Alibi Room
"Have you backtracked the email?" the man with the patch asked as he looked at the man with the long black hair who sat across from him. "More importantly, what have you found out about this Xander Harris? Could he be my son?"
"Blood work says it is a distinct possibility. I’ll know more when the DNA test returns," the man said as he opened the lid to the laptop computer. "You may find this interesting Nick; there’s a guy living in that town who goes by name of Steve St. Wolf."
"Why should that interest me, Reb?"
"Take a look at his picture," He replied as he turned the screen toward the man.
"Holy shit!" the large man exclaimed when he saw the picture.
"I got a bad feeling about this..." Nick whispered as he read the small information packet that was next to the picture. "I thought he was the Old man’s Champion."
"Says here he’s trying to retire," the big man said as he pointed at the last paragraph.
"Don’t you believe it," Nick replied. "Why would he of all people retire in a small no-nothing town."
"I wouldn’t call it a no-nothing town," Reb replied mysteriously, drawing the attention of everyone at the table.
"Spill it," Nick ordered.
"The name Sunnydale stuck out in my mind, so I did some quick research on it. The Spaniards called this place ‘Borca Del Infierno’ which loosely means Mouth of Hell."
"Mouth of Hell?" Nick repeated absently. A blanket of silence fell over the table at the words. "The Hellmouth?"
"Yes."
"Guy’s what would an ex-demon hunter like him be doing trying to retire on the Hellmouth?" the largest man at the table asked no one in particular.
"This doesn’t change why we’re here," Nick looked at each man around the table. "Dum Dum, I want you to take Izzey here and go check on the kid; check with the school and find out what he’s into. Reb, see if you can locate something about who sent the message. Now I don’t know if Steve knows any of you but I want to work this as covertly as possible."
"In the school system now," Reb stated as Dum Dum and Izzey got up to leave. "He’s not the smartest kid on the block and his files have been red flagged. Looks like he’s a troublemaker. It’s also linked to five other files that are all kept on the principal’s personal computer. Would you like me to check other places?"
"Get a complete background on him and a run down on the other five files," Nick ordered as he stood up. As he stood the back door was thrown open and two people stepped inside.
The appearance of two people would not normally have drawn the attention of this quartet. However this couple would stand out in anyone’s company. The male stood 5’ 8" with long light brown hair, a lock of hair standing straight up at the top with a wide band around the base of it, but long enough to fall back down to join the rest. His almond-shaped green eyes jumped around, missing nothing and almost took the attention away from the long pointy ears that poked out from his hair. His tanned bare chest easily showed that he was in very good shape. What drew the eyes of the quartet was not so much his physical appearance as it was the modified long bow he held in his right hand and the modified long sword, which was strapped to his left hip.
Next to him stood a girl about the same age, which was the middle teens. She was a very attractive girl with long hair that had a tint of blue in the blackness of her hair. Her eyes were a clear blue which would melt the heart of the hardest battle tested warrior. One thing that they all noticed was that her dress was a very old style, almost medieval.
He sat motionless and watched as the sun slowly sank behind the mountains opposite of the valley from him. Its last rays changed the hues of the sky from a clear blue to a deep orange, then to a much softer red before darkness covered the land.
He had spent the day on the mountain alternating between prayer, study, and sleep, while Solace spent time with her new friends. Now it was time to return to his quest. He knew as soon as he saw Solace’s eyes upon their arrival here that he would have to sacrifice the time, for Solace needed to renew her bonds with her own kind. However, now that his strength and spells had been restored it was time to retrieve her.
He stood near the edge of the cliff and watched Solace as she landed near a pair of ancient dragons; he felt a powerful presence from behind before he felt the solid aura of good wash over him along with a solid white light. Without a look back he fell to one knee with his head tilted down.
"I am puzzled by your actions," The words although not spoken rushed over him.
"How so?" He asked in his native tongue.
"Raise and face me Arrin Parkin," The words came more softly this time but carried a command with it. "You have been my Chosen for far too long to still act as the learning devotee."
Corellon Larethian, the Father of all Elves waited for Arrin to rise and face Him before He continued. "Your friends have made it known to me that what you face now could possibly be the greatest challenge you have faced in a long time."
"It is a Silerwor. I have defeated them before."
"It is the Silerwor that concerns me."
A questionable look crossed Arrin’s face for a moment as he thought of what his Deity had said. After a moment he asked, "What worries you?"
"This land that you are in right now will be strange to you. Many things in it that you would not suspect yet could easily kill you."
"The boy Xander has given me some information about his world," Arrin replied. "I do not think that it should be too hard to determine the rest."
"I will help where and when I am able, of course," Corellon replied as He pointed at the bow. "For now I will release my restrictions on the Bow. It should help you with your journey."
"Thank you."
"Be careful in your actions, son, for they can make a difference in the world you travel."
With those words, Corellon Larethian left the area in a slight mist. Arrin stood their for a few moments before he turned back to where he could see Solace and saw that she was now on her way to him. He turned back to his camp, put out the small fire, and rolled his blanket as he prepared to leave the valley.
"When will Robin return for us?" Solace asked as she landed and changed into her human form. There was happiness in her voice that he had not heard in a long while.
"We are not waiting for him," Arrin replied as he turned back to face her. His face was set, a gleam in his eyes that told anyone who knew him that Arrin was ready for an adventure. "We will teleport to the bar. From there we will work our way around town and hunt for the Silerwor."
"Without the others?"
"I do not think they could help us."
Solace knew that when his eyes got that look into them, he was determined to do something crazy and she also knew she was going along for the ride. She stepped up and took his arm as he waved his, and they teleported to the alley behind the bar.
"Shall you ask the questions or should I ask them?" Arrin asked as he put his hand on the door.
"We shall play it by ear this time," Solace teased as Arrin pushed the door open and they stepped into the bar, drawing the attention of four men who were just standing up.
"What the hell are you doing back here?!!!" Willy demanded as he watched Arrin and Solace walk in through the back door. "You caused over four thousand dollars worth of damages and ran out some of my clientele."
"Willy," Solace replied as she walked up to the bar. "I thought we were going to be friends."
"I knew we could not trust him," Arrin said, falling into his ‘bad cop’ role. Waving his hand toward the four men who now stood around the table he went on "I am betting, three seconds after we walked out of here he was hiring those four to protect him."
"No, I didn’t!" Willy protested from behind the bar, surprised that these two were so calm about what had happened earlier. "But you are going to have to pay for the damages."
"Of course we shall," Solace agreed as she threw a diamond down on the bar. "This should more than cover the cost."
Willy picked up the diamond and slipped it into his pocket. Still surprised at this turn of events, he turned back toward Arrin and offered information for the first time. "The two men you are looking for have both come in here separately; one of them I believe recognized the description I gave of you."
"When were they here?" Arrin demanded as he stepped toward Willy, dismissing the presence of the four men.
"One of them just left," Willy replied as he took a hurried step back.
Nick Fury and his Howlers watched as Arrin and Solace walked into the room and realized that this pair was unusual. None of them moved or said anything as the pair started to question Willy.
"Please tell me that is not what I think he is." Izzey exclaimed as he remembered a game one of his cousins tried to get him interested in almost 15 years ago.
"A Vulcan?" Dum Dum asked, his eyes on the very sharp ears.
"I believe he is an Elf," Izzey replied in a whisper.
"Come on," Nick exclaimed, as he looked over the man in question. "They only exist in imagination."
"Are you dreaming?" Izzey asked, "Cause I sure the hell ain’t and there he is."
"Looks like they are going to question the bartender," Dum Dum observed. "Wonder why everyone wants to question the bartender?"
"Let’s listen and learn," Nick whispered as the Willy was saying, "One of them just left."
"Will he return?" The Elf demanded as the girl looked over toward them.
"I don’t know," Willy cried out as he took an uncontrollable step back.
"Back away from him, boy," Nick ordered as he stepped toward the two, followed by the other three men. As they advanced, Izzey, Dum Dum and Reb all stepped out so they would not be in a tight spot if the boy tried to attack them. Even as he advanced, Nick along with the rest of them wondered why Willy would cower before such a young man. He allowed himself only a brief look at the very pretty teenager who even now stood, watching them with a smile on her face.
Arrin slowly turned to face the four men. His eyes quickly scanned each one, and he recognized the telltale bulges of hidden swords; he also saw the handles of the type of weapon the boy Xander carried and wondered briefly what they were. He took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Silently he called up the power word spell. He said the word as the last of the breath left his lungs. "Sleep."
The effects of the power word spell was instantaneous, however not to the Archer’s satisfaction, as two of the rooms occupants fell asleep right where they were standing, which left Arrin, Solace, and the four men. For a minute Arrin stood and looked astounded at the lack of effects; it had been a very long time since his power words failed to have the desired effects. Although he had fought against people who were immune to his spells, he was somewhat surprised that it failed against four men in one group. Quickly he cast a detect magic spell on the chance they might have a charm that protected them, however the spell showed nothing unusual. He shook his head and dispelled the spell. His hand slowly shifted position on his bow as he mumbled. "Blade used to say that Magic was a chancy thing, but a weapon was always effective. I hate it when he is right."
"That wouldn’t be something you could walk away from," The big man said as he reached into his jacket and wrapped his hand around the butt of his large handgun.
Arrin smiled as he remembered what had happened the last time one of those weapons was pointed at him. Without a change of facial expression he waved his hand in front of Solace and himself while he mumbled the spell, calling forth the invisible shield. "Sometimes even a fool can gamble with nothing to lose."
"I wouldn’t call your life nothing," Reb said as his own hand wrapped around the butt of his weapon.
Arrin frowned as he watched the hands of the four men move toward their sides where their weapons hung. A frown crossed his face as he began to question the strength of his shield. A joker’s smile spread across his face as the seeds of an idea began to grow in the back of his mind. With the plan worked out in his mind, Arrin mumbled a few words as his eyes picked out the strange weapons that each man carried. As he finished the butts of each gun was changed into the stem of a rose, thorns and all.
"OWWWW!" Dum Dum screamed in surprise as his hands closed on what he believed to be the smooth walnut grips of his gun, but instead was a thorn-covered stem. "What the hell?!"
"Doesn’t appear that their protection covers all aspects," Solace giggled as she witnessed the same reaction from all the men. "I believe that they have learned their lesson."
"Enough of this!" Nick ordered his Howlers, who were all looking at the rose stem that replaced their guns. He turned his now hard eyes to Arrin and demanded. "Who the hell are you?"
"I do not believe you will have heard of me, for I am not from this place," The Archer replied as he forced himself to calm down. "However it is only fair that you should know who you stand against. I am the Son of Shobin Parkin, he who was the ninth father of the Clan Parkin. I am a High Priest of Corellon Larethian and his Guardian of the Balance, a survivor of the Seven Seals campaign, and one of the Avenging Five. The Lord and sole ruler of the City in the Hidden Valley, first student of Tarack the Warrior, first student of Gath the Thief, first student of Hilda the Illusionist, first student of Condor the Major Magician, fifth and favored student of Baurabus High Priest of Corellon Larethian, the high Archer of the Spine and Master of the Rainbow Bow."
"A lot of titles racked up for one so young," Nick replied, surprise written on his face.
"Age or the passing of it is something that I don’t pay much attention to," The Archer replied as Solace barked, a sharp note of laughter next to him at the shocked look on the four men’s faces. Annoyed with the situation and realizing that Willy would not wake up any time soon, he turned to Solace and hissed in the Dragon tongue. "Let’s go, we will have to get our answers elsewhere."
"Let them go," They heard Nick order as they started out the door. "I came here to find out about Xander and I do not want to get involved with anything else."
The mention of Xander’s name brought Arrin to a halt in the doorway, which caused Solace to walk into him and forced him a few steps further before he could stop. He turned around to head back into the room. He stopped a few feet from Nick and called up and cast the spell on Nick that he had planned to use on Willy to get his answers. His voice was cold as he stopped in front of Nick and said. "If you do not believe anything else, believe this; if you lie to me I will know and you will suffer for that folly."
Not sure what the boy meant, although he understood the words spoken, Nick waved him off and turned his back as if the boy was of no consequence. He looked to Dum Dum and said, "Go to the school as a guest speaker or something like that. Seems that between you and Izzey you may find something to get you into the school to look the kid over."
Arrin was not offended by the brush off that Nick tried to use, for many others had tried the same thing in the past. A wicked smile spread across his face as he thought, //Like the others you will learn.// In a voice that showed no emotion he asked as if Nick faced him instead of away from him. "Why do you seek the boy named Xander?"
