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Title: Human
Layers 2: Soul Scars (Chapter 1)
Author: Pat Kelly Rating: PG-13 Summary: It's senior year, and while they know that some things will stay the same, Buffy, Cordelia, and the rest of gang also know that there're new challenges and changes ahead. Some of them, they'd never expect. Spoilers:
Season 3.
Disclaimer: All hail Joss and his army of Mutant Enemies. I don't own BTVS. I make no money. Long live UPN! Burn the WB! Note: Hope you like. :-) One -----
Willow looked in the rearview mirror of Oz's van from her spot in the passenger seat, initially seeing only Xander and Amy sitting where the band's equipment was usually stored; her friends smiled at her, and she gave a weary smile in return. But then, as she remembered the adults that had gone with them, her eyes found Giles' Citrogen out the windows of the back door. She felt sorry for Miss Calendar, though luckily, they had just turned onto his street; which meantthat their trip was almost officially at its end. Before she could even finish that thought, the van was pulling up to the librarian's house and coming to a stop.
Her boyfriend turned to her, so she shifted her attention to him as she unbuckled her seatbelt, her smile expressing more sadness than the weariness it had moments ago. He didn't notice, and she knew that, but they both had understandable distractions on their minds -- what she didn't know, was if she'd ever be ready to share hers. His was a happy thing; at the festival he met a record company executive who was interested in hearing the band play. The guy was dragged there because 'mystical things' fascinated his wife. Even though Oz wasn't jumping off the walls, he was still excited, and she was excited for him. But she had no idea where it would all lead; the possibilities of it scared her, and not just the start of his musical career, either.
As she sighed, their friends slid open the side door and got out.
"Hey, we've got our very own welcoming, uh...duo." Xander said, seeing a ragged-looking Buffy and Cordelia slipping off the gloves they were wearing and coming side-by-side to greet them after they'd stood up from their slouched position against Giles' front door. "Are they super-glued together? Cause I don't think they can live like that. People need space; it's a fact of life. Is anyone else feeling like separation has become a foreign concept to them, or am I alone here?"
"I think it's sweet."Amy countered, eyeing him. "Love's cool...isn't it?"
"Uh...uh huh. Absolutely. You bet your broomstick it is. It lifts us up where we belong, it's all you need..." He flashed her an, 'I'm in a hole, but I didn't mean anything by it' smile, she punched his shoulder, and then he turned back to the girlfriends, wounded. "But come on, it's gotta be a little unhealthy. I mean, we've onlybeen gone two days, and look what happened. They've turned into a new form of white trash. Attractive white trash, but still."
For once, Xander wasn't quite so far off. After swimming, they had both changed into pairs of old, ratty jeans, unfashionable, white tank tops, and worn sneakers. Two bandanas that they'd found in the attic, one red (Buffy's) and one black (Cordelia's) successfully completed the look. With Marta having the weekend free, it hadbeen up to them to deal with the areas of the Chase house that were ravaged by the town's very inconvenient plumbing problem. The bathrooms were the worst, and they both agreed never to speak of the events within those tiled walls again. The hours seemed to last forever, and the grime just wouldn't wash away.
Once they cleaned allthat they could with the rags, towels, plunger, and cleaner available to them, they went to the slayer's house and graciously helped Joyce tackle her mini-explosions of grossness. It was the one time that Buffy was glad her house wasn't the size of her girlfriend's. Finished with that task, they used up what remained of their energy to trudge over to the watcher's house and warn him about the sight he was going to witness when he opened his door. Now they were tired, and had straggly, itchy hair. Mixed splotches of various unnamed substances were on their faces, tops, and some of it was under their fingernails. To top it all off, since showers weren't an option, they carried a stench that would frighten skunks away.
Reaching the group, it was clear that they were somewhere in between miserable and ready to snap.
"Something tells me Ishould hang out here." Willow said to Oz, seeing the state her other friends were in, and hopping out. "Are you gonna go tell Devon?"
"Yeah. We need the practice; definitely gotta learn more than three chords. Scary territory." The guitarist joked, but you wouldn't know that by his face. "Love you, Will."
The hacker leaned over the passenger seat, he moved to meet her lips for a quick kiss, and then she shut the door. "You know I think it's great news, right? It really is, and I'm sure you'll be awesome at any new stuff in no time. So good luck and all."
"Thanks." He said.
"Bye, Oz." She watched him drive away and waved, knowing that she'd sounded dumb, before addressing Buffy and Cordelia. "What happened to you guys? Is everything okay? You didn't have a fight, did you?"
"I'm gonna go with 'Major Cat Fight in a Dumpster.'" Xander added on, trying to block the smell by pressing the back of his hand up against his nostrils. "I've heard nothing but good things about soap; you should try and get your hands on a few bars."
Buffy just stared at him blankly, but his comment lit a fire in Cordelia, who lunged forward, prepared to strangle his throat. The blonde got in between them immediately, and held her girlfriend's arms while Xander jumped back, blindly swatting the air in an attempt to defend himself. The tension and murderous rage slowly left the brunette, and she allowed her limbs to be gently guided down into a neutral position at her sides, being convinced by Buffy's eyes that crushing his larynx wouldn't solve anything. Though who'd convict her?
The slayer turned to the terrified male, looking apologetic. "She's...kinda edgy, so you might wanna shelve the material for later." Buffy advised.
"Edgy or homicidal?" Xander asked in a higher pitch than normal.
"Try me." Cordelia challenged through clenched teeth. "Please."
He checked to make sure his neck was still there. "No, no, I'll pass. How 'bout a rain check? Like, say, sometime during the tail end of never?"
The brunette began opening her mouth, but Buffy quickly clamped her hand over it while Amy pulled Xander down the street, away from any more trouble.
"We'll catch up later?" The witch asked.
Buffy nodded in agreement, her voice taking on a sarcastic tone. "Welcome home." The couple was nearlyat the other end of the block before she called to them. "And whatever you do, avoid pipe-heavy areas!" She removed her hand from her girlfriend's lips.
"Avoid pipe-heavy areas? This whole town's a pipe-heavy area -- the miles and miles of sewer?" Cordelia reminded her.
"Yeah, I know; still good advice, though." Buffy shrugged.
Willow's concerns left her then, as her friend's warning puzzled her. "What's so bad about pipes? Theyhave water that let's you drink and take showers and --" Buffy and Cordelia wereon the verge of tears. "Oh." She frowned. "What's wrong?"
The adults had been silent up to this point, but when the cheerleader exhaustedly rested her head on the slayer's shoulder, Miss Calendar chimed in. "Girls, what's going on?"
"Find out for yourself." Cordelia suggested.
Giles got the distinct impression that he was supposed to dread entering his home. Keys in hand, he led the four females to his door, stuck the right key in the lock, and turned. There was an audible gasp from the Englishman when his door swung open, and he came close to collapsing, thanks to the view he saw. The redhead and the techno-pagan stopped that from occurring, though.
"Good lord." He finally said, while turning to his slayer and her girlfriend with a slightly accusing stare.
Two, gaping mouths was the response he received. But then their jaws became firmly set, and their hands crossed over their chests, as they met his stare, indignant.
"Does he think...?" Cordelia asked Buffy.
"I think he does." The blonde answered.
"Thought so." The brunette nodded.
"Offended?" Buffy wondered.
"Oh yeah." The cheerleader glared. "Deeply."
"Me too." The slayer concurred.
There was another tremor at that moment, and after it subsided, they turned on their heels and left the watcher to fend for himself.
