The Kitten, the Witches and the Bad Wardrobe - Willow & Tara Forever

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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Wed Nov 18, 2015 2:34 pm 
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6. Sassy Eggs
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Joined: Sat May 17, 2014 8:19 pm
Posts: 428
Topics: 2
Time and Time Again.

Author: Citanul

Feedback: Be kind, rewind? Seriously though all feedback is welcome.

Spoilers: Just about all of them. Go watch the show. And Angel too. Also Agents of Shield a little bit. You know what, if a name you don’t recognize pops up most of the time you can find dozens of pages of character bio if you type that name and the word comics into Wikipedia. It’s almost scary how much page space comic book fans have taken up on that site.

Rating: NC-17 = Smutty smut smut smut. Seriously though they make love quite often.

Pairings: W/T, B/F, G/J, D/J, F/G, A/?, X/C (X/A in half the worlds.) D/C (Though not till they’re older and even then maybe not so much with the graphic detail.)

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: Sorry for the delayed posting everyone. We're back to the Dark Ages again and in this chapter we get an up close and personal look at just a few of the amazing things Willow has "Invented". Also some familiar faces and a few unfamiliar faces will make an appearance. Mysterious strangers and invading armies abound in this exciting entry.

******************************


Dark Age Chronicles: The First General

Dawn broke out over the camp established the night before. Men went about their duties, making sure everything would be ready to move out within the hour. Horses were woken and strapped to the wagons in the long train with which the sizeable army traveled. Wagons loaded with weapons, crucial pieces of siege equipment and cages.

Large, imposing, sealed cages with only small grate covered openings near the top to allow any light inside. The inhabitants of those cages soon stirred as well. The loud shrieks and roars they let loose gave no doubt as to the trouble that would soon follow once they were released.

One man hurriedly made his way to the command tent. The regular guards nodded to him. They all recognized the general’s most recently appointed lieutenant. None envied his position.

“General.” He said as he stepped inside the tent. He cringed slightly as he saw the leader of their force kneeling before the small altar that was invariably set up wherever the command tent was erected. “Sir. The men have broken camp. We await your orders.”

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” The general said as he stood from his kneeling position. “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.” The muscular man walked around the tent, collecting various pieces of armor and strapping weapons to his body until finally he drew a loose flowing robe over his armor and placed a long stole across his shoulders. “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.”

“Of course Sir.” The lieutenant said as he avoided looking at the almost faded scarring covering parts of the general’s head and face. “By this time tomorrow the kingdom of the Witch King will be ash and its subjects the property of Queen Wal…”

The general’s eyes flared at the near mention of the Mad Queen’s name. Before the lieutenant could even finish the word the strong general’s gauntleted fingers were wrapped around his neck. He stared into cold emotionless blue eyes as terror gripped his heart as firmly as the general gripped his throat. The lightly scarred man hauled his most recent lieutenant out of the command tent and threw him to the ground in the midst of a loose ring of gathered soldiers.

“Whosoever utters the name of the Lord must be put to death.” The general called out in a harsh, commanding voice. “The whole community must stone him, whether alien or native. If he utters the name, he must be put to death.”

Shock turned to grim resignation as all the men within view of the command tent reached to the ground and picked up whatever rocks happened to be nearby. Panic set in as the horrified lieutenant desperately tried to imagine a means of escaping his fate.

“No!” The doomed man shouted. “I’m loyal! I didn’t mean to…” The first stone hit the back of his skull. The lieutenant’s body went limp. As more stones began to strike his prone form the man who cast the first let the tiniest of silver linings color his actions.

“At least he didn’t suffer.” Whispered one of the men in the crowd. “Well, not as much as the last one anyway.”

******************************

“Okay girls!” Buffy shouted as all the Slayers assembled in the Academy, bright and early. “You all know why we’re here.”

“Um, not so much.” Chloe admitted with a reluctantly raised hand.

“Cause we got our asses handed to us!” Faith shouted.

“Last week a madman snuck into our city and stole from our friends!” Buffy continued in a stern voice the other Slayers had yet to hear. “He beat us at the one thing we are supposed to be the best at and then he ran off into the woods with my sister! He embarrassed all of us.”

“We took the rest of the festival off but it’s high time we got back to work.” Alonna said. “We can’t let strangers wander into our home and treat us like that again.”

“It’s fucking pathetic and ain’t no one gonna give the Witch King the time of day if they all hear about how much we suck at our jobs!” Faith hollered.

Shame and reluctance were quickly replaced with anger and determination on the faces of each of the young women all around the academy. As they all split into groups and began the new, much more intensive training regimen one worried watcher stood by the chamber’s main entrance. He knew all too well the dangers these girls would face. He also knew whatever dangers their next foe threatened, it would surely be more lethal than the last.

******************************

“Oh yeah the main gate is the most heavily defended part of the outer wall.” Clem said as he and Gary enjoyed drinks so kindly purchased by their newest friend. “The guards change out every hour or so and always keep about a half dozen lookouts along that stretch of wall.”

“And then there’s the main promenade.” Gary said.

“You must have seen that on the way into the city friend.” Clem went on. “That big, open, double road that goes directly from the main gate to the square right in front of the citadel. The Witch King wanted it wide enough so that any force that came through the gates would make a bee line for the citadel and give the townspeople time to evacuate.”

“The citadel.” The stranger muttered as he ran a gloved hand through short white hair. “That’s the tower in the heart of town right?”

“The very same!” Clem said with a smile that could practically be felt by all the other bar patrons within earshot. “The home of our great and powerful Witch King, and the very lovely Lady Willow! Did I tell you I’ve been to her lab? Very important top secret stuff goes on down there. She and Fred spend most days coming up with all sorts of things to make the world a better place.”

“Um Clem?” Gary asked in a worried tone as he watched the stranger’s lips curl at the mention of the lab. He couldn’t help but wonder what had caused the scars that surrounded his right eye. Or the bright yellow glow that came from his left eye. “Maybe we shouldn’t talk about lab stuff in front of the new residents.”

“Oh he’s fine Gary.” Clem said before raising his mug. “We know he’s human on account of the wards all over the city leaving him alone. And he bought us these drinks. It’s not like the first night of the festival when that whacko snuck in here and made such a mess of things.”

“Someone snuck into this city?” The white haired man asked in what Gary suspected was his best imitation of a surprised tone.

“Oh yeah.” Clem answered. “But don’t you worry friend. He pissed the Slayers off real good. I wouldn’t be surprised if they hunted him down and did what they’re best at.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t talk about the Slayers so much Clem.” Gary said in a more forceful yet worried voice.

“Well this has been fun.” The strange man said as he stood from the table and waved to the bartender. “I have to meet someone about a new pair of boots but I’ll buy you guys another round.” With that he walked over to the bar and left the anxious merchant with his mildly oblivious and slightly drunk friend.

“Nice guy.” Clem said as Gary only shook his head in disbelief. Neither the merchant, the demon, nor any of the other bar patrons noticed the man slip into the deserted alleyway after exiting the bar. They didn’t see the distinctly metallic silver sheen of his arm as he rolled up his sleeve. They didn’t see the bright flash of light as he muttered something into his forearm and vanished.

******************************

“Willow, Dear?” Sheila said as she came into the study next to the throne room.

“Hi Mom.” The redhead said as she looked up from a particularly ancient text.

“I wanted to talk to you about, well…” The auburn haired woman began before embarrassment seeped into her mannerisms.

Willow watched her mother fidget for a moment before realization struck. Green eyes widened in horror as the inescapable topic loomed over the room. “Mom!” She pleaded. “Can we please not talk about that night in the library? A lot of terrible things happened and I’d really prefer it if we could just move on.”

“Yes. Maybe that’s for the best.” Sheila said after taking a moment to consider her daughter’s words. “But I just wanted to make sure you understood what you and your friends saw in there. I mean when your father and I.”

“Oh Goddess Mom!” Willow shouted in mortification. “Please stop! Everyone understands what you and Dad were doing. Faith understands it so well that I haven’t even been able to look her in the eye this whole week without getting several very explicit reminders.

“Oh.” The older of the two redheads said at last. “So we don’t have to discuss what men and women do when they’re,” she paused for a long moment before the right euphemism came to mind, “interested?”

“Mom I’m a lesbian, not a moron.” Willow said as she brought a hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. “I understand how straight sex works.”

Sheila’s eyes widened as her daughter’s words took a scenic tour of her mind’s less reserved regions. “Right, of course, sorry. I just assumed.”

“Willow!” Tara called out as she ran down the hall. “Sweetie! We’re in trouble.” The honey blonde said as she stopped in the door to the study and fixed her everything with a worried look.

“Oh thank you merciful Goddess.” Willow muttered in praise. “Mom I have to help Tara save the city.”

“Right. Of course.” She said as she quickly turned and hurried out of the room. “Lovely to see you Tara. I’ll let the two of you get to work.”

“It’s the ravens.” Tara said before Willow could express her gratitude. “Trouble’s coming.”

Willow called up the link that Tara had helped her form to the vast conspiracy. As her eyes fluttered closed she saw what Tara had obviously seen through the eyes of her many birds. A large military force was heading right for their city. By the looks of things they only had an hour or so to prepare.

******************************

“It took longer than I thought but I finally found it,” said the white haired man with the silver arm and one glowing yellow eye. He unrolled a large hastily drawn map across the general’s table. Several soldiers craned their necks to get a better glimpse of the image scrawled across the parchment’s face. “They’re clever, but I’m better. If you station your main forces here and here that will cut off all escape routes. The area inside the wall is vast but only a small portion of it is populated. The rest is farmlands and sparse forests. Their military is only trained in light hit and run tactics. A prolonged encounter from your more skilled forces is their undoing.” Nods from soldiers all around the table told the white haired man that he had won them over. All that remained was the approval of their overtly eccentric leader. With a neutral expression he looked up to the scarred man pondering what he had just lain out.

“A certain young man was following him, wearing nothing but a linen cloth.” The general said as he leaned over the table and stared at the white haired man. “They caught hold of him, but he left the linen cloth and ran off naked.”

A moment passed before the stranger was able to parse the general’s odd phrasing. As the troops around the table grew wary of another violent outburst from their leader the white haired man smiled and found the right words for his reply. “Yes, my information will easily allow you to breach the city walls. No one will escape your grasp.”

“No man whose testicles have been crushed or whose organ has been cut off may become a member of the Assembly of God!” The general shouted with a smile his men found all too perplexing.

“Okay?” The stranger said in only mild confusion as he decided to take the man’s facial expressions with more weight than his peculiar words. “And what about my payment?”

The general reached below the table and pulled out a small sack. “You also took the fine jewelry I gave you, the jewelry made of my gold and silver, and you made for yourself male idols and engaged in prostitution with them.” He tossed the bag across the table to the white haired man and then began addressing his subordinates in equally confusing verse.

“So, you are going to pay me for this intel then.” The stranger said as he opened the bag and caught sight of the stacks of gold coins within. “Good. This is coming together perfectly.”

******************************

“Well this has been a rare treat.” Snyder said as he saddled up his horse beside Larry while the young soldier did the same. “But I’m anxious to get back home.”

“You sure Snyder?” The large man asked with a curious smile. “I mean the barracks and your cabin are nice enough but this place is great.”

“That may be my boy.” The diminutive man said with a knowing grin. “But this place doesn’t have the one thing that truly brightens my days.”

“And what’s that?” Larry asked, knowing full well what the only answer could be.

“A gaggle of surly degenerates to harass.” Snyder replied with a wistful sigh.

“May want to put a pin in that Snyder.” Xander said as he and Gunn walked into the stables. “We’ve got serious problems.”

“And it’s something you boys can’t handle on your own? I have caged vampires waiting for me to give them the business.” The man replied with a clearly put out frown.

“This is an all hands on deck deal.” Gunn said with no room for argument. “Larry’s forces are to form up with ours and gather by the main gate. Lady Tara said you were to help evacuate the town back to the citadel. Get those who can’t fight into the upper floors of the library and station those who can in the old keep.”

“This sounds bad.” Larry said as he turned to Gunn and Xander.

“Worse.” Xander quipped. “There’s a great big army coming out of the woods to the south of the main gate. Whoever they answer to the message is clear. We’re at war.”

******************************

“And these were the spoils which remained of the plunder taken by the fighting men: six hundred and seventy five thousand sheep, seventy two thousand cattle, sixty one thousand donkeys, and as for persons, thirty two thousand young women who had had no intercourse with a man!” The general shouted to his assembled forces. The soldiers looked to one another for a moment before deciding to go along with their leader’s excited mood. A slow cheer rang up from the crowd as the general went on. “The Lord answered, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a she-goat, three years old, a ram three years old, a turtle dove and a young pigeon.”

“Does any of that mean we’re all getting laid after this?” One bowman to the rear of the crowd asked his fellows. Those that heard him cheered more loudly as the odd speech went on.

******************************

“Okay they’re in position around the main gate.” Willow said as she and Tara guided workers through the process of moving the various pieces of large equipment that filled the top floor of the tower. “The Goddess only knows why they are clustered around our front door and not trying to storm the unguarded walls along the northern stretch.”

“Small miracles Sweetie.” Tara said in a voice that soothed the redhead’s nerves. “Open those balcony doors all the way and move three ballistae into each archway!” She ordered with more royal authority than she had ever needed to use thus far.

“Okay what’s the big idea?” A familiar voice called out from the top of the staircase in the middle of the chamber. “Why did you order all of us up here where none of the action will be? We should be on the front line with the boys in armor!”

“Buffy!” Willow called out in relief. “You brought everyone with you?” She asked just before she saw the rest of their Slayers come up the stairs and look around the room that few of them had ever had reason to climb up to. “Good. We need all of you to learn how to use these things really quick.”

“What things?” Alonna asked.

“Why do you have so many of those giant crossbow things in the center of town?” Faith asked as she scanned the room filled with cranes and siege equipment far too large to fit in the stairwell they had entered through.

“Yeah, hauling tree trunk sized arrows up here can’t be worth the trouble.” Vi said as she and Rona walked over to one of the ballistae.

“They aren’t for shooting regular bolts.” Tara told the assembled Slayers.

“I’m so sorry that I haven’t had time to show you guys how to use these things yet.” Willow said in her most apologetic tone as she guided two strongmen to pull a strange contraption off the large racks to the side of the chamber. “Fred and I just finished putting these together. We worked out how to arm them months ago but teaching the weavers how to make enough of the really strong and light canvas took time.”

“Holy shit.” Faith muttered as she saw the device.

“That doesn’t look right.” Alonna said in a worried tone as other Slayers took on nervous expressions.

“They’ll work, right?” Buffy asked as she let a small part of herself grow excited at what the sight before her could mean.

“Definitely.” Tara and Willow assured the group.

******************************

Soldiers and a few townsfolk who had refused to evacuate gathered along the front wall of the Witch King’s city. They watched as the strange figure at the head of the enemy force was handed a round cone shaped object by one of his subordinates. They were surprised that the strange device amplified his voice to the point where all could hear him. They were downright bewildered by his confusing choice of words.

“Slaves! Accept the authority of your masters with all deference, not only those who are kind and gentle but also those who are harsh. For it is to your credit, if being aware of god, you endure pain while suffering unjustly.” The general shouted into the horn shaped object that cracked and hissed as it broadcast his voice.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Xander heard several outraged citizens ask.

Their enemy went on blissfully ignorant of the effect his words had on the people. “And he said “Slave girl, where have you come from and where are you going?” She answered, “I’m running away from my mistress.” The angel of the Lord said to her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to ill treatment at her hands.”

“I can’t wait for Lady Tara to cut this prick in half.” A soldier in Gunn’s ranks said, earning strong murmurs of agreement from his compatriots. All along the battlements loyal subjects of the Witch King grew more and more contemptuous of the general who only spoke in biblical verse. And yet his tirade dragged on.

“Yet she increased her prostitution, remembering the days of her youth when she engaged in prostitution in the land of spells and fairies. She lusted after their genitals. Genitals as large as those of donkeys, and their seminal emission was as strong as that of stallions.” He said garnering more than a few confused sideways glances from his own men. “When two men are fighting and the wife of one of them intervenes to drag her husband clear of his opponent, if she puts out her hand and catches hold of the man by his privates, you must cut off her hand and show her no mercy.”

“Okay, seriously, is he declaring war on us or just trying to come out as a sexual deviant?” Larry’s second in command asked the large soldier.

“I know right.” Larry replied. “And I’ve heard most of this before but he’s seriously picking the weirdest lines.”

“Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them against the rock!” The general continued in his most boastful tone yet. “And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and all shall eat the flesh of their neighbors in the siege, and in the distress with which their enemies and those who seek their life afflict them.”

******************************

“Okay that’s enough of that.” Willow said as she and Tara finished setting ritual object around the conjuring circle engraved on the roof of their tower. They sat across from each other and clasped hands. As their chanting grew in volume the winds around the citadel picked up.

With the gathering winds becoming harder and harder to ignore Buffy gave the signal to her fellow Slayers. “Okay ladies. This is it. Who’s ready to follow Tara into war?”

A strong chorus of affirmative answers came from the tiny jewel in the choker collar around Buffy’s neck. Each Slayer had been given one. They would ensure group communication and coordination in the conflict that brewed outside the city gates.

A second after the last Slayer chimed in Buffy glanced back at the workman standing ready besides her ballista. She nodded and turned back to face the open sky. The man pulled the lever and fired the siege weapon. For the first time in her life the Slayer flew, free as a bird.

******************************

Snyder watched from the balcony that overlooked the now deserted town square. A series of loud shouts of joy coming from far overhead caused him to look upwards. What he saw shocked and excited him far more than he could have ever expected.

“Are those the Slayers?” One of the servants asked as they watched the young women glide through the air while strapped to large wing shaped objects.

“They’re flying. Lady Tara and Lady Willow can make people fly.” Snyder murmured in awestruck wonder. “All hail the Witch King.”

******************************

“What the?” Xander asked as one of his men drew his attention to the skies overhead. “Chuck, are you seeing this?” He shouted down the line to the other side of the battlement.

“Damn.” The ebony general said in an equally surprised voice.

“Oh come on!” Xander protested. “You’re gonna stand there and tell me Fred didn’t tell you about this at all?”

Buffy and all her fellow Slayers flew over the walls of their city. They each had wondered if the odd wings made of brightly colored canvas stretched over light aluminum frames would actually ever get off the ground. But now they soared through the air higher than any of their enemy’s arrows could ever reach. As the magically altered winds rapidly brought them to the enemy encampment Buffy gave the order they had all been eagerly awaiting.

“Release the first wave.”

******************************

The soldiers following the general had been watching the strange objects in the sky with equal parts terror and wonder. The wonder quickly faded as the first long spear hit the ground in the midst of their ranks. As the spearhead struck earth it shook violently. The nearest soldier glanced at the long rows of round canisters lining the spear shaft. He heard a click just before he was struck with a wave of deafening sound and blinding light.

All along the practiced and disciplined military formation falling spears released explosions of flaring light and debilitating noise. Men were driven to the ground clutching their ears. Eyes clenched shut. Horses reared up and threw their riders. The only supply wagons that weren’t dragged into the tree line by panicked animals were the cage carts that had been unhooked upon arrival. They shook violently with each explosion.

Just as men started to gather up once more to decide between following the stray horses or maintaining position more spears fell from the sky. Though only a few lethally embedded themselves in enemy troops, all had hit their mark. The canisters hanging from this second wave of spears released a thick gas that enveloped the enemy army. Men fell to their knees coughing. Noxious fumes burned the eyes and throats of all the soldiers unfortunate enough to be caught in the initial blast radius. Strangled breathing turned to heaving and then vomiting as the army that had followed the strange general fell into disarray.

******************************

“Okay Baby.” Willow said as she and her love maintained the spell guiding the Slayers over the most important targets. “I can handle the rest from here. Your army needs you to lead them out there.”

“Our army Sweetie.” Tara said with a pleasant smile. She stood from the circle and donned her helmet. With a few confident strides she walked to the edge of the tower roof and put one foot out into open air.

Willow watched as their constable of ravens enveloped her everything and whisked her off to the frontlines. She turned all her focus back to the spell manipulating the winds over the battlefield. There was one more important task left to accomplish.

******************************

The general cut his speech short as spears struck the nearby supply tents and his command tent. Massive fireballs erupted from inside and turned all their supplies, intelligence and communications records to ash. He glared up at his airborne enemies and drew his heavy morningstar.

“He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” He said as he began to march towards his nearest subordinate.

******************************

The stranger looked out over the battlefield. Things were not going according to his plan. They were even better. The forces of the Mad Queen were in utter disarray. Panic and terror filled the hearts of these stoic soldiers. And they hadn’t even begun to enact the plan he had laid out for them. There was no chance of his sabotage being revealed and relayed back to their mistress.

An odd presence filled his senses and caused him to turn around swiftly. He knew he was being watched. But when he spun around to confront his voyeur all that was there was a lone raven perched on a nearby branch. The man smiled and laughed as he brought his metal forearm up to his face. His work here was done. There was no more need for his grandiose schemes.

“Bodyslide by one.” The raven watched, unphased as the stranger with white hair and one glowing yellow eye vanished in a bright cylinder of light.

******************************

“Okay last strike.” Buffy ordered as she and each of the other Slayers were guided to the rear flanks of the enemy formation. She and each Slayer in the air pulled out the last spear they had each been given. They clutched the weapon in one hand and readied the other to pull the rip cord at their chests.

The hang gliders dipped into nose dives heading straight for the enemy ranks. Buffy smiled as she heard Faith let out a thrilled battle cry.

******************************

Enemy troops on the verge of retreat looked up to see the brightly winged enemies descending on them. Some fled while many froze in terror at the imminent impact. At the last second each and every glider pulled up out of the dive and skimmed over the heads of the soldiers.

The relief was short lived as Slayers yanked the cords on their harnesses and fell on the scattered men with lethal force. The heads of their boar hunting spears hit home, each striking an enemy soldier in the chest. The cross bars behind each spearhead drove their victims to the ground, allowing each Slayer to vault from the weapon and disperse their forward momentum.

Faith proved the most eager to fight as she hit the ground with a roll only to come up with both knives drawn. She sliced through three men in the blink of an eye. Copious amount of blood were spilled by Slayers all across the battlefield. Men who had been on the verge of fleeing now felt fresh panic. They were hemmed in between the walls of the city they had sought to destroy and the terrifying force of young women ready to kill each and every one of them.

Before the general could let out another battle cry of his own the gates to the city swung open.

******************************

“Your steed, your highness.” Xander said with a mild bow as his King stepped out of the raven filled air to his side.

“Thank you Xander.” Tara said in her magically altered voice. “Open the gates!” She called out as she climbed onto the saddle atop the black warhorse’s back.

With a battle cry full of fury and pride in what they had built the army of the Witch King charged forth. They swarmed out the gates in their ruler’s wake, each one ready to cut down the broken and demoralized force that had come to destroy their home.

The noxious smoke from the Slayers’ assault had dissipated greatly in the last few moments. Part of that had been due to strong gusts of wind that drove the fumes away to either side of the city gates. Without the oddly literal fog of war the enemy forces were all too easy to spot. Tara led her forces in a devastating cavalry charge that could break the ranks of the most entrenched of forces. In their current state of disorder half of the general’s men were dead in the first minute after the Witch King’s army washed over them.

******************************

“Is anyone else feeling that?” Rona asked over the communication gems in the necklaces of each Slayer.

“Oh yeah!” Faith replied with far too much enthusiasm. “These limp dicked assholes came to party!”

“It’s coming from those big cages.” Buffy said as she felled another soldier with her sword.

“Buffy I need you to take care of those things.” Tara said through the gem she had tucked into the visor of her helmet.

The Slayer smiled at the all too simple command. “I’d be happy to. Faith and Alonna back me up.”

Just as the three lead Slayers decided on a plan the cluster of a dozen cages at the heart of the enemy forces cracked open. The horrors that lurched and lumbered out into broad daylight were unlike anything the most experienced of the Slayers had seen. Six of the creatures appeared to be nothing more than writhing masses of tentacles. Two were towering goliaths that one could almost mistake for human. But the two extra sets of arms covered in green scales put that notion to rest.

Three beasts crawled along on all fours limbs as if they were dogs. Buffy recognized hellhounds when she saw them, though these hounds had been clearly modified. One had a row of sharp plates jutting from its spine. The mouth of another was covered in a curtain of short tendrils that twitched of their own accord. Slime dripped from the tendrils and burned the grass where it fell. The last let out a belch of fire that consumed a dozen of the general’s nearest soldiers.

The last monstrosity surveyed the battlefield as it stood up from a crouching position. The Slayer recognized the demon for what it was, though she had never seen one with such an odd collar around its neck. The lopsided box buzzed slightly as the demon glared at more of the general’s men. The demon then convulsed momentarily as if shocked and turned back to the Slayer.

“Dibs on the hell hounds!” Faith cried into the gem on her collar. In the blink of an eye two arrows were let loose and the fire breathing and acid drooling hounds were cut down.

“Show off!” Alonna shouted as she squared off with one of the six armed beasts.

“I’ll take the ugly one.” Buffy said as she casually wiped the blood and gore from her blade and slid it back into its sheath. As the collared demon approached her its black scales glistened in the sun. The sharp porcupine like spikes along it back bristled as it spread its arms wide in anticipation. It let out a shrill cry.

Buffy smirked in amusement. “You must not be that bright if these humans caught you and put that thing on your neck.” She reached to the weapon strapped to her back and let it slide free of the holster. The Demon’s eyes widened slightly at the sight of the Slayer Scythe. “I take it you’ve heard of me.”

The demon tried to turn and flee only to be shocked again by the collar. It managed another couple yards before falling to its knees. With a bored sigh the Slayer stalked up behind the struggling fiend.

“I don’t normally feel pity for demons.” The Slayer admitted. “But seeing what that thing on your neck does turns my stomach. I’ll remove it for you.” The demon glanced upwards in hope for one fleeting instant before the Scythe removed its collar. With the torture device cleaved in twain the demon’s head was free to roll along the ground.

“Too easy.” Buffy said with a sigh. As she scanned the chaos around she noticed the tentacle monsters had been driven back so far that they were eating enemy soldiers as the Slayers cut through them. Both the giants were down as well as the third hellhound. She looked up to see Faith standing triumphant over the corpse. The sight of the figure behind the brunette sent a chill down her spine.

“Faith!” Buffy shouted as the scarred general drove a small short sword through Faith’s lower abdomen. The Slayer flew towards her foe in a blind rage. The scythe knocked the blade from the unsuspecting commander’s hand. He glared at her in disgust only to receive a swift boot to the groin followed by another kick to the chest. He went spiraling off to the side.

“Faith.” Buffy said once more as she leaned over the brunette. “Alonna take the Scythe and murder everything here. Tara I need to get Faith out of here!”

Tara sent a command to the conspiracy. As Alonna reached the distraught Slayer and the injured one she reached out and took up the Scythe for the first time since the day they had all met Buffy. The familiar flow of energy passed from one Slayer to the other with ease. As the cloud of black birds flowed over the blonde who clutched the fallen brunette in her arms Alonna knew what she had to do.

The conspiracy departed with its precious cargo and the ebony Slayer glared down at the enemy general. The man clawed his way back to his feet and pointed his massive morningstar at the Slayer. Before he could heft the mace up for another strike the air above was filled with ravens and the Witch King came crashing down on him with her great sword drawn. The blade clashed against the half raised mace with a deafening clang and the man was driven back once more.

For the first time the Witch King got a good look at the general. Even with his scarred and battered face she remembered who this man had been once upon a time. The sudden recognition almost drove the weight of the surrounding battle’s outcome from her mind.

“By the Goddess! Graham is that you? What the hell did that crazy bitch do to you?”

******************************

“Giles!” Buffy shouted as she stepped out of the conspiracy and onto the balcony overlooking the town’s square. “Faith needs help!”

“We’re here!” The watcher said as he ran up to his charge with Fred and Willow in tow. Snyder quickly motioned for the other people gathered nearby to give the Slayers room while Lorne and Doyle fetched clean towels. Joyce, Dawn and the rest of the squires hauled large pails of water to the cot Giles motioned for Buffy to lay Faith across.

“Is she going to be okay?” Buffy asked as tears began to form in the corners of her eyes.

“I swear dear girl, I will do everything in my power to save her.” The watcher swore. “But you must do everything the two of you would have accomplished on the battlefield.”

An outraged scowl crossed the Slayer’s face before being replaced with a look of grim resolve. Without a word Buffy drew her sword and turned back into the swirling mass of ravens on the edge of the balcony. Everyone left busied themselves with ensuring the wounded brunette would be there to enjoy the blonde’s inevitable victory.

******************************

Alonna squared off against Graham. Tara stood off to her side. Scythe and great sword were poised to strike down the weary morningstar. “You know this guy Tara?” The Slayer asked in a concerned voice. Save for Willow she had known her King the longest of any person Tara had liberated. The Slayer knew how much the honey blonde cared for the people she recognized.

“It’s alright Alonna.” The Witch King replied in a cold voice. “Whoever he was before the Mad Queen altered him he’s nothing more than a broken victim now. He needs to be put out of his misery.”

The General scowled at the Witch King and raised his weapon high. In a deep voice he bellowed his rebuttal. “And so he turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the Lord! Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths!”

Alonna blinked once before smiling. “Is that supposed to be a joke? Because we already killed all your pet monsters and you’re out of cages.”

“The hand of the lord was against the city with a very great destruction, and he smote the men of the city, both small and great!” Graham declared undeterred before lunging towards Alonna.

The Slayer dogged out of the way and lashed out at the over extended foe with the Scythe. Graham managed to block the blade with the buckler strapped to his forearm only to grimace as the small shield fell to the ground in pieces. He brought the mace up to block another blow from Tara’s great sword. He replied with a firm backhand before just barely deflecting another powerful strike form the Slayer. One arm hung limply at his side. He roared in impotent rage as he swung wildly with the morningstar. The wide arcing swing connected with both Slayer and witch.

Alonna grunted as she staggered back several feet. She knew she had ruined his dominant hand. The blow had been high on his arm and the now useless limb barely hung on by tendons and stray muscle fibers.

Unfortunately Graham’s last blow had connected solidly with the Witch King. Tara panted as she tore the ruined visor from her face and then tried to extract herself from the bent and broken headpiece. It rattled as it hit the ground.

Graham laughed as he saw the long honey blonde locks fall over Tara’s heavily armored shoulders. “Permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent!” He called out as he ambled towards her menacingly.

Tara glimpsed behind him to the rapidly approaching conspiracy. Her ravens were flying fast and low along the ground directly towards Graham’s back. She smirked at the deformed general who remained oblivious of the danger. “Tell that to your Mad Queen!” Buffy shouted as she emerged from the ravens. Her sword sliced the back of Graham’s knee completely open. He fell.

“For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.” Graham spat in contempt as he tried to stand on his good leg. “She also lieth in wait as for prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.” Before he could even react the Slayer lashed out with her sword and brought similar destruction to his other knee. With cold malice the Slayer circled the wounded man and undid the tendons in his remaining good arm.

“Any questions you wanted to ask before I kill this monster?” Buffy asked her king.

“How about it Graham?” Tara said as she looked the man in the face one last time. “Have anything to tell us about the w-woman that did this to you?”

“It’s Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” He seethed just before the vorpal blade claimed his life.

******************************

A deceptive quiet fell over the battlefield. It seemed, for all intents and purposes, as though the fighting had ceased. The truth was far more frustrating.

A lone voice broke the quiet. “Death to the Witch King!” A man shouted out from the last holdouts of the invading army.

“You first asshole!”

Several of the Witch King’s soldiers and Slayers turned their heads in surprise at the young woman that had shouted back at the cluster of soldiers. “Wow Vi, I didn’t know you had that in you.” Xander remarked with approval.

“Oh, thanks.” She murmured quietly. “I figured Faith would like a story about that more than flowers.”

The soldiers and Slayers stood in varying stages of readiness around the isolated pocket of invaders. All were ready to go in for the kill at a moment’s notice but decided to approach the enemy formation with caution.

“Well that’s just perfect.” Buffy said as she rode up to the stalled circle with Tara and Alonna. “Who taught you idiots how to form a phalanx?”

“Your mother, whore!” Shouted back a lone voice from the rigid shell composed of tower shields and long spears. The Slayer’s eyes flared with rage at the insult. She grabbed a short spear from the nearest soldier and hurled it directly at the voice. The head of the weapon buried itself in one shield, the shaft vibrating wildly with the force from the impact.

“As much fun as Slayer t-target practice would be to watch, I think there’s a faster way around this.” Tara said with a sigh. She reached out with here connection to the conspiracy and a lone raven landed on her outstretched arm. “Willow, how is Faith doing?”

To Buffy’s and most other’s relief the redhead’s voice came forth from the small bird. “She’ll make it.” Willow assured her love. “We cleaned out the wound and stopped the bleeding. Her aura is still strong. Giles is by her side.” Tara breathed a sigh of relief. Buffy brought a hand to cover her mouth as tears of joy threatened to pour from her eyes.

With grim resignation Tara turned back to the problem at hand. “We’re almost done here. The last of them are doing a turtle impersonation. Th-think you can bring out something to coax them out of their shell?”

“I’m on my way.” Willow said through the raven before the bird fell silent. It flapped its wings twice and let out a caw before taking flight once more. Moments passed before a large horse drawn wagon exited the city gates and came right up to the cluster of warriors.

“You called oh great and powerful King?” Snyder said as he brought the horses to a halt behind Tara, Buffy and Alonna. Fred and Willow quickly dragged a large clay pot to the rear of the wagon. Four soldiers moved to lift the heavy burden from the two slender women.

Willow looked over the crowd with a smile. “Great work everyone. We brought something to wrap this up.” She guided the men to carefully place the clay pot on the ground beside Tara and the Slayers. Once in place she removed the lid to reveal a glass jar sealed with wax and a heavy stopper sitting in the middle of a bed of grains of sand.

“Is that what I think it is?” Tara asked with a worried frown a she eyed the foul sludge within the glass jar.

“Yes.” Willow replied before turning to Xander. “Xander do you think you can toss this jar on top of that pile of shields?”

“Sure thing Will.” He said with only a slightly confused grin.

She smiled as she handed him the jar and turned back to the enemy phalanx. “Great! You guys have this one chance to surrender or else!”

“Or else what whore?” The same belligerent voice shouted before letting out a grunt. The sound of a gauntleted fist striking am armor helm rang out from the formation. Another voice gave a more serious response. “We will never surrender.”

“Throw it Xander.” Willow ordered. Xander reared back and let the jar sail from his hand. It flew high over the phalanx, arcing as it came down atop the uppermost shield.

There was a loud shattering sound of glass against metal and then a hiss. Smoke arose from the center shield as the screaming started. Flames burst into existence and spread out across metal shields. Men once loyal to the Mad Queen howled in agony as the deadly contents of the unremarkable glass jar burned them to their very bones. The rigid formation broke. Shields and long spears fell to the ground as men flailed. Some tried to tear their burning armor off as others only attempted to keep the caustic goo from spreading to them.

Short spears flew out from the hands of Slayers all around the terrorized enemy. All but a few fell to the ground in an instant. Armor, hair and flesh melting away under the deadly ooze. Only a few men left standing managed a final act of desperation and defiance.

“Die!” The small band shouted as they charged the Witch King and her love. They didn’t make it more than three steps. Slayers lashed out with blinding speed and precision. The last of the enemy forces were cut down several yards away from the royal couple.

******************************

In the wake of the battle most of the townspeople and soldiers found themselves busy with the task of getting things back to normal. “Take their armor and dump it in the cages on either side of the main gate!” Gunn ordered as his battalion picked over the enemy corpses.

“What about the bodies?” One soldier asked.

“Stripped and loaded onto wagons.” Snyder said. “They’ll either end up in a mass grave or as fertilizer for the farmlands but they aren’t going to rot on our front doorstep.”

“Put the melted armor pieces together to make Scarecrows.” Larry called out to the men combing through what remained of the enemy phalanx. “They’ll scare the hell out of the next group that thinks they can come at us.”

“Damn big guy, I like that idea.” Gunn said. He looked over to his sister as she hefted the large mace the enemy commander had wielded. She took a few practice swings with the weapon before nodding to nearby soldiers. His jaw dropped as she handed the morningstar to the pair of soldiers who were promptly pulled down to the ground by the heavy burden. Alonna shook her head and called for another Slayer to carry the weapon back to the academy.

Xander was joined by the ebony Slayer as he crouched down beside Graham’s body giving it another once over. “So what do you guys make of these scars?” He called out as he rolled the dead man’s head back and forth to examine the odd patterns etched into his skin.

“It seems like every high ranking guy who works for the Mad Queen is just covered in scars.” Alonna said as she followed the young man’s examination of the body.

“They aren’t scars.” Willow said in a resigned tone that caught everyone else by surprise.

“Then what are they?” Gunn asked the question he now feared the answer to.

“Stitches.” Tara answered with a weary sigh as she leaned into her love.

With grim resignation Willow explained the ugly truth of the Mad Queen’s experiments. “That woman cuts into them. She takes them apart and then sews them back together with whatever extra parts she feels like adding.”

A disturbing mixture of shock and horror came over the faces of nearly everyone still on the battlefield. Soldiers stopped what they were doing and just stared at the gruesome markings covering most of the enemy soldiers. Several men whispered silent prayers. The realization that everyone they knew, cared for and worked with could have easily ended up on the Mad Queen’s dissection tables unsettled even the most grizzled man. None had forgotten the strange stories Southern Claw slavers told of the caravans that continued to send countless people to the cursed city the Mad Queen ruled over.

Alonna looked over the corpses of the strange horrors that had emerged from the cages. Then she looked to the two witches for a long moment. She knew she had to ask them what else they knew. The fate of their kingdom would most likely rely on the truth. “You know who she is, don’t you?” The Slayer said in as neutral a tone as she could manage.

“Yes.” Tara said as she clung to her everything.

“We’ll tell you guys everything we know about Maggie Walsh.” Willow promised. “Everyone needs to know the truth.”

******************************

“Honey?”

“Huh?” Buffy asked as she raised her head from the bed. She was still sitting in the chair at Faith’s bedside. At some point in her lonely vigil she had dozed off, and yet even in sleep her hand clutched the brunette’s.

“You should come to bed Sweetie.” Joyce told her daughter.

“I can’t leave her.”

“Buffy, you did everything you could.” The older blonde assured. “She’ll pull through this. She’s one of the strongest people I know.”

“I can’t leave her Mom.”

Joyce paused to consider her words. She knew her daughter had been struggling with the details of what the relationship would mean for her. She also knew her daughter had overlooked the very beautiful bigger picture. Joyce knew her daughters had found love. The kind of love that only came along once in a lifetime. Oddly enough her youngest had embraced that love wholeheartedly, even though the relationship caused genuinely amusing awkwardness with the other two squires Tara employed.

Buffy on the other hand was another matter. Joyce knew the girl had more than enough love in her heart to give. And yet her eldest daughter had fallen in with a crowd of young people that made her ashamed of that fact. To say nothing of whatever devastatingly scarring lessons her first watcher had imparted on the Buffy after her calling.

Still things had more than worked out. Even with her reluctance Buffy had found someone who not only worshiped her, but put in far more effort than most of their fellow Slayers and the townspeople in general thought the hesitant blonde deserved. Joyce put on a comforting smile as she walked around the bed to rest a hand on her daughter’s shoulder.

“In know how you feel Honey.” Joyce whispered.

“I never even told her I…” She stopped.

“Love her?” Joyce asked. The sudden look of panic in her daughter’s hazel eyes drew a slight chuckle from the woman. “Buffy, it’s okay. No one we know and care about is going to judge you. Most of them know already and can’t seem to understand what’s taking you so long.”

“Mom!” Buffy whispered in shock and confusion.

“Faith loves you.” Joyce told her daughter. “The very least you owe her is to tell her exactly how you feel.” With a reassuring smile Joyce softly patted her daughter’s head and walked back to their chambers. She had some reassuring to do with the other person who had spent most of the day worrying about Faith. Something told her she would have more luck raising her favorite watcher’s spirits.

As the door closed behind Joyce Buffy turned back to the unconscious girl before her. What her mother said had struck her with more force than any demon had in her recent memory. Tears pooled in the corners of her eyes as she brought the motionless hand up to her lips. Buffy felt Faith’s strong pulse through the gentle kiss she placed on the back of the brunette’s hand. The Slayer then placed another on the knuckles, and another on her palm. As her lips trailed down to Faith’s wrist Buffy let out the words she had been unable to utter since her arrival in the city.

“I love you Faith. Please come back to me.”

As tears began to trail down the blonde’s cheeks a pained sob broke free from her throat. It was followed by another. And another. Before she could stop herself Buffy was openly weeping at the bedside of the girl she loved with all her heart. So great was the clash between the relief of finally admitting the truth and the grief for just how close they had come to losing everything.

As Buffy let go of all the pain and remorse that held her back these past few long years she missed the slight stirring of the figure on the bed. The brunette’s heavy groan wasn’t quite loud enough to gain her attention. The whisper of her name however, seemed to do the trick.

“Buffy?”

Hazel eyes snapped open and the blonde’s head shot up. Their eyes met for the first time in hours. A very small smile formed on the brunette’s pouty lips. “Love you too, B.” It was all Faith managed to whisper before a very relieved Slayer climbed onto her bed and left gentle yet desperate kisses all over her face.

******************************

“Meanwhile, at the Cabin in the Woods!”

Stop that!

“Make me!”

No more fourth wall gags!

“Oh yeah, like the douchebag writing this can really stick to that rule.”

“Wade?”

Just wait till this storyline gets wrapped up. You are so gonna get it.

“Wade?”

“Big talk coming from a third person narrative perspective mode. And you can’t even keep that straight. You’ve been dipping into second person narrative perspective this entire scene!”

“Wade!”

The shout broke Wade’s concentration away from the argument he was embroiled in. “Yeah Nate?” Medievalpool asked his friend who was starring at him from across the kitchen table with the most befuddled look of confusion and worry.

The soldier with white hair, a metal arm and one glowing yellow eye stared at the masked mercenary across the table. “Are you okay?” He asked with genuine concern in his voice.

“Sure. Why did ya ask?” Medievalpool replied with a casually dismissive wave of his hand.

The white haired man just stared at him for a long moment before answering the clearly deranged mercenary. “Because you’ve been arguing with yourself in multiple voices at the top of your lungs for hours, and frankly I’m a little worried about which personality seems to have the upper hand right now.”

Wade paused to take in his friend’s view of his antics. “Oh.”

Another tense moment passed before Nate set aside the tools he had been using to examine the strange yet advanced equipment he used. He then decided to address the safest subject his friend might be struggling with. “So I take it by your narration that things haven’t been going well?”

“Nah, I got Southern Claw right where I want them. It’s just that the last time I tangled with the witches things didn’t end on the best terms.” Wade told his only real friend in the world. “And now you went and poked all the bears in the bear cave with your big old “I’m from the future! I know better than you do!” shtick and it’s all gonna get kinda squirrelly from here on out.”

“So they are witches. The records from this era are spotty at best.” The older looking man said as he watched his strangely costumed friend stand and walk across the room to the large fridge Nathan had brought back from the future. Wade reached inside and pulled out another two bottles of beer then returned to the table. His friend could see the wide smile even through the black and red mask the mercenary obsessively wore. “Things will work out Wade. We just have to have faith.”

“That ain’t the half of it.” Wade chuckled as he put both beer bottles down on the table and retook his seat. “You’re parents aren’t even in the Marvels chapters and yet you and I keep getting second billing in this side story. I don’t know about this guy. His jokes are alright but his world building is all over the damn place. I mean pick a genre and stick to it.”

“Wade?” Nathan asked in bewilderment as he stared across the table. “What the hell are you talking about?” The masked mercenary blinked once before dismissively throwing his hands up in defeat.

“Nah!” Medievalpool grunted in his grating, raspy voice. “You don’t get it.”

_________________
Time and Time Again


Last edited by Citanul on Wed Nov 18, 2015 7:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Wed Nov 18, 2015 5:59 pm 
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3. Flaming O

Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2013 2:35 am
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so the mad queen is Maggie walsh! lol

I have to say I didn't see that coming. awesome

Have a good thanksgiving if you celebrate, and I look forward to the next update.


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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Thu Nov 19, 2015 5:43 pm 
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6. Sassy Eggs
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Hi Mysticrain. Yup Dark Ages is building towards a war with the crazy Psych Professor.

I was wondering if I had revealed too much by having "Adam The Scarred" be Tara's first big fight with the denizens of the Mad Queen all the way back in the first entry for that side story. Other than that the only clue I think I left in was always mentioning heavy "scarring" on all the Mad Queen agents they came across. But then again I may be doing foreshadowing wrong.

In any case Walsh has lost a few of her key soldiers. With Adam and Graham out of action it's only a matter of time before Captain Cardboard and his angry judgmental friend show up. Not all at once mind you but still.

Thanks for the cheery holiday wishes and I hope everyone has however many happy holidays they celebrate over the next few weeks.

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Time and Time Again


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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Fri Nov 20, 2015 12:46 am 
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9. Gay Now
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Yay for excellent update-y goodness... I hope slicing and dicing Maggie's mongrels isn't going to be too much trouble for the Witch King's forces...

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We Few, We Happy Few, We Band of Buggered

Posting while nude improves your mood...


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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Wed Nov 25, 2015 1:52 pm 
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Hi Zampsa.

No, I don't think working their way through the Mad Queen's patchwork mongrels is going to be all that difficult. The real question is what tricks Walsh has up her sleeve that allow her to make these monsters and inventions given the technological limits of the world.

On another note, here's a new chapter a week in advance just for the holiday. Have a festive beginning of the end of the fiscal fourth quarter y'all!

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Time and Time Again


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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Wed Nov 25, 2015 2:03 pm 
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Time and Time Again.

Author: Citanul

Feedback: Be kind, rewind? Seriously though all feedback is welcome.