"Reb, you have St. Wolf’s, or whatever he is calling himself these days, address; go see him and find out what you can. Don’t tell him I’m in town but don’t lie to him. Bastard has a way to….." Nick started to order as a wave of pain rolled over his intestines, which caused him to double over.
"Tell me why you want Xander."
"Go to hell!" Nick managed to gasp out as another more powerful attack over came him.
Dum Dum was probably the first one who put the threat of Arrin’s words to the pain that racked Nick and the realization of this cause him react, his subconscious redirecting his grab for the gun, which was now a rose, to his sword. It came out in one fluid motion and dropped to the classic en garde position. His voice came out slow and easy as he said, "Boy, I don’t care if you’re the King of bloody England. Undo what you did or I’ll have your head."
At this point Arrin was way beyond being annoyed; now he was angry. This was the third time this large man had threatened him. This time he would see how the waters ran in this big one. Slowly he pulled his own modified long sword, which caused Solace to move back a few steps. Although she had not been there when Arrin used the sword that almost cut Blade in two, she had heard the stories and figured the best thing to do was to get away from Arrin.
"You should feel honored," Arrin replied as he felt the balance of the sword Blade had given him just before he started this adventure. "I should just blast you with a bolt and be done with it, but your noble idea of protecting a friend has bought you, as slim as it may be, a chance."
Dum Dum looked over his opponent again; although he did not look "comfortable" with the blade in his hands, the words the "boy" used caused him to rethink his position. If this boy could in fact blast him, and Dum Dum had no doubt that he could but refused to do so, spelled trouble with a capital T in his mind. All of a sudden Arrin did not look like an easy mark, however he could not, would not, allow anyone to attack another member of the Howlers and especially not Nick. Without sounding weak Dum Dum said. "We don’t have to do this, but I will not allow you to use magic on someone I consider my brother."
"Arrin," Solace intervened on Dum Dum’s behalf, her tone showed that she could understand what Dum Dum was talking about.
Again the joker’s smile spread across Arrin’s face as he used his left hand to wave, he started the wave at Nick and stopped at Dum Dum. The joker’s smile widened a bit as the pain left Nick. Immediately his eyes fixed on Dum Dum as he said. "Since you feel so strongly for your friend, you will bear the consequences of his follies."
"Pac no!" Solace cried out as she felt the shift of the spell but was too late to stop it.
It had been a very long time since Solace saw the "joker’s" smile that now played upon Arrin’s face. At first she did not recognize the signs, but as he moved the spell from one person to the other she knew that the Arrin had moved into his "Pac" personality. That was not the personality that she felt they needed at this time, for Pac found a way to complicate matters ten fold although she had to admit that in the end it all wrapped up nicely.
"Tell me what you want with the boy Xander," Arrin asked again with no emotions.
"That’s none of your business." Nick replied angrily, moments before Dum Dum grabbed at his side and bent over gritting his teeth against the pain.
"The pain will leave when you tell me." Arrin warned coldly. "It will get progressively worse if you refuse."
"Tell him, kind sir." Solace begged as she looked from Nick to Dum Dum "He does not mean you harm, but he will get his answers."
"Don’t tell him shit, Nick! I can take it..." Dum Dum gritted through the pain
"Think about that, sir," Solace said cutting into the conversation, worry in her voice. "If you say anything except the truth it is going to get progressively worse. I have seen people die of it."
"He may be my son," Nick replied after he looked at Dum Dum, who was now on the floor holding his side. The results of his explanation were instantaneous; Dum Dum was now allowed to stand up without trouble. He looked over at Nick with relief plainly on his face.
Arrin nodded his head as he recognized the resemblances in the eyes of Xander and this man. He knew that the spell he used was over once the truth came out, but he felt that the pain his friend felt might keep this man’s tongue loose enough that he may get another answer. "Why not go to him about it."
"The boy doesn’t know yet," Nick replied. Something told him to trust the girl so he continued.. "Hell I didn’t know about it till we received an email the other day."
From the floor Willy moved as the power word lost its effects. Ignoring the now moaning man, as the word sometimes gave the recipient a slight headache, Arrin informed the four men in a voice colder than ice, "This matter does not concern me, but know this; Xander helped me and if he falls due to any of you four, you will not survive our next encounter."
Solace hissed a spell in her native language and teleported them both to the cave where they had spent their first night here.
Dum Dum slowly got up from the floor, the pain totally gone. His eyes were glued to the place where just seconds before the boy and girl had stood. He then turned his eyes to Nick and in a lofty voice, said "Man, your kid has some very scary friends."
St Wolf residence
Same time frame
"Xander put her in the room you’re using. Oz, put him into the other spare room. The rest of you go home and get some rest, Giles, Dr. Greene, I want you to stay for a while longer," Steve ordered as they walked into the house and headed to his office. "I have a quick call to place."
"Hold on hot shot." Robin snapped, stopping everyone as they started to leave. "What the hell happened?"
"I’ll tell you about it later." Amy yawned as she took Robin’s hand and again started out the door. "Right now I could use that back rub you promised me before we came home and found all this going on."
"Where’s the Elf?" Steve asked as he looked around.
"Dragon Valley," Robin replied as he walked out with Amy. "I’ll collect ‘em in a few hours."
New Moon Cafe
The sudden ring of the phone caused more than one patron to drop something, all turning as one to look at the device on the wall. Mara moved quickly to answer it so the noise would not wake Lady Harkness, who was finally sleeping for the first time since the Tabatha abduction, in the back room.
"What do you want?"
"Mara, is that you?" Steve’s voice replied causing Mara to breath a sigh of relief. "I’d like to talk to Mistress Harkness."
"Is everything all right Sir Steve?" Mara asked, her voice accented with worry as she moved toward the back room with the phone in hand. The rest of the patrons all started to stand up when they heard the name; she waved them to take their seats as she listened to Steve’s reply.
"Everything is fine Mara," Steve replied
"Thank the Goddess," Mara replied as she handed the phone to Agatha who was now standing at the door, her eyes puffy from the worry and lack of sleep that had assaulted her since she received word of Tabatha’s abduction.
"Sir Steve, have you any word?" Agatha Harkness asked as she took the phone from a now smiling but crying Mara. "Please tell me she has been found."
"She has been," Steve, replied softly, "She is in a private room here at my home, I’ve a couple of people here who’ll be tending to her wounds and she’ll be ready to travel by tomorrow at the latest."
"I’ll have her teleported here right now, and we’ll look after her."
"I don’t think that would be wise. Let her have one night of rest I promise I will ensure her safety and well being until I have her sent home."
"May I come to your home and spend that night with her?" Agatha asked as a tear slowly ran down her face, unashamedly starting to cry with relief now that she knew her favorite niece was safe.
"Lady Harkness, at any other time I’d be honored to have you visit my home, but right now isn't a good time."
"My niece is safe, isn’t she?" Agatha asked as she frowned at Steve’s words her voice indicating that she would believe what ever he told her as truth.
"She is, and I will keep her that way until we can safely transport her to you."
"Fine, I’ll wait until noon tomorrow, but that is all," Agatha replied before she hung up the phone not allowing Steve to say any more. Her niece was safe and that was all that mattered. A thoughtful look spread across her face as she turned back to the room, her eyes searching for someone, and soon fell upon a heavyset man, "Joshua, I want you and Peter to be ready at on a moments notice to go retrieve Tabatha from Sir Steve’s home."
Both men indicated nodded their heads as they stood up and left the room without finishing the rest of their meal. The sullenness had left the rest of the patrons at her words as they started to eat their forgotten food and talked welled up at the recovery of Tabatha Stevens.
After he hung up the phone Steve sat down with a sigh of relief. He had been afraid that Agatha would want to come, but was glad that she accepted his words that everything was going to be all right and would stay home. Right now was not a time for a visit from the old Witch, even though he did consider her a trusted ally. Now that that bit of drama had been played out, he walked back into the living room where Giles and Sydney sat waiting for him to return.
"Thank you for waiting, I believe this would be a good time to talk about what Xander’s choices are." Steve said as he walked into the living room and took a seat.
"Willow, Buffy, and I should be part of that discussion." Cordelia said from the door to the training room where she and the other two girls were waiting for Oz and Xander to come back downstairs. "After all I’m his girlfriend, and Willow had been with him since we were in diapers. Buffy.. well she is Buffy."
"Yeah," both Buffy and Willow added as they stepped into the room, staring daggers at Steve.
"Yeah what?" Xander asked as he came downstairs, followed by Oz, Randi, and Brian.
"I was hoping that we could do this in privacy." Steve stated as he sat down. "Let’s all sit down and find out what we are going to do."
"What are we talking about?" Xander asked as he took a seat on the couch between Randi and Cordelia.
"First off we need to get you emancipated," Steve said as he looked at Xander, "then we’ll need to talk about what you plan to do about living arrangements."
"There’s always Major’s Ritter’s offer." Xander joked as he thought about how Major Kevin 'Tex' Ritter and Walter 'Gunner' Sanchez had both offered him a place with the 5th SFG. "They do say Uncle Sam wants me."
"Don’t think about it Dweeb boy." Cordelia snapped as she smacked him on the back of the head. "That isn’t even beginning to be funny."
"Hey!" Xander screamed as he rubbed the back of his head, "I was only kidding."
"I hate to say this," Steve said as he looked around the room. "But it’s a good offer, and he could do worse."
"No!" Cordelia barked, "I won’t have him go into the service, he has money and so do I."
"Relax Cordelia," Buffy jested. Her voice turned much colder as she looked at Steve and said. "You’re just joking right."
"Yes I was." Steve replied, as he looked at all the very upset faces. "But I have to say in my behalf. He did bring up the idea."
"He won’t again." Cordelia growled as she looked at her boyfriend.
"Alright Xander, have you given any thought to what your going to do or where your going to live?"
"Not really," Xander replied as he shrugged his shoulders. "Been a little busy for that."
"I may regret this, but there is a condo in the complex where I live which is for sale. It has been empty for the better part of a year. He should get it for a reasonable price."
"Living near G-Man? I don’t know if I could handle that."
"They’re nice," Willow replied as she looked over to Xander. "You won’t have to do any yard work."
"What do you think honey?" Xander asked Cordelia who was beaming.
"I think it’d be great!" Cordelia replied with excitement in her voice. "I’d help."
"We’ll all help." Jenny smiled.
"Ok, I’ll call the woman who sold me this house." Steve said closing that point of business. "Now let’s talk about your father."
"Steve there is nothing really to say." Xander said, his voice cold. "He doesn’t want me at home. No big deal."
"It is not that simple." Steve said, as he stared into Xander eyes. "Mr. Harris isn’t your natural father."
"Maybe," Xander blurted. He continued as nearly everyone's eyebrows nearly rose to the roof. "Hell, we don't look anything alike. Even so, he's the guy who raised me, so that's something to his credit."
"Good show," Giles whispered. Then he smiled at the young man. "A man would be proud to hear that from his son."
"What about your biological father?" Willow asked. "Don't you want to know about him?"
Xander sighs. "Gods, Will I’ve always wondered about who my real dad was.
"How!?" Willow demands in shock as it dawns on her that Xander knew that his 'Father' wasn't his real Father. She feels a little hurt that her best friend held this in for so long, from her.
"When I was younger, back when my dad first started drinking, they had an awful fight one night." A painful look flashed upon his face. "I could only make out a single sentence among the yelling and her tears, but it was more than I'd wanted to hear. I plainly remember him saying, I have no obligation to raise that bastard and from this point on he's your responsibility."
Willow's hands sprang to cover the halted gasp from her mouth. "Xander...I never knew. Why didn't you tell me?"
"I guess I just blocked it out. But now that I think about it, he never hugged me after that day."
After a pregnant pause, Steve said, "We may know who your real father is. And if he's your dad, it'd explain a lot about you."
"You don't say?" Xander drawled coldly. "Tell me, Steve. What kind of man could leave a woman who is pregnant with his child? Look at you. You took in both Randi and Brian even though they're not yours. At least my dad put a roof over my head. Ok, maybe he's not the best dad in the world, but he cared enough to do that."
"Xander, honey," Cordelia cooed. "What if your real father didn't know? I mean, your mother was a young girl when she had you. Maybe she didn't tell him 'cause she was afraid or something. We both know the world isn't all sweetness and light."
He sighed. "Maybe you're right, hon. my mom isn't the strongest person in the world." Then he turned to Cordelia, his eyes wide open with fear. "Cordy, are you trying to tell me something?"