Willow watched the dumb-founded older generation for a second, before deciding to speak. "See? That's what you get for going around placing silent blame all irresponsibly."
She ran after her fellow Scoobies, finally noticing the partially flooded street.
***
"A press conference was held outside of City Hall just a few hours ago, in which Mayor Richard Wilkins III addressed the town's recent plumbing problems. He assured citizens that crews are working around the clock to determine the cause and the extent of the damage. Once they've come up with an answer repairs will begin immediately,and we'll all be thankful for that, won't we, Diane?" The anchorman said from the television in Angel's mansion.
Why did he have such a technological marvel in his rather bare home? Because Willow insisted that since he was a "human vampire" full-time now, he had to stay up on the world's current events; after all, he was a part of it. So at the start of summer, she dragged him to the mall and helped him pick out a TV, which was paid for with moneyhe'd been collecting over the centuries. That got the redhead listing the benefits of a well-managed bank account (there was also a story about her piggy bank and it's plummeting demise), and she quickly launched into his options on the computer front. But he needed to ease into this with some kind of step program. Like the VSEA -- "Vampires Souled for Eternity Anonymous."
He was grateful for her encouragement, though. She was his biggest, and maybe only, supporter. Whatshe went through...well, nothing he could ever say would be enough. Thanks to her, somehow the guilt wasn't plaguing him nearly as strongly as it had, leavinghim to actually enjoy her gift. Simply put, that gift was contentedness, despite the demon remaining inside. Whether or not he felt he deserved it was a different matter entirely, but Willow refused to listen to his negativity. How she managed to remain constantly cheerful was a mystery. Hopefully her attitude towardshim would rub off on the others, whom he'd have to fight alongside again, and tension easily led to mistakes in a situation like that. Also, he just wanted to regain their trust; which he couldn't do until they gave him a chance.
It wasn't as if he expected them to come knocking on his door and asking him to hang out or anything --he didn't even know how to do that -- however, he wouldn't turn down an acknowledgement. Given the news report he'd just seen, however, the vampire figured that no one would be dropping by; not even Willow, who seemed to be visiting less and less lately. Where had she been? He worried about that; it made him think he did something to scare her off. And after everything thathad taken place, that was the last thing he wanted to do. He hadn't suddenly become ignorant of the scars he continued to carry with him, not at all. They were scars etched on his soul, and because they were there as reminders, they weren't going to fade. He'd do what was asked of him until the day he was allowed to find true peace -- that was his promise.
Killing his own kind was part of the deal, and it was satisfying. Almost a bonus. But tonight, with the smell practically being absorbed by every human in town, his extended family probably wasn't risking getting too close to the usual meal. It was one thing to live in the sewers, but it was another thing to taste their aroma on the flesh you're sinking your teeth into. Personally, Angel was sticking to the first floor of the mansion where the scent wasn't as bad; away from the bathrooms and the places hardest hit. Still, it wasn't hard to pick up. He knew there was more to the problem, that much was clear, but it wasn't his place to make a move. He was here to help, not to lead. Someone else had already assumed that role.
"Wow. I never thoughtI'd live long enough to see you vedge in front of a TV." Buffy commented, having apparently entered his home. "Consider your mysterious image tarnished. Probably forever. Was it fun while it lasted?"
She was standing to the left of the couch, watching him watch the screen, and he hadn't heard her come in. He'd figured wrong.
"Buffy...I, uh...was just..." Angel was grasping for words. "How are ya?"
"I stink. You?" She responded in a pseudo-conversational tone. He was caught, and blank on things to say."And the awkward moment gets filled with dead silence." She smirked. "At least Will didn't turn you into a chatterbox. It helps that some things stay the same."
She sat on the arm of the steam-cleaned sofa, trying not to remember why that had been necessary, but failing miserably. He had to get it done because she'd shoved a sword through his throat, thus causing his blood to stain the fabric. When he cringed, she thought that he was remembering, too -- except he wasn't. He was worried that the fresh, new furniture smell would be gone, and you rarely got it twice. She eventually caught on, and stood up, her face displaying how sick she was of having to live like this.
"Be nice if indoor plumbing was one of those things." The slayer continued with annoyance.
"Do you need something?" Angel asked, attempting to maintain his composure and not back away from the blonde in an effort to avoid the odor.
"Yeah." She sighed. "Everyone else gets to quarantine themselves, but Giles says I haveto 'Investigate the Sewers.' It's his revenge, I swear." She was unhappy, and that was understandable. "Up for a little recon?"
"You heard it, too." He realized, referring to the aftershock-like rumbling and the primal noise hidden behind it. Her silence was answer enough. This wasn't going to be fun. "Sure. Let's go."
"Thanks." Buffy said, relieved. "I appreciate it."
Angel smiled at her, and then began looking around at the sofa for something. "Just let me turn off..." He was puzzled. "Where's the remote?"
"Uh, it's behind you.Stand up, you'll see it." She wanted to laugh, but she bit down on her lip to squash the impulse. He did as she instructed, and still was coming up with nothing. The object was planted firmly and horizontally deep behind the cushion, so its black color was only faintly visible. "No, it's stuck between the cushion and the back."
"Where?" He looked upat her.
"Couch potato is not gonna be a good look on you." A hint of her girlfriend's influence had crept intothat statement, as she impatiently shook her head. "Move; I'll get it. And I don't wanna hear any comments about germs or smells. If you'd learned how to findyour own remote, it wouldn't have had to come to this."
***
The Bronze was definitely out, which ticked Cordelia off, though not because she was really in the mood to dance. If she were at the club now instead of lying face up on the floor ofher bedroom smelling like crap, it would mean that her and Buffy's plans hadn'tbeen interrupted -- that was the reason for her anger. She hated being forced to change them, and she hated that her girlfriend had to be the one to fix things so they'd still have a Bronze to eventually go to. Maybe one day she'd understand how Buffy could do it, but in her mind, it was unfair to lay that responsibility on a girl. It scared her more than she let on, the possibility that the blonde wouldn't come back. It's why she made her ask Angel to tag along.
Both she and the vampire didn't want to see anything happen to her, and whereas he could protect her, she was limited to waiting for her phone call. The cheerleader wondered if she'd ever stop being blown away by how attached she was to one person. Well, shewas, and this was going to have to change. She was no slayer, but she wasn't totally helpless, either, and sitting around like a nervous housewife wasn't her style. Reaching for her phone on the night table, she smiled at Sir Sno-Paw, who was situated up at the head of her bed, as an idea came to her. Buffy was getting a training partner whether Giles liked it or not. Though until that could happen, worrying was her only available option.
And she was still ticked. What she needed was to vent and bitch to somebody, so she dialed a number, and then waited as it rang.
"Hi..." She said, hearing a male voice she didn't recognize. "Is Amy there? It's Cordelia."
After some shuffling noises and a yell or two, the witch got on the phone.
"I got it, Dad!" Amy said before addressing her. "Cordelia?"
"Hey." The cheerleader greeted, her eyebrows raised slightly. "Don't you have your own line?"
"Are you kidding? I live with my dad. He doesn't understand a lot of things. Put 'teenage' and 'girl' in the same sentence and he just zones completely." Amy joked, and Cordelia snickered. "Um, so why did you call?"
"Because Giles is..." Cordelia bit her tongue. "He knows how wiped out Buffy is, but he made her go out anyway, just cause we didn't help him clean his lame house." The brunette explained as calmly as possible, though her voice still escalated. "Can yousay, 'petty'?"
"She is the Slayer, you know. It's also just what she has to do." Amy offered the simple counterpoint.
"You're defending thewrong side." Cordelia warned her. "And my point can't get any more valid."