Spoilers: Just about all of them. Go watch the show. And Angel too. Also Agents of Shield a little bit. You know what, if a name you don’t recognize pops up most of the time you can find dozens of pages of character bio if you type that name and the word comics into Wikipedia. It’s almost scary how much page space comic book fans have taken up on that site.

Rating: NC-17 = Smutty smut smut smut. Seriously though they make love quite often.

Pairings: W/T, B/F, G/J, D/J, F/G, A/?, X/C (X/A in half the worlds.) D/C (Though not till they’re older and even then maybe not so much with the graphic detail.)

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: Happy holidays everyone. You'll all probably be able to tell by the title that this is going to be an Angel heavy chapter. I know, I'm mad about it to, but there's some stuff we have to work through while following his obsessive ass around. On the plus side there are some crucial bits of development going on with the members of the Hyperion Crew. They'll also touch on the sensitive issue of race relations.

******************************

Chapter 27: Dear Boy

Dawn broke out over the hellmouth. Stray beams of sunlight fell across the king size bed in one luxury hotel suite. Two lovers lay nestled in each other’s arms. With morning light filling the expensive room one of the two young women began to stir.

“Mmm, Sweetie.” Tara murmured as a coy half smile covered her face. The honey blonde looked down to find the redhead she adored lying motionless atop her chest. At first she thought her everything was only sleeping. Then the unusual sensation became all too noticeable. “Willow?”

The redhead remained still for a moment longer before the words seemed to register. Then Tara felt the tension slowly dissipate from her love. The redhead slowly began to relax as one hand began to trace idle circles across Tara’s stomach. “Sorry Baby.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about Willow.” Tara assured. “Last night was beyond amazing.”

Willow suddenly jerked her head up with a worried frown on her face. “What? No not that.” She pleaded in an anxious babble. “That was great. Better than great. Unbelievable. Amazing even. In fact you probably hit the nail on the head with beyond amazing so let’s just go with that and you’re supposed to stop me at some point.” She finished with a pout.

“Sorry Sweetie, I love your adorable babble too much to stop it.”

“Alright.” The redhead relented as she once more brought her head to rest upon the honey blonde’s ample chest. Moments passed while Tara held back the inevitable question. She allowed the slow steady rhythm of her heartbeat to sooth Willow’s nerves. The gentle rise and fall of her chest with each breath never failed to bring calm and clarity to her always. Only once she was sure of Willow’s emotional state did she ask the inevitable question.

“So what were you worried about?”

“Everything.”

“Anything in particular Sweetie?”

“Everything is in place. The stage is set. The players are all lined up. Previews are over and opening night starts the second we leave this hotel room. We passed the point of no return and didn’t even stop to take a picture. The things we set in motion are coming for our friends and we can’t even warn them. Goddess, they’re going to hate us.”

“Maybe,” Tara admitted, drawing an even more worried look from her love, “but they’ll be better off for the journey. Even if some of them h-hate us for all the trouble they get into, they’ll be alive.”

“We’ve got to work on that pitch before the big reveal of all our dastardly machinations.” Willow said as she slowly crawled up her girlfriend’s curvaceous body. “It’s too ‘ends justify means-y.”

Tara couldn’t help but grimace at the harsh truth. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Willow lightly chastised her love before bringing their lips together in a soft kiss. “We both know who the wicked witch is in this bed.” She added only after the tender connection was broken.

The honey blonde merely rolled her eyes. “I was never as innocent as you keep saying I am.” Tara said in an equally chastising tone.

“You’ll always be an angel in my eyes Baby.” Willow said with the smile Tara always brought out of her. “More like a goddess.”

With a sigh Tara conceded the point. She knew better than to try detangling the writhing mass of compliments and overt encouragements Willow continued to shower her with. Though the sentiment had grown repetitive in some worlds where her upbringing had been more positive Tara was still thankful for the praise in lifetimes where her childhood came up lacking.

They stayed nestled in each other’s arms until a certain calling became too irksome to ignore. Tara watched as her lithe redhead climbed out of their embrace and practically skipped her way to the bathroom. To her credit only a mildly lurid haze came over Tara’s eyes as she watched the pale nude figure disappear around the corner.

She quickly shook off the amorous daze and reached an arm over to the night stand where her cell phone lay. Willow had been more than right about one thing. Events were about to unfold. Their presence would be needed to see everyone through to the end.

******************************

“You sure about this?” Anne asked as Alonna, Fred and Bethany sat her down in the desk chair. She looked up at the unfamiliar device with no small amount of trepidation.

The slender brunette only rolled her eyes and smiled at the hesitant blonde. “Yes, Anne. Don’t worry. You aren’t gonna break it or nothin’.”

“You need to know how to use a computer Anne.” Alonna assured her. “We’re getting a shipment of Tara and Willow’s new line any day now. Everyone crucial to the mission is getting one and that includes you.”

“Oh but I’m not crucial to…” Anne protested weakly.

“Yes you are.” Alonna said just as her Slayer senses told her their resident brooding presence was coming in through the sewer access hatch in the closet on the far side of the lobby. “Angel, tell Anne how crucial she is.”

“No, you guys would be fine without me.” Anne complained.

“Probably.” The vampire said absent mindedly as he strode behind the front desk and stood by the bookshelf. His eyes were unfocused as they wandered over the spines of rare tomes.

“Wow.” Bethany said as she turned to stare at the vampire in surprise. The Slayer fixed Angel with a particularly withering glare as Fred only rolled her eyes and went back to pointing out menu and layout features to the nervous blonde.

“So you click on the little star shaped icon at the bottom and that pulls up the menu.” Fred explained as Anne guided the mouse across the screen. “Oh let me go get that manual Willow left last time. She said this new OS had some tricks only we’d get a kick out of.”

The Texan all but raced from the room as the blonde opened a browser window. “Oh look!” Anne called out in amused joy. “Cat pictures.” Alonna and Bethany smirked slightly as Angel walked up behind Anne. He began to lean over her shoulder to get a better look but stopped halfway as the young woman’s long blonde locks drew all of his attention.

“Angel?” Anne muttered as she felt the vampire drink in her scent. A cold hand gently caressed the strands of hair flowing over her ear. An icy cheek nuzzled into her scalp. Before either of the other young women could ask about the man’s odd behavior the blonde flew into action.

“No means no!” Anne shouted as she raised the fist that had been secretly clenching the small crucifix she carried ever since the night William the Bloody drank from her.

Angel lunged backwards to fall along the back wall of the small reception space. When he looked up a very nervous redhead was standing at Anne’s side as a number of pencils hovered in the air between the girls and himself. The Slayer held a small Roman style gladius in her outstretched arm with the tip of the blade barely an inch from his throat. The cold glare in her eyes cast no doubt in the vampire’s mind.

“He was feeling my hair.” Anne said as she still held the crucifix in her quivering outstretched arm.

“I’m sorry.” Angel pleaded with confusion and self doubt evident in his voice. “I, I didn’t mean to, I, I’ve just been so out of it lately, because of her. I saw her. Here in town, last night.”

“What?” Alonna asked. “Buffy isn’t in town. Faith has been calling me all week with details for their big plans after their homecoming dance. All the Sunnydale girls spent last night at the fanciest hotel on the hellmouth.”

“Good for them.” Anne said as she slowly lowered the cross in her hand.

Bethany smirked as the pencils in the air gracefully floated back to their holder on the desk. “Lucky.”

“There are over twenty single guys living in this hotel.” Alonna told the two young women. “If either of like any of them then tell them. Charles and I gave them strict orders not to harass either of you until you were settled in and started to show interest.”

“Not Buffy.” Angel said drawing the attention of all three women. He slowly picked himself up off the floor and began to walk towards the main office. “Darla.”

“Darla!” Alonna all but shouted in confusion.

“Who’s Darla?” Bethany, Anne and Fred asked in unison. The Slayer looked up to see the Texan had rejoined them. The four women then followed the vampire into the office and watched as he slumped down into one of the chairs.

“His sire. The vampire that turned him.” Alonna told the other girls. “Which means he couldn’t have seen her because he already killed her.”

“I’ve been dreaming about her like crazy, and…” Angel muttered as he rubbed his hands over his face. “The dreams, they’re so… I though I was loosing my mind, but you know, she’s here. She’s alive.”

“What you’re saying is impossible Angel.” Alonna declared. “Buffy told me all about that night two years ago.” The Slayer pulled the vampire’s hands away from his eyes and fixed him with a stern glare. “You staked her to dust. You had a big John Woo style fight with her while she was trying to shoot Buffy’s head off. She can’t be here because she’s long dead.”

“Twice dead.” Anne jumped in only to receive a mild glare from Alonna. “Sorry.”

“I know that!” Angel retorted. “I also know it was her!”

“What’s all this shouting about?” Wesley asked as he, Doyle and Gunn appeared in the doorway.

“Angel’s dead sire has come back to life to mess with him.” Fred told the men who took on varying worried looks.

“Impossible!” Wesley scoffed. “Vampires don’t come back from the dead.”

“I could.” Angel shot back before a confused look crossed his face. “Maybe.”

“What?” Bethany and Gunn asked.

“I don’t know.” The vampire admitted as he slumped back in the chair. “Willow said something about both of us coming back from hell for love and then she stopped talking. It was kind of a sketchy story and she didn’t go into details.”

“Oh yeah, she did say you’d just get brought back to life by something upstairs that wanted to mess with you if anyone staked you too early.” Gunn said as he thought back to the first night the Crew had spent in the hotel.

“I saw her!” Angel said with an edge to his voice. “I’m not crazy!”

“Where did you see her?” Doyle asked.

“Right between the clowns and the big talking hotdog!” Angel declared only to draw blank stares from every human in the room. “Walking on the promenade. I kept looking for her until the damn sun came up.”

“You said yourself you’ve been having dreams lately.” Wesley said once he recovered from the imagery of the cursed vampire frantically stumbling from clown to clown to hotdog mascot in search of one petite blonde. “Maybe it’s guilt over killing your sire.”

Gunn quickly stifled a laugh at the mention of guilt. “Okay not something to really get all tore up over considering the things fangs has done.”

“Then again who loves guilt like Angel loves guilt?” Alonna mused out loud.

“Maybe I’m dreaming about her because she’s here.” Angel murmured.

“Maybe you think she’s here because you’re dreaming about her.” Wesley countered.

The words hung quietly in the small office space. Little did any of them know that this was only the beginning of their troubles with Angel’s sire.

******************************

“He’s falling apart.” Darla said as she idly examined the shelf in Ethan’s office.

“That would be the plan.” Ethan quipped as he went over texts spread out across his desk.

“Good,” Collins said as a slight smile spread across his face, “unhinging a man with all of that vampire’s strengths and weaknesses is proving more time consuming than advertised.”

“I created a lot of those strengths and weaknesses.” Darla reminded the men around her. “I think I have a pretty good handle on them.”

“I still don’t see why we need this trollop.” Weatherby grumbled as he sat in one of the chairs by the door. “Be a hell of a lot quicker to just dust him ourselves.”

“Collins, if you’d be so kind.” Ethan said without looking up from his work.

“We’ve been over this Weatherby.” The lead watcher said with an exasperated sigh. “Doing the deed ourselves doesn’t bring the Slayer back under council control.”

“So what is the plan, exactly?” Darla asked as she rounded the table and ran a hand along Ethan’s shoulder. “I tease him to death?”

“We don’t want him dead.” The sorcerer said drawing stunned looks from at least one watcher in the room. “We want him to bite the hand that feeds him.”

“What good will that do?” Weatherby asked.

The disagreeable watcher’s leader groaned once again. Collins had quickly lost patience with his subordinates’ incompetence. If this mission dragged on much longer even he didn’t know what he’d end up doing to the two men. “It will take her strongest ally out of play.” Collins said in as restrained a tone as he could manage. “Once the vampire isn’t on their front lines taking their beatings those dimwitted children following the Slayer will start to die off.”

“Only then will she understand what it really means to be the Slayer.” Jenny added as she entered the office. “She’ll be alone, isolated. And then that boy your boss sent to the hotel can begin his work.”

“Fat lot of good that Wyndam-Pryce ponce will do.” Weatherby scoffed.

“Hey, he may be a ponce and a mama’s boy but he’s still a watcher.” Smith chimed in for the first time.

Collins looked at his other subordinate with a questioning frown that soon turned disapproving. “Smith, what the bloody hell are you doing in here man? Who the devil is on watch?”

“It’s the middle of the day.” Smith said in complete confusion.

“Yeah, and most of the people we’re spying on can walk around in the daylight you git.” Weatherby snapped back.

“Both of you go secure the perimeter!” Collins seethed in a tone the two men knew not to challenge. They slipped out of the room with their tails between their legs. It was a full minute before Collins got his temper under control enough to turn back to his odd allies. “I swear those two idiots will get us all eaten.”

“And not the good kind of eaten.” Darla replied with a wicked smile, drawing a laugh from Ethan and a small grin from Jenny. The watcher only sighed and left the room. The blonde watched him go before turning back to the sorcerer that she could tell was clearly calling the shots. “So what’s next? More dreams? Another close call on the promenade?”

“No.” Ethan said with a small chuckle as he looked up from his work for the first time. With a warm smile he turned to the one ally in the room that he was actually beginning to trust. “Did you find everything we need my dear?”

“Yeah.” Jenny replied with a roll of her eyes. She was already having her own doubts about the man’s schemes. No matter how much she was beginning to appreciate his unique charms.

“Excellent.” Ethan proclaimed with a wide grin. “We can begin the next phase of the plan. The dear boy won’t know what hit him.”

******************************

“So we’re paying a visit with just the three of us?” Xander asked as he stepped out of the limo and looked up to the main entrance of the Hyperion hotel.

“Buffy and Faith needed to stay back home to deal with a threat.” Willow replied. “Besides, we have a nice relaxing four day weekend after the dance to enjoy, some things to go over with our company, and you hardly ever get to pal around with all your boyfriends.”

“Okay, wow, could we please not call them that Will?” The young man pleaded as his best friend and her girlfriend shared a laugh.

“Relax Xander.” Tara said after regaining her composure. “We’re just teasing. Your ‘hetero street cred’ remains intact.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He muttered as they walked up to the front door of the hotel. “So anything new to share about that company or are we still in cagey corporate banter mode?”

“We’re getting really close to a big reveal.” Willow assured him as they walked inside. “It should be ready around Buffy’s birthday.”

“Alonna wait!” Fred called out across the almost empty lobby. “Oh, hi guys.”

“Hi Fred, Alonna.” Tara greeted the two young women with a small wave. She couldn’t help but feel the tension in the room. “Everything okay?”

“I have to go on a mission.” Alonna seethed. “Fred, we’ll talk when I get back. Xander, Gunn and the boys are in the basketball court if you were hanging around.”

“Sweet, you guys got your own hoops court since the last time we were here?” He asked only to cringe as he finally noticed the intense waves of annoyance pouring off the Slayer.

Alonna walked across the lobby and pulled her Dao broad sword from her locker by the front desk. Before anyone could asked it was slung over her shoulder and the Slayer was out the door.

“Okay that was intense.” Willow remarked only to cringe with worry as she noticed slight tears building in the corners of Fred’s eyes.

“Oh maybe you should go see what the boys are up to Sweetie.” Tara told Xander in a calm and soothing voice.

“Yeah, okay.” Xander agreed just before heading down the long hallway that led to the converted ball rooms.

“Fred, Sweetie?” Tara asked as she and Willow approached the now sobbing girl. “Is everything okay?” At first all she received in reply was a silent and tearful shake of the brunette’s head.

“I screwed up.” Fred told the witches as she all but collapsed into the lobby chair. “I really think Alonna hates me now.”

“Oh she couldn’t possibly hate you.” Willow assured. “Why would you even think that?”

“I ruined everything.” Fred went on obliviously. “It was all so perfect and I ruined it. I shouldn’t have said what I said, but he wanted me to so much. And he was so into it afterwards, but after we were done I stepped out into the hallway and she was there just glaring at the door. I shouldn’t have said what I said.”

The witches shared a confused look but stayed by the distraught girl’s side. They had no idea what could have brought on such a disruptive shift in the inner circle of the Hyperion Crew. Little did they know they would soon find out.

******************************

“So are you gonna talk about what’s bothering you?” Doyle asked after he had pulled the van up to a side service entrance and let Angel and Wesley out.

“No.” The Slayer replied in an annoyed tone.

“I know this isn’t an area I can comment on what with all the white folks in my family tree, but you should really talk to your brother before blaming Fred.” The Irishman said.

“We are not having this conversation Doyle.” Alonna said in a firm tone before exiting the van.

“Right, of course.” He agreed as he parked the vehicle and went to follow the others into the much more modern hotel.

“What exactly was the reason for all of us coming out here again?” He heard Wesley say as he caught up to the watcher, vampire and Slayer in the lobby.

“A guy who knows a demon tipped me off that there was something going on today.” Doyle assured the watcher. “I just need to be in this place at the right time and all will yadda yadda yadda.”

“Great.” Angel said just before his eyes caught sight of a certain petite blonde. “That’s her.”

“What?” Alonna asked before catching sight of an unfamiliar blonde woman standing up from a table in the hotel restaurant. The way her pet vampire was making a bee line for the woman told the Slayer that today would only be getting worse. “Damn it!”

“Huh, oh, sorry.” The blonde said as she bumped into the vampire that deliberately stood in her path.

“Guess you didn’t take that whole dust to dust thing to heart did ya?” Angel asked in an accusing tone before yanking the woman’s wallet out of her hands. “What are you trying to pass for? Human?”

“Angel!” Alonna snapped.

“Excuse me.” The blonde whimpered quietly as she tried to reclaim the wallet.

“I know your voice Darla.” Angel told her menacingly. “I can smell you.”

“Uh oh.” Doyle said as he noticed hotel security was beginning to circle the wagons.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about now just leave me alo-oh.” The woman said as she tried to leave only for Angel to grasp her by the arm.

“I don’t know what kind of game you’re trying to play, but you’re not gonna win!” The vampire growled.

“Angel, I really don’t think this is the time.” Wesley tried desperately to diffuse the situation as the first security guard approached the group.

“Is everything alright?” The tall, broadly built man asked the blonde.

“No!” She said in a panicked voice. “This man he was trying to, my name is DeEtta Kramer. My husband is outside right now getting our car. I don’t know anybody named Darla.”

“I know it’s you!” Angel told her as the watcher and half demon cringed. “And I know you’re not going out in that sun anytime soon.”

The Slayer tensed, expecting a battle to break out at any moment. She knew this wouldn’t end well. No matter how hard she focused on the strange blonde her senses told her there was only one vampire nearby. And she could tell he wasn’t going to take that news well.

Angel took one step towards the blonde and the security guard tired his best to intercede. For his troubles the vampire threw the man over a nearby dining table. The blonde shrieked and ran to the front door. Before he could give chase Alonna and Doyle grabbed Angel’s arms. All the vampire could do was watch in shock as his sire ran into the sunlight.

“Steven!” The blonde screamed as she was soon gathered up in the arms of a strange man. The couple looked back to the vampire and his allies as they stood in the middle of the wide swath of sunlight coming through the hotel’s front entrance. Angel stared in confusion as the light played across the blonde’s hair in a way he had never had the opportunity to witness.

“We’re going!” Alonna ordered as she practically dragged the stunned vampire back to one of the rear exits of the hotel.

******************************

“Well that was a bust.” Doyle admitted as he strolled into the lobby of the Hyperion.

“Ya think?” Alonna snapped as she put her favorite sword back in her locker.

“It wasn’t pleasant but at least there’s a silver lining.” Wesley replied.

“No there isn’t.” Alonna said as she watched Angel ignore them all while he flipped through the pages of the phone book on the counter.

“The woman walked into direct sunlight.” Wesley said in the knowing voice of a seasoned watcher. “Obviously she’s not a vampire. Obviously Angel,” he paused for a moment to consider his phrasing, “made a mistake.”

“We’re just going to have to put our heads together and help him come to grips with this thing.” Wesley went on as he walked up to stand beside the agitated vampire. “You’re among friends. We’re not going to condemn you.”

“Right.” Alonna said almost sarcastically. “You’re crazy. You need professional help.”

“It was Darla.” Angel said as he continued to scan the phonebook. “She’s back, and she’s human now, but I know her scent.”

“Angel,” Wesley said in a confiding tone as he leaned his elbows on the counter to get closer to the vampire, “you can’t just sniff a person and…”

The vampire took one whiff of the Englishman and went back to his reading of names and numbers. “You had sex last night with a bleach blonde.”

“Good lord, how did you?” Wesley asked in a stunned voice.

“Way to go Wes!” Doyle cheered. “I had my doubts but it’s great knowing you finally got you play on.”

“Yes well we all can’t be sleeping with the mother of one of the Senior Partners now, can we?” Wesley quipped.

“Yeah mom is a one fella at a time kind of girl.” Said a voice from the inner office that drained all color from the watcher’s face.

“Oh did I forget to mention that our corporate sponsors dropped by?” Alonna said with the first smile she had worn in several hours.

“She’s not in the book.” Angel said as he lightly tossed the phonebook aside and began to rub his eyes.

“Who, Jen? Of course she isn’t. That’s an LA phonebook.” Doyle asked.

“DeEtta Kramer.” Angel replied. “The woman she’s pretending to be. We need to run a title deed search, see if you can find an address for DeEtta and Steven Kramer. I’m gonna try similar avenues.”

“Okay.” Alonna relented with a weary voice.

Angel began to storm across the room only to storm back to the front desk and look Wesley over. “Wesley, you got any money? I’m gonna need a few bucks for the cover charge.”

“Cover charge?” Wesley asked as he fished his wallet out only to look up in shock at the earnest vampire when he realized what the necessary cover charge meant. “You’re not.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes.” Angel said before storming off once more.

“So that happened.” Alonna sighed once more as the already trying day seemed to drag on.

“Oh, Alonna.” Willow chimed in with a worried expression. “Fred is up in her room. Maybe you should go talk to her.”

“I really can’t stand this day.” The Slayer replied before getting up and looking over to the two witches. “I’m sorry you guys had to drop by while all this crap is going on.”

“Please.” Willow dismissed with a wave of her hand. “We live on an active hellmouth. This is cake compared to some of our worst days.”

“Why did you ladies stop by again?” Doyle asked before looking to the honey blonde with an almost hopeful expression. “Oh and Tara, maybe tell Jen I said hi. Please?”

“Of course Doyle.” Tara agreed before answering his main question. “We just got some things finalized. You should all keep January open. We’ll all be going on a field trip to Vegas for the big show.”

“Fun.” Alonna muttered as she began to walk towards the stairs. “Just what I need, a week of corralling idiots from one casino to another.” With that the Slayer disappeared up the stairs, leaving several worried members of her Crew in the lobby with two mildly amused witches.

******************************

“You in here Fred?” Alonna asked as she knocked on the door and let herself in. “I almost forgot you kept this room. You’ve been shacking up with my brother so much I just assumed.”

“I‘m so sorry Alonna.” Fred said with tears in her eyes as she clumsily stuffed clothing into a large bag. “I’m so sorry. I’ll be ready to go soon. I just.”

“Go?” Alonna asked. The shock from that one teary statement drove out all the other problems she’d faced that day. The Slayer stared in shock at the crying Texan. “Where are you going? Why are you going? You can’t go. We need you here.”

“I’m so sorry.” Fred went on as she struggled to zip up the bag. “I shouldn’t have said what I said. I just, please don’t hate me.” The slender girl couldn’t take here eyes off the bag. She couldn’t bear to see the disgusted look in her friend’s eyes.

“Okay seriously you are not going anywhere!” Alonna said as she walked around to stand right beside Fred. “We all need you. Charles needs you. I need you.”

“What?” Fred asked in confusion and worry as her tears slowed. “You want me to stay.”

“Yes you dummy!” Alonna all but shouted as tears formed in her own eyes. “Who else is gonna help me keep these stupid boys in line?”

“Anne?” Fred ventured. “Or maybe Bethany?”

“Those two ding bats are still finding themselves.” Alonna shot back. “You’re the only person here I trust completely.”

“Really?” Fred asked with an almost hopeful smile as she raised her head for the first time. “Even after what you heard me say to Charles?”

Alonna’s tears cleared up in an instant. A firm grimace came over her face only to soften slightly as she saw the panic return to her brunette friend. “No Fred, I’m not mad that you called my brother that horrible word the one time he really really wanted you to call him that.” Alonna said through clenched teeth.

“You’re n-not?” Fred asked with confusion evident in her quavering voice.

“No! I’m furious that he had that same stupid, clichéd, guy response to you calling him that!” Alonna all but shouted. “Every time one of these idiots lands a white woman I have to hear about how great it was being called a…”

******************************

“Yo Xander, my man!” Gunn said as he readied another shot from the three point line. “You have no idea how hard I came after she said those four little words. I almost feel sorry for you white boys.”

“Yeah Chuck.” Xander agreed with a laugh of his own as the other young man took the shot. “For some reason ‘Fuck me harder Cracker!’ just doesn’t have the same ring to it.”

******************************

“So you’ll be going out with the girls tonight?” Joyce asked as she sat on the edge of her bed, fidgeting with the creases on her long skirt. “For the Slaying I mean.”

“I’m afraid so, yes.” Giles admitted as he fiddled with his tie. “Willow and Tara we’re very adamant about the time table for this particular demon. I hadn’t even thought to check the various demonic almanacs for the upcoming ritual sacrifice to Lurconis. To think, that monster Wilkins fed a half dozen babies to a demon in the sewers once every third decade of his tenure as mayor.”

“Those poor babies.” Joyce muttered with a far away look. The mother of the Slayer shook off the horrid mental images and stood up from the bed. She walked over to her boyfriend and took over the task of straightening his tie. “The more I learn about these things the more I worry. But I know you’ll always be there, looking after our girls.”

As she finished the task that was her boyfriend’s tie Joyce looked up into pale blue green eyes. She was stunned to see tears forming in the corners of his eyes. She just barely heard the faintest sob coming from her man. “Rupert?”

“Joyce.” He said, only after choking back the emotion building in his throat. “I’m sorry my dear,” he tried to disguise his feelings with a light smile and a far too brief chuckle; “you have no idea what hearing those words means to me. To hear you call them that.”

“Call them what?” Joyce asked, utter confusion playing across her face.

“Our girls.” Giles said as he blinked away the last few stray tears.

The world came to a halt. Joyce’s mind flew back over the words she had so easily uttered. She hadn’t even thought about the simple phrasing used to include Giles. Even while examining the conversation there was no doubt in Joyce’s mind. Her girls were Giles’ girls. Her daughters and all the children they had brought together were a part of him just as much as they were part of her. They were family.

With renewed love in her heart Joyce’s arm slipped up around Giles’ neck. Her hands clasped behind him as she captured his lips. Heartfelt and tearful joy gave way to surprise only to be just as quickly replaced with love and adoration in the librarian’s heart. His own hands slipped around Joyce’s waist.

Giles held Joyce close as the kiss dragged on. He adored the woman. No lover or conquest to come into his life before had meant so much to him. The woman in his arms had raised the girls who were in every way the daughters he never had. She had come through the end of her marriage all the stronger for her struggles. In his estimation Joyce was a truly remarkable woman.

Most importantly of all she had given him the chance that even he doubted he was worthy of. The moment Joyce confronted him over Buffy’s secret and his role in her life Giles expected to be cast out of that life. He was certain the Slayer’s mother would stop at nothing to ensure he had no further contact with her daughter. He was never more delighted to be so completely wrong.

The kiss broke and the watcher’s eyes slowly opened. Soft brown orbs awaited his hopeful gaze. He smiled the charming little smile that had secretly melted Joyce’s heart. They stood there gazing into one another’s eyes for what seemed like days. Eventually even that tender connection had to come to a close.

“Giles!” Buffy shouted from downstairs as she quite loudly came in through the front door. “We’re ready!” Duty was calling the watcher. His girlfriend only smiled as she gently shook her head at her daughter’s antics.

“Go.” Joyce told him softly. “Fight the good fight. Slay evil. Save the world. Then bring our girls home.”

“Of course my dear.”

******************************

“Everybody have fun tonight!” Angel angrily crooned his way through the hastily chosen song in an off key pitch. “Everybody wang chu-fun tonight. Everybody wang chung tonight. Everybuh… Everybody have fun tonight.”

All around Caritas demons and humans stared in disbelief and horror as the vampire struggled through the song. The Host of the night club slowly walked up to a small table in the second row from the stage. He sat down without taking his red eyes off the clearly troubled and suffering vampire. Beyond the ordeal of listening to Angel mangle the song all of Lorne’s mystical senses were on fire due to the cacophony coming from the stage.

“Everybody have fun tonight! Everybody. Everybody have fun tonight. Yeah. Everybody! Everybody have fun tonight.” Angel continued in earnest to the chagrin of many bar patrons. Only when he looked around the room and saw the green demon sitting at a table watching his performance did the vampire decide to bring his embarrassment to a close. “Everybo…” Angel broke off as he turned the karaoke machine off and muttered a terse apology into the mic. “I’m very sorry.”

Lorne sat back and watched as the cursed vampire stepped down from the short stage and advanced on his table. Obligatorily polite applause came from a few people scattered throughout the bar only to be summarily ignored by the anxious performer. “Tell me about Darla!” Angel told the Host in a firm yet needy voice.

“Whoa, give me a sec.” Lorne replied with a smile and a light shiver at the psychic aura he was struggling to piece through. “You are sending out some family sized vibes. My fillings are still hummin’.” He held up his empty drink and called out to the server standing just behind him. “Hey Rico, top off my Sea Breeze. Win my everlasting devotion.”

“You saw something.” Angel said as he tried to reign in his fraying nerves.

“I saw lots of things.” Lorne admitted. “You’re at a crucial juncture Big Guy.”

“So talk.” Angel demanded.

“So, no.” Lorne quipped.

“What do you mean no?” The vampire asked in shock. “You won’t tell me anything?”

“I’ll tell you you’re heading into trouble. With a capital Trub. Let her go Bro.” Lorne urged the man looming over his table. “That way lies madness.”

Angel let out a bewildered huff as he took in the demon’s words. “What do you care? You’ve got murderous demons in here. You give them free advice but you won’t help me.”

“Hey, I set people on their paths okay, and this is way of your path Sweetie.” Lorne told the vampire. “Go home.”

Angel refused to heed the demon’s advice. He leaned forward, trying to be as menacing as possible to wring out every last detail that Lorne was withholding from him. “Tell me where Darla is.”

“I know you’re not going to start anything in here. You’re a good boy.” Lorne muttered in disbelief that turned to amusement as he put a mild smile on and stood from the table. “Have a drink before you go. It’s on me.”

Angel stood motionless for several moments. He knew he had to see this through. Grumbling to himself the cursed vampire pulled his cell phone from his coat pocket and called the hotel. He hoped the Crew had found something he could use.

******************************

Ominous chanting filled the underground chamber. The walls were dimly lit by emergency access lights and an electric lantern. Two figures in loose fitting robes stood beside a large pool murmuring in Latin. A young man holding a crossbow stood off to the side with his boss.

“Come on demon, this night isn’t getting any younger.” Larry muttered as he pressed a button on a boom box and the sounds of nursery ward crying filled the stagnant sewer tunnels.

“Hello, Carol.” The mayor said into the cell phone at his ear. “Hi, it’s Allan. Call Dave on the public works committee tomorrow and set up a meeting about sewer maintenance and repair. I have some concerns about exposed gas pipes, infrastructure and ventilation. Oh and um, cancel my three o’clock.”

“Are you sure you should be here Al… I mean, Mr. Mayor?” Larry asked as the chanting grew louder.

“Don’t worry Larry.” Allan assured the politically savvy jock. “I need to see this thing with my own eyes. I need to know what kinds of monsters Wilkins was colluding with.”

“Relax Big Guy.” Faith said with a smirk as she readied herself for the coming fight. “You ain’t never gonna make the same mistakes that other asshole did. Not with Red and Blondie lookin’ over your shoulder.”

“Or you and Ms. Summers for that matter Faith.” Allan told the brunette with an amused smile. “No, I have every intention of behaving myself for as long as your friends let me remain the Mayor of this town.”

“Glad to hear that Mr. Mayor.” Buffy said as she drew her long sword and filled the sewer chamber with flickering waves of light from the mystic blade. In the distance a rumbling could be heard. The two robed figures removed their hoods and stepped away from the pool of fetid water they had been chanting over.

“It’s coming!” Amy cried as she quickly ran around to cower behind Larry and the Mayor.

“Yes, I do believe the show is about to start.” Giles said as he set the book they had been chanting from on top of the duffle bag of imitation ritual supplies. He then picked up a large rock and stood off to the side of the pool. Faith drew her butterfly swords and glared down the passage way that led to the demon’s lair. Buffy brought her sword up and nodded to her watcher.

With one mighty heave Giles threw the rock into the pool and jumped out of the way. Without delay the head of a truly massive snake shot out of the tunnel. The gargantuan serpent scanned the chamber. Its tongue tasted the air. It sensed food aplenty but no sacrifices.

Before Lurconis could respond the Slayers flew into action. The radiant waves of light and dark that made up the aura of every Slayer poured from their blades. The snake demon’s massive jaws opened only for one of its upper fangs to clang loudly against one of the butterfly swords wielded by the dark haired Slayer. The other short sword sliced cleanly through the serpent’s eye. Faith brought her blades up in a cross formation and managed to slice off the demon’s forked tongue as if she were wielding a pair of large scissors.

For her part Buffy acted just as swiftly. Her shimmering long sword severed one massive upper fang. The sharply curved tooth fell to the floor of the chamber. The blonde Slayer followed through with swift and graceful ferocity as she spun around and drove the full length of her blade through the demon’s other eye and deep into its brain. The Slayer wasted no time in twisting the blade and yanking it back out of the demon’s skull.

Lurconis fell, head first into the shallow pool of fetid sewer water. The demon that had extended the previous Mayor’s life to unnatural proportions was dead. The Slayers gave each other gleeful smiles as their audience gapped in awe.

The three people who had yet to see the Slayers in action stared in amazement. Larry couldn’t believe the speed Buffy and Faith possessed. Amy couldn’t believe how effortless they had made the battle seem. Or how little energy they had spent given how quickly they moved back to Giles’ side. Allan couldn’t believe the size of this one monster that dwelled under his city.

“Ah, good then.” Giles said as he stood and gathered the supplies they had brought down into the sewers. He then donned a large, thick rubber glove and picked up the severed fang. After placing it in its own separate bag he turned back to his Slayers. “Excellent work girls. I dare say this fiend never stood a chance.”

“Course not G man!” Faith called out with a jubilant howl. “No giant penis metaphor is ever gonna get the drop on B and me.”

“Eww.” Buffy cried out as her girl brought the overtly phallic imagery of the beast to her attention. “No more penis talk from you Missy.”

“Aww, sorry B.” Faith apologized with a truly wicked smirk. “I didn’t mean to get you all hot and bothered.”

“That was the most terrifying and amazing thing I’ve ever seen.” Larry whispered.

“Ditto.” Allan agreed.

“Why did you guys even need me to come again?” Amy asked.

“Willow and Tara had some business to attend to out of town and I needed at least one other voice to wake the beast.” Giles told the girl as they all prepared to leave the sewer.

“Oh, okay.” Amy whispered as she helped the librarian with one of the smaller bags. Larry picked up the boom box and the four of them made their way to the nearby ladder.

“Do come along girls.” Giles called out to his Slayers as he noticed they had pulled each other into an ill advised make out session. “There’ll be plenty of time for that once we’ve all washed away the smell of this awful place.”

Buffy almost flinched at the watcher’s words while Faith only let out a low chuckle. “I’ll be looking forward to that.” The brunette whispered.

******************************

“I can’t believe she’s slumming it in a place like this.” Angel muttered as he approached the small basement apartment that Doyle had told him was the only known address for the Kramers. “There isn’t even a view!”

The vampire was at the door. He heard faint scuffing sounds coming from within. Then silence. Then a scream. He knew what he had to do. Without hesitation Angel reared back and kicked in the door. He leapt into the tiny apartment only to be taken by complete surprise at the scene awaiting him.

******************************

“Ayala take my foe.” Ethan intoned as he sat cross legged in the conjuring circle drawn on the floor of his office. “Guide him down the River that runs through your realm and through us all. Show him the path he must not see.”

******************************

Angel cast his gaze about the inky black void he was trapped in. The firmness of the ground beneath him seemed to melt away. He was floating through darkness. Then there came a light. Into that light stepped his sire.

“There’s my boy.” Darla said as she gently shook her head. “Will you never learn?”

Before Angel could respond he was pulled downwards. As his body picked up speed the vampire began to scream. Lights flashed by as he fell. For a brief moment Angel wondered if he would continue to fall through nothingness forever. And then he hit a previously unseen hard surface with a crushing thud.

Moments passed as Angel languished on a floor he could not see. At first the only sounds he heard where his own grunts as he struggled to pull himself up. But then the strange chanting began.

Ooga-Chaka Ooga-Ooga
Ooga-Chaka Ooga-Ooga
Ooga-Chaka Ooga-Ooga
Ooga-Chaka Ooga-Ooga
Ooga-Chaka Ooga-Ooga

Angel looked up to see the three watchers that had faced him in the mausoleum. They droned on in dispassionate voices as an all too familiar lounge singer slid across the floor in front of the vampire. To his chagrin the green demon was only wearing white briefs, a half buttoned white shirt, white socks and sunglasses. To Angel’s complete and utter bewilderment Lorne began to sing as the chanting watchers kept up the tempo.

I can't stop this feeling
Deep inside of me
Girl, you just don't realize
What you do to me

When you hold me
In your arms so tight
You let me know
Everything's all right

Ay - ee - ay - ee - ay!
I'm hooked on a feeling
I'm high on believing
That you're in love with me

Lips as sweet as candy
Its taste is on my mind
Girl, you got me thirsty
For another cup o' wine

Got a bug from you girl
But I don't need no cure
I'll just stay a victim
If I can for sure

All the good love
When we're all alone
Keep it up girl
Yeah, you turn me on

Ay - ee - ay - ee - ay!
I'm hooked on a feeling
I'm high on believing
That you're in love with me

All the good love


Ooga-Chaka Ooga-Ooga
Ooga-Chaka Ooga-Ooga
Ooga-Chaka Ooga-Ooga
Ooga-Chaka Ooga-Ooga
Ooga-Chaka Ooga-Ooga

When we're all alone
Keep it up girl
Yeah, you turn me on

Ay - ee - ay - ee - ay!
I'm hooked on a feeling
I'm high on believing
That you're in love with me

I'm hooked on a feeling
And I'm high on believing
That you're in love with me

I said I'm hooked on a feeling
And I'm high on believing
That you're in love with me
I'm hooked on a feeling


******************************

Darla sighed as she watched Angel writhe on the floor of the dingy apartment. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Her once mighty Angelus brought so low by mere humans. She decided to leave before the pitiful sight made her vomit.

Little did she know that Ethan had other plans for her that evening. Just as she began to walk across the floor on her way out of the small apartment Ethan ended the ritual. The visions clouding Angel’s mind faded. He convulsed once and then gasped hungrily at the shock of what had just struck him. Then his vision cleared and his eyes narrowed on the petite blonde.

“Angel?” Darla asked in confusion. His only response was to leap up from the floor and grab her by the neck. Darla tried to let out a scream but Angel’s vice like grip tightened ever so slightly and all she could manage was a weak sigh. She passed out just as he threw her over his shoulder and carried her out to his car.

******************************

“Well there they go.” Jenny muttered as she watched from the rooftop across the street. The vampire loaded his sire into the trunk of the convertible and sped off into the night. The gypsy drew her cell phone and hit the speed dial for the man who had asked her to play the role of voyeur that evening. “There any particular reason you wanted me up here watching and not one of the actual watchers?” She asked the sorcerer on the other end of the line.

“Of course my dear.” Ethan said through the phone line with his oiliest of falsely charming voices. “You’re the only one I can trust.”

“Alright, enough of that you.” Jenny said even though the barest hint of a smile played across her lips at the man’s continued efforts. “I’m heading back to the warehouse. Should we tell the boys to look for a body in the morning?”

“Oh heavens no.” Ethan replied with an amused smile. “He’s not going to kill her.”

“Then what is he going to do?” The gypsy asked.

“Fail to save her.” The sorcerer replied with a wicked smile.

******************************

“Yo, Sis, what up?” Gunn called out as he saw his sister step into the hallway.

“Don’t you “yo Sis” me Charles!” Alonna snapped. “It’s bad enough I have to change rooms because of your sex life. Now I also have to tip toe around my friend whenever you decide to take things where you always take them.”

“Whoa, where is all this coming from?” Gunn asked as he quickly registered his sister’s annoyance. “Why do you got to change rooms all of a sudden?”

“Because Slayer hearing is a bitch and Fred can tell just by looking at me if I’ve heard her scream the fucking N word into your headboard.” The Slayer shouted.

“Oh.” Gunn whispered as he quickly pieced together the situation he had created.

“Yeah! Oh!” Alonna added. “I swear it’s the same damn thing every time you land a white woman. Well I like this one so if you fuck things up with her I’m kicking your ass!”

“Okay, okay Alonna.” Gunn pleaded with his agitated sister. “I love Fred. I’m not going to screw things up and just let her slip away.”

“Alright.” Alonna said as she finally relaxed. A small grin spread across her face. She then looked up to her brother and smiled. “You know what this means, right?”

“Oh no.” Gunn pleaded. “Do we have to do that again? Can’t we just…” Before he could finish his desperate plea the Slayer started to sing, shimmy and sway to the song she had teased him with for years.

Oh you've got jungle fever, she's got jungle fever
You both got jungle fever, you're in love
She's gone black-boy crazy, you've gone white-girl hazy
Ain't no thinking maybe, you're in love

She's got jungle fever, you've got jungle fever
You both got jungle fever, you're in love
You've gone white-girl crazy, she's gone black-boy hazy
You're each other's baby, you're in love

You've got jungle fever, she's got jungle fever
You both got jungle fever, you're in love
She's gone black-boy crazy, you've gone white-girl hazy
Ain't no thinking maybe, you're in love


******************************

Angel pulled his car up to the entrance of the underground water reservoir he and the Crew had cleared out days ago. He killed the engine and wasted no time in moving to the rear of the convertible. He opened the trunk and grinned wickedly as he saw the wide eyed look of terror in the petite blonde’s eyes. Before she could run he had hoisted her up and carried her inside the service entrance to the isolated reservoir. She struggled as they reached the bottom of the long concrete staircase and Angel simply released her to stumble a few paces away from him.

“So you’re what the watcher’s council brought back in that box.” The vampire muttered. “And they brought you back as human.”

She looked around the massive, dimly lit chamber. There were no other entrances or exits she could see besides the staircase the vampire was blocking. On the floor a few paces behind her lay the moldering remains of a hideous demon that seemed to have sprouted from a crack in the concrete.

Angel strolled towards his captive menacingly as he continued to deduce the plan his enemies had devised. “They think I won’t kill one.” He guessed. “Wanna know what I think?” The petite blonde looked up at his question only to feel a shiver pass down her spine as he glared at her. “I think they don’t know me that well.”

She ran. He followed. When she turned to look back she realized she had gained no distance from her captor. He went on, talking about the history of the structure in an almost awed voice.

“You feel what this place was before they excavated it?” Angel asked as he ran a hand across one of the smooth concrete pillars. “It was a convent. You remember how much I like convents.” The petite blonde stilled and brought her hand across her head, chest and shoulders forming a perfectly pious sign of the cross. He laughed. “Come on Darla. You and I, we’re too old to play games.” She backed up again and flinched as her shoulder blades brushed against a pillar. “I need to talk to the real you.” Angel said as he let his demonic visage take shape.

She gasped as he grabbed her and lifted her off the ground. The petite blonde whimpered as he brought his disfigured face within a hair’s breath of hers. Pinned against the concrete pillar, the vampire’s fangs drawing ever closer, she had no hope of escape.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve said this to anyone.” Angel grinned as he tore her blouse wide open, exposing her heaving chest. “But you can scream all you want.”

His fangs pierced her flesh. She could feel the blood rushing to her shoulder just above her clavicle only to seep out of the shallow wounds the vampire dug. As the familiar sensation of being tasted by her stallion welled up inside her body Darla smiled.

“Oh.” Darla whimpered in delight. “Oh I’m not gonna scream.” She promised as her hands worked their way around his shoulders and across the back of his head. She brought his face up to hers and captured his blood soaked lips with her own. The kiss was all she had been waiting for. All she had been hoping for. “There’s my boy.”

Moments dragged on in the reservoir. The vampire and his sire explored each other. For an all too tantalizing instant Angel wanted nothing more than to lose himself in everything Darla’s embrace promised. Everything she had always meant to him. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He had too much to lose.

He broke the kiss and stepped away from the woman that had taken his life centuries ago. “That’s enough!”

“Oh, I’m pretty familiar with the international sign for enough,” Darla replied with a smirk as she sauntered up to her progeny, “and you have a ways to go.” She pressed his back up against a different pillar and did her best to disrobe the vampire. He grasped her arm and wrenched her away from his shirt and pants. “You’re hurting me.” She said before smiling even wider. “I like it.”

Angel spun her away from him and slowly regained his composure. As his vampiric visage melted away he turned to face the woman. “What’s the play Darla? What kind of game are you running?”

“Just having a little fun.” Darla admitted with a sly smile. “Been out of commission too long. You know how that feels.”

“The watchers council’s thugs didn’t bring you back for fun.” Angel said as he shook his head in disappointment. “The dreams. The public appearances. What’s the big play? Get me so screwed up I go bad again?”

“Kind of trite, I know.” Darla agreed with a dismissive frown. “What do you expect? They’re only human.”

Angel chuckled lightly at her choice of words. “You better embrace that mediocrity Honey. You’re talking about your own kind now.”

“But I’m still me.” Darla replied as she walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I remember everything Angel. Everything we did. Everything we can do.”

“Yeah.” Angel said as he brought his hands up to cup her face while stroking her hair. He leaned in for what Darla hoped was another kiss before smirking. “But the bitch is,” he said as he brought one finger up to her lips and pushed her away, “you have a soul now.”

