Time and Time Again.Author: Citanul
Feedback: Be kind, rewind?
Spoilers: Just about all of them. Go watch the show.
Rating: NC-17
Pairings: W/T, B/F
Disclaimer: You all know I don’t own the rights to characters you’ve seen on TV.
Summary: A story of reincarnation and interdimensional travel made possible through the power of love. What misfortunes will our two favorite love birds be able to prevent with the aid of experience from countless past lives.
Author’s Note: Okay good news. Our time in LA is rapidly approaching a middle. Some stuff still needs to be seen to but i think you'll all enjoy what's to come.
*****
Chapter 6: Karaoke Tuesday“So does this seem weird to anyone else but me?” Rondell said as he, Gunn, and Xander pushed a cart down the aisle of the massive hardware store.
“Hey man, what we’re getting more than makes up for being asked to do a little shopping,” Gunn replied. The fact that a third of the guys in his crew were still questioning the witches was starting to wear on his nerves. Was he really the only one who saw all the benefits working with the Scoobies had to offer?
Alonna was more than getting along with Buffy, and the fact they both had the “Slayer thing” in common was only a small part of it. Why couldn’t the others see this was them finally doing more than just walking the line between surviving and starving? They were stepping up to the big leagues. Taking up a cause. This was about the mission.
“I know all that, and I’m grateful for what they’re giving us,” Rondell said. “But doesn’t this still seem odd? I mean they send us to a hardware store with the Slayers to pickup scrap wood, spare knives and sharpening stones for stakes, two crowbars, two sledgehammers, and a dozen pairs of work gloves. What the hell are they planning?”
“Ron, I know some things they’ve said and done may seem pretty out there,” Xander replied. “But I’ve known Willow all my life. Believe me when I say she knows what she’s doing.”
Rondell thought about that statement and decided he should take Gunn’s lead. No more questioning the random stuff the two young witches asked of them.
Gunn looked at his friend and hoped the young man was finally getting it. This time last week they couldn’t even hope to afford enough food to feed the group. Let alone trips to the hardware store to stock up on weapons. Whatever the girls wanted with crowbars and sledgehammers they would find out soon enough.
“Hey boys,” Buffy and Alonna said as they came up to the three young men with a loaded cart of their own. “You guys get the stuff on your list?” Alonna asked.
“Just need the gloves,” Gunn said to his sister.
“Good,” Buffy replied with a smile. “Let’s check out and head over to the address Willow and Tara gave us.”
As the gang finished up and made for the checkout they drew more than a few puzzled looks from the store employees. They drew even more confused looks when Xander paid for the transaction by peeling twenties off a surprisingly large roll he pulled out of his pocket.
The teens left the store and met Doyle in the parking lot waiting by their van. “Everything go alright at the boogedy boogedy store, Irish?” Gunn asked.
“Yeah, I’d say things went okay,” Doyle answered. “Could do with a bit more bile, but the girls seemed to imply they wouldn’t need to do much for this job.”
“Do we actually know anything about this job?” Rondell asked drawing a warning look from Gunn.
“We’re off to do a wee bit of ghost bustin’,” Doyle replied with a grin.
The half demon’s bravado did little for the teen’s mood. Loading the supplies everyone had purchased into the van they quickly made their way across town. Doyle at first had trouble finding the place but Buffy recognized the surrounding neighborhood from years before.
“Hey, I know this part of town.” The Slayer beamed. Her smile quickly faded as she recalled why this area was familiar. “Oh, god I had a middle school teacher who lived here.”
“Was she cool?” Xander asked. “Maybe we could swing by after.”
“She hung herself in her own apartment.” The blonde said with a mournful tremor.
No one knew how to respond to that. The silence in the van was finally broken as Doyle pulled to a stop in front of a large upscale apartment complex.
“Pearson Arms apartment complex.” He said to the teens. “This is the place.”
While getting out of the van everyone grabbed work gloves. Alonna and Buffy grabbed the sledgehammers. The boys divvied up the crowbar and the ingredients Doyle had bought. Heading to the apartment number written on the directions they were greeted by loud noises.
The door flew open and a broken chair was flung outside. Coming from inside was the distinctive voice of the redheaded witch. Willow was apparently engaged in a vigorous debate with someone.
“Get your ugly ectoplasmic ass out here, skank!” She yelled.
As the gang ran inside they saw Willow standing in the middle of the room deflecting telekinetically thrown objects away from the living occupants. Giles and Angel were standing off to one side looking through books. Tara was chanting quietly to herself. Household objects large and small were swirling through the air as an old woman’s voice could be heard screeching at the defiant redhead.
“Get out of my house you cheap small town tramp.” The ghost cried. “You’re not good enough for my boy. This will never be your home.”
“It may not be my home but it’s my building, Maude.” Willow taunted. “Bought the whole complex today, and when my friends get here you’re out.”
“You don’t have friends.” The ghost mocked. “Why would anyone care about you? Nobody really cares. You don’t deserve to live here.” With a hissing sound, the floating furniture dropped to the floor and the ghost let out a whisper before seeming to go dormant. “You don’t deserve anything.”
Willow turned to the doorway and saw her reinforcements. “Guys, you’re here!”
“Finally!” Angel exclaimed.
“Yes, quite,” Giles said.
“Buffy and Alonna stand on either side of that wall with the hammers,” Willow said while gesturing towards the dividing wall separating dining room from living room. “When I point bust it open.”
As the Slayers took their positions Tara walked to a chair Willow put in the center of the living room and sat down. Willow straddled her honey blonde love’s thighs and put an arm around the curvy girl’s shoulders. She then tilted her head back and let out a final taunt.
“Hey, Maude!” Willow yelled. “Just so we’re clear I don’t need Dennis!” She then leaned in and soundly shoved her tongue into Tara’s mouth.
As the kiss deepened and seemed to go on and on the ghost reemerged. The furniture and small objects once again started flying haphazardly as the remnant of the old woman screeched at the young couple.
“Get out of my home you cheap jezebel whores!” Maude Pearson hollered.
As the ghost became less and less coherent Willow pointed to the wall. The Slayers both began to lay down blow after resounding blow. A second after they began a slab of bricks broke loose revealing a nearly mummified corpse tied to a post within the wall.
The ghost of the old woman manifested across the room from the hole and screamed in anguish. Everyone except for the witches stared in shock as the corpse of Maude’s son Dennis began to glow with tendrils of bright white light. As more light began to fill the apartment the tendrils snaked out towards the old woman’s ghost.
“Dennis I presume,” Doyle remarked. “And probably not too happy with his mom.”
“Dennis, it was for your own good.” She pleaded. “I had to do it. She would have made your life miserable. I’m sorry.”
The rough image of a skull emerged from the hole, and although no features could be made out, all who witnessed the visage could easily make out the raw fury and hatred it held for the other ghost. As Dennis let all his rage bore down on his murderous mother a wide beam of light poured out of his corpse and into the old woman’s specter.
“Please, please.” She called out before an ear-piercing wail tore through the room. The light intensified and in its wake, the shadow of Maude Pearson was utterly obliterated.
Quiet reigned throughout the apartment. Gradually all heads turned towards the pair of young witches still caught up in the passionate kiss. Willow’s hands ran through locks of honey blonde hair as Tara grasped the lithe redhead by the waist.
As it became apparent to the rest of the group that their friends were lost in their own little world again Buffy decided to take over the situation. Looking around at the aftermath this exorcism left in its wake gave the Slayer pause as she once again mourned this aspect of her job.
