you're going through now is *nothing* compared to what it would be like to remember being in Heaven, *knowing* you were in Heaven, and then coming back to this world. It would, no pun intended whatsoever, be Hell."
"So, you can't tell us what it's like?" Xander asked.
Jesse smiled and shook his head. "Even if I could, you wouldn't be able to understand."
"Why not?" Willow asked, sounding insulted.
Jesse looked at her. "Willow, try to imagine explaining Walt Disney World to a person who's been blind since birth. Someone who doesn't know about colors or shapes or the difference between a mouse and a duck, or height or any of that. Take that to the ten thousandth power and that's kind of like trying to describe Heaven to someone on Earth."
Willow frowned before asking. "What's God like?"
"You know what the term 'awesome' meant before the 1980's? That's Him."
Willow looked at him carefully. "You talk like we're going to get into Heaven."
"You just might," Jesse stated with a shrug.
"But.......all that pain and death we caused......."
"The demons caused, Willow, not you."
"Well......okay......there's still the whole thing about me being......you know, bi?"
Jesse threw his head back and laughed, surprising both vampires. "Oh, jeez, sorry," he said, wiping at his face. "Oh, sorry, sorry, I'm not mocking you, really. You know, I just can't help but get a kick seeing all these people who come to Heaven and are shocked to see they've made it in. They start moaning about little things like swearing or missing church or having sex on a Sunday, or thinking of their lives first when someone close to them dies. And I also love it when all these super-religious people get up and are shocked to find there are gay people and non-Catholics there too. And the atheists who get in and are shocked to find there really is a God. You'll be amazed just how forgiving they are up there. Yeah, there's a limit but in the case of you guys......Well, not to be blunt but I don't think there's a hell much worse than what you guys have been through."
Xander frowned, his brow furrowing. "I'm not sure if I should be honored or terrified."
"Yeah, it gets that way," Jesse stated in a light tone. He looked back at the two. "Look, guys.....I'm not mad at you. I don't blame you for what happened, no one up there blames you, because they know it wasn't you. Just try to accept that, please. Because, I just can't imagine Heaven living up to its name if I can't be with my best buds someday."
Xander felt the tears return to his eyes as he looked at Jesse. "Thank you," he said softly.
"No problem," Jesse said. He moved forward, hugging Xander tightly, then turning to Willow and hugging her as well. He backed away as the two looked at him. "Thank you for this," Willow whispered. "It was getting.......hard."
Jesse snorted. "You want hard, you should try talking to my counterpart from that other reality who got turned. Brother, was *that* a guilt trip." Giving a final smile at the two, he slowly vanished in a flood of white light. Willow and Xander embraced tightly, for the first time in weeks feeling their spirits lift significantly.
As the vampires exited the cemetery, they saw the figure waiting for them. "Couldn't stay away, huh?" Xander asked, smiling.
Angel shrugged. "I had to make sure you were okay. I know how bad it can be, living with all that guilt." He looked at them carefully. "Are you two......all right? You look.....different. Almost.......happy."
"Let's just say we got a little divine intervention into our guilt trip," Willow answered, smiling and moving in to kiss Xander quickly. Angel observed them and slowly nodded, a light smile on his face. He didn't know what had just happened to the duo in the cemetery but he got the feeling it was just what they needed.
He was opening his mouth to ask them if they were going on patrol, when he heard something. He frowned, looking to the side, his enhanced senses picking up a sound, a voice, an English accented voice, whispering in a strange language. "Do you guys hear------"
He was broken off when a blast of pink energy came out of nowhere, slamming into the three vamps like a tidal wave. The trio were stunned, their bodies shaking as a wave of weakness overcame them, sending them to their knees. If they could, they would have been heaving for breath as they tried to get their strength back.
Without warning, there was a rush of movement and figures seemed to melt out of the night and approach them. Before the trio knew it, metal clamps attached to their wrists, yanking them to their feet. The clamps were attached to long bars, allowing the users to hold them at a safe distance. Before any of the vamps could move, a large metal scythe, also attached to a long bar, was held to their necks, ready to cut their heads off if they tried anything.
Held up, arms spread, blades at their throats, the three could only look around with their eyes, trying to determine who their attackers were. Almost all were dressed in dark clothing, loose and comfortable to move around in, ready for a fight, stakes and crosses evident on their outfits, dark jackets seemingly the norm for all.
On Willow's right was a woman in her early thirties, dark black hair surrounding her attractive face, a little mischievous smile at her lips. Holding her on the left was a tall, handsome man with short hair and piercing eyes in a serious-looking face. In front of her, holding the scythe, was a young black man with a bald head, light scars near his eyes and a look of pure hate.
Normally, the idea of being stuck between two redheaded women would have thrilled Xander but given how each woman was holding an arm, it lowered the experience. One woman was in her early thirties, her hair in a bun around her head. The other was about Xander's height, her red hair darker and in a pageboy haircut around her beautiful face. In front of Xander was a man in his early thirties, short hair, a pair of spectacles on his face, holding a book in front of him, yet managing to levitate a scythe to Xander's neck.
Holding Angel was a man in the robes of a priest, one hand holding up a bar, the other a cross. Scars lined one side of his face and his expression was one of pure disgust. On his right was a woman with short dark brown hair and a face that was attractive but apparently not one for smiling. Holding the scythe to his neck was a thirty-something blonde woman with the demeanor of a professional officer of some sort.
Silence reigned for a moment before Xander talked. "Nice trick," he remarked, looking down at the scythe. "Mage, I take it?"
"Not quite that level," the man replied in a clipped British accent, shutting the book and glaring at Xander. "But good enough to hold you."
"Yeah, after you took me by surprise," Xander snarled.
"He's got a point there, English," the black man stated.
"Gunn......."
"Well, sorry, Wes, but you did sucker-punch them all first."
"That was the plan," one of the redheads said. "Course, why we just don't kill them now, I don't get."
"We're not supposed to yet, Justine," the other redhead stated. "We have to wait."
" We know that, Katya," the dark-haired woman holding Angel said, looking to the blonde. "Keep the blade steady, will you, Kate? I know you didn't use scythes on the LAPD but still-------"
"Watch it Lilah," the woman called Kate said. "Let she who did not work for a scum- sucking law firm cast the first stone."
"Ladies," the dark-haired man holding Willow said. "Let's take it easy now."
"He's right," the woman holding Willow replied. "I've been a lawyer a couple of times, they're not all bad."
"Well, they usually are, actually," the man replied.
"Thanks, Jarod," Kate said. "Maybe you should pretend to be one instead of Andrea for a bit."
The woman called Andrea rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. Jarod as the Pretender? Like *that* would be believable."
"So......." Xander finally said, looking over towards Angel. "Friends of yours, A-Man?"
Before Angel could reply, another voice spoke out. "Friends? You don't know Angelus very well, do you? He doesn't have any friends."
Angel froze in place, his eyes widening as he heard the soft, English-accented tones. He knew that voice. He knew it better than anyone's but he couldn't accept hearing it now. *It can't be. It just can't be him. He can't be--------*
A man stepped forward, entering the pale light cast by a nearby lamp to stare at the three vamps. He wore a long brown duster coat over a pair of grubby slacks and loose shirt. He took off his wide-brimmed hat to reveal his graying curly hair, scratching it a bit as he looked at the trio of vampires. His face was lined with a bit of scarring, age and weariness, a graying goatee and mustache covering it. But what got the vampires' attention was his eyes. Cold and dead, the sort of expression one didn't expect to see on a normal human.
*Oh my God* Angel thought in shock. *It is.*
The man gazed over the three captured vampires and spoke softly. "Everything comes to he who waits." He slowly fixed his gaze on the stunned Angel. "And I have waited two hundred and twenty five years for this moment." He raised his eyebrows a bit. "What's the matter, Angelus? No hello for an old acquaintance?"
Angel stammered, staring at the man, his mind barely able to focus on anything, his mouth only capable of uttering a single word.
"Holtz?"
Los Angeles
December 8th, 1998 - 2314 Hours PST
It was silent in the cavern, save for the sounds coming from a large wall of television screens on the far end. The light from the screens, along with the flaming torches glinting along the walls, provided the only illumination in the otherwise dark room. Sitting in a chair a few feet away from the screens was a rugged, bearded man who stared quietly at the flow of information before them. The screens kept flashing about, sending out streams of data. One was focused on the history of America, from the Revolution to modern times, the other doing the same for Europe. There was one fixed on CNN, one on a local TV station and others simply bouncing around images from different periods around the globe. It was a lot to take in but Daniel Holtz was ready for it.
It wasn't easy to catch up on two hundred years of history that one missed.
He simply sat and stared, just as he had for the last two days, processing all the changes that had occurred in the world since 1773. He had barely eaten and hadn't slept. After all, he'd been sleeping for two centuries, he didn't need any more. He simply wanted to make sure he could get around in this new world.
After all, a hunter had to know the territory his prey hid in.
He heard a whisper of air behind him and knew without looking who it was, almost able to see shadows forming into a tall figure. "There's something I don't understand."
"Oh, now what?" Sahjhan groaned, rolling his eyes. He had a somewhat gravely voice that usually held a light tone to it despite whatever circumstances were around. He stepped to Holtz's side, the human giving him a quick glance. He had stringy hair surrounding his demonic face, dark and leathery skin marked by a large scar bisecting it from forehead to cheek. His long coat shuffled as he waved a hand at the screens.
"What is it this time?" the demon asked. "How nuclear power works? CGI effects? Why Trash TV is popular? Heart surgery?"
"No," Holtz stated, pointing to one screen, which was showing a group of people on a tropical island. "What I don't understand is, if this 'Professor' is such a wizard, why doesn't he simply fix the hole in the boat?"
Sahjhan looked at him and was unable to hide a smile. "Some things in life are meant to be mysteries," he lightly answered as he watched Holtz slowly rise to his feet, fixing him with a glare.
"Here's a mystery for you," the human said in his dark tone. "Why haven't you taken me to Angelus and Darla yet?"
"It's complicated," Sahjhan started.
"Yes, yes, I know, you told me when I arrived here," Holtz went on impatiently. "I have waited two hundred and twenty-five years to come back, I have waited three days since, I don't want to wait any longer, I want them dead and I want them now."
"Well, you might have to wait on that," Sahjhan said. "Things have changed."
Holtz's face darkened further as he glared at the demon. "You told me this would be the time for me to come in contact with them again."
"It is," Sahjhan quickly said. "It was. But something's happened. I don't know what exactly, something big, like reality-altering big, hit this evening. It's thrown things off, majorly. It may be a while before you can get them."
Snarling, Holtz reached out to try and grab Sahjhan by the front of his coat and was more than a bit startled when his hands passed right through the creature. Sahjhan just stood there, fixing Holtz with a stare. "Listen carefully, human," he said, the lightness in his tone gone. "Something's happened that I wasn't expecting, that wasn't supposed to occur. It's thrown off all my calculations and it'll be a while before I can figure out what course to take. We are dealing with forces of fate and destiny, timetables that are not our own, forces far greater than either you or me. It'll happen when it happens but I'm not sure when that will be."
"And then I can kill Angelus and Darla?"
"Sure, no prob. Whatever this is, it can't effect him too much."
Holtz stared at him, calming down, seeing that his demonic benefactor was telling the truth. Slowly nodding, he spoke again. "Fine. Seeing as how I have some time to kill, I can get started." He turned and, to Sahjhan's surprise, walked over to a nearby cot, which had seen no use. He reached down to pick up a long brown duster coat and slipped it on. He then bent down again, picking up a wide-brimmed hat as well.
"What the hell are you doing?" Sahjhan asked, his brow furrowing further as he watched Holtz put the hat on.
"I'm going out," Holtz replied as if he was simply running to get a bottle of milk.
"Out?" Sahjhan asked. "What do you mean, out?"
"Out," Holtz answered. "The opposite of in, egress, exit, outside, out of this cavern, in the city. Does that clarify things for you?"
"What?" Sahjhan asked in disbelief. "Why?"
Holtz halted and turned to him. "Angelus and Darla are two very capable and savage creatures," he began calmly. "I need to get myself some fighters in order to face them and any fledglings they may have with them."
"Fighters? Hey, that's no problem," Sahjhan said, waving a hand. "I've got these guys, gladiator demons, real nasty, not big on brains and they cost a lot to contract, but they're really-------"
"No."
Sahjhan stopped. He wasn't used to being told something like he was supposed to obey it and certainly not by a human. "No?"
Holtz slowly stepped forward, staring at the demon. "I don't want mercenaries," he explained. "I don't want demons, especially, and I don't want idiots. I want fighters, human fighters, who will fight because they want to, because they need to, not because they're being paid for it. I need people who are willing to die for this cause and willing to take as many of those bastards with them as they can before they go. I want people who know pain and know loss and who need an outlet for that. That's what I need."
"Ah, I get it," Sahjhan said with understanding. "You want fanatics."
"Don't knock fanatics," Holtz said dryly. "They're good people. I should know, I am one." He turned and started to walk off.
"I'm not comfortable with-----"
"As I recall," Holtz cut the demon off. "Our agreement was that I could, and I quote you 'use any and all means I feel necessary to accomplish this goal.' This is necessary."
"How are you going to find them?" Sahjhan pointed out. "I mean, you're underneath a city with a population that's bigger than all of England was in your day. How will you know where to look?"
"I've already done a bit of checking," Holtz replied. "But I'll know when I see the ones I need. I'll simply look for the people who have pain and death in their eyes."
"And you'll know what that looks like?" Sahjhan said dubiously.
"I should," Holtz said. "I see it every time I look in a mirror." He turned and walked out, leaving the demon to wonder if maybe this had all been such a good idea after all.
December 9th, 1998 - 0156 Hours PST
Even for L.A., the fire was getting some attention. It had been a big warehouse, after all and the flames licking at the air could be seen for several blocks. It was a mob scene outside, firefighters rushing to try and halt the blaze, police trying to hold back onlookers while television crews got shots of it for the morning news.
On the rooftop of a building overlooking it all, Charles Gunn stared blankly at what, until a few hours ago, been his home. His and so many others, good people, smart and strong and brave kids. His family. They had liked him, bonded with him, trusted him. And now they were all dead because of him.
The flames threw light on his strong and handsome face, marred by a slight scar on one cheek, his bald head seeming to add to his dangerous appearance. He was dressed in jeans and a leather jacket, now his only possessions in the world. He wasn't thinking about what he was going to do next, he didn't even care about it. All he could do was stare at the flames and reflect on what he had done.
"You didn't have a choice," an accented voice came behind him. Gunn didn't even look behind him, simply stared as Holtz came up to him. "They knew the risks," he stated, looking at the fire as well. "They knew the chances they took."
"Doesn't make it right," Gunn said. He had a stake in his pocket but didn't go for it. At the moment, he felt that if this guy was a vamp and wanted him dead, he could have him, Gunn didn't care anymore. "I know you?"
"My name is Holtz," he answered. "I know who you are, Charles. I've heard about you and your gang. Runaways and orphans who banded together to fight off vampires. You managed to get yourself quite a reputation."
"Too good," Gunn muttered darkly. "It's what got us killed. Bastards bided their time, drew themselves together, attacked us en masse."
"How did they get in?" Holtz asked, looking at him. Gunn looked away, not meeting his gaze. "They got invited. Alonna. My sister."
"She invited them?"
"No. I invited her."
"Ah."
Gunn looked at him, willing himself not to cry in front of this stranger. "Dumb, I know. It's the first lesson I grilled in, it's night, you don't see a cross, don't invite them in. But, she'd been grabbed earlier, I was worried and when I saw her, I just yelled 'come on in!'"
"And that would count as a general invitation," Holtz sadly finished.
"Yep." Gunn sighed. "There was a fight. Nasty one. Majorly. I saw people I've hung out with for months, years, going down, throats slashed, bit, necks broken, stabbed........"
"I know the feeling," Holtz said, nodding.
Gunn looked back at the flame, unable to hold back the thin layer of tears forming in his eyes. "I had to stake her. My own sister. She came onto me, told me it'd be over quick and she and I could be together forever, watching out for each other, just like my parents wanted us to be. But I knew it wasn't her, I just let her get in close and then........." He blinked back his tears as Holtz looked on with sympathy flashing in his eyes.
"What happened to the building?" the Englishman pressed on gently.
"Emergency plan," Gunn tried to answer without emotion. "Last-ditch send-off, we're going down, we take them with us. Small bomb in the basement, hooked up with some gasoline to make sure it keeps burning. Between the flames and the flying pieces of wood, pretty sure no vamps get out." He paused and softly added. "Or humans either."
There was another long silence before Gunn went on. "I wanted to stay in there. I wanted to set it off. But Rondell, my best bud, he threw me out a side door, locked it behind him. I knew what he was going to do and I ran. I just ran, as the bomb went off, just ran as all my buddies went up. I ran. I should have stayed."
"There would have been no sense in that," Holtz quietly pointed out. "Your friend wanted you to live, he wanted to give you the chance to go on. He knew that all the people there were dead one way or the other. And I think you and I can both agree that it's better to die than to be turned. Don't berate yourself for being alive, Charles. You deserve that chance."
"Chance for what?" Gunn suddenly barked, turning towards Holtz, anger in his features. "Chance to live on without all my buddies? Watching them all die and I don't? You think that's easy? I had to stake my sister, man. My sister! I had to stake her and watch her turn to dust! You know what that's like?"
"No," Holtz replied flatly. "No, I had to throw my daughter into sunlight and watch her burst into flame. This, incidentally, was after I found my wife and infant son murdered."
Gunn stared at him and saw the honesty in the man's eyes, along with a level of inner pain the black youth knew all too well. "Damn. Sorry."
"Don't be. Yes, it was something I wouldn't wish on anyone. And it hurt me inside and almost destroyed me but I used that anger, Charles. I used it and I want to keep on using it." He moved in, looking Gunn right in the eye with a hard gaze. "The pain will linger, Charles. Use it. Use it to gain vengeance and justice on the ones who did this to you, including the nastiest of the entire lot."
He backed off and held his head up as he looked at Gunn. "I'm offering you a chance to balance the scales, Charles. Are you interested?"
Gunn looked carefully at Holtz, cocking his head a bit. "How many of these bastards do I get to kill?"
"What's the saying they have nowadays," Holtz murmured. "Oh, yes. All you can eat."
"Cool," Gunn said, taking one last look at the burning building that had housed his past and then turned and walked off with Holtz and his future. "So, you putting together some vamp hunting squad?"
"Something like that," Holtz nodded.
"I know just the person we need to see next," Gunn said.
"Does he hate vampires?"
"It's she. And yeah, with a passion."
"Perfect."
LAPD Station House 21
0236 Hours PST
"You're sure she'll want to help us?" Holtz stated as he and Gunn walked up toward the police station.
"Trust me, she'll help," Gunn replied. "Me and some of my boys ran into her a few months back, she was pretty by the book but good with her instincts. She was looking into reports of attacks in our hood, didn't buy the vamp thing of course. Should have seen her face when she saw us dust one. She's helped us a couple of times since."
"What makes you think she has the same hatred for them that we do?"
Gunn sighed. "Her dad, retired cop, was running some drugs for extra cash. He didn't know his 'suppliers' were vamps until she busted up a shipment. He tried to convince her off the case, that got her radar up and she started investigating, found out what he was doing and then found out that one of his 'dealers' had an obituary three months before. She goes to his place to try and warn him, gets there just in time to see the vamps put the bite on him, stakes them but too late to save him. Believe me, she'll want to stake any bloodsuckers we find."
"I hope so," Holtz said. "I had thought of going to the authorities first to get help------"
"Cops help out?" Gunn snorted. "Please, man. Even if they believed in vamps, which they wouldn't, a lot of them could care less about gangs or homeless folks getting taken out, saves them a lot of trouble."
"And thus hand the vampires a menu of options," Holtz sighed in response. "Things were so much simpler before the media started to glamorize these creatures. In my time, they were feared and hated for the monsters they are. And the authorities themselves would aid in their extermination the best they could. Today, thanks to these movies and television programs, they're seen as sympathetic beings, romantic, people even wanting to be them."
"I hear ya," Gunn nodded. "Knew this girl, Anne, nice kid but she was seriously into the Gothic scene and idolized vamps, got with a bunch of guys who wanted to actually be vamps."
"Idiots."
"Hey, like you said, media's screwed it all up," Gunn shrugged as he answered. "They think it's all Anne Rice, sexy loner bullshit. I heard too late about them being offered the chance to 'achieve their dreams of beautiful immortality' or some shit like that. Poor guys had no idea they were getting set up."
"All killed by vampires?"
"Most. A few did get turned. I'd like to think that when I put that stake into Anne's heart, some small part of her somewhere was happy I was ending her nightmare."
"Which is the other weakening aspect of this modern culture," Holtz said as the two walked up the steps of the station. "No one truly believes they even exist until it's too late and the few who survive aren't believed when they try to go for help."
"Preaching to the choir, pal," Gunn agreed as they headed up toward the station. Before they could reach the doors, they opened and an attractive woman with shoulder-length blond hair, dressed in a prim red suit, stepped out, holding a large box in her arms. "Wow, Kate, got a date tonight?" Gunn asked.
The woman rolled her eyes as she took in Gunn. "I was trying to make a good impression with the review board." She held up the box. "It didn't go well." She paused and looked up at Gunn, her face drawn. "I......I heard about the fire. Did.......Did anyone......." She paused at the sad look in Gunn's eyes. "Your sister?"
"Nope."
"Ah, dammit. What fucker got her?"
"Me," Gunn replied flatly.
Kate stared at him before getting it. "Oh, Jesus, Gunn, I'm sorry," she whispered.
"It's okay, it's okay," Gunn said, waving a hand. He turned to Holtz and motioned to the woman. "Kate, this is Holtz. Holtz, say hello to Detective Kate Lockley."
"Ex-detective," Kate sighed, her hands holding onto the box tightly.
Gunn looked at her with wide eyes. "They canned you?"
"Temporary leave is how they put it," Kate answered sardonically. "But I can read the writing on the wall. They want me gone and gone soon."
"What for?" Gunn asked with a frown.
"Oh, little things like commandeering a cruiser and smashing it into a gas station," Kate replied lightly. "Course, I could hardly tell them it was to take out a nest of vamps before they went after a high school dance so, I'm out of a job and career, no prospects, no future, no hope, no idea what the hell to do with the rest of my life, nothing."
"Want to help us kill some vamps?"
"Sure, lead the way." With that, Kate followed Gunn and Holtz down the steps, the three talking as they went.
Greater Hope Cemetery
1902 Hours PST
"Gotta say, this beats that crummy cave thing by a mile," Gunn sniffed as the three walked through the cemetery, Holtz in the lead. "If my last place wasn't a pile of ash right now, I couldn't stand it."
"You can crash at my place if you want," Kate said. "It's comfortable, roomy."
"Enjoy it while you can," Holtz said in a flat tone. "I want you staying at the cavern from now on."
"Excuse me?" Kate started, glaring at him. She had changed into a light pair of slacks and a dark blue jogging jacket with blue blouse underneath. Her backup revolver, a gift from her father, was in a dark black holster under her jacket, right next to a pair of stakes. "I'm supposed to put my life on hold for you?"
"Not to be insulting, Kate," Holtz dryly responded. "But it's not like you had much of a life to put on hold."
"Oooh, dis!" Gunn muttered as Kate glared at him, then at Holtz. "Look, you want help killing these vamps, fine, I'll help you. You want to train me better, okay, I'll go with that as well. But just moving out and into that pit is a bit-------"
"I don't care what you think about it," Holtz cut her off. "It's what's going to happen, Kate. I'll tell my benefactor to install a few modern conveniences for you but otherwise, yes, you will be close by where we can train more efficiently."
"When do we meet this benefactor of yours, pal?" Gunn asked. "I'm a little nervous not knowing who we're working for."
"You do know," Holtz cooly retorted. "You're working for me. Now, be quiet and keep watching out for vampires."
Kate shook her head, glancing to the side, thinking of another rebuttal for Holtz. Before she could, she saw a figure walking down a row of plots about a dozen yards away. "Shit," she muttered. "I've got one."
Holtz looked to where she was staring. The figure was a redheaded woman in her late twenties, dressed in a pair of dark jeans and leather jacket, tromping along the cemetery paths, eyes glancing about. "Her? What makes you think she's a vampire?"
"Because I was at the scene of her murder six months ago," Kate answered calmly, her eyes never leaving the woman. "I saw her dead, with two holes in the side of her neck."
"Settles it for me," Gunn said, holding up a stake. "You want me to take her?"
"No," Holtz stated. "She saw her first, she can handle it." He turned to Kate. "You go ahead and attack her. We'll hold back and watch. I want to see how you do."
"What if she kills me?" Kate asked.
"Then I'll know you didn't have the capability to handle this," Holtz answered as if it was no consequence. Rolling her eyes, Kate picked out a stake and carefully moved after the woman. She saw the redhead move around a curve in the path, past a large tree and swiftly moved after her. She rounded the corner, expecting to see her quarry still walking a few feet ahead. She froze when she saw nothing before her except an empty path.
Kate tensed, knowing she'd been suckered. A snapping sound, like a twig, came from her left and she spun around just in time to see the redheaded woman lunge at her, a fist coming at Kate's face. Swiftly, the former cop grabbed the fist, holding it tight in her hand. "Nice," Kate said, a bit surprised she could hold the vampire's grip so well. Her nose twitched as a familiar smell came off the woman. "Might be a bit faster if it weren't for the alcohol."
"Well, it's a trade off," the woman responded in a low and hard voice. "After all, without the alcohol------" Without warning, she snapped herself forward, her forehead smashing into Kate's, knocking her off balance. "That would have hurt a lot more."
Kate staggered back, stunned, as the woman kicked at her, knocking her in the gut. She spun about and swung a leg out, attempting a kick to Kate's jaw but the blonde swiftly ducked, the woman's leg flying overhead. Kate lunged forward, landing a blow to the redhead's solar plexus, knocking her back. Growling, her opponent ran up and tackled Kate, knocking her to the ground.
The two rolled around on the dirt, trying to get the upper hand, Kate on her back, pressing a hand hard against the redhead's chin, pushing her back. The woman was fighting back well, her hands going at Kate's throat and it was at this point each woman saw the same thing: A crucifix hanging around the neck of their opponent.
Each froze, eyes showing confusion, knowing that no vampire could wear such a holy symbol. Slowly, the redhead backed off, staring at Kate, who returned the bewildered look as she got to her feet and dusted herself off. "You're not a vampire?" the redhead asked.
"That's my line," Kate shot back. She shook her head. "I don't get it, Julia, I was there at your------"
"Justine," the redhead said.
"Huh?" Kate frowned.
"I'm Justine Cooper," the woman clarified. "Julia was my sister. My twin sister."
Kate stared at her, eyes going wide as she made the connection. "Oh."
Justine looked her up and down. "You a cop?"
"Until yesterday," Kate answered.
"What happened?"
"Blew up a gas station and surprising as it may seem, saying you did it to kill a bunch of vampires doesn't go over as well as you may think."
"Figures," Justine sniffed. She bent her neck and looked at Kate. "How'd you know about Julia?"
"I was there, at the scene. It wasn't a mugging. You know that. Two small holes on her neck, extreme blood loss. I'm sure you figured it out from there."
"I didn't want to," Justine bit out, looking away. "It just seemed so crazy. But after I took her home and buried her, I did some checking and.......well, there was just too much out there to be ignored. I had to accept it, accept them."
"A very wise attitude," Holtz said as he and Gunn came up, Kate glaring at them. "Took your sweet time," she remarked. "You going to leave me hanging anytime you feel like it?"
"If the situation calls for it," Holtz replied. He looked over toward Justine. "Nice form, you have skills."
"Marine corps," Justine responded with a shrug. "Discharged last year."
"Why?"
"Oh, little thing about slugging my superior officer when he threatened to gun down some innocent kids, cost me my pension, I was lucky to avoid court-martial." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it up and taking a drag. "I was tending bar downtown when I heard about Julia," she said, blowing out a cloud of smoke. "It's sort of a part-time thing now. I don't need much to do this."
"Yes, you do," Holtz stated. He marched up and yanked the cigarette out of Justine's hand.
"Hey, give that back!" she yelled.
"Take it," Holtz responded, holding the cigarette up a bit. Snarling, Justine lunged at it but Holtz easily sidestepped her and launched a kick at her stomach. Gasping, Justine spun out with another kick. Still holding onto the cigarette, Holtz caught it, yanked her in smashed a fist in her face, knocking her back. He kicked at the back of her knee, knocking it out from under her and sending Justine down.
Holtz calmly threw the cigarette onto the ground and stamped it out before leaning in toward Justine. "You have fire and passion, skill and knowledge to use it. I admire that. However, you let your emotions get the better of you, let that fire burn too wild so it overwhelms your control and that will get you very, very dead."
He held up her head so she was looking up at him. "Listen carefully," Holtz stated in his low voice. "Give up the cigarettes. Give up the liquor. Give up sleeping all day, hunting at night, at least give up making that all you do. I can help you fill that hole in you that your sister's death created. I can help you gain revenge. If, and only if, you're willing to listen."
He backed away, Justine glaring at him as she slowly rose to her feet. "So, what?" she asked sarcastically. "Is this gonna be some Mr. Miyagi meets Dirty Dozen type group?"
Holtz looked at her, then at Kate and Gunn. "I might as well make it clear right now that it is highly unlikely I will react to any references involving modern-day popular culture."
"I'm going to regret this, I know I am," Justine muttered as she moved up to join the trio.
December 10th, 1998 - 1649 Hours PST
The sun was still shining, although starting to lower along the skyline, a sign to the woman walking up the small hill that she had to be quick about this. She knew it was stupid to come out like this, she was an open target. But she had to do it. She owed him that much. Actually, she owed him a lot more but this was all she could do right now.
She hoped her outfit would make her a little less noticeable: A drab brown blouse and dark jacket with faded jeans, a far cry from the prim and expensive business suits and skirts she used to wear daily. She had skipped most of her makeup but was still highly attractive, if her features did seem a bit cold. Her brown hair easily flowed to her shoulders, blowing lightly in the wind as she placed a single rose onto the small headstone before her.
"Hey, babe," she said softly, letting her fingers trail along the markings. "I know, I know, you'd be yelling at me for coming out and putting myself in danger, even if is to see you. But I had to come. I couldn't stay away."
She brushed at her face, feeling a tear come down her cheek. "Wow, how about that? You always said I was the only woman alive who could keep from crying at 'Sleepless in Seattle.' And I held it in at your funeral, couldn't let them know yet about us. Guess it didn't matter in the end, huh? But less than a minute here and all I feel like doing is bawling."
She closed her eyes, feeling more tears flow but no longer wanting to hold them back. "I never thought I could miss you this much," she whispered. "I thought the first week would be bad and it was. But...there are still days I wake up and turn over and reach out for you and you're not there....And it hurts every single time."