Angel began to walk towards the staircase as he explained the nightmare she was about to be consumed by. He almost pitied her. “Pretty soon, those memories are gonna start eating away at you. No matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to escape the truth of what you were. Believe me. I know.”

“You can escape.” She promised as she sidled up beside him once more. “You can escape it all. Remember what it’s like to get lost. Every thought a million miles away. Every part of your being alive. All you have to do is let me give you one little moment of happiness.”

“You took me places.” Angel admitted as Darla once more began to squirm against his chest. “Showed me things. Blew the top off my head. But you never made me happy.”

The whispered truth stunned the petite blonde. Darla backed away from him in disgust and anger. Why would he lie about all that they had shared? Suddenly she realized what his most recent conquest must have done to him. What must have happened the night he killed her for the Slayer.

“But that, that cheerleader did?” Darla asked, almost repulsed by the very notion. “We were together a hundred and fifty years. We shared everything. You’re saying, never?”

Angel just stared at her. “You couldn’t understand.” He said as dispassionately as he could.

“Oh I understand alright!” Darla snapped at him with venom in her voice. “Guy gets a taste of something fresh and he thinks he’s touching god!”

“It wasn’t about.” Angel tried to explain before she cut him off again.

“Oh you bet you ass it was!” She seethed. “There was a time, in the early years, when you would have said I was the definition of bliss! Buffy wasn’t happiness. She was just new.”

Angel couldn’t help the slight chuckle that escaped his lips. He smiled as he shook his head at all the wild assumptions his sire was making. “You know, you’re getting awfully bent over this Darla. No, I couldn’t feel that with you because I didn’t have a soul. But then I got a second chance. Just like you have.”


“What a poster child for soulfulness you are.” Darla muttered before softening her tone and trying once more to apply her charms. “This is no life for you Angel. Before you got neutered you weren’t just any vampire. You were a legend. Nobody could keep up with you. Not even me. You don’t learn that kind of darkness. It’s innate. It was in you long before we ever met.”

Angel pushed her away once more. She laughed as she tumbled to the hard concrete floor. “And now look at you. How many Slayers is this now? How many little girls have held your leash? Is she the second since Buffy? The fourth? How many have you watched die? How many have actually let you have a taste?”

“Wait.” Angel said as he looked down at his sire in surprise that was quickly replaced with even more amusement. “You really don’t know? None of the watchers bothered to tell you what’s going on in the world these days?”

“What do you mean?” Darla snapped back. “The world’s the same as it’s always been. You killed me to get with that cheerleader. There can only be one Slayer and I know it’s that little black slut who pulled you off me at the hotel. That means you let Buffy die. Tell me, was it the Master that finally got her?”

“Oh Darla.” Angel chuckled as he shook his head. “You’ve missed so much in the last few years. Buffy died facing the master, but then that dimwitted boy who follows her around like a lost puppy brought her back. Buffy killed the master but another girl was called. And then the little redhead that followed Buffy around like another lost puppy found her one true love.”

“What are you rambling about?” Darla demanded. “You’re saying there are two Slayers now?”

“The redhead and her girlfriend turned out to be the most powerful witches on the planet!” Angel called out in an almost joyful voice. “Those two girls found the “little black slut” and unlocked her potential with a spell.”

“Potential?”

“They made a third Slayer with magic.” Angel elaborated. “And then do you know what they did next?”

“Three Slayers?” Darla whispered in shock.

“They flew their fancy corporate jet to Boston and brought back another potential to unlock!” Angel shouted. “There are four Slayers running around this world Darla. About three of them don’t want to stake me on sight. As far as I’m concerned that means I’m on the winning team. And just so there’s no confusion the second Slayer the witches made with magic is the only person getting a taste of Buffy these days.”

“What?” Darla asked as the all too stunning news threw everything she had assumed out the window.

“Yup, I never had a shot. What can I say?” Angel asked with a smile. “Love is a real bitch sometimes.”

“You killed me for a stupid little dyke that you haven’t even fucked yet?” Darla shrieked in outrage as she climbed up from the ground. “We were together for a century and a half and you dusted me for nothing!” She ran at the vampire and did her best to pummel him to death with her bare hands. Unfortunately she was only human.

“Hahaha, oh wow.” Angel continued to laugh as his sire flailed harmlessly and only succeeded in tiring herself out. “Darla you are taking this way too seriously. I’ve learned that if you really care about someone, you should just be happy that they’re happy.”

The sarcastically upbeat tone in his voice only served to draw another outraged bellow from the petite blonde. She screamed in impotent fury as she slapped his chest and upper arms. The anguish in his sire’s cries did little to sway the vampire.

“You should have heard the things they screamed the first night they made love.” Angel added with a smirk. “Then again you might have some idea. You’ve been riding me in my sleep for months now and the walls in that hotel are paper thin when you have hearing as good as, oh that’s right. You’re only human now. I keep forgetting.”

“I’ll kill you!” Darla shrieked as the meaninglessness of her death filled her with newfound rage.

“This has been swell Darla.” Angel said as he easily pushed the petite blonde away one last time. “We should catch up again sometime. That is if the watchers let you out to play anymore after this little fiasco.” He then turned and strolled over to the stairs leading up to the surface.

“This isn’t over Angelus!” Darla shouted at the vampire’s back. “No matter how good a boy you are god doesn’t want you! Don’t walk away from me!”

“Give me a call when you can’t handle the memories anymore sweet cheeks.” Angel called over his shoulder earning another anguished scream from his sire. The cursed vampire only smiled to himself as he left the infuriated woman to her own devices. He had friends at the hotel to get back to.

******************************

“Okay, should we be worried about fangs?” Gunn asked as he checked in with the few members of the Crew who had been on night watch. “It’s damn near dawn and he hasn’t shown his undead ass since the thing at the fancy hotel yesterday.”

“No need to worry your pretty little head about me Gunn.” Angel said with a cheery little smile as he strolled through the front door.

“Where the hell have you been?” Gunn called out in annoyance. “Al’s been worried you went off the deep end after that stunt with the blonde.”

“I kidnapped her and dragged her out to the water reservoir where we killed the thrall demon.” Angel admitted with a smile. “Turns out Darla is the thing the watcher’s and that warlock raised in the breadbox.”

“Damn it!” Gunn all but shouted. “Who had Angel’s dead sire in the betting pool for the breadbox?”

“Yo Gunn, I think that one was your girl’s bet.” The young man behind the counter said as he looked over to a white board with a grid filled with names and bets scrawled all over it. “Yeah, yeah there’s a little cutesy F next to the bet that says “Previously dead vampire related to Angel.”

“Really? Fred won?” Gunn asked as he went over to look at the board. A smile played across his face as he realized just how clever his girl was. “Well damn. I’ve got to go give her the good news.”

“Congrats Gunn.” Angel said as he let out a yawn and turned towards the stairs. “I’m calling it. Wake me if an apocalypse sneaks up on us.”

“Sure thing Angel.” Gunn called out as he ascended the opposite staircase towards the room he shared with Fred. Whether it had happened through brilliant deduction or a lucky guess he couldn’t hold back the smile at the thought of celebrating his girlfriend’s victory.

******************************

“So are we looking for a body or not?” Collins asked as he and his two subordinates gathered in Ethan’s office just before noon.

“Gentlemen, what is so hard to understand?” Ethan asked in a mildly exasperated tone. “He hasn’t killed her yet.”

“So you say.” Weatherby remarked in a snide leer. Before he could add yet another negative comment a door outside the office opened and was then slammed shut. All heads turned to watch as the open doorway of Ethan’s office was soon filled with one very agitated petite blonde.

“Well look who’s finally back.” Weatherby remarked with another sneer.

“Fuck you and both of your boyfriends watcher!” Darla shouted back at the vindictive little man. “You idiots couldn’t mention that fact that there are four Slayers?”

“As much as I find this new zeal intriguing, I doubt bickering will help our cause.” Ethan said with a sly smile as he watched the blonde and the watchers square off.

“That is need to know information.” Collins said in his droll, unimpressed tone. “And you, girl, just don’t need to know.”

“Oh really? Did it not occur to any of you that the little bitch he killed me to protect would come up in conversation?” Darla snapped, turning all of her indignation on the lead watcher. “If you damn watchers had told me that Buffy was still alive I would have said something different and Angel wouldn’t have laughed in my face!”

“She’s not wrong.” Jenny quipped as she sat off to the side and flipped through one of Ethan’s older arcane texts.

“That is unfortunate.” Ethan said in a far too calm and measured voice. “But not something we didn’t plan for.”

“What?” The watchers and former vampire cried out in bewilderment as they turned back to the sorcerer.

“Rayne what the devil are you on about?” Collins asked.

“The multiple plans I’ve laid out. There was a slim chance of it but I never expected him to turn Darla at their first encounter.” Ethan told his now thoroughly attentive audience. “We still have a ways to go before we’re done breaking down that vampire. He’ll need something more heartbreaking to give him the right push.”

All eyes were on the sorcerer and his wicked smile. Though the watchers had long ago tired of the sheer number of hours they had been forced to sink into his plans each of them had to admit they had no better alternatives to suggest in place of Ethan’s convoluted schemes.

Darla just rolled her eyes and shared a bored look with the gypsy. The petite blonde turned and left the office. She had suffered a long night and an even longer hike back from the remote reservoir where Angel had stranded her. Let the sorcerer and those dimwitted watchers have their schemes she thought. None of it mattered in the end. She knew her boy would come around eventually.

_________________
Time and Time Again


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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Thu Nov 26, 2015 5:41 am 
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Dibs-y Goodness! :banana :bounce :wtkiss

Yay for excellent update-y goodness... I'm glad that the big snake is resting in pieces... I'm really glad that Angel finally figured out the Darla stuff... I'm still kinda worried about Ethan's plan. I still hope Jenny is on the Willow's & Tara's side when the shit hits the fan...

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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Thu Nov 26, 2015 11:41 pm 
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I'm Back!

I thought there was something wrong with thew board, after the recent crash.

Turns out it was my browser, so poo to chrome :P

Nice chapter!

I'd say 'how come the girls don't just explain that there's bad stuff on the way, but that though they have to manipulate them, it's all for the best.'

But i know the answer: Drama :P

Anyhoo, glad Angel's getting his head on straight at last.
And i'm curious as to what the plan is that Ethan and Jenny are working on.

‘hetero street cred’ *snort!*
Awesome!
And a good point. Boys only ever use that term in a sexual sense. :P

And i enjoyed the last ep.
Except for the last paragraph. I just mentally deleted that, sorry.

Looking forward to more :bounce

R :flower

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How i Met Your Mother - By Ariel


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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Fri Nov 27, 2015 11:23 pm 
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Hi Zampsa. Hi Azirahael.

Yup, the girls are slowly working their way through all of the giant phallic metaphors that kept popping up in the early seasons. Unfortunately Angel isn't completely finished with all the Darla Drama. He just managed to leave this first big encounter on surprisingly good footing. And Ethan's Machiavellian schemes are only going to become more and more convoluted until they suddenly make slightly less than perfect sense. Jenny's loyalties are still open for interpretation. Though I'm pretty sure she has not strong ties to the Council.

Welcome back Azirahael. I've also been getting some odd problems with accessing the board over the last few days. I'll say that you're half right about the reason behind the subterfuge being Drama. But that isn't the only reason. Angel may seem like he has things together now. But that just means he has more to lose.

It seemed fitting having Xander's more "masculine" tendencies acknowledged and supported by the woman who almost singlehandedly caused his day to day social life to be consumed by overt femininity and big, out and proud, gay love. Almost like a small child getting a pat on the head for coloring in the lines.

Sorry about the overt fourth wall bits in the one Medievalpool scene. I think it will clear up once the other two voices in that disturbed head get their moment to shine. The only reason I've kept it up is the not so subtle clue he provides to a chronological perspective that differs from the one Willow and Tara have claimed is happening.

Also Deadpool and Cable are my favorite Marvel characters and there are some entertaining bits coming for them both down the road.

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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Wed Dec 09, 2015 5:37 am 
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Time and Time Again.

Author: Citanul

Feedback: Be kind, rewind? Seriously though all feedback is welcome.

Spoilers: Just about all of them. Go watch the show. And Angel too. Also Agents of Shield a little bit. You know what, if a name you don’t recognize pops up most of the time you can find dozens of pages of character bio if you type that name and the word comics into Wikipedia. It’s almost scary how much page space comic book fans have taken up on that site.

Rating: NC-17 = Smutty smut smut smut. Seriously though they make love quite often.

Pairings: W/T, B/F, G/J, D/J, F/G, A/?, X/C (X/A in half the worlds.) D/C (Though not till they’re older and even then maybe not so much with the graphic detail.)

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: It seems like the forever but we've come back around to Marvels. Last time things ended poorly for one Eastern European tin cup dictator and an overtly racist industrialist. Now if only things could go more smoothly for Latveria's new "Interim" tin cup dictator as she works up a new and intriguing subterfuge.

******************************

Primer: Marvels

Willow = Wanda Maximoff = Scarlet Witch

Tara = Carol Danvers = Ms. Marvel

Buffy = Jennifer Walters = She-Hulk

Faith = Faith = X-23

Xander = Pietro Maximoff = Quicksilver

Anya = Jessica Drew = Spider-Woman

Giles = Vision = G.I.L.E.S. = Generated Intuitive Logistics Engine Source = Grumpy Intellectual Librarian Englishman Simulation

******************************

Marvels: In the Details

“Incoming!” Hawkeye called out across the Avengers’ radio channel. Captain America looked up to find a half dozen of the garish purple robots descending on his location from directly above. He raised his shield overhead just as twin beams of radiant golden energy and blindingly bright bolts of lightning engulfed the machines. Ash and tiny bits of slag rained down to the ground around the Captain. He lowered his iconic shield just as Thor and Captain Marvel soared overhead.

Before he could offer his airborne allies a brief thanks Captain America spun around with his shield, bisecting one robot that had failed to sneak past his enhanced senses. “Fear not human. The Sentinels are here to. Save you!” The machine screeched in a disjointed mockery of a human voice just before it ground to a halt, mechanical limbs falling limply to its sides.

“Nicely done Cap.” Iron Man said as he flew by and blasted another robot. “Why do you think these Sentinels picked San Francisco for their last stand?”

“No clue, but as long as your scans can track them down it doesn’t matter.” Captain America replied. “We can’t let even one of them escape. Who knows how many people just one of these weapons could kill?”

“A lot.” Captain Marvel called out over the comm. channel. “Were you boys going to get back in the fight or just gossip all day?”

“Verily!” Thor shouted as he blasted another dozen Sentinels out of the air.

“Evacuation of the combat zone is done.” Quicksilver told the team as he sped towards the heart of the battle. “My kill count is really low this fight. The only Sentinel I came across was this one that stopped to destroy a parking lot full of empty school busses. Damn thing went crazy after seeing them.”

“Why the hell would Trask program these things to attack school busses?” Hawkeye asked as he loosed another volley of arrows into the heads and chests of several Sentinels advancing on his rooftop perch.

“We can find that out later.” Captain America assured them. “For now lets keep them off the civilian population until backup arrives.”

******************************

“Damn that looks like a mess.” Jamie said as he walked into the main student lounge of the Xavier Institute. His brightly colored friend was practically glued to the live news feed.

“Yeah.” Clarice muttered from the couch. “Thank god Steve and his team are dealing with that racist monster’s toys.

“You want us to suit up and join you in helping your man save the day?” Alex asked as he and Bobby came into the room. “California’s not too far a drive from New York if you’re the one footing the gas bill.”

“Like last time?” Clarice asked with a bemused smile. “I would but Steve called me right before they got to the scene and asked me to stay away. Plus there’s no need to rip those robots in half with a hole in time and space if the racists who built them didn’t use adamantium. Oh hey look. The Cavalry just arrived.”

The teens watched with shared looks of pride and relief as their teachers arrived on the scene in the school’s specially designed Blackbird stealth jet.

******************************

“About time you showed up.” Hawkeye said as he watched Wolverine and Gambit charge out of the stealth jet.

“What’s the matter Bub?” Wolverine asked over the comm. channel. “You couldn’t handle a few tiny Sentinels?”

“Save it for the after party.” Captain America called out as he slammed his shield through the chest of a stray robot. “Did Forge and Dr. McCoy figure out a solution?”

“Of course we did my good Captain.” Beast replied as he and Forge carried a strange looking device out of the plane. “We only require a moment to set up the disabling field.”

“Then a moment you shall have!” Thor cried out with far too much glee. “Did the lovely weather sorceress come along?”

“I am here Thunderer.” Storm said as she called up winds to carry her away from the parked jet. With the barest flick of her wrists clouds formed overhead and lightning struck down several dozen Sentinels that had begun to converge on the Blackbird. “I believe that brings my tally above yours.”

“We shall see Sorceress!” Thor said with a hearty laugh as he readied more mystical lightning.

Chaos erupted all across the isolated industrial district on the edge of the San Francisco Bay. Avengers and X-Men destroyed dozens of purple robots. All the while news vans and helicopters circled the outer perimeter of the battlefield. The entire world was watching as the two teams fought as one to save the planet from yet another threat.

At the height of the battle the two technical geniuses finished their task. Beast pressed a button on the outer casing of the machine he and Forge had set up. A wave of energy pulsed forth from the device and enveloped the entire area. As it passed over the robots each and every Sentinel seized up. One by one they fell from the sky.

News cameras zoomed in on the climactic event. As the chaos died down all eyes followed the leader of the Avengers as he strolled through the aftermath. The whole world saw as Captain America walked up to a relatively unknown man covered in blue fur and grasped his outstretched hand. The two men smiled as they shook hands. A clear sign that one of the most respected heroes in the world saw the emerging minority of people with strange powers and appearances as well worthy of his respect and friendship.

******************************

Silence reigned over one large committee room in the nation’s capital. All eyes were glued to the large screens at the front of the room, displaying the battle from Iron Man’s point of view. Each and every person waited with baited breath as the iconic American hero spoke to the blue man.

“Great work Dr. McCoy.” Captain America told Beast. “Thank god you and the X-Men showed up when you did. Who knows how many people could have been killed in the crossfire.”

“Always an honor to help Captain.” Beast replied with a genuine smile.

“Alright that should do it.” Tony Stark said as he began to remove the specially designed motion tracking gloves he wore. “Jarvis cut the feed, signal the Stark Relief Foundation to clear the area, pilot the remote controlled prototype back to the San Francisco headquarters and have its flight recorder data backed up.” The billionaire casually removed the dark glasses covering his eyes and took off the headset he had spoken into throughout the battle. The gear was easily slipped into his briefcase as the committee hall’s lights came back on. He looked up to the committee of stunned and speechless congressmen with a sly smile. “Sorry to interrupt the proceedings gentlemen. My night job called and I just couldn’t find a replacement on such short notice.”

“That’s, that’s quite alright Mr. Stark.” One politician said as he fought to wipe the bewildered look from his face. “Where were we? Oh, of course. How did you come to learn that your technology was used in Trask Industries Sentinels if you didn’t sell the designs to him yourself?”

“Those are not my Sentinels!” Trask shouted only for one of the politicians to signal for his mic to be cut.

“Ah yes, my designs for repulsor technology.” Tony said as he pulled out a laser pointer and brought a specific part of the recorded fight up on the monitors using his cell phone as a remote. “Well you can clearly see by this footage that Trask’s robots are flying around with the same thrust emitters and flight stabilizers I use in my Iron Man suits. I specifically found this out a week ago when the King of Wakanda and thirty of his most heavily armed guards paid my home a visit.”

“The King of Wakanda?” One congressman asked in mild surprise. “What did he have to do with any of this?”

“Apparently he recognized my technology from the remnants of a failed assassination attempt.” Tony said, drawing even more shocked gasps from the gallery of people sitting behind him. “One of those Sentinels violated Wakandan air space and flew right up to his front door. The damn thing blew itself up on the steps of the royal palace!”

“What?” Several congressmen in the committee and more than a few military officials sitting in the gallery cried out.

“I’ve spent the last few days going over the remains he brought to my home and smoothing over strained diplomatic relations between our nations.” Tony went on. “So much so that I’m sorely tempted to send a bill for my standard consulting rate to the State Department. But I’d gladly waive that as soon as criminal charges are brought against the defendant over there.”

“Very funny Mr. Stark but this is not a trial.” A more reserved politician said. “Mr. Trask is not being charged with anything just yet.”

“I haven’t done anything!” The inventor of the Sentinels shouted.

Tony Stark just turned and glared at the man with an almost perplexed frown. “You invented weapons of mass destruction designed to abduct people without any form of oversight, judicial review or due process. To top it all off you didn’t program a failsafe for when the weapons inevitably ran wild and blew up your own facilities.”

“I was attacked by imposter Sentinels!” Trask screamed as security guards closed in on the table he pounded on.

“You made a sloppy product that put millions of lives at risk and now you can’t even own up to your mistake!” Tony shouted back. “You’re lucky we’re already sitting in front of a congressional hearing! Half the idiots in my marketing department said I should just solve this by giving your picture and personal info to every assassin whose number Obadiah Stane kept in a rolodex hidden in his office. Hell I got calls from three of them saying they’d practically do the job for free if I gave them a few favors.”

“What kind of favors Mr. Stark?” The first congressman to speak asked as he tried to reign in the two outraged industrialists.

“Oh well lets see.” Tony said as he sat back and composed himself before addressing the committee again. “The Taskmaster wanted me to schedule a personal sparing session for him with Captain America and Black Widow. Kraven the Hunter wanted to be the first guy General Ross calls if the Hulk destroys a major city. And Deadpool wanted to be introduced to all the gorgeous redheaded super women I work with.”

“Really?” Another senator asked. “And you weren’t ever tempted to call in favors for any of those offers?”

“Considering one of those gorgeous redheads is my fiancé, no not really.” Tony answered with a smug laugh. He smiled as he heard the distinctive chuckle from the woman in question who was sitting right behind him.

“You said you examined the remains of the robot that attacked the sovereign nation of Wakanda.” The last member of the committee to ask any questions stated. “Was there anything worth testifying that you found?”

“There was evidence of possible connections to Hydra in the programming of the Sentinel weapons.” Tony said with a sigh. “I’m fairly certain the designs for that specific model of Repulsor were stolen from me by agents of Advanced Idea Mechanics. I haven’t used that design since the terrorists who kidnapped the president a few years back got a chance to examine the War Machine suit. That at least dates the earliest point Trask could have colluded with terrorists before unleashing these war crimes on the world. Beyond that I have no idea when Trask made contact with any former AIM technicians.”

“I am not a terrorist!” Trask shouted as security forcibly restrained him. “You did this to me Stark!”

“You did this to yourself Bolivar.” Tony calmly stated into the microphone before him. “Gentlemen, if you have no further questions I have a flight to catch. The new Interim Government of Latveria has informed me that AIM may have also sold my designs to that nation’s former government.”

“Former government?” One congressman asked.

“The badger formerly known as Victor Von Doom.” Tony replied. “Given how that particular redhead brought that dictator to his furry knees I’d rather not keep her waiting.”

“Of course Mr. Stark.” The first Congressman who had spoken replied as he looked around to his stunned and slightly awed colleagues. “I’m sure what you have brought to our attention will more than suffice. Thank you for your time.”

With a smile Tony Stark stood from the hearing table and picked up the briefcase filled with his more useful toys. He gave a smug bow to the committee one last time before turning and walking out with his arm around Pepper’s waist and his friend Happy Hogan at his side.

******************************

“That went much better than I could have ever hoped.” Wanda said as she monitored the aftermath of the battle over a rundown and abandoned section of San Francisco’s lesser used warehouse district. She was also able to hear every word Tony had said to the committee through a small tracking device he had willingly worn.

“Yes, I dare say you’ve brought a whole new meaning to the phrase security theater.” The tweed clad robot at her side said in a mildly amused voice.

“Please don’t remind me Giles.” Wanda begged as she turned to him with a sullen pout that would have given her petite blonde friend a run for her money. “You wiped all data from the drives on those Doombots before having the last of them nosedive into the pavement right?”

“Of course dear girl.” Giles assured the witch as he reviewed the day’s events. “All of our faux Sentinels are disposed of and no data linking back to any of our friends will ever come to light. I’d hardly be able to face them if any negligence on my part ever put their spectacular acting to waste.”

“Thanks Giles.” Wanda said with a sigh as she rubbed the back of her neck. “I can’t believe how stiff I am just from sitting on my butt watching as everyone else does the heavy lifting.”

“You have done more than your fair share Wanda.” Giles promised as he stood beside the redhead. “All of this was thanks to you. Now the whole world has seen the bravery and heroism your people are capable of. Especially Dr. McCoy. I’d dare say the sight of Captain Rogers embracing a man with such striking physical characteristics is enough to win over all but the most fanatical of holdouts.”

“Yeah the Captain’s seal of approval might be the turning point for us.” Wanda admitted before a small laugh escaped her lips. When Giles looked down he noticed faint tears in the corners of her eyes. “I can’t believe what a callous bitch I am. I weaponized Steve’s handshake.”

“My dear girl I know that man and I can assure you that he is proud to finally put his use as a propaganda tool behind a cause he supports wholeheartedly.” Giles promised. “That and the fact that he would have done all this himself in any similar situation is more than enough reason to forgive any machinations you have suggested. Plus he’s most likely earned the eternal devotion of his young girlfriend today.”

Wanda couldn’t help but laugh at the not too subtle encouragement her robotic mentor provided. “Yeah, who knew that getting a girl’s people to be accepted by the general public would turn out to be such a panty melter?”

“Hah.” Giles scoffed in amusement. “Why do you think Ms. Danvers volunteered for the mission?”

“I’ll admit seeing my Baby strut her stuff in her new suit was pleasant.” Wanda agreed with a subtle smirk. “I can’t wait for her and the others to get here. I’ll get to show her just how many brownie points her heroics have earned.”

“As delightful as I’m sure that will be for both of you I believe there is another matter that requires your attention before tonight’s festivities.” Giles said as he brought up a view of the throne room on the monitor in front of Wanda.

“I guess I do need to play the role of diplomat as long as I’m stuck here.” She admitted as she watched a tall silver haired woman wearing a striking form fitting suit. She stood before the large Plexiglas cage ogling the badger within. Wanda took a deep breath and straitened the distinctive red headpiece that held her hair back from her face. She stood from the computer console and made her way to the door of the small side lab she had set up as her command post. The small chamber adjacent to the throne room was the ideal hiding place while employees of Stark Industries and select agents of SHIELD tore through all of the much larger labs full of various stolen, deadly and downright insane inventions.

As the witch reached the doors to the throne room she schooled her emotions. She had hoped to delay diplomatic overtures until the elections happened and someone else would be expected to handle everything. But deep down Wanda knew she wasn’t that lucky. She had conquered this nation. She had to be the one to tell its neighbors that things were going to change for the better, even after she was gone. With firm resolve Wanda pushed open the doors and strode confidently into the massive throne room.

“Oh, hello.” Wanda called out to the strange woman. “I wasn’t expecting diplomats from…” She paused forgetting the other woman’s rank and origin.

“Symkaria.” The woman said in a breathy Eastern European accent as she looked away from the angry badger. “This is what is left of “The Great Victor Von Doom? No?”

“Yes, that’s Vic.” Wanda replied as she quickly tried to come up with small talk for the woman who was clearly interested in the fate of the deposed tyrant. “So Symkaria. Our neighbors to the south. I was so relieved to hear that the situation along our border with you eased when news of the coup spread.”

“Relieved?” The woman said with an almost skeptical frown. “What about our border defenses had the great and powerful Scarlet Witch worried?”

“Oh I didn’t mean, you know, just,” Wanda struggled for an answer, “no one wants a war over little misunderstandings right?”

“Of course.” The woman said as she let a small smile move across her face. “Forgive my rudeness. I am Silver Sable. My government has elected me to oversee diplomatic ties with the new government of Latveria.”

“Interim government.” Wanda corrected. “After the elections in a few months my partner and I will be stepping down so that the people of this country can be led by someone they deem worthy.”

“This is good to hear.” Silver Sable said as she watched Wanda slowly move towards a long couch set beside the badger’s enclosure. “Few conquerors powerful enough to topple Doom would bother to consider the needs of the people under their rule. I know there were times when even Victor forgot that.”

“You knew him.” Wanda said in a quiet voice as she sat down and was soon joined by the diplomat.

“I maintained a tenuous truce with the man for the sake of peace between our nations.” She admitted. “Ours was a relationship of mutual convenience and grudging respect. Never trust or friendship.”

“Well I hope that the new president will be able to earn you and your nation’s trust.” Wanda said with a calm but hopeful smile.

“And is there any reason I should not be trying to earn your friendship?” The silver haired woman asked as she slid along the couch closer to the redhead, her accent taking on a more seductive tone. “I have heard stories of the Scarlet Witch from my contacts in the states. The lovers she has taken.”

“What? No!” Wanda cried out in surprise before reigning in her emotions. “I’m sorry but no. I’m with someone. She’ll be back any minute now. So thank you, but no.”

“Not even for a casual dalliance?” The woman asked.

“Carol is the only lover I’ll ever be interested in taking.” Wanda swore in an almost icy tone that left no room for interpretation in Silver Sable’s mind.

“Perfect.” The ambassador said in a much more professional tone, her accent returning to an almost casual air. “I am glad the person who managed to defeat Victor has such strong loyalties and convictions. You have no idea how many of my diplomatic missions have ended in my use of only minor seduction techniques to trick some boorish politician or board trophy wife into exposing themselves.”

“You mean you weren’t? Oh thank the Goddess.” Wanda said as relief washed over her. “So you go on a lot of spy type missions?”

“As it would happen yes I do.” Silver Sable replied with a curiously raised eyebrow. “Why do you ask?”

“Oh I was wondering if there are any substances you use to knock out targets. I’ve been working on replicating this plant based toxin that induces sleep upon skin contact. The really crafty part is it’s disguised as lipstick and keyed to the DNA of the user so that they can harmlessly take out their foe with a single kiss and not suffer from the same effects when applying it. I’ve got a workable prototype developed but the only spy type femme fatale I know is Black Widow and she isn’t interested in “kissing a bunch of random dudes” as she puts it. Which, okay, yeah I can definitely see her point there. Still though I have such fond memories of the dimension where my girlfriend and I first used it that I can’t help but want to redevelop it in this world. So I’m wondering if you need a nonlethal, noncombat type covert ops tool that neutralizes unsuspecting guards or spies.”

Silver Sable stared in wonder at the babbling redhead. She had no frame of reference for the odd turn this conversation had taken, and even less for the parts of Wanda’s story that made no sense whatsoever. But there was something she just couldn’t resist about the offer being made.

“As it happens I am in the market for such a product.” The Symkarian diplomat said as the redhead stopped to take a breath at last. “I have been using small knock out darts in the past but need something for close quarters that no man would suspect if I am searched.”

“Yay!” Wanda squealed in delight before recalling the earlier parts of their conversation and reining in her emotions. “Let me go grab a cheek swab. I can take a saliva sample and run your DNA through my analyzer and calibrate the lipstick to you. I’ll have a test sample whipped up by this time next week and if you like it we can talk about larger orders later on.”

The excited redhead leapt up and ran from the throne room. The utterly shocked mercenary could only stare in bewilderment as she left. Silver Sable knew this would be an interesting job when she accepted it, but she could never have expected the oddly cordial atmosphere Doom’s killer projected. A brief look back at the snarling badger locked in the small glass room sent a shudder down her spine. No matter how friendly the Scarlet Witch seemed she was beyond dangerous.

The only saving grace was her apparent disinterest in ruling the tiny nation she had won. That would do much to ease fears back home. Silver Sable smiled as she came to the conclusion that there was no immediate threat to her country. Even if the Latverians elected a war mongering madman when the elections came around they would still be little more than a pale shadow of the constant threat Doom posed. With a bemused smile Silver Sable awaited the return of her new potential ally and supplier. She couldn’t recall the last time a dangerous mission had been so easy or rewarding.

******************************

“So how come you and me get this whole place to ourselves all of a sudden?” Faith asked her girl as they lounged in their bed without a stitch of clothing between the two of them.

“Everyone else is on this big showy mission that will make the world safer for all of us.” Jennifer said as she gently ran her hand down her girl’s side. “They wanted the most well known and popular of our friends to show off for the cameras with your teachers. Then of course there’s the after party.”

“And you aren’t popular enough Babe?” Faith asked with a quirked smile.

“I remind too many people of Bruce and the other guy.” The blonde admitted. “God I wish he didn’t hate himself so much.”

“Why do you think he hates himself?” The brunette asked.

“He has no control.” Jennifer said in exasperation. “He transforms and just lets the anger strip away everything. If he was half as smart as he thinks he is he’d know that the other guy isn’t another guy at all. The Hulk is Bruce. He’s Bruce on his worst day. That’s it! If he didn’t spend every waking hour trying to tear himself apart then his whole personality would still call the shots after the change.”

“You’re starting to sound like someone who’s been through all that herself Babe.” Faith replied in a worried tone. “You really get that angry when you go green?”

“I get even angrier.” Jennifer admitted. “The difference is I don’t hide from who I am on the inside. I am She-Hulk even when I’m Jennifer.”

“Did you ever come close to what your cousin goes through when he changes?” Faith asked as she cuddled closer to her girl.

“Yeah.” Jennifer admitted meekly as her arms wrapped around Faith in an almost desperate embrace. “When Carol was out of commission. Before she came back and met Wanda. I was getting pretty close to the edge. I don’t want to think about what would have happened if I lost it. Of course all that was before they brought you into my life.”

“Glad I could help.” Faith whispered into Jennifer’s neck.

“You did more than help Honey.” Jennifer said. “You gave me hope again.”

Faith smiled as she captured Jennifer’s lips in her own. They shared a soft yet passionate kiss that stretched on for far longer than either expected. When even that came to a close they drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms.

******************************

“Mother, are you coming with us to… ahh!” Sooraya began to ask but cried out in horror as she came into her mother’s suite in the teacher’s wing of the school. The sight before her was the absolute last thing she had ever expected to walk in on.

“Sooraya!” Mirah cried out in return as she looked up at her daughter. “This isn’t, well it is but, I didn’t want you to learn of us this way.” The olive skinned Middle Eastern woman was wearing fairly revealing lingerie instead of the casual jeans and loose blouses she had adopted since coming to America. Her hair was loose and wild with a distinctly unkempt look that belied her recent activities. But what truly shocked the young woman to her core was the identity of the shirtless man whose lap her mother was perched in.

“I’m going to be honest with you Sooraya.” Charles Xavier said as the now terrified mother squirmed in his lap. “This is exactly what it looks like.”

“I don’t need to know!” The young woman cried out as she tried to avert her eyes away from the two people in the wheelchair and their various garments wildly strewn all over the room. “I am going with Clarice and the others to the celebration. I can see that you are both otherwise occupied. Professor, I will say this once and only once. I am beyond grateful for every opportunity that you have given me, but if you hurt my mother I will quite literally strip the flesh from your bones.”

“Understood.” The professor said with only a mildly chagrinned look on his face. “Have fun at the party.” The girl turned and fled her mother’s chambers. Once they were sure she was long gone the two adults looked to each other with questioning grimaces.

“That did not go how I wished it to go.” Mirah told the man who had so easily taken her into his home and his heart.

“So sorry my dear.” Xavier said with a reluctant sigh as he stroked a hand over her back. “Do you want me to retire to my quarters for the night?”

“No!” Mirah said far too quickly. She smiled sweetly before taking the man’s hand that was gently stroking her knee, guiding it up her thighs in a way that took his breath away. “Not unless you take me with you.”

“Indeed.” Charles Xavier whispered as Mirah leaned in for another kiss.

******************************

“My mother isn’t coming Clarice.” Sooraya said harshly as she joined the other students in the communication room beneath the school. “Open a portal to Latveria.”

“Should we wait for the Professor?” Clarice asked as she studied a monitor that showed her a live feed of a room in the Latverian palace that had been set aside for the pink girl’s comings and goings. “He has to be excited about all the stuff they’re saying in the news.”

“He also isn’t coming.” Sooraya replied just as curtly. “Please get us out of this place.”

“Sooraya what’s wrong?” Alex asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Or her mom banging the Professor.” Jamie said with a smirk that vanished under the Arab girl’s withering glare. “Oh my god he didn’t. Really?”

“Not another word from any of you.” Sooraya seethed as Clarice opened a portal and found Steve and Natasha eagerly awaiting their arrival on the other side. “Not another word.”

******************************

“So this is where the party ended up!” Natasha said hours later as she turned a corner and found most of her closest friends and their honeys lounging around the throne room on couches set up in front of the royal badger enclosure.

“It seemed like as good a place as any.” Steve admitted as he stared into Clarice’s solid green eyes with one arm draped over her shoulders.

“I’m good with being right here.” Clarice replied. Her legs were draped across the Captain’s lap as she leaned against his muscular chest.

“Aww, you two are just so adorable.” Natasha said as she plopped down in the couch a few feet away from the happy couple. “What about you buddy? How’s the family liking the impromptu Eastern European vacation?”

“Can’t complain Aunty Nat.” Laura Barton said as she let her head rest on Clint’s shoulder. “The kids absolutely love this palace. They keep searching for hidden rooms and pirate gold.”

“Yeah, thanks for giving them an invite to this shindig girls.” Clint said.

“No problem Clint.” Carol replied as she leaned back in the throne with Wanda perched in her lap. “We thought we’d get all the mileage out of “owning” a palace while we could. Plus Giles is great with kids. Where did Thor get to?”

“Last I saw he and his girl were making use of one of the labs below.” Logan called out as he strolled into the room with a beer in his hand. “Same goes for Stark and Pepper, Darcy and Hank, Storm and her Panther, Cajun and Rogue, and I think Stark’s body guard is makin’ time with one of the palace cooks.”

“No clue where my brother got to?” Wanda asked with a roll of her eyes.

“Him and Jess are around.” The gruff Canadian said as he fell into one of the couches and kicked up his feet. “You just know they found one of the upstairs bedrooms to get their play on.”

“Who would have guessed that so many of our friends wanted to get down in Dr. Doom’s palace?” Natasha remarked with a sly grin.

“Yup. Most of the kids are hanging out with Kurt and Pete.” Logan said with a whistle. “Everyone else is coupled up, except for you and me Red.”

“Yeah don’t get your hopes up there buddy.” Natasha said with a smirk. “I don’t date Canadians.” Her quipping got a laugh from everyone, including Logan.

“Yeah, just wait Red.” Logan shot back sarcastically after he was done laughing. “If I know my little girl she and Jen are back at the tower defiling your bedroom as we speak.”

“Oh god, I could have lived my whole life without that idea setting up shop in my brain.” Natasha muttered.

“Same here.” Wanda said as Carol just laughed. All around the throne room, and the rest of the palace in general, relaxed and content heroes enjoyed themselves. They each knew it would only be a matter of time before a new crisis emerged. Until then they had good food, good friends and a massive castle to enjoy.

******************************

The brunette stood on the edge of a rooftop in one of New York’s seedier neighborhoods. She scanned the streets below looking for any sign of trouble. Part of her thought that she should have stayed in her girlfriend’s bed and slept the night away. Another part knew she needed to hunt.

“Well look what have here.” Faith muttered to herself as she watched a group of armed men move into a warehouse. A minute later two cars pulled up and another group of dangerous looking men went inside the building. Faith smiled as she leapt across the narrow alleyway and landed on the roof of the desolate looking warehouse. As luck would have it a panel in one of the sky lights was open. She slipped inside and came face to face with the devil.

“Shit!” Faith whispered as her claws slid out in surprise. The man in the red and black costume brought a hand up to his mouth and signaled for her to keep quiet. The two stared at each other for a long moment. He in is odd body armor with two tiny red horns protruding from the mask covering his head. She in the tight black vest, pants, boots and gauntlets that made up her school combat uniform. Faith had chosen to wear the black domino mask that concealed her eyes behind two red lenses. The face off was only broken by the sounds of voices carrying up from the floors below. The strange man leaned forward and spoke in a gravely voice that almost made Faith roll her eyes.

“I’m investigating those criminals.” He said with an exaggerated grumble. “Who are you and what are you doing here?”

“Ease up dude.” Faith shot back in a whisper. “I saw guys who looked like trouble while out on patrol and went to check it out.”

“Patrol?” He asked in confusion. “Are you on your own out here? Granted there’s something about your weight that seems weird but you’re way too young for this.”

“Whoa there asshole! Are you calling me fat?” Faith growled back as she readied her claws.

“No, sorry.” The man chuckled. “I’m saying your footsteps and movements shouldn’t feel nearly as heavy as they do given how thin you are.” He trailed off as he focused on her claws. “Wait, holy shit! Does that metal coming from your hands cover all of your bones?”

“Yeah.” Faith admitted with a sullen grimace. “What’s your deal weirdo?”

“I’m sorry, people call me Daredevil.” He said as he slowly removed one glove. “May I?” He reached out and ran a fingertip along the flat side of one of Faith’s claws. “I’ve never felt anything like this stuff.”

“Yeah well it ain’t exactly something you can find in the condom machine at the average truck stop men’s room.” Faith replied. “I’m X-23.”

“I don’t know if I want to meet the other twenty two.” Daredevil said with a small smile.

“You don’t!” Faith snapped. “Now are we working together to bring these assholes down or what?”

“Please.” He replied. The two heroes slowly and quietly slipped down from the rafters to the second floor of the warehouse. They then found the stairs leading down and just as stealthily reached the main floor. They found their quarry arguing amidst stacks of crates and shipping containers. Faith watched as Daredevil perked up beside one container. He once again removed his glove and touched the side with his bare palm. Faith saw the visible hardening of his emotions as he tensed up. All humor was gone from his voice when he turned back to her.

“Human traffickers.” He muttered angrily.

Faith looked between the man and the container for an instant. She wondered how he knew that before doing what she could to find out more. She climbed up to one of the tiny slats near the top of the container and sniffed several times. One whiff of the fear inside was all she needed to know these men had more than earned the beating that was coming. She slipped back down and stood beside the strange man in the devil costume.

“There’s at least thirty chicks in there.” She confirmed. “All in their mid twenties. They ain’t been let out of this box in at least two weeks.”

“Well we’ll just have to do something about that won’t we X-23.” Daredevil said with a suddenly sinister smirk.

“You bet your ass Bub.”

******************************

“Damn Bub, why didn’t you tell me you don’t got any powers?” Faith growled as she all but carried her odd brother in arms up a seemingly random fire escape.

“Do you tell everyone how special you are on the first date?” He grumbled as he clutched the wound at his side. The battle had been short and sweet. The two rival trafficking cartels had been on edge from the start. All it took was a few loud bangs on the surrounding surfaces and they practically opened fire on themselves. The girls had been freed and the police had been called.

Unfortunately for Faith and Daredevil one thug had managed to unload several rounds in their direction during the wild fire fight. One bullet grazed the man’s ribs. Upon seeing him fall Faith did the only thing she could. She stepped into the path of three more rounds that would have killed him.

“Nah, but you’ve seen the news these days.” Faith admitted. “Pretty soon people like us are gonna be rounded up and put in camps.”

“I don’t know about that.” Daredevil said with an oddly upbeat grin. “Did you see the mess out in San Francisco yesterday? If anything can make the average person open up to weirdos like us it’s seeing Captain America shake hands with a werewolf.”

“He ain’t a werewolf.” Faith said before she caught herself.

“You know the guy?” Daredevil asked. “My friend who watched the whole thing said he was built like a linebacker and covered in blue fur.”

“I ain’t saying anything else about that.” Faith grumbled.

“Sorry X-23.” Daredevil apologized before looking up towards one window they were about to pass. “We’re here.” He reached out and knocked on the window. Faith smirked as it was opened by a gorgeous Latino woman with jet black hair.

“Ma…Oh my god what did you do to him?” She cried out in sudden panic.

“Hello Night Nurse. This is X-23. Apparently you don’t want to meet the other twenty two.” Daredevil said with a wry chuckle as Faith rolled her eyes and let herself into the apartment.

“Dingbat over here got himself shot while we was busting up this human trafficking ring two blocks over.” Faith said as she let the woman take the injured man off her hands. “You his Girl Friday or something?”

“Ha, I wish.” Daredevil muttered as he held back a slight wince.

“New girlfriend?” Night Nurse asked with a mildly annoyed edge to her voice. “She’s a little young don’t ya think?”

“That’s what I said.” Daredevil moaned as she injected a mild anesthetic.

“No way in hell!” Faith replied with a bark of laughter. “My girlfriend is way prettier that this scruffy weirdo.”

“Do you need medical attention too X-23?” The nurse asked with a worried sideways glance. “Those look like some nasty bullet wounds.”

“They were about twenty minutes ago.” Faith admitted as she lifted up the side of her top to reveal the wounds were long gone. “Super healing. Guess I’m just lucky like that.”

“You hang out with the weirdest people.” The nurse told Daredevil.

“So you gonna be okay here Bub?” Faith asked. “I hate to bail on you but my Honey is gonna be all kinds of worried and shit if I don’t get back to her place before she wakes up.”

“I’ll be alright X-23.” Daredevil replied with a smile. “Thanks for everything you did tonight.”

“Don’t mention it.” Faith said as she stepped out the open window and leapt to the street below.

“Jesus Christ Matt.” Claire said after the young woman was gone. “Who the hell was that?”

“No idea.” Matt Murdock said as he slowly removed his mask. “She just showed up and helped me save about thirty young women.”

“You meet the strangest chicks.” Claire said as she readied her medical field kit. A stray thought caused her to pause and look up for an instant. “Did she say she had a girlfriend?”

“Yup. Foggy isn’t going to let me hear the end of this.” He sighed.

“Foggy is going to beg you for details about all of the hot girl on girl action you are never going to see.” Claire replied with a sarcastic smile.

“That too.” He chuckled.

******************************

“Where were you?” Jennifer asked as Faith tried to slip into their room quietly. The sight of the young woman’s blood soaked uniform silenced the lawyer’s complaints and replaced them with sheer terror.