“Okay everyone, we have jobs to do,” Buffy called out. “Giles, get the spell ready to exercise the other ghost. After he’s gone we’ll break down the rest of this wall and call the cops to get the body and close his missing persons report.”
That statement brought the witches out of their moment of mildly public intimacy. “No!” They both called.
Willow slowly stood up to address her friends. “We don’t need to worry about Dennis.” She stated. “He is probably the kindest ghost any of us will ever meet.”
“H-he really is a sweetie, you guys.” Tara chimed in.
“So we’re what?” Buffy asked. “Just going to leave him for the next unsuspecting renter?”
“Buffy, we bought this whole apartment complex,” Willow replied. “No one is going to rent this specific apartment without Tara and myself saying so. We’re thinking the Hyperion Crew can use it for stuff where they need an off-site place until we give it to the person who always seems to get along best with Dennis.”
Buffy took that string of explanations in and sighed. “Okay, Giles, call the cops to have the body taken away and IDed. Alonna, we should finish breaking down the wall before they get here. Will, I’m going to assume you’re paying for this funeral too.”
“Yup.” The redhead beamed. “Judy and Dennis both deserve a proper send-off.”
Buffy looked at her friend for a long moment then back to the remains of poor Dennis. With a sigh, she and Alonna cleared the rest of the alcove so his body could be easily removed and given the care and respect he had been denied.
The boys went about clearing evidence of spell work from the apartment before the police showed up. Doyle took all the books and spell components out to the van then came back. The teens, vampire, and half-demon retreated to the kitchen to give Giles room to handle the police. A knock came from the door and Giles went to answer quickly.
“Hello officer, thank you for coming.” The librarian said opening the door wide for the lone policewoman to enter.
“Mr. Giles, is it?” The blonde detective said with a slightly skeptical tone. “I’m detective Lockley. A forensics team is on the way. I’ve been told this is the second dead body you’ve found this week, and it’s only Tuesday.”
“Ah yes, that poor woman in the hotel,” Giles replied with a practiced show of grief. “Imagine my surprise when the youth outreach program I’m helping set up stumbled across her in the abandoned building we chose as our first center. What she must have been going through in her final days.” He took his glasses off and began to polish them. “No one should have to suffer that kind of solitude.”
“Be that as it may.” The young detective said coldly. “You can see how calling in a second body so soon may arouse suspicions.”
“Quite right,” Giles replied while trying to convey innocence. “Some of the gifted young people I work with started a history club. They were looking through the public records of some buildings around the city and saw the hotel and this particular apartment had something in common. Suspicious deaths and disappearances.”
“So you and your kids took it upon yourselves to check them out on your own?” She asked disbelievingly.
“Through odd events, we came into a recent windfall. Looking at options for outreach and halfway housing we couldn’t think of a better place than an old hotel to fit our needs.” The Brit answered. “This apartment complex was recommended to us by a friend and while doing background on it we came across a story of the original builder’s wife and son having a falling out.” As Giles was talking he led the woman around to stand in front of the recently uncovered alcove. “I believe this unfortunate young man was blamed for his mother’s death after she sealed him inside this wall.”
Kate Lockley stood there stunned. The nearly mummified body was a sight that took her by complete surprise. She had been called in to check if this Englishman was going around killing transients or guilty of some other crime. She never suspected this call to bring her face to face with a decades-old dead body hidden in a wall.
“Oh god,” Kate whispered.
“We didn’t want to disturb the body too much after uncovering him,” Giles told the woman. “The group of young people in the other room came to the conclusion that this space would work better with this wall removed and after the first few hammer blows uncovered him we decided to clear just enough to allow the body to be safely removed and wait for the authorities.”
“I have to call this in.” She replied quietly.
“Yes, quite,” Giles said as Kate left the apartment to make the call. As he walked into the kitchen he saw that all eyes were once again on the witches. Willow and Tara were looking at each other with nervous expressions as if trying to come to a decision.
“Sweetie, what should we do about h-her?” Tara finally asked.
“Nothing for now,” Willow said after a long moment. “Her father still has two years before retiring. Without the evil law firm working against her she might never know about what really goes on in the world. When it sets up shop in this town we’ll have Alonna, Gunn, and Angel kill the demon and vamps that would kill her dad.”
“Will, what are you talking about?” Buffy asked with a perplexed look. “If she can help us wouldn’t having a cop in our corner be a huge help?”
“Buffy, Kate s-s-sees the world in black and white a-absolutes,” Tara said quietly.
“She’s a good cop, but she always takes the existence of demons badly,” Willow added. “If we brought her onto the team there’s like a sixty percent chance it will ruin her career and life. We need to wait and see. If it’ll save her life then yes, bring her up to speed. If she gets it in her head that the Hyperion crew is up to no good then we may need to show her what real evil looks like.”
“Alonna, you’ll n-need to watch her.” Tara finished.
Gunn had a worried look at this turn of events. “You think this cop will bring a swat team down on the hotel or lock all of us up if she knew?”
“It’s doubtful.” The redhead answered. “But there’s no telling how much trouble she can cause us if she finds out the truth in a bad way. She could go either way as far as friend or foe goes.”
The sound of the front door opening alerted Giles who went back to check on their guests. Turning the corner he saw a team of forensics specialists and a medical examiner coming through the door with detective Lockley.
“Ah, detective.” The librarian called out. “The primary donor of our youth program wished me to ask that they be allowed to pay for the poor young man’s funeral arrangements. Should I take my students elsewhere while you see to things here?”
“I’m gonna need to speak with them first.” She replied curtly.
“Of course.” Giles sighed. “This way please.”
Giles led the cop into the kitchen and made a round of introductions for all those present. Gunn and Rondell stiffened as the woman wrote down names and details. Doyle smiled politely, trying to convey a harmless façade. Angel nodded curtly and avoided looking at the cross on her neck.
“So what made you decide to go poking around this apartment?” Kate asked the group.
“Buffy had a teacher who lived here a few years back,” Willow said. “I looked this place up after she said the poor woman hung herself. There was a string of suicides and incident reports dating back to the time of the Pearson family’s residency. It seemed like a good topic for a group social studies project.”
“Why did you wreck that wall?” The detective questioned.
“It wasn’t on the original blueprints.” The redhead replied.
“Who is funding this afterschool special you kids have going on?” The blonde asked with an edge in her voice.
“We are.” Tara and Willow said in unison.
“You are?” Kate asked with a bewildered expression. “How?” She was not expecting that answer.
“Detective, I recently sold a comprehensive suite of groundbreaking software to a large tech company,” Willow said in a casual manner. “With that seed money, Tara and I started our own company and are currently diversifying our portfolio.”
“How are you diversifying?” The cop was still stunned.
“Pentacle, our company, has purchased this apartment complex, an abandoned hotel we are converting into a home for disenfranchised youth, and just yesterday we completed the hostile takeover of a law firm.” The young witch rattled off. “There are a few other things we have to see to in this city before we look into east coast locations but all in all it has been a very busy week.”
“So you’re the donor that Mr. Giles here said is covering the funerals?” Kate asked as she pieced together the news.
“Yes,” Willow answered.
“Why?” The detective wanted to know where this altruism was coming from. “Why pay to bury strangers?”
As Kate was asking this, the rest of the people in the room noticed objects on the table behind her start to shake slightly. Willow took this in and said what she knew Dennis needed to hear.