She reached into her jacket and pulled out a handkerchief, wiping at her eyes and nose. "I'm sorry," she got out, shaking her head. "I promised myself I was going to try and be strong here. It's just so damn hard. And being hunted by those bastards doesn't help either." She suddenly laughed, waving a hand at herself. "Remember when you told me I couldn't dress down if my life depended on it? Well, it does, so here I am."
She looked at the headstone, her face turning sober once more. "I'm sorry I never told you how much you meant to me," she whispered. "You were the one good thing I ever had in my life, the one person who showed true love for me. I'm sorry I never got around to telling you that before...well, before this. But I did. I still do and I probably always will. I love you, honey. I hope you felt the same about me."
The snapping of a twig behind her got the woman's attention and she instantly acted. Plunging a hand into her coat, she shot to her feet and spun around, pulling out a rather sizeable revolver, aiming and cocking it in one smooth motion. She hurriedly blinked away her tears, forcing herself to focus on the man who now stood before her.
Holtz looked the woman up and down and raised an eyebrow in approval. "Impressive," he noted. "Quick reflexes and you appear to know how to use that."
"Take on step and you'll see how much," the woman said tightly, her aim never wavering from Holtz's head. She let her eyes rake up and down and then roll slightly. "Oh, brother. Wolfram & Hart must really be stretched if they're sending you after me."
"I'm afraid I don't know either of the two gentlemen," Holtz stated in an easy-going tone. "I'm Holtz, by the way. And you are...?"
"Like you don't know," the woman snorted.
"Let's pretend I don't," Holtz replied. "Of course, that won't be difficult since I really don't know who you are."
The woman looked at him carefully, considering his words. "Lilah Morgan," she finally answered, watching him closely. Seeing not the mildest twinge of recognition in her eyes, she decided that either this man was one damn good assassin or he honestly didn't know who she was. "So...what brings you here?"
"Hunting," was Holtz's blunt answer.
"What?" Lilah asked.
"Vampires, mainly."
Lilah raised an eyebrow. "You know about vamps?"
"You could say that," the Englishman replied dryly. He looked at her gun. "That won't do much good against them."
"You'd be surprised what else I can kill with this," Lilah said, backing up a bit, starting to think that this guy might not be a threat after all but not quite ready to put her guard down. "My former employers have a wide range of species to choose from."
Holtz peered at her. "I take it they have a reason to want you dead?"
"Actually, I sort of want all of them dead," Lilah answered. "But they do have the slight advantage in numbers. I kind of fall into the 'know too much' category in Wolfram & Hart's extermination catalogue."
Holtz nodded, then looked at the grave. "I take it he was close to you?"
Lilah glanced at the grave. "Yeah," she said softly, nodding. "He was." She sniffed. "Funny, we hated each other's guts the first year or so working together, always at each other's throats, scheming behind the other's back, willing to do whatever it took to win." She paused, her face falling. "At least I thought he did."
She looked at Holtz and, making a decision, lowered the gun, stepping away a bit. "There was a major case involving a big-name client. He had a chance, a major chance, to get himself a push by not giving me a piece of info. All he had to do was not tell me and I'd blow the case, my stock would drop and he could move in and keep climbing to the top."
"He told you," Holtz stated, not asked.
"Yeah, he passed it along," Lilah said. "I won the case, confronted him about it, we start arguing and the next thing I know-----" She stopped and remembered she barely knew this man. "Well, you get the idea. We kept it quiet, tried to be business as usual at the office and doing it like crazy out of it. It was a good time, we were happy." She blinked back fresh tears. "I was happy."
Holtz could feel her pain, one so close to his own and stepped forward carefully. "What happened?"
Lilah sighed, rubbing at her eyes. "He found out one of our clients was planning to sacrifice a bunch of kids for his demon lord. He couldn't let that happen so he dropped a call to the police, they busted up the guy's warehouse, saved the kids. Police had it as just a simple kidnaping and slavery thing but the firm knew better. No such thing as anonymous from W&H. So, they fed him to the wolves."
"How did he die?" Holtz asked, not without sympathy.
"I just told you, they fed him to the wolves."
"Ah."
"Barely enough of him left to bury," Lilah went on, her voice low and filled with sorrow at the painful memories. "It didn't take long before they found out about me and that ended my wonderful legal career, not to mention my life as I knew it."
"But you are still alive," Holtz pointed out. "As much as you may have cared for him, you're alive and he's dead. Somehow, I get the feeling he'd have wanted more for you than a life constantly hiding and on the run."
"Like what?" Lilah said, staring at him quizzically.
"You have a strength greater than even you can imagine and you manage to keep a level head in the face of possible lethal danger," Holtz stated. "From what I gather, you also know a lot about demons and the ones in this city in particular, information that could be quite valuable to me."
Lilah frowned. "What are you saying?"
Holtz stepped forward, looking her right in the eye. "I have my reasons for hunting these creatures, the same as several others I'm with. I can offer you a way to fight back, a way to try and make the world a bit better by taking out a few of these creatures. And most importantly, I can offer you a chance to stop running, at least for a while. A chance to actually live. Do you want it?"
Lilah returned his gaze for a long moment before nodding. "Fine. I'm in." She placed the gun back into her jacket and started to walk towards Holtz. She stopped and turned, facing the gravestone once more. She took a few strong steps and leaned in to kiss the marker, backing away. "I'll try to be back soon," she whispered. "I love you."
She turned and walked back toward Holtz, willing herself not to look back at the gray marker behind her and the name upon it:
Lindsay McDonald.
1802 Hours PST
"I wish you'd told me it was going to be such a long walk to your place," Lilah complained, shuffling the duffel back up a bit on her shoulder. "I wouldn't have packed so much."
"It was foolish coming back to your apartment," Holtz muttered, glancing about at the sky. "It's night now and I'm not familiar with this area. Not the safest of combinations."
"That wasn't my apartment," Lilah clarified. "Mine is staked out by at least a dozen various Wolfram & Hart hitmen and associates, ready to rip me apart if I get within fifty feet of the place. That was Lindsay and I's...ah...'getaway' so we could be alone without them finding out."
"I thought it was a bit on the spartan side," Holtz observed. "But I would have preferred being closer to my own territory before now."
"You know, they have these amazing inventions called cabs," Lilah said sarcastically.
"Yes, I've been studying them," Holtz answered. "But I don't feel comfortable in one of those...machines."
Lilah looked at him, puzzled by the way he spoke about such a common device like it was something from another world. Before she could press him on it, a strange sound came up, like a suddenly approaching wind, yet there was no hint of even a breeze. "Oh, shit," Lilah whispered, looking behind her and seeing a blur cover the section of street behind her and Holtz. "Shit, Fauger."
"Excuse me?" Holtz frowned.
"Teleporter demon," Lilah hissed. "It's a courier, can move itself and others around via other dimensions, able to pop out of nowhere, move!" She took off running, Holtz joining her, still a bit thrown by the sudden danger but swiftly figuring out his options. As he and Lilah passed by an alley, he grabbed her arm and yanked her down it. They ran along, turning a corner and stopping right before the large wall before them. "Brilliant, Patton," Lilah said sarcastically as she and Holtz turned around.
The strange blur reappeared before them and from it stepped the short form of a stocky creature, blue-skinned with horns on his forehead, giving an evil smile at the duo. "Ms. Morgan," it said in a high-pitched voice. "Holland Masters wishes to inform you that your services are no longer required and has dispatched me to send out your termination notice." He glanced over at Holtz. "Sadly, your friend here has become collateral damage."
"Amazing," Holtz muttered to no one in particular. "Legalse is one section of English that's actually gotten more complex since my time." He glanced over at the demon. "I assume you're here to give the notice? You may be a bit outmatched."
Smiling, the demon waved a hand and a shimmering filled the air around him. It faded to show a dozen fighters, half vampires, half a mixture of various demons. "As you can see," the courier nodded. "I have friends."
Without warning, two shapes dropped down from the wall behind Holtz and Lilah. The two were startled to see a man and a woman drop next to them, rising to their feet. The man held a stake in each hand, glaring out at the group of demons before him. He was handsome in an intellectual fashion, wearing a dark outfit made for fighting. His companion was a redhead of exceptional beauty, her tight black outfit fitting like a second skin over her nice athletic body, a short English sword held ready in her hands.
"That's all right," the man said in a clipped British accent. "So does he." He turned and gave Holtz a quick nod, the other man returning it.
"Get them!" the courier yelled, waving a hand and his killers moved in. Without a word, but a growl emanating from her throat, the redhead moved in, her sword up and ready. She swung it out, decapitating one vampire, moving from the quickly disintegrating pile of dust and slicing her blade across the chest of a demon, sending it down with a howl.
Pulling out her gun, Lilah swiftly aimed it at an oncoming demon and started shooting, putting two bullets through its head. As it went down, Lilah moved to aim at another demon but a vampire grabbed her arm, yanking the gun away. He backhanded her, sending her down and with a hiss of pleasure moved in to but the bite on her.
Without warning, the vamp let out a howl and turned to dust, Lilah seeing the stranger holding a stake before her. He tossed his extra one to her, letting her grab it, then turned back to the fight. He saw a large Feryal demon coming at him, its nostrils flaring. Knowing the problems that could cause, the man held a hand out at the creature and whispered something under his breath. A hard surface covered the demon's nose just as he was about to unleash a powerful binding mucus. The simple result was that the mucus stuck into the demon's breathing system, sending it down as it slowly choked to death.
Holtz had taken out a rather impressive double-edged dagger, an old favorite of his as he sliced out with it, cutting a large gash on one red-skinned demon's arm. He saw a vampire charging at him and drew the dagger back in a wide swipe to slice his throat. As the vampire staggered back, clutching at his throat while choking, Holtz reached into his jacket and pulled out a stake, stabbing it into the vampire's heart and watching it turn to dust. He spun around, throwing out his hand and launching the knife into the red-skinned demon's chest, sending it down to the ground.
Lilah ducked a vampire's blows, reaching for something in her pocket. The vampire grabbed her and yanked her to her feet, her face breaking out into a wide smile. The smile ended as Lilah held up what appeared to be a mace can, pushing it into the vamp's jaw and pressing down. The vamp cried out as she felt a stinging taste in her mouth. She backed away, choking and grabbing at her throat, red spittle coming over her mouth as she suddenly disintegrated from the inside out.
Lilah saw the redhead staring at her in surprise and smiled. "Garlic mixed with holy water," she answered, waving her little canister. "Goes great with salad too." She turned and yelped as she saw a demon bearing down at her, his head down and ram-like horns aimed at her mid-section. Before she could appreciate the irony of a lawyer for Wolfram & Hart being killed by a ram, the redhead's sword came down, slicing the thing's head off, Lilah leaping away to avoid the bouncing horned ball.
The Englishman staked another vampire and then turned to face the large, wolf-like demon facing him. The bestial face was holding a huge growl as it lunged forward, its sharp claws going for the man's throat. It leapt out at him with a howl that abruptly ended when the man fell back, a hand held out, his mouth making a strange incantation. Instantly, a sheer of ice covered the wolf-being's body, hardening around it and flowing under the skin. The now newly- iced demon flew several more feet through the air before hitting the wall, smashing into a thousand pieces.
Lilah and Holtz were so impressed by the man's move that they didn't even see the redhead make a final sweep of her sword to slice the throat of the final demon, then spin about and thrust her sword into the thing's heart, pulling it out and giving a final slice along the back as the demon went down.
The Fauger knew it was time to cut his losses and began to mutter the incantation to teleport himself away and report back to his employers. He swiftly finished the spell and the strange blur filled the air around him, starting to cover his body. Seeing this, Holtz moved with a speed surprising for one his age, reaching out and yanking the demon forward so the blur of the teleportation spell cut along the creature's neck. The Fauger had one moment of shocked horror to realize what was going to happen before the blur faded, taking with it the demon's body and leaving its head in Holtz's hands. Holtz swiftly dropped the grisly trophy and lightly kicked it away.
A silence came over the alleyway as the four looked at one another. "Impressive," Holtz said, looking at the two new arrivals. "Daniel Holtz, this is Lilah Morgan."
"Wesley Wyndham Pryce," the Englishman introduced himself. "This is my associate, Katya Valentine." The redhead simply nodded, wiping her sword off on the body of one demon.
Holtz nodded at her, then turned back to Wesley. "I assume you're something of a magician?"
"I'm not quite that powerful," Wesley said, brushing at his coat. "Truth to tell, I got into it pretty much to piss off my father and it grew from there. Had to keep it quiet for a while with my former employers."
"Former? You're out of work too?" Lilah asked. "What happened?"
Wesley's face went sorrowful. "They couldn't stop my fiancee from being killed by vampires," he stated darkly. "And they wouldn't use their resources to hunt them themselves. So, I decided to break away and become a rogue demon hunter." He nodded towards Katya. "I ran into her a few weeks ago and we formed a partnership that's proven to be most beneficial to both of us." He looked at Lilah. "Out of work too? What about your employers?"
Lilah snorted. "You're looking at the kind of severance package they provide," she retorted, spreading a hand at the dead and dusted demons.
"I see," Wesley said. "If I may say, sir, you seem capable in a fight."
"I'd like to think so," Holtz responded. "I know how to hunt and kill these creatures."
"So do I," Katya stated, holding her sword down as she joined the group. "And I still wish I could make them suffer more."
"Why?" Lilah asked, frowning. "What'd they do to piss you off?"
Katya fixed her with a look that made Lilah immediately take a step back. "They killed my daughter. And granddaughter. And son-in-law."
"Oh," Lilah said blankly, knowing there was nothing she could possibly say to that.
"I know the feeling," Holtz stated, looking at the woman with a trace of sympathy. "We have common ground between us."
Katya raised an eyebrow. "They killed your daughter too?"
"No," Holtz answered. "They turned her so I'd have to do it. Which is a far worse feeling, I assure you."
"No offsense, sir," Katya began. "But you're a man."
"Observant. I like that."
"As much as you loved your daughter," Katya went on. "You don't know the connection one has to her mother. A connection that was taken from me."
"Probably not," Holtz conceeded. "But I do know that a mother out for revenge is a dangerous creature. And I could use that."
"For what?" Wesley asked with a trace of suspicion.
Holtz looked at the two new arrivals carefully, raising an eyebrow. "You both seem capable of fighting demons and knowledgeable about what types there are. I could use you two for a special...group I happen to be putting together."
"What kind of group?" Wesley frowned.
"A group dedicated to killing vampires in general and two in particular," Holtz answered. "And any other demons that happen to cross our path will be fair game."
"I'm with you," Katya answered without hesitation. "If it's undead and it's out there...I want them."
"You can't kill them all," Lilah pointed out. "You won't live that long."
"You'd be surprised," Katya muttered under her breath.
"I'll listen to your offer," Wesley stated, gathering himself up. "If you'll lead the way, sir? I look forward to working with you."
"Perhaps you should wait and see before you start looking forward," Holtz answered darkly as he turned on his heel and led the group out of the corpse-filled alleyway.
1911 Hours PST
"Well, this is cozy," Lilah said sarcastically as Holtz led them through the tunnels leading to his main cavern headquarters. "Torches, winding tunnels, dark shadows, crosses along the main tunnel openings, I feel like I'm in a damn mausoleum."
"You could be right," Wesley said in an interested tone, looking about as the group made their way into the room. "This place looks like the remains of a temple of some sort, perhaps even one used by the church. I had no idea such a thing could be under a major city in this day and age."
"I've found it amazing just what lies beneath the surface," Holtz answered. "Both in places and people."
"Poetic," Katya nodded as she came up behind them. She stopped in place, staring at the middle of the room, Wesley following her gaze, his eyebrows raised as he took in the sight before him. "Excuse me?" he called out to Holtz.
Holtz turned toward him, slightly confused at the tone in Wesley's voice. "Yes?"
Wesley nodded at the middle of the room. "Is there a reason that woman is sitting at the table with an icepick through her hand?"
Holtz looked at him, then at the table. "Oh, yes," he stated, as if he had forgotten something minor. He walked over to where Justine sat, still in her jeans and leather jacket, head resting on the table, an icepick piercing the very center of her palm with the tip driven a few inches into the surface of the table. She looked up at Holtz, her face stained with sweat, her eyes showing a dullness given the pain going through her hand. It had dulled down a mild throbbing since Holtz had jammed it into her hand but the pain still remained and Holtz knew it was taking all of her strength to keep from passing out. "About time," she muttered. "I was running out of things to do."
"What is this?" Katya frowned. Justine glanced over to her, taking in the new arrivals and letting out a snort. "Oh, are you all in for it," she said weakly as she looked back at Holtz.
"Just what are you trying to do?" Wesley said, a touch of venom coming into his voice as he fixed Holtz with a glare.
"Testing her level of commitment," Holtz answered without backing down, leaning towards Justine. "I'm making sure she has the ability to steady herself for the task at hand."
"Oh, that's funny, that's so fucking funny," Justine spat out, resisting the urge to wiggle her fingers at Holtz.
"Not intended that way," Holtz answered. "Justine here is like you three. She's lost someone close to her and she wants to get some payback as a way to fill the hole in her soul. She has skills and strengths but she also tends to jump the gun a bit and I can't have that. I need to make sure she can handle this." He looked down at her. "Given how she's managed to stand having that through her hand for the last....." he pulled out an antique (well, not to him) pocket watch, flipped the lid and glanced at it. "Three and a half hours, I do believe she's proven it."
"So...what?" Katya asked, frowning. "Do you just go about recruiting killers?"
"No," Holtz answered. "I recruit fighters with something to avenge, fighters who know pain. I go for people whose eyes....look like this feels." With that, he grabbed the icepick and yanked it out of Justine's hand, the redhead shooting up in her seat, fatigue gone as a wild rush of fresh pain ripped through her. "FUCK!" she yelled, holding her hand. "Fuck, fuck, fuckity-fucky- fuck, fuck, FUCK!"
Holtz pulled out a handkerchief and offered it to her. "Young lady, I don't mind telling you that I find your language to be greatly lacking in subtlety," he intoned.
"Up yours," Justine hissed as she grabbed the handkerchief and wrapped it around her hand, biting her lip as she felt the pain come rushing back.
"Do you realize how intensely disturbing that is?" Wesley asked, staring at Justine.
"Sadly, yes," Holtz nodded. "But I don't have time to reflect on it."
"Oh, great," Lilah muttered. "We've got Psycho-Wan Kenobi here."
"Sorry to hear that," Holtz said, turning toward her. "You're next------"
Without warning, Justine came to her feet, her uninjured hand launching out to smash Holtz in the jaw, knocking him back. Still wincing with pain, Justine stormed out of the room, brushing past the two people who were just entering, determined not to give Holtz the satisfaction of seeing tears in her eyes.
"You know, I'm starting to like her," Gunn said, looking back at Justine.
"Kate, Gunn, I have some people you should meet," Holtz said, walking forward. "This is Wesley, Katya and--------"
"What the hell are you doing here?" Kate hissed, eyes fixed on Lilah.
"You know her, I take it," Holtz said.
"Damn right, I know her," Kate snorted, staring at Lilah with disgust. "I've lost count of how many killers she and her Wolfram & Hart buddies have gotten off! Why the hell do you think you belong here, you damn bloodsucker?"
"She's a vamp?" Gunn asked, hand on a stake.
"Worse," Kate sniffed. "She's a lawyer."
"Gotcha," Gunn said, hand still on the stake as Kate glared at Lilah, daring her for an answer.
"They murdered Lindsay," Lilah bit out.
"Yeah, I heard about that," Kate said but didn't soften at all. "So what, you guys hated each other's guts, hell you probably threw a party when he got wasted and you got yourself a big step up the ladder-------"
Lilah moved in, nails reaching out for Kate's face but Katya quickly stepped in to hold her back, Gunn doing the same with Kate, who was ready to go herself. "Enough!" Holtz yelled out. "I won't have any dissension in this group, understand me? I don't understand why you're even fighting. You both serve the law."
"I did," Kate said. "She didn't."
"She dealt in the law," Holtz answered her.
"Actually, no, I was a lawyer," Lilah corrected him, still trying to get out of Katya's grip. "I didn't give a damn about the law."
"Was?" Kate asked, raising an eyebrow. "They finally got wise and kicked you out, counselor?"
"Ex-counselor, detective."
"Ex-detective, ex-counselor."
"Well, it appears this group is one big subtraction," Wesley sighed.
Kate rolled her eyes and looked back at Lilah. "So, what happened? Wolfram & Hart didn't give you enough cash for the apartment? You find out Lindsay left you some sort of going away present like a computer virus or something else for the bitch he couldn't stand-----"
"I loved him, you bitch!" Lilah yelled, struggling in Katya's grasp.
Kate froze. "What?"
"I loved him," Lilah repeated more softly, relaxing in Katya's grip. "I cared for him, I cried for him and now I'm going to do whatever it takes to get even for him. You don't believe that, I don't care. I want payback and if hanging out with Stalker-guy here is the way to get it, fine by me."
Kate stared at her as she shrugged off Gunn's arm, the two still hostile as they glared at each other. Holtz moved to where Wesley stood, shaking his head. "This could put tension on things," he muttered under his breath.
"Brilliant, Holmes," Wesley said sarcastically.
"No, no, Holtz, the name is Holtz..."
December 11th, 1998 - 2151 Hours PST
There was a vast difference between East Coast cities and West Coast cities, a difference that could be appreciated by someone who traveled quite a lot between them. While older cities such as New York, Boston or even Chicago tended to have its main urban center in a tight and rather close area, Los Angeles was far more spread out, making it seem bigger than it truly was. For many, that area made it ideal if one was trying their best not to be noticed. Such as the two people making their way through the area known as Century City.
"I still don't know about this," Jarod Russell stated, glancing about with an edgy look. "I mean, L.A.? Shouldn't we head somewhere a little quieter, San Diego or Portland or Seattle? The Center has too many operatives on the West Coast."
"Let she who has spent more time hiding out choose the path, Jarod," Andrea Parker answered with a smile. "Believe me, L.A. is perfect to hide out for a while. So many people coming and going, huge area to blend into and it will take the Center months to check out all the whackos while trying to track us down. Besides, I never did get to see Frederick's."
Jarod rolled his eyes as Andrea laughed a bit. She was dressed in a tight black mini-skirt with her slim legs encased in black pantyhose, wearing a light red shirt under her dark jacket. Jarod was wearing a pair of dark slacks and windbreaker, which concealed the holster underneath. He seemed a bit ill at ease in the outfit, as if not used to being so casual. "I just don't like it," he muttered.
"Relax, willya?" Andrea sniffed. "Look, with Sidney covering our backs a bit, we've got some breathing room before Lyle and Brigette try to track us down. So, we lay low for a few days here, then move on."
"I still don't like it," Jarod emphasized, eliciting a sigh from his lover.
"You enjoyed seeing 'The Lion King' on stage, I know, I saw you," Andrea told him. "You spent too much time hunting me down, you needed to get out more. Look, we can go to Disneyland tomorrow, it's been a couple of years since I worked there."
"You worked at Disneyland?" Jarod frowned. "We must have missed that one. Don't tell me, you were Snow White?"
"No, technical engineer," Andrea answered. "Stopped this whacko ex-employee from sabotaging Space Mountain. Got a couple of lifetime passes out of the deal, we can go."
"You at Disneyland," Jarod said, chuckling. "Okay, I should see that. I don't know if it can top Vegas. I still can't believe you did a stint as a showgirl."
"I didn't see you complaining when you got the free lap dance just before I gave you the slip," Andrea said with a sultry smile, hooking an arm in Jarod's.
"I like to think of it as you giving me a sneak preview," Jarod answered, smiling as he gave Andrea a quick kiss. The two were making their way across the Century City shopping plaza, a few neon lights remaining on despite the fact the stores had all closed. They stopped in the middle of the plaza, embracing and kissing long and hard, Andrea breaking away to put her head in Jarod's chest. "We've got company," she said softly, eyes closed as her hand reached into Jarod's jacket.
"I heard them," Jarod softly replied, his hands moving down Andrea's smooth hip and sliding under her skirt. "Ready?"
"Ready," Andrea said, breaking away from him, her hand pulling out the gun from Jarod's holster. At the same time, Jarod yanked out the small pistol Andrea had in a special holster under her skirt, the two throwing the guns to each other in a perfectly timed move, spinning around to face their attackers.
They were all dressed in loose clothing, nine of them, a mix of male and female, all appearing to be in their early twenties or so. Taking in their unprofessional clothing and youthful appearances, Jarod rolled his eyes. "Oh, man, the Center must really be hitting the skids. Look at what kind of people they're sending-------"
It was at that point the group moved closer, into the light given off by the closed stores and Jarod and Andrea saw them clearly. The two instantly felt a chill as they took in the ridged brows, yellow eyes and sharp fangs from the now infinitely more menacing figures approaching them. "Shit," Andrea whispered. "What the hell are these guys on?"
Jarod didn't answer, simply held his pistol up and aimed at the leader. "Back off," he said in a harsh tone. The man kept coming, a smile on his face. Jarod glanced at Andrea and shrugged. "Sorry, hon, gave them a warning," and with that pulled the trigger twice, two bullets ripping into the man's chest. Jarod and Andrea both stared in shock as the man didn't seem to feel anything at all. Even with a vest, the impact of the bullets should have done something but the man just kept coming at them, hauling back a fist and punching Jarod in the face, sending him flying several feet through the air, landing hard on a bench, breaking it under his weight.
As Jarod gasped for breath, Andrea looked on in shock as the deformed man turned to face her, his animalistic face taking on a dark leer as he moved in toward her. Andrea held up her gun and fired twice but the man kept coming, grabbing at her wrist and clenching it hard, Andrea unable to keep back a cry of pain, her bones feeling like they were going to snap as the man licked his lips, his fangs glinting a bit under the light.
Jarod sat up with a groan, shaking his head to clear it as he looked up. Seeing Andrea in the grip of the leader, his gang looking on with wicked smiles, Jarod saw red. Reaching out for a weapon of some kind, his hand closed around a broken piece of wood, getting to his feet and charging at the group. Knocking back a few unprepared members, he grabbed the man holding Andrea and turned him around. "Leave her alone!" he yelled as he slammed the wooden plank right into the man's heart.
The man let out a loud cry of pain only seconds before he suddenly turned into dust. Everyone froze, the gang stunned to see their leader taken out so quickly while Jarod and Andrea stared with wide-eyed expressions of shock at the man suddenly disintegrating. "Holy shit," Andrea whispered. "What the fuck was that?"
"I----I don't know," Jarod said, shaking his head as he looked at the vampires moving in on him. "But I do think we're in deep shit here." Andrea swallowed as Jarod moved in front of her, stake held up. Andrea pushed him aside a bit, not wanting him to take the first blow.
The vampires had recovered from the loss of their leader and were advancing on the two humans, hostility in their features as they did. There was a sudden whistling sound cutting through the air and a female vampire howled in pain seconds before she fell apart, a wooden arrow lying in the pile of ash where she had been.
As one, the vampires turned to see Gunn, Justine and Katya standing before them, Justine lowering the crossbow she held in one hand, the other still wrapped in gauze. Katya twirled her sword in her hands as she glared at the group before her. "Hold back a bit," she told Justine.
"Not a chance," the other redhead muttered, dropping the crossbow and pulling out a stake.
"Wesley may have helped heal you a bit but your wound is still partially there," Katya pointed out. "You can't just leap in-------"
"If the boss didn't want me to go, he wouldn't have sent me," Justine answered. "I was a Marine, remember? Seeing how a soldier does while wounded is always important to know."
"Fine," Katya sighed. "Follow me." She rushed in, ducking a punch from a vampire and slicing out with the sword, feeling a thrill of satisfaction as the blade sliced along the man's back and caused it to scream. Nearby, Justine snap-kicked one vampire in the face, knocking him back and giving her the opportunity to launch a punch into his jaw, sending him down. Justine hauled back and kicked him in the ribs, causing him to roll about on the ground. He landed on his back his eyes managing to take in Justine leaping onto him just before her stake slammed into his chest.
Gunn had brought along a large broad-edged axe, taking a few hefty swings to knock a couple of vampires back. He sliced one across the gut, causing it to gasp in pain, then spun, ducking a slash from the other, swinging the axe low. The blade hit the vampire just above the knee and neatly sliced through. The vampire fell to the ground, screaming as he felt at where his leg had been. Gunn kept low as the other vamp staggered forward, hands on his stomach. Reaching into his pocket, Gunn pulled out a stake and jammed it into the vamp's chest. Even as he turned to dust, Gunn turned and staked the other vamp, watching as the severed leg also turned to dust. "Always wondered if that would happen," Gunn muttered under his breath as he rose back to his feet.
Katya spun around as one vampire managed to get a kick into her face. As she shook her head, the female vamp lunged at her. Dropping her sword, Katya grabbed the woman as she jumped and fell back, holding onto the vampire as she did. The woman let out a cry of surprise that turned into pain as she landed right onto a broken piece of wood, her body dizzolving in Katya's hands. The redhead jumped up, grabbing her sword and swung out, slicing through the neck of a rushing vampire and beheading him.
Justine instinctively punched one vampire, then gasped in pain as she realized too late it was with her bandaged hand. She managed to block the vampire's comeback shot but was unprepared for the other remaining vampire to suddenly punch her in the face, knocking her back. Justine gasped as she hit the ground hard but managed to reach into her jacket. The vampire who had punched her, a heavyset man, grinned as he leaped onto her, expecting a great meal from this one. He didn't even see the stake Justine was holding up, not even as he landed right onto it, Justine coughing as she breathed in a bit of the man's remains.
She looked up to see the final vampire, a blonde woman, standing there, apparently trying to decide whether to attack Justine or just cut and run. Before she could, she spasmed in pain and then broke apart. Through the cloud of dust, Justine could see Andrea standing there, the arrow Gunn had used held in her hands, in disbelief over what she had just done.
"Not bad," Justine nodded, getting to her feet. She glanced over at Gunn and Katya as they came forward, looking at the two stunned people. "First time?"
Andrea weakly nodded, still staring at the pile of dust that was beginning to blow away in the light breeze.
"Seeing one or killing one?" Gunn asked.
"Both," Jarod answered softly, as taken aback by this as Andrea.
"Lucky for you guys we were in the neighborhood and heard the shots," Gunn stated, hefting the axe onto his shoulder. "Otherwise, you'd be in trouble."
"Well, that's our good deed for the day, let's go," Justine nodded, turning and walking off, Gunn with her. Katya, however, held back a bit, looking closely at Jarod and Parker. "Tell me," she spoke up. "Do you two have anywhere to go or are you just visiting?"
"Just, um, passing through," Jarod stated dully.
"Yeah, we've sort of got some...trouble coming after us," Andrea added with a shrug.