“Babe, I swear it’s not as bad as it looks.” Faith assured. “Healing factor, remember?”

“Don’t you healing factor me!” Jennifer shot back with tears in her eyes as she ran to embrace her girlfriend.

“Babe, I’m sorry okay.” Faith tried again to reassure her girl. “I just had this itch so I went out to hunt is all.”

“Hunt?” The blonde asked as she looked up in confusion.

“I meant patrol. I found this warehouse over in hell’s kitchen. These two cartels were arguing over this shipping container full of girls. So me, and this weird costumed guy who was there stopped them.” Faith explained to her still worried girlfriend. “Jen, I swear I’m alright. The only reason I got hit was because he went down from a stray bullet and I stepped in front of him. Then I dragged his smug ass across town to this chick that calls herself the Night Nurse.”

“Alright.” Jennifer whispered. “Tell me you’re okay again.”

“I’m okay.” Faith promised.

“Don’t leave without telling me before hand.” Jennifer ordered. “And take your tracker with you.”

“Shit, did I forget the tracker?” Faith asked with a chagrinned expression that she hoped was convincing.

“Take the tracker Faith.” Jennifer repeated. “I can’t lose you.”

“You won’t.” Faith promised. She smiled in relief as her girl once more pulled her into her arms and kissed her soundly. Though it was just barely dawn the couple returned to their bedroom and didn’t leave until nearly noon. The makeup sex was just too good.

******************************

The very next night Faith found herself on yet another rooftop. She scanned the street and found an eerily familiar situation. A group of armed men were walking into a warehouse. A minute passed and yet another group followed them inside.

“What the hell?” Faith muttered. “Do all these guys go to the same ‘how to be a lowlife thug’ classes or some shit?” Another leap across an alleyway and Faith was on her way inside the building where yet another clandestine meeting was underway. There were no other costumed vigilantes to provide backup this time. She slipped inside the rooftop door and knocked out a guard near the top of the stairs leading down. Another at the base of the stairwell went down easily enough. She was beginning to think this would all end too easily when there was a click off to her side. She looked up and saw an oddly shaped object rolling towards her on the floor.

“Shit!” Faith cried out as the grenade detonated and enveloped her left leg in strange gooey foam that rapidly hardened around her.

“And that gentlemen is why you want the superior weapons technology that Advanced Idea Mechanics offers.” A man in a bright yellow hazmat suit with a strange cylinder shaped helmet said. “The target is incapacitated and unable to cause further harm as you go in for the ki…” His sentence was cut sort as Faith broke the hardened foam glob free from the floor and launched herself at his back. Claws sliced through the man’s thigh like butter and he went down screaming in agony.

“Which one of you mother fuckers is next?” Faith roared. A nearby thug tried to draw his gun only for Faith’s claws to whip out and slice through the barrel with ease. All the men who had come to the AIM weapons demo turned and fled. A number of AIM technicians tried to swarm the brunette only to be knocked back with pained grunts as the hard foam ball was slammed into their chests and legs.

The whirling storm of fury and claws and one rock hard foam club lashed out repeatedly. Faith brought a dozen men to their knees before the sound of sirens registered in her mind. She heard gun fire in the background and quickly retracted her claws. She pressed the button on the signal tracker her girl had been so adamant about and quickly fell to the floor.

“Help!” She screamed as flashlights rounded a corner. “Somebody help me!” She begged the police officers that flooded the scene and found Faith in the middle of dozens of men moaning on the floor in agony.

******************************

Jennifer looked up at the unfamiliar noise coming from a monitor on the far side of the tower’s living room. She went to investigate and gasped in shock as a satellite image and a video feed were brought up. Her girl was handcuffed, sitting in the back of a police cruiser with a large blob covering one leg. She knew she had to act quickly before anyone asked the wrong questions. Without hesitation the lawyer grabbed her coat and ran to the elevator.

******************************

“So where did you hear about this human trafficking ring Matt?” Karen asked the blind lawyer she had stumbled into working for.

“Oh, you know, I get around.” Matt replied as his partner Foggy hid a smirk. Before any of them could say something more the door to their office was flung open and a very anxious petite blonde ran inside.

“Matt! Foggy!” Jennifer shouted in a panic before relief took hold at the sight of the two men sitting around the desk in Matt’s personal side office.

“Jennifer? What’s wrong?” Matt asked as he stood up with a slight wince.

“I need your help.” Jennifer said as she ran into Matt’s office. “My friend’s been arrested. I can’t lawyer them out of this because it’s a stupid conflict of interest and I don’t have anyone else to turn to right now. Please.”

“We’ll help.” Matt assured the blonde. He picked up his white stick and went to Jennifer’s side. The two of them left the small room and Foggy and Karen’s stunned looks. The lawyer and secretary watched as Jennifer and their friend spoke near the front door. With a relieved sigh Jennifer sat in the chair in front of Karen’s desk. Matt nodded once and exited the law offices of Nelson and Murdock.

******************************

“Like I told you already.” Faith muttered as the last of the foam shell encasing her leg was chiseled away by the police department’s befuddled janitor. “I was at a costume party and this guy jumped me. Next thing I know there’s all these creeps looking at me as this nut in a beekeeper’s costume is showing off all these guns and shit.”

“Alright miss.” The ebony detective said in a mildly disbelieving voice. “Just go over this one more time with me.”

“Actually I think Faith has provided all the information she’ll be able to this evening.” Matt said as he walked into the interrogation room. Faith flinched ever so slightly as she recognized the blind man’s scent from the night before. Matt was equally shocked as he recognized the young woman who had aided him.

“Murdock?” The detective asked in confusion. “You know this girl?”

“Friend of a friend.” Matt replied before continuing in a much more familiar tone. “Listen, detective Mahoney, congrats on the promotion by the way, It’s been a long night and my client’s family just wants her safely returned to their loving arms. Can we skip all this and you just let me walk her home?”

“Alright.” The man sitting across from Faith said after a moment’s thought. “If it was anyone else I’d demand an explanation for the holes in her story. But since she’s one of yours and there’s no reason to hold her I’ll waive the usual paperwork for now.”

“Thanks Brett.” Matt said with a grateful smile. “Tell Bess I said hi.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He muttered. “Tell your partner to stop giving her cigars.”

“I’ll try.” Matt assured with a laugh. “Come along Faith.”

The two heroes walked out the front entrance of the police precinct that had the dubious distinction of being located in the middle of Hell’s Kitchen. As his white stick found the edge of the top step Matt Murdock let an amused grin cross his face. He held out an arm to a wary Faith.

“Faith, would you be so kind as to assist a blind man down a short flight of steps?”

“Seriously?” Faith asked as she took the man’s arm. “You’re really gonna play this up after what we did the other night?” The two slowly walked down the steps, reaching the sidewalk only for the young woman to find that she was uncertain of which way to go.

“We should head back to my office.” Matt said in a polite and calm tone. “Jennifer will be happy to see you.”

“She sent you, didn’t she?” Faith asked as she resigned herself to the disappointment her girlfriend would no doubt harbor.

“She’s beside herself with worry.” Matt admitted. “I guess you managed to smooth things over from the other night only to do it all again.”

“What can I say? I like to live dangerously.” Faith said with a slight smirk.

“I know the feeling.” Matt admitted.

“Only you don’t seem to have the powers to back it up.” Faith said in a mildly humored tone. “Don’t think I can’t still smell the bullet hole that dickhead put in you. Though I’ll say, look’s like you’re healing a little faster than the average bear.”

“Meditation helps.” Matt said with a smile. “I kind of have a set of powers. The accident that took my eyes made all my other senses grow wildly out of proportion. It takes a lot of concentration but I can get a pretty good sense of just about everything around me for a good distance.”

“But you really can’t see anything?” Faith asked.

“Not a thing.” Matt replied. “What about you? I can’t imagine you picked up that metal skeleton, sense of smell and super healing from the schoolyard.”

“I’m a clone of this guy that a whole bunch of bad people wanted to get their hands on because he’s the best there is at what he does.” Faith said before taking on a smug expression. “And what he does don’t exactly fly under a PG rating.”

“Wow.” Matt said with honest wonder in his voice. “And does Jennifer know about any of this?”

“Yeah.” Faith grumbled tightly.

“She’s different too.” Matt whispered. “Not the same as either of us but different in her own way that’s, well… Different.” The lawyer sensed the aggressive shift in the girl as soon as the words left his mouth. He knew he had just crossed a line. He now knew beyond the shadow of any doubt that Faith deeply cared for his friend from law school.

Every muscle in Faith’s body tensed and her hands curled into fists. She was ready to protect her girl’s secrets from this man no matter what he had just done for her. As she tried to plan the best way to strike a light laugh startled her out of her overtly aggressive mindset.

“Relax Faith.” Matt said with a surprisingly disarming grin. “I’d never betray a client’s secrets like that. Or a friend’s.”

“So we’re friends now?” Faith asked with a still skeptical frown as they continued to walk side by side down the almost deserted streets.

“Jennifer is my friend.” He replied. “Has been for a long while now. She’s not as close as Foggy and I but she’s still one of the few people I’d consider trusting my darkest secrets with. You have no idea what she was like years ago. In law school she had this passion for life. No one could keep up with her. Then about a year or two ago she started making hospital visits to her friend. What was her name? Carol?”

“I heard about Blondie’s deal last year.” Faith admitted.

“So you’ve met this Carol?” Matt asked with a surprised smile. “What’s Jen’s best friend like?”

“She saved my life.” Faith told the man. “She’s better now. Happy.”

“That’s good to hear.” Matt said. “I can tell Jennifer is also doing much better now that she has you.”

“That obvious eh?” Faith asked.

“We both have a really good sense of smell Faith.” Matt replied. “I was wondering if I’d ever get to meet the person whose scent practically drowns out the odd taste Jennifer leaves in the air.”

“Hey! That’s my girl you’re talkin’ ‘bout!” Faith shot back.

“Sorry.” Matt said with a chuckle and a small, placating wave of his free hand. “But even you have to admit there is something about her that is drastically different. Something no perfume could cover up.”

“You’re not gonna let up with this whole bloodhound routine you’ve got going on are you?” Faith said in a sullen pout. “I love her okay. She’s the best thing to ever happen to me. The thing you’re smellin’ isn’t important next to that.”

“Still it must be hard on you.” Matt said. “If I’m right and your sense of smell is really on par with mine it must have taken some getting used to.”

“Stop talkin’ about her like she smells bad!” Faith ordered. “It’s not like that. Her scent don’t bother me none and even if it did I can’t let a little thing like that get in the way.” She paused and chuckled. “Besides, you ain’t met her cousin. The thing that gave her that scent ain’t nothin’ compared to the stuff that hit him.”

“I can’t even imagine.” Matt whispered.

“Next to him her scent is a single drop of Chanel number five on the wrist.” Faith went on. “He reeks of the stuff. Toxic, sick like. Like someone forced him to marinate in a bathtub full of Drakkar Noir for weeks on end.”

“Poor guy.” Matt said with a weary frown before a slight smile took over. “I can see why you’d go for his cousin instead. Well that and her figure isn’t all that bad.”

“Stop perving on my girl!” Faith shouted, drawing a hearty laugh from the overly perceptive yet sightless man. “Yeah laugh it up Bub, next time we all get together at her place I’m taking you into the training ring and I’m kicking your ass!”

“She has a training ring?” Matt asked with sudden renewed interest. “Like a boxing ring or more of a martial arts thing?”

“Both I think.” Faith admitted before wondering if she should divulge any more of her girl’s team’s secrets to the man. “I’ll have to ask about letting you have a peek. Don’t think they’ll cozy up to the idea of me hangin’ out and shooting shit in their team’s clubhouse with my lawyer.”

“If Jennifer is any way to judge the rest of her team then you won’t have any troubles talking them into a play date.” Matt assured the young woman. “Plus you can always tell them I’m a bit different from the average blind lawyer who only takes cases in Hell’s Kitchen.”

“Yeah I bet.” Faith muttered. “You and a bunch of kids that got clumsy with their BB guns probably hold mixers and meetings once or twice a month.” Another laugh from the easily amused lawyer set Faith’s nerves at ease for a moment. She was beginning to enjoy the distraction from the coming confrontation with her girl.

“I can see what she likes in you.” Matt said with a profuse waggle of his eyebrows at the girl. Faith glanced in his direction with a worried frown only to laugh when he continued to smirk at her.

“You are the weirdest guy I’ve met in my life.” Faith muttered. “And that’s saying something!”

“Thank you.” Matt replied with a smile as he reached out his hand and touched an engraved sign on the face of the building where they had come to a stop. Faith read the raised lettering and wondered who Nelson & Murdock were to the lawyer before realizing that they must have reached his office.

“That your boss or something?” Faith asked the man.

“Myself actually.” Matt replied before putting out his hand for the girl to take. “Matt Murdock attorney at law and senior partner of the prestigious law firm of Nelson & Murdock. Some people call me Daredevil when I go out and play dress up at night.”

“Faith.” She said as she took the man’s hand in a calm but firm handshake. “Student of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, and, well, recovering Hydra science experiment designed to breed the perfect mindless killing machine.” She finished the introduction turned explanation with a sullen sigh. “If we’re being honest all of a sudden.”

“Okay that totally blows my back story out of the water.” Matt admitted with a smile as he shook the girl’s hand. “Blind son of a Catholic boxer that was murdered for winning what was supposed to be a rigged fight. You know, since we’re being completely honest.”

“Ouch, that had to suck.” Faith remarked with sincerity.

“I survived.” Matt said. “He set up a decent trust for me before he, well.”

“No I meant growing up Catholic.” Faith corrected. “I know a few and they are really messed up.”

Matt stopped, stunned by the statement. Behind his thick sunglasses he blinked once before his inevitable reaction overtook him. “Oh god!” The lawyer chortled as he doubled over in a fit of laughter. Several moments passed before the urge to breath normally caused Matt to gasp for fresh air. “Oh wow. Thanks Faith. I needed that.”

“What are friends for?” Faith replied as she stepped up to the front door of the building. “Now lets get on up to your office. My girl is waitin’.” With an amused sigh the lawyer followed his client inside.

******************************

“Don’t worry Jen.” Foggy assured the petite blonde as he handed her a cup of coffee. “Matt will be back any minute with your friend.”

“Thanks Foggybear.” Jen said as she tried to keep up her spirits.

“Oh god, you called him that just like Marci!” Karen cried out in shock. “Please tell me you guys didn’t used to date too.”

“What? Eww! No! We never, wait. You’re dating Marci again?” Jennifer screamed at the man in utter shock. “What the hell Foggy?”

“Now ladies.” Foggy said as he tried to save what little dignity he still clung to. “Just because both of you denied your urges to taste all of this deliciousness doesn’t mean the rest of the fine ladies in this city have to go without.”

“Eww.” Jennifer said as she let an exaggerated shiver roll over her. “Seriously though? Marci? It’s Marci for cryin’ out loud.”

“I know right.” Karen added with a smirk as she sat besides Jennifer. The two looked at each other and began to giggle at Foggy’s expense.

“Ha ha, very funny.” He muttered. “You’re just lucky Matt and I do pro bono work for desperate blondes.”

“I can pay you guys for this.” Jennifer said in a suddenly serious tone. “I have a lot saved up since I’m living in this city almost rent free and with just about all of my expenses covered.”

“Well damn, how did you luck into that setup?” Foggy asked in wonder. “Wait, you don’t have some weird sugar daddy? Come on Jen, you’re better than that.”

“Eww,” Jennifer said with another shiver, “Foggy I know you’re going through something to be dating Marci again but get your mind out of the gutter.”

“Funny Walters.” Foggy said as he stood back from the chair she was seated in. “Matt should be back by now, I’m gonna call his cell.” The man walked back to his office and went to his desk. Jennifer leaned back in the chair that sat almost equidistant between the personal offices of her two friends.

“So this friend that Matt is bailing out for you.” Karen said in a quiet voice that drew the lawyer’s attention. “Is he cute? He must be cute to have you this worried over him.”

“Gorgeous.” Jennifer replied with a shy smile. “Beautiful. Drop dead stunning wouldn’t exactly be overselling it.”

“You love him don’t you?” Karen asked and received a small nod from the blonde that wouldn’t quite look her in the eye. “Does he love you? Or are you stuck in a holding pattern thing that just tries your patience?”

“She loves me.” Jennifer whispered with a small sigh as the truth of that statement calmed her nerves more than any of Foggy’s jokes had.

“She?” Karen asked as the front door opened and stole all of the petite blonde’s attention. Jennifer turned to see Matt standing in the doorway. She stood up as he walked into the room.

With almost trembling hands Jennifer asked the question she had dreaded. “Did you find her? Is she…” With a sly smile Matt stepped to one side and let the brunette rush past him and into the arms of her love. The stunned employees of the small law firm were completely forgotten by the two overjoyed women.

“Babe!” Faith cried out as she picked Jennifer up and spun her around in a loving embraced. “I’m so sorry.”

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong Faith.” Jennifer assured her. “You told me beforehand and did everything I asked you to. Just tell me you’re okay.”

“I’m okay.” Faith assured. “There’s some stuff we need to talk about but I promise I’m okay.”

“Thank you so much Matt.” Jennifer said as she went over to the smiling man and hugged him far more tightly than he ever thought she was capable of.

“Don’t mention it.” Matt said before he started to gasp for breath. “Oxygen… becoming an issue.”

“Sorry.” Jennifer muttered as she relaxed her grip. “I’ll write you guys a check for all this tomorrow. Thank you so much for helping me out on such short notice.”

“Any time Jennifer.” Matt replied before leaning in and whispering in the blonde’s ear. “I’m so happy that you found someone who puts that smile back in your voice. You two are a lovely couple.”

“I know.” Jennifer whispered before turning back to her girl. “Come on Faith, let’s go home.”

“Thought you’d never ask.” Faith replied as Jennifer took her hand. As she swaggered out the door the brunette turned to matt one last time with a smile. “Thanks again Double D. We’ll hang when the rest of the guys are in town.”

“I’m looking forward to it Faith.” Matt said as the two women exited the office.

“Jennifer has a girlfriend?” Foggy asked as he stood in the doorway to his personal office with a look of stunned bewilderment on his face.

“How old was that girl?” Karen asked as she tried to guess the brunette’s and the other blonde’s approximate ages.

“Jennifer’s gay?” Foggy asked as his mind struggled with what he had seen.

“What the hell was that leather thing she was wearing?” Karen said.

“Jennifer’s dating a biker chick?” Foggy wondered before turning to his best friend with a desperate need for answers. “Matt, is there something we should know?”

“Other than those two being very much in love?” Matt wondered in return before a sly grin spread across his face. “Only time will tell. Until then we have about thirty immigration status and asylum cases to get back to.”

Foggy and Karen looked back and forth between the man they worked with and the door the two women had left through. Though neither of them knew it, the blind man had just brought their law firm into a much larger world. One they could scarcely begin to understand.

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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Wed Dec 09, 2015 1:53 pm 
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Yay for excellent update-y goodness...

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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Mon Dec 14, 2015 10:54 pm 
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Nice chapter!

It was oddly machiavellian of the girls to set all that up though.
Very supervillain-esque.

But it makes sense, given their lives here, and some of their past lives.

Yay! More characters! Because i totally wasn't having any trouble keeping track of people :P
Doing google searches just to try and figure out who's who.

But it's nice to see Buffy & Faith addapting to their new life together.

And Willow & Tara are defacto rulers of an eastern european nation?
Why do i have the feeling that letting go of that is going to be harder than they think?

Anyway, nice work :)

Looking forward to the next ep! :bounce

R

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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Tue Dec 15, 2015 7:17 am 
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Hi Zampsa, hi Azirahael.

Yup, Willow outdid herself with this whole Machiavellian, security theater, robotic terrorist attack. The hard part was convincing someone as morally upstanding as Cap to go along with being the centerpiece of the lie. But his is dating someone who would be on the short list to be rounded up and locked away so it couldn't have been that hard.

That facet of Marvel comics lore always struck me as odd. What do the ordinary people on the street think about the fact that some crazy industrialist built an army of giant purple robots for the sole purpose of rounding people up and putting them in concentration camps? It can't be a secret. The X-men were fighting those things in crowded cities and shopping malls. Yeah okay, one percent of the population can fly or shoot laser beams. Does that suddenly mean that the Avengers turn a blind eye to one army of killer robots while they run off to fight Ultron's or Hydra's army of killer robots? That seems insane.

The best part was when Marvel did the Civil War event in the comics and both Iron Man and Cap came to the X-men to ask for help fighting for or against the superhuman registration act. The leader of the X-men at the time basically said, "Where the hell were you when we were fighting the mutant registration act?" Wolverine summed it up best in an argument with Luke Cage. Sentinels are to Mutants what burning crosses are to African Americans.

As for the glut of new characters I apologize. They won't be permanent features. The netflix shows for Daredevil and Jessica Jones are both just too good to ignore what is going on in the streets of Hell's Kitchen. But this was probably the last we'll see of Silver Sable. It was either her or some nameless Romanian diplomat, and the image of Wanda/Willow getting fake hit on by a white haired version of Black Widow was just too good.

Also I did put up that who's who list of main and secondary characters near the top of the first post. It's in one of the spoilers below the spoilers that act as a table of contents. Just in case anyone isn't familiar with the Marvel movies that have been coming out recently.

Buffy and Faith getting a rare chance to have the tower all to themselves was fun. And Wanda and Carol letting go of their rule of that teeny tiny nation is not going to be nearly as hard as convincing the rest of the international community that they have in fact let it go.

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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Wed Dec 23, 2015 3:31 am 
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Time and Time Again.

Author: Citanul

Feedback: Be kind, rewind? Seriously though all feedback is welcome.

Spoilers: Just about all of them. Go watch the show. And Angel too. Also Agents of Shield a little bit. You know what, if a name you don’t recognize pops up most of the time you can find dozens of pages of character bio if you type that name and the word comics into Wikipedia. It’s almost scary how much page space comic book fans have taken up on that site.

Rating: NC-17 = Smutty smut smut smut. Seriously though they make love quite often.

Pairings: W/T, B/F, G/J, D/J, F/G, A/?, X/C (X/A in half the worlds.) D/C (Though not till they’re older and even then maybe not so much with the graphic detail.)

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: Happy holidays everyone. Over the last few chapters in the main storyline hints have been dropped about the actions of the two wetwork operatives Willow and Tara kept around to perform "odd jobs." Towards the end of this chapter we'll see just a glimpse of what they've been doing in between escorting vials of demon blood around the law firm HQ and driving limos to and from Homecoming dances. What we learn about the jobs those two men are tasked with probably won't be pleasant. In the meantime get ready for minor relationship angst and exciting new job opportunities in the field of personal body guarding.

******************************

Chapter 28: Revelations

“Well where the hell is she?” Angel yelled at the man sitting behind the desk in the middle of the massive corner office. The lawyer weathered the vampire’s outburst with little sign of caring for the brooding immortal’s plight in the slightest.

“Alonna if you could please keep Count Eurotrash on his leash while he’s in my office I’d appreciate it.” The lawyer replied with an amused and slightly smug smile.

“Angel, behave.” The Slayer said before turning back to the man whose office they had barged into. “Lindsey we really need to find this woman. She’s running around with the most annoying pain in our butts at the moment.”

“And whoever the warlock they got in their pocket is he has to be a serious player to be able to pull off a resurrection ritual that big.” Doyle added as he leaned against the far wall by the door.

“If it was just a little messing with Angel’s head they were up to we wouldn’t be as worried. He’s a big boy. He can handle himself.” Gunn added before taking on a more stern tone. “But those watchers came after Al. If it weren’t for the little redhead your partner sent our way we’d all be out for blood just as bad as Fangs here.”

“Alright.” Lindsey relented finally. “I already have some people looking for them. The Senior Partners are very strict when it comes to outside players moving in on their personnel.” A smile crossed his lips before he turned back to face the Slayer standing by his desk. “Which everyone in this room just so happens to be.”

“So what have you found?” Alonna asked before Angel could interject and make matters worse.

“Nothing.” Lindsey admitted with a sigh. He stood from his desk and turned to look out the massive windows the filled two sides of his large office. Night had fallen an hour before the Slayer and her people came to pay him a visit. The lights of the city were in full bloom as people went about their evenings. With his back to the leaders of the Hyperion Crew he recounted his own fruitless efforts. “If I had anything to tell I’d have already sent our last wet works team after them. But they aren’t staying in any place where we have connections or informants. They’re cautious, and they cover their tracks. The old administration would have easily brokered some dark pact to not only find these men but to rip them to pieces in the process.” He paused for a long moment as his words sunk in.

“But things around here don’t work that way anymore.”

“Alright.” Alonna said once it was clear they would get nothing more from the man until his sources found something. “We’re back to square one.”

“Not quite.” Doyle said as he began to go over what he remembered of the watchers council’s special operations team from the last year’s Halloween curse. “Lindsey’s sources would be able to find them in heartbeat if they were staying anywhere upscale enough. So that means they’re hiding out somewhere low key.”

“Very low key.” The lawyer said as he suddenly turned around with a renewed smile. “They’re hiding out somewhere remote, isolated and probably rent free.”

“So we’re thinking abandoned warehouses and condemned buildings.” Alonna concluded as she realized just how they would find their foes. “Somewhere the average vampire would turn into a nest.”

“Alright! We got ourselves a plan!” Gunn called out as he turned to his sister. “We’ll have the gang step up their sweeps of all the neighborhoods. We’ll start with places we used to live and then move outward across the city. We’ll probably find these guys before the end of the week.”

“They’re trained professionals.” Angel remarked. “You kids will have to be careful or else someone will end up in another one of their traps.”

“We will be Angel.” Alonna told the vampire who was already half way back to one of his brooding fits. “Thanks Lindsey, if you hear anything give us a call.”

“Sure thing Slayer.” The man said as he watched them file out of his office. He sat back down at his desk and was about to pick up the phone when a familiar brunette poked her head into the doorway. “What do you want Lilah?”

“Just seeing how our bosses’ pet projects are coming along.” She said with a sly smirk. “You sure it was a good idea to give them that lead?”

“I didn’t give them anything they wouldn’t have figured out for themselves.” He said with a mild scowl at his partner in what could only be loosely described as law. “They’ll run themselves ragged searching the city for hideouts and probably end up with only a few cleared out vamp nests to show for all their hard work.”

“Just so long as our bigger projects aren’t jeopardized.” Lilah said with an unconvincing sigh that drove the country boy turned lawyer mad. Before he could offer a rebuttal Lilah’s phone went off. The brunette lawyer pulled out her cell and answered the call with a smile.

“Why hello Ms. Maclay.” Lilah said with far too much amusement at Lindsey’s expense. “We were just discussing one of your pet projects. Yes, he’s here. Ms. Rosenberg and Ms. Maclay say hi.” She told the man before turning her attention back to the voice on the other end of the phone line. “Oh that’s wonderful news. I’ll have the boys fetch that for you right away. What should I tell them if they ask how heavy the package is?”

There was a pause and Lilah swore she heard a thud before the young woman answered. “That sounds fine either way.” The lawyer assured. “The boys will be by tonight to get that thing out of your hair. Bye then.”

“Good news I take it.” Lindsey said as he took in the amused smile on his partner’s face.

“Very.” Lilah replied. “We’ll be having another permanent guest joining us downstairs by this time tomorrow.”

“I still can’t believe they set that whole thing up.” Lindsey said as he stood and went to pour two drinks at the wet bar along the side of his office. “I was almost expecting them to fire or kill the one wet works team that survived the takeover. But it looks like those two boys are getting in almost as much work as we are.” With a drink in each hand he walked over to the taller lawyer and offered one glass before almost downing the other.

“I’ll say.” Lilah agreed as she took the drink offered to her. “Still though, it’s almost scary how ruthless those girls are when it comes to human threats.”

******************************

The sounds of battle raging in the background did little to disturb the watcher as he sipped tea from the disposable cup he had brought along on patrol. Setting the cup besides his thermos, he spared a glance away from his notes to see how his charges were fairing. Seeing the fight was well in hand the Englishman simply returned to reading the text he had been deciphering.

Buffy delivered a flurry of blows to the vampire she was fighting. The demon’s grunts and gasps of pain echoed through the cemetery. With fluid grace Buffy grasped the vampire’s arm and flipped him over her shoulder and onto his back. Faith was fairing about as well. She had thrown her foe over an empty stone bench only to leap over both her foe and the stone slab an instant later. She followed up her acrobatics by slamming the vampire into the same stone bench before he could even recover. Both vampires struggled to their feet and managed to stand back to back with each other. The Slayers responded to the last desperate attempt at defense by staking both foes in almost perfect unison.

Buffy and Faith’s hands met in a high five that quickly grew intimate as they interlaced their fingers and pulled themselves closer together. “Synchronized Slaying.” Buffy said with abundant cheer in her voice.

“New Olympic category?” Faith asked with a beguiling smile. She and Buffy turned and walked over to their watcher. The night had been going well and both Slayers were eager to keep up their momentum.

“What do you think?” Buffy asked Giles. Before he could even reply the Englishman was interrupted by a grating voice.

“Sloppy!” A woman called out in a much harsher English accent than Giles ever used. The Slayers and their watcher turned to face the uninvited spectator only to find an overly dressed blonde in a business suit glaring at them. “You telegraph punches, leave blindsides open and hmm, for a school night’s Slaying take entirely too much time. Which one of you is Faith?”

“Depends. Who the hell are you?” Faith asked with all the annoyance and barely concealed contempt she held for what was obviously one more in a long line of authority figures eager to lord their imagined power over her. The woman’s appearance and snide remarks practically oozed the kind of contempt Faith had learned to distrust during her short stints under the watchful glare of the less wholesome branches of the foster care system.

“Gwendolyn Post, Missus.” The woman replied with an arrogant smile. “Your new watcher.”

“Yeah, no, screw that noise.” Faith said as she took Buffy’s hand and began to walk away.

“Sorry lady, better luck next chosen one.” Buffy called out with a laugh as her girl dragged her off.

“I must say they make an excellent point.” Giles remarked as he stood up and gathered his things. Without even glancing at the woman he turned and followed his charges across the graveyard.

The blonde watcher stared in disbelief. The sheer insolence. The audacity. How dare they ignore her out of hand? “Well I never!” Post muttered before moving to follow the trio. Her mission was off to a rocky start.

“Not with that attitude you don’t!” Faith shouted back.

******************************

“You’re still up?” Wesley asked as he walked into the hotel’s front office.

“Oh, hi Wes.” Anne said as she finished sorting through papers strewn across the desk. “Yeah, I was just finishing up. Did you need the office for anything?”

“Oh no.” He assured the young blonde before glancing at the papers before her with a speculative frown. “What is it you were working on?”

“My life.” She admitted quietly before sitting up straight and rushing to stack and conceal the papers. “Don’t worry about it. It’s something I need to talk to the lawyers about.”

“Fair enough.” The watcher remarked as he turned towards the doorway and checked his watch. “The others should be back any minute now.”

“Okay.” Anne said. “I’ll just finish up in here so I can help with whatever they’re planning next.”

“Oh that’s shouldn’t be necessary.” Wesley told the young blonde. “You already do so much to help around here. The least you’re entitled to is a good night’s sleep every now and then.”

“Thanks.” Anne said in a patently unconvinced tone. The watcher just smiled before he recalled something important.

“If you’ll excuse me I believe I have one more text on Darla that could be of use to us.” Anne watched as the watcher quickly turned and walked out of the office. She sighed once and went about cleaning up the mess of papers she had been working through. Several moments later she was standing in front of the desk with everything neatly stacked before her when a rough pair of arms grabbed her from behind.

“Where’s Angel and the Slayer?” Her assailant demanded.

“They’re not here.” Anne shouted as she struggled against the arm around her neck and shoulders.

“Liar.” He shot back. “Give me the Slayer and Angel.”

“I can’t. Let go!” She pleaded loudly before the man finally released her. “What the hell…” She began but stopped short when she turned to face him.

The brute had short curly dark hair with the beginnings of a widow’s peak. His tall muscular build was overshadowed by the barrel of the gun he waved in the blonde’s face. He made sure the intimidating weapon had all of her attention before bothering to explain himself. “My boss needs your bosses! So I can not leave here without them! Now you’re going to get them for me now or I’m gonna blow your head off.”

“I, I, I can’t,” Anne pleaded as her life flashed before her eyes. “Please I don’t know where they went!” Even while staring down the barrel of a loaded gun the young runaway refused to give up the Slayer or the meeting at the law firm Alonna had told her about before departing. She owed them too much.

“That’s too bad.” The man said as he straightened his arm and cocked the pistol in his hand.

“For you maybe.” A new voice came from behind the gun wielding thug and stole his and Anne’s attention. He turned to see a redhead and a brunette standing in the doorway. Before he could bring the barrel of the gun around it was wrenched from his hand. He stared up at the now floating weapon in shock. He didn’t even see the attack coming.

Fred was merciless. She charged the man with everything she had learned from Halloween the year before and all the sparing session Angel had given her. A swift knee to the groin doubled the man over. On his way down a fist to his throat denied him any kind of counter offensive. As he crouched one arm flailed out wildly. Fred caught the blind swing, snapping his forearm like a twig. He fell to the floor screaming.

Anne and Bethany watched in amazement as Fred casually plucked the still floating pistol out of the air and checked both the safety and magazine. The petite Texan then loomed over the man and pressed the barrel against his temple. “You’ll be as quiet as possible before our friends get back, or I’ll put one in your lap.”

“Good lord.” Wesley said as he appeared in the doorway of the office.

“Are you okay Anne?” Bethany asked as she came around the fallen attacker and put an arm around the quivering blonde.

“He had a gun.” Was all Anne managed to get out before collapsing into Bethany’s arms.

“I know.” Bethany replied as she suppressed urge to sever the physical contact the blonde so clearly needed. “Fred took care of him. Did you see how Fred took care of him?” She asked in wonder.

“I say that was rather impressive Ms. Burkle.” Wesley admitted. “Though I don’t recall firearms being a part of your training here.”

“What?” Fred asked before turning to the Englishman in confusion. “Wes, I’m from Texas. Also Daddy has a really big hunting rifle collection.”

“Should we warn Gunn before you bring him home to meet the folks?” Anne asked with a small grin as she slowly released Bethany.

“Yeah Fred, just how stereotypically Texan is your parents’ reaction to your love life going to be?” Bethany asked with a slight smirk.

“My father is not racist!” Fred all but shouted in disgust. The man on the floor groaned slightly and Fred responded with a swift kick to his ribs. “I told you to be quiet!”

The blonde and redhead shared a laugh as the intruder quieted down. The watcher merely smiled in approval as the three young women handled the situation as well as any Slayer could have. He knew that his charge and her most trusted inner circle would be returning from the law firm any minute now. With casual ease he prepared tea for himself and the still visibly shaken Anne. They would all get to the bottom of this newest assault in due time.

******************************

“So any luck with researching this new Big Bad?” Dawn asked as she looked across Scooby Central from her stool at the spell ingredients counter. She had been watching Tara prepare herbs, powders and a special kind of ink for some secret ritual.

“Not even a little Dawnster.” Xander admitted as he flipped through a large book. At his side Cordelia just rolled her eyes as she too came up with nothing from the texts Willow and Tara had set before them.

“There are so many demons.” Joyce muttered as she flipped through another tome. “Buffy has really fought all of these?”

“Not all.” Willow answered from her seat at her computer desk. “She’s fought a lot. More than most Slayers ever get a chance to. But there are thousands she’ll never get around to fighting.”

“And thousands that she doesn’t have to fight because they’re good guys.” Tara added.

“Like Mr. Doyle and, oh what was his name?” Joyce said in sudden comprehension only to forget the name of the lounge singer she had heard about through light gossip with Jennifer. “Laurence?”

“Lorne.” Xander said as he closed one book and opened another. “Nice guy, Larry might like him.”

“Sorry Xander, but out of all the people here who have experience dating demons, you have the most.” Willow said with an amused smirk that drew a laugh from her love.

“What?” Xander and Cordelia cried out in shock. “Very funny Will but I’d never date Lorne.” He said before looking back and forth between the two witches with an almost terrified grimace. “Right?”

“Oh relax Sweetie.” Jennifer told the boy. “Girls stop messing with poor Xander. He never seems to notice when you’re serious or not.”

“Also his ‘girlfriend’ is sitting right there.” Dawn chimed in; putting extra emphasis on the word she had diplomatically chosen to describe Cordelia. As almost everyone laughed at the young man’s expense the cheerleader just rolled her eyes. For his part Xander received the light hearted ribbing with the good humor he knew was behind it.

Before things could quiet down too much the group was startled out of their amusement by the sounds of the front door opening and slamming only to be opened again an instant later.

“We’re back!” Buffy called out from down the hall as Giles appeared in the doorway to the library. He sighed as he made his way across the room to collapse in a chair besides Joyce. The blonde immediately noticed his agitation and offered what comfort she could. He practically melted into the hand she put on his shoulder.

“Hey, look what we found.” Faith called out as she and Buffy walked into the room with far less good cheer than Giles was able to muster. The brunette simply responded to her family’s questioning looks by hooking a thumb towards the doorway. “You ladies know her deal?” The Scoobies all turned to see who had caused such a dour atmosphere when a blonde woman stepped into the doorway. She gawked at the sheer number of people present.

“Well no wonder your performance is so shoddy, what with all these outsiders involved in the secret.” Post said as she stepped into the room. “The Slayer must not have worldly attachments. She must rely on herself alone.” As the Englishwoman marched into the room she had no idea of the danger her words invited. “And just why do you two insist on holding hands? What the devil is wrong with you American girls?”

“Alright that’s enough.” Willow snapped as she threw one hand up in the air and stopped all of Gwendolyn Post’s forward momentum. “We’ve been waiting for you to show up. Faith, what lies did this snake tell you?”

“Oh she just wouldn’t shut up about tradition and protocol and all that noise.” Faith said as Joyce and Jennifer grew nervous at Willow’s flagrant use of magic. “How much more of a pain in the ass is she going to be for us?”

“She’ll be dealt with and out of our hair before sunrise.” Tara said as she pulled a large bowl from the cabinet beneath the counter she was working at. “Dawnie, how would you like to learn the ritual to make living flame?”

“Really?” Dawn asked with an excited grin as Joyce’s head spun around in shock.

“Oh dear lord!” Giles muttered as he looked up in disbelief. “She’s some kind of demon that can only be killed with living flame?”

“No, she’s human.” Willow admitted as Post began to rise a meter into the air. “Barely.”

“Willow what are you planning?” Jennifer asked. “I’ve never seen you use magic like this in our home.”

“This is your one chance Gwendolyn.” Willow said while ignoring the stunned looks from the adults at the table in the center of the room. “Why are you here?”

“Official council business, which is none of yours you little witch. Now put me down!” Post snapped at the redhead.

“That’s one.” Tara muttered as she showed Dawn different jars full of strange powders and dried plants. “You should really tell her the truth.”

“Why did you come to the hellmouth?” Willow asked as she tightened her grip causing Post to let out a gasp.

“I’m Faith’s new watcher you daft girl!” Post cried out.

“That’s two.” Tara said. “Okay Dawnie, we need to mix these powders into three separate handfuls in the right ratio to make the catalyst for living flame. Too much or too little of any one and the ritual won’t stabilize the flames.”

“Right.” Dawn said as she watched Tara’s movements. “I’ll get the measuring cups.” The girl ran over to the other end of the counter and opened a drawer. She came back with a set of ordinary looking cooking measurement tools and offered them to Tara with a smile.

“Last chance.” Willow said in as menacing a tone as she could. “What are you doing in my home?”

“Fine!” Post cried out. “I admit it. I was sent here by Travers to spy on you witches and report back whatever I found. Now let me down!”

“That’s lie number three.” Tara said with a disappointed shake of her head.

“And believe me when I say that is going to cost you all of your points.” Willow added with an amused smirk that sent chills down Post’s spine. Without a second look towards the distraught woman Willow walked back to her computer terminal and began pulling up files.

“Laying it on a little thick for an unwanted watcher, don’t ya think Wills?” Buffy asked as her mother shifted uneasily in her seat.

“Not at all Buffy. Let me introduce you all to Gwendolyn Post.” Willow said as she pressed a few keystrokes and brought up records of the woman on several monitors. “Former Watcher. Expelled from the council a few years ago for misuses of Dark Power. Giles may have received a memo.”

“Bloody hell.” Giles muttered as he glared at the woman who claimed to be Faith’s new watcher. “That’s how you knew she was lying?”

“No, we knew she lied because of the curse we put on Travers.” Willow said.

“You cursed a man?” Jennifer asked in shock.

“He had it coming Mama.” Tara said as she mixed the three separate concoctions in smaller mixing bowls.

“What exactly did you curse him with?” Joyce asked. She didn’t understand where any of this was going and she especially didn’t care for the darker, almost malevolent, undertones both girls were displaying.

“For as long as Quentin Travers is head of the watchers council no one under his authority shall be able to take one step towards the hellmouth if they are doing so under his orders.” Willow explained.

“Oh dear.” Giles whispered in awe as the ramifications of that rolled around in his head for a few moments. “That’s rather ingenious.”

“What does that mean?” Joyce asked as Jennifer calmed down. The older wiccan knew such a curse was the most benign of afflictions her girls were capable of bestowing.

“It means he can’t tell people to come here and bother us.” Willow said. “If they try the closest they can get is a flight to a nearby city. If they try to board a direct flight to Sunnydale they will be unable to move from their seats towards the gate until after takeoff. Same goes for any boat bound for the Sunnydale docks. If they get bus tickets they will freeze up until after the bus departs. If they rent a car they will pull over to the side of the highway on ramp and sit there for most of the day. If they want to walk then they will stand completely still, facing their front door for days on end until the point gets through their thick skulls.”

“So she couldn’t have come here to be my new watcher.” Faith realized. “I knew there was something fishy about this ho.”

“This is the most preposterous…” Post shouted just before Willow flicked her wrist. Thick black twine erupted from the skin around the former watcher’s mouth, sewing her lips shut. A faint whimper was all that escaped.

“Why did she come to the hellmouth then?” Giles asked as he suddenly pondered the much more dangerous threat this woman posed. “To open it?”

“Hardly.” Tara said with a laugh as she finished readying the catalyst for living flame. She dumped one mixture of powder into the large bowl she had pulled out.

“She wanted a very special glove.” Willow said as she walked up to the table and picked up one book. She opened it and placed it before Giles.

“Oh dear lord.” He muttered before he looked up in disgust at the woman dangling in mid air. “You’re insane!”

“I know right.” Willow said as she turned and strolled towards one bookshelf. She reached for a shelf that contained nothing but leather bound copies of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. She pulled the forty-second copy from the right out halfway and stepped back as the entire shelf slid to the side. The rest of the Scoobies stared in shock as a massive metal door came into view. Willow entered a code on the keypad and then brought her hand and one eye up to the two scanners. The door opened silently and the redhead slipped inside.

“Was that bookshelf always there?” Buffy asked.

“I never saw it before.” Faith whispered.

“We veiled it with a somebody else’s problem field.” Tara explained. “You can only notice it if you’re not looking for it and even then only if you catch a surprise glimpse out of the corner of your eye.”

“And sometimes not even then.” Willow added as she exited the vault carrying a strange bundle in her hands. She placed the object on the table in front of Giles who just stared at it in amazement. He slowly peeled back the cloth shroud to reveal a sinister looking armor gauntlet. The fingers ended in dull claws while a ring of razor sharp curved spikes circled the cuff at the opening.

“The glove of Myhnegon.” Giles whispered as he drew his hands back. “Once donned it can never be removed.”

“So not the fashion accessory I want for Christmas.” Buffy quipped as she played with Faith’s hair.

“Funky.” Faith said as she glanced back towards the former watcher that still hung helplessly in the air. “But why did Ms. Priss over there want it if she can’t ever take the ugly thing off?”

“It allows the wearer to call forth lightning at will.” Giles said with a weary sigh. “If a weapon like this were to ever fall into the wrong hands.”

“There’d be badness.” Willow said as she picked the glove up and brought it closer to Post. The woman’s eyes widened as the artifact she coveted came into view. All she could manage was a withering glare as the redhead’s gaze met her own.

“It’s important that you understand why this is happening.” Willow said. “Lots of people try to take over the world for their own stupid reasons. That doesn’t bother me. The Slayers can get rid of those kinds of idiots in a day without any problem. What you did… What you were going to do. That bothers me.”

“Jeez Red.” Faith muttered. “What did this chick do to you?”

“When she was pretending to be your watcher,” Willow began in a hollow voice. “She got you to believe in her. The things she told you. The lies she told you. Faith, she used up the last bit of trust you had left in you to give. She drove a wedge between you and Buffy. From that point on you didn’t trust any of us. Granted we weren’t perfect back then, but because of this woman you drifted further and further away from us. And then the deputy mayor died. And then things fell apart.”

“They fell apart so hard.” Tara whispered, drawing stunned looks from everyone else. “It was years before you were able to put them back together Faith. Before you could put your life back together.”

Willow turned back to look at Post and found the woman glaring at her with undeniable hatred in her eyes. The redhead just sighed and drew her arm back. Almost everyone in the room let out a stunned gasp as Willow slapped the helpless woman across the face with the heavy gauntlet. The profanely deafening impact of the blow reverberated through the spacious library. When she finally raised her head once again there was a darkening bruise on Post’s cheek and her lower lip was split open. With hardened resolve Willow turned and strode towards her love.

“Exorere. Flamma Vitae. Prodi ex loco tuo elementorum, in hunc mundum vivorum.” Tara chanted as she lit a small fire in the bowl and threw the first mixture of powder in the flames. Orange flames turned green with a hiss. “Exorere. Flamma Vitae. Prodi ex loco tuo elementorum, in hunc mundum vivorum.” She chanted again as she threw another mixture into the flames turning them a bright shade of violet. “Exorere. Flamma Vitae. Prodi ex loco tuo elementorum, in hunc mundum vivorum.” She chanted finally as the last ingredients turned the flames white.