She regarded him with a puzzled expression for a moment, then narrowed her eyes. Then she snorted. "Only in your dreams, Dweeb-boy," Cordelia noted with a smirk, causing the room's occupants to explode with laughter. After she wiped the tears from her eyes, she slapped the back of his head before she leaned over, kissed his cheek, and whispered, "In mine too."
A red-faced Xander rubbed the back of his head, turned to Steve, and asked. "Do you know this guy personally?"
"If the tests prove positive and this man turns out to be your father," Steve said in a solemn voice, "I think you'll find he's a good man, at least from what I've heard about him."
"Uummm," Willow said in a low voice, but it drew everyone’s attention to her.
"What is it Willow?" Xander sighed, as he knew something about Willow that not many of the others realized yet. Willow was somewhat of a busy body who could never leave something alone if it puzzled her. "What’cha find out about him?"
"According to his blood work and DNA tests, the man in question is a 99.8 percent match." Willow replied with her head down, slowly she raised her head and everyone saw the tear rolling down them. "Xander the chances of this man being your father are almost 100 percent, but, his records are almost as highly classified as Steve’s."
"What did you do Willow?" Xander asked as Steve looked over to Willow with a surprised look on his face.
"I ummm," Willow started but could not finish it.
"You got in touch with him right." Xander guessed.
"I sent him an email." Willow replied nervously. "But I did send it bouncing off so many servers that the person tracking it back would have to be better than me to find out who sent it."
"Don’t worry about it Willow," Xander replied off handedly. "If he shows up, which I highly doubt, I will deal with it then. Until he does, we still have this other problem."
Dr Greene sat in a chair near the entrance of the kitchen and listened to the conversation in silence. He could easily feel the concern and love that was in the room; however he also felt the undertow that Willow must feel at this time. Xander was as much a mystery to him now as Jarod always had been. The numerous sessions that he had had with Xander showed that Xander was a strong willed young man who put the needs of others before his own, and in doing so found that he could easily escape his own inner turmoil. Now that the problem (his father and home life) was being brought to life in front of the others, he wondered how Xander would react. He knew that if a psychiatrist was to read a profile on Xander or any of this group they would want them all committed. Of them all Xander, like Jarod, was a constant source of amazement for him. He had never complained or questioned his role; he just played it.
"Xander do you fear meeting this man?"
Xander’s bleak eyes cut to Sydney as he asked, "Why should I?"
"I don’t know, your actions show you may be."
"Don’t wanna get clinical on ya doc, but fear is a state of mind I can’t afford to give into."
"He’s just a man," Sidney replied, fighting past Xander’s clown facade.
"Exactly."
Cave above Sunnydale
Same time frame
"We start the hunt tonight."
Solace nodded her head in response as she watched Arrin open the Bag of Holding and start to pull out various items. They were now back in the cave where they spent the first night and she knew her lover was in rare form. She thought he would attack those four in the tavern until she recognized the jokester she lovingly called "Pac" showed itself in Arrin’s attitude. Now he was all business.
Arrin put on a pair of leather pants and shirt along with knee high boots. Two fingers on each hand held rings while around his neck hung a simple necklace with an ugly stone. He slipped his holy symbol in a pocket in his shirt. The quiver which was built for his arrows was useless now, so he didn’t bother putting it on, instead he tied the sword in its place. In a specially designed pouch that hung tightly to his belt were five vials of healing potion. Next he strapped on what looked like a bandolier that carried six throwing daggers. There was a coldness in his facial expression that she had never seen before, and though both Blade and Helga had told her about his years as the Rainbow archer she could never picture him as a vicious killer, but now, watching him dress for war she had to wonder.
"It is just one vampire and one Silerwor."
"I do not think so."
"You believe they joined with some of the local undead?"
"It is what I would have done."
"All the more reason we should join with the kids."
He did not reply as he walked out onto the plateau and looked over the town. After a few moments, he turned back to Solace. "We will end up asking for their assistance in finding the two we seek, only because this is a strange land, however, the actual fight is mine."
"I agree."
"Today I will walk the town, since I wish to learn more of their customs."
"I will be ready in a moment."
He stood on the plateau and looked over the town as he tried to put himself in the position of the Silerwor in a strange land where vampires were common. It seemed obvious to him that the Silerwor would recruit them to his cause, and then he would eradicate any threat. A pernicious smile crept upon his face as he realized that he was the biggest threat. After a few minutes of thought the joy left him as he remembered what Xander had told him about the Slayer. He realized the local undead would claim her as the biggest threat; therefore the Silerwor would go after her first. The Smile came back as he whispered. "Guess I will just have to convince them that I am the biggest threat."
"How will you do that?" Solace asked as she came back out, dressed in the same manner as Arrin, but minus the weapons.
"I believe we will think of something."
The pair joined hands as Arrin recited the words that would activate the Bow’s power to teleport them back to the alley behind Willie’s bar. Solace changed her appearance to a slightly older woman and calmly entered the bar to find out if the four men were still present, while Arrin waited in the alley.
"They are gone," Solace reported excitedly as she returned a few minutes later. "But there are five vampires in the room."
"Good," Arrin smiled as he walked in. "Let the games begin."
As they walked in, Arrin let his eyes fall into the infrared spectrum so he could pin point the vampires. A wicked smile crossed his face as he heard Willie say. "Oh Shit!"
"You two," Arrin snapped as he pointed out two vampires. "Go tell the others of your kind a new kind of threat is in town and they are here for the Silerwor."
Four of the vampires, new to the area and not aware of the rumors that had been circulating about the Slayer and her band, laughed at what appeared to be a young man just out of his teens dressed like a Conan wannabe. The largest vampire let his Demon face show as he stepped forward to put his hands on Arrin, whose hand had already dipped into his pocket.
The vampire’s hands were just about to grab Arrin’s arm when a cloud of dust appeared where the vampire once was. Arrin’s hand was held out, his holy symbol in plain view. Although the other four did not know what the white object was, they were all repelled from it as if they faced a cross. Arrin was already in motion before the vampires could digest what was happening. His right hand palmed the holy symbol while his left hand brought up the bow. Even though it was not strung, Arrin acted as if it was. His right hand came up and pinched the air where one would assume the string was, and as he brought his hand straight back, the elbow bent and stayed parallel with the ground. The muscles in his upper arm bulged as a sting and arrow of energy appeared. When his hand brushed his cheek Arrin released. When the bolt struck one of the four remaining vampires it exploded, sending dust particles throughout the room. Even before the air partially cleared he had let loose a second and third energy bolt with identical results.
As the bow settled on the last vampire Arrin held his fire. He looked down the energy bolt and demanded, "Are you ready now to take my message to them?"
"Are you part of the Slayer’s army?"
"Fear not the Slayer or her group," Arrin replied. "For they are as easy to avoid as the coming of the dawn, I however you shall not find so easy to evade."
"Who are you?" The vampire asked as he backed up toward the doorway to the back room and the sewer entrance beyond it.
"Tell the Silerwor that the Archer is now on his trail. Tell the rest of your kind that he brings death to all those who stand in his way."
Without another word the vampire jumped through the doorway and scrambled down the sewer hatch without benefit of the ladder. Arrin let him go as he turned back to face Willie. His voice was cold as he ordered. "A fine line you walk between the good and evil, so you shall pass the word of what took place here. Spread the news to them that as long as they hide or help the Silerwor, I shall consider them my enemy. For now they do not know what that means when it comes from one such as me, but they will."
"I don’t want to be in the middle of your little personal war."
"Than I suggest you close your shop and leave the area," Solace replied with a heartfelt smile. "For when he gets like this, no one short of Blade will be able to stand in his way."
"Tell them Willie; from this minute forth, when I see a vampire I kill it," Arrin replied as he added his holy symbol to the necklace that was already there. He and Solace followed the vampire down the sewer entrance, with the hope that the vampire would lead them to the Silerwor.
He woke with a start; his eyes briefly scanned the area where he was. Something was different, he felt different; disorientated but powerful and more ‘alive’ until the hunger hit him. The demon that now animated his body and part of his mind came to the front and showed him just how different things were. After a moment, the demon who now controlled Billy’s body stood up and moved out of the small room and into the main complex that was now Drake’s headquarters.
He stood up and walked around the room as he read into his host, who was obviously into computers, and not the legal kind. In his memories were phone numbers and passwords to various prestigious banks and companies, and one unfinished project that had him stumped. Since the unfinished project did not interest the demon he concentrated on the Swiss bank account that had four direct deposits, each around three thousand dollars. Three days after the deposits were transfers; the money was sent to various charities. A sneer came to his face as he thought of better ways to use the money. He filed that thought away for now and concentrated on his surroundings; the room was barely habitable, though he could see that there were a few beings who called this place home. He could wait, as he thought of an easy meal, there were others he would not mind if he could take a bite out of as well.
As he sat and contemplated what to do next he heard a slight noise, which indicated someone was headed this way. He leaned back and waited for whoever it was while he hoped it was a meal. Moments later the vampire who was his sire and a human (or was it; there was something defiantly different about him) came around the corner. He stood as he watched the pair move toward him.
"What am I doing here?" Billy asked his sire, pointedly ignoring the second man.
"Your host can retrieve information that we need to survive."
"We need a computer, I will go get it"
"Michael will go with you." Drake ordered. "I want you back as soon as possible."
Billy left the room as his mind created a list of people he was going to feed from.
"The tunnels here are much like the thief’s tunnels that run under Portsmouth, only they smell terrible."
"I believe that these tunnels are used to move waste." Solace replied as they walked north to follow the vampire. "Willow and Cordelia told me a bit about it. They also told me that the vampires use it as their passages through the town."
"Well if they know about it why don’t they do anything about it?"
"Innocents."
"They do care, I will give them that."
"It is one reason they question your appearance."
"They don’t need to worry about me as long as they stay out of my way."
"I don’t believe that they are worried about you." Solace replied as she turned down a passage that would lead them south toward the cemetery. "I believe that they are concerned that you will go to war with the Silerwor and that the war will harm innocents."
"They should not worry about that." Arrin replied as they stepped into a recently evacuated nest, where five human bodies were discarded after being drained. Arrin moved over to the first body and had to cover his mouth from the stench that floated off the body. It was not death that the body smelled of, for this was a fresh corpse, but the cloths on the body were ragged and old smelling of wine and dirt. Arrin dropped the body back to the ground as he realized that he could not help him. "They are not that far ahead of us."
"This way."
Arrin followed Solace farther down the passage and passed through several more junctions with Solace always headed south. As they traveled for what must have been fifteen miles, they came upon a door that had recently been opened. As they came within three feet of the door a wave of nausea washed over Arrin. He felt a strong aura of magic on the door and stepped back away from it. Once his energy had returned he cast a spell on the door and found that it was warded against good. Puzzled, he turned to Solace and silently asked, "Why would someone do something like this?"
"An invitation?" Solace replied with an evil grin.
"Normally I would accept, however I have other things to get done today," Arrin replied as he pulled a small pouch from his belt and took out a cream colored powder. He started to sprinkle it on the ground in a half circle, which started about ten feet from the right of the door and bowed around but stayed with in ten feet of the door to the other side. "However let’s make sure that no one else accepts the invitation either."
After the powder settled on the ground Arrin cast a spell which warded the area against evil outside of the ward against good. A sinister smile came to his face as the powder glowed for a few minutes before it faded away and disappeared.
"You realize that someone is going to be very upset with you."
"And I was hoping to make a few friends on this world." Arrin replied, matching the sarcasm in Solace’s voice. "Look at it this way, there is a better chance that a vampire will pass through that door than someone good. If I just dispelled it whoever is on the other side would notice and they would know we were down here. This way whoever is on the other side of that door will not be having visitors for a while."
"Is the line the trigger?"
"Yes, if any undead crosses this line the body will be released."
Without a second thought for the door, the pair moved deeper into the catacombs that made up the sewer system under Sunnydale. They traveled about a mile further when Solace noticed a familiar scent in the air; she turned her face down a passage and felt a cool ocean breeze brush her face.
"He did not go this way," Solace remarked as she turned back the way they came from. "A large body of water is less than a mile down this tunnel, which means daylight."
"Damn it, that means he probably went through that door." Arrin snarled at the though of loosing his prey. "Let’s head back, see if we can find someone else to take the message out among their kind."
"There are still a few hours of daylight left." Solace advised as they headed back toward the bar. "We would have better luck if we waited until full dark."
"I am beginning to suspect the same thing."
"So where do you think we should go?"
"Back to talk to the kids," Arrin replied as they climbed up a ladder to a manhole cover. "Maybe their leaders are back by now."