"Really?" Katya said, raising an eyebrow. She looked at them both closely, the two feeling like she was examining them for something. She turned to Justine and Gunn who had both stopped and stared at her in confusion. "Let's take them with," Katya said as a statement, not a suggestion.
"Excuse me?" Justine said, gaping at her. "You want to take them to our place? Are you crazy? Do you have any idea how Holtz will react when-------" She stopped and looked down at her bandaged hand, then at Katya. "Okay, let's take them."
2302 Hours PST
Holtz was sitting in front of the monitors when Kate entered the room. The former cop watched him, slouched slightly in the seat as he took in the massive flood of information emitting from the screens. She frowned a bit, not understanding why he seemed so intent on studying history but shrugged it off as she walked forward.
"What is it?" Holtz asked, not even bothering to look in her direction, a skill that unnerved Kate slightly.
"Still no word from Justine, Gunn or Katya," Kate answered. "Getting a little worried."
"They should be able to handle themselves," Holtz stated plainly. "It's why I sent them."
"Maybe," Kate said, biting her lip. "Look, Holtz...there's something about this Katya I don't trust."
Holtz turned to look at her, letting Kate know she had his attention now. "How so?"
Kate took a breath and held up a sheet of paper in her hand. "I called in a few favors from some guys in information," she said. "They did some checking. Now, I've got records for a Katya and Elena Valentine that moved to Spain about 1984. Elena marries an Armond Baptista, big newspaper magnate, they have a daughter. 1996, all three of them are found slaughtered, cops ruled it a mob hit, the paper had been doing exposes on some crime activities. But from what I can see, it looks more like vamps."
"That matches what Katya told us," Holtz responded. "So?"
Kate held up the paper. "At the time of her death, Elena Baptista was forty-five. If Katya is a day over thirty, I want her skin cream."
As Holtz pondered that, Kate moved on. "I also checked up on records for her and found there's nearly nothing. Birth certificate and social security is there but no credit report, no paper trail at all before 1984. It's like she just sprang full-grown out of nowhere."
"She's not a vampire," Holtz stated.
"She's also not what she seems," Kate shot back.
"Are any of us, really?" Holtz asked rhetorically.
Kate peered at him. "Were you a Shaolin monk in a former life, by any chance?"
"Highly unlikely," Holtz answered. "Why do you ask?"
"This whole, unflappable Zen approach," Kate said, waving a hand. "I mean, the next thing we'll find out is that you're a guitar-playing werewolf."
Holtz stared at her for a long moment before shaking his head. "Where do you Americans get ideas like this from?"
The sound of approaching footsteps got their attention and they looked up to see Justine, Gunn and Katya enter with Jarod and Andrea. At the sight of the two new arrivals, Holtz rose from his seat and calmly walked forward. "I was unaware we are now taking in strays," he said dryly.
"My God, it's Wolfman Jack," Jarod muttered as he saw the man.
"Who?" Gunn, Justine and Andrea all asked, causing Jarod to roll his eyes.
"We ran into them when they were being attacked by vamps," Justine told Holtz, putting a cigarette into her mouth and lighting it. She paused and held the pack out to the duo.
"No, thanks, I don't touch them," Jarod said.
"Please," Andrea snorted. "Like I'm ever going to put one of those cancer sticks into my mouth."
"Suit yourself," Justine shrugged, taking a drag and ignoring the ugly look Holtz gave her.
"They saw the fight, so we gave them the lowdown on what goes howling in the night on the way over," Gunn explained to Holtz.
"They handled themselves well," Katya stated. "Each of them managed to stake a vamp, despite the fact it was the first time they had ever seen one."
"Really?" Holtz said, actually sounding impressed. He looked at the two. "My name is Holtz. Just who are you two?"
"Andrea Parker," the woman answered. She nodded at her companion. "Jarod Russell."
"Those were your names," Holtz nodded. "But just who are you?"
The two exchanged a long look and then glanced back to Holtz. "The truth?" Andrea asked.
"That would be most effective," Holtz responded.
Andrea sighed and rubbed at her hair, pacing a bit before answering. "Okay, here goes. There's this place in Deleware called the Center, major private organization with a lot of fingers in dirty places. The guy who's been running it for the last several decades is my father, although I hasten to add that it's in name only. Trust me, what he did to me you don't do to any kid, let alone your own daughter."
"What'd he do?" Gunn frowned.
Andrea took a deep breath before replying. "He had me locked into a room in the Center for the first twenty-five years of my life, put me through various tests and models, forcing me to come up with ideas and plans, which he said would be just intellectual challenges. It wasn't until years later that I found out that stuff I had helped plan had been used by criminals, terrorists, nasty government agencies, a lot of other nasty bastards, used on innocent people, used to hurt, to destroy lives and to kill."
She paused for a breath, the guilt of her unwitting actions still showing. Jarod put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed, Holtz noting the tenderness of the action as Andrea brought herself back together. "So, I break out and go on the run. And I start using my skills to try and help people in trouble, the ones who can't be helped by the cops or the courts, the ones who need someone to make things right for them."
"You just pop in and out of people's lives?" Justine asked. "How can you just slip into things so easily?"
"She's what we call a Pretender," Jarod answered. "All the training and information the Center filled her with has given her a wide-range of skills. She's a human chameleon, capable of taking on just about any job on the planet and perform it like she's been doing it for years. Doctor, nurse, teacher, secretary, computer specialist, pilot, chef, engineer, animal trainer at Sea World, dancer, seamstress, camerawoman, any branch of military or law enforcement, she can do it all."
"Ever been a lawyer?" Kate asked.
"Please, I have my standards," Andrea sniffed as Kate grinned.
"So, where do you fit into things?" Gunn asked. "What, you were a fellow inmate or something?"
"Something like that," Jarod sighed. "I was taken from my family when I was a kid and shipped to the Center. Mr. Parker thought I might make a good Pretender myself but decided to go with his daughter instead. I got put into a special program to become what the Center likes to call a sweeper."
"I'm guessing it's not a custodian position," Katya stated.
"Nope," Jarod shook his head. "It's for the guys who get used to clean up the Center's messes, with extreme prejudice. Luckily, I managed to stay out of the really dirty missions. I was used mainly to threaten guys into shutting up or else." He sighed. "I really hope I never find out what happened to the ones who chose 'or else.'"
This time it was Andrea's turn to give him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, Jarod nodding at her before continuing. "When Andrea broke out, I was assigned to catch her by her father. Not out of parental devotion, you understand, he didn't have any. He just hated to lose out on a long-term investment which was all he ever saw her as. So, I spent the last few years tracking her from place to place, job to job, getting close but never quite catching her."
"So, why are you with her now?" Justine asked with a frown.
Jarod bit his lip before answering. "The more I chased her...The more I saw what she was doing, how she was helping people...The more it go to me." He looked around at the group. "You have to understand, neither of us had what could be called a normal childhood or even an abnormal one. We were both cut off from the outside world, both raised to be used as living weapons. And, well, that gets to you after a while. You hang around with people without remorse, it rubs off, whether you want it to or not." He paused and looked at Andrea. "But seeing her go out of her way to help people just because they needed it...I agreed with that. It felt good, it felt right. So, when the time came that I finally caught her...I decided it was time to say to hell with the Center and help her out."
Everyone knew there was more to the story than that but Jarod clearly wasn't going to tell any more and there seemed no reason to pry. "Well, that was quite the narrative," Holtz summed up. "What do you two plan on doing now?"
They looked at each other before turning their attention to Holtz. "What we saw tonight...I never thought things like that existed," Andrea started. "And to think that all they do is prey on innocent people..."
"We want to help," Jarod said. He looked at Andrea, seeing the agreement in her eyes. "We both do. You want to stop innocent people from getting killed, we're there."
"Besides," Andrea shrugged with a light smile. "Demon hunter is one job I've never Pretended at. I love new experiences."
Holtz stared at them both for a long moment, stroking his goatee. "Tell me," he stated. "Do you believe that fate and destiny combine their forces to ensure that the right people come into contact with each other at the right time in order to achieve a predestined goal?"
"Um, no," Jarod answered, he and Andrea shaking their heads.
"Good, neither do I. We'll just chalk this up as a massive coincidence." He turned and walked back toward the monitors, calling over his shoulder. "Gunn, Kate, make sure they have a room, we should have enough cots and mattresses. Introduce them to Lilah and Wesley too, get them all acquainted." He sat down in the chair, facing the screens. "I'm going to have a meeting tomorrow morning, promptly at nine, make sure you're all up and ready by then." He sat back and watched the video images flow before him.
"What is he------" Jarod started.
"Don't ask, I've found that the sanest course of action," Kate sighed as she led them away, the group piling out of the room and leaving Holtz to himself. The demon hunter tried to get his mind off the talk he'd just had and onto the information before him but it nagged him. He had his party of hunters, he was sure of that. He just wished he could shake the nagging feeling that there were going to be a few surprises for him down the road.
Sunnydale Public Library
January 17, 1999 - 1852 Hours PST
"This is so boring," Buffy groaned as she tapped her fingers on the table. She brushed at her long hair, pushing aside the large book before her. "I should be out there on patrol, not stuck here reviewing cliff notes on demon history. I really used to do more patrolling with my old Watcher."
"I thought you hated that about him," Amy said, frowning slightly at Buffy. The Amazon witch and the Immortal Slayer were sitting at the large oak table in the library, several volumes of books before them. Amy was poring over some books on witchcraft while Buffy had been pushed by Giles into studying up on demons, a task the action-minded Slayer wasn't too keen on.
It had been about an hour since Angel had left, wanting to find Willow and Xander and make sure they were okay on this day. Giles, once remembering just what day it was, was a bit silent as well, telling Buffy to do some research while he checked on some "private things" at home. Larry had gone to see Oz's show at the Bronze and Jenny had gone to meet Ceirdwyn and Arthur, due to arrive back in town that evening. That left Buffy and Amy behind to study, only one of them open to the idea.
"I don't get why I have to bone up on the research so much," Buffy complained, sitting back in her chair. "It's not like they can kill me permanently."
"Unless one of them pops a bunch of spikes out of his forearms and cuts your head off," Amy stated. "My mom and I are pretty good at being witches but resurrecting a Slayer? That's a bit out of our league."
"Thanks for the info," Buffy said sarcastically. "I can't believe I'm doing this."
"Studying?"
"Being in school," Buffy sighed. "It's just been so long since I had any sort of life since I became the Slayer. I was told then and there that a Slayer was meant to have no friends, no support, nothing. Now, I've got Giles and you, Oz, Larry, Jenny, your mom and I'm actually friends with a few vamps. I'm part of a social group now. I'm getting an education that requires more than just killing demons. It almost feels....." She paused, furrowing her brow as she tried to come up with the right word. "Normal."
Amy let out a short laugh. "Buffy Summers, 'normal' is something you'll never be, no matter what."
"Gee, thanks," Buffy said sourly. "You know, I always imagined that if I had a bisexual redheaded witch for a best friend, she could at least try to be a little encouraging."
"Oh, I can encourage you," Amy said with a smile. "Just the other night, Willow was showing me this great trick with------"
"Too much info alert!" Buffy called out, throwing up her hands. "I do not, repeat, *not* want to hear just what it is you and those two do every night!"
"Have it your way," Amy stated, a small smile on her lips as she sat back. "You should, though, it's so spicy."
Buffy shook her head and then threw a look at Amy. "How can you do it?"
Amy frowned, confused by the question. "What do you mean?"
"I mean...." Buffy stumbled a bit for the words. "You and Willow are apparently a couple but you don't seem to have that connection with Xander but you're still sleeping with both of them! How can you handle that?"
"Oh, trust me, Xander can so handle-----"
"Alert again!"
"Sorry." Amy sighed. "I can't really explain it, Buffy. It's like asking you to explain why you're straight. It's just the way I am, the way I feel. And I'm glad Willow and Xander are open to that too."
"I'm not trying to sound condemning," Buffy assured the witch. "I'm not, really. I guess I'm still weirded out with the idea of sleeping with a vampire." She immediately held up a finger as Amy opened her mouth. "Don't start. All right? Just don't."
"Come on, Buffy," Amy said in a teasing tone. "You're telling me you don't feel anything for Angel?"
"Why should I?" Buffy attempted to shrug it off.
Amy rolled her eyes. "Gee, let me see. There's the fact he traveled to Sunnydale to meet you, endured two years of torture from Willow and Xander in the hopes you'd show up, risked his life to help you even though you didn't trust him and that he's been helping out for weeks here. Oh, and let's not forget that he's *damn hot!*"
Buffy rubbed her head. "Amy, I have put up with my own double telling me about Angel being the guy for me, I have had Larry and Oz saying that he's a good pick and I don't even want to get into your boyfriend and girlfriend and their little comments on it."
"Oh, anything-----"
"Stop it," Buffy told her, holding up a finger. "I don't know how I feel about Angel, Amy. And frankly, having you guys constantly harping on it is not helping me settle those feelings any easier. So, please, could you just give me some space to figure it out on my own?"
"I don't know, Buffy," Amy started. "I mean, you were a couple in that other reality."
"Right," Buffy said sarcastically. "And he ended up losing his soul and going psycho. Oh, and I should point out that in this same reality, Willow is dating Oz, Xander is dating that girl, Cordelia, who in this reality he and Willow killed and you are with a faery."
"Okay, point made," Amy admitted, sitting back in her chair.
"I still hate that place," Buffy muttered, looking in the distance. "My mom was alive, Willow and Xander are alive, Sunnydale didn't have a major body count, everything over there was better."
Amy looked down at the table, her face falling. "Not everything," she said softly.
Buffy looked up, taken aback by the way she had said that. "What do you mean?"
Amy looked back up at her, biting her lip, seeming unsure of what to say. Seeing her reluctance, Buffy leaned in. "Amy," she started. "I know we're not best buds yet but I do think we can share with each other. So, what is it?"
Amy looked up and took a deep breath. "You know how those other reality guys seemed a little...weird when they saw me and my mom?"
"Yeah, so?"
Amy rubbed at her face. "I just couldn't understand it so we asked that Robin guy. And he gave us the whole story."
"Which was?" Buffy asked.
Amy tapped her fingers on the table before replying. "One thing was right in that reality. My dad left us. The thing was, he left us there because my mom was getting seriously into witchcraft and neglecting me. It seems Mom was a cheerleader in high school in that reality, a good one too. She even won a state championship, considered it the high point of her life."
"Let me guess," Buffy put in. "She pulled a stage mother act, pushed her Amy into trying out for the team."
"Oh, she went better than that," Amy answered. "She...." She closed her eyes and built herself up before continuing. "She cast a spell that switched bodies with her Amy."
Buffy stared at her, her face in shock. "Say what?"
Amy nodded. "Yeah," she said, a touch of sadness in her voice. "She switched their bodies, took Amy's younger one and stuck Amy into hers. She then tries to make the team but ends up as an alternate. So, she started using black magic to take out the other cheerleaders and get herself made a regular."
"Damn," Buffy muttered. "So, what happened to her?"
"Truth to tell, no one's quite sure," Amy admitted, biting her lip. "That Buffy and her gang figured out what was happening and switched them back. At which point, that reality's Catherine Madison tried to kill her daughter and used some spell on Buffy. I guess it was to send her into another dimension or something but it backfired and bam, she was gone. Where she went is anyone's guess."
"My God, I can't believe it," Buffy whispered. The Catherine Madison she knew was a smart, caring, intelligent and sometimes funny woman who always treated other well. That her counterpart could be such a single-minded and selfish bitch.... "That's sick, that's twisted, that's inhumane!"
"I know, I know," Amy nodded.
"She was a *cheerleader?!*"
"Hey, so were you!" Amy shot back.
"No, I wasn't," Buffy frowned.
"Yes you were. The other----"
"Don't. Start. That. Again," Buffy told her. "We're not talking about the alternate thing now, okay, Amy?" She sighed and leaned forward. "Look. I'm taking it that this is something that's been weighing on both you and your mom for the last month?"
"Well, yeah," Amy told her with a shrug. "I mean, come on, Buffy. You know my mom, how do you think she feels about learning that if she had made a different choice in high school, she could have turned out that way?"
"Hey, I don't think she would have," Buffy told her. "And don't either of you start letting what happened there effect you here too. It's not a wise attitude to hold onto."
"Guess you're right," Amy shrugged. "But come on, why do you think my mom and Angel get along so well? They both got a look at how nasty they could get in that other reality and worry about how they might turn out the same here. Trust me, the brood sessions are not something you want to be in on."
"Well, actually," Buffy calmly said. "There has been one thing I've been wanting to see happen in this reality too."
Amy perked up. "What's that?"
"Getting Giles and Jenny together."
"Jenny?" Amy frowned. "Since when have you and Ms. Calendar been on a first-name basis?"
"Oh, since me and Giles found that she's just a partner in misery as either of us." At Amy's confused look, Buffy began to elaborate.
Sunnydale High School
January 10th, 1999 - 1502 Hours PST
"I'm sorry about the punch," Buffy apologized for about the fifth time in the last two minutes. "I thought you were going to duck."
"I was attempting a feint," Giles said, a hand held to his left eye, knowing it was already going to a nasty black eye. He and Buffy were quickly walking down the halls to the nurse's office. It was a spot they had visited a few times before, since their training sessions had gotten a bit more physical. While Buffy was getting used to her Immortality, Giles was still trying to get full control over his recent empowerment. The result was that several of their sessions had resulted in a few mistimed blows. While Buffy could heal quickly, Giles needed a bit more aid.
"Well, telegraph the blow better," Buffy stated as they rounded the corner.
"Yes, because all your opponents will do that," Giles dryly said. "That's what training is for, Buffy, to get you to work out your problems in fighting now before they cause trouble----"
"Shelve the lecture, Giles," Buffy told him. "Let's just get some ice for that." She shook her head as they came up to the nurse's office. "I can't believe they just let you waltz in and out of there."
"Well, they didn't exactly let me," Giles admitted. "However, in the course of two years of fighting vampires, I found it beneficial to have a medical station on-hand when needed."
"Uh huh," Buffy nodded, looking toward the door of the office. "And I take it a lock wasn't something that was needed?"
Frowning, Giles followed her gaze to the nurse's office door. Seeing it was open, he took a few careful steps forward, giving Buffy a quick nod. Without a word, she pulled out her katana and held it ready. Swiftly, the two burst into the office, Buffy holding her sword high in her hands as they stopped in place.
Sitting on the cushioned bench in the middle of the room was Jenny Calendar. The computer teacher and self-professed techno-wiccan was holding a large cloth to one eye and started a bit as she took in the two intruders. "Um, hi?" she said weakly.
"Oh, um, yes, hello," Giles stammered as he moved out of his fighting stance. Beside him, Buffy lowered her sword. "Um, if I may ask, Ms. Calendar, just what, um, what are you doing here?"
"I'm sorry," Jenny said. "I sort of needed to get some...supplies fast and didn't want to bother with a hospital." She lowered the cloth to show a dark black ring starting to form around her right eye.
"Damn," Buffy muttered, taken aback by the mark on the teacher's face. "What the hell happened to you?"
Jenny looked down at her lap, her fingers fiddling with the cloth. "I..." She took a deep breath and continued. "I went to see my uncle today."
"The clan elder?" Giles asked, frowning.
Jenny nodded. "Yes, he had just come into town to check on me. I didn't tell you because I didn't quite know how I was going to deal with him."
"What do you mean deal with him?" Buffy asked.
Jenny sighed. "Buffy, you have to understand. I was sent here to Sunnydale for the specific purpose of making sure the curse on Angelus----Angel, was in effect. I didn't expect to find the situation to be what it was, with the town, with him, with you." Jenny shook her head. "And neither did the clan."
Giles and Buffy both entered the room, walking over to where Jenny sat. Buffy stood next to her by the table while Giles leaned against a counter. "What happened?" Buffy asked.
Jenny reached up and wiped at her face before looking up at the two. Tears still shone in her eyes as she answered Buffy's question. "They cast me out."
Both Buffy and Giles stared at her in shock. "What?" Giles asked.
Jenny sadly nodded. "As far as the clan is concerned, Janna Kalendish no longer exists and no help will be given to her." She shook her head. "Me."
"How can they do that?" Buffy asked in disbelief. "Why would they do that? You've been a big help to us----"
"That's the problem, Buffy," Jenny interrupted. "I've been aiding not only Angel but two other vampires and the Romany clan takes a very dim view of that."
"How can they?" Giles demanded. "The Watchers don't have much of a problem with this situation."
"The Watchers didn't have most of their clanspeople slaughtered by Angel," Jenny shot back.
Buffy rolled her eyes. "He didn't do that, Ms. Calendar, it was Darla and----"
"Darla, Spike and Drusilla, yes, I know that now," Jenny clarified. "But let me tell you a funny thing about gypsy clans, Buffy. When they get an idea in their heads and it becomes part of their history, it's sort of hard to shake it when a new version of events comes along." She sniffed slightly, rubbing at her nose. "When I came to my uncle's hotel room to tell him what happened, he was furious. He was actually trembling with rage. He didn't even give me a chance to speak, simply railed at me for what he knew."
"Wait a minute, how'd he know?" Buffy asked with a frown.
"He's on of the clan elders, Buffy. They have major intelligence sources and no doubt they've had someone keeping an eye on me while I kept an eye on Angel. And the news I was working with the vampire whose name has become synonymous with evil among my people did not go over well."
"Jenny, I fail to understand why they would be so upset as to cast you out," Giles said, coming up next to her. "Surely, if they know what the situation is, they know that Angel, as well as Willow and Xander, have been a tremendous help to us in dealing with vampires. Wouldn't your clan want to see that help?"
Jenny shook her head. "Rupert, you don't understand. Angelus was given a soul to make him suffer and the clan wanted him to continue suffering. They didn't want him redeemed, they didn't want him fighting for good, they only cared about his suffering. I tried to explain this to my uncle, I tried to make him see how much of a help Angel has been. I explained that he's not the same man anymore, that the demon is gone and we shouldn't hold him responsible for what happened." She sighed. "My uncle didn't even seem to listen. He told me that the clan was done with me, I've been cast out and no one of the Romany clan will ever even acknowledge my existence. And when I tried to protest that, he..."
She closed her eyes and motioned toward the mark on her face. Buffy and Giles stared in shock. "He did that?" Buffy asked in a whisper. "Your own uncle?"
"Not anymore," Jenny softly replied, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "He told me I am no longer family, that I'm dead to him. Which explains why he had no problems 'punishing' my betrayal."
Giles' face slowly set into a mask of rage. "That bloody, miserable bastard!" Both Buffy and Jenny started at the sudden rancor in his voice. Each stared in amazement as a look of pure hate and violence seeped onto the Englishman's face. "I'm gonna find that miserable bullock and rip his balls off," Giles seethed, his cultured voice giving way to his old streetwise origins.
Seeing him rise up, Buffy immediately put a hand on her Watcher's arm. "Easy, Giles. I don't want to go about comparing our version of the Ripper to the other one."
Giles looked at her, ready to bite back a scathing reply. One look at Buffy's face and he cooled down, realizing that attacking the Slayer wasn't the best idea open to him. "Sorry," he muttered. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself. "I just got....upset."
"Hey, I'm right there with you," Buffy assured him. "But going out and killing the guy isn't going to help the situation."
"He's already gone," Jenny told them. "He was just here to deliver his message and then left. I had to get this treated and didn't want to go to a hospital so...." Her tears began to slide down her cheeks as the full impact of what had happened sunk in. "Oh, God," she whispered, covering her hands with her face. "They cast me out. My own people cast me out just because I was trying to help."
Giles and Buffy looked at each other for a moment. With an unspoken agreement, each took a seat next to Jenny. Buffy reached out to rub at the teacher's shoulders while Giles simply sat next to her. "Hey," Buffy said softly. "It's going to be okay, Jenny."
"How can you say that?" Jenny said, looking up at her. "Everything I know has been taken from me, Buffy!"
A brief flash of anger in the Slayer's eyes let Jenny know she had crossed a line. "I know that," Buffy said with a slight edge to her voice. "Believe me, Jenny, I know all about losing everything." There was a tense moment between them. Then, Buffy put her hand in Jenny's and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "But if there's one good thing to come out of that whole mess a few weeks back, it's the knowledge that losing it all doesn't mean the end. Don't let this beat you down, Jenny. Don't let this destroy you and make you think there's nothing worthwhile left in life. I've been down that road, Jenny and it is cold and hard and bitter and you don't want to start on it. You can be stronger than that."
"But, Buffy," Jenny stressed. "The clan has my life. It's part of me and now I can't have it anymore."
"So what?" Jenny turned in surprise toward Giles. "So, you're no longer Janna Kalendish. Again, so what?" The librarian fixed the computer teacher with a gaze of sympathy mixed with an educating air. "Jenny Calendar is just as good a person, if not more so, than Janna Kalendish. You're a highly intelligent woman with a multitude of skills who has been a great aid to us. You have been willing to forgive Angel for what the demon did and have helped Xander and Willow cope with their own guilt. If the rest of your clan can't look beyond their prejudices and see how letting Angel do some good instead of punishing him for actions that he was not truly responsible for, that's their problem. It shows how backward they are in their thinking."
It was his turn to hold onto one of Jenny's hands. "But that's their thinking, Jenny," he calmly told her. "It doesn't have to be yours. I know Jenny Calendar was only a cover name but the woman who uses it is someone we've all grown to like." He cupped Jenny's chin and lifted it slightly so she could look at his face. "Maybe it's time you gave it a permanent try and see what happens."
Jenny looked at him, then turned to look at Buffy. Seeing the same look of compassion and acceptance on her face, Jenny felt her spirits rise. "Thank you," she said softly. She looked back at Giles. "Both of you."
"Will you be all right?" Giles asked her carefully. "I mean, with a place to stay and such?"
Jenny sighed. "Well, with my being cast out, I've lost much of whatever family assets I had." She let a slight smile come onto her face. "But, I think my computer skills could win me enough money to scrape by."
"Hey, I think we've got some buddies in the Grail who can help too," Buffy told her. She bent her head slightly as she took in the caring way Giles looked at the teacher and the way Jenny looked back. "Say, I've gotta check something. I'll be right back."
She hopped off the table and headed to the door. She spared a look back at Jenny and Giles. She saw the Watcher moving to the office refrigerator and removing an ice pack. Wrapping it with a cloth, he moved to Jenny and pressed it on her face. Jenny's hand reached up to wrap around his, holding onto it as they sat across from each other.
With a tiny smile on her face, Buffy walked out of the office. She figured five minutes would be enough to get the two to talking and just maybe make sure one thing in this reality stayed on track.
January 17, 1999
"Oh, that's sweet," Amy said as Buffy finished her tale. "So, were they....you know...when you came back?"
Buffy shook her head. "Nah. They were just talking while he was putting some ointment by her wound. Still, there's something there, Amy. I figure we can work on that."
"How long do you think before they start doing it?" Amy pressed her.
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Come on, Amy, we're talking about a couple of old folks here. And Giles is English to boot. You know they take their time."
"Maybe we can speed up the pace a bit, huh?" Amy grinned.
Buffy looked at her carefully. "You know, Amy, I sometimes worry about your libido."
"I don't," Amy grinned.
Buffy sighed, then frowned in thought. "You know, maybe we ought to go and try to find those guys. Just make sure they're doing okay."
"You just want to get out of studying," Amy pointed out with a smirk.
"Maybe," Buffy conceded. "But I do worry about them on an anniversary like this. Come on, you can try out that locator spell you've been practicing."
Amy brightened and stood up from her chair. "Lead on, McBuff."
"Okay, that's a little too literary for me," Buffy stated as she and the witch walked out of the library, both feeling a better connection between them then there had been before.
Los Angeles
December 12th, 1998 - 0904 Hours PST
There was a feeling of slight tension in the room, all eyes on Holtz as he slowly paced the area before the group. Justine leaned on the table, glaring at Holtz, pissed over how he pack of cigarettes had gone missing and knowing he had something to do with it. Gunn also leaned on the table, a bit more laid-back but still showing impatience in his expression. Kate sat at the table, drumming her fingers on the surface as she waited for things to start. Wesley stood, arms folded, steadily staring at Holtz. Katya sat on a chair, lightly wiping at her blade with an absent air. Jarod and Andrea sat in a pair of chairs nearby, close to each other, causing Lilah, standing by them, to shift nervously.
"You all know who each other are," Holtz began as he stopped his pacing and faced the group. "And you know what motivations each of you has to be here. But before we move on...I believe it only fair that all of you understand who I truly am and what my own motives are to be so dedicated to this mission."
"Try obsessed," Lilah muttered.
"As many of you have no doubt noticed, I appear to be a bit.... out of synch, if you will, with the world you know. Unfamiliarity with common devices, no reaction to popular culture references, not seeming to know about simple historical names and dates. There is a very good reason for that." Holtz scratched his beard before speaking. "This may be difficult for you all to believe," he stated. "But a week ago, by my point of view, the year was 1773."
As he expected, that statement produced quite a few stares of various degrees of confusion and disbelief. "Yes, it's true," Holtz answered the unspoken question. "I was living in England, a nice life, truth to be told. I had a family, a wife, two children, good friends and neighbors and on occasion I would help hunt vampires."
"Scuse me?" Justine started, a bit thrown by the matter of fact way he stated it.
"It was different then," Holtz answered. "People were more knowledgeable about them, more accepting that there were evils that needed to be fought and I took it upon myself to do my best to hunt them down. It was in....1762 that I first heard of a couple of vampires that were among the worst to ever walk the Earth: Darla and Angelus."
"Angelus?" Wesley piped up, his eyes widening. "The Angelus? The Scourge of Europe?" Holtz nodded. "You fought Angelus and *lived?*" Wesley shook his head. "My judgment of you has just increased immensely."
"I'm aglow with pleasure," Holtz said. "If I may continue?" At Wesley's nod, Holtz went on. "In 1764, I badly underestimated Angelus and Darla. While I was off following a trail of false clues that led me miles out of the way, they paid a visit to my home and proceeded to kill my wife and infant son, then turn my eight year old daughter, knowing that I would have to kill her."
Another silence filled the room. Justine, Lilah and Kate, the ones most critical of Holtz, shared looks of mild shame as they realized just what the man had been through. "After that," Holtz continued softly. "Killing Angelus and Darla became my life's work, my ultimate goal. I hunted them all across Europe, even part of Africa, for the next nine years. I came close a few times but could never finish the job."
"Wait a minute," Wesley stated, holding up a hand, his eyes glancing about as if he was trying to remember something. "You're saying you're actually the same Daniel Holtz who pursued Angelus and Darla for all those years?"
"You've heard of me?" Holtz asked with mild surprise.
"Yes, I do have some connection to records. Or at least I did." Wesley shook his head. "It's just.... I was sure you couldn't be the same man, I thought you were just some descendant."
"Pretending to be one's own descendant," Holtz muttered. "I never thought of that."