“Pay close attention Gwen.” Willow shouted as the woman thrashed against the invisible forces binding her. “Watch as all your dreams go up in flames!” Without hesitation Willow tossed the glove of Myhnegon into the living flame. One long tendril of white fire shot out, snatching the gauntlet out of the air and carrying it above the bowl. All eyes were on the artifact as it was consumed by purifying fire.

Gwendolyn Post let out a small sob as everything she had worked for was destroyed. For a moment her head hung in defeat. She only looked up again when she sensed someone approaching her. Post glared at the honey blonde witch that had summoned the living flame. What more could these girls take from her?

“We’re not going to kill you.” Tara promised. “We’re sending you far away from the hellmouth. To a place where you can’t hurt anyone we love. And you’ll never see the sun again.” As Tara finished her promise she drew the tranquilizer pistol she was holding behind her back. Post had an instant of wide eyed panic before a dart was lodged in her neck. As the woman slumped down Tara turned back to her family.

“Hey Will, remind me to never piss off your girl.” Xander said once he picked his jaw up from the floor.

“Tara!” Jennifer cried out as her shock began to fade. “What was that for?”

“Mama, the f-first th-thing that woman did once she had the glove was point it at Willow.” Tara told her stunned mother as her everything slid into her arms. “The only reason she survived that night was Angel.”

“He threw himself into the line of fire and saved my life.” Willow added as she allowed Post’s unconscious body to fall to the floor with a thud. “And this was right after we were all paranoid that he was going to go evil a second time. That day he earned the benefit of the doubt as far as we’re concerned. And Post lost all the sympathy we were willing to spare.”

“See Mom?” Buffy said. “I told you they didn’t keep him around just to mess with you.”

“Oh Goddess, Mrs. Summers!” Willow cried out in shock with a hurt expression plastered across her face. “We would never, how could you even think that?”

“Willow it was over a year ago and I only thought that right after you had that vampire visit us for Halloween.” Joyce replied in exasperation. “I’m still not entirely sure why Rupert let him hang around you kids for so long.”

“In my defense he helped save the world a few times and provided us with resources I couldn’t procure on my own.” Giles said as he tried to maintain a calm demeanor after the disturbing turn the night had taken with Post’s arrival. “Do you girls need help dealing with her?” He asked as he nodded derisively towards the woman on the floor.

“No, we have that covered Giles.” Willow said as Tara pulled out her cell phone and hit the speed dial for the one programmed number that wasn’t owned by a member of her family.

“Hello, Lilah? Oh is Lindsey there with you? Tell him Willow and I said hi.” Tara said into the phone. “That package we talked about showed up. Have Bob and Steve swing by with the van and a rug to pick it up. They should take it back to our storage facility in LA tonight.” She paused as she listened to something asked on the other end of the line. “Oh I don’t know. About one twenty something.” Tara said before looking down at the former watcher and giving her prone body a swift kick in the ribs. “Maybe one forty.”

Cordelia and Faith failed to stifle barks of laughter as Giles let a sly smile play across his lips. “So that’s why she wears those Doc Martens.” Buffy said with a bemused grin that only drew further laughter from around the table. Even with the slight misgivings from both the mothers in the room they could all see the reasoning behind the witches’ actions. Tensions eased as it became clear the Scooby family had come through another trial unscathed.

******************************

“So we’ll start having the Crew sweep the nearby neighborhoods. Just like we do looking for vamp nests.” Gunn said as he and his sister entered the hotel. “Once all the older buildings have been checked out we move out into all the other low rent neighborhoods and the industrial districts.”

“Yeah good,” Alonna began to say before she looked across the lobby at the cluster her friends had formed around a man cradling one broken arm, “plan.”

“What the hell happened here?” Doyle asked as he and Angel came in behind the Gunn siblings.

“Who’s the thug?” Gunn asked as he walked up to stand beside his girlfriend who was still menacing the wounded man with the pistol they had taken from him.

“He came in here looking for Al and Angel and then when they weren’t here he shoved this gun in Anne’s face.” Fred stated in a harsh tone that left no room for argument amongst the new arrivals.

“He did what?” Alonna shouted before turning angrily on the injured man. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t gut you right now!”

“Alonna, please.” Wesley said in only a mildly chastising tone. “The Slayer must not fall victim to petty vengeance. That’s what we have our vampire friend for.”

“For once you’re right Wes.” Alonna said as she let a predatory smile cross her face. “Angel, drain him.”

“Sounds good to me.” Angel said as he loomed over the man and let his vampiric visage come to the surface.

“Wait!” The man shouted without taking his eyes off Angel’s fangs. “Please. My boss wants to hire you two for a job.”

“Who’s your boss?” Alonna demanded as Angel grasped the man by the shoulder of his good arm and leaned in to take a bite.

“I can’t tell you yet.” He pleaded.

“Wrong answer Boyo.” Doyle said with a chuckle.

Angel moved in for the kill. “Isn’t he supposed to have a soul?” The horrified man asked as the vampire’s grip held him in place and denied any chance of escape.

“Oh he has a soul.” Wesley replied with a sarcastically dour frown as he cleaned his glasses. “And thanks to that soul he’ll feel just awful about your passing.”

“Oh yeah.” Angel assured his victim with a bemused laugh as he edged closer. “It’ll just tear me up inside.” The man looked around the room with panic in his eyes. No one moved to stop the vampire. No one objected in the slightest to his gruesome fate.

“Magnus Bryce!” The man shouted as he felt the cold pressure of undead fangs against his neck. “I work for Magnus Bryce! He wants the Slayer and the vampire with a soul to protect his daughter from kidnappers and hitmen working for his enemies.”

“There! Was that so hard?” Alonna said with a patently sarcastic smile. “Angel you can back off for now.”

“Sure thing Al.” Angel said with an unusually upbeat smile as his features morphed back to his more human appearance and he pulled away from the terrified human. “So Bryce wants our help protecting his little girl.”

“Oh I think I have a picture of them.” Bethany said as she ran into the office and then back out with a magazine. She flipped through the pages until one caught her eye. “Here they are! Magnus and Virginia Bryce at a charity event. Oh, and our gun waving intruder is with them. It says he’s their personal bodyguard Benny.” She held up the page in the magazine for Alonna and the others to see. With only a few glances back and forth between the man and the photo tensions seemed to ease.

“So a software and cable network tycoon wants our group to watch his daughter.” Alonna said as she took the magazine and gazed at the picture of the smiling redhead with hair almost as voluminous and curly as her own.

“Just the Slayer and the cursed vampire.” Benny said in a tone far too firm for his current situation. “He was very specific about that.”

“Now see here.” Wesley said in an exasperated huff. “The Slayer is not some hired goon to be employed by the idle rich for their own personal schemes. She protects the entire world by fighting the forces of evil. Not just one spoiled debutante.”

“Wes.” Alonna said with an equally exasperated sigh.

“No Alonna, I’m serious about this issue.” Her watcher continued. “This sort of petty personal grievance is beneath both your role as the Slayer and your own integrity as a person.”

“Then again if this Bryce bloke is in the know about not only Slayers but also Angel’s curse he’s more than just some rich entitled prick with more money than sense.” Doyle interjected. “So tell us Benny Boy. Old Magnus isn’t just a businessman. He’s some sort of Warlock isn’t he?”

“Wizard.” Benny corrected before snapping his mouth shut with a worried grimace. “I can’t say any more. He’ll kill me.”

“So you were sent here to drag the Slayer and a barely controlled vampire back to your boss at gunpoint?” Anne summed up with an almost curious frown. “Are you sure he wasn’t trying to kill you anyway?” Benny just glared at the blonde he had threatened before his own doubts crept out of his subconscious and took up far too much real estate in his mind.

“Alright then.” Alonna said without taking her eyes off the picture of the young woman. “We’ll go confront Bryce. If his pitch isn’t on the level we’ll turn him down.”

“And if he insists?” Wesley asked with no small amount of indignation in his voice.

“We put him down.” Alonna said with a smirk she leveled at a newly frightened Benny. “Hard.”

******************************

“Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like the bosses’ decked out Mc Mansion.” Steve said with a whistle as he and his partner pulled up in front of the sixteen thirty two Rovello Drive.

“Behave while we’re inside!” Bob almost growled at his partner as he went into the back of the van and picked up the large rug sitting in the middle of the floor. “The moms are in there and I don’t want to get turned into a toad because you slipped and called the mother of one of the Senior Partners a milf.”

“What if I call the mother of that one blonde Slayer a milf?” Steve asked with a curious frown.

“Oh that’s fine.” Bob said with a smile. “Worst case scenario is you get a stake through the heart and I get to train a new partner. Now let’s go pick up that “package” and take it to the “LA facility” where it can join the other two “packages.” Steve rolled his eyes in exasperation at his partner’s repeated use of sarcastic air quotes.

Once they were both done taking jabs at each other Bob and Steve exited the van, walking up to the porch and front door of the private residence of the infamous Senior Partners. The door opened revealing a middle aged blonde woman with kind blue eyes.

“Oh hello.” Jennifer said to the two men.

“Well hello there.” Steve replied taking an overtly bold step forward. “You must be Ms. Maclay’s beautiful sister.”

“Steve for the love of god, what did I just say about hitting on the bosses’ loved ones?” Bob muttered as he tried to maintain a polite smile in the woman’s presence.

“You boys must be here about that woman.” Jennifer said with a sigh as she stepped aside to allow the men room to move inside the house.

“Wouldn’t know anything about a woman ma’am.” Bob said with a slight bow as he hefted the large rug over his shoulder and stepped inside the home. “Ms. Morgan said the Senior Partners had a package that needed picking up. She also said not to address you by your married name.”

“Which is all the more intriguing what with your lovely, soft, bedroom eyes.” Steve added, earning an elbow to the ribs from his partner.

“Well I can see what the girls were talking about when they said one of you would have, and I quote, “the worst smooth talk in the world” end quote.” Jennifer replied as she led the men towards Scooby Central.

“Hah!” Bob laughed just a little too loudly at his partner’s expense. “Sorry. Just remembered a horrible Saturday Night Live sketch I saw last week.” He told Jennifer as she cast a glance back towards them. The two wetwork operatives quickly moved to catch up with the woman. Half way down the long hall they came to the library door and followed Jennifer inside. The handful of amused faces awaiting them cast an odd contrast to the unconscious woman on the floor.

“Damn but you gals know how to party!” Steve said with an approving hoot.

Bob stifled a grumble as he turned to face the redheaded Senior Partner. “Is this the package you wanted removed Ms. Rosenberg?”

“Yes Bob, that snake is the package.” Willow said as she handed him a file folder containing information on Gwendolyn Post. “See that everything gets taken care of.” Bob set the rug on the floor and then took the file. It slipped easily inside a hidden pouch in the tactical gear vest he wore.

“Of course Ms. Rosenberg.” Bob said before turning back to the unconscious woman and the rug. He busied himself unrolling the off beige piece of shag before moving over to stand by Post’s shoulders.

“This is quite the setup y’all got goin’ on here.” Steve said as he looked around the library.

“Thank you Steven.” Jennifer said in a polite tone as she went to stand by Joyce and Dawn. “The girls went to great lengths to make this place fit the needs of all our friends.

“Steve, a little help here?” Bob snapped in as polite a tone as he could muster while his partner made a nuisance of himself.

“So you gentlemen do this sort of thing often?” Joyce asked in a mildly worried tone.

“This specifically?” Bob asked with a smile towards the Slayer’s mother. “No, never. Ms. Rosenberg and Ms. Maclay have yet to ask us to pick up a package they’ve already taken care of personally.”

“Package.” Dawn said with an almost experimental rolling of her tongue. “Is that what you call it to make things sound less creepy?”

“Dawn.” Joyce chastised in an even more worried tone.

“Heh. That’s pretty sharp kiddo.” Steve replied. “She’s already hip to our cagey banter. You ever think about getting steady work as a mercenary?”

“Steve!” Bob snapped as he noticed the overtly protective glares both Senior Partners were giving his partner as the man addressed the youngest person in the room. “Very close Ms. Summers, the use of code words helps avoid any legal entanglements from unforeseen communications leaks.”

“What?” Joyce asked in confusion.

“Wire taps Mom.” Dawn answered. “He means they don’t know who might be listening in so they don’t spell everything out all the way.”

“Very clever girl.” Steve said in obvious approval before Bob dragged him back to the rug and the former watcher.

“What’s going to happen to her?” Dawn asked as she glanced down at Gwendolyn Post once more.

Bob spared a glance to Willow and Tara before addressing the girl directly. They nodded once and he assumed that was all the approval he was going to get to answer at least part of the girl’s question. “The package will be taken to a facility in LA where it can’t cause anymore harm than it already has.” Bob stated in as guarded a tone as he could muster. “I will say that we are under strict orders not to destroy the package. Only transport it without causing further damage.”

“We don’t want to go around killing people when we can avoid it Dawnie.” Willow told the girl. “But she can’t be allowed to run loose anymore. And normal prisons aren’t made for people that know the things she knows.”

“So you’ve devised another means of nonlethal containment.” Giles assumed. “For human adversaries that might try to interfere with Buffy or Faith’s Slayer duties.”

“Yes Mr. Giles.” Tara said in a guarded voice. “W-we’ve faced a few people that caused so much tr-trouble that any other ap-p-proach just didn’t work.”

“Where are the Slayers by the way?” Steve asked as he helped Bob lift Post onto the rug and began rolling her up like a cheap cigar. Bob just glared at his partner and pondered all the trouble his mouth could get the two of them into.

“Walking some friends home and then finishing up patrol.” Giles stated. “The, package, as you put it, interrupted our earlier patrol routine for the evening in order to hatch some fiendish plot to kill all of us.”

“Could she have really gone on a killing spree with that thing?” Joyce asked with even more worry than before.

“Yes.” Willow and Tara assured Joyce with firm but solemn nods. Giles simply took the woman in his arms and gave her a sad look that confirmed all of her worst fears.

“Which is where we come in.” Bob said with a polite but restrained smile as he hefted the rolled up rug over his shoulder once more. “It may not be the war crimes trial this package deserves but the facility the Senior Partners have established is better than forcing someone to dig a shallow grave in the middle of the desert before putting a bullet in the back of their head.”

“Is that how you rationalize the work you do?” Joyce asked.

“No ma’am.” Bob replied. “I rationalize my choices and lifestyle by the fact that I have three kids who all need braces. And ever since the takeover I sleep soundly in the knowledge that no matter how grisly the tasks assigned by the Senior Partners may be, they’ll always save someone’s life. Whether it’s guarding a top secret medical breakthrough or escorting captured war criminals, I get to make a positive difference. Under the old regime any man in my line of work was little more than a serial killer. Under Ms. Rosenberg and Ms. Maclay I get to be someone whose actions my kids might understand one day.”

“What happened to that five minute lecture you gave me about picking fights with the bosses’ moms?” Steve asked.

“I told you not to hit on them.” Bob shot back. “I never said anything about having a polite and respectful argument about our job performance.”

“I don’t understand the difference.” Steve admitted.

“Which is exactly why I can’t ever take you to nice places!” Bob snapped at his partner once more.

“Umm, guys?” Willow chimed in as two of her more heavily armed employees began to squabble in front of the now stunned adults in her life. “It’s getting late, and you both have a long drive ahead of you.”

Bob spun around and faced the redhead with as much dignity and respect as he could muster after the argument with his partner. “Of course Ms. Rosenberg. We’ll be going now. It was a pleasure to see you all. Please enjoy the rest of your evening.” With that Bob turned with the rug full of former watcher over his shoulder and all but dragged Steve out of the room.

“They seemed peculiar.” Jennifer assessed once she heard the front door open and close.

“I’d say quirky.” Tara said to her mother while sharing a delightful smirk with her everything.

******************************

“This is it.” Benny said with a slight wince as he cradled his broken arm. Even with the sling they had provided he knew he would be in a cast for weeks. Angel and Alonna looked up at the imposing front gates. Angel pulled his convertible up beside a small post with a digital keypad mounted atop it. Their guide and potential hostage reached over from his seat behind Angel. Benny entered the code and the gates swung open.

“Try anything and you’re a dead man.” Alonna reminded him.

“Like I said the boss wants you two for a job.” Benny grumbled in reply.

“Well he sure knows his creepy gothic architecture.” Angel said with a whistle as the mansion came into view. Even at night the home of Magnus and Virginia Bryce was a sight to behold. Stone columns and brickwork surrounded massive windows that overlooked several beautifully landscaped acres of prime Hollywood real estate.

“Yeah the boss likes his things.” Benny admitted as he pointed towards the main entrance.

Angel parked beside the door that was sheltered by part of the second floor and flanked by a lavish row of columns. Standing in front of the two columns closest to the door were a pair of robed and shrouded figures that Alonna and Angel could already tell were really nothing more than regular body guards. The trio exited the black convertible and made their way inside. Benny looked up in confusion as the Slayer opened the door and nodded for the vampire to precede her.

“Hey!” Benny grumbled as Angel walked inside the mansion. “Doesn’t he need an invite?” He looked back and forth between the pair in confusion. Their laughter just set him on edge.

“It never ceases to amaze me how people who think they know the rules never grasp the basic concept.” Angel said with a grin while standing in the large lobby behind the door and grinning at the two humans. “I’ve already gotten more invites than any vampire would ever need.”

“But I didn’t say the words.” Benny protested.

“You never had to.” Alonna told him as she walked inside. “Your boss told you to bring Angel to him. You knew your boss would be waiting for us at his home. That’s invite one.”

“You came into our home with a gun and demanded we be handed over so you could take us here.” Angel went on. “Invite two.”

“If the girl we’re supposed to guard was told about us and agreed that having a tame vampire around would be helpful then that pretty much counts as invite three.” Alonna added. “No where in the rules does it say the invite has to be made in person, let alone anywhere near the home or the vampire.”

“There might be a few other invites, but as it stands now not only am I able to come and go as I please but any wards or defenses Bryce put up around his home are now completely useless at keeping me out.” Angel said with a sly grin that shook the bodyguard to his core. “Thrice invited by a mage and his inner circle. That used to mean something. Real shame that people don’t know the rules like they should. I’ve gotten into so many houses with nothing but a curious look and an openly interpreted grunt. This one time a servant girl let me into a royal palace by slightly cocking her head towards the door.”

Benny looked back and forth between the two with newfound trepidation. He could already tell that things would not go as his boss planned. And he knew that he would be the one blamed for it all in the end. With a weary sigh the man led the Slayer and the vampire to his employer’s office.

“Boss, this is Alonna Gunn and Angel.” Benny said as he led the two champions into a large, well appointed office.

“Ms. Gunn, Angel!” An older man with a thinning hairline said as he looked up from his desk. He stood and walked around to greet his guests with firm handshakes. “Thank you for coming on such short notice. Please make yourselves comfortable.”

“I’m pleased to meet you both.” He continued. “My name is Magnus Bryce. Benny, get the man a drink. Can he get something for you while he’s at it Ms. Gunn?”

Alonna smirked slightly at the man’s offer. “No thank you. I never drink while on the clock.”

“Excellent!” Bryce said with genuine enthusiasm as Benny handed Angel a glass full of fresh blood. “I always admire a dedicated work ethic in the people I do business with.”

“That’s nice,” Alonna said with a dismissive frown before continuing with her very specific grievances, “but you’ll have to convince me to take this bodyguard case of yours. We were on an important mission and the last thing we expected to find when coming home was a man who felt the need to wave a gun in my secretary’s face.”

“Benny gets a little enthusiastic about his work.” Bryce admitted before taking another look at his bodyguard. “But I can see you taught him a lesson.”

“Oh no. That wasn’t me.” Alonna assured the man. “That injury happened when my other girls walked in on him mid-felony. They had a little fun disarming poor Benny here.”

“She has a telekinetic girl on her team.” Benny told his now thoroughly impressed boss. “And another Slayer.”

“The girl who broke your arm is not a Slayer.” Angel corrected. “She just happens to have a very quirky skill set.”

“Impressive.” Bryce said after a moment. “If they’re half as good as you say I’d consider extending them the same offer I’m about to make you two. Though I must insist none of the young men on your team be brought into this.”

“Start talking.” Alonna ordered.

“I understand you’re frustrated.” Bryce began in earnest. “But I’m a desperate man. You help people. I need help. Protection for someone very dear to me. Now relax and let me explain.” He paused as Angel took a sip from the glass of blood.

“You’ve heard of the software, the cable network. That’s all a front. The family money comes from wizardry.” Bryce elaborated for the two champions. “My great grandfather created our first spell in his garage. A simple tallness illusion. Now it’s all custom designed work for people with the right money.”

“Really.” Angel said as he nursed his drink and gave the mage a speculative glance.

“See someone in this town with looks and talent chances are we provided one of them.” Bryce said as he turned back to his desk to pull out some papers. “It’s like they say. The goddess Yeska does not give with both hands. It’s not a nice business. I have a lot of enemies. Industry rivals.”

“Yeska?” Angel asked with a suddenly raised eyebrow that the Slayer couldn’t have missed.

“Someone is threatening you?” Alonna asked as she decided to ask Angel afterward about the man’s faith.

“Someone, is threatening my daughter.” Bryce said with a far more weary sigh. “My only family. Maybe it’s Lanier and his wish granting firm. Maybe it’s Briggs over at Consolidated Curses. There are letters and calls. Twice we have caught intruders inside the house.”

“And none of your fancy spells have stopped them?” Alonna asked in disbelief.

“These guys are in the business. They know all the tricks.” Bryce replied.

“You want us to be her bodyguards.” Alonna said with a grimace as she figured out where this would all be going.

“It’s not a matter of wanting anything. I’m going to pay you both a lot of money to protect her.” Bryce said as he stepped up to stand directly before the Slayer. “You’ll do it, get paid, and we’ll all be very happy.”

“We’ll do it.” Angel chimed in drawing a confused glare from the Slayer. A moment passed where the two just looked at each other. In the end Alonna knew she would give in. Something was just too intriguing about the situation.

The Slayer rolled here eyes at the vampire and the wizard. “Alright then. Let’s go meet our new client.”

“Wonderful!” Bryce all but cheered. He led the pair out of his office and up a lavish flight of stairs they had passed on their way through the foyer. He came to a closed door and knocked quietly before stepping inside. “Honey, we have guests.”

Alonna barely contained an aroused gasp as she caught sight of the woman lying across the bed. The slender hips and pert buttocks caught most of her attention before the mop of long curly red locks shook and drew all of the Slayer’s eyes upwards. Virginia Bryce rolled over on her bed and gave the group at her door a mischievous smirk.

“Oh look.” Virginia said as she gave Alonna a flirty look. “The Slayer and her pet vampire are here. How does that work exactly?”

“Quite well for me actually.” Angel admitted with a grin as he noticed the almost imperceptible signs of arousal coming from his friend. “Funny how gypsy curses work out. You never know where they’ll take you.”

“Well Daddy knows how to send out for just about anything.” The redhead said as she sat up and faced the Slayer.

“Virginia! Play nice.” Bryce chastised his unimpressed daughter. “Ms. Gunn and Angel have gone out of their way to help us.”

“No they haven’t.” Virginia argued. “You probably brought them here at gunpoint.”

“The girl’s not wrong.” Angel said as he stepped into the room and stood besides the mirror atop Virginia’s dresser. “But it’s funny how certain plans have a way of backfiring on people.” The odd statement caused the redhead to glance over towards the bodyguard that stood to the rear of the group. A slight smile spread across her face.

“Oh my god you didn’t.” She said with a mild laugh. “Benny what the hell were you thinking pulling a gun on the vampire Slayer?”

“Actually he pulled the gun on one of the girls I keep around to take my calls and deal with terrified victims that need my help.” Alonna corrected. “Little did he know that two of my girls are more than capable of defending themselves from the average thug.”

“Well at least you left him alive to learn from his mistakes.” Virginia told the ebony Slayer with a coy little smirk as she moved to sit down in the soft lounge chair beside her dresser.

“Angel, go take a look around the perimeter.” Alonna ordered without taking her eyes off the redhead. “Bryce, give me a minute alone with Virginia.”

“We’ll be right outside.” Bryce said as the vampire ushered he and Benny out the door.

“You know I didn’t want to take this job at first.” Alonna told the redhead.

“I knew it.” Virginia grumbled. “He thinks he owns everyone.”

“Yeah.” Alonna agreed as she moved around the room. Each step took her closer to the redhead in an oddly winding route. “You have a lot of books. My watcher would probably get a kick out of that.”

“Well there have been threats for a long time.” Virginia admitted with a bored sigh. “Every time there’s a new one I buy a bookshelf.”

“Good for you.” Alonna said as she stepped right up to the redhead and began to loom over her. The Slayer placed her hands on the redhead’s arms as they lay on the armrests of the chair. She leaned in until their noses almost brushed against each other. “That still leaves the question of how a sexy little thing like you is going to make all this terribly dangerous work up to me.”

“I, I.” Virginia began to mumble but was cut off as Alonna pressed their lips together. Shock gave way to arousal as the rich young woman melted into the Slayer’s embrace. Once the kiss was broken Virginia realized the Slayer had moved closer, straddling her lap. Strong, dexterous fingers ran through her curly crimson locks, massaging her scalp. “Wow.” She murmured breathlessly.

“That’s a good start.” Alonna replied with a casual smile.

“I’ve never.” Virginia began before a nervous blush covered her face. “I mean with a woman that is.”

“Don’t worry Ginny.” Alonna assured the now timid redhead. “I’ll steer you around the curves.”

“Not here.” Virginia whispered with a worried glance towards the door. “Daddy is right outside the door and you have no idea how crazy he is when it comes to my love life.”

“I’d be disappointed if he was on board with any of this.” Alonna replied as she stroked one hand across Virginia’s pale cheek. “You know the guys I hang with have a word for it whenever one of them nails a hot white girl from a higher income bracket than any of us have ever been a part of.”

“What’s that?” Virginia asked with sudden curiosity.

Alonna smirked wickedly before leaning in and whispering the answer in the redhead’s ear. “Reparations.”

A loud bark of laughter filled the room and drew a smile from the Slayer. “Oh my god you are so bad.” Virginia said in a whisper that turned to a contented sigh as Alonna’s strong hands massaged their way downwards. “We should go someplace. Shopping!”

“I thought you’d never ask.” Alonna said as she slipped out of Virginia’s lap and offered her hand to the girl she was charged with protecting. They shared a smile before turning towards the door. Virginia grabbed her coat and opened her bedroom door. Both her father and Benny were standing just outside with matching looks of curiosity and chagrin. She easily brushed past them.

“We are going shopping.” Alonna told the men as she followed the redhead. “Might even swing by my Hotel and introduce Virginia to the girls.”

“Alright but remember what I said.” Bryce replied with a now worried look. “I don’t want any of the men you employ hanging around my baby girl.”

“Relax papa bear.” Alonna told him with a coy smirk. She had no intention of sharing her next conquest with anyone in her Crew. “Angel! Get the car! Shopping trip.” She called out.

“Sure thing Al.” Angel said as he practically appeared out of nowhere and joined the Slayer and redhead moving down the hall. “And while we’re out I have something I needed to tell you.”

******************************

“You have got to be fucking kidding me!” Alonna growled as she glared at her favorite vampire with newfound rage. “That piece of shit is planning to do something that horrible to his own daughter?”

“I know.” Angel assured the outraged Slayer as he tried to conceal the tone of their conversation from the woman they were guarding. She had taken them to an upscale boutique for high end magical practitioners. At the moment Virginia was perusing talismans depicting her father’s favorite deity. “But Yeska is no goddess. If he’s worshipping that demon Virginia is in more danger than she even realizes.”

“What do you guys think?” The redhead in question asked, calling over to her two bodyguards. “It’s Daddy’s forty eighth. Big party. And he can always use more images of dear old Yeska.”

“Sounds reasonable.” Alonna said as she gave the table of talismans a once over.

“What do you think of the gold one?” Virginia asked her newest female friend.

“It’s either a fake or a complete dud.” Alonna commented with a knowing appraisal.

“How can you?” The redhead began to ask as Angel chimed in.

“Gold is no good for spellwork.” The vampire said. “Melts too fast.”

“One thousand sixty four degrees Celsius.” Alonna added. “Either go for the iron one for durability or Silver for extra power. Silver always seems to hold up to mystical energies even though it only has a melting point of nine hundred and sixty one point eight degrees Celsius. Just a better mystical conduit all around.”

“You guys sound like dad.” Virginia said as she turned to walk over to the nearby counter. She missed the angry glare Alonna let slip at that comparison. “He really gets into all this stuff. Loves it all. Rituals, magic.”

“And you don’t.” Alonna said as she moved to stand beside the young woman.

“I used to, when I was little.” The redhead admitted. “It’s been just him and me for a long time. He used to sit me next to him at his desk and teach me about runic incantations, or enchanted armor.”

“But not anymore?” Angel asked as Alonna began to stroke Virginia’s back.

“No, I mean.” She began before faltering slightly. “He still loves the stuff. Guy’s gotta love something.”

“His loss.” Alonna assured the redhead.

“Virginia.” A man said as he stepped up to the girls and reached for the redhead. “Were gonna go now. Say goodbye to your girlfriend.”

“Alonna!” Virginia hissed as the Slayer snapped into action. Her hand gripped the wrist of the thug who had done all the talking. She squeezed.

“Alonna?” The man asked in a stunned whisper as the pain became unbearable. “The Slayer?” His partner all but cried out in panic.

“Yeah, that’s me.” She said in a cold, menacing voice as she crushed the bones in the man’s wrist as if they were made of papier-mâché. “I’ll make it real easy on you boys since you’re the first ones I’ve run into. The next time any scumbag dares to touch her, I’m keeping his hand.”

“Okay, okay.” The man winced as his bones crumbled under the Slayer’s seething hatred. “We get the message.” He gasped as Alonna released his hand. They wasted no time in fleeing the scene.

“Wow.” Virginia whispered in awe. The redhead couldn’t help but swoon ever so slightly as the ebony Slayer put an overtly possessive arm around her shoulders. She let out an embarrassing giggle and then a blush as she realized just how easily she was warming to Alonna’s advances.

“Don’t worry Ginny.” Alonna whispered as she led Virginia out of the boutique. “I’ve got you.”

******************************

Angel chuckled to himself. If Magnus Bryce was half as smart as he thought he was he never would have hired a Slayer to guard his daughter’s chastity. He had traveled the world for two centuries. Like most vampires old enough to know better he had heard many rumors about the varied appetites of the Slayer. Enough so that when he first met Buffy and her friends he was more than a little nervous about the way the slender redheaded girl clung to the Slayer’s side. He knew that for all his tiresome flirting Xander didn’t stand a chance. But Willow. If there was anyone Buffy’s inner Slayer would have taken an interest in it would have been the little redhead who hid unfathomable depths behind the façade of a timid mouse.

He lugged the false bodyguards away from Virginia’s bedroom door. Alonna had dispatched the two robed men with ease. Though both were only unconscious he doubted that one would ever be able to walk straight again. The other would take years to regain the full use of his primary hand.

He almost laughed out loud as his supernatural hearing picked up the unmistakable sounds of uninhibited pleasure. The walls were thick enough that he had no doubt Alonna’s exploration of the young woman would go unnoticed by the rest of the household. As he left the closed bedroom door Angel could just barely hear a soft, breathy utterance. A smile crept across his face. The way Virginia moaned the word Slayer was sure to excite her newest sexual conquest.

He passed Benny in the hall and dropped the intruders at the man’s feet. The stunned lackey just stared at the vampire in wide eyed panic for a moment. It was all Angel needed to take control of the confrontation.

“These two were waiting outside the girl’s bedroom when we got back. They tried a spell to take us out and only the Slayer’s quick wits saved you boss’s little girl.” Angel explained in an accusing tone. “Now I have to do another sweep of the perimeter. Make sure no one even steps foot in the hallway outside Virginia’s bedroom. The Slayer is in there with her, standing guard all night, and will gut anyone who comes near that room unannounced!”

“Shit!” Benny grumbled as he looked down at the two men. He dreaded explaining the slip up to his boss. “No wonder the boss was so keen on getting you two in here. You need anything?”

“Aside from a cleared hallway and no questions asked as I prowl this place all night?” Angel asked in an amused voice as he shifted once more into his demonic visage. “Nope, I’m good.”

Benny visibly shuddered at the sight of the undead’s true face. He backed away with a nod and motioned for a nearby guard to help drag the two interlopers to a room where they could be held until morning. Angel just smiled wickedly at the terrified man and went about his patrol. Once outside and a good distance from the house he pulled out his phone. Angel dialed the first number on his speed dial and was relieved to hear the Irishman’s casual greeting.

“Doyle, how is everyone holding up?” The vampire asked. “Good. Listen you and Wesley need to pull out the books. The kids need to know all you can tell them about Davric demons.” A gasp on the other end was all the assurance Angel needed to know their situation was completely understood. “One more thing. Make a call to your girlfriend. Her girls might want in on this one.”

******************************

“So that Post chick came out of left field, didn’t she?” Faith said as she and Buffy strolled hand in hand through the cemetery. It had been two days since the faux watcher showed up on the Hellmouth, and for those two days the little details of that encounter had been reexamined and dissected by the Slayers. Little did the Slayers know they were each fixating on drastically different issues.

“Whatever Willow and Tara do to her it’s too good.” Buffy said with a sullen pout.

“Okay?” Faith replied with no small amount of surprise in her voice. At the questioning tone the blonde stopped them in their tracks and stared into the deeply expressive brown eyes she adored. Once it became clear to Faith that her girl was waiting for some further explanation she sighed and said what was on her mind.

“That’s not really the kind of thing I was expecting to hear from you B.” Faith admitted. “I mean yeah sure she was planning something bad. But nothing we couldn’t have stopped. The way Lil’ D tells it our limo drivers from the dance showed up dressed in full on black ops death squad gear right after we went and dropped X man off at his house. Now they said that they weren’t gonna just take her into the dessert and shoot her in the head. But she’s still human right? I mean fair trial and all that shit. Right?”

“I can’t believe you’re defending that bitch!” Buffy snapped.

“Whoa now Buffy!” Faith shot back. “I ain’t defending nothing that skank tried to pull. I’m just sayin’ maybe it’s something we should talk to the witches about when things cool down.”

“Faith?” Buffy began to ask but faltered as tears built up in the corners of her eyes. “I can’t even. Did you not hear what Willow said she was planning to do?”

“Yeah, I heard.” Faith said, wondering where her girl’s tears were coming from. On rare occasions like tonight the brunette had no idea what was going through the blonde’s head. The threat of such a dangerous weapon being used by one crazy woman wasn’t something Faith thought would ever get to the Slayer she spent so many hours fighting beside. “She was planning to shoot a bunch of people with lightning. Evil and crazy, yeah, but not the biggest threat in the world.”

“Not that stupid! The more I’ve thought about it the last few days the more I can’t stand it!” Buffy shouted as the tears began to stream down her cheeks. “She was going to take you away from me!” The pained anguish in Buffy’s voice shocked Faith to her very core. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

Buffy went on in an ever more high pitch shriek. “That worthless bitch was going to turn you against me! She was going to spend just enough time with us to figure out the best lies to make you doubt how much I love you! She was going to ruin everything we’ve built together! You freaked out when Willow and Tara told us all about the accident in the alley with the mayor! Well why do you think things went so badly right after that? Huh? Because that whore came here and told you I couldn’t be trusted! She made you doubt all of us! She made you doubt me! If it weren’t for her you might have come with me and told Giles everything we did that night! You heard the way Giles reacted to that whole fucking mess! He was on our side. He didn’t even question Willow about the chance we’d stake a normal guy again! He acted like he was just relieved it hadn’t happened to us already!”

“Hey, okay B, I get it.” Faith assured as she pulled the sobbing blonde into her arms. “Shhh, shh. It’s okay Buffy. I ain’t going anywhere. I love you. With everything I got to give I love you.” Faith whispered as she cradled Buffy’s head against her shoulder, stroking the long blonde locks that filed her heart with joy every time she spotted her girl across a crowded room.

“And there ain’t any chance some Mary Poppins soundin’ gutter slut is ever gonna break us apart.” Faith promised with a fire in her voice that lifted Buffy’s wounded spirit. “You hear me B? I ain’t ever gonna give you up. Not for some bitchy watcher the tweed brigade kicked out of their club house ‘cause she don’t know how to handle the way ‘Us American Girls’ rub up on each other. Not for some accident where I screw up and put a stake through some rando dipshit in a back alley. Not for any demon or vamp or warlock or straight guy who thinks they can make you happier than I do.”

“You mean that?” Buffy asked with a sniffle as she looked up into Faith’s beautiful eyes once more.

“I mean it B.” Faith swore. “With all I got, I mean it. You are my girl! Ain’t no sombitch on this whole damn planet ever gonna change that! ‘Cause I love you, and you love me.”

“We’re a happy family.” Buffy mumbled in a small singsong voice as a smile crept across her face.

“You’ve been watchin’ too many kids’ shows with the brat.” Faith muttered as her girl began to laugh.

“Oh god, don’t even remind me of her ironic, late onset, Barney phase.” Buffy said as she smiled anew.

“Yeah, I’m kinda surprised no one’s walked in on her one morning sitting in front of the TV with her hand down C Dawg’s pants or somethin’.” Faith admitted, drawing a shocked and horrified look from her girl.

“Oh my god!” Buffy shouted. “I can’t believe you would, Dawn would never, she and Cassie aren’t like u-uh.” Her protests were silenced by the knowing and somewhat captivating smirk Faith was sending her way. “Oh my god I am the most clueless person on the fucking planet.” Buffy whispered at last as her head fell back into Faith’s shoulder.

“I ain’t sayin’ it’s official or nothin’ B.” Faith said with a mildly placating tone as she continued to rub Buffy’s back. “But Cass looks at your sis with those same lost puppy dog eyes Blondie follows Red with and Xand still gives you.”

“Xander doesn’t!” Buffy began to snap but fell short as she realized how unconvincing that sounded even to her. “Oh who am I kidding? He so totally does.”

“No one.” Faith answered the rhetorical question. “And me and the X man are cool. He loves you like he loves Red and she loves the both of you. Plus he’s smart enough to know that the only one getting’ a taste of your hot little bod is me.”

Buffy sighed as the truth of her girl’s words sunk in. She knew Faith was right about all of the things she had just said. In truth Buffy had noticed most of these points herself but she assumed Dawn just had one really loyal friend she could call her own. “Okay. You’re right about Cassie. But what about Dawn?”

“Shoot B!” Faith said with a laugh that just made the blonde in her arms pout more. “If someone looked at you the way D looks at her C Dawg I would have to fight a bitch!”

“Aww, that’s so sweet.” Buffy said with newfound warmth in her heart.

“No, it ain’t.” Faith said with steel in her voice. “Seriously B, It’s all I can do some days to keep from beatin’ the idiots at school to death with their own severed limbs when I catch some of them eye bangin’ you. The way the brat looks at her girl whenever your mom ain’t in the room is downright obscene. And that’s me sayin’ that!”

“Oh.” Buffy said with another defeated pout. “This is really depressing and kinda gross all of a sudden. I want to get back to talking about how much you love me. But first there’s something I have to tell you.”

“Say it B.” Faith told her girl with confidence. “There ain’t nothing you can say to me that will change how I feel about you.”

Buffy just smiled up into the big brown eyes she loved. “Good because, and I want you to be the first to know, there’s a demon behind you.”

Faith immediately released her girl and spun to stand beside her. Both Slayers took up fighting stances as they watched a rapidly approaching demon that perfectly matched the description of Lagos Giles had given them. They drew their favorite weapons. Faith her butterfly swords and Buffy her long sword. The three blades glistened in the darkness of the cemetery.

As the demon drew ever closer coronas of shifting waves of light and darkness flared out from the weapons. The eyes of each Slayer glowed slightly as they locked on their prey. Lagos didn’t know it, but he wouldn’t survive the next few minutes. Nor would he ever learn the fate of the artifact he sought. As the glowing blades of the chosen two descended on him Lagos knew fear for the first and the last time in his life.

******************************

“Mmmm.” Virginia murmured as she began to awaken. Once her soft hazel eyes finally managed to open the sight before her renewed the smile on her lips. Her face was nestled perfectly between two of the loveliest ebony breasts she had the privilege of seeing. Her eyes trailed up and over one of the soft mounds to the dark nipple adorning its center. As she let out a breath in awe at the sight of the perfectly shaped aureole she noticed the skin begin to erupt with tiny goose bumps as the pert little peak at the center began to harden and strain skyward.

“You know if you keep staring at them like that I’m liable to think there’s something wrong with them.” The voice of her first and only girlfriend drifted down to her ears. Virginia looked up to meet the eyes of her lover in an almost timid staring contest. A long moment passed between the two women before the redhead looked away.

“I know I’ve said this a few times in the last few days that you’ve spent in my bed, but you are an amazing woman Al.” Virginia said as she allowed her head to rest on the Slayer’s gently rising and lowing chest.

“You’re no slouch yourself Ginny.” Alonna replied with a smile as she just held on to the woman in her arms. “You sure you’ve never been with a woman before? I don’t’ normally have this kind of luck turning straight girls.”

“And who says I’m straight?” Virginia asked in a mildly affronted tone as she glared back up at her girlfriend. Her lips were open in the beginning of a pout but held a slight upward turning at the edges of her smiling mouth. “Or is it a mileage thing? Something like two cases of pussy eating have to be documented for every one ‘oral sin’ I ever committed with a guy?”

“Good one Ginny.” Alonna said with another smirk. “I’ll let my brother Charles answer that question when you meet him.”

“You know how my father feels about me meeting boys.” Virginia said with a dour pout. “I just don’t want to think about what’ll happen once this crisis of his is over and he lets you get back to your Slaying.”

“It’ll work out in the end.” Alonna assured the redhead. “His party is tonight right?”

“Yeah.” The depressed redhead admitted. “The big four eight. How depressing is it that I’m twenty two and still expected to be the ornament he shows off at all his office parties?”

“You are so much more than one of the meaningless shiny baubles he keeps around this awful mansion.” Alonna said in a harsh tone that frightened the young woman in her arms. “I swear to you he is going to learn that fact soon.”

“Let’s not worry about my father Al.” Virginia said in as placating a voice as she could manage. Though the tone of their early morning pillow talk had taken a depressing turn she couldn’t help but feel the slight rush as her girlfriend spoke of all her father’s shortcomings. Virginia loved her father. But she was far beyond tired of his constant doting and henpecking.

What’s more Virginia Bryce had been completely blindsided by the sudden rush of arousal the first time Alonna asked her if being whisked away from her father to a life of adventure and excitement was something she might be interested in. Even thinking about the possibility caused the redhead to squirm ever so slightly as she felt the rush once more.

Alonna tilted her head back and breathed in deeply through her nose. Virginia blushed at the realization that the Slayer possessed many enhanced senses that would put all other potential lovers to shame.

“By the Goddess Ginny.” Alonna whispered as her hands slowly drifted downward to cup the redhead’s ass cheeks. “I love it when you get all wet for me. Seriously, you might have ruined me for other women.”

“Says the divine champion who ruined me for men in general and most normal women specifically.” Virginia countered before she was pulled into a searing kiss. She could feel Alonna move one muscular thigh between her legs and press upwards into her now molten core. The redhead swooned again in the Slayer’s embrace.

Little did Virginia know that her life was about to be turned upside down. Before the end of her Father’s party she was going to have her eyes opened. Alonna would make sure of that.

******************************

“Welcome to my big day everyone.” Magnus Bryce called out with a smile as he was informed that the last of his guests had arrived. “I want to thank all of you for being here.” He then gave a special nod towards the two newest members of his personal guard. “And I’d especially like to thank my new friends. Whom I have to say are some of my smartest hires.”

Angel and Alonna just gave the man a matching set of amused smirks as they stood to either side of Virginia. Before the toast could go any further a commotion drew everyone’s attention to the front of the house. Bryce and the guests looked worried. Virginia just rolled her eyes. Alonna looked to Angel with a smile. “Show time.” She whispered loud enough for Virginia and the vampire to hear.

“What?” The redhead asked in confusion. “Al, Baby, what’s going on?”

“Daddy dearest didn’t do his due diligence.” The Slayer replied as she drew her dao broadsword from the sheath at her side. Its aura of flickering waves of light and darkness filled the room with hushed whispers.

“Thank the goddess Yeska that someone came prepared.” Magnus Bryce muttered in annoyance. “Slayer, please take care of our uninvited guests.”

“Oh were we not on the invite list?” A young woman’s voice called out from the main entrance of the room. As she spoke groups of armed young men wearing sleek looking body armor flooded into the room. They blocked off all the exits, subduing Benny and the few guards on Bryce’s payroll that had remained with the party guests.

“You sh-should have really thought about inviting us.” A young honey blonde said as she stood besides the redhead that had spoken first. “After all you tried to s-snipe two of our most valued employees.”

“Who the hell are you people?” Bryce demanded.

“Oh! Introductions! I love this part. Baby, can I? Can I?” The strange redhead said as Virginia noticed a tall shaven headed ebony man move to stand besides her girlfriend.

“Of course Sweetie.” The honey blonde said with a quirked smile.

“I am Willow Rosenberg!” Willow said with a lavish bow to Bryce. “And this lovely young woman is my girlfriend Tara Maclay.”

“Rosenberg? Maclay?” Bryce muttered before his eyes flew open in terror. “No! Not that Rosenberg & Maclay? Please, this isn’t necessary. I’m sure our businesses can come to an arrangement. I have no quarrel with you or your law firm.”

“An ant has no quarrel with a boot.” Willow replied with a sly smirk.

“Nice one Sweetie.” Tara said with another smile.

“Thanks, I’ve been dying to use that line but no one says quarrel anymore these days.” Willow remarked with a pout before turning back to the man whose home they had invaded. “Now on to the matter at hand! You sir, worship the entity known as Yeska!”

“Yes, I admit I worship the goddess Yeska.” Bryce said before he found his lips sewn shut with thick black twine. He could have sworn he warded himself against that spell but a panicked look around the room revealed the cause of his suffering. He watched as the vampire pulled talisman after talisman out of his pockets, snapping each one in half and dropping their ruined remains on the floor. Bryce recognized each one as the for one spell or another he himself had cast to defend himself and his home. How had his carefully crafted wards and enchantments been so easily broken by the vampire?

