FIC: Alibi (3/?)

["Shadow" <Shadowlander1@xxxxxxx>]

Title: Alibi (3/?)
Author: Shadowlander
Email: Shadowlander1@xxxxxxx
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters commonly associated with
Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel: The Series; they belong to others and
are used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.
Archive: The usual places, all others please ask first.
Rating: NC-17 {to be on the safe side}

ALIBI (3/?)

Hyperion Hotel, Los Angeles CA,

"I WILL NOT AVENGE THAT BASTARD!" the tall, usually brooding, vampire
raged, his game face firmly in place as he prowled his private office,
looking for something to smash. "If they think I am going to bring that
son of a bitch's murderer to justice they are out of their damn minds.
You hear that PTB... I'm not going to do it! Get another lapdog!" He
yelled at the ceiling, throwing in a few Gaelic curses for good measure.

"Now he gets a backbone concerning them," Lindsey MacDonald grumbled low
under his breath, with a slight smirk. Only to have the smug little
grin threatening to form on his face wiped off by the hand he suddenly
found wrapped around his throat as he was slammed into the bookcase by
the very same vampire.

"You do NOT have permission to speak in MY home... do I make myself
clear," Angel growled, his yellow/gold eyes boring into the human
lawyer's. "The only reason you are allowed to live is because you are a
good lay... and you serve a useful purpose for the moment, continue to
irritate me and I will find a new lawyer to serve me. Do I MAKE myself
clear?" he finished, making it quite clear just where the lawyer's
services where needed the most, some of which had little to do with a
court of law.

"He's not dead," a softly accented voice said, breaking up the staring
match the vampire and lawyer had gotten into.

"Who's not dead?" Darla asked, walking over to her lover, "did you get
Willow to eat something?" she added after giving the insane vampire a
quick kiss.

"The naughty little boy, who hurt our Little Tree... he's not dead," Dru
replied, "and Willow is eating now."

"Whoa, whoa... wait, wait.... what the hell do you mean, 'he's not
dead'?" Cordelia demanded, "I got the headache and several terrifying
images that are going to give me nightmares to prove it."

"He broke the agreement with the High Ones... he give into the darkness
once more... he plots his revenge against my Spikey and Little Tree,"
Dru said with a frown, "My Spike and Little Tree have been good... the
naughty little boy has to be stopped!"

"That doesn't make any sense... why fake his own death?" Lindsey asked,
forgetting momentarily that he had been commanded not to speak, only to
be reminded by a low murderous growl and a hard slam into the bookcase
by the enraged vampire.

"He wants us to drop our guard," Darla said, more to herself then anyone
else, "he hasn't been able to get near Spike, Tara or Willow since that
night."

"That little bastard... I knew we should have let Angel eat him,"
Cordelia growled thinking of the suffering her friends and family had
gone through at his hand.

Turning away from her lover, Darla paced the office for a few moments,
"Dru...how do you know he's still alive?"

"Luvy still feels him... senses his presence but has not made the
connection."

"Good... make sure Willow doesn't... I don't want her upset," Darla
said, her eyes flashing yellow for a split second, "Cordelia... call the
Watcher inform him of our suspicions. If Finn is alive he has to still
be in Sunnydale... he'll go after Spike and the Slayer first."

"On it," Cordelia said, reaching for the phone on Angel's desk, ignoring
for the moment her loathing of taking orders from the blonde vampire.
'What am I a minion?' she asked herself, but chose not to voice the
question, for the time being she would let it slide; they had more
important matters to attend to, 'just as long as she doesn't make a
habit out of it.'

***********************
Sunnydale, California
Giles' Flat

Rupert Giles put down the Sunday paper with a frown, scratching his
bearded chin for a moment; he pondered what he had just read.
"Rubbish," he said, with a firm nod, his eyes hardening as he thought of
the only reason someone would go to such lengths to disappear. "All
right lad... you want to play games with me... I'll play, but the ol'
Ripper is playing for keeps this time," he said, staring murderously at
the article about the Finn homicide.

"Talking to yourself now Watcher... first sign of senility you know," an
amused voice said from behind Giles, as Spike wandered into the room,
his bleached blonde hair sticking up at odd angles as he scratched his
t-shirt clad chest, trying to shake the effects of sleep off. "What did
you put in my blood last night?" he demanded grumpily, feeling like he
had been hit by a runaway bus, then remembering that he had indeed been
hit by a bus... a large out of town gray hound, while on patrol. "Oh
yeah that's right... there was a bus there, stupid bugger to actually be
on time!" he complained to himself, reaching for the discarded paper.
"Well hello!" he brightened immediately, upon seeing the article Giles
had been reading, "please let them have printed all the gruesome
details," he said, casting a quick look skyward, before settling in with
a big goofy looking grin to read all about the last hours of Riley
Finn's life.