“Nothing in the world is the way it ought to be, detective.” She said with a world-weary sigh. “It's harsh and cruel. People lose their way and end up backed into corners they never wanted. Others fall victim to those that make a conscious choice to ruin the lives of others. Helping those poor souls is just about the most important thing we can do.”
“To live as though the world were as it should be, to show it what it can be,” Tara added. “A better place.”
“That’s actually kind of beautiful,” Kate said with a slight smile. “Okay, that’s all the questions I had. If you could leave the premises for the duration of this investigation we’ll take care of the body and see if we can actually verify that it was Mr. Pearson sealed up in that wall.” With that, she turned and walked down the hall.
“We’ll be back later, Dennis.” Willow quietly told the room. “Gunn, Alonna, Angel, and Doyle will stop by and check up on you. In time we’ll introduce you to a friend of ours. She may live here with you one day.”
With that reassurance to the ghost, the group left the apartment. Angel was careful to stick to the shadows as he climbed into the back of the van. “Guys, meet back at the hotel,” Willow said as she, Tara, and Giles got into the car they had driven directly to the apartment.
The drive back to the Hyperion was uneventful. It did however give the group in the van a few moments to talk. The topic at hand seemed to be the two ghosts they had just encountered.
“So what did you guys think of Dennis?” Buffy asked the group.
“The Phantom of the apartment complex?” Doyle questioned back. “He seemed like a nice enough bloke. Especially considering what his mum was like.”
“Yeah, the hag set the bar really low for Dennis,” Alonna added. “I don’t think he’ll be a problem. He seemed eager to pull chairs out for each of us in the kitchen.”
“Yeah, his mom was a real piece of work,” Xander said quietly.
“I can’t believe the crazy bat actually pulled a Cask of Amontillado on her own son,” Gunn remarked.
Heads around the van turned in his direction. He looked up for a moment and a puzzled look came to his face. “What?” Gunn asked.
“Look at you rockin’ the nineteenth-century lit knowledge,” Buffy said with a smile.
“Every now and then he surprises us,” Alonna smirked at her brother.
“Very funny, Sis,” The young ebony man replied.
“One thing’s for sure,” Angel said ominously. “Whoever Willow and Tara get to live there will need a very open mind about roommates.”
The vampire’s statement received nods from all of the van’s other occupants. As Doyle drove the vehicle into the underground parking structure they were surprised to find a welcoming committee waiting for them. Several of the younger members of the Crew were waiting for Gunn, Alonna, and the Scoobies to return. Doyle parked and the passengers quickly exited.
Rondell went to the kids the crew had taken in and started retelling the tale of the haunted apartment complex and the surprisingly polite poltergeist. Xander and Gunn backed him up with sound effects and pantomime of the play by play.
Once they had finished up the fight between Dennis and Maude Giles pulled into the garage with the witches. Willow and Tara went to watch the performance with the Slayers and joined in on the laughter towards the end of the exaggerated story.
“That was wonderful guys,” Tara said with a bright smile.
“I especially liked the part with the fire-breathing dragon spirits,” Willow said with a coy smirk.
“I don’t know,” Buffy remarked. “The howler monkeys in act three gave a really strong performance.”
“Laugh it up you guys,” Xander said with a frown that slowly turned to a grin. “So is anyone else hungry?”
“Starving, I ordered a truckload of sandwiches on the drive back here,” Willow replied. “How about you guys gather everyone in the dining hall while we head out front to wait for the delivery guy?”
“Sounds like a plan, boss,” Gunn said with a slightly sarcastic salute.
The three young men headed inside with the waiting kids to spread the news about lunch. While that was going on Giles, Angel, and Doyle went about unloading the exorcism supplies from the van and headed off to the hotel’s front office that was soon becoming the command center.
That left the four young women to their own devices as they awaited the food truck. Buffy turned to her redheaded friend and asked the question that had been stewing since they left the apartment complex.
“So, Will.” The Slayer began cautiously. “We’re letting ghosts join the team, but none of the Wolfram & Hart demons could be reformed?”
“Dennis isn’t a team member, Buffy,” Willow stated with a shaky voice. “He’s a victim. He was a victim of his crazy mother his whole life and continued to be her victim throughout his afterlife until today.” As a tear rolled down Willow’s pale, lightly freckled cheek Tara walked up behind her and wrapped the redhead in her arms.
Tara looked Buffy in the eyes and sighed. “Buffy, we know w-what we did yesterday didn’t sit well with you. The only justification we h-have is we didn’t have any control over who the Senior Partners dragged down with them. W-whether they w-were signed by d-demons or humans, if we could have undone the p-perpetuity clauses we would have.”
“It might have been less of a shock if you guys didn’t laugh about it,” Buffy said in a guarded tone.
“Buffy, did you see how the guys took it?” Willow asked. “None of them could care less about us offing a few lawyers.” The redhead faltered for a moment. “There are still things we have to get Gunn’s boys to do that they’ll fight us on. If I had broken down crying in front of them it would have ruined half the work we’ve done.”
“She’s right, Buffy.” The ebony girl affirmed. “They don’t respond well to real human emotions. I don’t know how I got along before when I was surrounded by so many boys.” Alonna said to the group.
“I kind of get what you mean,” Tara said only to draw puzzled looks from Willow and Buffy. “What? O-okay don’t get me w-wrong. Xander is a sweetie, but could you imagine if there w-were twenty of him following us around?”
“Seriously.” Alonna cried while smiling. “What am I gonna do when you three head back to Mayberry in a few days? How do I keep them all in line?”
“You’re gonna do great, Alonna,” Buffy said to her young ebony counterpart. “Gunn already had them in line before we got here. You may not see it but you’re every bit the leader he is. Being the Slayer will help too.” The blonde added with a smirk.
“Plus you won’t be the only girl here for long, Alonna,” Willow stated.
“That’s right.” Tara chipped in. “W-w-we’re all going out tonight to meet the man who’ll help us f-find a friend.”
“Getting Chain and Rondell to go along with accepting this person’s help is going to be our biggest problem,” Willow said meekly.
“He’s another demon isn’t he?” Alonna said with a weary sigh. “I’m actually really surprised you got them to allow Doyle to join us.”
Buffy looked at her newest friend with a worried expression. “They wouldn’t do anything to hurt him would they?”
“I think they’re okay with him now but they were giving him some nasty looks the night we met him,” Alonna replied. “I’m actually more worried about keeping them off Angel’s back after you guys leave.”
“Angel is stronger than he lets on,” Willow stated. “Plus he goes out of his way to avoid harming humans.”
Before the conversation could take an even more worrying turn for the blonde Slayer the delivery van pulled up. Willow paid the guy and the four girls took the dozen or so bags of grinders into the hotel. As they entered the large banquet hall the Gunns had decided would make a great gathering place for meals and strategy meetings they were surprised to find many of the young men in the room gathered around Doyle listening to some wildly exaggerated and highly inappropriate story from the half demon’s few years as a vagrant and conman.
“So the kid says ‘I thought all Brachen demons had a good sense of direction.’ To which I reply. ‘Yeah, we're all pretty good at basketball, too.” Doyle said as the crowd of teens around him broke out in laughter.
As the heartfelt laughter trailed off, Alonna called out to the gang. “Lunch is here.”