St. Wolf’s Resident
"Alright," Steve agreed and went about to give out patrol duties to the others. "Xander take your team and patrol the Bronze and the boardwalk tonight, Charlie, Spike and Drusilla can check out the cemeteries on the north end of town while Buffy and I will take the east end. Randi, Brian, Robin and Amy will act as back up here at the house."
"I still have to go get Arrin." Robin replied with a grin. "Well we can leave him in the Valley, Solace seemed to like it there."
"If we leave him there do you think he can find his way back alone?" Steve asked hoping for one more night.
"I don’t see how, I teleported us there."
"Fine then leave him there for a few more hours," Steve replied his mind made up. "The last thing we need is someone looking for revenge."
"Fine then, leave him
With everyone in agreement, the groups went out on their nightly duties without giving another thought to Arrin. Already Cordelia and Xander were at each other with their constant badgering. A fact, which seemed to amuse the group and themselves if the truth were told.
"Do you think he’ll be ok?" Buffy asked Steve as he watched the group leave the house; her own eyes went back to the figure lying on the couch.
"No way to tell." Steve replied as Methos came to the front door. "As far as the Watchers know, nothing like this has ever happen."
"I hope that Shaw can do something."
"Why don’t you call in the Elf who helped me?" Methos asked as he took a beer from the refrigerator.
"I don’t know if I want him here," Steve replied as he checked over his weapons for the nights patrol. "He seems a bit, ummm"
"Hard headed? Unstable? Risky? Unpredictable?" Robin helped by throwing out a few words that have been said about Arrin.
"How much do you know of him?" Steve asked as he took a seat, positive that Robin knew more than what he’d already said.
"Where to start," Robin muttered just as the phone rang.
"It’s not late enough for you to be in trouble already Xander." Steve quipped after a quick glance at the caller ID. "So what’s going on?"
"Arrin is down on Main Street, getting arrested."
"WHAT????" Steve asked after a pause.
"We stopped to have some ice cream and all of a sudden, there he is with his girl, being arrested
"I'll be right there."
The Bronze
(hour earlier)
The line that formed in front of the Bronze was a mixed crowd with people of all ages The two bouncers who stood at the door checked each ID with a bit of care and stamped the hands accordingly. As Nick and Dum Dum moved up to the front of the line they both wondered at the amount of kids who were in line and both wondered how many of them might know of Xander.
"Lot of kids in this line," Nick commented as one of the bouncers looked over his ID.
"Not many other places in this town for them to go safely," the bouncer replied with a note of sadness in his voice. "I’m hoping that will change soon."
Dum Dum watched the wishful expression on the man’s face and wondered briefly if he knew something. After his hand was stamped he followed Nick into the building and they walked over to a corner that had not yet become occupied.
"You think Xander comes here?"
"I don’t know," Nick replied, just as softly as Dum Dum spoke. "But I would like to talk to someone here who knows who Xander is before I approach him."
As they sat there they watched as more people filtered in the door, their eyes fell upon four overly developed boys with their girlfriends who had just walk in and took a table near the bar. The boys seemed to be more popular than the girls since they had more than a few others their age move up to the table, then after a few quickly exchanged words, they moved away. This was repeated several times within the next hour.
After a while as the three girls left the table to powder their noses, leaving the three jocks alone, Dum Dum left Nick and moved over to see who the boys were and to find out if they knew Xander.
"Hello boys," Dum Dum remarked as he looked down on the table, which caused the tallest of the three boys to stand up his 5’ 11" height falling a foot and a half short of this man’s 7’ 5" powerful frame. "I’d like to ask you a few questions and buy you a round if ya don’t mind?"
"What’ch wanna know?" the boy who was standing asked, his voice squeaking with a bit of fear.
"No need to be nervous," Dum Dum replied with a genuine smile. "I have just heard of this boy named Xander and would like to know more about him."
"Xander Harris?" the boy asked his eyes looking over Dum Dum again. "What’ch want with that asshole?"
"Let’s just say that I’m here to bring a little bit of reality to his life." Dum Dum replied with a smile, noting hostility in the boys voice and wondering about it.
"Yea we know him."
"Does he come here?"
"Are ya blind man?" one of the boys sitting down laughed as he pointed to a table near the center of the room "That’s him right there, with his bitch girlfriend and two more of their outcast friends."
Moving slowly, so as not attract attention, Dum Dum turned his head to face the indicated location and noticed four teens at a table facing one another. Dum Dum noticed how they sat, each one able to watch another's back while their own was being watched and wondered briefly if they did so for a reason. Xander’s back was to Dum Dum but the other young man quickly looked him over without changing expression. Dum Dum didn't react to the boy’s gaze but moved back to the table where Nick waited and sat down, his back to the table where Xander sat.
"Don’t look directly Nick, but can you see the red-headed boy with the wild hair who I assume is still looking at me, he should be sitting behind me?"
"I see him," Nick replied with a grin as if Dum Dum just told a joke
"The boy sitting with his back to us is Xander."
"I guess that answers that question," Nick replied as he made a quick study of Xander. After a minute the kids around the table stood up as one and moved toward the door to leave, just before they stepped out the red-haired girl took one quick glace around the room her eyes briefly falling on him and Nick before resuming their study of the room.
"Wanna follow them?"
"Yeah, but let them get a headstart. Did you see how the girl looked at us before she walked out?" Nick asked as he drank the last of his beer. "I believe she made us."
"The red hair boy must have told her."
"Could be."
After a couple of minutes, the two stood as one and started out the door to follow the four teens. They kept far enough back to remain hidden from the kids but close enough to observe what they were doing.
"The Belfast stroll," Dum Dum remarked as he watched the red haired girl take her turn in looking behind them. "Modified for sure but that is the Belfast stroll."
"What are you mumbling about?"
"The kids are executing a form of the Belfast Stroll."
Nick watched as the two in the rear took turns in checking their back trail and understood what Dum Dum was saying, but still, the Belfast stroll was something used by special forces so he didn’t think these kids would even know what it was, let alone perform it with any degree of accuracy. "I don’t think they know what they’re doing."
"Really? Then I’m guessing that you don’t think the brunette knows how to use the gun she has tucked away behind her back, either."
"A gun?"
"Looked like a .380 or something equally as small but as you know be it a .22 or a cannon when you’re dead you’re dead."
When three of the kids walked into the ice cream parlor Nick thought now would be the perfect time to get the boy alone and see what he was like. Just as he started to advance, the siren of the police car that just had passed blared, followed closely by the sound of screaming tires. The effects of this were immediate on the boy as he jumped up, the other three joined him and they moved down the street.
When they came to the scene, Nick watched their action of the kids as they saw a couple he thought might be their friend, being arrested. With a bit of confusion, he watched the boy first stop the red-haired girl and then makes a phone call before they backed off to watch from a few feet away.
The two stood in the now growing crowd and watched the situation play out to its conclusion. They were just about ready to advance toward the officer who had taken charge of the scene when they noticed a dark blue Tahoe turn the corner and come to a stop when Xander stepped out from the alley he was hiding in.
"I’ll be damned!" Nick snarled when he noticed who was in the Tahoe. He was tempted to bring this whole thing to an end, walk over and kick the man’s ass when he noticed the passenger get out of the car and walk around to hug the red-headed girl.
"Who do you think she is?" Dum Dum asked as watched the disgust play over his friend’s face.
"I don’t know," Nick replied as he took out his own cell phone, "But I’m about to find out. Call the others and have them get here fast, I’m going to call the Knight General and find out what he’ll tell me."
After leaving Steve’s house, the four Slayerettes made their way to the Bronze, which would be their first stop. As they came into view of the place they all smiled when they saw the long line at the door. They all knew on a subconscious level that the long lines at the door were in part because of the job they were doing. Each of them felt a sense of accomplishment when they saw things like this.
"Hey guys, full night," The bouncer greeted them as they moved to the front of the line. He dropped the rope to allow them passage. "Have fun."
They walked through the Bronze, headed to their normal table. Each one took time out as they moved to check out the room but saw no sign of any undead visitors. They ordered drinks and some appetizers from a passing waitress before settling down to wait for darkness to head out on patrol.
As their drinks were placed in front of them, Oz noticed two distinguished gentlemen walking into the room. The first man stood close to 7 foot tall with red hair and built like a tank, the second man stood just over the six foot mark with a patch over his right eye, his black hair streaked with gray. Without being obvious, he watched them walk to a table and order drinks. Then the red headed one stood up and walked over to Percy’s table.
"Huh," Oz grunted as he watched Percy point toward them.
"What?" Willow asked as she turned toward her boyfriend.
"Big guy just asked Percy who Xander was."
"What did Percy say?"
"Pointed Xander out to him, now the guy is moving to the table behind Xander"
"What is being said?" Xander asked, his voice low as he glanced down into the glass set in front of him trying to get a clear reflection of the two occupants at the table.
Oz tilted his head using his werewolf hearing ability he isolated the conversation that was being carried on at the table. He closed his eyes in concentration as he listened to what was being said when the conversation finally ended he turned to Xander and said. "The big guy just told the man that your Xander, I believe the guy who has his back to you is Nick Fury."
"What!" Xander exclaimed surprised at the name used, but just as quickly got a hold of himself as he made a show of looking at his watch before he went on. "Hey guys it’s eight fifteen, we need to be going if we are going to make it to the show in time."
Without delay the four stood up and moved toward the door. Just as they left Willow turned to glance over the room. Her eyes briefly scanned over the man with the patch, then the larger man before she turned and followed the others out the door.
As they left the Bronze the four fell into a modified Belfast stroll with Xander and Cordelia walking in front while Willow and Oz followed a few feet behind, taking turns with quick looks back the way they had come from, to see if they were being followed.
"We’ll wait for them at the ice cream shop."
"Why do you think they’re going to follow us?" Cordelia asked as she forced herself not to look back, trusting her friends to keep a good rear guard.
"I don’t know."
"Here they come," Oz notified the others as the wind carried two distinct scents from behind them.
"You three go in and grab some ice cream, time to find out what these boys are."
"Bait?" Cordelia asked looking worried.
"Something like that."
"We’ll be right inside."
Xander watched the others go inside before he leaned back on a bench to wait and see what the two men would try. He had just gotten settled when a police car cruised by. The car had just passed when it was thrown into a slide accompanied by the cry of the siren. The siren drew the other three out of the parlor and made them all temporarily forget about the two men who followed them. As they moved toward the sound, Xander noticed Arrin who was now against the wall and took out his cell phone to make a phone call.
"It’s not late enough for you to be in trouble already Xander, so what’s going on?"
"Arrin is down on Main Street getting arrested."
"WHAT????"
"We stopped to have some ice cream and all of a sudden there he is with his girl, being arrested by two local cops."
"I'll be right there."
"Might want to hurry," Xander replied as he heard the click of Steve’s phone being hung up.
Squad car (a few minutes earlier)
"Isn’t that the Harrison kid?" Officer Wanda Carstairs asked her partner, Officer Daniel Patterson as they passed a bus stop at the end of Main Street. The two are on their way back to the station after a long day of patrol.
"I thought…" Daniel started but didn’t finish as he slammed on his breaks. Turning the wheels sharply to the right, throwing the car in to a controlled tailspin, he yelled, "What the hell is that?"
When Wanda looked in the appropriate direction her eyes grew wide. She saw a the normal foot traffic on the sidewalk hurriedly moving out of the way of a couple who strolled along seemingly without a care. The male of the couple stood just about the 5’5" level with brown hair that was held in a ponytail on top of his head and wore what appeared to be some type of armor and carried a curved staff with a short sword hanging at his side. The girl although did not carry any visible weapons also had some type of armor on.
When the car came to a complete stop both doors flew open as the two jumped out of the car, making sure the door were between them and the ‘subjects’. They both had their guns trained on the couple with Daniel on the radio calling in back up.
"Stop right there!" Wanda ordered as she trained her gun on the male who carried the weapons. "Throw your weapons down and face the wall."
"I will place my weapons down." The male suspect said in a stern voice as he moved to comply. "But I will not throw them down as you suggest."
Wanda nodded her head in agreement as the male bent down at the knees and placed the staff on the sidewalk and then slowly unbuckled his belt, placing the sword on the ground next to it. Throughout these moves he never broke eye contact with Wanda.
"Both of you face the wall, reach your hands as high as possible and lean against it."
"Stein is on his way," Officer Patterson said with disgust as he hung up the mic. "Said we should detain them until he gets here."
"Why is he getting involved?"
"Only thing I can think of is he’s hoping these two are with the Summers girl," Officer Patterson replied as he looked around the growing crowd and noticed Xander on a cell phone. //great if he finds them here he’ll arrest them just to get at the Summers girl."