"It works better than you think," Katya said with a light tone.
Holtz looked back at the group and spoke up. "In 1773, I was still attempting to track the two down when I was approached by someone who told me, with an air of absolute certainty that convinced me he was speaking the truth, that I would never find them, that it would be over two hundred years before I got the chance again. He then offered me the chance to come two hundred years in the future and face them."
"How could he do that?" Kate asked, frowning.
"I have my talents," a gravely voice spoke from behind them. Everyone started and spun about to see the tall and dark demon stepping into the room. "Hi. Name's Sahjhan."
"Nice outfit," Lilah said, appearing the most nonchalant about the demon's sudden appearance. "What is it with you guys and robes?"
"Hello?" Gunn asked, staring at her in amazement. "The guy's a demon!"
Lilah shrugged. "I worked for Wolfram & Hart. We have demons in the mailroom. Well, we did but then one got a nasty letter bomb and they all wanted raises and there was this big thing with the union and they had to move them over to disposal, which really worked out better for them."
Gunn stared at her. "And I thought I had a wild job that one summer working at McDonald's," he finally muttered, shaking his head.
"Good lord," Wesley whispered, staring at the new arrival before looking at Holtz. "You allied yourself with a demon?"
"I wouldn't call it an alliance," Holtz answered evenly. "Simply a...business transaction. He brought me forward in time to kill Angelus, on the provision I show no mercy when it's time."
"And what does he get out of it?" Kate asked, looking suspiciously at Holtz while Jarod and Andrea just gaped at the demon.
"I've got my reasons for wanting Angelus dead," Sahjhan answered. "Personal ones, which you don't need to know about."
"Great, back to 'need to know' basis," Justine muttered.
"It's not as bad as it sounds," Lilah told her. "Trust me, at Wolfram & Hart, keeping out of other people's business was the safest route to a long life."
Sahjhan folded his arms, looking over the group before turning his attention toward Holtz. "Interesting bunch," he stated. "A lot more PC than your white male landowners from back in the day. You sure they got what it takes?"
"I'm sure they'll suffice," Holtz replied. "You did let me choose how I do this, correct? What matters is that in the end, Angelus and Darla are dead."
"Fine, fine," Sahjhan stated. "I've got things to handle, you have your fun."
"It won't be," Holtz remarked darkly as Sahjhan, with an roll of his eyes, faded back into the shadows and vanished.
"So, that's our benefactor, huh?" Gunn remarked. "Funny, I was under the impression we were working for a human."
"You are," Holtz told him in a strong voice. "So, through a spell, I was basically put into a state of.... suspended animation is the term I caught on one of the information boxes over there. I was awakened a week ago, planning to hunt after Angelus and Darla immediately but something happened that changed that, something Sahjhan won't tell me about. So, to make a long story short-------"
"Too late," Justine muttered.
"I went on a hunt to recruit fighters and ended up with all of you," Holtz finished. He looked them over carefully, letting them see the dedication in his eyes. "These vampires are two of the most vicious, lethal, monstrous creatures to ever walk the earth. I need to change my methods in order to find and kill them and any other vampires around them. And I need help to do it."
"And we're your revenge squad," Kate said with a sour tone.
Holtz's gaze was a somewhat unnerving thing to see as he stared Kate down, then looked at the others. "For whatever reasons we came to be this way, we all share one thing in common. We've lost people to these demons or at last seen innocents die because of them. We all have grief and pain and the feeling of helplessness at the injustice flowing through us. We all need a way to vent out these feelings and try to alleviate that pain within us. I am giving that chance to you all. It won't be easy and it is quite likely several of you will die during this, I won't lie to you about that. I've lost many of my people to that bastard and bitch and chances are some of you may fall too. But, somehow, I have the feeling you all have the fire and passion needed to do this."
He paused and placed his hands in his pockets, waiting for any of them to answer. "So. Now that you all know.... Is there anyone who has any doubts?"
There was silence for about five seconds before someone spoke up. "Do we get a health plan with this?"
"Andrea!"
"Hey, it's an honest question, Jarod!"
"All right, I think I've found out a few things," Wesley announced, placing a large book down on the table. Holtz and Katya looked up at him, startled as Wesley took a seat and paged through the book. "I've done some research on Angelus and Darla, what they've been up to. It's only up to the last few years or so but it should still-------"
"How did you get this?" Holtz broke in with a hard tone. Wesley looked at him, then at his demon-hunting partner, the only two in the room, the others training in the chamber nearby, which Holtz had converted into a makeshift gym.
Taking a deep breath, Wesley decided it was time to lay his cards on the table. "Have you ever heard of the Slayer and the Watchers?"
"Bits and pieces," Holtz answered after a moment. "A girl, chosen by fate to be the champion of humanity, fight vampires and the forces of darkness. When one is killed, another is called. She's directed by the Council of Watchers, which I've found to be a rather worthless group of high-minded men with no cares whatsoever about how these girls fare. How do you know about them?"
Wesley looked at him evenly before speaking. "I used to be one."
Holtz raised an eyebrow as Katya stared at her partner in surprise. "You never mentioned that," the redhead stated.
"You never asked," Wesley smiled lightly. He looked over to Holtz. "I take no offense at what you said, sir, you're quite correct. The Watchers claim to be looking out for mankind's welfare and the well-being of their Slayers but they're really a bunch of class-minded, arrogant, self-centered bastards who are content to watch young women die rather than risk their own lives." His face turned dark in remembrance. "And I bought it all, the whole party line, I saw the Slayer as little more than our tool that only we could use."
"What happened to change your mind?" Holtz asked.
Wesley took a breath and let it out sadly. "One vampire, Penn, started a vendetta against us. He got together a few vampire allies and killed several Watchers while the Council hid the details, not even bothering to warn any of us about it. 'To forestall possible panic' was the lame excuse they gave us. So I was completely unprepared when they came after me and my fiancée on a dinner date. I managed to stake one of them but not before the other...." He trailed off, looking away as the two stared at him with expressions of understanding.
"Anyway...." Wesley went on, after taking a breath. "I couldn't stand them refusing to give me any aid whatsoever, even insisting I go right back to my regular duties before her funeral. So, I said to hell with them and hunted Penn down myself. There was a rather messy fracas between me and the Council after that, the result of which was me striking out on my own and doing what those stuck-up bastards should have been doing for years: Hunting down vampires and destroying them."
"So, you don't agree with the way the Council treats Slayers," Holtz stated.
"Not one bit."
"Good, we should get along famously then." Holtz glanced down at the book Wesley had brought. "So, what do you have on Angelus?"
"Let's see..." Wesley started, leaning over to peer at the records. He appeared quite eager to change the subject and calmed down as he read from the book. "After your disappearance, Angelus and Darla made their way through Europe, a brief stop-over in America and then back to Europe. Mid 19th-century, for little more than fun, Angelus targets a girl named Drusilla, kills her family, drives her to the brink of madness and to a convent, then turns her the day she was to take her vows to become a nun."
"Angelus was always one for dramatics," Holtz muttered darkly.
"1880, Drusilla turns a man named William, soon known as William the Bloody, then Spike," Wesley continued. "The two of them soon begin to rival even Angelus and Darla in terms of bloodthirsty and vicious behavior." Wesley scanned down the page and held up a finger. "Now, here's where things get interesting. 1898, Angelus kills the daughter of a gypsy clan in Romania, followed shortly thereafter by the slaughter of the clan itself. However, he breaks away from Darla and goes underground. Pops up briefly in China in 1900, which was where Spike killed the first of two Slayers, then comes to America about eighty years ago, incredibly little heard from him since."
"That's odd," Holtz muttered, rubbing his chin. "Angelus wasn't one for keeping quiet like this. Do you have any idea where he is now?"
"No, he seems to drop off the map somewhere in Los Angeles a few years ago," Wesley shrugged. "As I said, this is a bit out of date, things might have changed with him. Although he could still be dangerous."
"I'd be immensely disappointed if he wasn't," Holtz remarked dryly. He slowly looked toward the direction the gym was. "We'd best get to work," he announced, starting to walk to the doorway. "Training an army isn't an easy thing."
"Preaching to the choir, my friend," Katya muttered under her breath as she followed the two men out.
December 19th - 2008 Hours PST
"The object of this exercise is quite simple," Holtz intoned as if he was delivering a classroom lecture. He and his group were standing under the awning of a closed delicatessen, out of the rain pouring down on the street before them. Holtz wore his duster with his usual slew of hardware underneath. The others were dressed in loose and dark clothing, all prepared for a fight, jeans and jackets the norm, Katya wearing a red windbreaker instead of the trench coat she tended to favor. All were fixed up with a variety of weapons, from wooden stakes to crossbows to a large pack Wesley wore on his back. Katya had her sword out and ready while Andrea was carrying a bow with a quiver of arrows hooked onto her back.
In the days since they had met Holtz, the group had been forced into a training regimen that made Kate's police academy experience look like summer camp. Holtz was a ruthless disciplinarian and it showed in his training style, the group all sporting bruises by the end of the day (except, for some strange reason, Katya). Even Jarod and Andrea had been unprepared for the intensity of the Englishman's idea of "exercise." There had been tensions within the group but that just made Holtz increase their training as well as the tight living arrangements within the cavern.
There two results of this strategy: One was that, indeed, the group was starting to gel as a fighting unit and become used to one another. The second was that they had all decided that, no matter how much they might dislike someone else on the team, they all hated Holtz above anyone else.
"You can consider this a test run of the skills you've been learning the last week," Holtz continued. "If the information Wesley and Kate discovered was correct, there's a vampire nest in that abandoned building." He nodded towards the two-story warehouse before them that had frankly seen better days. Bits and pieces of plaster hung at angles as the chipped pain showed its years of neglect. "We go in, take out the vampires and that should prove we're ready for more advanced steps."
"Which are?" Justine asked.
"Let's see how you do getting through this first," Holtz told her. "Then we'll see where we go from there."
"So, what's the plan?" Gunn asked, hefting his crossbow.
"I find an assault on multiple fronts is the best policy in this case," Holtz replied. "Gunn, Katya, Kate, Justine, you move in from the back. Parker, Jarod, you take the side door on the other side of the building. Lilah, Wesley, you're with me in the front. Any questions?"
"Are we sure we can handle this?" Lilah said with a touch of nervousness in her voice.
"That's what we're here to find out," Holtz answered patiently.
"I just love this whole dry 'learn by not getting killed' thinking you've got," Lilah said sarcastically.
"I'm used to it."
"And that's what I love about you, Katya," Lilah said, looking back at the woman. "The way you keep dropping this vague hints at a mysterious past whenever the subject of death or something like it comes up."
"We get out of this, I might just let you know why that is," Katya stated.
Gunn glanced over to Wesley and shook his head. "You sure you want to drag that huge-ass pack of yours in, English?"
"You know, I'm going with Gunn on that," Justine said. "Just what possible purpose is that thing going to serve? Is it really worth dragging it halfway through town?"
"There's only one lesson that my father drove into me that I actually paid attention to," Wesley informed them, hitching the pack further on his back. "It's better to have something and not need it then to need it and not have it."
"Yeah, but kissing it for luck before packing it in?" Lilah teased. "That's just plain weird."
"Which means it fits in perfectly with this group," Jarod observed wryly.
"Enough talking," Holtz cut in. "Let's move."
The side door swept open as Jarod carefully entered, his crossbow up and ready, Andrea behind him, an arrow nocked into her bow. "Can't believe you're playing Wilma Tell to kill a bunch of vampires," Jarod muttered.
"Don't knock archery," Andrea whispered back. "You know, I could have made the Olympic squad if I didn't have to hide from you."
"Remind me later, I'll give you a consolation prize," Jarod said with a smirk that his lover returned. They kept moving in, eyes darting about, both trained and experienced at listening for possible dangers. So far, there was nothing..
The warehouse was a large open space, rusted chains hanging from the ceiling, shafts of light cutting through the broken and partially-painted over windows, casting weird shadows about. The main area looked to be the site of a rave, a large mixing table with several CDs and records next to it, some tables and chairs scattered about. There were sleeping bags and cushions spread about, along with a ragged couch and pillows, but otherwise no signs of life. Or unlife.
Footsteps cut through the silence and Jarod and Andrea spun towards the main entrance, seeing Holtz, Lilah and Wesley enter, all glancing about, weapons up and ready. There was a sound from the back and they all turned to see Gunn, Katya, Kate and Justine step across the warehouse floor. The group came together, all looking about with the same confused expressions.
"Okay...." Lilah said, speaking what everyone was thinking. "This is not what I was expecting."
Holtz turned toward Kate and Wesley. "I thought this information was supposed to be positive."
"That's what we were told," Kate shrugged. "The snitch at the bar swore that this was the right spot. Seeing as how we were holding him upside down off the roof, he wasn't exactly in the mood to lie to us. Right, Wes?" She looked to her side, frowning as she glanced down to see Wesley looking at the floorboards. "Wes?"
The former Watcher was feeling along the board, rapping on them a bit and hearing the hollow echo coming back. He felt along the edges until he found a slight break in the board. "Gunn, give me a hand with this."
The black youth moved down, seeing what Wesley was looking at. He hooked his fingers in and pulled, the two grunting as a large section of the floorboard started to come up. A layer of dust came off to reveal an round iron handle in the section of the floor. Jarod moved in and grabbed it, pulling back on it as Gunn and Wesley lifted up the floorboard, letting it swing on its now exposed hinges to slam on the floor.
"Very subtle," Holtz said dryly as he stepped forward and looked down at what lay beneath the floor. It appeared to be a large stone staircase, winding down toward a cavernous passageway, torches along the walls illuminating the darkness. "Did we accidentally find another way back to our crib?" Gunn asked with a frown.
Kate looked down at the stairway and then back to Holtz. "This looks very suspicious."
"Yes, it does," Holtz nodded.
"We don't know what's down there. It could be a trap."
"Yes, it could."
Kate looked at him and closed her eyes, sighing. "So, naturally, we're going down there, right?"
"Yes, we are."
The dark stairway was lit only by a set of torches set along the wall, throwing dim light upon the way down. Holtz led the way, his stake up and ready as he carefully stepped into the large chamber at the bottom of the stairs.
The group slowly entered the room, weapons up and tensions high, their eyes darting around to see if there was any sign of danger. The chamber was quite large and reminded several of the Americans of photos they'd seen of medieval courts. There was a large stone altar set in the middle but no other furniture to speak of. It wasn't a clean room as debris and even skeletons littered the ground, the corners packed with such loose garbage as wooden planks and broken furniture. The walls were dark and marked with graffiti and what appeared to be unholy symbols. Torches lit the room, with a large fire burning in a pot in the back.
"You know," Wesley announced. "There are good silences and there are bad silences." He paused to look around the chamber. "This is not a good silence."
"What would be a good silence?" Justine asked.
"John Tesh not playing," Wesley answered to several nods of agreement.
"Someone was here recently," Jarod stated, the crossbow steady in his hands. "They had to set up the fires."
"Not necessarily," Wesley told him. "It's possible they have some incantation to keep the fires roaring all the time."
"Either way, that indicates someone uses the place," Jarod responded. "So, where are they now?"
Kate shook her head in disgust as she turned back to Holtz. "Okay, that's it. Let's face it, either the guy was lying to us or this nest blew out a while ago. There's no sense hanging around, we should go."
"Kate, your impatience is a trait that I don't feel is beneficial-------"
"Hey, don't you------"
"However," Holtz interrupted. "In this case, I do feel it's warranted. You're right, we should leave, this does feel wrong."
Kate took a moment to absorb Holtz actually agreeing with her before nodding. "Okay. Fine, let's roll."
The group turned back toward the stairs and started to head out. "It's a shame," Wesley stated. "I was rather hoping for some practice."
There was a very loud slamming sound and the torches lining the staircase flickered as if a sudden breeze had hit them. The entire group froze in place. Without even looking or sharing a word, each one of them knew exactly what had caused that breeze: the massive door leading to the chamber being shut.
Justine slowly turned her head to face Wesley. "Well, you know, that's your fault."
A howl from above got their attention and as one the group looked up to see a quartet of vampires fall from the ceiling and plunge down toward them. Immediately, Jarod and Andrea lifted their bows and fired. There was the unique sight of two vampires disintegrating in mid-air, the dust sailing down on the humans. The other two landed on their feet but before they could even attack, Katya had beheaded one and Holtz staked the other.
Before any of the fighters could move, a rush of running sounds filled their ears. From seemingly nowhere, vampires began to fill the chamber, coming out of hidden spots, a section of the far wall sliding open to unleash a small pack into the room.
Holtz reached into his jacket and pulled out a short sword, his grip tight on it. Holding up his stake, Holtz had only one thing to say to his group. "Spread out but try to work together. Use the room to your advantage. Try to stay alive. If you can't, at least try to take as many with you as you can."
The next few minutes were unabridged chaos for the group, a blur of actions and emotions. As the vampires came in, Holtz was on the move, his sword swinging out to decapitate one, his stake striking out at some others. Behind him, Katya was slashing her way through the bunch, seeming to take a disturbing pleasure in taking each out, a wicked smile on her face as she stabbed one and spun to slash down another.
Justine and Kate found themselves working back to back, Justine kicking out at a vampire while Kate threw holy water into another's face, ending the vampire's pain with a stake to the heart. Justine looked over her shoulder to see a vampire coming at Kate from the side and pushed the blonde away, holding up a stake. Unable to check his run, the vamp charged right into it, the dust cloud seeming to continue running forward before dissipating.
"Thanks," Kate said, nodding at Justine before going back into the fight, pulling out her old baton and using it as a club to smash a vamp's nose in.
Gunn was moving fast, his axe flashing in the dim light as he slit one vamp's throat, then hacked his head off. Next to him, Wesley was wielding his own stake, stabbing one vamp into a dust cloud, his other arm coming up to wave a batch of dust at a trio of vampires. With an incantation, Wesley created a spark of light that sent all three flying back with a howl, skin aflame as they struck the wall and burnt away into ash. Wesley didn't even bother to see them ignite. He turned and staked another vampire as Gunn threw a dagger into another's head.
Andrea brought up her bow to block a vampire's punch, smacking one end into his face, stunning him. She brought the bow down, the string drawn back, the bow itself set at the vampire's neck. The vampire looked at her in confusion as Andrea let go of the string, the tight wire slicing into the vampire's neck, neatly decapitating him.
Andrea smiled as the vamp turned into dust but before she could try the strategy again, another demon came by and smashed the bow in two. Andrea could see the vamp, along with a female friend, coming toward her and did the only thing she could think of. She threw out her arms, each broken end of the bow coming forward to stake the two vamps. Andrea let the pieces of the bow drop onto the piles of dust they had created and quickly pulled out a real stake as yet another vamp attacked her.
Jarod had lost his crossbow and was trying to hide the pain in his knuckles as he punched a vampire down. He felt a presence behind him and twisted himself slightly, which no doubt prevented what would have been a spine-shattering blow. Instead, the vampire's kick sent Jarod stumbling forward into a corner of debris. Shaking his head to clear it, Jarod instinctively reached around to try and find a weapon of some sort. His hands closed around a wooden shaft and he pulled it up slightly to find that he was holding a long spear, roughly seven feet long, the part that had once been the metal blade broken away.
Before he could try to figure out how this had gotten here, Jarod heard a snarl and looked up to see a trio of vampires moving toward him, two of them standing in an almost perfect row behind the leader. Jarod waited until they were close enough, then thrust the spear forward. The shaft pierced one vampire's heart, went through his back, pierced the second vampire through the heart and went through his back and then pierced the third vampire in the heart. Jarod had the pleasure of seeing all three wear looks of utter incredulity just before they darkened and turned to dust.
"Vamp-ka-bobs," Jarod muttered wryly. "Wonder if anyone's tried that before." He saw something out of the corner of his eye and ducked, a vampire's kick sailing over his head. Jarod got to his feet, breaking the staff over his leg. He started to use the two ends like escrima sticks, blocking punches and kicks by two vampires and using one end to stake another.
Lilah lashed out with a kick, surprising herself by really hurting the vampire. He staggered back, leaning toward the large roaring fire in the back of the room. Lilah gave it another kick, knocking the vampire back onto the burning flame. The creature screamed in pain as his back caught on fire, falling to the ground. That was the opening Lilah needed to plunge a stake into it, ending its torture.
Lilah was still in a kneeling position by the burning ash when another vampire came at her. Her self-defense courses rushing back into her mind, Lilah grabbed the charging vamp and used his own leverage against him, sending him down to the ground. Lilah moved over it, trying to push the stake down. The vampire reached up, grabbing Lilah's hand and trying to force it away, Lilah continuing to push down. The vampire had the strength but Lilah had the leverage, the two fighting for the upper hand.
Katya had just decapitated another vampire when she turned toward where Lilah was. She saw what Lilah didn't: a vampire coming up behind the former lawyer, a large knife in its hands as it got ready for what it thought would be an easy target. Lilah was so involved in her effort to stake the fallen vampire, she had no idea that another was prepared to stab her and then put the bite on her wounded body.
Instantly, Katya was moving, dashing across the room to get to Lilah. She saw the vampire raise up the dagger and instinctively leaped into its path. She was facing the vampire, with the intention of blocking the knife and then killing the creature. Just as she moved in, however, the vampire thrust the knife down, Katya taking it right in her heart.
Her gasp of pain got Lilah's attention and she swiftly glanced over her shoulder to see Katya go down with a knife-wielding vampire standing over her. A wave of anger swept over Lilah as she looked back down at the fallen vampire. With a sudden burst of strength, she twisted the stake out of his hands and slammed it down into his heart. Leaping up from the swiftly dissolving body, she smashed a fist into the face of Katya's attacker, then kicked him in the balls. As he bent over in pain, Lilah brought her stake smashing down onto the left side of his back, watching the vampire break away into nothingness.
Lilah immediately knelt to where Katya was lying, rolling her onto her back. "Oh, God," she whispered as she saw the massive red stain in the front of Katya's shirt, a trickle of blood at her lips. "Oh, God, come on, don't do this," she whispered. "Don't do this!"
Katya didn't appear to hear her, letting out a choked gurgle and then a shudder. Her eyes slowly shut and her head lolled to one side as her body went still. Lilah sat and stared at her, trying to fight back the tears that were filling her eyes.
Holtz had just staked his fourth vampire when a roar filled the corridor by the chamber. By now, the vampires inside the chamber had been dealt with but Holtz sensed a new threat coming. His suspicions were confirmed when a new wave of vampires came down the stairs.
"Oh, fuck," Justine whispered as she saw the new arrivals, nearly twenty in all. "We are so dead."
Unnoticed behind her, Wesley had slipped off his pack and began unzipping it. Before him, the others were gathering themselves up, trying to fight past their exhaustion and fears of the odds in order to prepare for this next wave.
The vampire in the lead of the pack licked his lips as he led the others down. "You took out our buddies," he stated. "Not just here but a few more around town. We're gonna love eating on you." He snickered. "Hell, we may even try to keep onto your blood even after you're dead."
"Actually, I've never been a lover of cold meals," Wesley suddenly spoke up as he strapped the item from his backpack over his shoulders. He rose up and faced the vampires, allowing them to see what he held. It was a large pack with what appeared to be gas containers on his back with a tube extending from it and ending in a long tube-like attachment.
"Personally," Wesley said with a slight smirk on his face. "I've always preferred things nice and hot." He flickered a switch on the tube, the smirk building into a grin. "Let's see how you like it."
He pulled the trigger and a sheet of flame burst out of the tube and shot up the stairway. The vampires barely had time to realize what was happening before they were incinerated, the long and sustained cloud of flame billowing up the staircase, erupting out of the doors. It covered the entire stairway, giving the vampires no room to run or duck out of the way. There was a wild mix of screams that were soon cut off as the flame took its toll.
Wesley kept the burst up for several seconds before cutting off the flame and stepping back. Twinges of fire licked at the walls and steps of the stairway, with several piles of blackened ash covering the surfaces. Wesley turned and threw a triumphant smile at the group. "So, is anyone else going to make fun of me kissing this for good luck?"
"Are you kidding?" Andrea laughed. "As soon as it cools down, pass it over here, we all want to kiss it!"
Holtz watched as Wesley began to pull the flamethrower off of himself. "Benefits of a classical education?" he intoned dryly as Wesley placed the now-empty flamethrower onto the ground.
"Well, couldn't do just magic all the time," Wesley stated. "And you'd be amazed what else a flamethrower can handle. You should try it."
"Thank you," Holtz stated. "But I rather think I'll get used to the progress guns have made before I move onto such heavy weaponry."
Almost unnoticed behind them, the fight had ended, the group pausing to realize that they were all alive and well and the vamps were dead. Jarod and Andrea shared a quick hug as Justine leaned heavily on the altar. Kate joined her, the blonde wiping at her forehead as she heaved with breath. Justine gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, the two sharing a wordless communication of respect.
Gunn looked around the chamber, axe and stake held ready. "If there's any vamp here who's not actually dead, now would be a great time to speak up."
It was difficult to tell who looked more surprised: Gunn, when a vampire actually did stand up from behind the altar, raising a hand or the vampire when Gunn slammed his stake into its heart. "You guys are unbelievable," Gunn muttered as he shook his head. He stopped as he saw the two figures in the corner and closed his eyes. "Ah, dammit."
Holtz joined his gaze and saw Lilah kneeling over Katya's body, feeling the familiar sadness at having lost another in his service. He slowly walked forward, as did the rest of the group as they saw what had happened, all sharing identical looks of pain and loss as they silently walked over.
Lilah had risen to her feet, still looking down at Katya's body, finding it hard to accept that the woman could be dead so fast. That it had happened defending Lilah was also something the ex-lawyer was having a hard time with. She wasn't used to having her life treated as being worth saving and was trying to deal with the sudden sense of loss within her.
Holtz came up, his eyes moving over Katya's corpse for several moments before he turned back to the rest of the group. "We need to go," he stated bluntly.
Everyone stared at him with varying reactions of surprise and a bit of disgust. "Excuse me?" Andrea said, thrown by how cold Holtz was acting.
"We need to leave now," Holtz repeated. "We can't be sure this was the entire nest, I don't want to face off against another wave. We need to pull out now and--------"
"What the hell is the matter with you?!" Justine yelled, stepping forward to glare at Holtz. "Jesus, Holtz, Katya is *dead!* Doesn't that mean anything to you? Don't you care at all?"
She felt herself go cold as Holtz turned toward her, his eyes blazing with a sudden fire. "I have seen more death than you could ever hope to, Justine," he bit out in a clipped tone. "I have lost more than my share of fighters as well, friends, family, I even had to kill a few of them myself after they were turned. I have seen death, I have seen bloodshed, I have seen horror and I have seen loss-------"
He was cut off by a loud gasp as Katya's eyes and mouth opened, her body taking in a huge breath, her mouth then letting out a cough as she glanced about. She slowly sat up with a moan, rubbing at her chest, not seeming to mind the red stain upon it.
"That," Holtz said in as close to a tone of surprise as he had ever gotten. "I have not seen."
Lilah stared at Katya, stammering in shock, her hands fumbling through her pockets before pulling out a cross. She held it right before Katya's face, as if daring her to come closer. Not only did the cross not cause Katya any harm but she actually seemed annoyed by it. "Will you put that away, Lilah?" she said, pushing the cross aside. "God, I hate that part, every damn time...."
"What the FUCK is going on here?!" Gunn spoke for everyone, Katya taking notice of their stares of absolute astonishment. Sighing, the woman ran a hand through her red hair and knew the time for keeping quiet was long past. "I suggest we retire to someplace else where I can explain this better."
2322 Hours PST
"You expect us to believe that bullshit?!" Kate yelled out, hands on her hips as she glared at Katya. The entire group was back in Holtz's cavern, seated or standing in the main room, all staring at Katya as the redhead completed her full explanation of how she was Immortal.
Katya fixed Kate with a flat stare as she replied. "Kate, considering that an hour ago, we were fighting vampires and a demon and how you saw me come back from a stab through the heart, I don't see why you're not more accepting of the truth."
"The truth?" Justine broke in, shaking her head. "You're saying that you're a 600 year-old human who can heal from any injury and come back from the dead, fighting other Immortals with the winner taking his opponent's head, is the truth?"
"Yes," Katya said. "I realize that even for a group such as this, it's hard to accept but that's what I am."
"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Wesley asked, shaking his head.
Katya raised an eyebrow. "Like you told me about your formerly being a Watcher?"
"That was different," Wesley sniffed.
"Yes, it was," Katya replied with a nod. "Because that was easy to believe, this wasn't, I know. I've had to explain it a few times before."
"Let me understand this," Holtz said, speaking up for the first time since Katya's long explanation had begun. "You're saying that you can heal nearly instantly from any wound?"
"Correct," Katya nodded.
"Good," Holtz stated with a nod. "Then this won't be obvious for long." He let out a short jab that nailed her right in the jaw, sending her stumbling back. Katya shook her head to clear it as Holtz came up. "If you ever keep information of such importance from me again," the Englishman said in a tight voice. "I will make you regret you ever met me."
"Oh, that moment has long passed us by," Katya replied with a dry smile as she rubbed her jaw.
"I fail to see the humor in this," Holtz stated, still glaring at her.
"I wasn't joking," Katya replied, refusing to back down from his glare.
"Fine," Holtz said with a nod. "Then we understand each other."
Katya let out a short laugh as she straightened up. "Please. You couldn't possibly do anything that would hurt *that* much."
Holtz fixed his hardest gaze at her before speaking. "My dear, it would be like...." He paused to think of the worst possible death and quickly found it. "Being burned at the stake."
Katya's face was set in a tight smile as she shook her head at Holtz. "To use a phrase from this century that I think even *you* can understand....'been there, done that.'"
There was a long silence as everyone stared at her, seeing that she was being utterly serious. "Huh," Holtz sniffed.
"The man is positively unflappable," Wesley muttered under his breath.
Kate shook her head as she looked at Katya. "Let's get back to this...Game thing," she began. "You actually kill people by chopping their heads off?"
"It's not as bad as it sounds," Katya answered her. "It's self-defense, killing to survive. I'm sure you've done it as well."
"No, I shot as a last resort," Kate shot back. "This sounds like....like murder. It's sort of against the law, you know?"
Katya's face went dark as she glared at Kate. "Don't talk to me about the law, Kate. I know all about the law. It's what killed me." She looked down at the ground for a moment then back up. Seeing the stares from everyone, she sighed and realized they were going to want an explanation. "I was born an orphan, raised in the streets of a small village in England. I never knew a family, parents, love, I never even had an actual last name." She seemed to look inward as memories overcame her, recalling what her life had been like. "It wasn't easy to be a woman back then," she said softly. "No rights, no rights to *have* rights, you were treated as property, even bordering on slavery in some cases. So when a nobleman came to the tavern where I worked in 1362, I thought he was just looking for another weak woman he could use for a few nights then throw away."