The phone ringing stopped Giles from making any comment, 'Let him have
his fun,' the Watcher decided rising to get the mobile, 'who knows maybe
he's right and I am getting senile.'

Roughly twenty minutes later the vampire and Watcher were back at the
table, identical looks of hatred and outrage in their eyes, "So Darla
thinks this is all a plot to get us to drop our guards, huh?" Spike
growled, "that damn little bastard... I should have torn his heart out
when I had the chance."

"Yes... and I tend to agree... if Willow can still sense him, he has to
still be alive somewhere," Giles replied, somewhat lost in thought only
half paying attention to Spike's continued growls and curses.

"Hey Watcher... does this mean if he's already been declared dead that
we can kill him and not get into any trouble?" Spike suddenly asked, a
bright hopeful look in his blue eyes.

"The case would have to be closed first, but I don't see how we could
get into any trouble for killing a dead man", Giles replied without
thinking, his mind on other things.

"Oh goody", Spike replied happily, his goofy looking grin returning as
he began to plan out the next time Riley Finn would die, if he was
indeed alive somewhere in Sunnydale.

***********************
Los Angeles -

Tara Maclay rolled over in bed, pulling her pillow over her head as the
persistent ringing of the phone dragged her out of a sound sleep.
Blindly reaching out for the phone on the bedside table, she drug the
receiver under the pillow with her and groaned, "No one home... call
back at a more human hour."

"Tara wake up and get to the office, we got trouble," Cordelia's
sickeningly cheerful voice said from the other end of the receiver, "and
wake up Amy too, we're going to need her."

Groaning softly and banging her head against the mattress as Cordelia
hung up, Tara wondered for the billionth time why she moved to LA in the
first place. 'Who are you kidding, Maclay? You came to be near Willow
and to get away from that bastard,' she thought ruefully, pulling the
pillow off her head and returning the receiver to its cradle, knowing
full well that if she didn't get a move on Cordy would be calling or
showing up at her front door to drag her to the office. 'She'd probably
dress me too,' she thought with a slight shudder, remembering the one
and only time she foolishly went shopping with the wonder that was
Cordelia Chase.

"Who was that?" Amy Madison's sleepy voice cut into her silent musings,
as the bed shifted.

"C-cordelia... we're needed at the office," Tara said with a sheepish
little grin, as she looked at her sleep ruffled lover, then something
occurred to her, "I hope nothing has happened to Willow." She muttered
to herself, a sinking feeling forming in her gut.

************************
Sunnydale -

"Ah Justice can I ask you a question about Anya?" Donavon asked as the
two left the magic shop, at the other officer's nod, "that thing with
her face... she's a demon right?"

"Was wondering when you were going to ask about that," Justice replied
with a chuckle, "but yeah, Anya is a demon, one of the most feared in
the demon community... at one time she was the patron demon of scorned
women, a real terror to the entire male populace in fact. She lost her
powers for a time due to a wayward wish... but got them back shortly
after the Finn mess, now she's back to being a full-fledged vengeance
demon once more... although she isn't quite limiting herself to
torturing men." The officer explained as they approached their car
parked across the street.

"A vengeance demon?" the detective questioned, filing away the
information.

"Oh no Detective... if Anya is Finn's murderer the crime scene would
have been a hell of a lot messier and his body would have been left in
the middle of Main Street hanging from the traffic lights," Justice
said, in a serious tone, "Anyanka is not known for doing things
half-assed, if she killed Riley Finn, it would have been in public and
quite possibly in full view of the City Council."

Once the two officers's got into the vehicle, "You know Justice... I
don't know what concerns me more, the fact that there are actually
beings that would do those sorts of things running lose in town. Or the
fact that you happen to be on first name bases with most of them,"
Donavon said warily, as Justice started the car.

"Don't worry Detective... I'll protect you from the mean ol' creatures
of the night," AJ promised him, putting the car into gear, she gave him
a quick grin, her features shifting a bit as she grinned merrily, gently
reminding him that his partner just happens to be a demon herself.

Shaking his head in defeat, "Is there anyone in this town that doesn't
know about demons or happens to be to one?" He asked, as the car pulled
into traffic.

"Well I think there are a few toddlers here and there around town... and
there is always those big city folks from LA that move here trying to
get away from the crime and pollution," came the helpful reply from his
laughing partner.

End Part Three.




Shadow -
Dir. of Pub. Safety of the SECLGA and Chief Dungeon Keeper.
Vampire Teddy Bear and Flying Fox {Fruit Bat} of the Woods Outback.
The Big Bad and Little Comma.