"No, I agree. You're doing your job as a girlfriend." The witch responded quickly, chuckling a little. "Geez."
"What?" The brunette questioned.
"Nothing. It's just kinda funny. The odds of you calling me used to be...pretty damn low. Especially about stuff like this.I mean, when we were growing up you wouldn't give me, Willow or Xander, the time of day. I could never figure out if it was because you didn't like us, or you just didn't have a watch." Amy explained.
Cordelia sighed loudly into the phone. "Reputations suck."
They did. For years she had worked on hers, thinking it had been the greatest achievement ever when she could keep people at a distance with a look. It had its benefits, but then there were those rare times when she wanted to let people in, and they didn't dare. It was true; the reputation had backfired a lot. That is, until Buffy came along, being the first person to not run away out of fear, and they had become something great because of that. She planned to be more careful on the reputation front -- if she ever escaped the sphere of high school, where the 'Idiot Majority' had already made up their minds about her.
Yes, that was slightly cruel, but consider the alternative route she could've taken. If she hadn't grown, she would've called entire hallways to attention, and easily insulted whole masses of students right to their faces. The new her was more self-censoring; she was making progress. Baby steps, really.
"I don't know; I think it depends on what it is. I'd like Buffy's." Amy admitted. "Nobody messes with her."
"Good -- she's mine."The cheerleader said with conviction.
"You two are so cute!" The witch laughed. "Frightening when you get protective, but overall, I'd go with cute."
"No, we're hot. Didn't you see the yearbook?" Cordelia quipped. "I like the way my life is now; I justhope I'll still like it in January."
"Cause that'll be the one-year mark, right?" She could hear the smile in Amy's words.
"Huh?" Her and Buffy's first anniversary; she was still deciding what to do. "Oh...yeah. That's right."
"What were you talking about?" Amy wondered.
"Nothing. Thanks for reminding me." The brunette avoided quickly, and therefore without her usual creativeness. "I'd be dead if I forgot her birthday *and* our anniversary."
It was weak (how could she forget those?), but hopefully Amy wouldn't notice.
"Welcome. But you oweme for saving your relationship." The blonde teased.
And it worked. She wanted her and Buffy to have a future, and she was positive that they could, but she was also a realist. Long-range plans were shaky when you were involved witha slayer, so she picked a random month to reach. Like a goal. Was it an accident that the month chosen happened to contain a date that was equally importantand significant to both of them? On that silent question, it was 'veer the topic' time. It was hard enough just realizing that things could be cut short; talking about it, well, she wasn't ready for that.
"As long as it doesn't involve me being your magick guinea pig or whatever, we'll see if we can work something out." Cordelia told her, very serious about the 'guinea pig' part. "Speaking of...did Xander enjoy himself at the witch thing?" She asked, sarcastically.
"Most of it went overhis head." Amy said, disappointedly. "There was this muddy area there, and he kept expecting all the girls to go roll in it."
Color her surprised. Not.
"He's not exactly the poster-boy for maturity." Cordelia stated, but then thought maybe that wasn't really a wise thing to say. "But I'm sure he's got...good qualities somewhere."
"Thanks." Amy clearlydidn't buy her little addition.
Thinking about Xanderled her to thinking about their mutual redheaded friend. She and Buffy had assisted her in cleaning her house, because the Rosenbergs' were out of town. Working together, the job had gotten done, but it was an odd experience. The hacker barely said anything. Cordelia knew her well enough to know that that wasn't normal, and actually, Willow seemed sad. She hadn't dwelled on it much at the time, but because Amy spent the weekend with her, Cordelia figured it wouldn't hurt to ask if something was up.
"Still there?" The witch questioned.
Cordelia cleared her throat. "Spaced. Sorry." She paused. "Hey, um, is Willow okay?"
***
"Why wouldn't she be?"Buffy answered Angel as they walked down Main Street. His eyes were trained on the darkness, and he didn't respond right away. "Angel?"
"Just...haven't seen her lately." He finally spoke, distractedly.
The slayer knew the guilt would come (along with the tenseness) when she came to the vampire for help. Willow was really the only one in the gang to see him on a regular basis --the rest of them just didn't feel comfortable about dropping by after all that had happened. She realized how unfair that was; punishing him for something he'd had no control over. And when he was able to gain control, he'd saved Giles' and Miss Calendar's lives. Willow told her that he needed to be given a chance.That he had to experience the world to make any kind of difference in it. What Buffy didn't grasp was the extent of his pain, but she made a silent promise to herself, then. She'd be there for him if he wanted her to be, and encouragethe others to do the same, too.
But her redheaded friend's lack of visitation was news to her; though she could see how that would hurt Angel. She had noticed Willow's quietness earlier, but overall, the hacker seemed okay, having apparently felt no aftereffects from the spell. Then again, Willow had made it a point to pop into the vampire's home every day since the start of summer; her being a no-show was sort of odd. Hmm. Buffy thought that maybe she should check up on her. They'd all been kind of involved in their separate relationships the past few months -- even when they went out together. It wasn't something the members of the gang set out to do deliberately; young love just had that effect. Well, in Giles' case it was old love, and that was as much as Buffy was willing to dwell on his relationship.
Not only because it was disturbing, but also because she was unhappy with him at the moment, as he was keeping her from Cordelia. She didn't like worrying her.
"I bet she just..." Buffy trailed off when she saw him with a finger against his lips.
The blonde saw what he saw -- three city workers in orange outfits and hardhats, standing over a manhole. She followed Angel's lead, rushed into an alley, and peaked around the corner. Even though she wasn't sure why they were doing it. Other than forcing her to cut the sewer investigation short (which she'd be *real* broken up over), there was nothing wrong with the men. They were there to go fix the plumbing problem; that was a wonderful thing. She wanted to throw them a parade, she --
"Vampires." Angel clued her in. "Didn't realize Sunnydale was hiring."
As they each jumped down the manhole, their faces shifted to demon form. Damn it. There went her chance at an early shift.
Buffy sighed. "Is this the part where we go find out when they started earning government paychecks?"
He turned to her. "You ready?"
"As I'll ever be." She muttered. "Least I can't get any dirtier, right?"
Ask anyone, and they'd call that question a great example of famous last words.
***
The Mayor stood in his darkened office, staring out the window at his town. It had almost been one hundred years, and the only things that had changed were styles and transportation. Clothing, automobiles, architecture...they were meaningless changes. He wanted just one thing to change, and he was beginning to lose hope that it would. Oh, he had remained the leader of Sunnydale, which was great, but the orb still wasn't in his possession. Now that the creature had made its presence known (and in the process making all of his voters horribly filthy), the opportunity had arrived. He had to capitalize on it -- or there'd be trouble he couldn't talk his way out of.
His Deputy Mayor, Allan Finch, entered the room. "Sir?"
That's right; people changed as well. For some reason, though, his deputy mayors were always very tense and agitated.
"Allan!" Wilkins said cheerily, looking at the younger man. "Have we made any progress?"
"I'm afraid the crew hasn't reported in yet." Allan said, nervously. "They're twenty minutes late."
"Well, that's sad news." The Mayor frowned. They were supposed to take care of it.
The townspeople weren't the only ones going through hell because there were no working showers. It didn't matter how many times he changed suits -- he never got any cleaner.
"Devastating, sir." Allan quickly agreed.
Wilkins sighed. "Looks like we'll have to see if the finance committee's in a generous mood, huh?" He couldn't stand it anymore. Picking up a towelette from his desk on the way to the cabinet, he thoroughly scrubbed his hands. "I hate to do this, but...a good politician has to be willing to make sacrifices. And I've had to make," He chuckled, "a heck of a lot to stay here, believe me."