She looked down before continuing. "But William was different. He loved me. He truly did, he wanted to be with me, he wanted to make me his wife. Me, just a simple barmaid, the wife of a lord." She shook her head. "It's amazing how naive he was. He actually thought that could happen. I knew better, I tried to tell him it couldn't be that way. I wanted to be with him, I truly did. I wanted to grow old with him, have a family with him but I just didn't see a way to make that happen.
"Well, he went to his father and lay it out for him. He wanted to marry me and if his father didn't agree, then William would leave the family and the title of heir would pass on to his idiot uncle. His father reluctantly agreed." A slight smile came on Katya's face as she remembered that moment of joy. "He came to me with a beautiful dress, told me his father wanted me there that very night for dinner, to welcome me to the family. It was the happiest moment of my life."
Her face fell. "So of course it didn't last long."
"He told you not to marry him," Wesley said softly. "He banished you from the land."
"Oh, no," Katya said, shaking her head. "No, no, that would have been too easy. No, he decided to make it far more painful for me. After making sure William was away, he had me brought before him and what I thought was going to be a dinner instead turned into a trial as I was accused of witchcraft."
"You're kidding me, right?" Gunn asked in disbelief.
"I wish I was," Katya answered. "No, I went there expecting to be treated like a princess. Instead, I was held as a witch who had used my powers to ensnare William to love me, with some local peasants giving false testimony about seeing my practice my craft in secret. After a farce that would make a kangaroo court look fair, I was found guilty and dragged outside where, as the lord and his guests ate their meals and sipped their wines, I was burned at the stake." She looked at Holtz. "Alive, I might add."
She suppressed a shiver as she remembered it. "I don't recommend burning, myself. It's not the most pleasant way to go. As luck would have it, the wind was such so that I didn't pass out from smoke inhalation and thus actually felt my own skin catch on fire. There are times I can still smell my own charred flesh, which is not something you want to have in your nose when you wake up in the middle of the night."
"They burned you at the stake?!" Andrea whispered in shock.
"Well, this was the 14th century, you have to remember," Katya attempted to shrug it off. "You're born with a different hair color than your parents, you're accused of witchcraft. And I was hardly in the position to argue with them when I woke up in a charnel pit the next morning, alive and completely healed. I didn't know what had happened to me but I knew I couldn't go back, not after what had happened. So, I ran and kept running until I met another Immortal who told me what I was and taught me how to survive."
"Wow," Andrea whispered, speaking for everyone. "That's some story."
"Wait a minute," Lilah broke in. "You were from England?"
"Yes," Katya confirmed. "I've traveled the world for 600 years, the accent sort of got lost along the way."
"So....." Lilah slowly said. "We're got *three* English people on this team?" She threw her hands up and looked up at the ceiling. "Great, just great!"
"Well, it could be worse," Kate shrugged.
"How?" Lilah demanded, looking at her.
"They could be the French."
"Well, you've got a point there," Lilah agreed, nodding.
"So, wait," Jarod piped up, holding up a hand. "Does that mean your daughter was....like you?"
Katya's face went blank as she shook her head. "No," she said softly. "No, she wasn't. In fact, Immortals can't have children, either with each other or a moral partner. It just isn't meant for us, I suppose."
"Say what?" Justine frowned. "You mean she wasn't really your daughter?"
Katya looked at her with a flash of anger in her eyes. "Oh, she was," she bit out. "Believe me, she was, in every way that a mother could count a girl as her daughter."
Katya looked away, her eyes taking on a faraway look as she flashed back to the past. "I found her in Buenos Aries in the 1950's," she announced, speaking out clearly but seeming to be talking to herself all the same. "A six-year old girl, no parents, no family, living out on the street, begging for enough money to buy herself an apple. One look at her and I just couldn't leave her in a life like that. I took her in, cleaned her, clothed her and before I knew it I fell in love with her. I raised her up, making sure she wanted for nothing, ensuring that she got the best educations and treatment possible. I raised her, loved her and when she was old enough...I told her what I was."
"How'd she take it?" Lilah asked, fascinated.
"Oh, she was enthralled," Katya answered. "She couldn't believe her mother was actually 600 years old and was always pestering me on details of various historical figures and events, regardless of whether or not I'd actually been involved with them. She understood how we had to keep moving every few years so people wouldn't notice that I wasn't aging. I went from being her mother to her older sister to her younger sister." She smiled lightly. "She always joked that she knew I was looking forward to when she could pose as my mother."
The melancholy look came back onto her face as she looked at her feet again. "She married, had a daughter," she continued. "My granddaughter, even though I had to pretend I was her aunt for the sake of appearances. She was only six when a group of vampires attacked us at her home. My husband's assistant had been turned, was invited in and they attacked. I was lucky, I had my neck snapped to start things off, I didn't have to see what happened next." She bit her lip as the memories flew over her. "I woke up and the first thing I saw was the blood. So much blood, all that blood. And there were my girls. My little girl and her daughter, both were...." She wiped at her eyes, a sob growing in her throat as she found herself unable to continue.
"All right," Holtz said after a moment, deciding Katya had been through enough. "We've settled that issue, it's time to move on."
"Does nothing shake you?" Andrea asked, shaking her head. "I mean, seriously, isn't there anything any of us can do to get a rise out of you?"
"I highly doubt you're capable of doing it," Holtz said coolly, causing Andrea to set her jaw in anger.
Wesley sighed as he looked at Holtz. "I thought you were raised in a time where a man was taught to treat women with respect."
"That sure wasn't my time," Katya muttered as she got her emotions under control.
Holtz glanced at her before looking to Wesley. "One of the first thing I learned from those information boxes is that women in this time prefer to be treated equally to men. I'm simply adapting to the times."
"That almost makes a twisted sense," Jarod muttered.
"Hey!" Andrea yelled at him.
"Almost," Jarod quickly added, hands held up.
"Thank you," Holtz nodded at the younger man.
"Don't mention it," Jarod replied. He glanced over at the look Andrea was giving him. "*Please* don't mention it."
Ignoring him, Holtz looked toward Lilah. "I understand your firm keeps records on demons and vampires. Would that include Angelus?"
"Um, it might," Lilah answered, frowning. "We tend to have a lot of files on various vampires and demons."
"Why?" Andrea had to ask.
"Well, the majority of them are our clients," Lilah replied.
Holtz rubbed at his chin, a plan formulating in his mind. "Is it possible to break into the records department at your building and get the files we need on Angelus?"
"Sure," Lilah shrugged.
"Really?" Holtz asked, sounding mildly surprised.
"Of course you can. If you're INSANE!" Lilah ended with a yell.
"Got that covered, now what?" Justine asked dryly.
Lilah shook her head furiously as she held up both hands. "Holtz, you do not break into Wolfram & Hart, all right? No one breaks into Wolfram & Hart, not if they want to see the next sunrise."
"Okay, so they've got security," Andrea shrugged. "What, alarms, cameras, motion sensors, lasers, sound detectors?"
"Andrea, keep in mind that they didn't have electricity, let alone any of that, when our leader was born," Jarod pointed out.
"It's not that," Lilah said, rubbing at her forehead. "You people have no idea how Wolfram & Hart operates. Yes, they do have all that but they also have stuff you can't whip up some technical gadget to beat. Some firms have lie detectors, they have *mind-readers!* Plus, the files aren't exactly copy-ready, I've been through that before. We can't go in------"
"Well, we'll just have to find a way," Holtz stated coolly. "Is there a time you can think of where there might be a crowd gathered at the building but the records office would be clear?"
"Well, there's the annual Christmas Eve party," Lilah muttered. "It's not that the board is into the holiday, they just want to keep up appearances, put on a show for some firms we work with sometimes and------" She broke off, shaking her head furiously. "No, no, what am I saying, there's no way we can go in there!"
"Afraid to go against your old bosses?" Kate sneered at the ex-lawyer.
Lilah turned her gaze at her. "Kate, you ever meet people who work for Wolfram & Hart?"
"Yeah," Kate answered in a tone that made it clear they hadn't been happy meetings.
"You ever meet anyone who *used* to work for Wolfram & Hart?"
Kate paused to think about, her brow furrowing as she realized the answer. "No."
Lilah threw up a hand in a "there you go" gesture. "You don't quit Wolfram & Hart. You retire and keep your mouth shut, that's as close as you get. You even think of accepting an offer from another firm and your relatives are getting a call from the morgue by the end of the work day."
"Hey, it's your own fault!" Kate broke in. "You chose to work for these people, Lilah, you don't have the right to just sit here and complain about how your life is now. Vampires don't have a choice in being evil, it's their nature. You chose to join this firm and get in with demons. You made your bed with these people and-------"
Kate broke off as Lilah suddenly broke out into a burst of wild laughter. The lawyer actually bent over, holding her sides as she laughed, straightening up to shake her head at the startled ex-cop. "You....you....you actually think I *chose* to work for a firm of demon-connected lunatics?" Lilah snorted, wiping at her eyes. "Oh, God, Kate, I never thought you could be naive."
Kate frowned, confused at Lilah's tone. "What are you talking about?"
Lilah chuckled as she looked at Kate. "Do you think Wolfram & Hart puts down what they really do in their job ads for college students? In the job offer catalogues they ship to law schools? Lawyers are smart, Kate. You think I, or any other reasonable person, would have gone to work for a firm that uses the words 'demon' and 'magic' in their description? Please."
"You....You didn't know?" Kate asked.
Lilah shook her head. "It's like that book, 'The Firm.' They picked me right out of law school, a young, ambitious graduate looking to make a splash in the world. They dangled a six-figure salary, enough to get me a nice apartment and car before I even worked a single case. Big bucks, good benefits, just the thing to get the attention of a girl who grew up poor, who had to take care of herself, who clawed and fought to push herself through school, to make something of herself, to graduate from law school and go out in the world-------"
"And fuck up the life of everyone she came into contact with," Kate interrupted sarcastically.
"I was a lawyer, it's part of the job description."
"Speaking as someone who's been a lawyer," Andrea broke in. "I resent that."
Lilah glared at her before continuing. "I was there six months and had just gotten settled in when they dropped the bomb on me. I went in for a meeting with a client and found myself looking at a seven-foot tall, purple-skinned, red-eyed guy with a fin on his head that looked to be on fire. You can imagine my reaction."
"Freak out?" Gunn asked.
"Big time," Lilah confirmed with a nod. "Hey, being a lawyer means pushing aside a lot of morals and scruples, but working for soulless monsters who kill human beings like you would swat a fly is not a line I wanted to cross. Just as I'm ready to run out, I'm taken aside and told, in no uncertain terms, that is it, this is my job now. And if I don't do it, not only am I dead, not only is my family dead but they're going to use every connection they've got to make our afterlife as painful as possible."
She sighed and looked at Kate. "Yeah, there are a lot of scumbags at the firm. Most of them didn't mind working for Hell, since that's where they were going anyway. But the majority of the lawyers there are like I was. People who really wanted to get ahead in the world, who got in over their heads and it's too late to back out now."
"I----I....." Kate shook her head, an apologetic expression on her face. "Lilah....I didn't know."
"I wish I had," the ex-lawyer muttered, crossing her arms and sitting down with a sour look on her face.
Holtz slowly paced forward, his mind already racing with thoughts and strategies. "Kate, find me plans for the Wolfram & Hart offices. Lilah, you help her penciling in the sections that aren't known to the public and as many of the security measures you know of."
"Now wait a minute--------"
"We are doing this," Holtz cut her off in a tone that let her know the discussion was over. "It may be tricky but we will do this." He slowly turned his head toward Andrea and Jarod. "Of course, considering we have a woman capable of playing a lawyer and a man who strikes me as a quick learner, we may be able to get a step into the door."
"Are you serious?" Andrea asked, staring at him.
"My dear," Holtz stated. "I am quite possibly the most serious man you're ever going to meet in your life."
"You don't know Mr. Raines," Jarod muttered under his breath and Holtz decided it was wise not to push the issue.
Lilah shook her head. "You want us to break into Wolfram & Hart and get these files quick as you please and be back in time to open Christmas gifts?"
"By George, I think she's got it," Holtz muttered. As everyone stared at him, he frowned in lack of understanding. "What?"
The offices of Wolfram & Hart
December 24th, 1998 - 1934 Hours PST
It didn't matter how secure a building was, how high-tech it was, how formidable and paranoid its owners were in maintaining that nothing go in or out without their knowledge. It still needed to be connected to a city and any major city has a secret labyrinth of sewers and tunnels underneath it that can grant one access to nearly anywhere.
"You're sure there's nothing down here?" Holtz asked as he, Katya and Lilah walked through the shallow water flowing down the main sewer line. The two women were dressed in dark clothing, Katya's tighter and more of a commando style than Lilah's looser pants and jacket. Holtz wore his usual outfit, complete with duster coat, the edge trailing just over the water, the man seeming even more intense than usual as he glanced about the tight tunnel.
"This is a sewer, Holtz," Katya stated. "Who bugs their sewers?"
"These guys do," Lilah answered her. She reflexively fingered the small blue stone that hung on a chain around her neck, just like the ones Holtz and Katya had. "But these should let us sneak by the magic detection stuff without a problem. The sensors aren't that powerful, just enough to catch any intruders. I'm hoping Wesley's little charm here is enough to mask us from them. Where did he get these, anyway?"
"Probably better not to ask," Holtz replied. "He paused before a passageway, consulting the small sheet of paper in his hands. He looked over the diagram on the paper and nodded, turning to the women. "This is where the sensors should be. Lilah, you go first."
"Excuse me?" Lilah blanched. She threw a thumb at Katya. "She's the one who's Immortal! Why doesn't she go first?"
"I'd need her here in case something goes wrong," Holtz replied, staring steadily at Lilah. "Besides, you do know the combination of the back door."
"Assuming they haven't changed it," Lilah muttered.
"Like you said," Holtz shrugged. "They rarely check this method of egress and I doubt they ever considered that their one living ex-employee would come at them this way."
"Unless she's pushed into it by a nutcase," Lilah muttered as she reluctantly stepped forward.
"Just go," Holtz ordered.
"Jawhol, mein Fuhrer," Lilah shot back.
"Excuse me?" Holtz frowned.
Lilah rolled her eyes. "Study the screens a little more, pal." She paused to take a deep breath, then stepped fully into the passageway. She let out a breath as she realized she was still alive and kept walking forward.
Katya watched her go before looking over at Holtz. "Did you know the crystals would work perfectly?"
"Actually, no, I didn't," Holtz shrugged. "But as I said, something went wrong, you'd be handier in a fight then dead."
"You're such a caring individual, Holtz," Katya remarked sarcastically as she leaned against the wall next to him.
"Actually, I used to be," Holtz answered softly. "Until......him."
Katya looked at him closely and then glanced to where Lilah had gone. "They're not like us, are they?"
"Why?" Holtz asked. "Because they're all actually as old as they look?"
"Partly," Katya allowed. "Reminds you just how old we really are, huh?"
"The last I knew, England was a mighty empire, respected and even feared at places around the world." Holtz shook his head. "Now, we're a joke, a small island of people with bad teeth, bad food and even by the standards I've seen, horrible television plays."
Katya raised an eyebrow at him. "You've been adapting well to the 20th century."
"I've tried," Holtz replied. "It's amazing how, despite the way the world has grown and shifted, human nature remains the same."
"Tell me about it," Katya answered him. "But no, not that. No, it's.....They've all lost someone, that's true. Sister, lover, father. But you and me, Holtz....We share something. We've lost children. In fact, we've each lost a daughter and that's a unique pain. I lost a granddaughter as well so that pain is even worse for me. They don't understand that bond, they can't know what we go through."
Holtz gave a light shrug, his face impassive as he spoke. "In my time, the mortality rate for children was much higher than it is today. I had to see many of my neighbors lose infants or even children as old as twelve due to disease or hunger. But still.....they should have buried me, not the other way around."
"I always knew I was going to outlive her," Katya softly said. "Deep down in my heart, I knew that. I didn't want to accept it, but I knew all the same." She bit her lip and fought back tears. "But not like that, Holtz. She had so much left to live for. Her and her daughter. And it was taken from them. As well as from me."
"An intriguing question," Holtz added. "Do we fight for losing them...or for losing what we could have had with them?"
"I stopped thinking about that a long time ago, Holtz. I'm Immortal, remember. I couldn't count how many friends and loved ones I've had to see die or let go over the centuries. But I can't dwell on it. One of the first things I was taught was that if you linger only on what you've lost, you'll end up losing even more."
"A wise saying," Holtz stated, sounding slightly impressed. "You could pass that off as your own, I've been out of touch with the latest philosophers."
"A friend taught it to me," Katya told him with a slight smile. "One I hope I can meet again someday."
"Hello?" Lilah's voice came from the tunnel. "Are we going in or has sanity actually prevailed here?"
The two centuries-old figures quickly walked around the corner and into the tight tunnel. As they did, Katya reached into a pocket and pulled out a cellular phone. She hit the redial button and held the phone up to Holtz. "Yes?" an accented voice came out.
"We're going in," Holtz spoke into the phone. "Are you ready?"
"Wasn't easy, but we got what you needed," Gunn's voice came on, just managing to be heard over the strange sounds coming from the background. Holtz frowned and spoke up. "What is that hellacious noise?"
"Rap," Gunn answered.
"Is that supposed to be music?" Holtz asked with obvious distaste.
"That has long been a wonderful topic for a panel debate," Wesley dryly spoke just before severing the connection. Katya swiftly dialed in another number, let it ring three times, then hung up. "Signal's given."
"Let's hope they're ready to do their part," Holtz nodded as he and Katya moved to join Lilah to the tunnel leading to the lower levels of Wolfram & Hart, hoping the rest of the group was having as much luck above.
As the phone hit its last ring, Andrea snapped it closed and placed it back into her purse. "Okay, they're on their way in," she stated to Jarod as they walked toward the building. "You set?"
"I guess so," Jarod answered. He was dressed in a stylish business suit that made him fit in quite well with the other men in the large lobby area of Wolfram & Hart. At first, it seemed odd that the firm's Christmas Eve party would be held in the lobby, even expansive and cozy as it was. Wolfram & Hart tried to put it off by saying that they didn't have a ballroom on premises and that the lobby was quite serviceable as a reception area. However, as Lilah had pointed out, the firm was uneasy about letting any outsiders see the rest of the building and get hints as to what the firm really did. If nothing else, it made for a difficult time getting rid of the bodies afterwards.
Jarod wasn't sure who was Wolfram & Hart and who was a member of the rich and famous community who had been invited to the bash but was unaware of the true nature of their hosts. The surroundings were good for a party, he had to admit. The large and open lobby was often highlighted in local magazines, with its large winding staircase set at one end of the large room while escalators sat at the other end. There were four of them, set in pairs of one going up and one going down. In the middle of the pairs was an artificial waterfall that added to the nice ambivalence, giving the firm a softer appearance which was purely for show.
There weren't that many decorations to be found around the lobby, mostly tinsel, some lights and a sparsely decorated tree in one corner. There were two large tables filled with appetizers and a bar set along one wall as well. Light muzak played through the speakers, giving the lobby a light holiday feel that added to the party atmosphere.
"Hope we can mingle in convincingly," Jarod muttered, adjusting his tie.
"Relax, Center-boy," Andrea smiled. She was dressed in what a long red gown with a nice slit up the leg, shoulder straps adding to a nice dip in the cleavage, her hair in a tight bun. "Look, Holtz was right, you are a quick learner. Just remember, don't act the part, *be* the part. You try too hard, it sets people off, just be natural and it will all work out fine, trust me." She glanced over at a group of lawyers in discussion. "Come on, let me show you."
She hooked her arm into Jarod's and pulled him towards the group. "Be the part," she hissed under her breath to Jarod before joining the discussion. "Sorry but I couldn't help overhearing and I feel the Court was completely wrong in Jackson v Perry."
"Yeah, I have to agree," Jarod surprised her by jumping right in. "Collins should have overruled the defense objection as hearsay right on the first day." He swiftly leaned in toward Andrea and whispered to her. "I caught it on Court TV last week."
Nodding in approval, Andrea turned back to the other lawyers, the conversation joining as the rest of the group began to make their moves.
"I feel like an idiot," Kate muttered as she and Justine walked through the area that had been converted into a makeshift kitchen for the party. Usually a boardroom, it was currently home to some portable grills and refrigerators stacked with party foods. "Eight years on the LAPD and now I'm on kitchen duty."
"Hey, try being put on KP," Justine sniffed. She glanced over at Kate and lightly smiled. "But, hey, the outfit's nice."
Kate rolled her eyes and shifted in her outfit. She and Justine were dressed in what Wolfram and Hart considered "festive greeting" outfits for the party: Short green skirts with red blouses, white-trimmed collars and sleeves and stocking caps. For a company that didn't go for the holidays, Wolfram & Hart knew what looked attractive at this time.
"I feel like I should be working at some seedy bar downtown," Kate complained, resisting the urge to adjust her shoulder coverings.
"Hey, the dress code there is worse than this," Justine informed her as the duo made their way out of the "kitchen" and into the main lobby. "Look, it hopefully won't be for long, we're just distraction duty here, remember?"
"I didn't want to be this distracting," Kate said sourly. "God, I hope no one recognizes me."
"You didn't have that much contact with these guys, did you?" Justine frowned. "Besides, you're not a cop, so they wont' think you're a threat."
"That's why I don't want them to recognize me," Kate answered. "The last thing I want is to make them happy by thinking I've hit bottom."
Before Justine could make another smart remark, she ran into a pair of guests who were hanging around the edge of the party. They were a man and a woman, the man in a nice suit, the woman in a black sequined dress that fit well over her shapely body. He was handsome, with dark hair in a short cut style, the woman quite beautiful, with her brown hair cut just above the ears. Despite the party appearances, the duo seemed to have a more intense aura about them then most of the other partygoers. An aura that Justine found almost familiar.
"Sorry," she said, pushing herself off the man. "Didn't want to get in your way there."
"We're in a hurry," Kate added. She stepped forward but wasn't prepared for the man to suddenly grab her arm in a strong grip and pull her back. She looked up at the man, who fixed her with a hard gaze.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"Um, caterers," Kate answered.
"You've got a gun under the skirt," the woman said. "We saw the bulge."
"It gets very competitive in our business," Justine said dryly.
The man looked closely at Kate, his jaw set. "Just what are you-------"
"LAPD," Kate hissed back, leaning in toward the man. "You two work for Wolfram & Hart?"
"No," the woman said, shaking her head. "No, we're here for the party, firm we work for got some invitations and we figured-------"
"Okay, okay, we don't need the full explanation," Kate cut her off. "Take my advice. You two get out of here and get out of here now because there's going to be a really big mess coming soon and trust me, you two do not want to be in on it. We clear?"
"Affirmative," the man nodded, letting go of Kate. She walked off, Justine throwing the duo a look before following her, the two headed towards the table of ouderves. The man looked at the woman, raising an eyebrow. "I think that may be a cue for us to exit."
"I agree," the woman nodded. "We don't want to be put through a police check anytime soon."
"I know," the man nodded. "Our ID's and backgrounds still aren't up to speed yet, they may not stand up." He sighed and shook his head. "It was a lot simpler at our old jobs."
"I know," the woman nodded. "I miss it too. I wish we could go back."
"Sort of hard to do that when we've been listed as KIA in a helicopter crash in the middle of the ocean," the man pointed out.
"True," the woman admitted. She looked up at him, a smile on her face. "I guess we might as well go home and do a little bit under the mistletoe. And I don't mean kissing."
The man chuckled as he gave her a kiss. "You're a marvel, Mac."
"Course I am, Harm. It's why you married me, right?"
With that, Harmon Rabb Jr and Sarah MacKenzie Rabb left the party to enjoy the holidays together.
Jarod glanced at his watch as he moved in towards Andrea. "They aren't here yet," he hissed into her ear.
"Relax, lover," Andrea whispered back. "It probably takes a while to get what they needed to get. We just need to wait and-----"
"Katie?" Andrea froze in place, her eyes widening in surprise. She slowly turned to see the couple standing before her, the man's head bent slightly as he peered at her. As Andrea fully turned around, the man's face broke into a large smile. "I'll be damned, Kate, it is you!" He moved in to give her a quick hug, Andrea returning it in surprise.
"Harm!" Andrea said in surprise. "Wow, I, um, I didn't expect to see you here."
"I know the feeling," Harm stated as he stepped back. "Oh, sorry, Mac, this is Kate Pike. She spent six months at JAG a few years ago. Kate, this is Sarah MacKenzie."
"Sarah Mackenzie Rabb," Mac said as she and Andrea exchanged a handshake. She let out a smile at Harm. "He's still getting used to that."
"Well, I'll be damned," Kate stated. "You finally took the plunge, huh, flyboy?"
Harm shrugged. "What can I say? Me and Sarah just hit it right off."
"Uh huh," Andrea nodded, smiling. "And how long did it take until.....?"
The two exchanged a glance and then looked down. "Two weeks," they muttered.
Andrea laughed before realizing Jarod was standing there, watching the whole conversation in light confusion. "Oh, sorry, this is Jarod Russell, a friend of mine."
"Friend," Harm said, knowing there was more to that. "Well, good to meet you. You known Kate long?"
"Oh, on and off for a few years," Jarod said, giving her a quick glance. "Funny, the JAG thing never came up before."
Harm frowned. "You're not in the Navy anymore?"
"I've sort...moved on a bit," Andrea easily answered. "I just travel around a lot, doing this and that. It's sort of why I'm here."
"Well, me and Harm were about to check out, actually," Mac stated. "We want to spend our first Christmas as a couple elsewhere."
"Probably a good idea," Jarod said. "It was good to meet you."
"You too," Harm stated. He paused and then leaned in toward Andrea. "Um, Kate, listen," he softly said. "This may sound like a weird request but...could you keep it quiet that you saw Mac and I here? I don't know how much contact you still have with the Navy but if you could just keep it under wraps?"
Andrea raised an eyebrow. "Why, Harmon Rabb. Are you going AWOL?"
Harm swallowed and exchanged a look with Mac. "Ah, something like that. Look, I can't go into details but if you could just keep quiet? For old time's sake?"
Andrea let him hang for a few minutes before nodding. "Sure thing, Harm." She gave him a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. "It was good seeing you again."
"You too, Kate."
"Come on, hon," Mac said, pulling on Harm's hand. "I don't like it when you stand me up."
"He still does that, huh?" Andrea smiled. "Funny, I can remember one time he left me standing up." Her eyes twinkled and a smirk came to her face as she continued. "I think it was against the wall of a motel."
Harm groaned as Mac and Jarod both raised eyebrows over that. "Oh, really?" Mac said, her grip on Harm's arm tightening. "Okay, flyboy, you and me are gonna have a long talk when we get home." Giving Andrea a sour look but a light smile, Harm let himself be dragged away.
Jarod watched them exit the building, then turned toward Andrea. "You and him?" he asked.
Andrea shrugged. "Well, a life on the run, I need a break sometime, you know. Besides, all that sexual tension was building up in the time we worked together." She sighed and shook her head. "I'm glad he and Sarah got it out fairly quick." Jarod chuckled and shook his head. "First that Doctor Ross in Chicago, now him. Just how many guys did----"
"Press me on it and you're not unwrapping your Christmas present, ratboy."
"So...Kate Pike?"
Andrea rolled her eyes. "I had to change my name in order to avoid detection, Jarod," she said as if it should have been obvious. "What, I should keep my real first name and just change my last one?"
Jarod snorted. "Yeah, like that would have thrown us off for any amount of time."
"Thank you," Andrea stated. She turned to see Jarod looking at her with a smug smile. "What?"
"Oh, nothing," Jarod said. "I'm just picturing you as a prim and polish Naval lawyer."
"Keep it up and you won't get to see me out of uniform tonight------"
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Guests turned in confusion to face the doorway where Gunn stood, arms outstretched, a look of disgust on his face. He was wearing a more "street" outfit than he usually did, leather jacket, dark shirt, jeans with slight tears at the knees and a bandanna wrapped around his forehead. All in all, he was the stereotypical angry black street youth and was playing into the role perfectly.
"Nice, real nice," Gunn called out, staring over the guests. "We got a bunch of white folk here celebrating another year working for the green folk, the red folk, the yellow folk, the purple and beige with orange stripes and pink checkers folk. But do you ever work for the black folk? Huh? Are we representing at this place, I don't think so!"
Gunn could see the Wolfram & Hart security starting to move towards him, pushing through the crowd to reach the entrance. "Well, ya know, I gotta say, this is a situation that simply cannot stand! And if you folks ain't gonna make the change for the New Year, I'll just have to give you a little push. So, consider this my Christmas present to all of you!" He looked over his shoulder. "English?"
There was an odd sound, a combination of growling and scraping, as if large nails were being dragged over pavement. The double doors burst open and Wesley came in, straining his arms to hold back the leashes of the trio of creatures that were pushing their way into the building. Each was about the size of a large St. Bernard but had far more fur and much bigger jaws, lined with razor-sharp teeth. Their yellow eyes swept over the shocked crowd, their long nostrils flaring as Wesley tried his best to hold them back.
"Sic 'em, Wes," Gunn intoned and the Englishman gratefully let go. Instantly, the wolf-like beings leapt outward, barreling into the crowd. One knocked down a trio of guards, sending them down as the others raced through the lobby. There was a predictable massive scream as the guests started to run in all directions, trying to get away from the vicious-looking creatures, stumbling about in blind panic. One man tripped and ran into the buffet table, knocking it and everything on it to the ground. A wolf smashed the bar, sending bottles and glasses flying about. Another had fun chasing a quartet of lawyers up the "down" escalator, snapping one woman's heel right off her foot.
Watching the chaos, Gunn had to let out a chuckle. "Seems weird to see something so nasty that honestly doesn't feed on humans," he told Wesley with a smile.
"Appearances are deceiving," Wesley pointed out as the two began to back toward the doors. "We're a fine example of that, after all." The two swiftly moved out of the building, moving toward the van they had kept a block away.
As the party dissolved into chaos, Andrea and Jarod were moving. Making it appear as if they were also running from the wolves, they sprinted towards the security desk set near the edge of the lobby. Naturally, there weren't any security personnel near it, they were busy trying to contain the wolves and maintain some order. The two dived under the desk so that anyone who saw them would assume that they were trying to hide.
Immediately, Andrea rose on her knees, her hands moving to the computer keyboard set in the desk and started to type. Her fingers flew over the keys as she swiftly accessed the main security screen and swiftly started to type in various passwords. "Lilah was right, her password's gone," Andrea muttered as she kept typing. "But I think....." She typed in a series of passwords and cursed as UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS popped up on the screen. "Shit, these guys are good."
"Let me try," Jarod said.
"Excuse me?" Andrea replied, raising an eyebrow dubiously. Without a word, Jarod moved her aside slightly and started to type a command in. To Andrea's surprise, ACCESS GRANTED showed up on the screen. "How the hell did you------?"