“You really shouldn’t have made all those extra invites.” Angel told the man as a light round of laughter rose from the young men guarding the exits.

“Damn but rich white folks make the dumbest mistakes sometimes.” The man besides Alonna said with a disgusted sneer at Bryce.

“Behave Charles.” Alonna told the man, drawing even more confused looks from Virginia.

“Alonna?” The redhead asked in horror as the truth dawned on her. “You know all these people?”

“I really wanted this introduction to be more intimate.” Alonna whispered. “But someone just had to make a big flashy entrance with all of his boyfriends in tow.”

“Ain’t no thang Sis.” Gunn said as he nudged his sister lightly on the shoulder. “I approve by the way. Way better than your last date.”

“Alonna what is all this?” Virginia asked before the Slayer could respond to her brother. “How could you do this to me after everything I… I trusted you.”

“You’ll thank me in a few minutes.” Alonna said in a firm tone that frightened the heartbroken redhead.

“You really will Virginia.” Willow said as she tried to gain the other redhead’s attention. “As I was about to explain, Yeska is not a goddess. She’s a demon. A Davric demon to be precise.”

“Demon?” Virginia looked back between her father and the witch who was doing all the talking. “Daddy would never.”

“Oh but he has.” Willow interrupted. “And as all Davric demons feed on live sacrifices at their cultist’s fiftieth birthdays it’s probably a good thing we ran into you two years in advance. It gives us a chance to do this.”

The redhead and honey blonde clasped hands and focused their energies. In no time they began to chant slowly and Virginia couldn’t help but feel their overwhelming power as it filled the room. “Yeska of the razor eyes and stone heart! We command you! In the name of the true Goddess! Appear!”

Virginia could swear she saw clouds form and the air between her father and herself thicken before it split open. Between them floated a rotund vaguely female form with gray skin the color and texture of wet concrete. Long scraggly gray hair erupted from the demon’s head in a wild mane. As it turned away from Virginia she shuddered, releasing a relieved sigh as its blood red eyes and disgusting black needle shaped teeth left her field of vision.

“Magnus, it is not yet your time.” Yeska said in a voice that was a cross between an anguished wail and a gust of wind. “Your sacrifice’s time will come before you even…” The demon stopped. It spun around to face Virginia once more. It glared at the now terrified redhead before letting out a pained shriek.

“The Sacrifice is impure!” Yeska screamed just before Alonna charged forward with her shimmering blade. Yeska’s head was cleaved from her body and rolled across the floor to stop at Magnus Bryce’s feet.

“What the hell was that?” Virginia screamed as the demon melted away.

“She’s impure?” Bryce asked in a stunned whisper just after Willow released the spell silencing him. Almost everyone in the room just stared at the stunned father in varying degrees of confusion and amusement. “She, she’s not a virgin?” As the words left his mouth his expression hardened. He glared at Angel with unconcealed contempt. “You!”

“Whoa. That’s what impure meant?” Gunn asked as he looked to his sister and then Doyle and Wesley.

“The vamp slept with her?” Rondell asked in wonder as Doyle just shook his head.

“You were supposed to be cursed.” Bryce seethed at the vampire. “This shouldn’t have happened. That’s why I hired you. You’re a eunuch!”

“Eunuch!” Angel shouted back in shock.

“Nah, nah, Al was the one who probably. Wait? Eunuch?” Chain chimed in. “Like the ones with no downstairs parts?”

“What are you talking about?” Virginia asked in shock and annoyance.

“She was a virgin before you got here!” Bryce told the vampire

“Damn Al!” Chain called out from across the room. “You took that fine white girl’s V card and inducted her into the sisterhood all in two nights? Mad props girl!”

“No way! Bullshit!” Alonna cried out in anger. “There is no way in hell she was a virgin before last weekend!”

“I was not a virgin!” Virginia all but screamed in agreement.

“What?” Bryce asked in shock before he turned around to look at the way the Slayer was standing beside his daughter. “Wait the Slayer was the one who… but she’s a girl.”

“I could have told you she wasn’t no virgin.” Gunn said with a disbelieving roll of his eyes.

“Hey!” Alonna snapped at her brother while slapping his arm. “That’s my girl you’re talking about!”

“Your girl!” Bryce shouted. “She’s my daughter!”

“Not a eunuch!” Angel stated firmly as it seemed everyone was ignoring him.

“I can attest to… never mind.” Wesley began to defend Angel but quickly quieted down.

“Even if you did do things with the Slayer it’s not like that counts. You’re both girls!” Bryce said, unknowingly drawing outraged glares from the witches standing just behind him and the Slayer standing beside his daughter. “I kept you away from all men.”

“I mean the curse isn’t even all that clear.” Angel muttered as it became clear his manhood was going to remain besmirched by gossiping wizards with too much free time on their hands.

“Daddy, you remember that chauffer?” Virginia asked as she advanced on her father. “From when I was sixteen? And the one at eighteen? I haven’t been a virgin for a very long time.” She paused for a moment and glanced around the room until she caught sight of one of her father’s men trying to slip out the back. “I even dated Rick.” All eyes turned for a moment to the robed figure who was avoiding all eye contact as he tip toed across creaky floorboards.

“Ginny don’t do this.” Bryce warned as he felt himself becoming angrier by the moment. “Don’t make me angry.” He seethed at his daughter.

“Right.” She seethed right back at him. “Because then you might do something bad. You were going to kill me!” She shouted. Her father didn’t see the left hook coming. He fell to the floor as Virginia glared down at him.

“You are not my father anymore!” The outraged redhead declared without even the slightest hint of regret.

She turned to the Slayer and spoke in calmed and measured tones so as not to ruin the tentative relationship with the one person in the room she desperately wanted to be held by. “Ms. Gunn, I am going to pack some of my things. If your offer from earlier still stands I would very much appreciate it.”

Alonna smiled at the agitated redhead. Without taking her eyes off the girl she gave her Crew their orders. She hoped it would speed things along. “Fred, Bethany, Anne. Go with Virginia and help her pack whatever she wants. Once things are sealed up have the boys load everything she needs onto the bus. We have a new guest who will be moving in with us for the foreseeable future.”

Virginia let a small smile grace her lips before turning and walking out of the room and towards the main staircase. The three girls Alonna had already taken into her hotel and her Crew quickly followed the redhead. After they were clear the Slayer turned to the witches with an angry glare.

“I don’t want that man to get away with this.” She told the redhead and honey blonde. “Staking him in the heart is too easy. He deserves to suffer for what he did.”

“Oh don’t worry Alonna.” Willow told the Slayer in a disturbingly amused voice. “We have just the place to put him.”

“Good.” The Slayer replied as she left the room.

“I’m not a eunuch.” Angel told the dazed man. Before Bryce could react darkness clouded his mind and he slipped into unconsciousness.

“Al, wait!” Gunn cried out to his sister.

“What is it Charles?” Alonna turned and snapped at her brother.

“You know what we have to do now that you got yourself a honey.” The young man said with a smirk. He was going to enjoy this immensely.

“No! Don’t you dare. Don’t even think about it.” Alonna demanded.

“Too late!” Gunn said as he, Rondell, Chain and the rest of the young men from the Crew formed up around of Alonna with wide grins. Before she could even try to stop them they began to sing the customary relationship initiation song they had come up with for her.

Oh you've got jungle fever, she's got jungle fever
You both got jungle fever, you're in love
She's gone black-girl crazy, you've gone white-girl hazy
Ain't no thinking maybe, you're in love

She's got jungle fever, you've got jungle fever
You both got jungle fever, you're in love
You've gone white-girl crazy, she's gone black-girl hazy
You're each other's baby, you're in love

You've got jungle fever, she's got jungle fever
You both got jungle fever, you're in love
She's gone black-girl crazy, you've gone white-girl hazy
Ain't no thinking maybe, you're in love


Without any of them noticing Virginia had slipped back downstairs to ask a question about furniture. She stopped on the staircase and stared in curious wonder and no small amount of confused terror at the sight of so many young men singing to her girl.

“What the hell?” She whispered.

“Don’t worry about it.” Fred told the newest redheaded addition to the group. “She did the same thing to her brother the other week when she stopped ignoring all the sex I’ve been having with him. I think it means you’re a part of the family now.”

“Oh.” Virginia said quietly as a bright smile covered her face for the first time since the demon had appeared. “Good.” She added as she turned and followed Fred back upstairs. She couldn’t wait for Alonna to introduce her to everyone. She had never been near even a tenth of the number of people Alonna lived with everyday.

With newfound hope she realized Alonna’s promise of helping her escape to a life of her own choosing was only just beginning. She couldn’t wait to see where the journey would take her.

******************************

“What the hell?” Magnus Bryce muttered as he regained consciousness.

“Ah, he’s awake.” A strange voice said in hushed tones.

“About bloody time.” A British woman’s voice replied with a bored sigh.

“Who are you people?” Bryce muttered. “Where am I?”

“Both very good questions my good man.” The first voice said.

Bryce eventually managed to crack his eyelids. He took in his surroundings and for a moment lost all hope. He was in a cell. The stone walls were drab and gray. The thick iron bars that made up the fourth wall looked sturdy enough. They wouldn’t hold up to a wizard of his caliber though. Nothing could once he put his mind to it.

He approached the bars of his cell and then noticed where the voices were coming from. His cell was one of many along either side of a long corridor. Lines painted in the floor denoted points where those in the corridor could stand safely out of the prisoners’ reach. Across from his cell was another occupied cell. In it sat a middle aged blonde woman.

Her somewhat tattered tweed skirt and shawl did little to conceal her haughty attitude. She fixed the man with a speculative glare that was soon replaced with a falsely flattering smile. He recognized that look. She now recognized who he was. How important he was.

She was no doubt trying to plot some way of ingratiating herself to him. He almost laughed at the effort. She seemed smart enough to be of at least some use during his escape. He would no doubt find a use for her along the way. He smiled at her with as much good will as he could muster. It wasn’t much. Even with the prospect of help in his escape Magnus Bryce was no one’s patsy. He’d have to teach his fellow inmates that fact sooner rather than later.

“And who might you be?” Bryce asked the blonde across from his cell.

“Post. Gwendolyn Post. At your service Mr. Bryce.”

“You know him Gwen?” The second voice asked. Bryce realized it was coming from the cell immediately to his right. He turned slightly and saw a hand reach out of the bars and wave at him hurriedly.

“I know of him Mr. Seidel.” She snapped back at Bryce’s neighbor.

“Professor Seidel.” The man corrected only to be ignored by Bryce and scoffed at by Post.

“We’re all going to die down here.” A new voice chimed in with a pitiful whimper. It was coming from the cell across from the professor and next to Ms. Post.

“You’ll have to excuse him.” Seidel said in a quiet voice. “Mr. Chaulk has been here the longest of us. I don’t think the guards have been treating him too kindly.”

“Maybe we’re already dead.” Chaulk pondered before breaking out in another sobbing fit.

“Oh do shut up.” Post snapped at the whimpering man. “Now on to more intricate introductions. Mr. Bryce is an American businessman of some fame and fortune. Though few know the true nature of his business is high end spellcrafting for those with the right resources. He is a wizard of great power and our best hope of a timely escape.”

“No escape.” Chaulk whispered to himself. “Only death.”

“Oh.” Seidel said with an unimpressed sigh. “Another spellcaster. Well it was a nice dream while it lasted.”

“What are you talking about?” Bryce snapped at the professor. “I don’t know about any of you but I have no intention of remaining trapped in here.”

“Right, of course.” Seidel replied unimpressed. “Well, then again, maybe you’ll have better luck. Who knows?”

“Ms. Post.” Bryce said as he decided to ignore the other men in the cells. “I’m always keeping an eye out for useful talent. How exactly do you know my business?”

“Ah, how flattering.” Post said with a forced smile. “I’m a former field agent and researcher trained by the watchers council of England. Your dossier had crossed my desk a few times on the off chance your work might prove beneficial to our cause.”

“Watcher!” Bryce snapped. “I was just betrayed by the Slayer!”

“What a coincidence.” Post remarked with a much more genuine smile that positively dripped acid. “So was I.”

“Were Rosenberg & Maclay involved with you being locked up in this place?” He asked her. “Those damn witches crashed my birthday party and ruined my life’s work.”

“Witches you say?” Post replied. “I didn’t quite catch their last names but a redhead and a blonde were responsible for my plans quite literally going up in flames.”

“The redhead and the blonde. Two teenagers, witches, and they just so happen to be the Senior Partners of the law firm Rosenberg & Maclay.” Bryce grumbled. “Ms. Post I do believe we have a lot in common.”

“Oh Mr. Bryce.” She replied with another forced smile. “You flatter me. Now about our escape?”

“In a moment.” Bryce said before glancing to his side. “So what brought you here Professor? The witches?”

“Oh, no. Well, maybe. I actually don’t have the slightest clue.” The sullen man replied. “I was in my office going over term papers when a felt a twinge in my neck. I looked down and there was a dart where a dart should not be. Then I woke up here.”

“Okay that paints even less of a picture than what we had to go on before.” Bryce said. “What about the crybaby over there?”

“Oh same thing I think.” Seidel said. “Just out getting some groceries and poof. Woke up here. Though I may not have gotten his full story. He was beginning to lose it when I was brought in.”

“So Ms. Post and myself have prior rivalries with two very powerful young women.” Bryce summed up. “And you two just got snatched out of the blue.”

“Seems that way.” Seidel said with a sigh before he asked an oddly upbeat question. “Say have you noticed any new tattoos?”

“What?” Bryce asked as he suddenly looked down. He rolled up his sleeves and began to panic as he realized the severity of his situation. His wrists and forearms were coved in arcane sigils and runes. He rubbed at the flesh trying to wipe the marks away. It was to no avail. He knew there had to be a centering anchor on at least one of his chakras. He quickly unbuttoned his shirt trying desperately to crane his neck down far enough to see more of his chest.

“My word.” Post whispered as she looked back and forth between the two men in the cells across from her own. “You both have been branded with the same curse marks.”

“Shit!” Bryce cried out in frustration. He quickly tried to call up the energy to cast one of his weakest spells. The effort confirmed his worst fears. As the framework of the spell began to take shape in his mind he was seized with unimaginable pain. His body burned from within. He could have sworn his bones had been replaced with molten lava. Bryce screamed in agony as the patterns scrawled across much of his skin glowed an eerie shade of red.

“Yeah I really wouldn’t recommend that.” Seidel said with a sigh from his cell. “When I got here I tried to open a portal for a few minutes before passing out and losing the better part of a week. I think watching me fail was the straw that broke Mr. Chaulk. Well that and the torture.”

“A week?” Bryce asked as newfound panic set in. “How long have I been here?”

“Hours you lucky devil.” Post replied with renewed boredom at the loss of her only chance at escape. “I’ve been here for what seems like a few days myself.”

“And you professor?” Bryce asked, fearing the answer.

“Hard to say.” Seidel admitted. “No windows. No clocks. Only the hum of the florescent lights to keep us company. Lost count of the seconds weeks ago. Or maybe it was months.”

“Damn it.” Bryce growled once more as he realized there would be no escaping this strange place.

“Ah, good.” A strange voice called out from further down the hall. “We can begin.”

“Who are you people?” Bryce shouted. “Where did you take us?”

“Ha, wizards, am I right?” Another voice called out with a laugh. The prisoners watched as two men walked down the middle of the isle. They wore black tactical gear, combat boots and crew cuts. One carried two folding chairs and a bucket that seemed fairly heavy in his right hand. The other held an opaque garment bag, a large squirt gun and a novelty rubber chicken. Each had a hand gun holstered to their hip. The firearms looked odd to Bryce until he realized they were designed to fire darts loaded with tranquilizers or any number of poisons.

“What’s the chicken for?” Seidel asked. The lead man sneered, set down the bucket in the middle of the corridor between the four cells and pulled a small object out of it. He turned on the professor, glaring with contempt in his eyes.

“Counterspell!” He shouted as he hurled the object at the confused man. Seidel’s head snapped back as a rock struck him between his eyes. He tumbled to the floor of his cell in an undignified heap. Bryce gasped in horror as the small rock fell to the floor, bounced once and then rolled closer to his cell. When it finally stopped he saw that the word “counterspell” was scrawled across the rock in bright, but childish, crayon scribblings.”

“Let that be a lesson to the rest of you damned souls.” The man spoke in harsh tones. “As far as any of you are concerned this is the Underworld. I am the Gatekeeper.”

“I am the Keymaster!” The other man shouted in a far too amused voice.

“And you all know the sins that brought you down into this dark place.” Gatekeeper finished with a glare at his partner.

“There must be some mistake.” Seidel muttered as he tried valiantly to stand up once more. “I’m a physics professor. I’ve done nothing wrong.” Before the injured teacher could say anything further Gatekeeper pulled out a taser and shot Seidel. He screamed as electricity tore through his body. Chaulk cringed and cowered further back in his cell.

“You are nothing Worm.” Gatekeeper said after Seidel began to stir once more. “You took the brightest minds of the next generation and condemned them to slow and horrible deaths in far off hell dimensions. Be thankful your brightest student doesn’t know you are here. She escaped hell itself and knows you’re the one who sent here there.” A slight gasp was all Seidel could manage in reply. They knew his darkest secret. Bryce and Post cast speculative glances towards his cell.

“And you Snake were dumb enough to try and break up the two Slayers that have the hellmouth on lockdown.” Keymaster said as he moved in front of Post’s cell. “That was oh so naughty of you.” The woman flinched but recovered quickly and fixed the man before her with a withering glare. “I’ll have to figure out something creative to break you.” Keymaster told her as he took her glare in stride.

“You leave her alone!” Bryce shouted, only to have a rock strike his head. The Gatekeeper looked to his partner with a surprised glare.

“Oh are we not taking turns with that?” Keymaster asked before shouting ‘counterspell’ at the top of his lungs.

“Chivalry from the Leech who tried to feed his own daughter to a davric demon will not be tolerated.” Gatekeeper said in even harsher tones than those used for Seidel.

“A davric demon you say?” Post muttered. “Creative, but time consuming.”

“Watch that smart mouth of yours Snake.” Keymaster said with a wicked smirk. “You wouldn’t like what it gets you down here.”

“I’m not afraid of you ruffians!” Post shot back with bravado she didn’t know she had. “Do your worst!”

“Alright then, but you asked for this.” Keymaster said as he continued to smirk. He walked back over to Chaulk’s cell, almost giddy with anticipation. He opened the garment bag and pulled out a light yellow sundress covered in floral designs, a pink wig and a tube of lipstick. “Showtime Rabbit!” He shouted into the cell as he tossed the items at the terrified Chaulk.

Bryce and Seidel watched in horror as Chaulk stripped down to his boxers and put on the dress. The sobbing man then pulled the wig over his own hair and applied the lipstick to his lips in messy clumps.

“Yeah! That’s what I like! Dance for me Rabbit!” Keymaster shouted as Gatekeeper set up the two folding chairs. One faced Chaulk while the other faced the other two men. The two strange men sat down, each one facing the two prisoners they had addressed. Keymaster began simulating deep bass style club music with his throat as Chaulk cried his way through the forced dance routine.

“Can you believe we’re getting paid for this buddy?” Keymaster asked as he tilted his head back to Gatekeeper.

“I know right.” Gatekeeper replied. “Seems simpler just to kill them, but they do have this coming.” As they spoke Keymaster noticed his Rabbit was beginning to slow down. He frowned and raised his squirt gun. Post and the two men in the cells across from her watched him fire once and then cringed at the awful cry that came from Chaulk’s cell.

“Oh god, it’s in my mouth! What’s in that thing? It tastes horrible.” Chaulk cried out in disgust and terror.

Keymaster just smiled and stroked the rubber chicken. “It’s cat piss Rabbit! Now shut up and shake that ass for me!”

Gatekeeper rolled his eyes as the broken man continued to sway weakly aback and forth in his cell. Bob knew his partner would keep Chaulk dancing for the next hour with more than a few infrequent shots form the squirt gun. After hearing what the man had done to his own daughter Bob couldn’t bring himself to feel the least bit of sympathy for the prisoner they had dubbed Rabbit.

The surprise he felt when first told of this assignment was quickly abated when the Senior Partners explained just what kind of monsters he and Steve would be guarding. Though he enjoyed the new moral imperative the law firm operated under Bob was first and foremost a father. That fact alone cemented his hatred for each of the Senior Partners’ special prisoners. Though Bob had never taken a life while doing his job he knew he would not hesitate if given the order to end any of these monsters.

As the Rabbit danced to Steve’s beat boxing Bob smiled. He had more than simple faith in the Senior Partners and their plans. They’d given him something he’d never experienced before. They had shown him what it was to feel true conviction.

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Time and Time Again


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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Mon Dec 28, 2015 11:47 am 
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9. Gay Now
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Location: Kaskinen, Finland. Citizen of Kitopia
Dibs-y Goodness! :banana :bounce

Yay for excellent update-y goodness... I'm glad that they took care of Ms. Post witout too much fuss... Big yay for Alona finding a girlfriend...

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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Thu Dec 31, 2015 2:53 am 
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Location: Beyond the orbit of Mars and accelerating...
Oh, looking forward to finding out why the slayers are gay/bi.

Can't add mitch else, as I'm doing this on my phone, from the one spot on the farm that gets cell reception.

Sent from my GT-N5120 using Tapatalk

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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Tue Jan 05, 2016 10:50 pm 
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9. Gay Now
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Location: Beyond the orbit of Mars and accelerating...
Ok, i'm back from the land of no internet.

Seriously, on the whole farm, there's one spot about 2m wide that gets cel reception.

TBH, i found the level of nastiness that the girls let the two goons get away with, to be a bit disturbing.
I can't really imagine them being ok with it.

Interesting to see Alonna get her play on.
I've seen a lot of stories where gay slayers were a thing.
Including mine :P

I look forward to finding out why they are, here :)

Next Ep please! :bounce

R :flower

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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 11:45 am 
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Hi Zampsa, hi Azirahael. And happy new years to everyone out there still reading this story after so many long rambling twists and turns.

Yep, Alonna found someone to cuddle up to for at least a while, and Angel and Doyle might elaborate on the dating habits of Slayers a little bit in the next main chapter. But the whole truth won't come out for a while now.

And you have a point about the level of nastiness Bob and Steve are getting away with. I honestly don't know where I got the idea for them to have their own "Gitmo" for terrible parental figures under their law firm. But on the other hand it's all psychological nastiness with the exception of the counterspell rocks and the occasional tazing. And half of that was just to establish boundaries on day one. Most of the nastiness going forward is just going to be making the other three watch and listen to what they do to Bethany's father. And we all know what he did to deserve all of Steve's "focus."

We might even get to experience a little of Steve's singing voice down the road. Though his choice of song will be very off putting.

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Time and Time Again


Last edited by Citanul on Wed Jan 06, 2016 12:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 11:54 am 
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Time and Time Again.

Author: Citanul

Feedback: Be kind, rewind? Seriously though all feedback is welcome.

Spoilers: Just about all of them. Go watch the show. And Angel too. Also Agents of Shield a little bit. You know what, if a name you don’t recognize pops up most of the time you can find dozens of pages of character bio if you type that name and the word comics into Wikipedia. It’s almost scary how much page space comic book fans have taken up on that site.

Rating: NC-17 = Smutty smut smut smut. Seriously though they make love quite often.

Pairings: W/T, B/F, G/J, D/J, F/G, A/?, X/C (X/A in half the worlds.) D/C (Though not till they’re older and even then maybe not so much with the graphic detail.)

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: Things seems to be getting a little dark and sinister as this Act goes on. That may or may not be intentional. Then again clichés tell us that it's always darkest before something or other. Until then let's check in on the antics of the two crazy chicks from Gotham City.

******************************
Primer: Sirens

Willow = Dr. Harleen Quinzel = Harley Quinn = the blonde/blue eyes

Tara = Dr. Pamela Isley = Poison Ivy = the redhead/green eyes

Xander = Bruce Wayne = Batman

Anya = Selina Kyle = Catwoman

Buffy = Death of the Endless = From Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series and a few of her own trade paperback story arcs.

Dawn = Kyle Rayner = Green Lantern

Rupert Giles = Shade

Joyce = Joyce Rayner

******************************

Sirens: Distractions, Diversions and Declarations

“So you’re really going to go through with it.” The redheaded feline said with a resigned sigh.

“I dare say we don’t have a choice at this point.” The tall ebony merman replied in his practiced neutral tone. “We need to resupply and these targets are the only source.”

“But they’re guarded by just about all of our enemies,” Cheetah grumbled in exasperation before another problem came to her mind, “and all of our enemies’ friends for that matter.”

“Which is where my dastardly plan comes into play.” The one eyed mercenary said as he walked into the room and laid a large blueprint across the table.

“Is that what I think it is?” Cheetah asked as Black Manta just stared in shock at the schematics before him.

“Oh yes.” Deathstroke said with a wicked smile plastered across his face. “Those two won’t know what hit them.”

“Slade?” Black Manta began to ask but stopped to reconsider.

“Yes David?” The mercenary asked in a mildly amused tone.

“We can’t underestimate their power.” He went on with his concerns. “The last time they went on the offensive the entire Legion was destroyed in a matter of minutes. How are you planning to overcome that power?”

“It’s simple my good man.” Deathstroke answered with far too much amusement in his voice. “If our foe is too strong to fight then we will simply deny them the fight they seek.” He said with a wide smile that utterly confused his two partners.

Black Manta and Cheetah spared each other a concerned glance before looking back to the plans laid out before them. They both hoped the mercenary’s mad schemes wouldn’t be the last crimes they each attempted. Neither the cat nor the revolutionary desired to share the fates of the last men to lead the assault on the League and the two strange women from Gotham City.

******************************

“You almost ready Babe?” The blonde called out from the living room. Her bag was packed and she was more than eager to finally meet the mother of the young man who had become the only person in the world that she herself could truly call family.

“Yeah one sec Babe!” Kyle called out from the bedroom. He was sure he needed one more thing before sealing the suitcase lying open on their bed. “Just need to remember where I put that one thing.” He muttered.

The blonde appeared in the doorway of their bedroom and just sighed at her forgetful boyfriend. “Babe, just use your ring to scan the room for crying out loud. It’s not like that will use up anywhere near the juice you’ll burn flying us cross country.”

“Right!” Kyle exclaimed as her solution sunk in. “Great idea Babe.” He quickly raised his ring hand and willed a soft green wave of light to flow back and forth across each and every surface in the cozy little love nest where they spent most of their nights. Before he even realized it the light converged on the bottom most drawer of their dresser.

“Really? Your sock drawer?” Cassie asked in surprise as the young man went to the highlighted compartment and let the green glow flicker out of existence. He pulled a small box and another slightly larger one out from under a stack of clean socks and checked their contents. The brand new digital picture frame and the thumb drive he had filled up during his training were right where he had put them.

“Some of the pictures on here will make the perfect gift for Mom.” Kyle said with a smile that simply warmed the heart of the blonde watching his excited movements.

“I know.” Cassie agreed with a smile of her own. “She’s going to love them.”

“I know I can only show her the copies of my paintings.” Kyle admitted with a remorseful sigh before looking up to his girlfriend again. “But she’s always loved my, um, let’s call them “abstracts,” if you know what I mean?”

“She’s going to love all of them once you tell her the truth.” Cassie said as she slowly walked up to Kyle and put her arms around his shoulders. “Why you’ve kept her in the dark for so long is beyond me.”

“A man has to protect his secret identity.” Kyle assured the unconvinced blonde. “Even from his loved ones.”

“Sometimes yeah.” Cassie admitted. “But you can’t protect her from everything. Or me for that matter.”

“I’m going to protect you Cass.” Kyle promised. “No matter what.”

“I know.” She lied. “But you still need to tell your mother.”

“I’ll think about it.” Kyle said as her piercing blue eyes chipped away at his resolve. “Let’s just get to the roof and get going.” Cassie smiled and took the gifts from her boyfriend’s hands. She packed them away in his open bag before she zipped it closed.

The blonde handed the packed suitcase to Kyle before taking his hand and practically dragging him out of the bedroom. She quickly snatched up her own bag before ushering the two of them out the front door of her apartment. In no time the couple was down the hall and up the stairs leading to the roof. To her surprise Kyle stopped Cassie from stepping out onto the roof just as they reached the door.

“Oh hold on a sec.” The young man said. “I’ve been working on something to keep my exits more low key.”

Cassie watched as Kyle brought his ring hand up to his chest and closed his eyes in concentration. She let out a stunned gasp as his ring flickered out of sight for an instant. Then her eyes widened as Kyle vanished as if an invisible curtain was slowly wrapped around him. Cassie blinked once and then let out an excited squeal as the curtain was flung towards her and her boyfriend suddenly became visible once more.

“I just figured out how to bend the light just enough to hide stuff.” Kyle explained to his now awed girlfriend.

She smiled once more before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling the stunned Lantern into a kiss. “That’s so amazing Babe!”

“I know right.” Kyle replied with a smug grin. “Now I can come and go anytime and not have to worry about your neighbors getting suspicious about the neon green spot lights out their windows.”

Kyle took Cassie’s hand and opened the door to the roof. The couple stepped outside and looked to the sky. With practiced ease Kyle let out a wave of green light from his ring. It formed into a large bubble around himself, his girlfriend and their luggage. A soft circular couch formed along the inner edge of the bubble and the bags melded into an enclosed space beneath their feet.

Cassie let out another excited squeal as their newly formed personal aircraft rose into the air above her apartment building. She took in the sight of the city of Los Angeles from a completely new perspective. Then there was a slight jarring as their bubble shifted sideways, picking up speed. The blonde collapsed into the lap of the young man piloting the bubble.

“Hi there.” Kyle said with a smug grin as he looked into the eyes of the woman in his lap.

“Hi.” Cassie replied with a roll of her eyes. She was tempted to scold him for the obvious ploy but a much more arousing idea crossed her mind. “So how much concentration do you need to maintain this Wonkavator?” She asked as she began playing with the buttons on his shirt.

“Oh, lots of concentration babe.” Kyle said in what he hoped was an authoritative tone. “Precision construction of this magnitude takes laser focus and keen attention to ones surroundings.”

“Oh well,” Cassie said with a wistful sigh, “I was hoping to join the mile high club on this trip.”

“Oh well I’m sure… Wait! What?” Kyle began to reply absentmindedly before his train of thought was derailed by the blonde sitting in his lap, unbuttoning his shirt.

Cassie smiled at her stunned man who put up no resistance to being disrobed. She was going to enjoy every second of their trip. And she would make sure he did as well.

******************************

“So what’s on today’s agenda?” The perky blonde asked as she bounced through the garden that made up most of the interior of their home.

“Agenda Sweetie?” The redheaded plant woman asked with a coy smirk.

“You know what I mean Baby.” Harley quipped as she wrapped her arms around the waist of her everything. “I know you had some big plans. Not just another day of lounging around here without a stitch of clothing on.”

“Mmm. Can you really blame me for wanting to lounge around when you are just so delicious?” Ivy asked with a more than pleasant moan.

“Behave you.” Harley chastised lightly. “We have to get back to work on everything sometime. Goddess knows what kind of shenanigans are going to jump out at us during that big wedding the entire League is sure to show up for.”

“Alright, I see your point Sweetie.” Ivy relented as she gestured casually with one hand. Right away a long vine like tendril from one of the nearby plants moved towards the green woman, depositing a crystal tablet in her open palm. “Let’s see how our babies are coming along with our experiments.”

“That looks impress…” Harley began but trailed off. Her head spun around to one side as if she was looking out across the open bay on the other side of the far wall of the warehouse. “Something big and nasty just tripped the outermost alarms and wards. We’ve got incoming!”

Without hesitation both women enveloped themselves in pink light. Their overly casual apparel melted away to be replaced with the tight fitting and more than slightly revealing outfits of the Star Sapphire Corps.

Their rings glowed brightly as they rose over the plants around them and out the open window that overlooked the Opal City bay. Neither doubted their ability to fend off this latest attack. The only question was how devastating their retaliation would be.

******************************

“Oh, Rupert I think I see them. Pull up here.” Joyce cried out in excitement as they slowly drove along the curbside pickup at the Opal City airport. She was more than eager for the reunion with her grown son.

“Of course dear.” The shopkeeper said as he stopped the car beside a smiling young couple and shifted into park. Giles glanced between the dark haired young man waving eagerly at them and the nervous mother sitting at his side. “Shall we refrain from flaunting our relationship in front of the boy?”

“Kyle is going to just adore you Rupert.” Joyce assured her boyfriend. “Just give him a chance.”

“Of course.” He replied with a slight smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. The two adults climbed out of the car and stepped up to the curb where the excited young couple stood waiting for them. Giles smiled, leaning on his cane as the young man pulled Joyce into a joyful hug.

“Mom you have no idea how much I’ve missed you.” Kyle said as he spun his mother around once.

“Oh I have some idea Honey.” Joyce replied with a laugh once he put her down. The surprising show of strength startled the woman but she quickly shoved questions of that subject aside as she took in the nervous blonde standing just behind her son.

“Hello Mrs. Rayner.” Cassie said with a fidget and a bow of her head. “It’s so nice to finally meet you.”

“Oh come here you.” Joyce said as she pulled the younger blonde into her arms. “I can’t tell you how glad I am that Kyle finally has someone who makes him so happy.” She told the stunned young woman.

“He’s the greatest guy I’ve ever met.” Cassie whispered in reply earning another smile from her boyfriend’s proud mother.

“I want to get to know you so much more than the little I’ve been able to pry from him over the phone.” Joyce told her with a playfully wicked grin. “But first I have an introduction of my own to make. Kyle I’d like you to meet Rupert Giles.”

“A pleasure.” Giles said as he extended one hand out to the smiling young man. “Joyce has told me so much about you I feel as if I know you already.”

Kyle looked up to the man with a mild smirk. He grasped Giles’ hand in his own then pulled the stunned shopkeeper into a firm hug. “Thanks for looking after Mom Mr. Giles.”

“I assure you it was almost entirely for my own selfish reasons dear boy.” Giles told the young man who only laughed at the odd statement. “Shall we be on our way? I’m sure you two would love the chance to freshen up after the long flight.”

“Oh yeah.” Cassie said with a sly wink towards her boyfriend. “It was long and hard, but Kyle and I kept each other pretty busy the whole flight.” As she spoke an unmistakable blush rose over the young man. Setting aside the odd phrasing, the couples loaded the bags in to the trunk of Giles’ car. Cassie and Kyle climbed in the back seat while Joyce moved to the passenger’s seat.

As Giles sat in the driver’s seat Joyce couldn’t help but notice the way her son and the blonde clasped hands in the rearview mirror. An approving smile crossed her face as she took in the little smiles and meaningful eye contact the couple shared. Her son had found someone. He was enamored with the slim blonde, and by the looks of things the girl was just as besotted with him. As they drove back to the shop any ideas Joyce had about ruthlessly grilling the young woman melted away. All that mattered was that they were happy.

******************************

The unmanned military grade drone flew low over the water as it neared the bay. It loosed two guided missiles as it received the signal from its controller then began to veer off. Before it was even fully turned a beam of bright pink light shot out and cut off both wings. Another bisected the missiles in mid air. They exploded in a massive fireball that could be heard and easily glimpsed across the entire bay and much of the surrounding coastline. Fortunately they were far enough out that the force of the blast did little more than ripple the surface of the calm waters beneath.

“Well that was unimpressive.” Harley grumbled as she reached out with a wave of pink light and plucked the falling drone from the air. “Let me see if I can hack this awful thing and find out who wanted to ruin our day.”

“Take your time Sweetie.” Ivy replied as she scanned the surface for other bits of debris from the attack. The wings were easily plucked out of the sea and what shrapnel remained of the missiles was still smoldering in a tiny bubble of pink light. The blonde let out an excited shout before all the humor drained from her face.

“What is it Harl?” Ivy asked, almost worried at the intense look on her love’s face.

“We have to get to the nanite island in the Pacific!” Harley announced as the severity of the situation became clear. “This was a diversion for a bigger attack on the Atlanteans guarding our pet project.”

“Who is doing this?” Ivy asked in a cold, merciless voice.

“The last few survivors of the Legion we put down months ago.” Harley said with just as much malice behind her words. As they flew off towards the other side of the continent both women knew this latest challenge would not go unanswered.

******************************

“Is that the last of them?” The startled businessman asked in a quavering voice as he emerged from the heavily guarded bunker. The deck of the massive platform surrounding the small fortification was littered with fallen enemy combatants decked out in lightly armored black dive suits. Among the guards wearing traditional golden Atlantean battle armor only a few had even been injured.

“Yes Mr. Fox.” The nearest merman soldier replied as he faced the surface dweller. “The sensors and defenses built into this amazing island have once again secured victory over Black Manta and the traitorous rabble that follow him.”

“Ah, good.” Lucius Fox said as he gathered his wits and straightened his suit. “Good. It’s good to see that this thing was built to last.”

“Lucius, dear friend!” A loud, imposing voice called out from across the deck. “It is good to see you unscathed.” The King of Atlantis said as he strode up to Fox and grasped his outstretched forearm in greeting.

“You as well your highness.” Lucius replied while looking over the now quiet battlefield. “This happen often?”

“Never!” Aquaman protested. “Manta has been in hiding for months. I was even foolish enough to hope he had ceased his misguided revolution.”

“More likely he was just licking his wounds after the rest of that crazy Legion group was broken up.” Lucius admitted as he pondered the reasoning behind this new attack. “Hope he isn’t trying to start up a new team of like minded individuals.”

“If he is then the League will stop them.” Aquaman stated with firm conviction.

“Of course.” Lucius said. “In the meantime we should look for anything that might have… my word.” He trailed off as two bright points of light rapidly approached from the east.

“My King!” One of the nearby officers questioned as the ruler of Atlantis smiled at the oncoming lights. “Should we ready for battle again?”

“Ha! No lieutenant. Atlantis has no quarrel with the handful of Star Sapphires who protect our world.” Aquaman said. “In fact we owe a great debt to these two in particular.”

“This very island as it happens.” Lucius remarked as the bright pink lights slowed just before coming right for the group of men standing around the deck.

“Aquaman!” Harley called out as she and Ivy stopped in mid air a few yards above the deck. “Oh, hi Lucius what are you doing here?”

“Hello Harley, Ivy.” Lucius greeted with a polite wave. “I was just in the neighborhood finalizing trade agreements and output projections for the next year when these gentlemen stopped by.” He finished with a vague gesture towards the fallen soldiers lying across the deck.

“Oh.” Harley said as she and Ivy slowly floated down to stand before Aquaman and Lucius. “Our home in Opal City was just attacked by a remote controlled drone. When we examine it we found that the baddie behind it also planned the attack here.”

“They fired a drone at your home all the way back in Opal City?” Lucius asked in wide eyed shock as the prospect of such a coordinated assault did little for his peace of mind.

“Aquaman, would it be alright if we searched for any clues linking back to whoever started this mess.” Ivy asked as she and Harley faced the newly vexed king.

“Of course.” The ruler said as he stroked his blond beard. “I was just about to order my men to comb every inch of this island. I’m sure your ring scans will speed things up.”

“Great!” Harley said as she turned back to her Love. “I’ll take the search from the bottom if you start from the top Baby. We’ll meet in the middle.”

“Sure Sweetie.” Ivy replied.

“Men!” Aquaman called out to his troops. “Form into search parties. Comb ever deck and storage compartment. Nothing the enemy left behind can be overlooked!”

“Hail King Orin!” The troops standing around the deck shouted as they snapped to attention. They quickly dispersed to enact the new command from their king. Harley squeezed Ivy’s hand once before enveloping herself in a hard light shield and flying off towards the nearest pier.

As they were soon left alone on the deck of the nanite island Ivy turned to Lucius. The redhead wrung her hands nervously as she faced the businessman. “Lucius, about the special request we asked you last week…”

“It’s taken care of Ivy.” He assured her with a calm voice and a matching smile. “The heads of Wayne Biotech and Wayne Medical are more than up to the task. All the doctors I spoke with agreed that Opal City would make an excellent addition to the first round of trials. Your friend is going to get the care she needs.”

“Thank you Lucius.” Ivy said with an almost imperceptible sob.

“You’re welcome.” He said with a reassuring smile. He took a moment to think before asking the question he knew he had to ask. “Ivy, I’m sorry to ask this, but how do you and Harley know that woman?”

“She’s the mother of our daughter.” Ivy said with a quiet whisper that Lucius almost missed.

The man stood, staring in awe and confusion at the green woman before him. The logistics of what she just admitted were almost too much for his weary mind. “How?” He asked in sheer befuddlement.

“It’s a very long story.” Ivy said as she enveloped herself in light and began to rise into the air. “We might even tell you and Bruce about it one day.”

With that she flew off and began scanning the surface deck of the artificial island. Lucius watched as beams of pink light trailed up and down each and every tower and crane dotting the surface. His mind replayed the startling admission over and over again. As he realized no easy explanation would come to him he began to ponder what the connection would mean for the woman’s grown son. Lucius also began to wonder why the mention of young Kyle Rayner’s name had struck a nerve with Bruce. There was far more going on than the acting head of Wayne Enterprises had been told. He just hoped the full truth was less hazardous than the current mystery implied.

******************************

“And here we are.” Giles said as he opened the door to his shop. Kyle and Cassie took a surprisingly interested look around the place as soon as they stepped inside. Joyce just smiled as she followed them and went to enfold her boyfriend in her arms. She and Giles shared a sweet kiss before walking arm in arm over to the space behind the counter.

Giles set aside his long jet black coat and his even darker cane adorned with a silver raven’s head handle. Though something was off about Joyce’s son he had no intention of ever using his most dangerous mystical weapons around the boy. Even if the unthinkable were to happen the powers his body had internalized over the centuries would more than suffice.

“This is amazing.” Kyle muttered as he looked around the shop. Shelves filled with strange and exotic objects as well as a large number of books lined the walls. One large shelf full of statues and crystals separated part of the front entrance area from the rear of the shop. A large round table surrounded by chairs sat across from the counter. Just behind the table a steep flight of stairs led up to a roped off balcony with more short shelves and a closed door off to one side. “You work here selling all this neat stuff Mom?”

“Yes Dear.” Joyce replied with a smile to her son. “After we met Rupert was kind enough to take me on as an employee. It wasn’t long before we realized we both wanted more from each other.”

“So how did you guys meet?” Cassie asked as she eyed a shelf full of small statues depicting various pagan and tribal deities.

“I was just having the worst day.” Joyce began as she leaned further into Giles’ embrace. “My bank branch was about to robed by some masked nut with a gun when out of nowhere Rupert disarmed the man and knocked him out with a few quick hits from his cane.” Giles smiled briefly at the careful omission of the small display of his powers, of which Joyce had been the only witness that day. “So then the police came, and there was an audit from the regional managers. They found that our branch manager had stolen millions and fled the country with his secretary. Everyone lost their jobs.”

“Oh god, that sucks Mom.” Kyle said. He had almost lost his temper at the idea of some minor thief pointing a gun at his mother. Luckily Cassie was right at his side making sure the brief involuntary glow from his ring went unnoticed. Then as soon as the anger had flared up it dissipated. The news that the older shopkeeper had saved his mother’s life cast the man in a new light. Kyle looked to Giles with an appreciative smile that only drew a slightly embarrassed blush from the man.

“So Rupert was still talking to the police when I got the news that I was fired. He came over to see if I was alright.” Joyce went on. “We got coffee and started talking about where we had hoped our careers would be by now. He said he could use a hand around the shop and a few weeks later I had him cornered in the stock room where we.”

“Oh god Mom!” Kyle shouted in panic as Cassie began to laugh. “Please don’t finish that story.”

“Kyle Rayner, you get your mind out of the gutter this instant!” Joyce shot back as Giles failed to hide another blush. “All we did was make out a little.”

“Still more than I need to know.” Kyle complained.

“So what other kinds of stuff do you sell here Mr. Giles?” Cassie asked as she saw her boyfriend’s desperate need for a change in topic.

“Oh, the usual odds and ends for an antique shop of this nature.” Giles replied as he looked to the young woman. “Conversation pieces from bygone eras, talismans and trinkets reputed to have some mystical property or another, crystals, books, the occasional tacky ceramic unicorn, though those seem to be growing in demand of late.”

“I told you the tacky unicorns would bring in customers.” Joyce quipped with a sly chuckle. “Now we need to hook them into coming back with more consumable goods.”

“Yes of course Joyce.” Giles relented with a sigh. “I already have an order for scented candles coming in later this week. We’ll put a large display shelf near the front entrance by the tarot cards and the tacky statues of unicorns. The shop will positively be awash in teenage girls whose parents pay them far too little attention.”

“Well at least they pay up front.” Joyce said. “A few of your regulars never seem to remember their tabs.”

“Yes, I do need to have a word with that lot.” Giles admitted.

“So, anyway, do you guys live nearby?” Cassie asked as it became clear the older couple had veered well and truly off topic.

“Oh!” Joyce exclaimed as she realized what they had neglected to mention. “There’s a loft upstairs. Come through the stock room in back. There’s a freight elevator we can take whenever that tiny rickety staircase feels too daunting.”

“Rickety?” Giles protested. “I’ll have you know I had that entire balcony replaced just last year.”

“Yes dear.” Joyce said in a bored tone as Kyle suppressed a giggle. Cassie just favored Giles with a knowing smile before following her boyfriend and his mother through the door to the rear of the shop.

For his part Giles couldn’t help but smile in return. The family visit was already raising Joyce’s spirits. He was starting to hope Kyle could extend this visit. If for nothing more than the way his mother’s smile lit up the shop.

******************************

“So far there are no signs of any bombs or traps left by the enemy forces my liege.” The recycled island’s security chief said as Aquaman and Lucius Fox moved towards one of the command bunkers closer to the heart of the island. “All decks have been swept by our troops and our allies from the Star Sapphire corps. One large container of the higher durability recycled plastics is missing.”