He opened the cabinetdoors and took out one of his many idols. The statue looked like a freakish, vein-y, blood red Buddha. An *angry*, freakish, vein-y, blood red Buddha.
"Still, take my advice, Allan -- don't get yourself into debt. It never turns out well, and unfortunately, I'm in pretty darn deep." The Mayor said, inspecting the statue.
Hopefully, this wouldrepair the damage and occupy the creature long enough for the Slayer to deal with it. It wouldn't be the first time he'd relied on her to remove unpleasantness from Sunnydale, and given her track record, he believed that she would come through once again. Then maybe he could have what he'd been searching for all these years.
***
Buffy returned to herhouse an hour and a half after she had jumped down into the sewer, and she was even crankier than she had been before. She was covered in a rather runny, translucent substance, and at this point, she didn't think it was possible for her to care less about what the stuff would do to the hardwood floor of the foyer, than she already did. Trailing the vampires ended up being not such a great idea; she and Angel clearly hadn't been prepared for what they'd found. The vampires were dead, but no because of her or anything they did. She wished it was that routine -- her eyes still hurt from the light.
Wait. She heard voices. Who was here?
Her mom had guests. Sounded like Miss Calendar, and...Giles. It was all his fault. She waited for them to come greet her, trying to contain the rage that was begging to spill out ofher mouth. As they got closer, she smelled something -- something nice. Soap! And scented body wash! The adults were clean? How? This revelation only increased her rage level. Here she was, smelling and looking like she'd rolled aroundin the back of a garbage truck, and they were fresh and clean and smelling like tropical fruit. She was going to make her watcher pay. And pay, and pay, and pay.
"Buffy, guess wh..." Her mother began to say, but stopped at the sight of her. "What happened?"
The slayer stared the watcher down, and he came real close to hiding behind his girlfriend. "Ehh...nothing much. There's just this humongous demon in the sewer who's allergic to vampire dust." She said, nonchalantly. "Wanna know how I know that?" Her voice took on a 'pissed off' tone, and they backed up as she stepped forward. "Yeah, that's right! I'm covered in demon snot!"
"Oh." Joyce said, not knowing how to respond to that. "We were just having dinner."
"The water came back on, so we finally got showers," Jenny said, "and then your mom invited us over."
Buffy nodded. "That's nice."
"Cordelia called about ten minutes ago." Joyce remembered. "She said to call her back."
"Here, Giles." Buffy tossed him the mucous-drenched, green amulet that she was carrying in her hand. He shakily caught it. "One of the vamps dropped it before he got eaten. Bettersee what it is."
"I'll...I'll start researching first thing in the morning. Principal Snyder's allowing facultyback into the school tomorrow, so I should have access to the library." Giles explained.
The blonde thought she was doing a fine job of restraining herself. All she did was smile when she sawhis hands suddenly unclean. "Great." Then her smile became a fake, tight-lippedone. "I think I'll get a shower now. 'Cuse me." She started ascending the stairs.
"There should be plenty of hot water, honey." Joyce told her. "When you're done, do you wanna eat? I saved you a plate."
"Nah." Buffy shook her head. "No, I'm just gonna take a shower, and then I'm gonna go sleep over at Cordelia's. That's okay...isn't it, mom?"
"It's fine." Joyce confirmed, taking pity on her daughter.
She was just glad Buffy didn't have to worry about getting pregnant. When the girl disappeared upstairs, she and Miss Calendar turned to Giles.
Jenny smirked. "Wow. I've never seen her *that* mad at you, Rupert."
"At me?" Giles was flabbergasted. "What did I do?"
"Half the time I don't think we're supposed to know." Joyce told him as they went back into the dining room. "But you should've learned something about teenage girls by now."
He cleared his throat. "Yes, well...apparently I haven't."
"Then you've got a problem." His girlfriend informed him, grinning. "Your only hope is Cordelia, now."
"Why would...?" He blushed, holding up the amulet. "Right. I, uh...I'm going to wash this off."
If the cheerleader couldn't help the slayer 'forget,' then Giles was going to wish he could fast-forward through the next few days.
***
"It was pretty ick-worthy, yeah. It was big, and it had four legs. Probably came from some evil kennelin Hell. It gets loose and says, 'Hey, lemme try and screw up the plumbing on Earth. Demons don't bathe, so why should humans need to?'" Buffy told Cordelia as they lay in the cheerleader's bed, taking creative license with the creature's back-story, while enjoying the afterglow. "But this always makesthe bad imagery go away."
Their heads were turned, facing each other on the mattress; the pillows were across the room. It wasa wonder the sheets hadn't joined it.
"What, sex?" Cordeliaasked, smiling.
"Sex with you." The slayer corrected her girlfriend, her nails going back and forth along the length of Cordelia's arm. "Just laying next to you, even."
The cheerleader snickered. "You're *so* tough." She said with sarcastic emphasis. "Are you sure slaying vampires is your big destiny? Cause Nora would kill for lines like that."
"Fine -- you don't like compliments, I won't give you them anymore." Buffy grumbled. "And like you're one to talk. Imagine what would happen if everyone knew that the 'Mega Bitch' of Sunnydale High has multiple copies of When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle...just in case she can't find one."
Cordelia gasped. "You wouldn't."
"Not unless I was forced to." The blonde grinned, and then kissed the person beside her. Cordelia actually looked scared. "Relax. I'm feeling pretty content, so I'd have to have major incentive to blab."
The brunette narrowedher eyes. "I decided something while you were busy getting sneezed on." Cordelia propped herself up and moved overtop of Buffy, so she was staring directly at her girlfriend. There were only mere inches separating their bodies from touching completely -- the slayer was well aware of the power Cordelia had over her at that moment. "Now, if you're smart, you'll support it."
"You're never gonna believe this --" Buffy started, wondering if her voice was still audible.
"I already don't." The cheerleader cut her off. "I wanna train with you. I get that you don't havea choice -- you have to go risk your life every night whether you want to or not. It sucks, but that's the way it is." She paused, gauging Buffy's reaction. The slayer was listening patiently. "What I don't get, is why I have to just sit there, reading books that were written in the Thirteenth Century, till you come back. Cause Giles tells me to? Please." Her eyes rolled. "I'm your girlfriend, damn it, and I'm sick and tired of this 'bystander' thing." She clearly was. "It's a pain in the ass waiting around, hoping that you're not dead somewhere."
"That's what I love about you, Cordy. You can be so sweet when you wanna be." Buffy smirked, and Cordelia lowered herself for just a second, causing the slayer to hiss. "Could...break a nail, you know." She tried pushing it, and as soon as that gleam appeared in Cordelia's eye, she caved. "God...all right. We start tomorrow."
Passion got the better of them for several seconds, as Cordelia let herself go with a smile, and the girlfriends' mouths shared the same oxygen; as well as a few other things. When the two sets of lips parted, the slayer was on top, brushing stray strands of dark hair away from the flushed cheerleader's eyes. Looking at one another quietly, happily, they took a couple minutes to catch their breaths before they spoke again.
"I wanna learn stuff cause I care." Cordelia explained. "About you." She added for clarification. "Not being able to do anything...I hate it, Buffy."
"I know." Buffy smiled appreciatively, understanding how Cordelia felt. "I care about you, too." She paused, her _expression_ turning serious. "So you can't go all, 'Prom Queen Vigilante' on me. It'd be awesome having you there on patrol watching my back," They both grinned, then, "but you hafta be careful. Promise?"