"Do not put shackles on her," Arrin growled.
"Sorry it’s Standard operating procedures." Officer Patterson replied as he started to cuff Solace having already secured Arrin. "Just remain calm and this won’t hurt at all."
"You will take them off NOW!" Arrin demanded, his last word coming out stronger than the others.
"He most certainly will not!" A brown headed man in a suit countered as he came up on the situation, his eyes darted around as if he was looking for someone. "Have you read them their rights yet?"
"No sir."
"Well do it," Stein replied as he looked over the two weapons that lay on the ground. "Then put them in my car."
"Do not touch those weapons," Arrin said as he accompanied Carstairs to a car that was parked just behind the squad car "I do not believe you will like the results."
"Put these in my trunk," Stein ordered Patterson not liking the way the man put the empathies on the word you. "I have some questions to ask these two."
"What do you think he’s up to?" Wanda asked Daniel as they watched Stein turn the corner with the odd couple in his car. Just as they were about to get into their own car a dark blue Tahoe turned the corner and Xander stepped out from behind a wall to advance on them. "Looks like Xander wants the same answers."
"No time to talk about it now!" Steve growled as he hung up the phone. "It seems that Arrin and his girl are downtown being arrested."
"Oh shit."
"I though you said they couldn’t get back without your help." Steve demanded as they walked out the door. "I hope that he doesn’t cause any problems."
"Hey it’s been close to two thousand years since I saw him last, a person could learn a lot in that time."
"Hey buster!" Buffy yelled as Steve shut the door to his Tahoe. "Where do you think your going?"
"Seems that our visitors are being arrested downtown right now."
"Why ain’t I in the car?"
"I was hoping to do this without giving Stein any ammo on you." Steve growled in reply.
"So I'm supposed to wait here?" Buffy asked angrily as she opened the passenger door and climbed in beside Robin, forcing him to get in the back seat.
"Of course not."
"Good, now drive old man."
"Finally got one of you this time," Stein snarled to himself as he sped away from the scene with Arrin and Solace in the back seat. "The Mayor can have you after I get enough to bust the Summer’s girl once and for all."
/Arrin this man is not stable./ Solace hissed to keep the conversation private
/I agree/
/He wishes to harm who ever this Summer’s girl is/
/Before we do anything we will see what he has in mind. I have no reason to see the Mayor yet, but I would like to find out what this man is up too./
As Stein left the city proper he pulled behind a deserted gas station just outside of town and climbed out of the car. Roughly he pulled Arrin out of the car and slammed him up against the trunk while he demanded. "Tell me what you know about the Summer’s girl."
Arrin grunted as the air was forced out of him when his body hit the trunk of the car. "Summer’s girl?"
"Buffy Summers, don’t try to deny knowing her!"
"I know who you speak of, but I am not part of her group so I do not know what they are up to." Arrin replied, his voice calm despite the situation he now found himself in. "Our business here is neither her concern or yours."
Stein grabbed the collar of the robe Arrin wore and jerked him away from the car, only to slam him back into it leaving a dent in it as he said, "Tell me what I want to know or this will be a very rough interview."
/May thoughts of pain or revenge be mirrored back into your mind causing you that same pain./ Arrin hissed in dragon, then went on in English. "I do not work with that group, but you will do well to forget them."
"Buffy Summer’s and her group are scr…. AHHHHHHH!!!" Stein screamed out in pain as he started to slander Buffy’s name, instantly falling to the ground and curled into a fetal ball.
As he screamed Solace exited the car and broke the handcuffs that bound her hands before retrieving the keys from the squad car to take the now broken cuffs off before she moved to remove Arrin’s.
"For three days you will feel this pain every time you think of revenge against Buffy or any in her group," Arrin warned in a whisper, as he cast a second spell that would cause Stein to forget their meeting before the pair disappeared.
"What happened?" Steve asked as Xander and the rest of the Slayerettes came to him.
"Don’t know," Xander replied as he pointed toward the patrol car. "We got here just as they were putting cuffs on Arrin and Solace."
"Where are they now?" Buffy asked as she watched Officer Patterson get behind the wheel of the patrol car and drive away.
"Stein took them," Willow snarled the reply. "Why does he always have to get involved?"
"Let’s go see what we can do."
Not wanting to chance another run-in with the police, Arrin and Solace teleported to a spot across the street from Steve’s home and started toward the house. As they stepped onto into the yard and headed up the walk to the front door, it was thrown open by the boy Brian, "Hey there."
Solace smiled at the energetic youth, "Well met Brian, are the others here?"
"Just me, Shaw, and Adam, but Adam is asleep and Shaw is in the back room working. You’re welcome to come in and wait. Steve hasn’t gone shopping this week yet, but I can offer you something to drink."
"Thank you, something to eat and drink would be great, but please allow Arrin to provide it."
The words stopped Brian who was headed toward the kitchen. He turned back to Arrin with a puzzled look on his face.
Arrin had his head bent down, his lips moving in a silent prayer, and as he opened his eyes an eight-foot picnic table laden with food and drink was laid out in front of him
"Please join us," Arrin smiled as he picked up a drink and something that looked like a chicken leg, but was considerably larger.
The three had just sat down to eat when a very exhausted Shaw came into the room and looked at the food that was laid out on the table. Her eyes fell upon Arrin, who was now standing there, waiting for her to join them. In her native language, the Common tongue of Faerun, she greeted him with a slight bow. /"Lord Parkin."/
/"It is I who should bow to you Lady Redstar."/ Arrin replied as he bowed back to her. /"I wish it were under better circumstances."/
/"Lady Redstar??"/ Shaw spitted out as the words as they sank in. /"The Redstars are not nobility."/
/"They are, a minor house to be sure but they are, and one of the three hundred bearers to carry a moonblade during the ceremony over ten millennia ago."/
/"That means-"/
/"That means you are entitled to be called Lady Redstar, as both of the houses in your family are nobility."/ Arrin replied just as Willow and Oz walked through the door.
Shaw’s face glowed a deep red as she noticed Willow’s eyes enlarge to the size of saucers at Arrin’s words. Willow had become a very good student in the Elvish dialect Shaw used, more than good enough Shaw knew, to understood what Arrin had just said.
/"Please Willow, don’t say anything?"/
/"I won’t, My Lady,/ Willow replied with a twinkle in her eye that told Shaw she would be hearing more about it later.
"How did you get away from Stein?" Xander asked from the door.
"I was tired of his company."
At the quick intake of breath from Willow and Shaw, Arrin sighed, "Fear not, I allowed him to leave unharmed, physically."
"So Steve and Buffy didn’t rescue you?" Willow asked with a sigh of relief.
"I have not seen those people."
"I got it," Xander said as he pulled out his cell phone and moved into the back room.
"This is getting complicated." Solace remarked, shaking her head.
"Ello?" Buffy answered her cell phone as Steve pulled to a stop in front of the Sunnydale Police station.
"Buffy have you reached the station yet?"
"We just got here Xander, give us a bit of time would you?"
"There’s no need, Arrin was here when we got back to Steve’s house."
"You’re kidding me. How did he get away?" Buffy asked as she shut the door after hopping out to follow Steve into the station. "Honey he’s back at your house."
"That’s the Archer for ya."
"Shut up Robin!" Steve growled as he got back into the car. "Tell Xander to keep him there, I wanna talk to this idiot."
"Steve, the Archer is a lot of things, but an idiot isn’t one of them. Don’t underestimate him and don’t try to second guess him."
"Robin I want you to tell me just one thing about him."
"What is it you want to know?"
"How powerful is he really? I mean on a scale between you at your max and me."
"When I knew him, and that was close to two thousand years ago he was not all that powerful, I really don’t think he was ever truly interested in power. So, to answer your question, I would probably place him somewhere between you and Amy," As soon as he saw the stunned look on Steve’s face he went on. "It isn’t power that makes him so dangerous, it’s the fact that he’s so damn unpredictable. The spells he uses, aren’t used like they are suppose to be." Robin finishes awkwardly.
"What does that mean?" Buffy asked
"One of his favorite spells back then was an enlarge or reduce spell. Not a powerful one at all, in fact it’s actually a catnip, a low level spell for entertainment," Robin explained. "Only when he used it, he used it to reduce instead of enlarge or well what ever the occasion calls for. Can you imagine what would happen to a man six feet tall who, in less time than it takes to tell about it, is reduced to seven inches tall. The shock alone could kill the person and if that didn’t his boot would."
"Sounds like he’s more devious than dangerous."
"Yeah, and he’s has had two thousand years to work on it since I knew him."
"So now, he might not only be devious, he’s probably a lot more powerful as well," Steve mused aloud. "Unless you think that he stayed the same."
"Two thousand years ago he wasn’t dating a dragon."
"We’ll soon find out," Steve comments as he pulls into the driveway.
So intent were the occupants of the car that none of them noticed the Nissan that had followed them since they left the police station.
"It’s about to become uncomplicated," Xander noted as he watched Steve and Buffy pull into the driveway. After a minute he also noticed the beige Nissan pull over to a stop but no one got out, as Steve, Buffy and Robin filed into the house he moved over to Cordelia and whispered something in her ear and they both started to walk out the back door just as Steve, Buffy and Robin entered the front door.
Izzy Cohen and Reb Ralston followed the dark blue Tahoe to the quiet street where it pulled up to a stop and the occupants climbed out and went inside. They watched as Steve St. Wolf walked around and opened the door for the young girl who climbed down from the passenger side followed by a short man in a forest green suit with a floppy pointed green hat.
"Who do you think the girl is?" Izzy asked Reb as they pulled over just down the street and watched as the three move into the house.
"Don’t know," Reb replied as he reached back and pulled out what appeared to be a hand held satellite dish with a set of earphones attached, he pointed it to the house where the pair walked in and squeezed the handle which turned the machine on. "But lets see what they are talking about."
Izzy nodded his head in approval as Reb turned on the small tape recorder and sat back to listen to what was being said in the house. "Just get ready to leave at a moments notice."
"Oh I don’t think you two will be going anywhere," A male voice floated to them, accompanied by the sound of a hammer being pulled back to full cock, from just behind Izzy which caused him to jump as the hissing of air rushing out of a tire was heard just before the cocking of a second gun could be heard as a cold medal cylinder was placed at the base of Reb’s neck.
When they arrived home Steve climbed out of the car and walked over to Buffy, helping her down while Robin climbed out from the back seat. As a group they then moved toward the front door.
"Remember honey," Buffy was saying as she opened the door. "He’s a guest and we don’t have a reason to mistrust him."
Steve only nodded his head as they walked in and saw the couple in question sitting at a table Steve never saw before, dining on exotic foods. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Xander shake his head, grab Cordelia and muttered something under his breath as the two of them walked out the back door with Xander pulling out his pistol. Not sure what the pair was up to Steve turned his full attention to the visiting couple and smiled. "Welcome to my home."
"Thank you Sir St. Wolf," Solace replied diplomatically, "I hope that our visit does not cause you no undue discomfort."
"I welcome all to my home," Steve replied with a genuine smile. "Until they prove themselves unworthy."
Willow watched the two leaders face off and knew this would have to be handled as diplomatically as possible so with a slight smile toward Solace she stepped up and introduced Steve in a way that would have been done in court. "Lord Arrin Parkin please allow me to introduce you to Steve St. Wolf, Knight Lieutenant of the Order of the Grail, Personal Champion of the Archmage Merlin and his lady, Niume, and Field commander of Section Seven, the army devoted to protecting our world from Vampires and demons from the Nine Hells
When Willow introduced him to the couple, Steve watched for some type of expression play on Arrin’s face but his eyes never registered any emotion as he listened to the long, impressive list. When Willow finished, he slowly nodded his head in greeting while Willow moved on to introduce Buffy in the same manner. When she noted that Buffy defeated Tiamat, Arrin’s eyes registered shock as he quickly re-evaluated the girl again.
"Knight St. Wolf," Solace started when Willow finished, bowing slightly to their host while she introduced Arrin. "Allow me to introduce you to my Liege and lover Lord Arrin Parkin, Son of Shobin Parkin, High Priest of Corellon, survivor of the Seven Seals campaign, Guardian of the Balance, One of the Avenging Five, Lord of the City in Hidden Valley, First Student of Tarack the Warrior, First student of Gath the Thief, First student of Hilda the Illusionist, First Student of Condor the Major Magician, Fifth and favored student of Baurabus High priest of Corellon, High Archer of Spine, and Master of the Rainbow Bow. Currently he hunts for the Silerwor who murdered two Manicore children in his escape from our world."