The teens of the Hyperion Crew quickly tore into the bags of sandwiches the witches and Slayers placed on the tables. The group the two witches had assembled sat around the banquet hall exchanging smiles and camaraderie as they enjoyed yet another meal that provided more calories than many of them had consumed in the entire month before meeting the Scoobies.
After everyone had their fill Jason and Poe went about gathering the trash. When a lull in the general conversation presented itself Willow stood and cleared her throat. All heads turned towards the redhead. They all had the same thought. Whatever the next mission was it would certainly be a new experience.
“Okay, guys.” Willow began. “Tonight we’re going to a place some of you may have a problem with. Before I go any further I want you to understand that it’s vital you obey the rules when it comes to this place. It serves an important function that will help us all down the road.”
Chain was first to reply to that odd warning. “Okay, boss, you got our attention. Is this some holy place?”
A slight smile spread across Tara and Willow’s faces. “For some, it is more sacred than any other place in this city,” Tara answered.
“I’ll have Buffy tell you what she gets out of the Hellmouth equivalent first,” Willow said. “Buff, could you please tell them about ‘Willy’s Place?”
“Oh god,” Buffy said with a disappointed grunt. “You’re taking them to a place like that? This city has a dive that bad?”
“No Buff,” The redhead replied. “The closest equivalent in LA is actually a nice place. But they need to hear why you let the dive in Sunnydale stay in business.”
The blonde Slayer looked between Tara and Willow for a moment before shrugging. “Okay.” She sighed before turning to the audience. “So there’s this demon bar on the hellmouth run by a guy named Willy. Every now and then I go there and threaten to smack him around for information. Half the time I actually start smacking after he gives it to me.”
Rondell was shocked. “So you know where demons go to party and you haven’t killed them yet. Why are you called the Slayer again?”
Willow and Tara knew it would only get worse from here. Buffy looked at Rondell and narrowed her eyes. “I allow them to have a place to blow off steam so that when an even more dangerous demon with plans on opening the Hellmouth rolls through town they go to one place to complain about it and potentially pass the info on the threat to me.”
“That strategy has saved the world and prevented the apocalypse countless times,” Willow said. “Having a relatively safe hangout in town for run-of-the-mill demons to go and relax keeps the world enders at bay. It provides information to our cause and allows us to keep tabs on many more threats than if we were just to go out each night and look through the sewers for random lairs.”
“So by letting the ones like Doyle and fangs here have an inch you can easily kill the ones that try to burn down the whole town,” Gunn said.
“Whoa now,” Angel called out a little testily. “Let’s just get one thing straight here.” He paused for a long moment to make sure he had everyone’s attention. “I would never be caught dead in Willy’s grimy hole.”
As the double entendre in that statement sunk in many of the teens around the room started to laugh. Even the so-called adults in the room cracked a slight smile. As the laughter died down Chain and Rondell exchanged looks.
“So,” Rondell said with an easier tone in his voice than before. “You are going to point out a place where Alonna can rough some guys up for information every now and then but you don’t want us to go in guns a-blazing.”
“Absolutely not!” Tara and Willow both said.
At the confused looks around the room, Willow sighed and knew she had to explain in more detail. The long-term viability of this group as a fighting force hinged on their ability to look past species and focus on actual threats.
“The place we are going tonight is nothing like Willy’s,” Willow said.
*****
Two stretch limos pulled up to the curve outside Caritas. Willow and Tara had rented the luxury vehicles to move the majority of their gang across town for the night. The witches took one final look around at the faces present. “Everyone is clear on the rules?” Willow asked.
“Absolutely no violence,” Gunn said. “The ten-minute warning about the anti-violence spell got the point across, Red.”
“Guys, this is serious,” Willow stated. “The host of this bar is a devout pacifist. If you behave and treat him with respect he will become one of our strongest allies in this city.”
“He’s a good person,” Tara added.
Though some members of the Hyperion Crew had misgivings about her use of the word person, they all had more than caught on to the fact that the witches wanted this guy on the team for the long term. They could easily make nice with one demon that went out of his way to make nice if that was what their new bosses wanted.
The teams slowly exited the limo. The witches and Slayers leading the way to the door with one bouncer sitting on a stool to the side. Slipping the man a handful of hundred dollar bills Willow boldly proclaimed, “They’re all with me.”
The bouncer took a look at the four young women at the head of the group then smiled. “Welcome to Caritas.” He said as the doors opened.
As the large group made their way through the doors and down the steps to the metal detector the strumming of an acoustic guitar greeted their ears.
“Well look who’s here,” Tara said with a smile.
Pretty girl on every corner
Sunshine turns the sky to gold
Warm warm, it's always warm here
And I can't take the coldThe large group of demon fighters all stopped and looked beyond the mixed crowd of demons and humans lounging around the place and locked eyes on the man perched on a stool playing the guitar on the main stage.
Streets littered with diamonds
Everyone's glistening
This whole world shines so brightly
I can't see a thing
She's pretty as a picture
She is like a golden dream
Circles me with love and laughter
And I can't feel a thing“Isn’t he fabulous?” An emerald-skinned demon said as he walked up to the two witches. The jovial nightclub host had red horns and eyes. He chose to dress in an almost neon-colored suit designed to draw the gaze of every onlooker in the bar. “One of our regulars. Comes in here all the time.”
The sky's gonna open
People gonna pray and crawl
It's gonna rain down fire
It's gonna burn us all
The sky's gonna open
People gonna pray and sing
Oh, I can't feel a thingAlonna was stunned. “Wow, he’s good.”
She's pretty as a picture
She is like a golden dream
Circles me with love and laughter
And I-I I can't feel a thingGunn was similarly impressed. “Lawyer’s got some pipes.”
The sky's gonna open
People gonna pray and crawl
It's gonna rain down fire
It's gonna burn us all
The sky's gonna open
People gonna pray and sing
I can't feel a thing
No, I can't feelLindsey finished to resounding applause from the entire bar. As the man slowly left the stage he happened to glance up. The sight of his new bosses and all of their muscle caused him to freeze in place. Lilah still sitting at their table and applauding looked at him with a puzzled expression. She slowly followed his gaze and shared his reaction as realization hit home.
Deciding that showing fear now in the middle of the sanctuary the Host of Caritas had built was not an option, he boldly walked towards the group. Forcing a smile, he walked to stand beside the green man and nodded slightly to the witches.
“Ladies.” He said politely.
“Hi,” Alonna said stepping up to the man. “You probably don’t remember me but that was amazing.”
“That was kinda tight,” Gunn added.
“Terrific really,” Giles said with a smile.
“Is everyone drunk?” Angel asked feeling more than a little embarrassed about his own singing abilities.
“Be nice, Angel.” Buffy admonished.
“Say, Lindsey, we’re getting a few tables,” Willow told the man. “Why don’t you and Lilah join us after your reading?”
“My pleasure, boss.” The lawyer said with a playful smirk.
As the large group went off to one side of the bar towards a cluster of larger tables and sofas Lindsey turned to the demon who ran the karaoke bar. “Well, what do you think?” He asked the green lounge singer.
“I think those kids are all kinds of trouble,” Lorne said with a smile. “Your path is clear though.”
“Really?” Lindsey asked with a hopeful tone.
“Yup, it’s clear as day.” The host repeated. “Your path clearly runs through them.”
“I figured as much.” The southerner said with a sigh. “Good talking to you, Lorne.”
“Always a pleasure, Sweetie.” The demon said with an upbeat laugh.
Lilah looked up as Lindsey came back to the table. “How bad is it?”