"Promise." Cordelia swore, allowing herself to be overwhelmed for the billionth time. "You drive me nuts, you know that?"
Buffy winked. "Feeling's mutual." Lips connected again, and then thoughts of their earlier conversation distracted the slayer. "When do you think we should talk to Willow? Don't forget the plan to annoy Giles, either."
"In the morning." Cordelia answered fast, pulling her down.
The blonde had no objections. "Works for me."
"And I am too sweet."The brunette insisted, playfully thwacking Buffy's arm.
"Yeah." Buffy agreed with her partner, grinning mischievously. "You are." Then she slid downwards.
It was funny; they had complained endlessly about having no way to shower, but now that they could(and most likely needed to), they didn't seem to be in a rush to do so. Strange.
***
"Like Ghostbusters?" Xander questioned, picturing the beast looking like those Claymation dogs in the movie.
Buffy lunged forward with the sword, piercing the air. "Nope. It was larger...and uglier." She waitedfor Cordelia to copy her move, and was impressed at how fast the cheerleader was learning. "Weapons are definitely your area, honey."
Cordelia got out of the stance, and lowered her blade. "Think so?"
She'd tied her hair back before they started, not wanting to risk giving herself chopping any of it off, but it looked like she hadn't needed to.
"No doubt about it." The slayer answered proudly.
The gang, despite students not being required to show up until tomorrow, had been sitting in the library all morning, assisting Giles with the research (who was suffering through his initial punishment -- having to listen to No Doubt's, 'I'm Just a Girl' during the training...over and over again). He was sitting at the table with Xander, Willow was at the computer, Amy was at the magick shop trying to find out what the amulet was used for, Oz had left an hour ago to go practice again (because Devon wanted the band to sound flawless), and Miss Calendar was supervisingthe installation of new computers in the lab. But just because they were all hard at work didn't mean they wanted to be there.
Giles had been looking at a drawing of the creature while reading, trying to find a corresponding picture in the book. He handed it to Xander. "Angel left this on my doorstep."
The sound that came from Xander's mouth was close to a yelp. "Holy Hell-Beast, Batman!" He composed himself. "Egon wouldn't even go near this thing; we'd get stuck with Slimer. It's... "
"Really big and nasty?" Willow supplied, still focused on the screen.
"You have a knack for understatement, Will." He dryly responded. "Did anybody else think Zul was attractive?" Silent stares were his answer, and so he coughed. "Jewel. I said Jewel."
"Your soul isn't the only thing that needs saving." Cordelia quipped.
Xander just stared down at his book, while Buffy tried hiding her smirk. As the girls went to put the weapons back into the book cage, her thoughts drifted to Angel (she asked him to do the drawing and give it to Giles). The picture was a big help; he was making an effort, and that was good. After shutting the cage, she sat on the stepswith Cordelia, and then turned off the CD. Leaning back into her girlfriend's arms, she thought she could see the migraine lines dissolving off of the Englishman's forehead. But the break was temporary -- soon the humming would begin.
"Anyway," The slayer interjected, "it's nothing we can't handle."
"Even though you ran away from it." The cheerleader said, innocently.
"I didn't run away. I walked...uh...quickly." Buffy explained, shyly. "And I didn't actually fight it, so --"
"Except for that showdown with the flying wad of evil mucous." Xander remarked.
She narrowed her eyes, and continued as though she hadn't heard him. "-- Technically, I didn't lose. That was just me and Angel, though. With the whole gang together, it doesn't stand a chance." The blonde looked around at her friends. "Right, guys?"
"Right." He paused togulp, looking down at the drawing. "But since when do we need to be in the middleof a battle with the forces of darkness to feel the togetherness, huh? Can't we bond anywhere?" He questioned. "I'm picturing someplace far away that has thick, steel doors and lots of missiles."
Willow turned away from the computer. "They're not gonna let us live in the Pentagon, Xander." They'd had this discussion for years.
"Okay, so it's probably a long shot...but you still don't know for sure." He responded challengingly,and then slowly smiled.
The redhead smiled back at him before looking at the watcher. "It's pretty vague, Giles."
"What did you find?" Giles asked, willing to take anything at this point.
Cordelia started to hum as he spoke, but when he finished his question and turned to her, she was quiet, looking very interested in the carpet on the stairs.
"Not much. Just a few, old newspaper articles and stuff. People thought they saw a huge monster, and then it was gone like a second later. They go back almost a hundred years, but there's nothing specific." Willow answered.
"How do you know it'sthe demon that's in the sewer?" Cordelia wondered. "They could be talking aboutany giant --"
"There's a sketch. Kinda looks like Angel's -- it's not as good, though." The hacker interrupted.
"I guess we should behappy that he can draw other things besides people." The brunette said in a biting tone. "People who think they're *alone.*"
Buffy frowned. "Cor..."
Cordelia knew it wasn't him, that he wasn't responsible for what had happened, but she hadn't gotten over his psycho vampire antics, yet. "Sorry." She apologized, hugging her girlfriend tightly.
The slayer noticed that Willow's _expression_ had gotten less cheerful. And not just that -- she'd gone pale. They had to talk.
"Well, we have to deal with it. Before the water shuts off again." Buffy told the group, seriously. "Ifwe have to fight it not knowing what it is, then that's what we hafta do. We can't hide and hope it goes away."
Xander was visibly disappointed, but stayed silent. Cordelia, however, had started to hum again...louder than before.
"Hopefully when Amy returns, she'll be able to tell us something about the purpose of the amulet." Giles wanted to remain positive, though as soon as he was finished, he stared disapprovingly at Cordelia. "Could you please stop that?"
"Stop what?" Cordeliaasked, a grin on her face.
Buffy stood up, then,and the cheerleader followed, grabbing her bag from the table. "Bathroom break.Be right back." They walked over to Willow. "You have to go, too."
"I do?" The redhead said with surprise. Her friends just stared at her until the realization hit. "I mean...I do. Real bad." She faked a grimace. "Ouch, my kidneys...gotta hurry."
When the girls had disappeared past the library doors, Xander commented, "What is it with women and bathrooms?"
"I believe that's a mystery better left unsolved." Giles advised.
"Yeah," The younger man nodded, "especially cause you're already on the List."
"What list?" The watcher queried.
"I thought you limey bookmen were supposed to know everything." Xander said, shocked and disillusioned. Giles wasn't in the mood. "Every member of the opposite sex has a List, and you got yourself on Buffy's. It's like being on Nixon's...only worse." He elaborated, seeing the fear on the man's face. "Don't worry, G-Man; we've all been there. I was on Cordelia's for sixteen years. But they're taking it easy on you, so I give it a week. Tops."
"Don't call me that."Giles instructed the teenager, putting his head in his hands, and sighing.
What did he do?
***
When the girls walkedinto the bathroom, Cordelia turned to Willow.
"'Ouch, my kidneys'?"The cheerleader questioned.
The hacker frowned. "Too much?"
"Maybe a little." Cordelia smiled, and went to look in the mirror above the sinks.
Buffy and Willow shook their heads, as the brunette took the tie out of her hair and started 'fixing herself' using the cosmetic necessities stored in her bag. Cordelia saw their reactions past her reflection, and made a 'Yeah?' face at them. The slayer put on her best, exaggerated, 'I'm sorry' _expression_, and mouthed, 'Love you.' Cordelia rolled her eyes, barely keeping the smile off of her face, and went ahead with the application. They weren't in here to talk about her or her love of makeup; they were in here to talk about Willow and what was bothering her.