"Well met, Knight St. Wolf," Arrin spoke as he extended his hand in friendship.
"Well met," Steve replied as he accepted the offered hand. "Shall we sit down and talk things out?"
The group sat around the table and waited for someone to open the conversation. After a moment of silence Steve cleared his throat and began, "I have come to understand from Robin and the kids that you’re after a being called in our world a head hunter. You call him a Silerwor and his companion a Toralian Vampire."
"That is correct, and though we have run into yet another whom I feel may need my personal attention, Robin had warn me off of him."
"Is that so?" Steve replied. He was not told about the Mayor’s involvement yet. "You realize though that the Torilian vampire has been vanquished right?"
"I was told that the girl known as Cordelia killed him."
"So now we just need to deal with the Silerwor," Steve went on after he nodded to Arrin’s statement. "I don’t suppose you would be willing to let us handle it."
The dead look in Arrin’s eyes told Steve all that he needed to know, and the thought of a revenge minded person hunting in Sunnydale made him a bit uneasy. Yet he realized that Arrin would not leave so he offered the only olive branch he could and hoped Arrin would settle for it. "All right, then we will work together and hunt down this man with you. However my group is very goal oriented, we do not work with vengeance in minds."
"I am here to avenge, there is a difference."
"Difference between ice and water too," Faith smiled as she looked out the front window and watched Cordelia and Xander escort two men to the front door. "Looks like Xander and Cordelia found some playmates."
"Let them in," Steve ordered as he and Buffy stood up, leaving the rest of the group at the table. "Let’s see what they have to say for themselves."
Faith opened the door but stayed out of arms reach just incase the two captives tried to grab her as Xander pushed the pair into the house with the muzzle of his gun.
"Someone followed Steve and Buffy," Xander informed Cordelia as they left the house by the back door. "I wanna know what they want."
"How do you know they followed?"
"Let’s see they came around the corner about three minutes after Buffy and Steve and they parked in front of a house where no one is home, and they haven’t gotten out of the car."
"Could they be visiting?" Cordelia asked as they hopped the back fence and headed out around the block to come up on the blind side of the car in question.
"Don’t think so, the couple who lives there are at a convention in Las Vegas and won’t be back for another couple of days."
Cordelia only nodded her head as they moved up quietly on the car. She bent over and slashed the rear passenger tire open when she heard Xander say, "I don’t think you’ll be going anywhere."
"What," The driver sputtered as he started to turn toward the voice
"Don’t move unless I tell ya to" Xander commanded. "And when I tell you to, move slowly and keep your hands in sight."
Cordelia watched as the two men nodded their heads and followed Xander’s, she also noticed that both driver and passenger seemed to be a bit nervous at being caught.
Both Izzy and Reb were familiar with the tone of voice that carried into the car from slightly behind Izzy and they were smart enough to do just what the voice told them to do.
"Good, first you slide out and keep the keys of your car in your hand. When you get out place both of your hands flat on the roof of the car," The voice said after both men nodded their heads. As he moved Izzy tried to get a look at one of their captors, but it was impossible to do so from the way he was being forced to move. After he reached the spot designated the voice went on, "Ok pretty boy, now your turn, slide over to this side of the car and get out just like your friend, and bring your toy with you."
"What is going on?" Reb asked as he and Izzy were corralled toward the house. "Is this some kind of car jacking?"
"Keep your mouth shut," A sharp female voice came to them from behind him just as they stopped at the front door to the house they saw St. Wolf enter. "Now open that door."
Just as the man put out his hand to open the door, it was jerked open and standing in front of them was an very sexy looking brunette haired girl. The Glock 21, which she held in her left hand, somehow added to the overall exotic look of the girl, however, the way her hand held it steady was a bit unsettling.
"Good evening gentlemen, please come in."
"Go on," The females voice from behind ordered, "Just be careful where you put your hands."
Izzy watched as the door was open by the brunette haired girl and wondered just how proficient someone at her age could be with the Glock 21 she held in her left hand. "What is going on here?"
"I said shut up!" The boy from behind snapped as he jabbed him in the middle of the back. "Now get in there."
Without another word he stepped into the house his eyes scanned the room and almost immediately recognized the Elf from the bar, he also recognized the man known as Steve St. Wolf. As his eyes scan the rest of the room, the one thing that stood out was the average age of the people in it, which looked to be around seventeen. However, the way they stood reminded him of soldiers, very self-assured. Even the youngest boy who could not be any older than thirteen had the unmistakable aura of a top-notch soldier. The way he stood so relaxed among the others was very unsettling. They were pushed up against the wall and quickly but professionally searched by their two captors under the watchful eyes of the rest of the room with Izzy demanding. "What the hell is going on here?"
"I’d like to know that as well," Steve replied as he took the listening device from Reb’s hands. "What is going on here Xander?"
"They followed you and were outside trying to listen in on our conversation. Figured they’d hear a lot better if they were in the room."
"You going to tell us who you’re working for or do we do this the hard way?" Steve asked as his eyes locked on Izzy.
"I got nothing to say," Izzy stated as he tried, unsuccessfully, to ignore the stares.
"Guess we do it the hard way."
"I know these two," Arrin said as he looked them over. "They are working with two others and have interest in the boy, Xander."
"I am definitely getting too old for this shit," Izzy mumbled under his breath as the room turned suspicious eyes their way.
"Want to try this again? Or do we get the information the hard way?"
"What do ya wanna know?" Izzy asked as he looked at Arrin and remembered what the man done to Dum Dum in the bar. "But I would feel much better if we could call our superior and let him tell you what he wants you to know."
"Call him," Steve authorized as he pushed the cell phone toward Izzy from among the weapons and other personal gear that Cordelia and Xander put on the table after the search. Indicating the weapons pointed at the two men, "We don’t want you to speak out of turn, do we."
"Status report!" he demanded as he picked up the phone after having just hung up with the Knight General of the Grail.
"We were spotted, right now we are in St. Wolf’s custody," Izzy reported
"We are on our way," Nick replied as he hung up the phone and looked over to Dum Dum. "Looks like we are going to meet up with St. Wolf and Xander a lot sooner than I wanted to."
"Don’t matter does it?"
"Not really, head to 317 Bryant Terrace that is where Steve St. Wolf lives."
"He’s on the way," Izzy told the room as he hung up the phone.
Steve sat down opposite the two men and looked them over for a minute
"What are your names?"
"I’m Sargent Izzy Cohen," Izzy replied his attitude taking on a military bearing. "This is Sergeant Reb Ralston."
"And that’s the best I am going to get from ya huh?" Steve asked having heard that resolve voice too many times not to know what it meant.
"You can also have my serial number."
"Oh I’m sure we can get more than that," Steve mused as he looked out the window. "But right now I just don’t have time."
"Nothing like having everything come together at once," Arrin stated as he leaned back his eyes on Steve.
/Little bastard is loving this, / Steve thought as he looked at the smug look on Arrin’s face. /Well the bastard has a long wait if he is waiting for me to fall apart./
//want me to bite him// Duke snickered from the corner where he watched the whole thing unfold.
//No, just watch him and her too. //
"Can I ask him a few questions?" Xander asked menacingly as he moved toward Izzy cracking his knuckles, his eyes flashing dangerously. "Won’t take long at all."
Steve looked over to Xander with a bit of concern, since Arrin had told them that Izzy and his friends were interested in him, Xander eyes had not left the two men. He then turned to the rest of the group and realized that they all had the same look on their faces. This was something he feared, his eyes then drifted to Izzy as he thought. /old son, you’re going to soon realize that where these kids are involved you cut one and they all bleed. /
The sound of car doors slamming from outside jerked Steve out of his pondering as Willow called from the front window. "We have visitors."
"Let them in, lets get the cards out in the open."
Faith moved over to the window next to Willow and looked out; when she got a look at the visitors she softly whistled then said. "He is a big one."
"I can fix that." Arrin replied half jokingly as he looked over to see the smirk on Izzy’s face die a horrible death.
"Don’t," Steve ordered as he also saw the smug look on Izzy’s face fall. "At least not until he or they show some type of aggression. Willow please invite the visitors in."
Arrin turned cold eyes toward Steve as he heard the sharply spoken order. It had been a while since he had taken orders from anyone, human or not, and he was not sure he liked it. The fact that Steve felt comfortable giving the order was even more a surprise, since they had just met. Arrin studied Steve more closely and, for the first time he noticed the signs, the signs that separated Steve from other men. Signs that in his mind put Steve on a level with men like Blade and Condor; men who would walk through the gates of the Abyss to bring back a lost friend. Arrin had reason to believe that particular statement was more than just words for Blade and Condor, and something in Steve’s tone held the same quality of command. /For now I will follow your orders Steve, but don’t push it./
He turned his eyes toward the front door. It was opened to allow Nick Fury and Dum Dum to enter. The tension in the room shot higher than before when the man known as Nick walked into the room, and headed directly toward Steve. His movements showing a predator’s grace. Arrin watched as the two men stood about three feet apart, looking each other over. The big man stood near the door, his eyes on Willow and Faith, who now stood in front of him. Cordelia and Xander stood near Izzy and Reb, keeping them in their seats.
"Why are you detaining my men?" Nick demanded.
"They are not detained." Steve replied, knowing he had the upper hand. However, he was rightfully aware of Fury’s reputation. "We just invited them in."
"Where is your team?" Nick asked as his eyes suspicion-filled scanned the room. As he looked around, a light of understanding filled them but was quickly replaced by rage when he saw Brian walk into the room.
The attack was so fast and unexpected, no one in the room with the possible exception of Arrin, saw it coming. He knew, as should everyone in the room, that when two Ultra Alpha males came together, no matter what species, chances were only one would walk away. More often than not, the winner limped away to lick his wounds while the looser stayed on the battlefield dead.
"Kids!? You’re using kids!!! You fucking son of a bitch!" Nick growled as he turned on his left foot, bringing around his right fist, which landed squarely on Steve’s jaw, sending him into the bar that separated the living room and the kitchen. Following up his attack, Nick moved forward toward his intended victim.
Steve bounced off the bar and came back in a low crouch, waiting for Nick even as the rest of the room busted into sudden action. Izzy and Reb both grabbed the edge of the table, ready to force themselves up to help their boss, but both were forced back down in their seats as Cordelia and Xander put strong hands on their shoulders. Dum Dum started to move forward. His hand reached out to push the Dark Slayer out of his way, but as his hand reached it’s full extention, a sharp pain came to his knee, as the dark haired girl was no longer there. Faith had stepped aside even as Dum Dum came forward and kicked out with her left foot, which landed just behind Dum Dum’s knee, causing him to fall forward. She didn't stop there; her next attack a clothesline move sent the shocked Dum Dum back into the corner, where Willow, working in perfect conjunction with Faith, put up a minor containment spell which would hopefully contain the large man since. While stuck in a corner his muscles would not be much use.
Steve moved into a classic boxers stance, jabbing with the right to set up a follow up with the left, but Nick easily blocked both. Steve, knowing that Nick would block both attacks quickly changes tatics and his next attack is so unexpected that even Fury did not expect it. Steve swung a loping right to Nick’s jaw but at the same time brought his left foot up. It landed his steel toed shoes in Nick’s neither regions, causing him to bend over in pain. Steve followed up the kick with a knee to the face, throwing Nick over the back of the couch, which tipped over, spilling both Nick and Solace to the floor. Nick preformed a classic roll over and stand move that took him further away from the now advancing St. Wolf. He was in a crouch and ready as Steve stalked forward.
Arrin watched from his seat and nodded with approval. This was not his fight and he had no intention of interfering with it. He looked for the dog and wondered what it would do, but as he found it he noticed that Duke, who had started to change, now stopped and reverted back to normal. Obviously someone had told him to stand down. Most of the room's occupants, it seemed, were willing to allow the two males to hash it out. That was when he felt the magical energy collect in the room. His eyes drifted to the focal point and noticed two women, each one with hands that glowed with mystical energy.
"Not in the house!" Jenny ordered as she lifted her hand, which lifted Nick to hover three feet off the ground, at the same time Amy did the same to Steve. "If you wish to finish this it will be done in the gym."
Brian watched as the man who had just entered the house attack Steve. Although it came as no surprise since he had seen the same reaction more than once over the past year, he was somewhat surprised when Steve retaliated with more aggression than he had in the past. As he watched the man fly backwards blood flowing out of his mouth and nose. Brian watched as the man fell back into the couch and continued to fall back wards depositing him and the woman Solace on the floor.