Jarod smiled at her amazed expression. "What, you think I just let Broots do all the work and not pay any attention to how he operated?"
"Why, Jarod, always nice to know you can still surprise me," Andrea said with a sultry smile as she went back to the keyboard. She quickly called up a screen showing the full security system for the building. After scanning it for a moment, she started to type in commands, Jarod watching as security cameras and alarms began to switch off. "You know, this is surprisingly hot," he remarked as he nuzzled her shoulder.
"Later," Andrea hissed as she typed, finishing her work and exiting the program. She looked over at Jarod and nodded. "We're done."
"With this," Jarod smiled. "Later on, though......."
Andrea smiled as the two of them rose up from behind the desk. As soon as they came into sight, Justine and Kate made their move. They were standing on the balcony level, looking down at the lobby, where chaos was still in full force, the wolves knocking back furniture, guards and guests as the partygoers ran about with no idea of direction, simply trying to get away from the creatures.
Sharing a nod, the two women reached inside their blouses. In near uniform precision, they each pulled out a pair of small round balls and tossed them over the balcony. The instant they hit the floor, each ball let out a small flash of light and a cloud of smoke. Added onto the movements of the wolves and it pushed the panic level of the crowd over the edge, the guards having no idea where to contain things first.
The party-goers finally came to the realization that being stuck in the building with a trio of monsters with light and smoke billowing about was probably not a good idea and a mass exodus began toward the doors. Justine and Kate rushed over to the large stairway, avoiding the crowd that was by the escalator, the sight of a wolf chasing the same trio of people up and down the escalators almost comical.
"Gotta say, this has been a hell of a lot more lively than my usual Christmas Eve," Kate said as she and Justine reached the floor, joining the exiting crowd. They could see Jarod and Andrea up ahead a bit, nearly to the doors.
"I did need to do something to occupy myself," Justine admitted, biting her lip slightly. "This is my first Christmas without......" she broke off and Kate grabbed her arm to keep her moving. But she did take a moment to give the redhead a reassuring squeeze on the arm, Justine answering it with a smile as they left.
"This is where the records office is?" Katya frowned as Lilah led her and Holtz to a simple small door with no sign on it. As soon as Wesley had signaled them from the van, the trio had slipped into the now-unlocked entrance to the basement level of Wolfram & Hart. With the cameras and alarms disabled for the next thirty minutes and all security personnel busy with the chaos upstairs, they had an easy opportunity to reach their destination.
The first thing that had taken the two older people by surprise was that Lilah had led them to an express elevator inside the basement. They had entered and Lilah had hit a button for the thirteenth floor, which made some sense.
It was just as they were passing the tenth floor that it happened. The small LED screen that lay just above the elevator button display lit up, a code swiftly keyed in thanks to Andrea and Jarod and a small button unexcepectedly appeared next to the "13" button. Lilah pressed it and the elevator suddenly stopped.
Katya and Holtz looked up at the floor indicator, which had stopped blinking in between floors 13 and 14. Before either could ask what was happening, the wall behind them suddenly slid open to show a small hallway. Lilah quickly exited the elevator and strode down the hallway, the two natives of England sharing a confused glance before following her.
"I know, I know," Lilah answered Katya's question as she came up to the door. "Everyone expects it to be in the basement but it works out well."
"All right, I assume you have a------" Holtz broke off as Lilah twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open. "Key?"
"They don't need one," Lilah answered as she swung the door open. "The security is supposed to make sure no one unauthorized goes in. And it's not like she ever leaves."
"She?" Holtz frowned as the trio entered the room. It was quite small and bare, barely the size of a closet. There were no files, no folders, no shelves, no furniture except a small desk and chair, with a lamp in the corner and a typewriter on the desktop. Seated behind the desk was a plain-looking woman with short brown hair and a casual suit who glanced up at them. Her eyebrows raised as she looked at Lilah. "Why, Ms. Morgan. I thought you had been terminated."
"Terminated, fired or terminated, killed?" Katya asked dryly.
"Both," the woman answered. She looked Lilah over and shook her head. "You know, you're not supposed to be in here."
"I know, I know," Lilah said, shaking her head. "Listen, we need information."
"Well, sure, that's what I'm here for," the woman replied. "I'm Files and Records, you know."
"Wonderful," Holtz stated as he stepped forward. He leaned in closely, getting right into the woman's face before speaking. "Tell me. Where would we go for information on a vampire named....Angelus?"
There were two reasons Holtz suddenly leaned away from the woman. One was that she showed absolutely no fear whatsoever at his glaring presence. The other was that the woman's eyes suddenly started to flicker while a strange clicking sound went out, as if she was looking through a massive amount of files.
"Angelus," the woman stated in the same bright tone. "The Scourge of Europe, the One With the Angelic Face. Turned, Galway, Ireland, 1753 by Darla (see also Master, The). Slaughters entire home village, meets the Master, 1760 but goes on own path, Darla joining him. For next one hundred years, travels throughout Europe, often with Darla, racking up body count rumored to be near the three thousand-person range but no exact number confirmed. Works mainly in Europe with occasional stopovers in-------"
"How the hell do you know all this?" Katya broke in, her expression one of amazement.
The woman fixed a gaze on her. "I'm Files and Records," she answered plainly.
Holtz looked at her, then at Lilah. "Is she always like this?"
"Oh, yeah," Lilah confirmed dryly. "Every time." She shook her head. "Look, Holtz, she'll go through Angelus' whole history if-------"
The strange flash in the eyes and clicking sound went off again before the woman spoke up. "Holtz, Daniel. Vampire hunter, based in England, circa 1754-1773. 1764, Angelus and Darla kill Holtz, Caroline, Holtz, Sarah and Holtz, Daniel Jr. Holtz swears vengeance and spends next nine years hunting down Angelus and Darla, racking up an incidental body count of 378 vampires before mysteriously vanishing without a trace in 1773."
Katya and Lilah both looked at Holtz, impressed by the number of vampires he had killed in such a brief span of time. Holtz simply stared at the woman in confusion. "How do you know all this about me?"
"I told you," the woman said. "I'm Files and Records."
"I don't even want to know what she has on me," Katya muttered as Holtz looked at the woman. "Do you know where Angelus is currently?"
The clicking sound went out again before the woman looked back at him. "1996, Angelus leaves Los Angeles and moves to Sunnydale, California. January, 1997, the Master arises and soon begins to take over Sunnydale, Angelus presumably with him but--------"
"That's all I needed to know," Holtz broke in. "Is he still there?"
"At the last information received, yes."
"Good." Holtz turned toward Lilah. "We've got what we came for."
"Hold up," Lilah said, turning back to the woman. "Are there any other major vampires in this Sunnydale place we should know about?"
Clicking. "Rosenburg, Willow, turned, January, 1997. Sires Harris, Xander, in the same night, two serve as the Master's chief lieutenants. Murdered parents, best friend and current combined body count ranks as 1087."
"How do you------" Katya started.
"I told you," the woman answered. "I'm-------"
"Files and Records," Katya finished. "Nice job?"
"I wish I was dead."
"Funny," Katya sniffed.
"Actually, no, I'm quite serious. I wish I was dead."
All three looked at her quizzically. "Excuse me?" Lilah asked.
"I've been in this room for fifteen years. I have no home, no apartment, I never have to eat or go to the bathroom and that may sound like a benefit but it's not because it robs me of the chance to get out of this chair just once."
That the entire litany had been delivered in the same cheerful tone the woman had been using the entire conversation just made it all the more chilling. Lilah peered at her, taken aback by this news. "Who are you?"
There was no clicking but the woman delivered the answer in the same upbeat tone. "Wynter, Sandra. Born, 1961, Oak Lawn, Illinois. Graduate of Harvard, class of '83, excellent note-taking and dictation skills. Hired by Wolfram & Hart, July, 1983, immediately placed in Files and Records. Cursed with memory to instantly absorb any records before destroying them and is incapable of leaving records room, with lengthened longevity ensuring she's stuck here for quite a few decades."
"My God," Lilah whispered. "I.....I didn't know."
"No one does," the woman shrugged. "I just type the reports, hand them off, that's my existence. Not life, just existence, stuck reading report after report, many of which involve demons and murder and chaos and can't do anything about it but wish something can happen, even death, that can free me from this living hell." Despite the smile plastered on her face, tears could be seen shimmering in her eyes. "I'm...I'm Files and Records."
Holtz looked at her in silence for a long moment. Without turning, he spoke over his shoulder. "Wait outside, I'll be right there."
"Wait, what are you------" Lilah broke off as Katya grabbed her arm and dragged her away. The Immortal shared a nod with Holtz, knowing what he was going to do. Holtz looked at the woman carefully, seeing her give a tiny nod at his stare.
Lilah turned to Katya outside the door with a frown. "What is he------"
She broke off as a loud snapping sound came from inside the office. The door opened and Holtz stepped out, brushing his hands slightly, his face a mask as he shut the door behind him. "Wynter, Sandra," he intoned. "Died, Christmas Eve, 1998. The best Christmas present she could ask for."
"You......you....." Lilah couldn't quite finish.
"If an act of mercy isn't the best excuse to kill someone, it's at least number three."
Lilah opened her mouth to ask what the first two were, thought better of it and shut it. She joined Holtz and Katya as they headed toward the elevator. Before they could reach it, it opened and an Asian man in a suit stepped out. He stopped in place as he looked at the trio. "Wait a minute, what are you-------"
He yelped as Katya grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the wall. Her sword was out, the tip of the blade at his neck as he tried to keep from panicking. "Who...." he coughed. "Who are you people?"
"Oh, just a ex-employee looking for a little back pay," Lilah said in a dark tone as she stepped up before the man's eyes. "Or should I say, a little payback?"
"That's from 'The Mask,'" Holtz said. As Lilah looked at him in surprise, he shrugged. "It was on cable last night."
"I'm so sorry," Lilah said before turning back to the man. She stepped up carefully before hauling back and belting him in the face. "You know, Gavin, I never liked you." Without a word, she pressed the button on the elevator next to the one Gavin had exited. "Let's see, they always keep the code the same," she said in a light-hearted tone as she pressed it four straight times, paused, then pressed it twice more.
The doors before her opened and showed an empty shaft. With a show of strength that amazed Gavin, Lilah dragged her former colleague over to the doorway, pushing him forward, holding onto him by the front of his suit. Gavin was hard-pressed to keep from yelling in fear as he became aware there was only an empty shaft behind him and a long fall after that.
Even facing death, Gavin could slide into a "let's make a deal" tone like no one else. "Now, Lilah, I'm sure we can work something out here. You don't want to kill me------"
"Actually, yes, Gavin," Lilah said, fury in her eyes. "Yes, I do want to kill you. You think I don't know who it was who oversaw the operation to take out Lindsay? You'd do anything to get ahead, you little shit. So, yes, I do want to kill you." With that, she let go of his suit, Gavin falling back, trying to catch himself but knowing he couldn't.
In a flash, Lilah had snagged his tie and pulled back, throwing Gavin against the wall. The lawyer looked at her, heaving with breath, not understanding why he was still alive. "Why? I don't understand...."
"No, you wouldn't," Lilah said in disdain. "If I let you drop, I'd just be sinking to your level and I don't want that. So, I'll just leave you behind."
"Oh," Gavin said with light surprise. He slowly drew himself back up, trying to adjust his tie. "That will...work."
"Good," Lilah nodded. She paused and bent her head to peer at Gavin. "So, you'll be the one taking the heat for all the chaos that happened downstairs and for us breaking in like this. Oh, and for the death of the files and records clerk."
Gavin stared at her, whipped his head over to look at the door, then back to Lilah. "You mean...you killed Files and Records?"
"And you let it happen," Lilah nodded. "Refresh my memory, Gavin, just what is the company policy regarding dealing with things like that?"
There was a long silence as Gavin's eyes went wide, realizing what was likely to happen to him and knew just how painful it would be. Swallowing, he adjusted his tie once more, took a running start and threw himself down the elevator shaft, unable to hold back a scream just before he hit the ground far below.
There was a long moment of silence before Katya spoke. "Well, like the old joke goes...It's a good start."
Holtz's Lair
2342 Hours PST
"Training will be accelerated," Holtz was telling the group gathered in the cavern. They were all still dressed from the raid, Holtz having told them what they had discovered from Files and Records. "We'll need to be quite careful before we move in on Angelus, particularly if the Master is involved. From what I've heard, he's quite the nasty bastard."
"Maybe Watcher-boy could give us some details on him," Justine said, lightly spinning her stocking cap on one finger. "Where is Wes, anyway?"
"Said there was something he had to take care after he dropped me off," Gunn said. "Not sure when he'll be back."
"I'll have to talk about leaving us in the lurch like this when he does," Holtz sniffed. "It's not good for morale."
"Ah, come on, it's Christmas," Andrea smiled. "He probably wants to spend the holidays with someone."
Lilah rubbed her forehead and looked at Kate. "God, that woman is so chipper and upbeat sometimes, it drives me crazy."
"What makes you so sure Angelus is still in this Sunnydale place?" Jarod asked.
"He's evil to the core," the vampire hunter replied. "The town attracts evil."
"Why?" Jarod frowned.
"Apparently, it's built on the gateway to Hell."
"I thought that'd be here in L.A.," Gunn remarked.
"Life's full of surprises."
"And here comes one now," Justine said, nodding towards the entranceway to the cavern. Everyone looked up to see Wesley walk in. Behind him was a man dressed in the dark robes of a priest, a collar around his throat and a crucifix around his neck. He had silver hair and his face was set in an impassive mask, a series of claw-like scars on the left side of his face.
Holtz looked at the priest, then at Wesley. "Is this your idea of a Christmas present?"
"Yes, actually," Wesley answered. "I ran into him yesterday while checking things out downtown. The good Father Johansson here lost several of his fellow priests, including a good friend of his, to vampires a year ago. He's somewhat on the outs with the rest of the Church, works at a mission that helps the less fortunate. He tries to shelter and protect them while also fighting off a few vampires himself."
Holtz looked at him carefully, then looked at the priest. "You can handle yourself against a vampire?"
"I've staked a few," the priest responded in as flat a tone as Holtz's.
"Then you might work out," Holtz nodded as he held out a hand. "I'm Holtz, Father...."
"No need to be formal," the priest said. "You can just call me Father Ulric."
Wolfram & Hart
Office of Holland Manners, Executive Vice-President, Special Projects
December 25h, 1998 - 0032 Hours PST
The shadows inside the dim office seemed to birth a life of their own as they shimmered about before forming into the hulking shape of Sahjhan. The demon looked at the two men sitting at the large desk and nodded. "It's done."
"They're on their way?" Holland Manners asked, sipping at his wine.
"Almost," the demon answered. "He wants to put them some more training. I have to say, I didn't expect this whole vamp-hunting squad to work, but it's turned out much better than I hoped. It's fitting into our plans perfectly."
"I should hope so," Holland said in a tone with a slight edge to it. "I have to tell you, I was not expecting them to make their move on us in quite this fashion. Even with our security measures lightened so they could get to Files and Records quickly, they still did some damage. The party being ruined was a nasty little public relations snafu. We've had to invent this whole story about escaped zoo animals in order to save face. And then we lost Files and Records and a position like that is not easy to replace on the spur of the moment." He sipped his wine and, almost as an afterthought, added. "Oh, yeah, and Gavin."
"Now, now, Holland," the other man in the room said in a light and jovial tone. "You know you can't make an omelets without breaking a few eggs. Besides, Files and Records never got around to mentioning the soul thing so they have no idea what Angel's like now." He looked up at Sahjhan. "You think these hunter guys can do the job?"
"Don't worry," the demon answered with a slight smile. "These guys are so fired up, they'll stake first, ask questions later. Angel will die, as will Willow and Xander and I think I can even manage to get a few of their friends too. Who know, maybe I can whisper something into Katya's ear and the Slayer's taken out."
"I hope so," the man said. "I don't want anything to go wrong."
"It won't," Holland stressed. "Trust us, sir, we have everything under control, thanks to the foresight of Sahjhan here." The demon bowed his head at the compliment. "Thanks to his warnings as to who was destined to stop you and his brilliant inspiration as to who to get to stop them, things will be well handled."
"What happens when they finish off Angel and whoever else gets in their way?" the man asked.
"Well, in that case, something happens to them," Sahjhan answered evenly.
"An accident?"
"Well, actually, a mass murder but it equals the same."
Nodding, the man finished off his drink and stood up. "Well, I'd better get back to Sunnydale. Still a lot of plans to make, even though I know they won't fall through."
"Don't worry, Mr. Mayor," Holland said. "All interference to you will soon be eliminated." He hoisted up his glass. "Here's to a happy Ascension."
"Hear, hear," Mayor Richard Wilkins smiled.
"Amen." The two men looked over at Sahjhan, who shrugged. "Sorry, slipped out."
Sunnydale, CA
January 17, 1999
1952 Hours PST
"Holtz," Angel whispered, staring in shock at the man he thought he'd never see again. "My God, you're alive."
"God?" Holtz said mockingly, raising an eyebrow. "Found religion in your old age, Angelus? At least you've managed to lose that accent, which I'm grateful for. I couldn't understand half of what you said with that brogue. I suppose you left that behind with the rest of your humanity, eh, Liam?"
Willow and Xander looked at each other in confusion. "Liam?" they echoed together.
"His real first name," Holtz told them.
Xander stared at Angel. "Your name is Liam?!"
"It's a good Irish name!" Angel defended himself.
"Yeah, but....LIAM?!" Xander laughed. "No wonder you changed it, only a nutcase would go around and let people call him Liam!"
"Thanks a lot," Angel muttered before turning his attention back to Holtz. He peered closely at him, his nose twitching a bit. "You're...still human," he finally said. "So how? How can you possibly be here?"
"Clean living," Holtz replied. "A concept you couldn't begin to understand."
"Ah, Angel?" Willow piped up. "Just who is this guy?"
Before Angel could reply, Holtz turned to her and bowed his head. "Daniel Holtz," he calmly stated. He began to move his arm around, pointing in turn to each of the people who were holding the three vampires. "Jarod Russell, Andrea Parker, Charles Gunn. Katya Valentine, Justine Cooper, Wesley Wyndham-Pryce. Father Ulric Johansen, Lilah Morgan, Kate Lochley."
"Um, boss?" Justine called out. "You really think it's smart to go ahead and tell them who we all are?"
"A man should know his executioners, Justine," Holtz said in a mildly reproachful tone. "Angelus here can tell you all about that."
Angel set his jaw, his shock dying down. "What do you want, Holtz?"
In answer, Holtz carefully stepped forward, his knife in his hands, the tip of the blade moving toward Angel's chest. "For two hundred years, I have slept, Angelus. Two hundred years where I have done nothing but dream. Oh, how I have dreamed, Angelus. I've dreamed up tortures that would make even you scream in terror at the very concept of. Of course, you won't be doing the screaming alone."
He poked the edge of the knife in the center of Angels' chest, enjoying the little wince of pain Angel let as the tip dug into his skin. "Now then," Holtz calmly stated. "Where's Darla?"
Angel started, looking at Holtz for a moment. He managed to suppress a smile as it hit him that Holtz was a bit behind the times. "Darla. Well, actually, if you must know, we're not really seeing each other anymore."
"Really?" Holtz was more than a bit skeptical at the answer.
"It's true," Willow piped in. "I sort of, um, staked her."
Holtz slowly turned to look at her. "Did you now?" He looked closely at Willow's nod and slowly nodded himself. "I'm inclined to believe you."
"Oh. Thanks," Willow said.
"You have my gratitude."
"Wow, thanks," Willow replied with a slight smile.
"I'll try to make your death relatively painless."
"Gee, thanks," Willow muttered sarcastically.
Holtz turned his attention back to Angel. "Well, then, Angelus, it seems half my task is done. Of course, this means that whatever I had planned for Darla will now go to you. On top of what I had originally planned for you, of course." Holtz's expression darkened, if such a thing was possible. "I will show you a level of pain that you could not begin to comprehend, Angelus. I will give you tortures and agonies that will finally let you know what you've done to all your victims. I will show you pain until you beg for death and then, Angelus, then your true pain will begin. Everlasting pain that will never cease, it will go on and on and on....."
"That's not the only thing that goes on and on and on," Xander said sarcastically. He looked over to Angel. "Is this how this guy hunts vamps? By talking them to death?"
In answer, Holtz reached into his pocket and took out a small vial. Popping off the lid, he tossed the contents into Xander's face. The instant the holy water hit him, Xander yelled in pain, briefly going into his vampire face before shaking himself off. "No," Holtz replied, lowering the still full vial. "By killing them to death."
"Leave him alone!" Willow yelled out, pushing against her restraints, Jarod and Andrea trying to hold her back. Holtz looked at her, then Xander, then rolled his eyes. "Oh, not again," he moaned. "First those two insipid fools I saw you with in 1770, then I hear about that Spike and Drusilla, now this? What is it about you and turning couples, Angelus?"
"He didn't make us," Xander said, blinking his eyes to push away some drops of water that hissed slightly as they rolled down his forehead.
"Actually, we sort of spent the last few years torturing him," Willow put in.
"Will, not helping."
"Sorry, Angel."
Looking back at Holtz, Angel did his best to shrug. "Well, the world always needs love, Holtz."
"Oh, I know about love, Angelus," Holtz coldly said. "I had love until you took it away from me. Taking you out of this world is the best gift I can bestow upon it. Which is what brought me here."
"Yeah, how did you get here anyway?" Angel asked, sounding genuinely curious. "You cut a deal with some demon? Wow, that'd be ironic, huh? The vampire hunter who was always going on about God and morals teaming with a demon."
"Hate makes strange bedfellows," Holtz remarked in a clipped tone.
"And what'd it cost you?" Angel demanded. "Come on, Holtz, what'd you have to give up for this second chance of yours?"
Holtz appeared to be almost amused as he raised an eyebrow. "Give up?" he echoed. "I had nothing to give up, Angelus. You saw to that, remember?"
Xander did his best to lean in toward Angel, despite his restraints. "Ah, A-Man?" he asked in a stage whisper. "Just why in the hell does this guy want to kill you so bad?"
"Let's just say we've got some bad blood between us," Angel answered.
"Uh oh," Xander muttered. "That's not good."
"Why?" Willow asked.
"Because bad blood attracts bad people."
"I'll take your expert word on that subject," Holtz dryly said. He paused, tapping the stake against his chin. "I was surprised to hear you came to America. Of course, I was surprised to learn America was a country now." He turned and began to pace before the vampires. "You know, studying what's become of the world, I think I almost understand you all. Seeing the fall of nations and technology changing in ways you can never imagine. I feel...close to you on some level."
He popped the lid off of his vial and once more hurled holy water, this time across the faces of all three vampires. As the three howled in pain, Holtz put the vial down. "I don't like the feeling."
"Look, boss, I enjoy a good gloat as much as the next guy," Gunn spoke up. "But can't we just waste these three and get going?"
"Patience, Charles, patience," Holtz intoned. "A moment like this is meant to be savored." He looked over at Angel and frowned. "So silent, Angelus? I remember you being more talkative."
"And I remember you being more competent," Angel bit out.
"Oooh, dis!" Xander snickered.
Holtz sighed and shook his head. "You were always insufferable, Angelus. I guess I'm just going to have to make you suffer." Holtz stopped, perplexed by the sudden chuckle that suddenly came from Angel's lips. "The situation amuses you that much, Angelus?"
Angel shook his head, fighting off the chuckles. "I'm just appreciating the irony. Ten, five, hell, even two years ago, if you'd shown up, I'd probably have welcomed you killing me. Now, here I am with something to actually live for and you show up." He sighed and sobered. "That's life for you."
Holtz's gaze narrowed at the vampire. "Don't worry, Angelus. You won't have to worry about that for much longer."
He moved forward, the stake in his hands lifting up toward Angel's chest. Angel stiffened, his arms held back tight by Ulric and Lilah, the two refusing to give any ground as Kate kept the scythe held up to his neck. Just as the tip began to touch Angel's chest, though, Katya suddenly stiffened in place. She looked around, her eyes darting around her surroundings. "Holtz," she called out. "We're about to have company."
Holtz frowned and turned toward her, wanting to know just what she was talking about. Before he could speak, a young female voice suddenly cut through the street. "Scuse me? Just what the hell is this?"
Everyone turned to see Buffy and Amy walking up to them. The Slayer and the witch stopped a few feet away from the group, looking over the strange scene before them. Having felt the presence of another Immortal nearby, Buffy had her sword out and ready to use. Amy had her arms crossed before her, glaring out at the group. "Let go of my vampire boyfriend and girlfriend!" she called out.
A long silence came over the humans before her. "That was quite possibly the strangest sentence I've ever heard in my life," Katya announced. "And that covers quite a bit of ground."
Holtz shook his head and fixed his gaze on Buffy. "Walk away, girl. This doesn't concern you."
"Actually, it does," Buffy coolly stated. "See, those are friends of mine, which means I've got a personal interest in their welfare. Second, I'm the Slayer, so it's my job to watch out for people who try crazy shit in this town. And third, who are you and why are you risking suicide by calling me girl?"
"The Slayer?" Wesley said, unable to hide his shock. "You're the Slayer and you call..." He threw a disdainful look at the vampires. "These...friends?"
"Well, it's a bit of a stretch," Buffy admitted. "But, hey, I'm not going to let you just go Wild Bunch on them like this! You know this is against the law? You're violating about five sections of the California Penal Code, the Bill of Rights, Miranda Rights, the Geneva Convention and you're looking to have everyone from Amnesty International to the ACLU to Jesse Jackson on your ass for this!"
"My dear, first of all, I don't know the meaning of half the terms you just used," Holtz stated. "Secondly, those are human laws and these are definitely not human."
"I don't know," Buffy shrugged. "They seem a bit more human than you're acting right now."
Holtz frowned and leaned in toward her. "Do you know what they are?"
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Vampires cursed with souls, atoning for their past sins, brooding with guilt over their murderous acts, yadayadayada...."
"And you still want to help them?" Holtz pressed. "Knowing all that? You know what Angelus is?"
Buffy sniffed. "Besides the holder of the world's record for brooding?"
"He is a monster," Holtz coldly stated. "And my sole reason for coming here is to kill him once and for all."
"Sorry to hear that," Buffy sighed. "Cause that means I've got a sole reason to kick your ass if you try it."
"You're helping them?" Kate asked in utter disbelief. "Why?"
"Why shouldn't I?" Buffy defended herself.
Kate looked toward Holtz. "Okay, boss, old police tactic. When they answer a question with a question, they're hiding something."
"Um, excuse me?" Andrea piped up. She held up a finger, which she soon pointed toward the vampires. "Can we go back to that cursed with souls thing? I wasn't quite clear on that."
"Andrea, quiet," Holtz snapped. "Let me handle this." He paused and then turned to Angel. "What does she mean, cursed with souls?"
"Ah, long story, Holtz," Angel answered in a light tone. "I doubt it would be of much interest to you."
"Um, Angel, buddy, maybe it WOULD! BE!" Xander bit out, staring at the other vampire.
Amy unfolded her arms and spoke up. "Okay, that's it! You guys let them go or it's going to get nasty."
"My dear girl," Holtz said in a tone one would take with a small child. "We outnumber and outpower you. Exactly what makes you believe you would stand a chance against us?"
"I'm a witch," Amy said with a wicked smirk.
Holtz simply raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked. "Are you a good witch or a bad witch?"
Immediately, nearly every person around him burst into involuntary snickers, giggles, snorts and guffaws. Throwing a look back at them, Holtz let out a sigh. "I fear I've once against stumbled into yet another popular culture reference."
"Actually, if you really want to know," Amy said with the same smirk in place. "I'm an ass-kicking witch."
"Thank you for sharing," Holtz dryly said. He shrugged his shoulders back a bit, his stake held up. "I am giving you both one more chance to leave. If you do not take it...I can't be held responsible for my actions."
"Shuffling the buck," Buffy sniffed. "Wow, you're adapting to America well."
"Please. Let's not be insulting. I don't know who you are, young lady..."
"Doesn't matter," Buffy interrupted. "Just get away from them."
"Look, Barbie----" Gunn started but was interrupted as Buffy whipped her katana up and put the tip only an inch from Holtz's chin. The Englishman simply raised an eyebrow as he looked down the blade and at the Slayer.
"A katana?" he asked, sounding more curious than anything else. "You surprise me. An American with good taste in weaponry." He carefully raised a hand and led his finger slide over the flat of the blade. "Masamune?"
Buffy blinked in surprise before replying. "Masahiro. And if you think the weapon's good..." She pushed it a quarter inch further. "Imagine what *I* can do with it."
Off to the side, Wesley turned toward Katya. "You were right. We *are* going to regret this."
"Always nice to have my insight appreciated," the Immortal stated, her eyes still fixed on Buffy.
It was at this point that it suddenly occurred to Xander that Willow had been strangely quiet throughout this entire exchange. Curious as to why his lover wouldn't be making some snide comments, Xander shifted his eyes toward her.
Held by Jarod and Parker, Willow's eyes were fixed on a part of the ground a few yards away. Her mouth was moving and only Xander's sharp hearing could catch the whispered words she was uttering. His eyes snaked over to where she was looking and he saw a small but sharp piece of wood lying on the ground. As he stared, he could see the wood was shaking a bit, as if being pulled by some force.
Xander instantly realized that Willow was trying out some of her newfound magical skills. She hadn't done too much, just getting past basic telekinesis but Xander was betting that was all that would be needed. He took a glance around and saw that all of Holtz's people were paying attention to the two newcomers. Besides Xander, only Angel could see what Willow was doing and prepared himself. He and Xander exchanged a quick nod and got ready to move.
Buffy brushed past her hair and stared Holtz down. "And you've got one chance to get out of here without my footprint on your ass and I advise you to take it."
"The eloquence you Americans possess never ceases to amaze me," Holtz muttered.
"Oh, God," Andrea groaned, rolling her eyes. "He's starting on America again."
"Well, look at the bright side," Jarod put in. "At least he's stopped calling us 'colonials.'" He gave Andrea a quick smile, which was when he saw Willow softly speaking. "Hey, what are you----"
"Hurita!" Willow called out, whipping her head back and to the side. The piece of wood flew off the ground, spinning in the air as it sailed out and pierced Katya's free arm. Screaming at the unexpected pain, Katya automatically let go of the metal bar she'd been holding, clutching at the piece of wood that was sticking straight through her forearm. Xander's hand was already clenched around the piece of the bar that had been encircling his wrist. He swung it outward, the bar knocking aside the scythe floating before him and swinging around to hit Justine on the side of the head. As the two staggered back, Xander quickly freed his hands and prepared to fight.