"So, uh, what's up?" The redhead asked, concerned.
"We were gonna ask you the same thing." Buffy answered, watching as Willow's eyebrows moved to show her confusion. She put a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"
"I'm..." Willow hesitated, not sure what to say.
She could lie, say that she was fine, or she could tell them the truth. But she couldn't tell them everything, because then they'd...no. She'd handle it.
Cordelia had finishedthe beautifying process, having rinsed her face and put fresh lipstick and blush on; she was now turned around, looking at her expectantly. "Willow?"
They knew something was wrong -- if she lied completely, they wouldn't buy it.
"It's...it's Oz." Thehacker said, and it was partially true.
"Oz?" Buffy repeated.Oz was bothering Willow? That didn't seem right.
Willow nodded, and smiled sadly when Cordelia came up behind the blonde and started to gently massageher shoulders. She didn't think either of them realized it; it was just something they'd gotten used to. The girlfriends did lots of little things for each other, not even consciously aware of it -- she'd noticed that about them. She and Oz weren't as in tune, and instead of working towards that, they were drifting. The problem was, she was the only one who could see it. Though, to be fair, it wasn't like she had made an effort lately. At least this wasn't going to bea total lie.
"What'd he do?" Cordelia wondered.
"It was the retreat." The redhead told them, but she admitted to herself that it started before then. "The record company guy." That was when the distancing really got worse, though. That was when it stopped being all her fault. "I know music is a big part of his life, and that's cool. I like having a boyfriend who's in a band. A-a lot. I like going backstage and me being the only girl he's interested in." She continued at their smiles. "But ever since he talked to that guy, it's sorta been the whole part."
"He's crazy about you, Will." The blonde assured her.
"He has the 'Puppy Love' look going every time he's around you." Cordelia said, not believing for a second that he'd forget her. "Literally."
"I dunno." Willow sat herself up on an unoccupied spot of the counter, beside one of the sinks. "I know he loves me...but he loves playing, too. What if the Dingoes get big? They could, you know. Then Oz'll go on tour and have tons of groupies and..." She sighed. "I don't wanna get in the way."
Buffy felt the brunette's hands slide off her shoulders, and then she hoisted herself up next to her friend. "You'd never get in his way." She paused. "But if it really bugs you, just talk to him. I heard somewhere that communication's important in a relationship."
"She didn't hear it from me." Cordelia joked, and Buffy glared at her in mock-anger. "Anyway, and I hate to admit this, she's right. Talk to him before you make yourself nuts."
"He is a good listener." Willow said, smiling. "The best."
"See? And," The slayer put an arm around her shoulders, "it's only been two days." She reminded her. "We're going to the Bronze tonight, Hell Beast or no Hell Beast." She swore with a smirk. "How bout then?"
The hacker's smile faltered. "Tonight's a wolf night."
"So leash him. He won't be able to get away." Cordelia suggested.
Willow couldn't help herself -- she laughed. "All he'd do is growl at me."
"Why do you think I gave up on men?" The cheerleader grinned. Buffy and Willow hopped back down to the ground, and Cordelia caught her girlfriend around the waist. "Love you, too."
Buffy smiled, though focused on Willow. "Just don't forget, Will."
"I won't." The redhead promised, and was immediately unsure as to whether or not she'd live up to it. They headed for the door as soon as the brunette had her bag. "Hey, Buffy? Is Angel mad?" She wanted to go, but she found it hard to anymore.
"No." The blonde said, quickly. "I think he misses you coming by, though."
Before Willow could respond, Amy burst into the bathroom, excited. "It's a Khul's amulet! The shop sells newer ones that have fake crystal, but the one you found was at least a hundred years old, Buffy. The owner wanted to buy it off me."
"A what?" The girlfriends echoed after a few seconds, needing to backtrack.
"Basically, it's likea conduit." Amy answered. "For transmogrifying things."
"Really?" Willow had read about transmogrification, but had never thought she might get a chance to see it happen. "Whoa."
The slayer and the cheerleader just had blank looks.
"I'm sure we'd be impressed, too...if we knew what the hell you were talking about." Cordelia remarked sarcastically, and Buffy nodded in agreement.
***
Transmogrify: to change or alter greatly and often with grotesque or humorous effect. That was the definition Willow had read to a befuddled Buffy, Cordelia, and Xander, before they started making plans. They'd pretty much figured out that the vampiresfrom last night were trying to change the large creature into a form that was easier to handle. Whoever sent them had the right idea, and trying the same thing seemed to be their only option. Amy said she could pull it off. While Giles didn't doubt the witch's skill, the spells for 'activating' that particular amulet had been lost for centuries. If something went wrong, he hated to imagine the potential consequences.
The sun had gone down, and so had they, bringing along as much weaponry as they could carry. He and most of the children were in the sewer now, heading towards the direction of the tremors, which were considerably less intense then they had been. With each step, the staff he was holding made contact with the sewer floor. Also making the trek, were Angel and Miss Calendar (Oz was back at the library, safely secured inside the book cage, and being watched by his girlfriend). Needless to say, the vampire's joining them was causing tension; though they had managed to mask their discomfort fairly well. Surprisingly, when he met up with them at the school before they headed out, Willow, the one person who should've been at ease, wouldn't look at him.
Hearing the splash asher girlfriend stepped into an uninviting puddle of sewage water, Buffy turned to Cordelia as they walked, glancing at the sneakers on the brunette's feet, that had been there since their training. "Aren't you glad you didn't change?"
"Uh huh." Cordelia responded quickly, attempting to block out what could possibly be on the bottom of her sneaker. "Cause two hundred and fifty dollar, designer shoes weren't meant for this." She felt like retching, but never went further than a grimace. "God,how can *anything* live down here?"
"I don't know," Xander took in his surroundings, fixing the strap of the bag that held the weapon backups on his shoulder, "if I had a biohazard suit, a lifetime supply of beef jerky, and about a billion rat traps, I could see myself going subterranean." Another tremor was then heard and felt, causing the group to temporarily halt. "Nowthat I think about it, the terranean life isn't that bad. I probably should giveit another chance."
"Let's keep moving." Buffy said before anyone suggested leaving, and then lowered the axe so at hung by her side, as she moved closer to her girlfriend to whisper. "I can't believe Willow's missing this."
The redhead had appeared excited at the prospect of witnessing a transmogrification -- her volunteering to stay behind was a little unexpected.
"Somebody had to staywith Oz." The brunette told her, readjusting the grip on her sword. "And you heard her; maybe she's taking whatever time she can get."
"Maybe." The slayer conceded; however, she wasn't quite convinced by her friend's 'confession.'
"If it were me, though, I wouldn't put up with it. She only gets to see her dog of a boyfriend while she's sitting at a table and he snarls and drools in a cage." Cordelia stated, somewhat incredulous. "Oh yeah, *that's* quality time."
Buffy caught the double meaning of the word, 'dog.' "Nice."
"Thanks." The cheerleader accepted the compliment.
"But I know what you mean." The blonde continued.
"Amy, how do you intend to do this?" Giles asked, interrupting the girls' discussion.
Miss Calendar was relieved; at least one of them had the courage to say something. She hated to admit it, but as much as she liked Amy, the witch scared her when it came to magick. The teacher was primarily a techno-pagan, and then a gypsy, second. However, even though she wasn't a full-fledged, traditional, practicing witch, she still knew that when someone's eyes went black while casting a spell, strong energy was coursing through them -- energy that wasn't very pure. Normally she and Rupert wouldn't question her, but Amy was going to attempt to "turn on" an amulet that had immense power without a formal spell; that was dangerous thing to do, and they felt responsible for these kids.