/Someone is going to get their ass kicked Duke./ Brian sent as he looked over to where Arrin pushed away from the table and calmly stood up.
/This fight is between Steve and this man, all others should stay out of it./
/A power thing?/
/Yep./
/The guy is still going to get his ass kicked./
/Oh yea/
"God damn it put me fucken down!" The man screamed as he was lifted off the ground.
"Looks like the women have stepped in," Brain said as he scratched Duke just behind the ear drawing wimpers of content from him.
"See now this is where you don’t have a say in the matter," Jenny replied to the man’s demand. "First you answer a few questions then we will see about putting you down."
"Damn it St. Wolf!" Nick exclaimed. "What the hell is going on here?"
"You seem to have us at a disadvantage," Jenny said clearly taking control of this encounter. "Who are you?"
"I’m Nick Fury," He barked still fuming.
"And what is the reason you attacked Steve?" Jenny asked sarcastically.
"That bastard should not be involving kids in his activities."
Brian listen to the conversation as the pieces started to fall into place in his mind. This was the man that Willow said was Xander's real father; he must have come here to investigate the email that Willow sent him.
"Put me the fuck down."
"Jenny put us down," Steve ordered
"What are you doing here?" Jenny asked as she allowed Steve down while Amy allowed Nick down.
"I came to investigate an email I received last week."
Xander watched the whole encounter without making a comment he knew that this was the man whom Willow said was his biological father. He was not sure what he felt about the whole thing, he did know that this man weather he be his father or not had no right to come into this house and demand or expect anything.
"That doesn’t answer my question."
"My business here was with the boy, Xander. But now, I want to know what the fuck is going on here."
"That is none of your god damn business!" Xander barked tired of the entire dancing around routine. "Tell me what the fuck you want then move on."
"I came here to find out if you were my son."
"Biological maybe, outside that you’re nothing to me."
"I would like to talk to you in private," Nick replied as he looked around the room. "But first I want to know what the hell is going on here."
"That’s none of your fucken business." Xander coldly replied.
"Boy, I won’t…"
"My name is Xander not boy," he barked out cutting off Nick’s words.
"You children should not be involved in his activities," Nick said ignoring Xander’s sharp tongue. "There are too many organizations out there that can do this work."
"I get it, you want to bring in a group to fight the big nasties and protect us poor children right?" Xander asked sarcasm dripping from each word.
"I could have a team in here tonight."
"They would be dead by tomorrow," Xander quipped.
"Don’t be flippant," Nick smirked. "Any team I brought in would be more than able to handle things here."
"Oh?" Xander asked, "Than tell me, where were these groups when Tiamat tried her invasion? Where were these groups when the Judge tried to drain the world of humanity? Or when the Queen Vampire tried to raise the demon in LA? They were not here that’s for damn sure. We were though and when the next big bad comes along we will deal with that one too. No Mr. Fury, make no mistake in this. We are not involved in Steve’s activities, he is involved with ours."
"I will not allow you to continue this!" Nick demanded drawing laughs from all the occupants in the room.
"What do you want here Nick?" Steve asked as the laughter died down.
"I want to talk to the boy."
"Xander?" Steve asked as he turned to the boy.
"I will deal with him, but I really don’t know what he can say that is going to change things," Xander replied as he looked Nick over with contempt. Starting toward the room he had been sharing with Brian he motioned Nick to follow. "Come with me."
As they entered the room Xander closed the door and pointed to the sole chair in the room while he sat on his bed. For several seconds neither one spoke then tired of the silence Xander asked. "Tell me why did you come here?"
"I came to find out if it was true."
"About me?"
"Yes, I want to find out if you’re really my son."
"And if I am?"
"If you are, I have a moral obligation to…"
"Moral obligation?" Xander barked in disbelief. "Listen you idiot I’m 17 years old. You don’t have anything to do with me."
"Listen boy," Nick started his voice taking on an edge. "I just found out about you when I did I came to find out, to find you."
"Now that you found me?"
"I want to get to know you, to see what kind of a man you have grown up to be."
"Beyond that?" Xander asked
"We will see as time goes on."
"Alright I listened to you, now you listen to me," Xander replied with strength in his voice that even surprised him. "If you want to stay here and learn about me the first thing you have to do is learn that you’re not in control here. We are in a situation that needs our full attention; I can’t give you the time that I probably should. If you stick around you do so with the knowledge that I will not be giving you too much time. On the other hand if you really want to get to know me this is the perfect time. Just don’t try to interfere."
Small office under city hall
Mike Kampton The vampire who got away from Arrin was in a panic believing that the man who had dusted four of his cronies was still after him, he went to the one man he believed could help him. Finding the office empty he took a seat in a corner and waited for someone to show up. His nerves were just calming down and he was about to leave when an African American vampire who everyone knew worked for the Mayor walked into the room.
"Well hello there."
"Mr. Trick you have to help me."
"Oh?"
"The Slayer has a new ally, and this one has power I have never seen before."
"Who is he?"
"He called himself the Archer," the vampire replied as nervous sweat rolled down his face. "I need to talk to the Mayor."
"Come with me," Mr. Trick replied as he turned and walked out the door he had entered which lead to a passageway with a slight bank going up. "When we get there you will wait to be recognized before you say a word."
Soon the pair entered a passageway and came to a door with the name Mayor Wilkins written on a nameplate fixed to the door. As they walked in the office Mike noticed looked over the sole other occupant in the room. He had heard a lot about the Mayor and figured that if anyone could help him out of his current jam this would be the one. Instead of listening to Mr. Tricks advice about being calm he rushed forward and leaned heavily on the desk. His eyes were wild as his demon showed itself his voice trembled a bit as he blurted out. "There is a new threat in town and he wants the Silerwor, I think that is Drake."
"Calm down," Wilkins said in a bored voice as he wiped desk where the vampire had his hands. He then sat and leaned back as he looked over the Mike with a bored expression on his face as he asked. "Are you that afraid of one man?"
"I don’t know what he is, but he is not a man, well not like any I have ever met," Mike exclaimed fear in his voice. "He has power more power than anyone I have ever encountered."
"Your young," Wilkins replied as he leaned back in his plush chair playing with a pencil as he turned to Trick. "Well Trick what do you know about this visitor?"
"Only that he does indeed have a large about of power."
"I don’t need this unknown running around this close to my ascension," Wilkins muttered as he swung his chair around so he was looking out the darken town. Swinging back he looked at Mike and Mr. Trick before he said. "Get word to our informants, I want any information we have on Drake especially his location to get into the hands of both the Slayer and this new guy, with any luck they all will fight and get rid of two problems at once."
"The man did say that he was only interested in the Silerwor, maybe he will leave when it is over," Mr. Trick said optimistically.
"Get it done."
With nothing left to say, Mike and Mr. Tricks walked left the office and headed back down to the sewers. As Mr. Trick put his hand upon the door he jerked it back quickly stepping back away from the door he turned toward Mike and lifting his hand invitingly he said. "After you."
"Talk about being paranoid," Mike said as he opened the door and stepped through feeling a bit weak but forced himself to go on. As he stepped away from the door the spell hit him full force and caused him to stumble falling through the spell Arrin had put in place. As he passed though the body in which the vampire had been housed gave up and turned to dust expelling the vampire from the mortal plain.
Mr. Trick felt the power of the spell but did not understand it immediately; they should not have felt the spell that protected this door. However he felt it, and he could see that Mike felt it as well only being the trusting fool that Mike was he pushed himself on while Mr. Trick stayed on this side of the door. He gasped in shock when Mike was dispatched and involuntarily took another step back away from the door as he realized that something was defiantly wrong here. He turned back and rushed back up the passageway deciding not to take the risk of closing the door.
Mr. Trick was scare as he moved back toward the Mayor's office, scared for the first time in his very long life. He had always survived by aligning himself with beings more powerful than himself and allowed them to take the worst of the threats. Things started to go bad when he and his current boss, Kaikistos, wanted to destroy the current Slayer. That is when they find out there are more than just the one Slayer. Figuring it would be in his best interest to find out what these three Slayers were doing he followed them to the Hellmouth. Where he began to work with the Mayor who was even more powerful than his old boss. Now things were getting complicated, first he realized that this Slayer was not playing by the rules that the Watchers had laid down for them, she had went against tradition and formed an army after meeting her current lover "the Wanderer" who was probably one of the most feared Demon hunter in history, if that was not bad enough now there was this other threat. His thoughts became jumbled as he walked into the office seething //This is the Hellmouth, Vampires are suppose to be safe here.//
"Mr. Trick," The Mayor greeted in a clam voice that irked him. "What are you doing back so soon?"
"The passage is blocked by a very high powered spell. Must be the Slayer and her group again."
"Send the Mage down there to take care of it," The Mayor ordered as he leaned back in his chair. "Please make sure the word is passed to the Slayer and this new fellow. I’ll have second door added."
"She is getting too active for her own good ," Mayor Wilkins muttered as Mr. Trick walked out of the office headed for his duties. "Time to call in a clean up crew."
Wilkins had been around for close to three hundred years and in that time he had used the Order more than once to eliminate treats who had caused him irritations, he however was disgusted with the nature of the Order and so only used them as the last resort. //Seems this is the last resort.//
"What is it?" a voice hissed over the line after the first ring.
"I need to place an order," Wilkins replied his voice as calm as if he was ordering pizza.
"Who is the target?"
"Buffy Summers of Sunnydale California, an extra million if you can somehow get her boyfriend."
A long silence followed the request then a second voice came on this voice angry and defiant. "Mayor Wilkins, we know who you are and what you strive to become, but your request on this matter is denied. The Order does not take on suicide missions and if any of our order is found in Sunnydale that is exactly what it would become suicide."
"I don’t understand, the Order has never been afraid of anything."
"We are not afraid, we are just very cautious around beings that for now are more powerful then us." The voice replied and the connection was abruptly cancelled.
"Rude," Wilkins muttered as he hung up the phone thinking of someone else he may call.
Willy knelt in front of the safe in his office, hastily throwing its contents into a large satchel on the floor. He had already been to the bank and cleared out his fast cash account; this was money he had put aside just in case something went wrong, and right now they could not get any worse. The Elf had told him that it was not safe to be a fence sitter right now, and he didn’t know how to be anything but. That the Elf was now working with the Slayer made no difference. He didn’t believe the Slayer could keep this guy in check for long. Already he had witnessed first hand how the Elf dealt with opposition and he had no reason to doubt that he would turn that trick on him… or do worse.
As he shoved the last small leather bag into the knapsack, the bag opened and a single diamond skidded across the floor. Willy turned to retrieve the stone and found that he was not alone in the room. The stone had come to a stop in front of Drake, who was watching Willy with interest.
Drake knelt down to pick it the stone by his foot. As the light caught it he hesitated only a minute, staring into its depths as he stood up. Time came to a standstill as memories washed over him. Memories of a fight, which had happened many years ago, rushed back to him. Only luck had gotten him out of that crater on the ocean floor and to a underground cavern which held enough air for him to live, and it took many years of exploring and digging before he had found a way to get to the world above; years of running into nightmarish things including a black Elf who was bald as a cue ball, only he’d been a mercenary that helped him survive that meeting. Close to fifteen hundred years after he returned to the outside world, he willingly avoided the Archer, in hopes that he would not have to deal with him again. Word of the elf’s adventures had reached him from all parts of Faerun; he had no wish to meet him again. Now in a different world, it seemed that he’d drawn the elf’s attention again. This time though, things would be different. He knew he had no chance in single combat against the elf, but if he could fool him into believing he was dead, the Archer would have no reason to stay.
"Where did you get this diamond?"
"A customer," Willy replied nervously, holding his hand out for the stone.
"Where is this customer? What did he look like?"
Fear was plainly evident in Willy’s eyes as he looked at Drake. "He hasn’t been around, and to be honest, I don’t plan on being around when he comes back."
"Probably a smart move," Drake mumbled with a final look of disgust toward Willy. Drake turned on his heels and moved to the sewer exit. He did not blame Willy for leaving; he had seen and heard of larger and more powerful beings that ran when the Archer was on the hunt. Recalling all the things he had heard and witnessed about the Archer, it did seem the most prudent thing to do.
As he moved down the ladder that would take him to the sewers, he moved toward his old lair with only two thoughts on his mind. The first was to get to his old lair and destroy all evidence of his passing; the second was to find a way to get in touch with another black mage, one powerful enough to pull off the trick he’d been considering since seeing the diamond.
The vampire Richard was waiting for him as he reached the sewer. Richard had been with Billy and Mike, setting up a new nest a few miles outside of town and was now on his way back to take Drake to the lair.