Willow flipped herself up and back, her legs kicking out to knock back the scythe in Gunn's hand. Ignoring the pain in her wrists, she landed on her feet and yanked her arms in, sending Andrea and Jarod smacking into one another.
Angel took his own chance to move. He craned his head back to avoid the stab of the scythe Kate was attempting. He fell back, a move that caught both Ulric and Lilah off guard, the duo going off-balance. Kicking out, Angel hit Lilah in the gut with a kick and turned toward Ulric. The priest held up his cross and Angel swiftly smacked it away, then, with a muttered "sorry" hit Ulric with a backhand, sending him to the ground.
Holtz whipped his head around at the sudden attack and Buffy took advantage of his distraction by launching a spin kick. At the last moment, Holtz caught the movement and rolled with the blow, landing on the ground hard. "Amy!" Buffy called out. "Double team!"
"I'm on it!" Amy nodded and moved in toward the others. Without warning, a boot lashed into her face, knocking her back. "You're off it," Lilah smirked as she moved in toward Amy.
"Nice move, Lilah!" Kate called out as she got to her own feet.
"Watch it, Kate," Lilah called over her shoulder. "We start getting along and Holtz is liable to die from shock."
"Might be worth it just to see him change expressions," Kate sniffed.
Getting back to her feet, Amy swept out and nailed Lilah with a kick to the jaw, sending her to her knees with a gasp. "That's team one!" Amy yelled.
Rubbing at her face, Lilah got back to her feet. "What's team two, bitch?"
"Change the 'b' to a 'w'," Amy intoned. Her eyes suddenly went black, her hair seeming to rise as she began to speak. "Goddess Hecate, work thy will..."
"Oh, dear God, she's a witch!" Lilah groaned.
"I thought we had already established that," Holtz stated as he started to back away. "Wesley? Your services appear to be required here."
Wesley turned from where Justine was having a tough time trying to get the upper hand in fighting with Xander. The woman was rather surprised that the vampire wasn't trying that hard to kill her but his strength and speed was still more than Justine's. Seeing Amy start to build in power, the Briton quickly moved forward, an incantation on his lips.
Amy smiled as she got ready to unleash her spell. She opened her mouth to finish the incantation----and was shocked when she suddenly found her voice was no longer working. She moved her jaw up and down, touching her throat and trying to figure out what had happened. She looked up and saw Wesley throwing a wicked smirk at her.
Giving the Watcher a grateful nod, Lilah moved toward the mute Amy, a grin on her face. "So, no voice, no spells," she bantered. "Got anything else to fall back on? Besides your back."
In answer, Amy backflipped, her feet whipping out to hit Lilah in the jaw, knocking her back. She landed hard on the ground, letting out a groan. Watching, Kate rolled her eyes. "Dammit, Lilah, I keep telling you. Kill them first, then quip!"
Holtz swiftly moved toward where Angel was ducking the sweeps of Gunn's scythe. The black man growled as he lunged forward, thrusting the blade at Angel's neck. The vampire twisted around, the blade cutting him across the shoulder. He snarled, going into his game face as he glared up at Gunn. He dodged the blade again and lashed out with a punch that sent Gunn staggering.
A blow struck Angel from behind and he felt himself pushed forward. He turned to see Holtz move in, a stake in his hand. "I've waited a long time for this," Holtz hissed.
A hand fell on his shoulder and pulled, yanking Holtz backward. He found himself sailing about five feet and landing hard on the ground. "Wait right over there," Buffy quipped as she turned toward Angel.
A flash of light on metal got her attention and she turned, her sword held up. It met the flat of Katya's blade as the redhead lunged forward. She held it in one arm, the other hung loosely at her side. She had removed the piece of wood but it was still healing, blood staining Katya's coat. Spinning the sword in her hand, Katya struck out again, Buffy meeting her blows with her own, their swords sparking as they went at it. Katya had the experience but her wounded arm was hampering her. She was struck by the other Immortal's style. Something about it seemed so...familiar.
Xander and Willow moved together, the two vampires facing off against the foursome of Jarod, Andrea, Justine and Wesley. "I owe the Brit," Xander told Willow. "And I'll take the redhead."
"You're always so greedy for those," Willow smirked. "Fine, I'll take these two." She turned and threw a grin at Andrea and Jarod. "Sooo..." she started. "Wanna skip the fight and move onto some real fun?"
The two stared at her. "There aren't enough levels to count how disgusting that is," Jarod remarked.
"Give me a minute," Willow smiled before leaping in. Andrea yelped and fell back as Willow swung out at her. Jarod kicked at the vampire but she easily dodged the blow and pushed him off-balance. Next to her, Xander dodged the stake Wesley thrust at him and kicked Justine in the jaw. The redheaded woman bounced to the ground with a gasp as Xander spun around to backhand Wesley. He swung back and added a kick to the guts as Wesley grunted in pain and, in a side effect, lost his concentration enough for his muting spell on Amy to lose effect.
Amy yelled as Lilah managed to get in a lucky whack on the leg. She stopped, her eyes widening as she realized her voice was back. She looked over at the proceedings before her. Katya had recovered enough strength in her other arm to start pressing the attack on Buffy and Amy could tell the Slayer was outmatched in swordplay. Willow was finding Jarod and Parker to be a more effective pairing than they appeared to be. The two had moved into a pattern of striking out and fast, taking turns attacking Willow was the metal bars they had been using, the vampire barely dodging the moves. When she did back up, she found her way barred by a cross-wielding Ulric. Wesley had regrouped as well and he and Justine were starting to take the fight to Xander. He managed to block a few blows but Gunn striking him from behind left him open to a kick from Justine that knocked him down. The leader of this bunch, Holtz, was still going at it with Angel, the vampire finding the man's hatred giving him a strength that belied his age. To top it all off, Lilah was getting back to her feet and she and Kate were moving in toward Amy, both with murder in their eye.
Backing away, Amy closed her eyes and brought her hands together. *Well, Mom, here's hoping that last bunch of lessons pay off.* She swiftly started to whisper under her breath. Both Kate and Lilah paused, confused for a moment as to what she was doing. They were suddenly struck by the memory that this was a witch they were dealing with and started to charge forward. It was too late as Amy opened her eyes and stretched out her arms. "Enblacken!" she cried out and in an instant, a cloud of darkness came over the entire area.
Angel, Xander and Willow, with their enhanced eyesight, just barely managed to pierce the artificial darkness. They quickly pushed past the blinded hunters and started to run. Angel could see Buffy and Katya separated, the two still holding up their swords as they looked about wildly. Without pausing, Angel snaked a hand around Buffy's waist and pulled her with them. Reaching the end of the cloud of darkness, Willow and Xander each grabbed one of Amy's arms and pulled the witch with them.
Freed of the cloud and back into the relative brightness of the street, the five immediately took off running. "That spell won't last long," Amy quickly told them. "Where do we go?"
"Giles," Buffy immediately said. "We're going to need to tell the others what's going on."
"I'm with you there," Xander nodded. "We need to figure out the situation....just as soon as we figure out what the situation is."
"We've got a bunch of psychos wanting to kill us," Willow stated. "I think the situation is clear enough."
"Ah, that's the smart girl I love," Xander smiled.
"Keep the libidos in check for now," Angel grimly said as the quintet continued to run down the street. "We've got bigger problems at hand."
"No one hit anyone until we know who's where."
"Watch the sword, Katya!"
"Then watch where you're stepping!"
"Whoever's got their hand on my ass, get it off now!"
"Ooops, sorry, Kate."
"It's okay, Justine. Wes, can you get rid of this thing?"
"Well, I'd try to find something but as I can't see my book.."
"God, it's black as pitch! No offense, Gunn."
"Didn't take any until you told me not to."
"Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't be too bad..."
"Watch it, Andrea, you're sounding like that twisted redhead."
"Hey!"
"I meant the vampire one!"
"Oh."
The black cloud suddenly vanished as swiftly as it had appeared, leaving the group of hunters blinking at the sudden light. They turned around, seeing how the vampires, Slayer and witch had all disappeared. "Shit," Lilah muttered.
"Language," Ulric warned, brushing at his robes as he got to his feet. He looked over and saw Holtz standing perfectly still, staring out at the open street before him. He slowly turned and fixed an icy gaze at the entire group.
"Oh, man, are we gonna get it," Gunn muttered.
"Oh, shit," Justine muttered. "Get ready for a fresh round of icepick acupuncture."
Rupert Giles' Home
2103 Hours PST
"Dude, either I'm borrowing some of your stuff or I'm moving in," Oz announced as he knelt before the extensive collection of classic rock LP's in a box on the ground.
"Ah, there are *so* many ways I know Xander could take that statement," Giles replied as he rubbed at his face. He hadn't been home too long when Buffy, Amy, Angel, Willow and Xander had come bursting in, babbling about a wild attack on them. Giles had immediately made some calls to gather the various "Slayerettes" together at his home.
"Don't mind him, Giles," Larry said politely. "He's a bit teed off the band's gig was canceled tonight."
"Yeah, Devon getting the flu bites," Oz said. He quickly turned toward Xander and Willow. "Sorry."
A knocking on the door got the attention of the group. Carefully, Jenny moved to open it and was startled at who was standing on the other side. "Well. This is a surprise, I thought you wouldn't be back yet."
"We patched things up quicker than we expected," Ceirdwyn explained. The ancient Scottish Immortal entered the doorway, brushing at her long brown hair. She wore a stylish one-piece outfit with a dark coat, a smile highlighting her beautiful face. Behind her, Arthur Pendragon made even a dark suit look regal upon him. His black hair was a bit more stylish, his sharp goatee giving his face a new strength and he had his own smile on. "Good evening, my lady," he said, kissing Jenny's hand as he entered. "We received the message Giles had left on that machine and came right over."
"Good to see you back, Your Majesty," Giles said, giving the former King of Camelot a respectful bow. "We could use some help."
"What transpires?" Arthur asked as he entered. He looked around the room and saw the way everyone was gathered. Willow and Xander sat next to each other on the couch, holding hands. Oz rose from his spot on the ground to walk over to the chair Larry was sitting in. Buffy was pacing the middle of the room while Jenny walked over to where Giles was leaning by the doorway toward the kitchen. Angel was on the far end of the room, staring out the open window.
"About an hour ago," Buffy began. "Me and Amy ran into the vamps being held up by this pack of whackos. Their leader was talking about staking Angel so of course, we go in and start fighting it out. Amy had to cast a spell to get us out of there but somehow, I get the feeling these guys aren't going to just lie down and quit."
"So, you guys showed them up with your usual derring-do?" Larry asked.
"Actually, we didn't do too well with our derring," Xander admitted.
Amy's face brightened. "Although truth or dare is our favorite-----"
"Not that, honey," Willow interrupted.
"Oh."
Buffy closed her eyes and winced. "I should've gone back with them in December..." she muttered under her breath.
"If we have to suffer, Buffy, so do you. Now, then. They were after Angel?" Giles frowned. "Odd. Do we have any idea who----"
"Holtz." Everyone turned toward Angel. The vampire turned from the window to stare at the group, his face drawn. "His name is Daniel Holtz," he continued. "And you're right, Buffy, he won't quit. Not now, not ever. He'll come after me until I'm dead or he is."
Jenny spoke up. "I'm assuming he has a good reason."
Angel appeared to sigh, obviously not happy about having to say this. "Back in 1764, Darla and I first ran into him. He was a vampire hunter, a good one too and he had set his sights on us." He shrugged. "I was young, arrogant, had just gotten started on my reputation as the Scourge of Europe. So, Darla and I decided to have some fun with him."
"What sort of fun?" Oz asked.
"We killed his wife. We killed his infant son. We turned his daughter into a vampire so he'd have to kill her. We killed friends, fellow hunters, basically we made his life a living hell."
"The usual," Willow and Xander sadly chorused.
There was a moment of silence and Angel knew why. Despite all he had done, he knew the others still weren't comfortable with his murderous past and having a major reminder of him at his worst thrown at them like this couldn't help but bring home the fact Angel just wasn't human.
"Hold up," Larry finally said. "You said this was 1764?"
Angel nodded. "Yeah, I know. He hunted me and Darla across Europe and Africa for nearly a decade. He came close to finishing us off a few times but we managed to get away. He just stopped coming after 1773. I assumed he had gotten himself killed or just stopped for some reason and died of old age. Until I saw him tonight."
"Are you sure it's him?" Jenny asked. "It could be a descendent or----"
"It's him, Jenny," Angel clarified. "Trust me, I know him and no one else could have that unbridled hate of me that he does."
"So, if it's him," Ceirdwyn spoke up. "How is he still alive?"
"He's not one of you guys, is he?" Oz asked Buffy.
The Slayer shook her head. "Nope. He wasn't using a sword."
"No, but that redhead was," Xander piped in. "And she seemed to feel Buffy's approach so I'm guessing she was Immortal."
"Which redhead?" Amy asked.
"I think her name was Katya," Willow told the witch.
Ceirdwyn's eyes widened in shock. "Katya?" she whispered. "Red hair, elegant features, uses a short English blade?"
"That's her," Buffy confirmed. "She got in a few moves on me, might have beaten me if Amy hadn't acted. You know her?"
Ceirdwyn dully nodded. "She was one of my students," she whispered.
Another silence filled the room with Amy speaking up. "Wow. So, your former student is now hunting down Angel which means she hates vampires and you hate and hunt vampires but you might have to fight the woman you trained to be Immortal."
"Thank you, Amy, I needed to have the irony rubbed in my face," the Scottish Immortal snapped.
"Well, I can appreciate irony," Amy shrugged.
"What irony did you have to put up with?"
Amy smiled ruefully. "That I was the only kid who didn't get to meet her double."
"Don't go there," Willow put in.
"So, if he's not Immortal," Giles went on. "How can he be here?"
Willow rubbed at her chin. "The way he was talking...It sounded like he'd been asleep all this time. And that maybe he'd cut a deal with a demon for the chance to get Angel."
"So, he cut a deal to become Rip Van Winkle?" Larry asked with a frown. At the looks he received, he threw up his hands in defense. "Oh, like that was never going to come up!"
Giles shook his head as he looked toward Angel. "So somehow, someway, this Holtz managed to bring himself to this time, with the express purpose of killing Angel." He looked toward Willow and Xander. "What about these people he's with? Any idea why they're helping him?"
"I don't know who they are but they know their stuff," Xander informed him. He frowned as a thought struck him. "In fact, that Wesley guy seemed surprised to hear Buffy was the Slayer."
Giles' eyes went wide. "Wesley? Wait a moment, did you hear his last name by any chance?"
"Um, really, really old-school English," Xander muttered. "Wyndham-Pryce, I think."
"Good lord," Giles whispered. "Wesley...I can't believe it, I haven't heard from him..."
"What is it, Giles?" Arthur asked. "You know this man?"
Giles nodded and rubbed at his nose. "He was a Watcher. I only met him a couple of times, in England. Not a bad chap, a bit prissy for my tastes..."
"Pot calling the kettle something?"
Ignoring Buffy, Giles went on. "His fiancée was killed by a vampire named Penn-----"
"Penn?" It was Angel's turn to be shocked at a name. "He met Penn?"
"Uh oh," Buffy muttered. "Old buddy of yours?"
Angel closed his eyes and shook his head. "I sired him and taught him what he knew."
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Great. Once again, Deadboy's past comes back to bite us."
"You couldn't have thought of a better way to phrase that?" Willow complained.
Buffy sighed and looked towards Giles. "Sounds like Angel's not the only one with a nasty past."
"You have no idea..." Giles muttered.
Jenny raised an eyebrow. "Giles has a hidden and nasty past?"
"Hey, if you want to hear----"
"Getting back to Wesley," Giles quickly interrupted. "The Council ordered him to stay away but he went on his own and hunted Penn down. From what I heard, he executed him rather graphically."
"He killed Penn?" Angel asked in disbelief. "Okay, this guy's more dangerous than he looks."
"Aren't we all?" Arthur muttered. He looked toward Angel and pursed his lips. "What does this Holtz want?"
Angel shrugged. "My head on a platter, apparently."
"I don't think that will be possible," Arthur stated. "When a vampire is beheaded, the head would dissolve as well so there really is not a feasible way to hand over-----"
"Arthur," Ceirdwyn interrupted. "Modern-day expression."
Arthur took a moment to digest that before nodding. "Ah. My apologies. I'm still adapting to the modern world. It's something no one else really goes through."
Larry looked toward Giles. "So, we've got a bunch of hunters coming down to waste Angel and anyone who gets in his way. What do we do? Hang around here with bull's-eyes on our backs?"
"Very funny, Larry."
"I wasn't trying to be funny, Giles."
"And you succeeded admirably."
Buffy turned toward Giles. "So, what do you think? We try to keep them under wraps?"
"I suppose we'll have to," Giles agreed. "At least until we know more about the situation."
"Now, wait a damn minute," Xander spoke up, rising from the couch. "We're not going to just stay under and hide from these guys!"
"Xander," Giles started. "We know this is difficult but-----"
"Listen, we just got over a *major* part of our long guilt trip," Willow spoke, rising to join Xander. "The last thing we want is to hide from someone who wants to kill us for what we've done!"
"It's not you they want, Will," Angel spoke up. "It's me. Holtz came here just to kill me and this group he's with seem ready, willing and able to do it. Believe me, Will, running and hiding was pretty much the best strategy I could ever manage with Holtz. I think it's time we went back to the classics."
Larry held up a hand. "Why didn't you just tell him you had souls now? I mean, he would have backed up----"
"Larry," Angel interrupted. "When you and Oz first heard Willow and Xander had their souls back, did that matter a damn at the time or did you still want to stake them?"
"Point," Oz observed.
"And keep in mind this is a man who lost his entire family because of me and has been holding in that hate for two hundred years."
"Point again," Oz added.
"Don't start ranting," Larry told him. He sighed and looked back to the vampires. "Well, at least you guys can sneak up on them if you want to. Even if they're looking in a mirror." He frowned and raised a finger. "By the way, how do-----"
"For the last time, we don't DO anything! It just is!" Willow exploded.
"Ignore her," Xander jokingly said. "She's just pissed that I'm the one who got tied up between the two redheads."
"Just wait till later tonight," Willow teased, with Amy joining in to smile.
Larry looked toward Oz with a weary expression. "For the sake of evolution, I am so glad vampires can't conceive children."
"Sorry, guys," Buffy said with a little smile. "I guess you three had better start getting up cots here."
"Save one for yourself," Giles announced.
Buffy spun on him, her face one of confusion. "Huh?"
Giles cleared his throat and looked her in the eye. "Holtz and his group know who you two are as well. We don't know what kind of resources they have and how they may be able to track you down. Until we know more, you and Amy will stay here with them. You can check over some records and find out information on this group but until we know more about them, you are not to leave."
Buffy opened her mouth to protest but a glare from Giles silenced her. "Fine, take the fun out of my life," she muttered.
Giles sighed and sat back in his chair. "Buffy, I am allowing, besides yourself, three hormonally imbalanced teens, two of whom are vampires and the other a witch, into my home for an unknown amount of time. Fun is hardly going to be the word for it."
Abandoned Mansion
2138 Hours PST
"Well, that was a thrilling evening," Lilah sarcastically announced as the group walked into the expansive mansion. It was hardly in the best of condition, but it suited their purposes. It had taken some doing to get the electricity and plumbing working but it was worth the effort. With the large amount of rooms and spacing inside, the mansion made an ideal base of operations for Holtz's efforts.
Holtz was somber as the group passed through the main foyer and into the large and open main room. Behind him, Lilah was still talking. "Yeah, nothing I like better than going to all the trouble of doing the training, coming to this town, setting things up here, finding the vamps, then let them slip through their fingers."
"You let them slip through," Holtz said. He was definitely not happy, his face hard and drawn and his voice colder than usual. "We had our opportunity."
"Yeah, and you wasted it by gloating and preening like a James Bond villain!" Justine threw in. "Why in the hell didn't you just tell them how you came forward in time while you were at it?"
Holtz stopped and looked toward her, his face quizzical. "Who the hell is James Bond?"
"The bane of every English gentleman," Wesley answered in a tired tone.
"Actually, if you want to know the truth," Katya began.
"Uh oh," Kate muttered.
"What?" Holtz asked.
Kate hiked a thumb over toward the redheaded Immortal. "The Old...est Fart has that 'I know something you don't know' look on her face."
"Katya?" Wesley asked.
"Oh, nothing," she smiled. "It's just that, in a way, I know James Bond."
Everyone stopped in place and turned to look at her. "Wait a minute," Kate said. "Are you trying to tell us that James Bond is real?"
Katya shook her head. "No, no, no. Have you all heard the stories about how Ian Fleming did all the spying that is attributed to Bond in his novels?" As the group nodded, Katya went on. "They're all true. The man you know as Ian Fleming is a 1400 year old Irishman."
There was a pause then nearly everyone cracked up laughing. "Okay, you almost had me there until the Irish bit," Kate chortled.
"What?" Katya frowned. "It's true, it really is!"
"Yeah, right!" Gunn got out between laughs. "Next you'll be telling us Kevin Sorbo really is Hercules!"
"Oh, okay," a dubious Kate went on. "So, which one did he like the best?"
Katya snorted, as if it shouldn't even be a question. "Connery of course." She knitted her brow in thought. "Although Brosnan is growing on him."
"I don't know," Jarod said, biting his lip. "He's getting a bit up there. I mean, he's been Bond for over a decade now, maybe they ought to try someone else."
"Well, you know," Justine added. "If that TV detective show of his had gone another season, he wouldn't have been able to take over as Bond in '87. They might have gone with..." She paused, her hand waving about as she tried to think of a name. "I don't know, the bad guy from 'The Rocketeer.'"
"Oh, please, let's not be ridiculous," Jarod scoffed. He turned to see Holtz staring at them all. "Sorry."
"Oh, it's no problem," Holtz dryly stated. "I always enjoy listening to my people getting into a heated discussion when I don't have the slightest idea what they're talking about."
"Welcome to my world," Wesley stated. A burst of applause from the others followed as, with a slight grimace, Gunn handed Wesley a five-dollar bill.
Holtz raised an eyebrow. "Et tu, Wesley?" he asked his fellow Englishman."
"Well, I assume you at least know the expression 'when in Rome,'" Wesley smiled in response.
"Why me?" Holtz muttered to himself, rubbing at his temples.
"If it's any consolation," Katya spoke up. "You could have a team made up of teenaged Americans."
"That's little consolation, if you must know," Holtz answered her. Turning, he walked into the main room and stopped as he got a good look at the figure waiting for them. "Hey," Sahjhan said as he sat up in his chair. "So, how'd it go?"
Holtz immediately stalked over to where the demon sat and fixed him with his coldest glare. "Why didn't you tell me about Angelus?"
"What about him?" Sahjhan asked, seeming confused over the question.
"About his being cursed with a soul," Holtz bit out.
Sahjhan stared at him before nodding. "Oh, that," he said as if it was just a trivial matter.
"Yes, that," Holtz bit out. "You are being most discourteous, sir. A being with knowledge of the future should at least be forthcoming in relating it to others."
"Okay, so he's got a soul, big diff!" Sahjhan said, waving a hand. "Come on, it's not that big a thing?"
"Angelus with a *soul?*"
"Hey!" Sahjhan barked out, leaning forward and pointing a finger at Holtz. "So he's got a soul, whoop-de-shit! So did Atilla the Hun, you know! And he was a lot worse than Angelus!"
"That's a matter of opinion," Holtz stated. He shook his head and paced away from the demon. "You realize this changes things."
Sahjhan rolled his eyes and threw up his hands. "See, this is why I didn't want to tell you," he remarked. "Because now, your judgment's been affected. You're thinking about Angelus differently, you're not going to want to stake him now and you'll just give up..."
"Give up?" Holtz seemed honestly surprised at the suggestion. "I'm not going to give up. I'm still going to kill him."
Sahjhan stared at him in surprise. "You are?"
"We are?" Andrea broke in with just the same surprise.
Holtz took a step forward and leaned toward Sahjhan. "Killing him now," he stated. "Will release their souls to final judgment and makes the act even more just. So, yes, I will still kill him. And anyone with him."
"They still deserve punishment for their acts," Ulric added. "That makes it our responsibility to dispose of them and serve justice."
"A priest agreeing with a demon," Andrea muttered. "I can die now, I've seen it all."
"Oh." Sahjhan took a moment, then shook his head. "Then what the hell are you complaining about?"
Holtz rolled his eyes. "I am complaining," he said as if explaining something to a small child. "Because you had me believe I was hunting the old Angelus not this one."
Sahjhan took a moment to digest that, then slowly nodded. "Ah," he said, nodding. "Because a *souled* Angelus is a different animal than the non-souled one."
"Exactly," Holtz said, grateful that the demon understood this so well. "He thinks differently, he acts differently, he's not the same being. I need to change my tactics in hunting him down."
"Oh, okay, okay, I gotcha," Sahjhan said, rising to his feet. "All right, I'll give you a little more time. Not too much though but it should help."
"Hey," Lilah called out. "If having him dead means so much, why don't you get off your demonic ass and kill him yourself?"
In answer, Sahjhan took a few steps forward and lashed out his arm. His hand passed right through Lilah, seeming to flow like smoke before solidifying. "I can't affect things physically in this dimension," he explained. "If I could, do you think I would have gone through all the trouble of brining your boss here in the first place?" He shrugged. "Course, there's the side benefit that nothing here can physically effect me."
"Which explains your haircut," Justine put in sarcastically.
Giving her a glare, Sahjhan backed away. "Get this done fast, Holtz," he spoke up. "Trust me, you don't want to mess with the clock I'm on." His body shimmered and vanished before their eyes.
"That guys hiding something," Lilah said. "I just know it."
"God, Lilah, stop being so paranoid!" Kate said.
Lilah glared at her. "Hey, I've cultivated it as a survival trait. Trust me, Holtz, you should be happy I'm here to make you think about things like that!"
"I'd be honored if I wasn't so annoyed," Holtz dryly said.
"Like we needed more pressure," Kate sighed. "God, I thought I was done with assholes telling me what to do."
"You and me both, Kate," Lilah said.
"Sahjhan may be blunt but he is correct," Holtz stated. "We need to find and deal with Angelus and these new friends of his quickly."
"Which is not going to be as easy as it seemed," Ulric said. "After all, they have a witch as an ally plus that other girl."
"The Slayer," Wesley softly said. He shook his head in utter disbelief. "A Slayer allied with vampires. It's unheard of."
"Oh, I can go further than that on the unheard of scale, Wesley," Katya stated. "She's Immortal."
Everyone turned to stare at her in shock. "What?!" Wesley exploded. "Immortal? Are you sure?"
Katya gave him her best "look who you're talking to" expression and Wesley knew she was serious. "My God," Wesley whispered. "An Immortal Slayer."
"So, worse comes to worse, Katya can kill her, right?" Justine spoke up.
"Can we try to not jump to murder as a course of action?" Kate retorted, her old cop mentality coming to the fore.
"Yeah, on that," Andrea nervously piped up. "Look, Holtz, are you sure we should just jump right back into going after these guys?"
Holtz looked at her quizzically. "Is there a reason why we shouldn't?"
Andrea swallowed before elaborating. "Listen, Holtz, me and Jarod have been okay killing vampires because they're soulless creatures. Now, however, we've just heard these guys do have souls. That sort of changes things, doesn't it?"
"It changes nothing," Holtz stated. "They're still vampires."
"But souled ones," Jarod joined in. "That makes them a little more human than most vampires, doesn't it? It gives them a little spark of humanity that the other vampires we face lack."
"You just said that this isn't the same Angelus you used to hunt," Andrea pressed on to Holtz. "Should we hold him responsible for what he did?"
"They're still demons, Andrea," Ulric stated. "And no matter what they are now, they have a lot of blood on their hands. It's best that we dispose of them ourselves and leave their judgment to God."
"Thank you, Father," Holtz said, giving the priest a respectful nod.
Jarod rolled his eyes. "Oh, great. Kill them all and let God sort it out. You're a Catholic priest, Ulric. Aren't you supposed to be a pacifist?"
"Please," Ulric sniffed. "Read about Sodom and Gomorrah sometime."
Holtz stared Jarod and Andrea down before sweeping the group with a gaze. "None of you are indentured servants. You are all free to go your own way anytime you want. Any of you." He set his jaw and continued. "I am going to kill Angelus, no matter what, even if it gets me killed."
"Well, I can't speak for everyone, boss," Justine said. "But...I just want to stake vamps, I don't care if you get killed or not."
"Me neither," Gunn shrugged. "I'm still in."
Seeing the looks of assessment in the others, Andrea and Jarod exchanged a glance. "Okay, we'll stay," Andrea said. "But I don't like it."
"I still don't think it's right either, Holtz," Jarod added.
"Of course it is," Holtz plainly answered. "Someone hits you, you hit them back. He took away my life, I'll take away his unlife. That sounds right to me."
Jarod snorted. "Wow, it must be great to be so sure on the moral high ground. I'll have to move there someday."
"That's the good thing about morals, my young friend," Holtz stated. "They're not absolute."
"I think I might have to disagree on that last part," Ulric gently chided.
"So, noted." Holtz turned to the group. "Tonight, we get a good night's sleep," he announced.
"Gonna be hard to do in this dump," Gunn sniffed. "Seriously, man, couldn't we have just rented out a few rooms at the local hotel?"
"Well, Charles," Holtz began. "Perhaps if *someone* hadn't decided to take a side trip to that place you call Las Vegas, we might have a little more spending capital."
Lilah rolled her eyes. "All right, all right, so I'm not a gambler! You guys didn't have to follow me, you know!"
"We did, actually," Wesley stated. "We kept you from spending what little we had left."
"Still say we should have robbed that one casino," Lilah sniffed. "Come on, the owner was asking for it."
Kate groaned. "God, Lilah, I was a cop, remember? I'm not going to go and pull some modern-day 'Ocean's Eleven!'"
"Hey, that could work," Justine protested. "Brad Pitt or Julia Roberts, it could happen."
Kate snorted. "Sure. And George Clooney while you're at it. Like he could measure up to Sinatra."
"Oh, I wouldn't mind trying to find out," Katya said in a light tone.
Kate stared at her. "You and Frank Sinatra?" she asked in disbelief.
Katya shrugged. "It as Frank Sinatra. It was the '60's. It was like a roller coaster, you just had to give it a try."
Ulric chuckled as he looked toward Gunn. "I don't see why you should be upset by the accommodations, Charles. I've lived in worse."
"That's what I appreciate about you, Ulric," Holtz respectfully said. "You bring a much-needed dash of humility to this group."
"Which you could use as well, Daniel."
"See, this is why he bugs me," Justine whispered to Kate. "He's the one person here who can diss Holtz and get away with it."
"It's the collar," Kate replied.
"She's right," Andrea piped in. "You'd be surprised how much respect you get when you put on some black clothes and a crucifix."