“Not the military grade product?” Lucius asked with evident worry in his voice.

“The same Mr. Fox.” The Security Chief answered. “There were signs of a much smaller scale infiltration nearby. We believe the larger attack was a diversion. The Star Sapphires reconvened and returned to the original attack site. I ordered a detachment to follow and provide them with any assistance they requested.”

“Good thinking soldier.” Aquaman told his officer before turning back to Lucius. “This does not sit well with me my friend. No matter how destructive his attacks have been, Manta has never been one for needless sacrifice of his own troops.”

“Which just begs the question of what could possibly make Black Manta send a few dozen of his men to their deaths over one container of plastic?” Lucius wondered as they stepped into what was clearly the island’s command center.

Before the doors could close a bright ball of pink light landed just outside. Ivy walked out of the light as it faded away and up to Aquaman and Lucius. “We found the trap.” She said with an almost annoyed sigh. “Black Manta’s soldiers were all androids. Each one of them held enough explosives to sink this island. We diffused them and Harley is working on tracking the signal that controlled them.”

“Dear god.” Lucius whispered.

“It seems I am once more in your debt Ivy.” Aquaman said with his usual cheerful smile.

“Don’t worry about it Aquaman.” Ivy replied with a reserved smile as she walked over to an open stretch of wall besides the cluster of monitors that displayed countless security camera feeds from all over the island. Lucius and Aquaman watched as she brought her ring hand up to the surface of the empty wall and concentrated. In moments a bright shard of pink crystal grew from the surface. A minute later it had grown into a wide flat surface that mirrored the much larger crystal display screen both men knew to be on the bridge of the League’s watchtower.

“Fascinating.” Lucius muttered in awe.

“Neptune’s Beard.” Aquaman agreed.

“With this your men will be able to contact the watchtower and the Love Star whenever they need anything.” Ivy said as she turned to face the collection of stunned mer-soldiers gathered behind the king and the businessman. “Also maybe the Green Lantern Corps if their leaders kept the tablet we left them.”

“Thank you Ivy.” Aquaman said once he realized how useful the new gift would surely be. Before the emerald skinned woman could reply the screen came to life. Her lithe blonde Love dominated the image. Harley was focused on something just off screen as she muttered to herself.

“Darn robot suicide bombers.” Harley grumbled as her hands worked on something the occupants of the command center couldn’t see. “What kind of poopyhead puts the receiver all the way up the?”

“Harl, Sweetie?” Ivy chimed in drawing a shocked look from her Love. “What’cha doin’?”

“Baby?” Harley yelped before spinning and turning to face the crystal tablet she had set up to call Ivy once the larger screen in the command center was in place. The men taking up half the terminals in the command center gasped as Harley picked up the tablet that was transmitting her image and turned it to look upon one of the black dive suit clad invaders. What had once seemed to be an ordinary man in an armored suit was now little more than a pile of disassembled pistons, unfastened mechanical joints and stripped casings. “I managed to examine the last of these robot decoys. It’s a LexCorp design, but an old one. I think the League or whoever missed one of Luthor’s weapons caches when they went after his assets. My money is on our new pain in the butt having more of these high tech toys.”

“Great work Sweetie.” Ivy assured the blonde. “Were there any more breadcrumbs for us to follow?”

“I’ve got the last known location for the source of these attacks.” Harley added as she spun the tablet around to capture her radiant smile for the crystal bulb that acted as a camera.

“That’s perfect Sweetie.” Ivy cheered her Love. “I’ll be done here in a moment and then we’ll go take care of things.”

“I can’t wait Baby. Love you.” Harley replied before turning back to her work. The screen went dark and Ivy made her way towards the exit. To her surprise Aquaman stepped into her path.

“I’ll call up a detachment of soldiers and assist you in hunting down our foes.” The king of Atlantis proclaimed.

“Should I make a call and have some other eager reinforcements come along?” Lucius asked the green woman with a calm smile.

“Oh. Um, no.” Ivy told the men in a mildly surprised voice. “No, I think we can handle it. Harley and I would like to see to this loose end ourselves.”

Both men watched as Poison Ivy stepped outside and immediately flew off. Neither wanted to be in the shoes of the people who orchestrated this last string of attacks. If the former Legionnaires were very lucky the inevitable rampage of the two Star Sapphires would leave enough of their remains to bury.

Aquaman turned and met Lucius Fox’s eyes with a knowing grimace. The two nodded to each other and Lucius went off to call in reinforcements from whoever was on duty at the Watchtower. If they hurried the League might just make it in time to prevent Black Manta and his current allies from being skinned alive.

******************************

“Wow Mom, that meal was amazing.” Kyle said as he languished in his chair at the dinner table.

“Thank you Kyle,” Joyce said before turning and locking eyes with a slightly smirking Giles, “but it was all Rupert’s doing. He is a lovely cook.”

“Thank you Mr. Giles.” Cassie amended as her boyfriend turned back to the older man with a newly appreciative smile.

“Think nothing of it.” Giles said in his most cordial of accented tones. He turned to favor the young man across the table with a polite smile. As he did he caught sight of Kyle’s right hand more clearly than he had all afternoon. The smile quickly evaporated as he recognized the green ring sitting prominently on the boy’s finger.

Before the surprising burst of anger could compel him to act out thoughts he knew he would regret later, Giles forcibly reigned in his feelings and went over all he had learned of the young man. He couldn’t let himself be goaded into another conflict with the Corps. Especially when the son of the woman he loved was an active member.

“I say dear boy, could I trouble you for some assistance in the kitchen?” Giles asked in as neutral a tone as he could manage.

“Oh, um sure thing Mr. Giles.” Kyle said before casting worried glances to his mother and girlfriend.

“Don’t worry Honey.” Joyce told her son before she began to smirk. “Rupert just wants to talk man to man. I’ll be out here asking your girlfriend embarrassing questions about her dating history and answering even more embarrassing ones about bath time when you were ten.”

“Oh and I have some good ones for when we start talking about all your little quirks.” Cassie added with a wicked grin of her own.

“Funny.” Kyle deadpanned as he stood from the table, gathered the empty plates, and followed a now silent Giles into the kitchen. As he vanished around the corner Cassie and Joyce’s eyes met. They both burst out laughing just loudly enough to send a chill down Kyle’s spine.

******************************

“Well this is the place.” Harley said as she and Ivy came to a stop several hundred yards above the remote oil rig they had traced the signal back to. Ivy fixed Harley with a knowing glance as they slowly began to descend towards the radio tower set in one corner of the massive platform. “Please don’t give me that look Baby. I know it’s probably a trap.”

“It’s definitely a trap.” Ivy corrected as she and Harley touched down gently, hand in hand. “But when has that ever stopped you?”

“Funny Baby.” Harley replied with an eye roll as she opened the hatch leading into what they hoped was the main radio room.

Bright beams of light flowed from their rings, illuminating the darkened chamber. Several consoles and terminals filled the small space. As the two women looked closer they found that what had once been fairly advanced technical equipment was now little more than worn out scrap metal. Panels and faceplates covering circuit board housings lay sprawled across the floor. Wires connecting microphones to radios and transmitters were severed. One overturned chair lay in the corner with less than half of its small caster wheels intact. Nothing seemed to be in working order.

“This can’t be good.” Ivy muttered just before the floor split open. She and her Love fell a half dozen feet just as heavy slabs of metal came down over the hatch they had entered through and what remained of the few blackened windows in the radio room. Almost instinctively the two Star Sapphires were shrouded in light. They hovered in place as they overlooked a much larger chamber.

Flood lights burst to life, revealing row after row of heavily armed and armored machines. Each mechanical figure had a large, slightly bulbous dome for an upper body. Four arms ending in lethal looking high tech guns circled the bulb shaped robots. Beneath the upper half of each machine a wide pipe ran down to a flat disc ringed with six spindly insect-like legs.

“Welcome ladies!” A strange voice mockingly called out over intercom speakers lining the room. As the voice drew the women’s attention each and every one of the dozens of deadly machines brought their gun arms up to face the oncoming Lanterns. Harley and Ivy gave each other reassuring looks as the strange voice carried on in what was easily the worst British accent they had ever heard. “We didn’t get to chat last time. I’m Deathstroke, and in this dimension I don’t have a sense of humor.”

******************************

“He really used to ride his scooter around the house in the nude?” Cassie asked as she continued to laugh at the strange and heartwarming stories her boyfriend’s mother had shared.

“Oh yeah.” Joyce replied with a playful smirk. “Kyle wasn’t much of a fan of pants growing up. But then again he did turn out to be an “artist.” She finished with knowing air quotes.

“Well he is very creative.” Cassie said as she suddenly realized what was about to happen once the boys returned from the kitchen. “Joyce there’s something you need to know.”

“Oh my god.” The elder blonde said with an almost terrified gasp. “He proposed didn’t he? I knew he’s been holding something back. You said yes right? Have you set a date yet?”

“What?” The young seer asked in shock and confusion.

The conclusion her boyfriend’s mother had leapt to was all but unthinkable. The younger blonde knew her time was drawing short. She knew that one day soon she would fall victim to a violent and gruesome end. The last thing she wanted was to put Kyle through the trauma of becoming a widower at such an early age. Better he morn the loss of a girlfriend and move on than suffer the death of his first wife.

“No.” Cassie said once she collected her thoughts enough to dissuade the worried look in Joyce’s eyes. “No, we aren’t getting married right now. It’s way too soon for that.”

Disappointment painted Joyce’s face as the wind left her sails. “Oh.” She said after a brief pause. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to rush you into anything.”

“It’s okay Joyce.” Cassie assured the woman sitting next to her on the couch. “I love Kyle. I know he is going to make an amazing husband someday. Just not today.” And just not with me, was the unspoken conclusion she couldn’t bear to admit out loud. “But there is something he has to tell you.”

“Really?” Joyce asked with a much more wary frown. The skeptical look in her eyes almost made Cassie laugh. Their visit was only going to get more complicated by the end of the evening.

“I promise you it isn’t anything bad.” Cassie swore. “I’ve only known about it for a few months, and even then he only told me because he was terrified of losing me if he just up and vanished for more than a week.”

“This is about that trip around the world that he just got back from.” Joyce said in a hushed tone as she leaned back on the couch. Her eyes wandered towards the wall that she knew her son and boyfriend were on the other side off. Sudden dread filled her heart. Before panic could set in Joyce felt a soft hand gently cover her knee.

“It’s his secret to tell Joyce.” Cassie began in earnest. “It’s a big secret too, but it doesn’t change the person he is. He’s still the greatest guy I’ve ever met. He’s still the son who loves you with all his heart. Nothing can change that.”

Joyce managed to meet Cassie’s concerned gaze. Deep down she knew whatever she was about to learn would change her entire view of her wayward, unemployed, artist son. But the look in the young blonde’s eyes convinced Joyce that it would never change the relationship she had with her son. That small kindness gave Joyce hope, and more than a little courage as she and Cassie awaited the return of their men.

******************************

“I must say you women have no idea how infuriating it is to be shackled to those two morons!” The horribly accented voice droned on over the intercom. “The one idiot you sent off to die in the sands of Egypt is convinced that this is his big break! His one chance to join that team of misguided fools and become a hero.”

Harley and Ivy did their best to tune out the voice as they worked their way through the labyrinthian corridors of the derelict oil rig. Deathstroke’s prattling went on and on even as they cleared out trap strewn passageways and ambush laden chambers.

“And that lunatic trapped in that primitive sword and sorcery version of the dark ages is even worse!” Deathstroke yelled into the mic as the sounds of heavy machinery filled the hall the Star Sapphires flew through. Machinery screeched to life as the walls on either side of the corridor began to close in on the couple. Metal grinding against metal released a cacophony of noise that did surprisingly little to drown out the anguished complaints of their tormentor. “He meets up with one time traveler with a flashy bag of tricks from a few trashy sci-fi novels and suddenly he thinks everything going on is the fevered ramblings of some madman. Can you believe he actually believes he’s some kind of self aware fictional character?”

Harley and Ivy clasped hands and let out a wave of solid light that forced back the encroaching walls. The whirring of machinery breaking as it failed to kill them filled the halls. Cracking metal rang out as a brief shower of sparks rained lightly on the couple’s shields. “What the hell are you even ranting about you madman?” Harley shouted as a light came on at the far end of the corridor.

“Madman?” Deathstroke complained over the intercom. “I’ll have you know I am the most sane mercenary you have trafficked with thus far. It’s not my fault that you’ve set yourselves up as my adversaries in this dimension.”

“Sweetie, wait.” Ivy called out before Harley could fly down the hall in a rage. “He keeps talking about other dimensions.”

“Yeah,” Harley grumbled before a confused look crossed her face and she turned to her Love, “Baby what’s your point?”

“He said there was a crazy mercenary in a world with a medieval setting.” Ivy continued with almost emphatically raised eyebrows. “Sound familiar?”

“Oh my Goddess.” Harley whispered in shock. “You don’t think?”

“So you know about our past lives somehow, don’t you Deathstroke?” Ivy called out in an almost defiant tone.

“Oh that’s so adorable.” The mercenary replied with a sinister chuckle. “You two have no idea what you’ve done do you? You think you’re just plodding along from one realm to the next. I guess that makes me one of the lucky ones. You’ve only had, what was it, a hundred and forty two worlds worth of experience to draw from? I’ll admit having that medieval simpleton’s expansive foreknowledge whispered into my dreams is useful from time to time. It lets me know that the two of you haven’t had the chance to steal as many noteworthy toys from the few fools you’ve managed to vanquish.”

“What is any of that supposed to mean?” Harley asked in an angry tone.

“Simply that the best you can throw at me in this world is going to come from your magic and your rings.” Deathstroke elaborated before an almost whimsical tone came to his voice. “Needless to say that the few tricks you stole from that pathetic little asylum pose no real threat. An assortment on insane one trick ponies easily beaten by a depressed loner.”

“You know who the Bat is then?” Ivy asked in a suddenly worried voice.

“Actually no.” Deathstroke admitted. “The other two are surprisingly tight lipped about the names of those idealistic children in that gaudy ivory watchtower.”

“Small miracles.” Harley muttered as hatches further down the hall opened. She and her Love renewed their focus on the battle as more robots began to fill the corridor.

“In any case you’ll both be dead soon.” Deathstroke said with another chuckle. “I assume from you’re perspective you’ll just wake up in the “next” dimension.” His sarcastically smug voice echoed through the halls as the Star Sapphires once more tore through the military grade combat robots is if they were tin soldiers. The distraction was going better than he could have ever hoped.

******************************

“Thanks again for the great diner Mr. Giles.” Kyle said as he followed the man into the kitchen.

Giles let out a weak chuckle before setting down the stack of dishes he carried. To the young man’s complete surprise the shopkeeper spun around, favoring Kyle with a withering glare. Kyle couldn’t help but imagine that the room was suddenly much darker than it had been a moment ago. “Just what game do you think you’re playing at boy?”

“What?” Kyle asked in complete confusion.

“Oh come off it!” Giles snapped as one of the kitchen lights dimed until it was all but a faint ember. “I may be old but I’m not a complete imbecile.”

“Okay Giles, you’re gonna have to be a little more specific.” Kyle said with a light laugh he hoped would diffuse the situation. “What did I do that got you all uppity?”

“I am well aware of what it means to bear that ring boy.” Giles said in a cold voice. “I was there the first time a member of the Green Lantern Corps visited this world.”

“You were there when Hal Jordan joined the Corps?” Kyle asked in sudden awe.

“What?” Giles asked, taken aback. “Hardly! That reckless flyboy had nothing to do with the first time the Corps visited Earth. His predecessor came to this very country just over a hundred years ago. As much as I enjoyed saving the day on that one occasion I’ll have you know that I refuse to be bullied around by the recent crop of earth based Lanterns or that trouble starting League you’ve all formed!”

“Why would, wait.” Kyle began to ask but stopped as one odd detail caught all of his attention. “A hundred years?”

“Yes boy, among other things I am a very old soul.” Giles said with a dismissive wave as Kyle saw small tendrils of living shadow creep out from the souls of Giles’ shoes. “More to the point I demand that you tell me what games your League is playing with Joyce this instant.”

“What does my mother have to do with the League?” Kyle asked.

“Are they using my relationship with her to further some ridiculous plot?” Giles said with a tone that made it clear he expected an answer. “Did you ask Joyce to start spying on me because of the crimes I’ve committed in the past?”

“My mother doesn’t even know I’m…” Kyle began before Giles’ words caught his focus once more. “What crimes?”

“She doesn’t know about your powers or your job?” Giles let out in a stunned whisper. The wind all but left his sails as he realized what the startling revelations could mean for the woman he loved. The room visibly brightened as the shadows Giles was able to manifest flickered out of existence.

“Who are you and what are you planning to do to my mother?” Kyle asked with an edge to his voice. It was his turn to kindle indignant fury. He had no patience for anyone who thought they could play with the hearts of the people he loved.

Giles stared at the young man for a moment. Confusion at the turn the round of questions had taken was soon replaced with amusement at the boy’s protective streak. “Do calm down dear boy. I’d rather prefer it if we didn’t come to blows in my apartment. The last time I fought an experienced Lantern it came to a draw to avoid harming innocent bystanders.”

Kyle flinched as he realized his mother and girlfriend were both just on the other side of a thin sheetrock wall. If Giles was half as powerful as he claimed then fighting was the last thing the young Lantern wanted. Yet he still needed answers. He fixed the older man with a glare as he relaxed in stance ever so slightly.

“That’s better.” Giles said with a relieved sigh as he turned to rest his palms on the kitchen island bar. “In the year eighteen thirty eight I was just a few years older than you are now.” Giles admitted with an almost mournful sigh. “I had a family, friends. A life that, while not too extraordinary for the times, was mine.”

Kyle watched the man recount the distant past with an almost nostalgic tremor in his voice. The young man couldn’t quite tell if what he heard was the truth or some elaborate joke. He grew impatient until the wistful air left Giles’ voice to be replaced with the harsh, bitter pangs of remorse.

“One night I was walking home when I was struck from behind out of nowhere.” Giles went on. “I awoke in the charred ruins of an old warehouse. There was nothing left of my attackers except for sigils etched in blood all across the ground around me. And of course there was also somewhere around a hundred burned bodies littering the floor of that awful place.”

“Oh god.” Kyle whispered.

“Yes, quite.” Giles agreed. “I had no recollection of my past until days later when a good friend found me lying in the gutter. He nursed me back to health.”

“You two must have been close before whatever it was that happened to you.” Kyle ventured.

“Charles was a singularly wonderful man.” Giles said with another wistful sigh. “In the years following that massacre I found that I no longer aged at the normal rate. I also found myself possessed of unique talents.” With that last admission Giles brought his hand up. Kyle marveled as it was enveloped in writhing tendrils of shadow. One shadow elongated and reached across the room to retrieve a well used tea set sitting by the far wall in front of Giles. Another moved to the stovetop behind the shopkeeper, lighting the burner as a third filled a kettle with tap water before setting it on the range to boil.

“Neat.” Kyle said as he watched the shadows retreat back into his mother’s boyfriend.

“Kyle, I’m not going to lie to you.” Giles said as he turned to face the young man once more. “In my time I have been many things. Thief, criminal, scoundrel, adventurer, monster and savior. There were many who thought I was the devil himself made flesh.”

“Okay, so what are you doing dating my mother?” Kyle asked as he saw a regretful scowl cross the man’s face.

“Trying to find at least one brief moment of happiness in this miserable world!” Giles snapped. “I don’t expect you to understand boy, but what I feel for that woman is real. Her heart is the most precious jewel I have ever stolen. And while mine may be a shoddy lump of coal in comparison I have every intention of letting her keep it.”

“You really care about her, don’t you?” Kyle whispered in mild awe.

“With all that I have to give.” Giles swore. “Now, if the matter of my intentions with your mother is sorted, I have to ask. Why doesn’t Joyce know about your duties to the Corps?”

Kyle lowered his head in shame almost immediately. He never wanted to admit his new lifestyle to his mother. He didn’t want her to worry about him more than she already did. “I don’t want her involved in any of this.” He whispered at last.

“You have to tell her.” Giles said, raising a hand to cease the boy’s complaints before they were even vocalized. “Joyce loves you with all her heart. She only worries because you are by far the best thing she has ever done with her life. Her words not mine.”

“She really said that?” Kyle asked in wonder for a brief moment.

Giles nodded his head with a kind smile. “She needs to know dear boy. And you need to be the one to tell her. I’ll not have her first impression of the Corps be one of those three halfwits showing up on our doorstep with the bitter news that your ring has moved on to another poor soul.”

“Okay.” Kyle said as Giles took the now whistling kettle off the burner and filled the teapot. He quickly shut off the burner and readied the rest of the tea set before facing Kyle. The two men nodded to one another before turning and exiting the kitchen. Both knew the night was about to take a strange turn neither had prepared for.

******************************

“Is that it Deathstroke?” Harley shouted in annoyance as the last of the killer robots fell to pieces before her. “Any more tricks?” She and Ivy stood before the door that the mass of twisting corridors and hallways had led them to.

“No, I believe that covers it.” The mercenary said over the intercom. “By now my friends have had more than enough time to complete their tasks and be well on their way to my true base.”

“What?” Ivy and Harley said as they turned to each other.

“Yes ladies.” Deathstroke said as the door opened to reveal an almost empty room with one swivel chair sitting in the middle of it. The two stepped inside and ran to the chair. Harley spun it around to reveal a wireless security camera sitting on a tripod. Beneath its blinking red light hung a small sign with the words ‘Dear John’ scrawled across it. “I’m afraid you have both fallen victim to my fiendishly diabolical trap. I’d wish you better luck next time but, well…”

As the amused yet mournful tone registered in their ears Ivy and Harley shrouded themselves in layer after layer of pink light and the strongest mystical barriers they could call forth. An instant after their defenses were in place their world was consumed in fire and blinding light. They clung to each other while their ears filled with the deafening roar of the explosion that ripped through the entire oil rig.

The raging inferno could be seen for miles. Nearby shipping lanes were suddenly abuzz with panicked radio chatter. Every experienced sailor that saw the blaze knew that nothing could have survived such devastation.

******************************

“I take it things went well on both of your ends.” Deathstroke said as Cheetah and Black Manta joined him in the communications chamber of their new base.

“Of course they did Slade darling.” Cheetah replied with a subtle pout as she walked up and flounced into the mercenary’s lap.

“We managed to hit each of our targets in record time thanks to the diversions you sent out.” Black Manta added as he stood besides his two allies. “But was it entirely necessary for you to antagonize those two so deliberately?”

“Oh I assure you,” Deathstroke replied with a wry chuckle, “necessary had nothing to do with today’s activities.”

******************************

“Hey, you two.” Joyce said with a smile as her two favorite men came into the living room. “You have a good talk?”

“Yeah Mom.” Kyle said with an almost sullen expression.

“It was most informative for both of us.” Giles replied with a smile as he set the tea set down on the coffee table next to the couch where both women sat. “Now Cassie, I believe I have a bit of a confession to make.”

“You have shadow based superpowers.” Cassie said drawing confused and stunned looks from both Giles and Joyce. A sly smile spread across Giles’ face as he glanced first towards Joyce and then towards Kyle. Joyce only stared in shock at the young woman.

“How could you?” Joyce began to ask as Kyle laughed.

“Mom, Cassie just knows stuff.” Kyle told his mother as she turned to glare at him. “Always has. It’s how she keeps me on my toes so well.”

“Really?” Joyce asked skeptically before turning back to the young woman with a suddenly awed look in her eyes and wonder in her voice. “Really?”

“Uh huh.” Cassie replied with a small smile. “Every now and then something pops up in my head and I just know facts that I shouldn’t have been able to know before. Ever since I was a kid, though it seems to be coming more often since I met Kyle.”

“That’s actually quite astonishing really.” Giles said as he used tendrils of shadow to pour tea for both women and then bring their saucers and cups within a few inches of their hands. “And you say you’ve only grown more proficient since forming a relationship with the young Mr. Rayner?”

Before answering Cassie took the cup of tea he offered her. A moment later Joyce realized she was staring in shock at the young woman and quickly did the same. “I wouldn’t call it more proficient exactly.” Cassie began to reply with an almost hesitant grimace.

“But it happens more often thanks to Kyle.” Joyce said. “Is what you see mostly about him then or is it still general knowledge about any subject?”

“It’s not really seeing.” Cassie tried to explain. “And what I know is mostly stuff that has to do with Kyle and his family. Though some of it may not be what you’d like to hear.”

“Cass, it’s okay.” Kyle said as he picked up on his girlfriend’s hesitation. “You can tell them. It’s not like what happens in those other places can change what’s going on here.”

“Other places?” Joyce asked with renewed worry.

“Dimensions.” Cassie admitted. “At first I though they were just nonsense. Then I thought maybe past lives. But now I’m starting to think they are all running together at the same time, but cut off from each other. Then again there are a small handful of people that seem to be aware of stuff going on in each world.”

“Fascinating.” Giles said as he removed his glasses and stared at the girl. “But why would you hesitate to tell us of these other worlds?”

“Because in just about all of them you guys are there.” Cassie admitted. “Your family is at the center of all these horrifying and wonderful events.”

“Plus I happen to be very in touch with my feminine side in all the other worlds.” Kyle said in an almost smug tone.

“What does that mean exactly?” Joyce asked as she tuned to Kyle and then back to Cassie.

“In just about all the other places I’ve come to know about there is a person I always recognize as Kyle.” Cassie said while refusing to look the other woman in the eyes. “Only instead of a muscular young man with black hair she is a tall thin girl named Dawn with light brown hair and the most amazing smile.”

“My son is a girl in other dimensions?” Joyce asked as her jaw fell to the floor.

“That’s right Mom.” Kyle said with a sly smile. “I’m sorry I’ve hid this from you for so long, but it’s time you know the truth about me. I’m a lesbian.”

Giles couldn’t help but let a brief burst of laughter escape his lips. He only laughed further when he saw Joyce fix him with a withering glare. “What? It was funny. Also your child seems to be remarkably secure in their sexuality and gender identity to be able to joke about the possibility of this so lightly. The fact that they also seem to have impeccable taste in women is just all the more reason to be impressed by them.”

“Stop playing the pronoun game!” Joyce cried out in exasperation as everyone else burst into laughter.

“Mom it’s all good.” Kyle said once he got his mirth under control. “There are other dimensions, a lot of other dimensions in fact, and in most of them we are a very happy family. I even have a big sister in a bunch of ‘em.”

“An older sister?” Joyce said with renewed awe. She had always wondered what might happen if she and her first husband had a child. Maybe then he wouldn’t have felt the need to travel so often. He might have avoided the accident if he had.

“Yup, an older sister that would storm the gates of hell itself to save me.” Kyle replied. “Plus if Cass is right about a few other things I know that you and Mr. Giles are perfect for each other.”

“What?” Both Joyce and Giles asked in shock.

“In most of the other places you two had romantic feelings for each other.” Cassie elaborated for the older couple. “Even if you never acted on them, or in some case where you did but were under the influence of a spell, you were still in love. And in the worlds where one of you lost the other before you could do anything about it you always took that regret with you for the rest of your lives.”

“Relax guys.” Kyle added as his mother and the shopkeeper sat in silence. “This is all very of the good. You make a great couple. You make each other happier than anyone else in the world could even come close to. Mom, it’s so wonderful that you have someone like Mr. Giles in your life. Giles, I know I can count on you to take care of my Mom no matter what. Super powers or not.”

“Thank you dear boy.” Giles said as he once more removed his glasses and gave them a thorough polish.

“Now Mom, there’s this other thing that Mr. Giles just figured out and wants me to tell you.” Kyle went on and brought his ring hand up for his mother to clearly see. “And I agree. You deserve to know about what I’m doing with my life.”

“Kyle I have always supported your desire to be an artist.” Joyce told him but fell silent as he stood up. Her eyes were fixed on the faint green glow emanating form his ring.

“I know Mom.” Kyle assured her. “And you have no idea how much that means to me. But I got a “real” job just under a year ago. And while it doesn’t pay the bills…” He grew quiet as he closed his eyes and focused all of his Will.

Joyce let out a gasp as she watched the green light coming from the ring grow ever brighter. She stared as it enveloped her son’s entire body. She gazed as the light coalesced around Kyle. As it faded she took in the sight of her son standing before her in his form fitting Green Lantern uniform.

She had seen several news stories of the league and its members. She always wondered why the occasional sightings of the youngest looking of the flying green men stirred such feelings of worry in her stomach. Now she knew why. She knew the dangers her son no doubt faced on a daily basis.

“I’m the fourth human to be chosen by the ring Mom.” Kyle said in an almost hopeful tone. Joyce could tell he desperately wanted her approval for this accomplishment. “The fourth person from Earth to be recognized as worthy.”

“Oh Kyle.” Joyce whispered as she stood up and flung her arms around her son. “I am so proud of you Honey.”

“Thanks Mom.” Kyle whispered as he returned the hug. Cassie and Giles watched the touching moment with smiles that easily reached their eyes. As their eyes met the smiles were renewed. They both felt the joy reflected in their partners. They both felt the overwhelming Love their new family shared with them. The kind of Love neither had known in a long time. As the sun set over Opal City the Rayners, the old shopkeeper and the young seer all knew that their future would be all the brighter so long as they enjoyed it together.

******************************

“We have arrived my king.” Kaldur’ahm announced as the sleek Atlantean frigate broke the surface of the water.

Aquaman looked out over the deck of his ship to see the smoldering remains of the oil rig the Star Sapphires had led them to. He gave orders for boarding parties of soldiers and engineers to sift through the wreckage of the eye sore left by the surface dwellers. As he stepped out onto the deck he noticed the fires had guttered out. All that remained of the massive inferno was smoke and ash.

“With me boys.” Aquaman said as Garth and Kaldur’ahm fell in step behind him. “If our friends are still here we will find them. I only hope the blaze left enough of their remains to bury.”

“Poison Ivy would prefer to be buried in a forest.” Garth said.

“And Harley would no doubt wish to remain by Ivy’s side.” Kaldur’ahm added.

“Too true boys.” Aquaman agreed as he and his men began the somber climb up the smoking wreckage. “Too true.”

It wasn’t long before the soldiers called out to their king. Aquaman and his two squires ran towards the call and found themselves staring at a massive orb made of melted metal. It rested atop a twisted and blackened mound of slag that few dared to approach. Before he could call to his crews of engineers Aquaman saw a slight glimmer of light dance across the surface of the metal sphere. The odd flicker resolved itself to be a tiny blue pin prick of light that danced back and forth across the surface of the orb. It noticed the king of Atlantis and danced right up to him. The soldiers drew their weapons in fear of yet another attack. Aquaman just took in the sight of the tiny pixie light and laughed. At the sound of his voice the light shot back into the surface of the metal orb and vanished.

“At ease men!” Aquaman called out as the metal sphere began to glow. “There will be no memorial for our fallen comrades today.”

The assembled mermen stared in wonder as the metal sphere began to steam and glow, heating up before their eyes. The surface grew malleable and slowly melted away. Beneath the molten metal they saw a bright orb of shimmering pink light. With the top half of the sphere melted away the ball of light began to unfurl. First a layer of bright pink light from a Star Sapphire ring rolled away. Then a glowing golden barrier many recognized as mystical energy evaporated. Moments passed as layer after layer of defensive power vanished. Once the massive sphere was a fourth its original size the men caught sight of the two people whose bodies they had expected to find amid the devastation.

“Greetings ladies!” Aquaman called out to the witches.

As the last glowing barrier melted away a blond head rose up from the nest it had made of a green shoulder. “Aquaman?” Harley asked sleepily. “Baby wake up.”

With a yawn Ivy pulled her Love closer and slowly began to blink her eyes. “Not the most comfortable place we’ve ever slept Sweetie.” She said with a smirk. “But I can’t complain as long as you’re by my side.”

“Hush you, we have company.” Harley said with a delighted laugh.

“Men, comb the wreckage for any sign of Manta or his followers!” Aquaman ordered as he turned his back to give the women some privacy. “Boys I want you both going over everything they find. Put that experience you’ve gained from working with Batman’s children to good use.”

“At once my king.” Both young men said as they snapped to attention and followed the soldiers away from the cuddling couple.

“Thanks for that Aquaman.” Ivy said a she yawned once more. “Deathstroke surprised us with that last trap.”

“So Deathstroke is the villain behind this day’s trials.” Aquaman said as he brought a hand up to stroke his beard.

“Seems that way.” Harley said as she climbed to her feet and helped her Love up as well. “He and Black Manta set this oil rig up as a diversion to draw us all away from their other heists.”

“Indeed.” The king of Atlantis said as he pondered the enemies’ actions.

“As much as we hate to bail on you, it’s been a long day.” Harley told the man. “If you’re worried about this thing sinking bring some of the backup nanites from the island’s core and have them clear it out.”

“Backup nanites?” Aquaman asked in confusion.

“Oh did I not tell you about that before now?” Harley asked as she suddenly recalled glossing over one of the many subroutines she had programmed into the function of the artificial island. “Once a month the bunker in the center of the island produces a small vial’s worth of portable active nanites. You can have them shipped out here and they will turn what’s left of this oil rig into a dozen or so shipping container sized blocks that you can easily move wherever you want.”

“That would prove quite useful in clearing this mess.” Aquaman said as he looked around the ruined oil rig.

“They’ll also clean up any massive oil spills if you get to them in time.” Ivy added and she clasped Harley’s hand and their rings began to glow once more.

As the couple took to the air they gave the king of Atlantis one final wave goodbye before sailing off in a ball of pink light. Aquaman smiled and waved as he watched them go. Relief filled his heart. He had dreaded the prospect of being the one to inform the League of the witches’ fate. Now it seemed those fears could be put to rest. If they could survive the explosion his scout ships had reported spotting there was no telling what they could accomplish.

With a newly happy whistle the king turned and went in search of his men. One quick radio message and his seas would be cleansed of yet another ruined eye sore abandoned by the surface world. Even with the thefts and threat of another terrorist attack today had turned into a good day. He only hoped many more would follow.

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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 12:45 pm 
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Yay for great update-y goodness... I hope that when the girls meet Kyle, Joyce & the rest it goes little more smoothly than the last time...

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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 12:56 pm 
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Oh, poor Deathstroke!

Seriously, the hammer coming down on him is going to be massive!
And given that they know he knows about some of their other lives, they will be coming after him hard.


Though, one thing that people always forget in these stories: the logistics chains.
Armies of disposable robots, advanced enough to pass for human?
Sure.

But robots take parts, and those parts have to be bought from somewhere, even if you can manufacture some of the parts yourself.
Advanced alloys, microchips, electronics. Each of these requires a whole infrastructure to make.

And along comes a super-hacker/witch. :D

Links to the green, powers of pink, magic to break the laws of time and space, hacking skills.
Nope, no hiding from these two.


In other news, i can't wait to see what happens when Kyle/Cassie and Giles/Joyce fill in the gaps with Ivy/Harly.
It should lead to some embarrassed looks.
Especially if Cassie mentions that they're family in other worlds.

Let the good times roll! :bounce

R :flower

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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2016 2:00 pm 
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Hi Zampsa, hi Azirahael.

Rest assured that the inevitable meeting between Joyce, Giles, Kyle, Cassie and Willow, and Tara will go differently than the last time those two stumbled in Giles' tiny shop. Also there may or may not be one or two other characters along for the ride.

Deathstroke is better off than he has any reason to be. He's been an active mercenary for years and has built up a great many resources that few if any others know about. He has his own private island at this point in his career, and it's got a fully stocked subterranean dry dock capable of resupplying and repairing Black Manta's flagship. He's cultivated contacts and assets, some of which can probably shield him from magic.

He also has to have at least a dozen aliases and fake identities that cover all his banking, shipping/handling, real estate holdings, and any business transaction needs. Unless they find either an actual pound of his flesh to scry with or a list of half his shell companies he's safe for the time being.

Black Manta himself also has surprisingly advanced infrastructure and resources from years of guerrilla warfare waged against the City/Nation of Atlantis.

But one easy fall back I have no shame in relying on when it comes to these baddies is the simple fact that men like Lex Luthor, Tony Stark, Batman, Green Arrow, and Norman Osborn exist or existed in these worlds.

Lex Luthor had dozens upon dozens of warehouses and factories pumping out weapons of mass destruction. Many of his resources were squirreled away in hidden bunkers and weapons caches all over the world.

Tony Stark has Armories full of his many backup suits in at least a dozen different states. Norman Osborn even hired a super hacker to open up the one in Avengers Tower when he took over as Director of SHIELD in the comics.

Batman and Green Arrow have similar backup and satellite bunkers and hideouts all over the cities they patrolled.

And Norman Osborn himself had hidden safe houses full of his Green Goblin weapons all over New York City. In one Deadpool crossover book the day was saved when the Punisher stormed into the middle of a fight while riding a Goblin Glider. He had weapons stolen from a half dozen different Spiderman and Daredevil villains and the "man purse" over his shoulder filled with Osborn's pumpkin bombs made me suspect that the Punisher found at least one of the handful of safe houses Osborn setup in Hell's Kitchen. Other Spiderman books have all kinds of people stumbling across Green Goblin's emergency weapons caches and taking whatever they want. Some even becoming new goblins themselves even decades after one of the many times Osborn died.

Considering the rampant arms proliferation a small handful of crazy billionaires are capable of and the resourcefulness of Deathstroke I wouldn't count on him running out of LexCorp Killbots anytime soon. He might even have a list of a dozen or so LexCorp facilities that no one on Earth at the moment even knows about.

Now if we were talking about Warren making that many robots that would be a whole other story. In fact I doubt he could have made the Buffybot without at least sneaking into the abandoned computer company that built Willow's Internet demon boyfriend's body.

There's no way he had the parts to make the "realistic" sexbot Spike ordered just lying around his mom's basement. Or even the decoy of himself that was on the Bus out of town in the episode after Seeing red. Even if we accept that the energy from the hellmouth helps turn High IQ individuals into legit "Mad Scientists" he still needed a large, fully equipped lab to make the three robots he made.

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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Wed Jan 20, 2016 1:11 am 
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Time and Time Again.

Author: Citanul

Feedback: Be kind, rewind? Seriously though all feedback is welcome.

Spoilers: Just about all of them. Go watch the show. And Angel too. Also Agents of Shield a little bit. You know what, if a name you don’t recognize pops up most of the time you can find dozens of pages of character bio if you type that name and the word comics into Wikipedia. It’s almost scary how much page space comic book fans have taken up on that site.

Rating: NC-17 = Smutty smut smut smut. Seriously though they make love quite often.

Pairings: W/T, B/F, G/J, D/J, F/G, A/?, X/C (X/A in half the worlds.) D/C (Though not till they’re older and even then maybe not so much with the graphic detail.)

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: So we've come to the episode where Willow and Oz breakup because of reasons but then later they get back together while Xander and Cordy don't live happily ever aft... Wait. That's not what happens at all in this version of the story. Okay maybe some of it is the same. In any case here is a story about a bunch of characters volunteering for escort missions.

******************************

Chapter 29: Lovers Walk

“Oh my god Will!” Buffy said as she and her redheaded best friend walked out the front doors of the school. “I can’t believe we haven’t gotten a chance to talk about this yet but oh my god!” She finished with a delighted squeal.

“So I take it the girly lovin’ is agreeing with you Buff.” Willow replied with a wry smile. She and the Slayer sat down on one of the stone benches along the main walkway in front of the school and faced each other.

“It is!” Buffy cried out in joy before looking around nervously at the handful of amused stares her outburst had drawn. “It so is.” The Slayer continued quietly. “God Will, I had no idea before Faith, you know. Even with the way you and Tara were always cuddling and sneaking off I had no idea. I mean, on some level a part of me thought it was just about kissing and hand holding. Boy was I wrong.”

“I’m so proud of you Buffy.” Willow said with a smile that practically beamed out all the joy and pride she was feeling for her friend. “Tara and I were so worried about you in the early days. There were a few worlds at the start where your love life was the main thing holding you back. And then, out of no where, Faith admitted that she had loved you from the first moment she saw you walking through the gates of our city. It all made sense. The mistakes and grudges she made in our first life. The way she always tried to have you all to herself. She was in love with you from day one and none of us were smart enough to see it.”

“I still can’t believe it sometimes.” Buffy admitted. She let a remorseful grimace cross her face before another smile overcame her completely. “I have a soulmate. Someone who loves me in all those different dimension thingies you keep talking about. And she is so beautiful.”

“Trust me Buffy.” Willow said with a wink and a nudge to the Slayer’s shoulder. “The feeling is completely mutual. She thinks you’re the, and I quote, “most beautiful girl on the fucking planet.” She said so the first night we brought her home.”

“She did?” Buffy asked as a starry eyed, love struck look came over her. A moment passed before a look of confusion took its place. “Wait. The first night she came home with you guys? Oh god, you mean the night you had to save me from that horrible snake demon in the basement of the Kappa Zeta Douchebag house?”

“Yup. Plus it’s good to know that Faith’s knack for nicknames is rubbing off on you.” Willow said with a grin. “But I seem to recall you had the rescuing handled pretty well yourself.”

“Oh that is so embarrassing.” Buffy muttered to herself. “To think, my girlfriend saw me like that before we even knew each other’s names.”

“Illuminated by candle light in a dark and mysterious cavern. Half broken shackles hanging off your wrists. Fighting off waves of pathetic men who had no clue how much you outclassed them. Watching you use a bright and shiny long sword to cut a centuries old demonic serpent in half. I think you made a pretty good first impression on her.” Willow assured the worried Slayer.

“You don’t think I embarrassed myself too much with all that?” Buffy asked in an almost timid tone.

“Goddess no Buffy.” Willow replied with a laugh. “Faith was in awe of you. I won’t say what she called herself but right after she said you were so beautiful she got really depressed about how she knew you’d never return her feelings.”

“What did she say?” Buffy asked with sudden iron in her voice.

“Someone like you would never lower themselves to be with someone like her.” Willow admitted. “Faith spent the better part of the night crying herself to sleep after we got her to admit her feelings to us.”

“I keep telling her to stop that.” Buffy said as a depressed lull came over their otherwise cheery conversation. “Sometimes I just want to stake whoever it was that convinced her she was nothing but street trash. I hate that she doesn’t see how amazing she is. I can’t stand the thought that someone out there made her doubt herself. That they got away with hurting my Faith.”

By the end the Slayer’s voice was tight and her fists were clenched. Though few could understand why they did so, all of the students walking out of the school began to walk further and further off to either side of the bench where the Slayer sat. The witch smiled darkly as she noticed an ever widening circle devoid of foot traffic around their bench. Even with their senses dulled by the hellmouth most of their classmates had enough survival instincts left to subconsciously avoid an enraged Slayer.

“Now you know how I feel about Tara’s father and brother.” Willow said in a tone just slightly darker than the one the Slayer had used. “What that filth did to my Tara…” Willow shuddered as she suppressed the urge to humor her darker instincts. Buffy swore she caught a glimpse of something that almost frightened her. A sudden darkness filled the redhead’s green eyes for an instant. Buffy reached a hand out to her friend and the shadows clouding her emerald eyes vanished just as quickly as they had appeared.

“Will, I swear to you, if he ever shows up looking for Tara and Jennifer, I’ll stop him.” Buffy promised. “I won’t kill him. Not unless both your girl and your mother in law ask me to really nicely. But I’ll make him regret even thinking about coming after them.”

“Thanks Buff.” Willow said as she blinked the last shreds of anger and remorse out of her green eyes. She smiled once more as she looked to the Slayer. “I know I can always count on you.”

“I want more details on my girl’s first night in this awful town.” Buffy changed the subject with a renewed smile. “What brought on all her talk about how beautiful I am?”

“We asked her the question we ask all the potentials we plan to unlock.” Willow replied with a lighter smile. “What do you think of Buffy?”

“Really?” Buffy asked with surprise and no small amount of awed pride in her voice. “And she told you she loved me right there?”

“She tried to hide it for a minute or two.” Willow admitted. “But she couldn’t deny her heart.”

“I barely spoke to her that night.” Buffy said as she thought back to the brief greeting they shared during the car ride home.

“You made quite the impression on her.” Willow added. “She was in love from the first moment she saw you. All we had to do was give her the slightest glimmer of hope and we knew she would stay with us.”

“What did Alonna say when you asked her that question?” Buffy wondered as she and Willow’s eyes met once more.

“Oh that was just as striking in a completely different way.” Willow said in a cheerful voice as she recalled the morning after they had first met the ebony Slayer. “She wanted to be everything you were and more. She wanted the power and the authority of the chosen one. She hated being so helpless when if came to fighting off the vampires her brother’s group faced night after night. She wanted to be strong enough to protect all the people she loved.”

“She got all of that from meeting me?” Buffy asked in wonder as she thought about the first young woman who had decided to willingly share her burden.

“And then some.” Willow said with another smile. “Like I said, you make an impression Buffy.”

As the Slayer pondered her impact on others a familiar set of strong arms wound their way around her waist. Buffy turned her head back slightly to see her girl throw one leg over the bench as she sat down right behind the blonde. Each Slayer melted into the other’s embrace.

“Mmm, hi Honey.” Buffy murmured in perfectly content joy as she saw Tara slide in behind Willow in much the same way as Faith had with her.

“Hi yourself B.” Faith replied with a smirk as she placed a delicate kiss at the base of Buffy’s neck. “You get your test scores back yet?”

“Yeah.” Buffy replied as she held up her score sheet.

“Hot damn but I’m dating the brainiest chick there ever did was.” Faith cooed with the appreciative whistle of a slack jawed yokel.

“Easy there Cletus.” Buffy replied with a half hearted eye roll.

“The purdiest too.” Faith added with a light peck on Buffy’s cheek. “Looks like the Mom Squad is gonna be happy with all of our scores.” The brunette said as she handed her score sheet to her girlfriend.

“Wow Faith, you scored as high as Buffy did!” Willow squealed in excitement once Buffy handed the paper on to her. “You guys kicked ass!”

Tara let out an amused chuckle as the Slayers gave the redhead matching looks. “Okay, so academic achievement gets me a little excited.” Willow said in a much more measured tone.