Amy was wearing the amulet around her neck. "Every amulet has specific magicks locked inside of them, and they're pretty useless without their spells -- which are like keys. But since we don't have the key for this," She gripped the object in her hand, "I'm gonna ask the Goddess if she'll make it work for us."
"You can do that?" Xander asked, impressed.
His girlfriend had a direct line to the Goddess. How many guys could say that?
"Gonna try." The witch smiled. "Transmogrification isn't exactly natural, so Hecate's our best chance." She didn't miss the worried _expression_ on Giles' face. "Just because myths lump her in with the underworld doesn't mean..." She sighed, hating having to defend her craft. "What'd the Greeks know?"
"You went to History last year, didn't you?" Cordelia asked in return, surprised that she was still able to remember anything that she'd learned.
Xander put his arm across his girlfriend's shoulders in a show of support, as she nodded, frowning. "Relax, it's all Greek to me. And not in a good way."
The cheerleader groaned at his lameness, but Amy smiled at his attempt.
"I just remember being taught that taking the time to recite a spell is a sign of respect." Jenny said. "What if she gets offended?"
"She won't. We'll be fine." Amy promised. "Look, if anybody has a better idea..." No one voiced any suggestions, so she decided to go with her instincts and tell them what she'd felt for the last couple minutes. "It's weak now, but I think there's magick down here already."
"It's demonic." Angel explained further, speaking for the first time. "Somebody must've made a deal with another god." The mystical energy he was sensing didn't come from this dimension. "Gods are territorial. She wants this thing gone, she just needsan excuse to step in."
"Wait. How do you know it's evil mojo?" Xander inquired, and then he nodded, as if he suddenly understood. "Oh, that's right. When you were evil you probably --"
The group glared at him...even Cordelia. He shut up. Finishing that remark wouldn't have helpedto ease the tension. But if Angel heard the teenager, he ignored him, as he was busy motioning them to get up against the wall. He peaked around the cornerinto the large open area, which was reminiscent of the Master's lair, and just spacious enough to fit the creature.
"This is it." The vampire told them with a quiet voice.
Buffy risked taking alook at the creature. "It's sleeping?"
***
{"Yes, I put her to bed an hour ago." The woman was telling him as he walked around her almost bare living room.
In his opinion, the structure barely qualified as a house; compared to where he used to live in Ireland, that is. Built by hand, brick by brick, it was a poor place to raise a family. The wooden furniture was even shoddier. One well placed spark, and within seconds there'd be nothing left. She was risking quite a lot having a fire burning, but he wasn't here to criticize the home. He was an invited guest, after all.
"And what's the wee one's name?" He asked, turning to face her.
"Katie." She smiled.
He smiled, studying the picture he'd picked up off of the small, wooden table. "Such a pretty child. She'll make a fine lass some day."
"Um...thank you." Shedidn't want to be rude, but when he took a seat in Brady's chair, she had to say something. "Excuse me, sir, how do you know my husband?"
"From the city. We were supposed to meet for a pint, but he never arrived." He answered, returning the picture to its spot. "Photography is an amazin' thing, don't you think?"
"It is." She agreed. "Brady calls pictures, 'Memories which are frozen in time.'"
"My, isn't that a poetic description?" He responded, impressed. "Well, a man that wise surely can't have lost his way. I have a habit of worrying too much." He moved to rise from the chair. "Forgive me for calling on you this late."
She brought her hand to her mouth. "Is he in trouble, Mr. Angelus? Has he gotten himself into debt playing at the pub?"
Angelus shook his head, standing. "Of course not; his skill at cards is well known -- as is his temper." He jokingly assured her. "No, he needn't be concernin' himself with debt collectors; not when the night is full of so many other perils."
The woman didn't know whether to be relieved or alarmed. She always warned him about his temper. "Yes, I suppose you're --"
She stopped herself as she faced her out of breath husband, who was running through the doorway.
"Claudia, wake Katelyn, we have to..." Brady saw the man sitting in his chair and turned white. "Back away from it! Hurry to me!"
"What are you going on about? This is..."
Angelus made sure hisferal visage greeted her as she looked at him. "You should mind your husband, Claudia."
Then she screamed.}
***
"Is it dripping what I think it's dripping?" Cordelia spoke softly, having had her scream stifled by Buffy's hand. "Cause if it is, count me out."
"Hooves? But...they crush." Xander pointed out, beginning to sweat. "Not a huge fan of the claws, either."
"Its skin looks fairly tough. Weapons could have a hard time penetrating it." Giles noticed. "And small pores covering its body are probably more dangerous than they seem."
"I just hope it doesn't feel a cold coming on." Buffy chipped in, disturbed by the memory. "The amulet has to work."
"As long as nobody wakes it up, we won't have anything to worry about. So let's try and be careful." Jenny advised.
While Amy stared at the creature with Angel, whose drawing didn't do justice to its size, she knew that waking it up was the last thing she wanted to do. Her certainty had been for show; she didn't have a spell, and to get the Goddess' attention, more energy would be required from her. And the amount of energy that'd be necessary to change this thing into something else could leave her seriously hurt -- or worse. The other problem was, without a spell and the right bloodstone, she didn't know how to control what the creature would become.
Ever since she found out that she had inherited her mother's gift for magick (dark magick, to be precise), she had used it to make things easier for herself. She got out of homework. If she was late for school, one snap of her fingers, and she was ready to go. But with the gang, she could use her talents to assist others; the darkness could be used for good. It was up to her -- she wasn't going to let them down, even if it meant putting her life on the line. She took a deep breath, and saw why the creature was sleeping. It probably tired itself trying to escape the magickal cage it was contained in.
"There's where the magick's coming from." Amy gestured to the fluctuating yellow light surrounding their enemy. That's when she realized that Angel had been watching her. "What?"
"Give me the amulet. I'll do it." The vampire said, holding out his hand.
He knew.
"I can --" The witch started to object.
"You're not strong enough." He cut her off. "Get her attention...I'll deal with the rest."
If Angel wanted to win back their trust, he had to show them that he was on their side, no matter what the risk. Xander looked ready to get in his face, but Amy handed over the amulet, her features relaxing. Buffy pulled her friend away from the vampire, and took the bag from his shoulder.
"Not now." The slayertold him, opening the bag. "Anyone who isn't talking to an omnipotent being, have something to fight with." She said, checking to make sure the Big Ugly was still snoozing. "Whatever this thing's gonna turn into, we need to be ready." Xander grabbed another staff, and Miss Calendar and Amy grabbed knives. "Go for it, Amy."
The witch and the vampire both sat on the ground, opposite one another. Angel gripped the amulet, while Amy closed her eyes and began to say words in Latin. Giles was able to translate for himself:
"Queen of blackest night, we beseech you; awaken the power within this amulet! The power to make anew its body! To change this ancient evil into a creature the Warrior may conquer! Give us the strength to endure! Hear my call! We beseech you, Hecate, help us! Accept our love and bless us; reclaim the dark!"
Amy repeated the wordsagain and again, never stopping. The amulet began to vibrate in Angel's hand, so held it tighter. Faster and faster. Then came the pain; Angel cried out, which caused the creature to stir. Seeing intruders it rose up quickly, the ground shaking in the process. The barrier was still holding, though.
"Don't freak." Buffy said to her friends, calmly.
"Easy for you to say."Cordelia said back to her.
The blonde looked at her significant other. "Wanna bet?"