“They might just be here for the entertainment,” Lindsey said before his tone took a dour turn. “But our luck can’t be that good. Come on, they invited us to join their tables.”
As the next performer took the stage the lawyers went over to join the Hyperion Crew and the Scoobies at the cluster of tables the group claimed for the night. A playful thought struck Lindsey and he decided to go ahead with it.
“So what brings our newest clients slash bosses out this evening?” He asked as he strolled up to Willow and Tara’s table.
“Tara and I are going to sing!” Willow said with a thousand-watt smile as literally every head at the tables turned to look at her.
Xander was first to offer an assessment of that sentence. “Will, buddy. You don’t sing. Ever!”
“That was the old me.” She replied to her lifelong friend. “Tara’s always using each new lifetime to get me out of my shell little by little.”
Tara blushed at that assessment and intertwined her fingers with her love. “Sweetie, your shell wore off a few hundred worlds ago.”
Buffy’s eyes widened at that piece of information. She couldn’t recall if the pair had pinned a specific number to the life they were on presently. If they had been running this setup for several hundred lives it was no wonder they had things down after all the worlds that might happen to share features and milestones with this one.
A more sobering thought struck the Slayer. How many times had they killed the majority of Wolfram & Hart employees and how many times had they suffered because they didn’t or couldn’t. Buffy knew Willow would never choose mass murder as her first option. Something in their distant past must have hurt them so badly it permanently fixed that decision in place for the couple.
Willow and Tara were keeping something from the Slayer. She could tell. From the moment the library filled with light, she knew her bright babbling redhead was holding back some detail that affected them all. If it was a pain or tragedy so great it made killing tens of thousands of humans and countless demons the clearly better option in their minds then Buffy wasn’t sure she wanted to know anymore. She trusted her friends. If she had nothing else she still had that certainty. Willow, Xander, and Giles wouldn’t betray her willingly. Whatever the secret was Willow would tell her when she was ready.
“This I gotta see!” Buffy called out.
“It’s always a treat when first-timers take the mic,” Lorne said as he strolled up to the Table.
“Say, Lorne, why don’t you sit with us during my song?” Willow asked as she hopped up and trotted towards the stage.
“Sit here, Lorne,” Tara advised offering the vacant seat at her side. “You might want to brace yourself for this reading.”
Willow went to the screen to select her song and quickly punched in her choice. “This is for anyone who has ever lost someone.” She whispered into the mic as the music started.
You took my hand
You showed me how
You promised me you'd be around
Uh huh
That's right
I took your words
And I believed
In everything
You said to me
Yeah huh
That's rightThe crowd seemed to be nodding along with the song easy enough. Willow didn’t have anywhere near Lindsey’s singing ability but those that knew her best were outright shocked she had voluntarily gone up there at all. Perhaps the most surprising reaction was that of Lorne and Tara. The green-skinned demon was openly weeping. Not just stray tears but torrents of saltwater were flowing steadily down the man’s emerald cheeks. Tara was rubbing slow soothing circles into his back as the emotions she remembered feeling all too clearly overcame him.
If someone said three years from now
You'd be long gone
I'd stand up and punch them out
Cause they're all wrong
I know better
Cause you said forever
And ever
Who knew“Oh, Goddess,” Lorne whispered.
Remember when we were such fools
And so convinced and just too cool
Oh no
No no
I wish I could touch you again
I wish I could still call you friend
I'd give anything“It’s okay, Sweetie,” Tara assured the host.
When someone said count your blessings now
'fore they're long gone
I guess I just didn't know how
I was all wrong
They knew better
Still you said forever
And ever
Who knew
Yeah yeah
I'll keep you locked in my head
Until we meet again
Until we
Until we meet again
And I won't forget you my friend
What happened
If someone said three years from now
You'd be long gone
I'd stand up and punch them out
Cause they're all wrong and
That last kiss
I'll cherish
Until we meet again
And time makes
It harder
I wish I could remember
But I keep
Your memory
You visit me in my sleep
My darling
Who knew
My darling
My darling
Who knew
My darling
I miss you
My darling
Who knew
Who knewAs the song drew to a close Willow closed her eyes. “Thank you.” She whispered softly to the crowd that was offering encouraging yet light-hearted applause. At the same time, Tara felt all the emotions conveyed in the song intensify through their connection. Chief among them was the ever-present and overwhelming love as always, yet one stray twinge of fear and sorrow still tainted the moment.
Several people at the table were looking back and forth between Willow and Lorne. While the hacker wasn’t tone-deaf or incredibly talented, the green man’s intense reaction seemed completely out of left field.
“What just happened?” Buffy said as Tara got up from her seat.
A stern look crossed the honey blonde’s face. “She still blames herself for my death.” As about half the table looked around confused at that ominous statement Tara asked Lindsey a favor. “Lindsey, could you explain Lorne’s empathic gift to the group? Lilah, could you order him another Sea Breeze?”
“Sure.” Both lawyers said quietly as Tara strode across the floor and took the redhead into her arms halfway between the stage and tables.
“I love you, Willow,” Tara said as she kissed her love firmly on the lips. “That’s all that matters. You need to forgive yourself for mistakes some other version of you made so long ago that they no longer affect us.”
“I’m sorry I’m such a frightened dummy, Baby,” Willow whispered as tears began to form in the corners of her eyes.
“Hey!” Tara whispered sternly. “You are the bravest and smartest person I have ever met. Everyone makes mistakes. We both screwed up back then. What matters is we learned from all of our mistakes. Our love transcends all that. It’s all we have and all we need.”
As the two young women kissed once again in the middle of the bar an inspiration took hold in Tara’s mind. “Go back to the table, Sweetie. Sit with Lorne while I serenade you, my love.”
Willow smiled and nodded before heading back to their friends. She almost had a skip in her step. As she rejoined the table she turned to the Host and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You okay, Lorne?” She asked softly.
“I’m sorry for falling apart like that it’s just…” He couldn’t go on. “There aren’t words for what you two have. It’s amazing and scary and until this moment I thought I was capable of love but now that I’ve seen the real thing I don’t know anymore.”
Willow smiled at the man with one of the gentlest hearts she had ever known. “It’s okay I get it. It scares every psychic we come across.” Her smile brightened. “Tara’s about to sing. You’ll get a better grasp once her half gives you the full picture.”
“I don’t know if my heart can hold out, Sugar,” Lorne replied with a sigh as Tara took the stage.
The honey blonde smiled at the audience. Foregoing the karaoke machine, Tara went straight for the grand piano and sat upon the bench. After adjusting the microphone she addressed the bar. “This is for my everything and always. I love you, Willow.” Tara said with all the love in her heart as a soft melody of piano keys started.
What would I do without your smart mouth?
Drawing me in, and you kicking me out
You've got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down
What's going on in that beautiful mind
I'm on your magical mystery ride
And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be alrightEveryone in the room, with the exception of Willow, was floored by the angelic voice that came from the shy girl. The entire Hyperion Crew was stunned to hear the truth behind the woman they had only seen as an attachment at the redhead’s side. To think the stutterer that always seemed to let the babbler do her talking for her was concealing this from them. It was truly a surprise.
My head's underwater
But I'm breathing fine
You're crazy and I'm out of my mindThe Scooby gang was fairing slightly better. They had heard Willow go on and on about her love’s heavenly voice back in Sunnydale, but this was the first time any had heard it. Needless to say, Lorne was beside himself as he was once again overcome. This time not only with the tremendous depth and weight of the emotions pouring off the two young lovers but also with the beauty of the voice that equaled if not completely outclassed his own.
'Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections
Give your all to me
I'll give my all to you
You're my end and my beginning
Even when I lose I'm winning
'Cause I give you all of me
And you give me all of you, ohoh
How many times do I have to tell you
Even when you're crying you're beautiful too
The world is beating you down, I'm around through every mood
You're my downfall, you're my muse
My worst distraction, my rhythm and blues
I can't stop singing, it's ringing, in my head for you
My head's underwater
But I'm breathing fine
You're crazy and I'm out of my mind
'Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections
Give your all to me
I'll give my all to you
You're my end and my beginning
Even when I lose I'm winning
'Cause I give you all of me
And you give me all of you, ohoh
Give me all of you
Cards on the table, we're both showing hearts
Risking it all, though it's hard
'Cause all of me
Loves all of you
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections
Give your all to me
I'll give my all to you
You're my end and my beginning
Even when I lose I'm winning
'Cause I give you all of me
And you give me all of you
I give you all of me
And you give me all of you, ohohAs the piano music died down Tara gave a soft “Thank you.” A weight seemed to disappear from the hearts of those present as the young woman’s performance ended. As if on cue the entirety of the karaoke bar stood and applauded Tara with thunderous joy.
Several catcalls and cheers could be heard from the Hyperion Crew and Scoobies. The most vocal applause seemed to stem from the Slayers. Though Xander, Giles, Doyle, Angel, and Gunn gave them a run for their money.
Tara strolled back to their cluster of tables and got a surprising number of polite bows along the way. As she neared the table the Hyperion Crew welcomed her back with smiles and applause. “Th-thanks you guys.” She said quietly as a blush spread across her cheek.
“That was amazing, Baby,” Willow said as she wrapped her arms around her curvy love and sat down in the honey blonde’s lap. “You have the most beautiful voice.”
“You bring it out in me, Sweetie,” Tara replied.
“That was…” Lorne began. “I don’t…” The man struggled for words to grasp the enormity of what his empathic abilities were feeding into his mind. “Thank you both for sharing that with me.” Was all he could manage.
“It was our pleasure.” The girls said in unison.
“So you’ve really lived that many lives?” Lorne asked as he dried his tears and tried to put up the image of the kind oracle and soothsayer he loved to present to customers.
“Yes,” Willow replied. “Though we haven’t told our friends the exact number just yet.”
“It’s a lot to take in,” Lorne admitted. “You may want to let them figure it out on their own.”
“Thank you, Lorne,” Tara said. “W-we had come to that decision.”
“I’m sorry, you both clearly have plans in place and you already know your path.” The green man was slightly flustered still but tried valiantly to provide the service his club had become known for. “Was there something specific you wanted from me?” He finally asked.
“There are a few things, Lorne,” Tara said shyly.
“Lindsey and Lilah may have told you what we did yesterday.” Willow ventured.
“What happened yesterday sent earthquakes throughout the entire supernatural community.” The Host stated coldly. “If I hadn’t just felt the full truth behind what you did and why I don’t think I’d be sitting here and talking to you after learning it was you two behind it all.”
That harsh assessment set alarms off around the table. No one had spoken to the new senior partners like that yet. The gang Willow and Tara had gathered was wondering just what the reaction of the witches would be.
Willow sighed and looked directly into Lorne’s red eyes. “Lorne, we know how you feel about violence.” She started. “If there was any way to prevent all that death we would have. But that demon triumvirate had their claws too deep in too many people. What we could do and will do in the future is limited.”
Lorne thought about those words for a moment before asking the main question. “So what really brought you to my club tonight?”
“One big thing and a bunch of little things,” Willow said with a smile. “Our main small goal tonight was to get Gunn and Alonna’s crew to understand that there are a bunch of demons in the city that are either harmless or working for the forces of good. We can’t leave them to fight the forces of darkness in this city if they can’t tell the difference between someone like you and say the Scourge or the Sisterhood of Jhe. Introducing them to the positive aspects of this club and its rules is a tremendous help.”
“W-we really mean that, Lorne,” Tara interjected. “What you’ve built here is a miracle. Sacred places like this don’t get the r-respect they deserve anymore.”
“Thank you for that, Sugar.” The demon said with a renewed smile. If these two could honestly say that about his club and his work then they just might be more than what his reading and the local gossip had given him.
“Another small detail of our visit is that we want to open up a tab,” Willow added before nodding to Xander. The young man pulled up a briefcase he had been holding since they left the limo and placed it on the table. It opened in front of the green lounge singer and took the man’s breath away.
“There’s a hundred thousand dollars in there.” Willow continued as she closed the case. “We are opening a tab for the Hyperion Hotel and any of its residents and associates. The bills of the people we brought here tonight and any clients or future allies they bring in the years to come are covered by us. Lindsey and Lilah as well. They’ll be providing our people with legal advice and this is just one more perk we wanted to grant them.”
“Wow.” The Host was once again floored. “That’s a nice benefits package you’ve got.” He said as a slow smile crept across his face.
Noticing that the stage had gone empty for several minutes Willow and Tara exchanged a look. “Gunn?” Tara asked. “Why don’t y-you ask the boys if they w-want to give signing a go?”
“Sure thing.” Gunn smiled at his new friends and went to tell Rondell and Chain to get the gang up on stage.
About eight guys went up to the stage and began going through the hip-hop selection of the karaoke machine. They settled on a few of the Wu-Tang Clan’s greatest hits.
“We’ll let you get back to reading the performers, Lorne,” Willow said quietly. “Feel our group out and do what you do best. Before we leave tonight we’ll tell you the big request we have and offer whatever assurances you’ll need before helping us.”
Lorne looked at the slim redhead and smiled once again. “Okay, Sweet Pea, that sounds fair.” He said as he gathered up the briefcase and took it across the bar and down a hallway that held his office and safe.
Gunn came back to the table and sat beside his sister. “So do you guys think he’s onboard?”
Willow smiled at the former gang leader turned “Hotel” manager. “I think just about all of us are going to need to sing for him tonight before he trusts us completely.”
*****
As Lorne returned to the floor of his bar he was graced with the dulcet tones of the Wu-Tang Clan song C.R.E.A.M. He had enough time to read all of the young men on stage and though he saw troubling undercurrents from each he also saw that they were at a turning point. With the slightest bit of encouragement and the continued work of the two witches, these boys would do great things. Getting ready to do what he did best Lorne walked up on stage and joined the young men as the song finished.
“Wasn’t that great ladies and gentlemen?” The demon said with cheer as the young men looked at him nervously. “Now how about I have a word with these fine gents while you all welcome our next performer?”
*****
All in all the night was going along smoothly. Most of the audience received the multiple performances of the young men who followed Gunn with cheer and encouragement. Willow and Tara had convinced just about all of the Scoobies and the key players they set up at the Hotel to sing their hearts out.
Even though Angel’s forced performance of “Mandy” was truly cringe-worthy, the audience gave him a small token round of applause before Lorne walked him off stage to have a heart to heart about his destiny and where it would take him.
When the vampire made it back to the table he was slightly surprised to see that Gunn was waiting for him. “That took a lot to go up and put yourself out there like that.” The young man said. “I think I’m starting to get where the witches are coming from when it comes to you.”
Angel smiled at the young man who was starting to open up to him. “Glad to hear it.” He replied.