As usual, Andrea's comment about her past work experience got several odd looks. "Don't tell me you pretended to be a nun!" Gunn called out.
Andrea shook her head. "No. Televangelist."
As usual, everyone turned to look at Jarod, who just gave a weary shrug. "Welcome to my world."
"At least she didn't sink to being an L.A. cop," Lilah muttered.
Kate glared at her. "God, Lilah, how did you ever become such a class-A bitch?"
"Upbringing, Kate," Lilah replied in a jovial tone. "It's all in the upbringing."
"Oh, please," Andrea complained. "That's such a cop-out. Like how a person is raised is really going to effect whether or not they turn out to be a bitch."
"Lovely as that was to hear," Holtz spoke up. "We need a new plan of action. Everyone get some sleep because tomorrow, we're starting over."
"Why don't we just wait for next week and attack them then?" Justine spoke up. "No one in town will notice."
Holtz frowned. "Why not?"
"It'll be the Super Bowl," Justine explained.
"I'm sorry, I don't----"
"The final game of the pro football season," Jarod filled in. He bent his head as he looked at Holtz. "You do know about football, right?"
"I'm familiar with the sport," Holtz said. "But what does one game-----"
"It's the Super Bowl," Gunn added. "Everyone will be watching it, even the cops."
Holtz raised an eyebrow. "So this entire town will come to a standstill while people watch a sporting event? Well, that settles it then. You Americans are all bloody insane."
"Ooooh, he used the b-word," Andrea piped in.
Holtz looked toward the only other Englishman on the team. "Do I even want to know?"
"Not particularly, no," Wesley answered.
Holtz shook his head and went on. "We need to know more about these people. And we need to know if they have any ideas on who we are."
"Gee, I can't imagine how," Lilah sarcastically said. "After all, you only told them our names and they know what we look like! You were really pulling an Einstein moment there, Holtz!"
"I'm sure I'd appreciate the splendor of the aphorism if I knew who the hell Einstein was," Holtz said.
"He's to the twentieth century what Newton was to your time," Wesley helpfully pitched in.
"Ah, thank you."
Gunn looked at the others. "Okay, anyone else going into a scary visual place?"
Nodding, Holtz turned and began to point to various members of the group as he rattled off assignments. "Kate, see if your police ID can still allow you to access records at their department. Find out what you can from there. Andrea, Jarod, you two try to find a computer connection, the library perhaps, and get information on the town from there. Wesley, I need you to check on----"
"Actually, I've got a more important task ahead of me," Wesley stated. "I need to replenish some of my magical ingredients. I didn't expect to use so much tonight and with these new dangers, I should make sure we're well-stocked just in case.
Holtz nodded. "Good idea. All right, you take care of that. The rest of you spread around the town, try to find out whatever you can about the situation. From what I've seen, this doesn't look like the type of town ruled by vampires. We need to know more about the situation so we can plan our attack out."
"Do I gotta go?" Gunn asked. "In case you ain't noticed, boss, this town ain't exactly the haven for brothers."
"I have to agree with you there, Gunn," Wesley stated. "I used to go to university in a town such as that. I knew a woman there, Olivia, who loved to attend the Renaissance Faires they'd have every year. The only thing was, she hated having to always be the serving girl or some lowly job like that." He sighed and shook his head. "A shame there were no black queens in Europe."
"Catherine of Aragon," Katya spoke up.
"Excuse me?" a confused Wesley asked.
Katya looked at him with a blasé expression. "Catherine of Aragon."
Wesley frowned and shook his head. "She wasn't black, she was Spanish!"
Katya raised an eyebrow at him. "There were a lot of Moors in Spain in the 14th through 16th centuries, Wesley. Interracial encounters were far more common than the history books state. Take it from someone who was there, if Catherine of Aragon had lived in Alabama in the 1950's, they'd have made her ride in the back of the bus."
"Why?" Everyone turned to give Holtz a look. "Times like these I remember he ain't from around here," Gunn muttered.
"I'll sidestep that historical debate and make this clear," Holtz stated. "We will kill these vampires. We will find them, we will catch them and we will destroy them."
"And then we're going to Disneyland!" Justine called out sarcastically.
Wesley let out a long sigh as he walked off toward the stairs. "I can tell it's going to take about half an hour to explain this to Holtz so I'll be in my room."
"One less Brit to talk down to us," Gunn observed. He threw a smile and held his palm up to Justine. "Way to go, J!"
"It's a gift," Justine said as she high-fived the black man.
As Wesley walked off, Holtz took a deep breath, then coughed. "I can't believe you people can breathe this sorry excuse for air," he got out between coughs.
"Hey, we're out of L.A.!" Lilah protested. "It's cleared up."
"I'm talking about the usual 'air' you breathe," Holtz clarified. "I'm amazed I didn't suffocate when Sahjhan woke me. Is this what your precious Industrial Revolution has wrought?"
"Oh, God, here we go again..." Kate groaned, rubbing at her face.
"I'll go along with you on this, Holtz," Katya chimed in. She waved a hand at the others. "You people have no idea what true air was before smokestacks became commonplace."
"That's it," Jarod announced, walking away. "I'm going to bed. Anything's better than listening to these two go over the good old days *again.*"
"Hang on, I'm with you," Andrea said, following him.
After watching them go, Lilah turned toward Gunn. "Remind me, who drew the short straw and ended up with the room next to theirs?"
"You did," the black man stated.
Lilah closed her eyes and nodded. "I wish incredibly painful rectal cancer on each and every one of you," she announced. "It's important you all realize that."
Kate shook her head as she looked toward Holtz. "You know, Holtz, if we're going out in public, you might want to consider shaving. That goatee makes you look...well, intimidating."
"I should think so," Holtz easily replied. His hand went up to stroke the brush on his chin. "The truth is, I rather like it. I think it gives me more character."
"Yeah, you're a character all right," Lilah couldn't help muttering under her breath.
"Besides," Holtz continued. "This is the way Angelus remembers me. I want it to be the last thing he sees before he leaves this world."
Kate turned away, her hands raised up. "The man takes a simple suggestion and adds it to his blood vendetta. I need to find a more normal group of people."
"This from a woman from L.A.," Katya remarked.
"Hey!"
"An L.A. *cop*," Lilah added.
"What's wrong with being an L.A. cop?" Kate demanded.
"Rodney King," Gunn and Justine chorused.
"Hey!" Kate barked at them. "*I* had nothing to do with that, I was still in the academy at the time!"
"Yeah, but you're still a cop," Lilah pointed out.
Kate sniffed and threw her a little grin. "At least you'll never see *me* working as a lawyer."
"Get some sleep," Holtz intoned. "You'll need all the rest you can get for tomorrow. Dost that make sense to thee?"
"There's no need to be sarcastic," Lilah stated.
"I wasn't being sarcastic," Holtz stated.
"Well, there's no need to use Old English!"
"That's the only English he knows," Justine couldn't help adding.
"You've been waiting weeks to say something like that, haven't you?" Holtz asked, to an enthusiastic nod from Justine.
"We've got to get you a sense of humor, boss," Gunn muttered.
"Well, perhaps I'm better off without one," Holtz said. "After all, the sense of humor you all possess is so devastating that I'd be reduced to convulsions."
Lilah narrowed her eyes. "You're being sarcastic right?"
The slightest hint of a smile tugged at Holtz's lips. "I was hoping for ironic at best. Sardonic at the least."
Taking that as a cue the conversation was reaching an end, the others began to walk off. "God, I'm gonna kick that vamp's ass the next time I see him," Justine muttered.
"Now, Justine, that's not a healthy attitude," Katya told her. "If I killed every person who tried to kill me...." She paused and frowned as a thought struck her. "Actually, come to think of it, I generally have killed every person who's tried to kill me."
"Nice try on the pep talk, K," Justine sourly stated. "A for effort."
As they filed out, Ulric paused to look back at Holtz, who was staring at the empty fireplace. "Are you all right, Daniel?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes, yes, I am." He paused and looked over to Ulric. "When Katya goes out tomorrow, can you go with her? I want to make sure she doesn't get into trouble."
"I don't think that'll be too likely," Ulric stated. "She's a bright woman, Holtz."
"Yes, but even the brightest of women can have lapses," Holtz said. "After all, they're still women."
Ulric rolled his eyes as he turned away. "Remind me never to introduce you to Gloria Steinman." He walked off, leaving Holtz to his own thoughts as the day came to an end.
This chapter is rated NC-17. You are warned. Thanks to Jack Canyon for sprucing it up a bit.
Rupert Giles' home
Sunnydale, CA
Janurary 18, 1999 - 0014 Hours PST
Buffy paused before the door to the guest room and took a deep breath. Steeling herself, she reached out and rapped her knuckles on the paneling. "You guys decent?" she asked.
"Sure," Amy's voice answered from the other side. "Come on in!"
Turning the knob, Buffy opened the door, took one brief glimpse inside and immediately leaned back and slammed the door shut. "Dammit!" Buffy yelled, trying to rid the memory of Amy, Xander and Willow lying naked together. "You told me you were decent!"
"Hey, I think we're a damn sight better than just decent!" Willow called out.
"Wanna join?" Xander chimed in.
Buffy squeezed her eyes tight. "I can't believe I'm on a first name basis with these people," she muttered under her breath. Sighing, she called out. "Amy, your mom's on the phone. She wants to know if you're okay. Are you going to talk to her?"
"Yeah, I'll take it here," Amy called out. Rolling out from under Xander, she reached over and picked up the extension next to the bed. "Hello?"
"Amy?" Catherine Madison asked. "I've been trying to find you. I was getting worried."
"I'm sorry, Mom," Amy said. "Things got sort of crazy today."
"Oh, I can relate," Catherine groaned. "The shipping company wrapped the Teratu charms in Styrofoam so they were melting by the time they got here and then the nociada powder was from the wrong section of the Himalayas and I've still got those idiots from the local church group protesting that I should be shut down for selling immoral material and a bunch who were saying that owning a magic shop is just perpetuating old myths.." Sighing, Catherine turned her attention back to her daughter. "How was your night?"
"Willow, Xander and Angel were almost killed by this guy whose family Angel killed 250 years ago and who's come through time to stake him and he's got this bunch of vampire hunters with him, one of who's an Immortal who used to be one of Ceiderwyn's students and another is one of Giles' old Watcher buddies so we had to fight them off and now we're all hiding out at Giles'."
There was a pause before Catherine could answer. "I never realized just how boring my life was before we moved here," she mused under her breath.
"I *said* I was sorry about that destiny spell..."
"Honey, are you all right?"
"I'm fine, Mom, really. Me, Will and Xander are...um..."
"Are you using protection?"
"Excuse me?!"
"Well, it can be dangerous, Amy..."
"Vampires, Mom! No disease, no children!"
"At least say they're not biting you during it."
"We are NOT having this conversation, Mother..."
"I'm just looking out for you, Amy."
"Goddess!" Amy yelled, rolling her eyes. "Ever since you heard about your twisted double, you've been going overboard with the doting mother bit. Enough, Mom! I know you'd never be like that! You can stop hovering over me."
"I'm just trying to help."
"Well, you're driving me crazy!"
"I'm a mother, that's my job."
Willow and Xander looked at each other and rolled their eyes. They settled back in the bed, Willow propping herself up on one arm, Xander stroking her back, both knowing this was going to take a while.
Buffy marched down the stairs and into the main living room. Her intent was to cut through to the kitchen and get something to drink. She paused, however, upon seeing the figure who sat on the couch, staring blankly at the wall. "Angel?"
The vampire looked up as Buffy entered the room. "Hey, Buffy," he said in a flat voice. "Giles is in his room, if you're wondering."
"No, no, I just came down for some water," the Slayer explained. "I'm used to still being up and around now anyway."
"I can relate," Angel said. Buffy watched him as she carefully walked forward and took a seat in the chair next to the sofa. "Are you...okay?" she asked.
Angel was silent for a moment before speaking. "This whole night has been...weighing on me a bit. It started with Willow and Xander and their guilt. It's not easy for them to deal with killing their parents. You can't get that."
"I could," Buffy softly said. "I killed-----"
"No." Angel turned toward her, his face intent yet his voice oddly sympathetic. "You can blame yourself for your mother's death all you want, Buffy. You can tell yourself that she might still be alive if not for what you did or failed to do that night. But you didn't kill her. The vampire did. Never forget that."
Buffy stared at Angel for a long moment. She then surprised him by suddenly giggling. "Wow," she said, wiping at her face. "It's weird hearing *you* give a pep talk."
Angel shrugged. "Just trying to keep the brooding down to a minimum." His face went sullen again. "I've got more than enough of that on my plate right now."
Buffy looked at him with sympathy. "Holtz."
"Yep," Angel said. He gave the appearance of sighing. "I told him myself that it was ironic. I've finally gotten my life to a point where it's worth living and he comes along to kill me for something the demon did."
"I don't suppose you could talk to him?" Buffy asked. "Convince him you're not the man you used to be?"
Angel made a soft laugh. "Now, that is ironic. If it hadn't been for Angelus, I wouldn't be the person I am and I don't mean that in a good way."
Buffy frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Well, when I was alive, I was..." Angel gazed upward, then shrugged. "Hell, why beat around the bush? I was a drunken, selfish, miserable lout who spent every night in a bar, wooing some woman into bed just because I felt like it. Spending my father's money like it was water, wasting my life, no dreams, no plans." His face darkened with remembrance. "Then Darla came along and turned me. And Angelus took all that waste and desire and used it to feed his own bloodlust. If not for that..." He looked at Buffy with sadness. "I would have been killed in a bar fight or something else wasteful. A quiet death, no one to really mourn me, that'd be it."
Buffy was quiet as she took in his words. "So...are you saying this is good or bad?"
Angel did that odd "pretend sigh" again. "I've got some purpose to my life now, Buffy. True, it's undoing all the evil I did as a demon but it's still more of a purpose than I ever had before." One end of his lip turned upward a bit. "I guess fate really does work in funny ways."
It was Buffy's turn to shrug. "That's the way the ball bounces, Angel. We saw what would have happened if fate had taken another turn. Maybe in this world, you can achieve what the other you couldn't."
"Maybe," Angel agreed. "I just hope that doesn't mean achieving the chance to answer Holtz's dream of killing me."
"Okay, now you're getting annoyingly brooding again," Buffy observed. She was startled as Angel rose to his feet and began to pace around the room. "Hey, Angel, I didn't mean..."
"I know you didn't," Angel assured her. He shook his head as he stared out the window. "This thing with Holtz...It's reminding me of all the wrongs I've committed in my life."
"Come on, Angel, you're the one who's been telling Willow and Xander not to let what the vampires did haunt them----"
"The vampire didn't desert a hotel full of people to the mercies of a demon in the 1950's," Angel cut her off. "I did."
Buffy stared at him, thrown by this revelation. Angel turned away, a rush of shame coming over him. He crossed his arms in front of him and bowed his head. "There's a lot to me you still don't know, Buffy. A lot of things I've done. Me, not Angelus, just me. You don't know about them." Angel looked down. "I'm not sure you want to."
He could hear Buffy approaching but didn't move. He could feel her hand on his shoulder, firm and strong as she tugged at him. He didn't resist, turning to face her fully. Buffy's face was one of resolve with a little annoyance as well. "How about you let me judge what I want, Angel," she chided. "I know a bit more about the subject, kay?"
Angel looked at her, his face drawn. "You'd be getting into a dark world."
Buffy snorted. "Like I have no experience with that." She suddenly seemed to realize her hand was starting to move down Angel's chest and backed away. "So, um," she coughed, trying to regain her composure. "What are we going to do with Holtz?"
Angel threw up his hands. "I don't know. I don't want to kill him. He's a good guy who I gave a bad break to. In his own, he's as much a fighter against evil as we are." He sighed. "I just hope I can make him understand how I don't fit into that category anymore."
Buffy gave him a smile. "I think we might be able to find a way to do that." She shrugged. "If there's nothing else we've learned the last few weeks, it's that the impossible is something we can do quite a bit."
Holtz's Mansion
0032 Hours PST
"Oh, God, those two are impossible," Lilah moaned as she held a pillow over her head and tried once more to fall asleep. It was as futile an effort as it had been for most of the nights since Lilah had started sleeping in the room next to Jarod and Parker's room. The two had to have the most unbelievable libidos Lilah had ever seen, going at it at least twice a night. It might be great for them but it was hell for Lilah's peace of mind.
"God...Jarod..." Andrea's voice came flowing into Lilah's room and Lilah wished to hell she'd insisted on having the walls reinforced before she moved in. While it was great to be in an actual bed instead of a cot as in L.A., not being able to sleep took the beauty out of it.
"God...Andrea..."
"God...give me some peace and quiet..." Lilah groaned. She was just beginning to wonder if she should club them into unconsciousness or do it to herself when without warning, the moans suddenly cut off. Lilah stayed in place, confused and then uncertain if the disturbance had actually ended.
She rose from her bed, padding carefully across the room, dressed only in a flimsy black negligee. She opened the door and looked into the hallway. "Wes?"
Wesley looked up from where he knelt on one knee before Andrea and Jarod's room. He had a book open before him, along with a small pot, a wisp of smoke flowing from it. "Oh, hello, Lilah."
"Wes," Lilah began. "What in the name of all that's holy...and isn't that a saying I haven't used in a while...are you doing?"
"Just something to make all our nights easier," Wesley said. "I've been perfecting it for the last few days. Personal security spell, will keep noises inside rooms, particularly those having to do with...shall we say...nocturnal activities." He stood up and let a grin come to his face. "It should allow us all some peace and quiet."
Lilah looked at him and knew she had an unusually goofy smile on her face. "Wesley, I could kiss you." She tried to sober herself. "I won't, of course, but I could."
Wesley let his eyes rake over the half-naked lawyer before speaking. "I do believe we've already been in that situation."
Lilah's expression hardened. She took a step forward, holding up a finger to emphasize her point. "Wes," she stated in a cool tone. "Let me set you straight on this. We were drunk. It was Vegas. It was one night, that's it, nothing else. Don't try to make anything more out of it than it was, okay?"
Wesley's expression remained neutral as he returned Lilah's gaze. "At the risk of deflating your ego, not that such a thing is truly possible, I haven't quite invested as much into that one night as you might think."
"Oh, please!" Lilah snorted. "Like you've ever had better than me?"
With a smile on his face, Wesley collected his materials, turned on his heel and walked away. "You haven't!" Lilah called out after him. "You know you haven't, right? Right!" She watched him go, then nodded. "Yeah, he knows I'm right," she muttered as she walked back into her room and got ready to finally get some sleep.
Kate rapped her knuckles on the door and called out. "Justine? You awake?"
"Sure," the sour voice sounded from the other end.
Kate paused before speaking again. "Can I come in?"
There was a silence before the door opened and Justine faced her. Her jacket was off and hanging on a small table in her somewhat cramped room so she was dressed only in a black muscle shirt and jeans. She had her arms crossed before her, her eyebrows raised in annoyance. "What?" she demanded.
Kate took a breath as she stepped inside, closing the door behind her. "I thought...well, I thought we could talk?"
Justine shook her head as she walked over toward the bed. "I don't do well with girl talk, Kate."
"Maybe not," Kate allowed. "But I'd like to think we've bonded a little the last few weeks. You seem more comfortable talking to me than anyone else here."
Justine fixed her with a hard gaze. "We've got three English people, one of whom's 600 years old, another's 250 and the third acts like a librarian. We also have a black guy, a lawyer, a priest and Andrea and Jarod. Frankly, Kate, you were the best choice here not to drive me insane with a conversation."
"Be that as it may," Kate said. "I was just hoping we could...talk a bit."
"About what?" Justine watched as Kate nervously paced before her.
"What happened tonight."
"Hey, we screwed up, it happens," Justine shrugged. "We'll need a new plan before we go out and trash them for real."
"Maybe," Kate muttered.
Justine stared at her. "What? Are you having doubts?"
"A little," Kate admitted. "The soul thing is throwing me. Killing demons is one thing but this..."
"Haven't you ever killed anyone?" Justine asked. "Human, I mean."
Kate looked at her feet. "Once," she said softly. "Drug bust during my third year. I was in an alleyway, one of the gang gets out of the building, almost runs into me. He took a shot, I returned fire.." She shrugged. "He was already wanted for a couple of murders as well as the drug stuff. It was judged a righteous shooting. Still...It took a while to stop having nightmares over that." She stared outward. "I'm still not over it," she softly said.
"Well, Holtz is right," Justine stated. "For once. Souls or not, they're still vampires. They still need to pay for what they've done."
"Is that Holtz's judgment?" Kate said. "Or yours?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Justine snapped at her.
"I mean, I think you're making the same bad mistake a cop and a soldier both have to avoid," Kate replied. "You're letting the facts of the situation be blurred by how you feel."
"You don't know how I feel, Kate," Justine said. "None of you can."
"Hello?" Kate snorted with disbelief. "I lost my dad, that's pretty big----"
"It's not the same!" Justine yelled back. "You're not a twin, Kate! You don't know the bond Julia and I had!" Tears were coming to Justine's face as she spoke. "When she died...I knew it. Right when it happened, across town, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt she was gone. And I just wanted to join her." She settled on the bed, wiping her eyes as she continued. "She was more than identical to me in just looks, Kate. She was my other half, part of my being, we had that connection going all our lives and drew on it. And when she died...That part was severed forever and with it any interest I had in life." She turned to glare at Kate. "What do you do when you lose part of yourself, Kate? Huh, tell me, what do you do?"
Kate looked at her for a long moment. Carefully, she reached out and wrapped her fingers around Justine's hand and gave it a squeeze. "You find something to fill the hole with. Not drink or cigarettes or anything like that. Something that can truly help you make a difference." She sighed. "I've seen a lot of cops in the spot you're in now, Kate and watching them sink even lower is not pretty. I don't want to see you do the same."
"Your concern is so touching," Justine sarcastically said. She got to her feet, her arms wrapped around her as she paced the floor. "You just don't understand my loss, Kate."
"Hey!" Kate snapped back, coming to her feet and glaring at the redhead. She swallowed to steel herself before speaking. "When my mom died," she said in a tone filled with bitterness. "My dad shut down. He closed himself off to me, to everyone, it was all just the job to him. I did everything I could to get his attention, I went to the academy, I became a cop, but I never had that talk with him. The talk where we could finally get it all out and find some common ground, the talk where we could be a family...the talk where...." She choked and bit back tears. "The talk where he could finally say he loved me. I never got that talk, Justine. So don't talk to me about not knowing loss."
Justine stared back and seemed almost cowed by the look of pain on Kate's face. She turned and marched away, her hands rubbing at her arms as she took a deep breath. "You still don't know me, Kate," Justine said. "You don't know what I go through, you don't know how I feel." She muttered a curse as she shuddered a bit. "I've been off cigarettes and drink for weeks so now I feel more empty than ever, I've got nothing to hold onto, nothing to fill that hole you were talking about, nothing that can make me----"
By this point, she had turned and seen the look of utter sympathy on Kate's face. Sympathy mixed with a look of longing that matched Justine's. The dim lighting in the room seemed to illuminate a bit brighter around Kate, her classic beauty and blond hair making her look almost angelic, a contrast to Justine's more fiery appearance.
"Oh, the hell with it." With that, Justine took two strides forward, reached out, cupped Kate's head in her hands, pulled her in and kissed her full on the lips.
It took about five seconds for Kate to realize what had happened and another five to realize just how good it felt to have Justine kiss her. She felt herself start to surrender as she closed her eyes and reached for Justine. Her own hands reached around Justine's neck, holding her in tight as the kiss continued.
They finally broke apart and stared at each other. Justine actually appeared to be a little surprised herself at what had happened. Kate's fingers touched her lips as if trying to confirm Justine's presence. "That...That was three."
"What?" Justine frowned.
"You kissed me twice," Kate pointed out. "In Vegas."
Justine rolled her eyes. "Okay, the first time was to get rid of those two frat guys who were bugging us. The second was to break you out of that zombie mind control you were under." She let one hand caress Kate's cheek. "This time," she whispered. "It's for real."
She brought Kate in and kissed her again. This time, Kate let herself go, her tongue reaching out to entwine Justine's, while their hands roamed over the other's body. Neither was questioning what was happening anymore, both too lost in mutual need and desire to care about whether it was right or not. They both needed to give in and wanted to do it now.
As one, they started to move toward the bed. As they did, Kate began to shrug off her coat. Justine helped her pull it off and left it in a heap on the floor. Kate broke off the kiss long enough to pull her sweatshirt over her head. She gasped as she felt Justine's hands press against her breasts, a thin white bra the only thing separating them. "Did anyone know about this in the military?" she managed to get out.
"Managed to keep it quiet," Justine rasped, her eyes seemingly mesmerized by Kate's breasts. "Um, have you ever...?"
"College," Kate replied. "One time with my roommate, another after a party."
"Same here," Justine managed to reply.
"So...how long since...."
"Too. Damn. Long."
"Same here." Kate kissed her again, stunned by how aroused she was. Justine could feel the evidence in Kate's erect nipples as she caressed them with her thumbs while they kissed. They tumbled onto the bed, Kate on top, Justine reaching her hands around to fumble with the clasp at her back. It came loose and Justine pulled the bra away to reveal Kate's breasts. They were a bit larger than Justine had expected, nice and round and inviting. Justine leaned up so she could take one nipple in her mouth and suckle it, causing Kate to gasp pleasurably.
"Oh, God..." Kate murmured as she sunk down onto the bed. Justine rolled on top, her hands and mouth still worshiping Kate's chest. As much as she was loving this treatment, Kate wanted to see Justine herself. Kate tugged at Justine's shirt but Justine resisted a bit. She didn't want to stop her assault on Kate's breasts. However, she relented and rose a bit. Kate reached down and began to pull Justine's shirt up. She stopped with mild surprise as she saw that Justine was braless. Her full and pointed breasts were open and free and in seconds Kate was returning the favor. She suckled one nipple in her mouth as she massaged both of Justine's breasts in her hands.
"God, yeah..." Justine grunted as she clawed at Kate's zipper. As Kate continued to suck and rub her breasts, Justine let one hand drag the zipper down. The other slid inside Kate's pants, past her panties and to her sex. Kate groaned when she felt two of Justine's fingers enter her core. Her lips puckered around Justine's nipple as she moaned her pleasure around it.
By this point, Justine had most of her shirt bunched around her neck as she tried to finger Kate through her pants. "Shit," she whispered. "Kate...stop...I want..." She swallowed. "I need to feel your skin against me."
Kate said nothing as she dragged her mouth away from Justine's chest. Immediately, the two started to take off what little they still had on. They kicked off their shoes and socks in record time. Justine yanked her shirt off over her head and then started to pull down her pants. Kate rose up in order to shuck off her slacks, then slid off her wet panties. She turned back to Justine in time to see her pants come off and was startled by something. "You actually go commando?" she asked, staring at Justine's exposed red pussy.
Justine managed a grin. "Just makes it easier for me."
"Not just for you." And with a suddenness that took her as much by surprise as Justine, Kate scooted down and pressed her mouth against Justine's pussy. She slid in two fingers and used them to spread the engorged lips, then let her tongue dart along her flesh up toward her clitoris. Justine gasped, first with surprise, then with pleasure when Kate's tongue began to worship her. However, being on her back had never quite suited Justine. Even as the blonde fingered and licked her, Justine managed to somehow turn Kate fully on her back. Once the move was accomplished, Justine now squatted over her lover's face.
Kate actually enjoyed the view, letting her fingers slide out of Justine's pussy and around to her backside. She pinched Justine's buttocks, using them as handles to lower Justine down to where Kate could really get at her.
Justine closed her eyes, her hands fondling her own breasts as she felt Kate's tongue stab and withdraw from her pussy. *Holy shit! She's fucking good!* Justine thought. Kate's tongue would make a swift jab now and then but every few times, then she'd rake it around Justine's core, trying to sample every inch of her womanhood. Justine rocked gently back and forth over Kate, making her lover's tongue touch her in all the right places. Then she gasped when she felt one of Kate's fingers slide into her from behind, giving her a little tickle as Kate continued her ministrations. She could no longer hold off her orgasm as a tremor raced from her core up her spine, causing her body to arch and spasm as she threw her head back and screamed in ecstasy.
Tasting Justine's sweetness nearly made Kate come herself but she managed to hold off. Kate moaned in satisfaction as she continued to lap at the nectar that flowed from Justine. Her tongue worked around the red pubic hair, saliva mixing with Justine's liquids to soak her lap through and through. Kate kept massaging Justine's ass as she licked, which helped soothe the still- rocked redhead.
A sweaty Justine slid off of Kate and fell onto her back. She was breathing hard , trying to calm herself as she slowly came down from the heights of Olympus. She glanced over to where Kate had rolled onto her side. The blonde looked exhausted, too, yet seemed more beautiful than ever. She wiped a trickle of sweat from her brow as she tried to regain her strength. "Guess it's true," Kate managed to say. "You really haven't lived until you've tasted a redhead."
"Glad to make your day," Justine said. She smiled as she crawled over to Kate. She reached out a hand, dragging it down the woman's back toward her ass. Kate gasped as she felt Justine squeeze a cheek and felt her arousal kick up a notch.
"You never did finish what you started," Kate whispered in a husky voice as she glanced down at her own erect clit.
"Can't have that now, can we?" Justine drawled as she placed her hand over Kate's pussy. She pressed her breasts into Kate's side as her fingers probed Kate's sex. Kate closed her eyes and settled back on the bed while Justine fingered her. Justine leaned over her now, pausing to inhale the sweet scent of Kate's arousal. She then dived in and let her tongue rake along the blonde-lined lips before delving deeper.
As with most everything she did, Justine's love-making was aggressive. Her tongue lapped at Kate hard and fast. At the same time, she reached up and clutched Kate's breasts, squeezing the round mounds as hard as she could. Kate moaned continuously now, her legs clamped around Justine's head, holding her in place. Justine hardly needed encouragement; she relished Kate's heady and exotic bouquet. Her earlier attentions had already gotten Kate turned on; now she was sending the ex-cop into overdrive. Kate was trying to hold it in but had been resisting the urge for far too long. When Justine crooked a finger and used a 'come hither' motion to press against Kate's G-spot while her tongue danced along Kate's clit, it sent Kate off like a rocket. Kate came with a scream while her fluids soaked Justine's lips and chin. As she continued to minister to Kate and tried to get the last drop, her lover shuddered in the throes of her spent passion.
When Kate began to softly weep, Justine slithered up and gave her a gentle, soothing kiss. Happy now, the weakened blonde languidly returned the kiss, tasting her own nectar as Justine's body merged with hers. They shifted against each other, loving the feeling as their breasts and pussies pushed against each other, their hands roaming over their bodies. They both knew there were going to be plenty of questions to deal with tomorrow. But for tonight, they were content to simply caress and kiss each other. For at least tonight, they would no longer be alone.
Home |
Next |