"We have the new lair all set up," Mike said as he followed Drake to the old lair. "We found an empty warehouse on the beach, next to the wharf."
"Mike, do you know how to contact another Black Mage?"
"Well since the Council was destroyed, they’re not as organized as before, but I think I can get word to one. Why?"
"Just do it."
When Drake entered the old lair, he quickly but thoroughly searched the room, looking for anything that would lead the Archer to him. His search was in vain for there was nothing left of the place that was recognizable. When he was satisfied that he could not be followed, he started a fire in the middle of the room and watched as it grew. When he was sure that the fire was well on its way he turned and started toward the new lair.
Two hours later, he arrived . Mike was waiting for him with a man who he introduced as Alistair King. King, it seemed, was a Black Mage with a deep grudge against the Wanderer and his bottle-blonde-bitch Slayer. Since the abandonment of the first Black Mage, Drake did not trust them. But for what he wanted, a long term working relationship was not necessary. He’d use the Mage and then send him on his way.
"I want you to create something for me," Drake ordered. "It is something you probably have never created before, but I have the spell to do it. I just don’t have the ability to do it. If you do this for me you will be able to keep the spell."
At the mention of a new spell, King kept his silence until he knew for certain this would be worth his time. He watched the man, introduced as Drake, move around the room with purpose, first digging in one bag for some type of old parchment, then in another bag for what looked like a block of candle wax. Even without the use of his magic sight he could tell the candle was magical, very powerful and very old. But he also knew that it was not from this world. He had never seen or felt anything like it.
Drake moved back toward him and handed him both items. "This is Wax of the Doppelganger, a wax that in itself is created from life. This parchment carries a spell that brings it to life. I need it to be rid of someone who is after me. You could use the same material to rid yourself of the constant hunt from this man they call the Wanderer."
King listened to what Drake had said and it seemed a bit far-fetched. But as he looked over the spell and noticed that it was protected in a way that it could be used more than once, he started to realize that Drake’s idea had merit. Besides, there was nothing for him to lose; he would not even lose any energy to cast the spell since all he had to do was read it from the scroll. It would also be interesting to see who this man, who obviously had more power than he let on, was afraid of if not the Wanderer and the Slayer.
"I will do as you ask," King replied, his voice showing he was clearly in control. After breaking the brick of wax in half, he put the second half in a small bag. "This is Blood magic; to make it work I need a small amount of your blood."
"I know what it takes," Drake said as he cut his arm with a silver dagger, allowing the blood to run freely onto the wax until his Immortality healed the wound. "Cast the spell, take your booty, and leave."
King was not thrilled with taking orders from anyone but decided this would not be a good time to voice his objections. He turned his full attention to the spell at hand, reading the scroll and making the gestures called for. He watched in amazement as the wax grew into an exact duplicate of the man who stood in front of him.
He was amazed at what he saw, although he knew that the spell said what should happen; he still could not believe it had actually worked. He looked back at the parchment and said. "It says you have to…."
"I know what I have to do," Drake growled, cutting King off as he violently yanked one of his own fingernails off his hand. He attached the fingernail to the doppelganger’s finger and recited from memory. "Into this world I give you life, to double my space until your death."
King watched in amazement as the doppelganger came to life and turned to its master and said something in an ancient dialect. He was not sure what the copy said, but he did know that this magic could help him avoid the Wanderer. With the parchment and wax safely tucked away, he hurriedly gathered his two vampire concubines and rushed out of the warehouse into the sewer. The three of them quickly left Sunnydale behind.
Drake ignored King and his two girls as they left the room; he had served his purpose and was no longer needed. He now needed to program the doppelganger for its role in the grand scheme of fooling the Archer into believing he was dead. An evil grin spread across his face as he realized that this plan would work if played right. Drake was someone who knew how to make things work the way he wanted.
Sunnydale’s Chief of Police sat behind his large oak desk as he looked at the new officer who had transferred from San Francisco. His service jacket laid open on his desk. In it were a number of minor infractions and more than a few major accusations of planting or removing evidence from a crime scene. The jacket should have been enough to drum any officer out of the force; however this particular officer obviously had something to hold over someone’s head in San Francisco. So instead of kicking him off the force they sent him to Sunnydale, which was the only force in the state that was short of officers.
The Chief tried to be professional as he looked over the jacket. It was easy to smell a dirty cop when the signs were as openly displayed as this one was. He was not against dirty cops, in this town they were the best kind to have. They kept their mouths shut and normally went along with the party line on most issues, wanting to stay out of the limelight, not like the obstinate three; Wanda Carstairs, Jason Hendricks; and Daniel Patterson. They were three of the biggest troublemakers in the department. They didn’t go along with the party line; it seemed to him they were always trying to make a name for themselves. Last year he was so disgusted with the three that he actually put them on night duty, but they caused so much trouble with the local talent that the Mayor ordered him to put them back on the day shift.
Closing the service jacket, he looked back up to the man who stood in front of him. 6’ 1" with blond hair and deep blue eyes, his broad muscular shoulders narrowed down to a lean powerful waist, the creases in his uniform appeared to be sharp enough to cut.
"Welcome to Sunnydale, Officer Smith," The Chief said as he looked up to at the officer.
"Thank you, Sir."
"We have a unique situation here in Sunnydale," He went on as he picked up a second folder, tossing it to the officer who stood in front of him he said. "This is our position on any unexplained deaths. Stick to it and you will not have any problems. Right now I have only one officer I can team you up with but I hesitate to do so."
"I work better alone," Waco said.
"In Sunnydale no one works alone," The Chief barked. The problem was that the only available officer was Jason Hendricks, and that was not an option he wanted to take. "Until I find out what to do with you, I want you to ride as third wheel with Officers Slate and Wonters."
Waco looked through the folder and could not believe what he was reading. Over sixty unexplained deaths this year, all attributed to street gangs on PCP? He briefly wondered how many people actually believed this, and why weren’t these deaths making the news. Sheriff Douglas had told him not to trust anyone, but he was not sure he would be able to learn anymore if he could not find someone on the inside to trust.
He walked into the briefing room seconds before it was called to order and took a minute to look around the room. He wondered how many men here had actually accessed his service record. If the silence was any indication, he figured that most if not all had at least heard of him. He knew what the record contained and was disgusted by it; no police force should have accepted an officer with a service jacket like the one he’d been introduced with.
He dispassionately looked around the room and took a seat in the rear, alone. He listened to the Sergeant drone on about the night’s patrols. As he looked around the room the first thing he noticed was that every officer here had at least two weapons and more then a few had some kind of holy symbol present.
"What the hell?" he mumbled to himself as he listened to the briefing. His patrol would be the night one for the next month. Both Slate and Wonters looked over at him with interest when they were told. "Guess I’ll find out tonight."
Waco rode in the back seat of the patrol car as they patrolled the streets in the early evening hours. The sun had not gone down yet as they cruised down the residential streets. They rode in silence as the driver; Slate stole quick glances at him in the mirror.
"This is basically a slow suburb," Slate informed Waco as he turned down a second residential street. "We patrol each of the residential streets, grab something to eat, and then we go to the center of town and answer calls."
"Sounds reasonable," Waco replied nonchalantly, keeping his real thoughts to himself as he watched out the window, noting the number of houses that were up for sale.
The rest of the night’s shift was spent talking about the town and how it had actually been growing in the past three months. He was sure that the man called St. Wolf and his second in command had something to do with that, but he didn’t mention it. His orders were to keep as low as profile with in the police force as possible, and try to find who was ordering the cover up in the small town.
As he leaned back in the squad car, parked outside a large church that was in the center of town, Waco thought. /This is going to be a fun assignment. /
Nick stared in amazement at the young man who had just told him basically to shut up and listen. He was not accustomed to anyone giving him orders and he damn sure did not accept them from a snot nosed kid. "Listen here, boy--"
"No," Xander snarled as he turned to face off with Nick. "You listen to me. I don’t know what you think you’re here for, and maybe you think that you’re here to check out some punk kid who may or may not be your son. But what you really found is a situation that you have no control over. We have been here fighting the good fight for the past three years, two of which have been a stand off action. When Steve came we started to gain ground, and have been steadily gaining ground for the past 9 months. Now you can either sit in a corner and watch, or you can get ready and come with us out on patrol."
"You patrol the Hellmouth?"
"What have we been telling you for the past 3 hours?" Xander asked as he picked up a couple of extra clips.
"All I’m saying is that there are groups that were commissioned to do these things."
Xander stopped arming himself and turned toward Nick, his eyes showing the strength and sorrow he felt at Nick’s words. As his eyes locked with Nick’s he asked in a stone cold voice. "Where were these groups when I had to kill my best friend Jesse? Where were these groups when the vampires attacked the Bronze? They sure the hell weren’t here. Seems to me every time we meet someone who is in the know they want us to stop fighting. Tell me something, how do you expect us to walk away when we know what is out there. You give me a good answer to that and I’ll set aside my guns. Until then, either get ready or get out of my way."
Nick stared at him for a moment before he sighed. "I’ll come with you, but someone better tell me exactly how you kids are holding off vampires with pistols."
"OK guys," Steve said as Nick and Xander left the living room. "We still have to patrol. Since we don’t know how long those two will be in there, we are going to change areas of patrol tonight. Cordelia, your group will wait twenty minutes and go with or without Xander. There are enough of you that you should be able to handle the patrol without too many problems, but if you get in trouble give me a call. Faith, Buffy, and I will take the trouble spots and cover the Bronze and Boardwalk. You three cover the smaller cemeteries; don’t worry if you don’t make it to them all just get the hot spots."
"Alright," Cordelia, Faith, and Buffy agreed.
"We can go with them," Dum Dum stated for the rest of the Howlers, who all nodded in agreement.
"You will follow orders given you like the rest of MY team," Cordelia said, confirming that she would be in command of the patrol. She opened a panel in the wall and retrieved three Glock 19’s, along with three clips for each weapon. "Leave your weapons here; you will use these."
Taking the weapons in silence, the team still kept their own just to be on the safe side. Dum Dum looked over the pistol in his hand and then looked at one of the spare magazines taking out the top bullet he looked it over with interest. "What is this bullet made of?"
"Compressed wood," Cordelia replied as she and her team ate from the table that Arrin had provided, finding the taste of the food just a tad off but surprisingly good for magic food. "Lead rounds don’t do much to vampires and silver bullets are overkill. But in one of the magazines you’ll find Dutch loaded silver and wood. Place that magazine somewhere so you know where it is, just in case we run into something really nasty."
Steve watched the scene play out and knew that Cordelia had made the correct impression on the group of Howlers. Satisfied that she would have no trouble with him and trusting Xander enough to know that he would handle Nick, Steve turned back to Giles. "Giles I want you and Jenny to stay here for support should something come up that one of the groups can’t handle."
With nothing else to be said or done, Steve started toward the front door, calling the Slayers to follow him. //Duke keep an eye on the house, make sure no one causes any trouble.//
"I would like to come along with you."
Steve looked back surprised at the offer from Arrin, a gut hunch told him that Arrin was a lone hunter and would not easily take orders from anyone. As he studied Arrin he was about to tell him that he could go with them, but only if he agreed to be a part of the team he himself would be in charge of. Some primitive instinct told Steve that Arrin would not agree to such demands.
"I will work as part of your team and will not do anything with out consulting you first," Arrin said before Steve could say anything. "I am here for the Silerwor and sitting here will not find him."
With such an argument, Steve could only nod his head in agreement. As the four walked out of the house, Arrin turned to Solace. "Stay with the children, if you should happen along the Silerwor let me know so I can come to you and help."
Solace nodded and took a seat next to Brian and Duke, rubbing the back of Duke’s head and bringing a whimper of contentment from the dog.
As they strode into Weatherly Park, Arrin watched and listened to the area around them. At first he did not hear anything strange or out of place, so he moved deeper into the park, following Steve and the girls. As they moved deeper into the wooded area of the park, a feeling of doom swept over him like he had never felt before. He was not a trained Druid, but he could still feel the cry of death from the trees, the ground, and the grass. There was no sign of any living creature that may have lived in this area and that in it self was disconcerting. He was just about to ask about this area when he noticed the change in the girls. Their steps were shorter, more relaxed; the aggression leaving their bodies to be replaced by an innocence which no one would have believed if they had witnessed them only seconds before. He was just about to ask about it when three vampires and one demon stepped into the clear from behind the trees.
"Well, well, well," the tallest of the Vampires taunted as they walked toward the girls. "Where’re you little girls going?"
"Whatcha say, B; they new to the area or just