Buffy turned to Alonna. “Come on, Al. Let’s show them what team Slayer can do.” The blonde said as she dragged the ebony girl off.
“Buffy, are you sure about this?” Alonna asked as Buffy pointed out the song they would sing.
“It’ll be funny,” Buffy remarked. “Cause, you know.” She said before pointing a finger back and forth between the two of them. “Heroes!”
With a slight smile, Alonna agreed. They took the stage and as the music started began to belt out their pick.
Where have all the good men gone
And where are all the gods?
Where's the streetwise Hercules
To fight the rising odds?
Isn't there a white knight
Upon a fiery steed?
Late at night I toss and I turn
And I dream of what I need.
I need a hero.
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night.
He's gotta be strong
And he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight.
I need a hero.
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light
He's gotta be sure
And it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life!
Larger than life.
Somewhere after midnight
In my wildest fantasy
Somewhere just beyond my reach
There's someone reaching back for me.
Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat
It's gonna take a superman
To sweep me off my feet.
I need a hero.
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong
And he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight.
I need a hero.
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light
He's gotta be sure
And it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life.
I need a hero.
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night.
Up where the mountains meet the heavens above
Out where the lightning splits the sea
I could swear there is someone
Somewhere watching me
Through the wind
And the chill
And the rain
And the storm
And the flood
I can feel his approach like a fire in my blood.
I need a hero.
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night.
He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight.
I need a hero.
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light.
He's gotta be sure
And it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life.
I need a hero.
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night.
He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight.
I need a hero.
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light.
He's gotta be sure
And it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life.
I need a hero.
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night.As they finished, both were laughing and the crowd was cheering. Leaving the stage with bright smiles, the duo made their way back to their tables. On the way, Lorne joined them for the almost perfunctory reading.
“Ladies, what a lovely choice. You’re both on the paths you need to be on.” The demon said with cheer.
“Thanks, Lorne,” Buffy said with a smile before the urge to ask the question plaguing her took over. “So what brought you to this city and why the karaoke bar?”
“Oh, Sugar, now that is a tale.” He replied as the Slayers listened in earnest. “I grew up in this nasty hell dimension. Never felt like I fit in, until one day I fell backwards through what must have been a portal. I woke up in an abandoned building and went to see what this world had in store for me.”
A smile spread across his face. “That was the first time I ever heard music. You see it just doesn’t exist in the world I came from. There’s still some truly dreadful dancing but no music whatsoever.” He sighed before looking up to the two Slayers and finishing his tale. “I built this club and that stage on the very spot I first awoke in this wonderful town.”
“That’s kind of beautiful,” Buffy said as the story came to a close.
“Very.” Alonna agreed.
With a smile, Lorne led the slayers back to their table. Surprisingly enough they found Doyle had already gone up to the stage while Lorne was talking to the two young women. “Well, this should be a treat,” Lorne said.
“Hello everyone,” Doyle said with a slight grin. “This is a song my grandparents used to sing a long time ago. Join in if you know the words.” As a jaunty Irish folk tune started up, the half-demon began to sing.
Oh then, tell me Seán O'Farrell
Tell me why you hurry so?
Hush a bhuachaill, hush and listen
And his cheeks were all aglow
I bear orders from the captain
Get you ready quick and soon
For the pikes must be together
By the rising of the moon!
By the rising of the moon
By the rising of the moon
For the pikes must be together
By the rising of the moon!
And come tell me Seán O'Farrell
Where the gath'rin is to be?
In the old spot by the river
Right well known to you and me
One more word for signal token
Whistle out the marchin' tune
With your pike upon your shoulder
By the rising of the moon!To the surprise of the Hyperion Crew and the Scoobies, about a dozen voices, both human and demon, scattered throughout the bar joined Doyle in singing the chorus.
By the rising of the moon
By the rising of the moon
With your pike upon your shoulder
By the rising of the moon!
Out from many a mud wall cabin eyes
Were watching through the night
Many a manly chest was throbbing
For the blessed morning light
Murmurs ran along the valleys
Like the banshee's lonely croon
And a thousand pikes were flashing
At the rising of the moon!
At the rising of the moon
At the rising of the moon
And a thousand pikes were flashing
By the rising of the moon!
There beside the singing river
That black mass of men was seen
High above their shining weapons
Flew their own beloved green
Death to every foe and traitor!
Forward strike the marching tune
And hurrah my boys for freedom
Tis the rising of the moon!
Tis the rising of the moon
Tis the rising of the moon
And hurrah my boys for freedom
Tis the rising of the moon!
Well they fought for poor old Ireland
And full bitter was their fate
Oh what glorious pride and sorrow
Fills the name of ninety-eight!
Yet, thank God, e'en still are beating hearts
In manhood burning noon
Who would follow in their footsteps
At the risin' of the moon!
At the rising of the moon
At the rising of the moon
Who would follow in their footsteps
At the risin' of the moon!As the tune came to a close the crowd cheered the Irishman. Doyle took a bow and headed back to his new friends’ table. To several people’s surprise, Gunn got up and greeted Doyle with open arms.
“Damn, Irish!” Gunn proclaimed. “You should have said your pipes were as smooth as the Lawyer Boy’s.”
“Well, I’m not one to brag.” The half-demon admitted as he felt the young leader of the street toughs he would be charged with educating accept him as a part of their group.
Willow and Tara smiled as they felt the team they went to such efforts to assemble finally take form. A sudden inspiration hit the redhead as she looked around the table at all the smiling faces.
“Lindsey.” She said with a grin. “Can I ask you for a favor?”
“Maybe?” Lindsey said cautiously.
“Great.” Willow continued. “Someone seems to have neglected to bring his guitar on this trip. Can Giles borrow yours for a song?”
Turning to look at the watcher, Lindsey let out a slight laugh. “You play, old man?”
“Old man?” Normally being forced into a performance would have put the librarian out of sorts. However, the mild insult from the country singer pushed right past that and made his inner Ripper stand up to the challenge. “Hand it over, boy.”
Grasping the guitar, Giles strode purposefully to the vacant stage. He sat down on the stool by the mic and checked to see if the guitar was still in tune. After a brief moment, the watcher began to strum the chords of a song that had always moved him.
No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes!
No one knows what it's like
To be hated
To be fated
To telling only lies
But my dreams
They aren't as empty
As my conscience seems to be
I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That's never free
No one knows what it's like
To feel these feelings
Like I do
And I blame you
No one bites back as hard
On their anger
None of my pain and woe
Can show through
But my dreams
They aren't as empty
As my conscience seems to be
I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That's never freeThe tune suddenly picked up speed and the song took on a harder edge. Everyone in Caritas was completely engrossed by the watcher’s performance.
When my fist clenches, crack it open
Before I use it and lose my cool
When I smile, tell me some bad news
Before I laugh and act like a fool
And if I swallow anything evil
Put your finger down my throat
And if I shiver, please give me a blanket
Keep me warm, let me wear your coat
No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyesThe crowded bar that had sat in rapt silence broke out in cheers as the song came to an end. Giles smiled and bowed to the audience. “Thank you all.” He said as he went to take the guitar back to its owner.
Lorne greeted the man halfway and walked back with him. “That was quite the show, Mr. Giles. Or should I say, Ripper?”
“Oh please don’t,” Giles replied with a twinge. “That part of me may not be as long gone as I prefer, but it is not who I am.”