Amy felt like her eyeshad been forced open, so she could see the agony that Angel was enduring in her place. His arm was shaking, and rays of red light emanated from the amulet. She wanted to take over, but it was too late; whatever was going to happen, was going to happen. She stood, facing the creature with the rest of them. It was ramming into the barrier, attempting to break free. Every time it did, they all hadto work hard to maintain their balance. With one, final, determined bellow, the creature charged through the barrier, collapsing it for good.
"Now you can freak." Buffy gave her permission. "I'll try to distract it, and you guys stay out of its way."
The pores that Giles mentioned each held a tentacle. One of those tentacles had shot out, almost snatchingAmy, but her boyfriend pulled her out of the way. While her friends scattered, Buffy judged her options. The best way for her to injure the beast was something she wasn't going to enjoy. Taking the axe, she made a beeline straight for it, narrowly avoiding the stamping hoof, and sliding underneath her target. With a swift strike, she planted the axe in its stomach.
"Is she crazy?" Cordelia wondered, fear in her eyes.
"Yep." Xander said.
When she saw that her weapon didn't do anything, and after the shock wore off, she removed the axe and rolled out of the way before the creature could lower itself on top of her. Not being able to get at the slayer, it reached for Miss Calendar, wrapping a tentacle around her ankle. It started dragging her along the ground, and then liftedher above it.
"Jenny!" Giles called out.
Both he and Cordelia rushed to the teacher's aid, and the cheerleader sliced the tentacle that had claimedher. The watcher caught the techno-pagan, and the three of them observed the severed tentacle uncoiling itself from her ankle. Cordelia thoroughly stepped on it, before turning to the adults with a smile.
"This won't get me outof Computer, will it?" The brunette asked, and Miss Calendar shook her head. "Damn."
Prepared to rush in and rescue her girlfriend, Cordelia saw that Angel had gotten up and already shoved the slayer out of harm's way. She didn't have time to be annoyed, though, because he threw the now pulsating amulet at the creature, and for what seemed like an eternity, all she could see was red, and all she could hear were unnatural screeches. When it was over, a very different form stood in the creature's place, and they were wide-eyed. It had been placed in the body of a vampire.
Angel's body -- with his vampiric face.
***
{Angelus took hold of Claudia's throat. "You ought to be willing to stand up for yourself after you insult a man."
"You're not a man! You're a demon!" Brady proclaimed.
"There you go again."The vampire looked disappointed. "Perhaps I gave your husband too much credit. Only fools don't know when to hold their tongues." He squeezed, and she gagged. The baby was crying. "I'd hate for little Katie to discover what a shameful person her father is. Not a single cross to protect his family." He smiled evilly at the head of the household. "And you call yourself a Catholic."
"Please, let us be." Brady pleaded, unable to do much else.
"Where's the fun in that?" Angelus asked, snapping Claudia's neck and dropping her to the ground.
Brady was horrified, and he wept, falling to the floor. "You monster!"
"I see what you mean, Angelus...no manners at all." Darla had come in behind Brady, and when he turned around, her yellow eyes were staring at him. "Grab the child."
"No! Katie!" Brady tried to get to his feet and run to the nursery, but Darla caught his arm and proceeded to sink her fangs into his neck.
Angelus went to retrieve the baby, and when he came back to the living room, it was strangely quiet in his arms. "Don't kill him."
Her mouth bloody, Darla dropped the severely weakened human to the ground. Angelus handed over the child to his sire, so he could break off a chair leg. He stuck it in the fire until a flame caught on, and then threw it in the direction of the nursery. The vampires left the home, ignoring Brady's moans. Once they were a safe distance away,they watched as the house slowly went up in flames.
"It's times like I these I wish I had a camera." Angelus revealed, entranced by his carnage.
"We'll have to pick up one in Paris." Darla said. "All the best photographers are there, you know."
"What shall we do with her?" He asked.
"We'll eat her along the way." Darla shifted back to her human face. "Unless she starts crying again. I can't stand the noise." She handed Katie back to him. "Come, darling! France awaits!"}
Willow's eyes abruptly opened. She had reached the end of another one.
***
"The amulet must've used Angel as a blueprint." Giles said, looking on.
"Ya think?" Xander remarked.
That thing wasn't Angel or Angelus; it was only a shell. But to the Englishman and the real Angel, that distinction was hard to make. The vampire tackled his double with energy supplied by rage; as far as he was concerned, he was looking at his demon, and he wanted nothing more than to destroy it. Buffy had rejoined the group, but wanted to go back and help him. Her watcher stopped her with a look, so they watched as the two vampires fought.
When the transformed creature would try and head for them, Angel would pull it back. They through each other into walls, exchanged blow after blow, kick after kick. Angel was bruised, bloody, and his shirt was torn, but he had gotten hold of its arms, and was struggling to pin them behind its back. Angel then locked eyes with Giles. All the memories of what Angelus had done to him and Jenny had been haunting him them both all summer, and their anger had just peaked.
"Cordelia, hand me the sword." Giles requested. She did, and he walked to Angel "Stand it up." With a lot of effort, Angel maintained his grip and pulled the creature up. The sword rose. "It'sall right."
The very second that Angel released his hold on his double, Giles removed its head. As the dust rained down, Angel's legs gave out on him, so the librarian had to help the man tohis feet. Amy rushed over to help, and Xander followed. They took over for Giles, each supporting an arm, already beginning to walk home. Cordelia, Buffy andMiss Calendar went over to an oddly relaxed Giles, who returned the sword to the cheerleader.
"I'm gonna see if they need help." Cordelia announced. "Still going to the Bronze?"
"Yeah." The slayer smiled, giving her a kiss. "You don't have to rush, though."
Three of them were now left standing there.
"That was, uh..." Miss Calendar was searching for a word, putting her hand in her partner's.
"My thoughts exactly." Buffy said, tiredly. Then she looked on the ground; a black orb, slightly larger than a baseball, was sitting there. "What's that?"
***
The redhead picked her head up off the table, looking around the library in fear. She was just glad that she didn't scream this time. Her heart was racing -- they never got any better.She looked inside the book cage, wiping the tears from her eyes; Oz was still there. That was a relief. If he got out, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself, and Giles...well, he'd be unhappy. The watcher got scary when he was like that. Though not as scary as Angelus. The worst part about the nightmares was that she wasn't just that --
The librarian had just walked in. "Did you have any trouble?"
"Are you kidding? He's like a puppy." Willow said, just as the Oz-Wolf attacked the cage with a growl. "You know...generally." She remembered where he'd been. "How was it? Really bad?Is everybody okay?"
"It was...cathartic."Giles answered with a weary smile. "And we all survived."
She didn't quite get what he meant by that, but she didn't question him any further. "Oh. Good."
"Buffy, uh, told me to tell you that they're heading for the Bronze in a little while. I can watch overOz if you like." He offered.
"Great. Thanks." She more or less leapt from the chair, intending to take full advantage of the out she was given, going for the door. "See you tomorrow, Giles. Hey, it'll be the first day of school."
"Yes, you're right. Which means people will actually have to come in here." Laughing, he figured that talkingto could wait. "Goodnight, Willow."
When she was gone, he entered his office and sat at his desk. He retrieved the black orb from his jacket pocket, but besides knowing that the material was obsidian, he had no clue what its purpose was. He sat it on his desk, unsettled by the fact that he hadn't known what the creature was, or where it came from. He would've beeneven more unsettled if he could've heard the voices crying out inside that orb:
"Eh-Woo-Too! Eh-Woo-Too!"
"Bestia de Infierno!"
"El
Mago! El Mago!"
------
To
be Continued..... |