“I can see that,” Lorne said with a smile. “I’ll say this though. You may have doubts about where things are going but your aura is clear. Your path is with those kids. Not with the council.”
Giles was shocked at the depths the demon’s empathic gift was able to delve. “Thank you.” He finally said with a smile. “I had been dwelling on that for weeks but I think deep down I already knew the answer.” Another thought crossed the librarian’s mind. “Forgive me if this seems crass but I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a demon of your species before.” He said with a grin.
“Think nothing of it, Cinnamon Buns,” Lorne replied. “I’m something of a black sheep from the Deathwok Clan out of Pylea.”
“Fascinating!” The watcher said with a bemused smile. As the pair of men returned to the table Giles handed the guitar back to its stunned owner. “How was that, Lindsey? Old man indeed.”
Willow and Tara both had wide smiles at the watcher’s hidden talents they learned about long ago. Xander was in a state of complete shock. Buffy had the most confused look on her face. Alonna was mildly surprised at their reactions.
“So I take it he doesn’t do that often?” The ebony Slayer asked.
“Sure,” Xander smirked. “Every day the earth rotates backwards and the sky turns orange.”
“Never,” Buffy remarked.
“Well, he is pretty good,” Tara added with a smile.
“Oh come on,” Willow replied with a playful smirk. “It is kinda sexy.”
“I’m fighting total mental breakdown here, Will,” Xander said quietly. “No more fuel on the fire please.”
“Yes well, don’t get used to it.” Giles admonished.
“Aww don’t be like that, big dawg,” Gunn replied with a wide grin. “I think we got just enough peeps with tight skills to form our own band.”
“Now there’s an idea,” Lorne said with a smile.
“Yes certainly.” Giles scoffed. “We’ll all travel around in a bus and stop the apocalypse in between gigs.” The librarian said while polishing his glasses.
As the group began to laugh Xander had an idea. He walked around to Gunn and whispered something in the young man’s ear. At first, Gunn had a worried expression but then he smiled and the two of them walked up to the stage and started to scroll through the karaoke machine’s song selection.
Almost in unison, both Slayers whispered the same line. “What are they doing?” Startled they turned to look at each other. “Jinx!” They both said before laughing again.
Up on stage Xander and Gunn stood side by side and began to sing along to the opening bars of “Ebony & Ivory.”
*****
Hours later the patrons of Caritas had all but completely cleared out. The bartender was giving the counter surface one final wipe down as the last server was mixing Lorne’s last Sea Breeze of the night.
She walked over to the large group that had been monopolizing her boss all night. As they parted to let her pass she saw the group’s leaders sitting around a table exchanging stories with Lorne. The waitress was truly surprised to see Lindsey pulled into the group.
What was almost as surprising was the range of vocal talent the group exhibited. From a tuneless Vampire to a young honey blonde with a voice almost as good as her boss, the group ran the gamut.
Lorne saw her coming and smiled brightly. “Sugar you are a blessing from the Goddess.” He called out as she brought him his favorite cocktail.
“It’s past closing time, boss. Are you going to be okay if we head home?” She asked trying not to draw attention from the group around her boss.
“Oh, Sweetie, don’t worry about me,” Lorne said with a grin. “You head home and be safe.”
“It’s getting really late.” Willow agreed. “We should probably wrap this up. Rondell and Chain. Could you and the rest of the guys head back to the Hotel in the first limo?”
“You not coming with us, Red?” Rondell asked.
“We have one last question to ask Lorne before we call it a night and the subject may be a little personal for so many ears to be standing by,” Willow answered.
That statement seemed to pacify the crowd of young men. As they turned and left with the waitress and bartender the club was empty save for the witches, the Slayers, the watcher, the half-demon, the cursed vampire, the gang leader, the jester, the lawyers, and the Host.
No one made a sound as the tension in the room seemed to rise. As Lorne sipped from his drink he smiled once more at the two witches. “So you ladies had some bigger reasons for coming here tonight.” He said finally.
“Two more,” Willow said as she and Tara looked directly at the green man. “For starters, we want to beef up the anti-violence spell you have on this place.”
That got the attention of the group. When was the protection the spell provided ever in question? What did the witches have in mind? Lorne’s interest was piqued.
“That magic is a fairly powerful piece of spellwork performed by the Transuding Furies,” Lorne said. At the mention of those specific Furies Angel, Giles, and Doyle looked up in shock at what that meant for the place where they had been enjoying themselves all night.
“You’re looking at two powerful witches,” Willow replied. “But whether you have us do it, or the Furies, the spell needs to be replaced.”
“What’s wrong with it exactly?” Lorne asked.
“It doesn’t prevent human violence,” Tara said plainly.
That was a shock. Lorne had never even considered that as a problem. Then again Two human witches had walked in here tonight with a massive primarily human fighting force. Whether the spell would have prevented Slayer violence or not was also an unknown factor. One Slayer in his club was a scary enough prospect but there were two sitting within arm’s reach of him.
Looking around the table Lorne was suddenly quite worried. What was even more troubling was the angry look on Gunn’s face.
“Why did you tell us the club was shielded from all violence then?” Gunn asked with a slight edge to his voice.
“Because we still don’t know if we can trust your boys to let Angel and Doyle live the second we leave this town,” Willow said while her full resolve face was trained on Gunn. “Gunn, each and every one of them needs to understand that it isn’t about killing random demons. In the worlds where they can’t or won’t realize that fact they end up causing us nothing but grief.”
“So you’ve been testing us this whole time?” Alonna asked.
“You and your brother h-have proven time and again th-that you can be trusted,” Tara said. “Rondell, Chain, and a f-few others have been less reliable.”
“Gunn, we committed mass murder yesterday and your crew didn’t even bat an eye,” Willow said harshly. “I told them we killed millions and they all looked at me like I was a big damned hero. It was all I could do to keep from breaking down.”
“So then why did you do it?” Lorne asked.
“To keep places like this from being destroyed in the crossfire of their war.” Willow rebuked.
“We s-sealed the old senior partner’s r-realm from all other dimensions, Lorne,” Tara said. “The casualties h-happened because they h-had their claws in a lot of people, not directly from our actions.”
“We’re just indirectly responsible for the deaths of millions.” Willow sighed. “Gunn, I’m also thankful a few certain scumbags haven’t weaseled their way into your ranks.” The redhead said. “The few times they took over the crew it turned into a complete nightmare we had to fix.”
Gunn had no idea how to respond to that. The actions of his people had put him at odds with these incredibly powerful witches in lives he had no idea he had even lived. Or was it other dimensions? They hadn’t fully explained anything beyond the fact they were incredibly powerful and needed his help.
“Okay, I get the need for tests if that is how bad things played out in the past.” Gunn relented. “But if we’re gonna follow your marching orders you can’t lie to us or keep the details secret until after the fact.”
“The main reason we came here tonight is the last test your boys will have to pass, Gunn. After that, it will be completely up to you to keep them in line. Especially when it comes to protecting innocent demons from them.” Willow added.
Gunn nodded to that compromise. He could abide by the rules these girls had set and it was probably a smart move on their part to test his Crew before letting them loose on the world with all they had promised. Turning back to Lorne, Willow began retelling the last and most crucial goal they had come here for.
“Lorne, the main reason we came to you tonight is simple,” Willow remarked. “We need to open a portal to Pylea.”
____________________________
Addendum: In case anyone wanted a soundtrack.
Lindsey Willow Tara Buffy&Alonna Doyle Giles