“It’s okay Sweetie.” Tara whispered into Willow’s ear as her hands briefly tightened around her love’s waist. “I love it when you get all excited.”

“Oooh, Baby.” Willow moaned appreciatively as Tara’s breath warmed her pale neck.

“I’m just sayin’ it may hurt my standing as campus stud if people find out I’m dating a brain.” Xander said a little too loudly as he and Cordelia walked up to the bench filled with Slayers and witches.

“Oh please Xander,” Cordelia said with an exasperated huff, “I have some experience in covering these things up.”

“And how did you fine ladies do on the test?” He asked as he stood besides his four closest friends. “Buffy, Faith, am I gonna have company manning the drive thru window?”

“Nope.” Buffy said as she and her girlfriend held up their score sheets for him to see. “Looks like you’re on ya own X man.” Faith added with a grin that matched her girl’s.

“What about you two?” Cordelia asked the witches. “I can’t imagine Rosenberg scoring below two thousand, or dating someone who couldn’t almost keep up with her GPA for that matter.”

“Very funny Cordy, but Tara and I did just fine.” Willow said as she and her everything held up their sheets for the others to see.

“Holy shit Will!” Xander cried out as he saw the bold printed number on the paper.

“Will, you got a prefect score!” Buffy exclaimed in shock. “I thought they made it so no one got perfect scores.”

“And you didn’t do so bad yourself Blondie.” Faith added as she glanced over to Tara’s sheet. “That thirty points shy of Red’s score makes me think you’ve been holding out on us.”

“Oh, it’s nothing Faith.” Tara blushed slightly and almost hid her face in Willow’s shoulder length crimson locks, but she couldn’t help the almost proud smirk that covered her face. “Willow and I have taken these kinds of tests so many times its not even funny anymore. Willow almost always gets a perfect score.”

“Almost?” Buffy asked with a curious smile.

“Some worlds have unrealistic expectations about grading curves.” Willow said a little too defensively.

“Willow is a natural at these tests.” Tara added as she gave her everything a comforting squeeze. “Plus I’ve been around her so much that, well, some things rubbed off.”

“Mmm, that’s not the only thing.” Willow said with a lurid whisper as she leaned back into Tara.

“And there they go again.” Buffy said as she turned back to Xander and Cordelia. “I don’t know what I’m gonna tell my mom about this.”

“What’s to tell?” Xander asked. “She’ll be thrilled.”

“This is great, now you can leave and never come back!” Cordelia said a little too excitedly. The stunned and bewildered looks the others gave her only drew a confused expression from the cheerleader. “What? I mean that in a positive way. Get out of Sunnydale. That’s a good thing. This town sucks.”

“She’s got a point there.” Faith muttered with a light smirk.

“Yeah, but most of us are gonna be stuck here for a while.” Willow said with a forlorn sigh. “I’ll help you break the news to your mom Buffy.”

“Will, with these kinds of scores the four of us can go anywhere.” Buffy said.

“And if he don’t mind stripping to pay for part of the gas bill we can probably bring the Xan man along for the ride.” Faith added with an exaggerated eyebrow waggle towards the dark haired boy.

“We could.” Willow said after a brief pause. “We could go anywhere we wanted. Do anything we wanted…”

“But then the world would end.” Tara finished the statement her always had left open.

Grim resignation settled over the Scooby gang. For all they had accomplished, they each knew there were many threats left that they couldn’t simply walk away from. Two of them had a much clearer idea of how many were left. They both dreaded the inevitabilities lying in wait for their family on the road ahead.

“We’ll be done with this town sooner than you guys know.” Willow promised in a voice she hoped sounded convincing. “And on that day we’ll all leave and never look back. Just not today.”

******************************

“So how long have they been goin’ at it?” Rondell asked in a bored tone as he walked into the concierge office of the Hyperion Hotel. As he went over to pick up one of the many books lying open on the table the others, already deeply engage in research, gave him a series of noncommittal shrugs and glances.

The only person to reply to the question with confusion looked up at the young man and then out the doorway he had entered through. As the watcher’s eyes fell upon the Slayer and the newest redhead to join their ranks he frowned in exasperation.

“Girls, I dare say we could use your help in here.” Wesley called out in what he thought to be a firm tone. When the Englishman’s plea was resoundingly ignored he simply rolled his eyes and returned to his research.

“Let ‘em make out.” Gunn said as he flipped through one of the large source books they had claimed from the law firm’s vault. “Al always takes her time with the honeymoon part of the relationship. Right Sis?” He finished with a loud call to his sister without turning around to face in her direction. He smiled. The looks from the others around the large desk confirmed his expectation that his sister’s only response had been one solitary raised finger.

“Yo English, you should really get used to this kinda stuff if you’re gonna keep being Al’s watcher.” Rondell said with a chuckle. “Al don’t really sleep around or nothin’, but she ain’t exactly what you could call celibate.”

“Right.” Wesley murmured as he once more glanced up to his charge and then back to the young men who had known her the longest. “This is going to take some getting used to.”

“What?” Rondell asked in annoyance. “You and your council never had a gay Slayer before?”

Before the Englishman could answer two bursts of laughter came from across the room. “Council rules dictate that the Slayer is to abstain from interpersonal relationships with members of the general public. At best any such dalliance is a distraction from her training and at worst the civilian in question will inevitably be taken hostage and used against the chosen one, and just what do you two find so amusing?” Wesley asked in a clearly annoyed tone as he turned towards the two men snickering off to one side of the desk.

“Oh, nothing much.” Doyle said as he continued to chuckle. “Just the idea of a watcher not knowing about gay Slayers is too funny.”

“I assume Slayers are just as likely as the rest of the general population to favor their own sex over the other.” Wesley said with a straight face that only set the half demon and the vampire off into fits of laughter again. “In any case, while it may be clear that Alonna is not going to adhere to some of the rules regarding her personal life that doesn’t mean she can shirk her sacred duties, and why are you two still laughing?”

“Oh Wes.” Angel said as he let his mirth die down for a moment. “You really don’t know do you?”

“Know what?” Wesley snapped at the vampire as his patience wore ever thinner.

“About how likely Slayers are to “favor their own sex” as you put it.” Doyle replied with a chuckle. “They are way above the national average if you know what I mean.”

“What?” Wesley asked in utter confusion as the heads of the young men around the table suddenly looked up at the Irishman’s statement.

“How do you guys know about this when watcher boy doesn’t?” Gunn asked.

“Word gets around in the demon community.” Doyle said with a wry smile.

“Especially if you’re a vampire that’s smart enough to last past that first century.” Angel added with a knowing grin. “It’s usually the second thing you hear right after you learn what the Slayer is. The Slayer will almost always fight harder to protect a beautiful young woman. Most of the time, when a lone vampire survives their nest being wiped out by the Slayer, they come away with stories of the Slayer picking a survivor out of the left over snack pile and nursing them back to health.”

“The lucky morsel is almost always said to be a young woman around the Slayer’s age or slightly older and extremely beautiful by any human standards.” Doyle added. “You seriously didn’t know about this Wes?”

“That’s, I never, how often did you say this happens?” Wesley stammered until he decided to ask the most pertinent of follow up questions.

“Damn, looks like there’s something about Slayers your council don’t know jack about.” Rondell said with a brief laugh at Wesley’s expense.

“Or they know and they don’t want everyone finding out.” Gunn said before looking back to Angel and Doyle. “So what are we talking about here? One in every ten Slayers likes the ladies? One in five?”

“Two out of three.” Angel and Doyle said in unison.

“Preposterous! The council would have known…” Wesley snapped before trailing off and looking back to the ebony girl making out with the redhead perched in her lap. “Are you certain?”

“The average Slayer only lasts a year or so at best. Six or seven times a decade a new story makes the rounds at all the demon hangouts.” Angel said as he looked up from the sketch pad he had been focusing on throughout the conversation. “The Slayer wiped out all my boys and before I ran I saw her snatch up one of the humans we were going to eat.” The same story time and time again. One vamp got lucky and ran away. A few humans didn’t get eaten. The Slayer takes the prettiest girl out of the group home with her. And every time the dumb rookie has no idea why all the demons in the bar just roll their eyes at him.”

“It’s actually pretty funny if the council doesn’t know about something literally every demon with a working brain and ears has known about since forever.” Doyle remarked.

“And do the demons and vampires that know about this ever try to use it to their advantage?” Wesley asked as his mind filled with all the implications of frequent female hostages being taken from the Slayer’s protection.

“Well like we said.” Doyle began with slight smirk. “The smart ones that last a while are the ones who hear about it the most.”

“And the dumb ones?” Gunn asked as he suddenly understood what his sister would do to any evil thing that looked twice at her girl.

“They don’t survive the first time they try to capture any girl marked with the Slayer’s scent.” Angel replied as he fixed each of the humans with a knowing look. “Even if they kill the girl not one of them has survived the Slayer’s wrath after finding a dead mate. And if they were dumb enough to sire her, well.”

“Let’s just say the rest of the local demons do the smart thing and leave town.” Doyle affirmed. “Hell, if Ginny over there turned up undead I’d hop in a car and make one stop at Caritas to pick up Lorne on my way out of town.”

“Al wouldn’t come after you Irish.” Gunn said as he stared at the man in shock.

“I’m never going to put a grief stricken Slayer who just staked her lover to the test.” Doyle said in a firmer tone. “Whole clans have been wiped out of existence for doing that.”

“So everyone who has been around long enough has helped spread the word that any girl the Slayer boinks is off limits.” Rondell said after taking a moment to go over the news.

“And you never make a gay joke while facing a Slayer on patrol.” Angel added. “Every vampire dumb enough or bigoted enough to ask the Slayer about the last time she scored some trim has died horribly and slowly.” The vampire put extra emphasis on the last three words as he finished another drawing. He tore the sheet of paper from the pad, dropped it to the floor and brought the pencil up to begin anew.

“Usually screaming and in pieces.” Doyle said in a tone that sent a chill down Wesley’s and Rondell’s spines. Gunn just glanced back to his sister with a smile. If so many members of the demon community had made the decision to actively stay out of his sister’s love life then she and Virginia might have a shot at happiness. A part of him hoped for nothing less.

******************************

“Darla?” The watcher asked quietly as he poked his head into the poorly lit room. He had made a habit of checking up on the petite blonde whenever the sorcerer’s plans called for her to remain hidden in the warehouse. The fact that the room they had set aside for the former vampire lay just down the hall from his quarters on the warehouse’s second floor made his doting all the easier.

As he looked around the darkened room he immediately came to the conclusion that something was not right. The tattered curtains drawn over the solitary window let little daylight inside as was usual. What actually was unusual was that each of the room’s few lamps remained dark. The one by the door had even fallen over causing the watcher to almost trip over its long narrow shaft as he entered. “Bloody hell!” The watcher muttered as he looked up from the displaced lamp to take in the general state of disarray.

The mattress was sprawled over one side of the bed. One end lay on the floor beside a messy, crumpled tangle of sheets. The small table set to the far side of the room was overturned. The two chairs that always sat beside it were on their backs. One chair was missing a leg. Drawers had been torn out of the short dresser set along one wall and the large mirror that had once taken up the wall space above that dresser now lay in ruins all over the floor. The watcher looked out over the countless jagged shards of glass that once made up the vanity mirror and shuddered fearfully. Darla’s bedroom had been ransacked.

“Hello Smith.” The deceptively soft voice came from one darkened corner of the room. The watcher nearly jumped out of his own skin as he spun to face the small woman.

“Darla!” He cried out in an almost panicked voice as he rushed to the woman’s side. “What the bloody hell happened here?” He knelt down beside her and reached for her open and outstretched hands. The slick warmth covering Darla’s palms sent a chill down his spine. “You’re bleeding.” He said as he took in the sight of the dozens of tiny scraps and cuts littering her hands and wrists. “Something happened.”

“Oh god yes.” Darla replied in a horrified whisper. “So many things, I remember them all.” Her head tilted to the side and she looked at the man with genuine curiosity in her eyes. “Which one were you thinking of?”

A worried look came over Smith’s face as he took in the woman’s almost helpless appearance. “It was too soon.” Smith muttered as he felt something inside himself stir for the injured blonde. “We shouldn’t have sent you to him. We should have waited.”

“Smith.” Darla whispered almost seductively as one hand came up to caress the side of the heavyset watcher’s face. “You never talk about yourself. Do you have a girlfriend? Boyfriend? Someone special?”

“No.” Smith replied in a voice he hoped was convincing. “There’s no one.”

“No.” Darla agreed in a detached voice as she glanced up towards the covered window. “No, there really isn’t is there? You can be with someone for a hundred and fifty years, think you know ‘em.” A small, empty laugh escaped her lips. “Still, it doesn’t work out. Angelus, oh you should have seen us together.”

“You were different then.” Smith assured in a voice that was just as hollow as Darla’s laugh. “Now you’re a person.”

“And so was he.” She admitted before looking back at the watcher. “Now do you know what we’ve become?”

“Enemies.” Smith stated in a firm voice. Darla couldn’t help but notice the slight hint of repressed anger in the man’s tone.

“Oh no. Much worse.” Darla shook her head as her eyes locked with Smith’s. He couldn’t help but grow all the more nervous as the blue orbs staring into him widened with several conflicting emotions. The slow smile moving across her face frightened the man far more than any fiend he had studied in his youth at the watcher’s academy.

“Now we’re soulmates.” Darla said with a chuckle the slowly filled the small room with dread. As her hollow mockery of laughter grew into a state of delirium Smith knew terror unlike any he had ever known before.

******************************

“Sodding bitch.” The grumbling from the rear of the magic shop drew the clerk’s attention.

“Hello?” The woman asked as she came around the tall shelves forming a partially concealed nook to the rear of the small shop. “Did you come in through the back?”

“Yeah.” The bleach blond man dressed in a long black leather coat said as he looked up from the spell book in his hand. “I need a curse.”

“A what?” She asked in a worried voice.

“A curse!” The strange man repeated. “You know? Something nasty. Boils! I want to give him boils, all over his face. Dripping pustules. Really go for the gusto here.”

“I’m hearing a lot of negative energy, and I bet…” The shopkeeper began to admonish the strange man before he interrupted her.

“Leprosy!” He shouted with far too much enthusiasm. “A spell that makes his parts fall off. That sounds proper.”

“We don’t carry leprosy.” She said in an all but bewildered tone before the bell above the front entrance signaled another customer. Seeing an easy way to temporarily avoid the deranged man, the clerk put on a forced smile. “Would you excuse me a moment? She asked before turning and walking over to the thin girl with light brown hair that had just entered the shop. “Blessed be.”

“Oh yeah, hi.” Amy said as she pulled out a small slip of paper and handed it over to the clerk. “I’m running a little late for my coven’s meeting and it’s kinda my turn to bring the basic supplies we burned through last time. It’s all here on the list.”

“Oh I see.” The woman said as she scanned the list. She let a genuinely amused smile cross her face as she recognized half the ingredients. “Planning on doing a little love spell?”

“What?” Amy shrieked in horror as she glared at the woman. “No! No, they would never. It’s just ingredients we ran out of for casting a bunch of different protection rituals, healing charms and maybe a few glamours.”

“That sounds advanced.” The woman replied as she tried to piece together what they were doing. She knew each one of the ingredients for a basic love spell could be used in a dozen more complicated rituals. If this girl’s friends were really trying that many things at once it could end very badly for them all. “Are you sure you and your friends know what you’re doing?”

“Trust me lady.” Amy said in a slightly condescending tone. “Willow and Tara know what they’re doing. Hell, the only reason they bother to have me backup their bigger rituals is that they don’t want me getting into any crap on my own.”

“Oh Goddess.” The clerk whispered before looking back to the young woman in shock. Even a minor practitioner like herself had heard those names whispered fearfully from half the creatures that supplied her with the merchandise she sold. “You’re with those two… Is, is what they say about them true?”

Amy leaned forward, glancing back and forth before locking eyes with the women. “Don’t tell anyone I told you so, but yeah.” The young witch replied with a smug expression, all the while unaware of the strange man listening in on her entire conversation. “Most of it is true. Some of it makes no sense until you hear their explanations for yourself, but almost all the rumors about serious power being thrown around are true. Just be thankful that both those girls are really just a pair of goody two shoes at heart.”

The shopkeeper gulped as she suddenly realized how dangerous her work was. The idea that a follower of the two most dreaded witches in the country had just walked into her store unannounced sent a chill down her spine. “I’ll get these things for you right away.” She said before turning and hurrying over to the shelves by the front counter. She grabbed a dozen items off the shelves and carried them back to the brunette who was waiting at the cash register with a smile.

“What’s the damage?” Amy asked.

“It’s free.” The clerk assured.

The smile disappeared from Amy’s face. “No it’s not.” She went on in a harsh tone. “Listen lady, if they found out I was name drooping them to scam free stuff from local businesses they would feed me to one of the tame demons they keep around. So charge me something and give me a receipt so I can put something believable on our group’s records.”

“Twenty dollars even.” The clerk said in a worried voice. Amy’s expression softened considerably as she pulled a twenty dollar bill out of her pocket and handed it to the shell shocked woman. She picked up the bag full of her purchases and turned to leave the magic shop. “Blessed be.” The clerk called out one last time.

“Yeah, yeah you too.” Amy called back as she stepped out the front door. The clerk stared at the door in shock. No matter how disturbed she was by the wishes of the man who had wandered in through the back door they paled in comparison to the danger she would face if she angered an acolyte of the infamous Senior Partners.

The woman took a deep breath before returning to the business at hand. She knew she could find something harmless to appease the man lurking in the shadows of the tall shelves to the rear of her store. With another forced smile she walked back to where she had left the man. “So did you find a spellbook?” She began to ask just as a cold hand shot out from behind the shelves. Icy fingers wrapped around her throat like steel bands forming a viselike grip, silencing the woman before she could utter the slightest protest.

“Forget the book.” Spike said as his face twisted and morphed into the horrific visage shared by all vampires. His feral yellow eyes bore into hers just before he lashed out with razor sharp fangs. Spike drove the dying woman to the floor of the shop, drinking deeply from the gaping wound he tore out of her throat. “I just got a better idea.” He said as he looked up from the fresh corpse towards the door the young witch had exited through. A sinister smile worked its way across the vampire’s blood stained lips.

******************************

“Buffy, this is, this is remarkable.” Giles said as he and Joyce studied the letter containing the Slayer’s standardized test results.

“So is this.” Buffy replied sarcastically as she examined one of the many pieces of camping equipment that now occupied the Summers’ living room. Willow let out a brief chuckle as she watched Buffy handling the small propane tank and portable cooking burner it was attached to. “So where is this retreat thingy? The Yukon?”

“It’s quite nearby actually.” Giles replied as Buffy put down the burner and picked up a compass. “It’s a clearing at the top of Breaker’s Woods. It’s the site of um, some fascinating druidic rituals.” Buffy checked her hair in the little mirror attached to the compass before turning back to Giles with an almost concerned expression.

“Okay but you’re just going for a few days right? I mean, you’re not gonna settle there and grow crops or anything?” Buffy asked with genuine concern as she eyed the piles of wilderness survival gear stacked atop and around the coffee table.

“What?” Giles asked in confusion.

“He better not.” Joyce chimed in with a not too subtle smirk as she leaned into the librarian’s side.

“Oh, my gear no, no this is basic necessities.” Giles assured the women who had watched him over pack for the short camping trip.

“Giles, you pack like me.” Buffy remarked with an amused grin.

“Yes, well I suspect your mother will want to put this on the refrigerator.” The watcher said with every hope of changing the subject.

“You bet.” Joyce replied enthusiastically. “Right next to all the college acceptance letters she’ll be getting.”

“Mom.” Buffy groaned with a weary eye roll.

“Buffy,” Joyce stopped her daughter’s complaints with a much more impassioned voice, “you’re always talking about how you wish you could lead a more normal life. Well this is your chance.”

“Yeah it’s just not that simple.” Buffy said yet again. The Slayer had grown tired of repeatedly deflecting this conversation. “I have responsibilities.”

“I know, I know, but it’s not like you’re the only Slayer running around anymore.” Joyce protested while glancing towards Willow. The Slayer’s mother had hoped that the witches could find more potentials to ease her daughter’s burden. But so far things had not panned out as luckily as they had with Alonna and Faith. Still Joyce had to try to help her daughter escape the gruesome fate that haunted her nightmares. “It’s time to think about your future Buffy. About your whole life.”

“Your mother is right Buffy.” Giles stated with care and concern that almost shocked Joyce. She had no idea her daughter’s watcher would side with her on this issue.

“See Mom, Giles knows I can’t just…” Buffy began to reply but faltered as the Englishman’s words sunk in. “Okay. Be kind rewind.”

Giles sighed and looked to Joyce for a moment before turning his compassionate gaze back to his Slayer. “With scores like these Buffy, you could have a first rate education.” He couldn’t help but feel relieved and emboldened at the way Joyce squeezed his hand ever so slightly. “Oh I’m not saying you, ignore your calling. But ah, you need to look to your future.”

For a moment Buffy’s eyes softened as a future she had often dreamed about was dangled tantalizingly in front of her. But then that hope was dashed as Giles’ next words brought to light what she would have to sacrifice for that deceptively appealing outcome. “With Faith here…”

“I’m not leaving Faith!” Buffy snapped before her watcher could even finish the obscene possibility.

Giles blinked in surprise for a moment before realizing his poor phrasing. “No one is suggesting you should.”

“Buffy you know how supportive I am of your relationship with Faith.” Joyce leapt in quickly before everything she and Giles had proposed could be written off completely. “Honey, I’ll never be able to thank her enough for all the love and support she’s given you. But Jennifer is obviously having the same talk with her right next door. You girls both deserve more than hellmouths and vampires.”

“Willow a little help here.” Buffy said without taking here eyes off her mother.

“Buffy and Faith will be attending U.C. Sunnydale with Tara and me for at least the two years after we all graduate high school.” Willow confirmed with absolute certainty.

“Willow, you can’t just give up on your entire future. You’re scores were higher than anyone else’s.” Giles said as he once more began to worry about the toll Buffy’s calling had exacted on all those closest to her.

“Tara and I have seen this play out so many different times.” Willow said in a calm and even tone that belied her firm conviction on the issue. “Buffy is the last guardian this hellmouth will ever have. She needs to stay here until it is closed.”

“You can’t just simply close an active hellmouth with a spell.” Giles protested. “The sheer amount of dark energy you girls would expose yourselves to in doing so is far too dangerous.”

“Which is why we won’t be casting a spell.” Willow assured the worried watcher. “There is a way to seal an active hellmouth. We’ve used it many times before. But this town isn’t ready for what we have to do to get there. In the years ahead we’ll all have to prepare for the worst. Buffy is the only one who can see this world through the coming war. She’ll need all of us to support her, follow her, and fight for her if any of us are to survive.”

“What war?” Joyce and Giles asked almost in unison.

“You guys aren’t ready for that reveal just yet.” Willow told the two shocked adults. “Just please trust me when I say that certain things need to happen, and one of those things is the greatest Slayer in history spending the next few years of her life guarding the hellmouth.”

Willow let the tension ease out of her voice. She knew they would consider everything she had said. The witch knew Buffy could handle the two most important parental figures in her life. She also knew she had to check in with Tara and see how the same argument was going with the only decent parent in Faith’s life.

“Sorry Mrs. Summers, Giles. I have to head home for a meeting with Amy.” Willow said in a much more chipper tone. “This isn’t the end of Buffy’s education. After we all leave this awful town she and Faith will easily be able to study anywhere they want. Cambridge, Oxford, any of the big Ivy League schools. They’ll just have to put those off for a few short years.”

With a not too reassuring smile the redhead stood up and waved goodbye to the two concerned parents and the daughter they both loved. She practically skipped out the door, leaving the Slayer to weather the concern of her watcher and mother. Before Joyce could bring up another argument to sway her daughter Buffy countered with the most important fact she believed in.

“I’m not leaving Faith.” Buffy said with iron in her voice.

******************************

“I’m not leaving Buffy!” Faith told Jennifer in a tone that left nothing open to interpretation.

“Sweetie please think about your future.” Jennifer pleaded. “She loves you enough to follow you wherever you go.”

“B would never leave the hellmouth unguarded.” Faith shot back as she fought to keep her growing agitation in check. “I can’t leave her to die in this fucking hellhole of a town alone!”

“Mama, please.” Tara begged her mother to back off. “Buffy needs Faith’s h-help for all the battles ahead. If they l-leave this town before the hellmouth is sealed then everything is lost.”

“Tara Sweetie, please don’t lie to me.” Jennifer told her daughter in an exasperated voice. “There is no spell powerful enough to seal a hellmouth the size of this one, and even if there was it would be too dangerous and need too much dark magic for you girls to cast.”

“Which is why we won’t use a spell to seal the hellmouth.” Willow said as she walked in through the front door and all but immediately melded into Tara’s arms. “Not going so well Baby?”

“No Sweetie.” Tara replied as she began to stroke Willow’s hair.

“Willow Sweetie, I know your heart is in the right place but this is about what’s best for Faith.” Jennifer said in the firmest voice she had used on any of the girls since coming to the hellmouth. “Faith I know I’m not your mother, but…”

“Damn right you ain’t my mother!” Faith shouted only to immediately regret her choice of words as she saw the pained look in Jennifer’s eyes. As she stared the older blonde down tears began to build in the corners of the Slayer’s eyes. “God damn it Jen, I wish you were my mom. You know that right? If my old lady cared about me half as much as you do I wouldn’t be such a fucking mess.”

“Oh Sweetie.” Jennifer let out in a whimper as she felt all the pain and remorse in the brunette’s aura pour out of the young woman and wash over the entire room. Before Faith knew it the older witch’s arms were wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her into a tight embrace. “I’m here for you Faith.” The witch assured the Slayer. “I love you like you’re my own. I’d never ask you to give up your girlfriend. I just want you to have the life you’ve always deserved. I can’t see that happening for any of your girls in Sunnydale.”

“Sunnydale ain’t so bad.” Faith muttered into Jennifer’s shoulder. “It’s the first place I ever went that I wanted to call home. It’s where I fell in love for the first time. It’s were I met my family. I’ve lived worse places.”

“The fact that you think the hellmouth is a good enough place for you to live your life makes me want to turn your birth mother into a rat.” Jennifer seethed in a tone that shocked the other witches in the room and drew a chuckle out of the young Slayer.

“It’d probably be an improvement if she’s still alive.” Faith admitted with a small laugh.

“Goddess Faith, I just don’t want this awful place to take you away from me.” Jennifer told the Slayer as they both fought back tears.

“I’m not gonna die on you Jen.” Faith promised. “I got way too much to live for to let any shit like that happen.”

“No one in this family is doing any dying!” Willow stated in a voice that shocked Faith and Jennifer. “We are all going to get out of this town alive. Just not for a few years.”

As the redhead’s words sunk in Jennifer let out a forced smile. She hated the danger each of her daughters was forced to live with. She wanted nothing more than to convince the three girls and all their friends to pack up and leave the small nightmare of a town behind them. To let another set of chosen warriors handle the threat the hellmouth posed.

But she knew there were no warriors walking this world capable of even holding a candle to the feats Faith and Buffy had accomplished. There were no witches half as remarkable as her daughter and the young redhead that had changed all of their lives. Her girls were stuck here. She was stuck here. With a sigh Jennifer gave Faith’s long brown hair one final stroke before letting go of her impossible dream. The hope of sparing her adopted daughter the pain destiny would eventually bring down upon her shoulders.

******************************

“So everyone is clear on the mission?” Gunn asked as he and Fred finished drawing up plans and patrol routs on the large whiteboard in the hotel lobby.

“Yeah, yeah, the new patrol stuff is fine.” Rondell said before casting a sideways glance at the vampire who sat off to the side of the room. Angel had been painstakingly focused on the large sketch pad all day and was beginning to run out of pages. The floor around him was littered with penciled drawings few of the members of the Hyperion Crew had bothered to look at. “But are we sure we need to go on the warpath looking for these people? Won’t they come to us again?”

“We can’t risk them getting desperate and falling back on the use of lethal force the next time they target Ms. Gunn.” Wesley stated in a far too detached voice that drew stunned looks from the young people gathered all around the large chamber.

As if on cue Virginia’s head shot up from her tender exploration of the Slayer’s lips. “Someone’s trying to kill Alonna?” She all but shrieked as her girlfriend shuddered at the sudden severance of their kiss.

“Yeah we got a watcher problem.” Gunn said as Bethany went over to the other redhead and began to explain the sporadic assaults and interferences perpetrated by the special operations team.

“Sorry guys, but we need to find Angel’s ex.” Alonna said as she gathered her wits. “She’s part of a bigger plot that will bite us all in the ass.”

“But watchers are supposed to help the Slayer!” Virginia exclaimed in shock once Bethany finished retelling the events of the last year or so.

“And parents are supposed to do right by their kids.” Gunn told the newest resident of the Hyperion in a dull emotionless tone. “So far English over there is doin’ just fine. We don’t need anymore Mary Poppins knockoffs telling her she don’t need backup and support when she patrols.”

“So what does this woman actually look like?” Chain asked after the room grew silent at Gunn’s remark.

As the question drew a few murmurs from around the room Doyle walked over to the vampire and scooped up a large number of the drawings littering the floor. “Hey! I wasn’t done with that.” Angel protested as the half demon tore away the portrait still on the sketch pad and walked the stack over to Gunn and Fred’s board. The Irishman picked up a magnet and placed the newest picture in the center of the board before he began to pass out earlier drafts. The members of the Crew who had yet to see the blonde or the vampire’s artistic talents gasped as their eyes took in the dozens upon dozens of lifelike renderings that Angel had absentmindedly pumped out in the course of a few short hours.

“Damn but you can draw.” Rondell whistled as he looked over the two different pictures of Darla’s smiling face. “Pretty good taste in women too.”

“Well it wasn’t her sparkling personality that lured him into the back alley where he was turned.” Wesley quipped.

“Got any of her from the back?” Joey asked only to receive a slap to the back of the head from Anne.

“None that I’d care to share.” Angel replied with a sigh. “All we need to do is narrow the search down a little. Once she’s close I’ll be able to feel her presence.”

“And this is the same woman that you didn’t notice was in your bedroom, every night, for like three weeks straight?” Alonna asked for clarity’s sake with evident disbelief in her voice.

“That was different.” Angel grumbled in mild embarrassment.

“Different in the sitting right on top of you sense, yeah!” The Slayer quipped, drawing a slight giggle from the redhead perched in her lap.

“Alonna has a point.” Wesley added.

“Finally.” Both of the Gunn siblings said in matching exasperated huffs.

“The last time Darla emerged she wanted to be found.” The watcher forged ahead as several of the assembled teens chuckled. “Now she’s out there among, oh say, six million other people.”

“She could be sitting on top of anybody.” Alonna said as she stroked the girl in her lap. Virginia blinked and let out a small chuckle at the mirth in her girl’s voice and the way the Slayer’s strong fingers massaged her lower back and thighs.

“That’s why we worked out the new patrol routs.” Fred chimed in with no small amount of pride. “Based on numbers taken from the last census and various business and housing licenses from the Hall of Records we were able to narrow down the search to places that a small group of out of town mercenaries would be able to retrofit or fortify.”

“What she said.” Gunn jumped in as his girlfriend shocked the skepticism out of their friends. “We know they aren’t hold up in anything fancy or legal. That leaves potential vamp nests. And what is our main job if not clearing out potential vamp nests?”

“So this is more than just light recon then.” Rondell said as he suddenly realized what they would also be looking for.

“Everyone will go out in small groups with radios on at all times.” Gunn said in a firmer tone. “You see anything you fall back, call it in and the combat team on standby meets you and anyone else in the area. We all go in guns a blazing and dust every creepy crawly we find.”

“What if they’re in the sewers?” Chain asked.

“She’d want someplace with a view.” Angel replied.

“Alright guys, you know the drill.” Alonna said as she stood up from the lounge chair with Virginia still in her arms. “We regroup here in an hour in full tactical gear. Start patrol of the most dangerous sites while it’s still light out and then work through targets slowly once the sun sets. And most importantly follow rule one.”

“What’s rule one?” Virginia asked in a quiet voice.

“Don’t die.” Alonna told her before turning and carrying her up the nearby staircase to the room they now shared.

******************************

“Mr. Mayor we might have a problem.” Larry said as he came into the mayor’s personal office. The large jock found the smaller man readying a swing with his golf club only to stop the instant the tone in Larry’s voice registered.

“You know I always get this grumbling feeling in the pit of my stomach when I hear you talk like that Larry.” Mayor Allan Finch said as he set the putter aside and faced his most trusted aide. “How bad is it?”

“Spike is back in town.” Larry said as he handed the Mayor a slim file.

Allan visibly cringed as he took the news. He had heard more than enough stories about William the Bloody from casual conversations with his two most powerful wiccan benefactors. None of it was good and most of it would have been enough to send him running for the hills.

“This is bad.” Allan said as he turned to his desk, resting both palms on its surface. “This is very, very bad.”

“Sir I’ve already called Willow and Tara.” Larry said as he walked up behind the man and brought both of his hands to rest on Allan’s weary shoulders. “They’ll know what to do.”

“Oh thank god.” Allan breathed a sigh of relief as he began to roll his neck between the two strong hands massaging his shoulders. “You’re a life saver Larry.”

“No sir.” Larry replied with a smile. “I just go to school with a half dozen life savers.”

******************************

“Hello Mr. Newton. Is Cassie home?” Xander asked as the front door of his neighbor’s house opened.

“Harris?” The man asked in surprise as he took in the oddly well groomed teenager standing on his porch. “What the hell are you doing asking me about my underage daughter?”

“Oh did she not say?” Xander asked as he fought to keep a smirk off his face. “Her best friend called me earlier. I’m heading over to the Espresso Pump to meet my girlfriend and Dawn wanted me to walk Cassie there and make sure nothing happened until they both got picked up by Mrs. Summers.”

“The Summers girl?” Mr. Newton asked as he took another look at the young man standing before him. “I don’t know about this.” He muttered just as his daughter ran up behind him.

“Hi Xander! I’ll be ready in a minute.” Cassie said with a cheery smile.

“Okay no rush, except for the fact that we’re both keeping people we care about waiting.” Xander said with a smile and a slight nod towards her father.

“Cassandra.” Mr. Newton said in a slightly worried and mildly indignant voice. He turned to face his daughter who was lacing up her sneakers. “Tell me again why I should let you hang around with high school boys.”

“What?” Cassie asked before her eyes widened in shock and then again in disgust. “Eww! Daddy! Xander is like, eww!”

“Hey, I’m standing right here kiddo.” Xander protested loudly.

“Hush you.” Cassie said dismissively in a way that put her father’s fears a little more at ease. “Dad, Xander is like totally harmless. Plus he’s so in love with Dawn’s older sister that it’s not even funny.”

“Hey!” Xander complained even louder than before.

“You know you are you big doofus.” Cassie mocked him in a way that actually brought a smile to her father’s face. “Dad, I’m just going to spend the night at Dawn’s house like usual. Xander has this big date planned with his girlfriend and I won’t even see him after we get to the coffee shop. He’s just being nice because our closest friends live in the same house.”

“Alright Honey.” Mr. Newton said as he caved into his daughter’s almost pleading look. “You have fun at your friend’s house.”

“Thanks Daddy. I love you.” Cassie cheered as she hugged her father. She ran back into the house to grab her overnight bag and left the two men staring at each other through the open doorway.

“Harris, if anything happens to my little girl, I’m coming for you.” Mr. Newton threatened the young man in a way that he didn’t know had actually greatly increased the respect Xander held for him.

“Sir, if anything happens to your daughter I can assure you that Dawn and her sister will beat you to it.” Xander replied.

“Ready!” Cassie called out as she reappeared next to her father. “Love you Dad.” She said with a quick kiss to the man’s cheek.

“Love you too Honey. Be safe.” Mr. Newton told his daughter as he fixed Xander with one last wary eye.

“I’m not in love with Buffy.” Xander told the young blonde as they turned and walked down the sidewalk.

“Oh shut up!” Cassie shouted back loud enough for her father to hear the argument. “You are so in love with Buffy that it makes her little sister gag. You’re just lucky her girlfriend likes you enough to let it slide.”

“Well at least I’m not the only one in love with a Summers.” Xander remarked quietly as he playfully nudged Cassie’s shoulder.

“Can you really blame me?” She asked in a hushed tone. “Those Summers girls are a trip.”

“You got that right kiddo.” Xander agreed.

******************************

“She’s falling apart.” Collins grumbled impatiently as he leaned against the doorframe of Ethan’s office.

“Good.” Jenny replied, drawing concerned looks from the watcher and the sorcerer. “What? You didn’t think I cared about that woman, did you? She wiped out an entire caravan of my clan’s ancestors. Uncle Enyos will be delighted to hear she is suffering just as much as Angel.”

“Yes, well be that as it may, she’s cracking up ahead of schedule.” Ethan said as he turned back to Collins. “Mr. Collins my good man, would you be a dear and take Mr. Weatherby on a trip to the other side of town? I’ll need a few things from our usual magic shop for the next stage of our plan. Oh and on your way out have Mr. Smith gather up any letter openers, pens, nail clippers. Anything with a sharp edge should really be removed from her room. Thank you.”

Collins fixed the sorcerer with a steady glare before nodding and retreating from the office. At the door he called out to the less agreeable of his men. “Weatherby! We’re going!”

“Me too sir?” Ethan chuckled as he heard Smith ask the question. Jenny only rolled her eyes.

“No Smith.” Collins said more quietly. “I need you to…” The voice trailed off as the smile on Ethan’s face widened.

“My dear would you be so kind as to ready the first aid kit?” Ethan asked in the marginally beguiling tone the gypsy had grown used too. “I believe our friend Mr. Smith will be receiving a lesson in unhealthy attachments fairly soon.” Jenny just rolled her eyes before a slight smirk slipped across her face. Ethan saw the quick expression and let out an amused chuckle. The day was about to liven up more than anyone save for the English sorcerer could expect.

******************************

“Thanks for walking me to the coffee shop Amy.” Dawn said as she and the young witch walked down main street towards the Espresso Pump. “I know you probably had plans.”

“Oh yeah, like I’m gonna turn down doing a favor for the big bad scary couple’s favorite little kid.” Amy said sarcastically before her eyes widened in shock. “I didn’t mean that. Please don’t tell Willow and Tara I said any of that.”

“Your secret’s safe with me.” Dawn replied in a far too innocent tone. “For now.” The frightened look in Amy’s eyes drew a giggle from the younger girl. “You don’t have to be so terrified of them you know. You’ve been behaving yourself with the magics and that’s all they want from you. Unless of course you want to end up trapped in a pie eating contest trophy next to Mommy Dearest. Then knock yourself out.”

“That’s not funny.” Amy grumbled before letting a slight smile creep out. “I can’t believe Mom trapped herself in her stupid cheerleading trophy.”

“Well at least she won’t go skinwalking in people while she’s in there.” Dawn said as they turned the last corner and came face to face with an unexpected acquaintance.

“Dawn?” Cordelia all but shouted as she saw the girl. Her expression soured as she noticed the teen besides the younger brunette. “Amy.” The head cheerleader remarked coldly.

“Hi, Cordy.” Amy said with an almost timid smile. “Still holding a grudge about tryouts our Sophomore year?”

“You blinded me!” The haughty girl snapped.

“It wasn’t me!” Amy pleaded yet again. “It was my mom. She went crazy and tried to Single White Female me!”

“Oh like you weren’t going to go all dark witch anyway until Rosenberg and Maclay cracked the whip last Halloween.” Cordelia dismissed the other brunette’s excuses. “I’ve got my eye on you.”

In silence the three girls once more began to walk towards the coffee shop. Just as Cordelia and Dawn caught a glimpse of their significant others waiting by the Espresso Pump two arms shot out of the darkened alley they had stepped in front of. Cold hands snaked through Cordelia’s and Amy’s hair, violently yanking them into the shadows.

Dawn saw this and let out a scream. She watched as the attacker slammed the two girl’s heads together with a terrifying thud. The platinum blond assailant let Cordelia slump to the ground as he threw Amy’s limp form over one shoulder.

“You’re gonna do a lit’ ol’ spell for me.” Spike slurred before lunging out and grabbing Dawn’s hair. “Better take you along just in case the Slayer gets any ideas.”

“Cordelia!” Xander shouted as he appeared at Dawn’s side. He dove for Spike but the drunk vampire simply dropped Dawn and spun so that Xander’s head smacked painfully against the brick wall of the alleyway.

“No, no, no. None of that.” Spike slurred once more as he stooped to grab Dawn. “Just need the little witch.”

“What?” Cordelia moaned as she tried to stand up. Spike simply grabbed her and threw her down the alley. The cheerleader flew over and into a large dumpster. Dawn hoped the cheerleader hadn’t been injured further by falling amid the debris from the nearby construction site. She didn’t see the girl climb back out.

“Dawn!” Cassie screamed as she made it to the mouth of the alleyway. She saw Xander slumped against a wall but no one else. Her girlfriend was gone.

******************************

“Darla?” Smith said as he came into the blonde’s room.

“Say that again?” She asked in a detached voice as if she didn’t quite comprehend the word he had uttered.

“I just, um, ah, said your name?” Smith replied as he set the sandwich he was carrying down on the table he had put right side up the last time he was in the room. The watcher gazed at the petite blonde as she stood in the narrow swath of sunlight pouring in through the small window. “Darla?”

“Sounds so odd, doesn’t it?” She asked as she turned to face the man.

“I don’t think I… Huh?” Smith asked as he grew confused at the former vampire’s bewilderment.

“It wasn’t my name when I was human.” She told him in that same detached voice. “First time I was human I mean.”

“What was your name?” Smith asked, growing more interested as she admitted something to him that he imagined the council records didn’t even know.

“I don’t remember.” Darla said with a slight shake of her head. “I’m not her, whoever she was. I was Darla for so long… Then I wasn’t. I, I wasn’t anything. I just stopped. He killed me, and I was done.”

Smith watched as the woman slowly worked her way through a trauma he could scarcely imagine. He almost smiled when she finally turned to look him in the eye. The emptiness he saw in her sent a chill down his spine.

“But then you brought me back.” She said in a tone that held the faintest glimmer of accusation.

“Yes.” Smith admitted weakly.

“What did you and your watchers bring back Smith? What am I?” She took a step towards the stunned watcher. Then another. When she spoke there was fear and uncertainty in her voice. “Did you bring back that girl whose name I can’t remember? Or did you bring back something else? The other thing.”

“Both. Neither? Maybe…” Smith began to say but realized he was truly out of his depth. “I’m not all that sure you see. It was Rayne that cast the spell.” He grasped for any excuse that could shield him from Darla’s question. As he fumbled his way through the conversation she took another step towards him.

“Why haven’t you kissed me?” She asked as she stood a hair’s breadth from his mildly rounded stomach. “You’ve been dying for it, haven’t you?”

“I didn’t know if you…” He gawked at the attractive blonde he had been trying his best not to leer at for months. “I mean, is it even okay to, I mean if we were to…”

“Why should any of that matter?” Darla asked in that same hollow voice that belied her detachment from the world of the living. “Do you think I ever hesitated when I wanted something? Life’s too short. Believe me, I know. Four hundred years and still too short.”

“You should eat something.” Smith said as he turned back to the small table. “I brought you a sandwich.”

“What am I?” Darla asked.

“Darla, I.” Smith began to reply but turned away from her. If only he had faced the small woman’s questions head on. He might have dodged the lamp hurtling towards the side of his skull.

A sickening crash filled the room. Before the sound could fade from his ears darkness filled Smith’s world. He came crashing down to the floor in an undignified heap. A thin trickle of blood slid from his scalp, down one cheek, to the dusty floor.

“Careful. Darla would have snapped you in half.” The blonde said just before fear gripped her heart. She let the ruined lamp fall from her hands. It shattered into even smaller pieces as it hit the floor. She turned from the fallen watcher and fled.

She ran as fast as her weary legs could take her. Out the small room she had been confined within. Down the short hall and narrow staircase. Across the main floor of the derelict warehouse. Out into the blinding sunlight. The former vampire had no idea that her exodus was witnessed by the two people who had brought her back into the world. They hadn’t even tried to stop her.

******************************

“Tara, I just got a call from Larry.” Willow said as she came into their living room. She stopped short as one of their many mystical sensors screeched in her mind. Telling her their loved ones had been attacked.

“Willow!” Tara shouted as she felt her heart seize up.

“Baby.” Willow said as she clutched at her everything’s hand. “We have to go!” She said as she and Tara turned back to Faith and Jennifer.

“What’s the what?” Faith asked as she subconsciously reached for one of the many stakes she kept hidden on her person.

“It’s Dawn.” Tara said as Jennifer snatched up her purse and car keys.

All the concerns from the earlier argument melted away as the Slayer surfaced in the face of yet another crisis. “I’ll get B. You three drive to the Pump. Lil’ D was gonna meet C Dawg there before heading next door to girl up the place while the G man’s gone.”

The three witches practically flew out the door and into Jen’s hatchback. The older blonde drove as fast as she could without risking adding a major car crash to the already dreadful situation. The coffee shop came into view just a moment before Tara shouted for her mother to stop the car.

“Pull over there Mama!” The younger blonde cried as she jabbed her outstretched arm towards an alley. Jen parked, doing her best to quickly unbuckle and follow her girls as they leapt from the barely stopped vehicle. The sight awaiting them in the alleyway broke her heart.

“He took her.” Cassie whimpered as she cradled a dazed Xander in her lap. “He took Dawn.”

“We’ll get her back Sweetie.” Tara assured as she placed a hand on the massive bruise covering Xander’s forehead. A soft light appeared in her open palm before guttering out. “Oh Goddess.” Tara whispered as her eyes fell upon the dumpster further down the dimly lit alley.

Willow jerked her head away from her fallen friend as her always flew towards the dumpster with her feet barely skimming the pavement. The gut wrenching onslaught of emotions she felt through her connection to Tara terrified her to no end. Fear crystallized into panic as Tara floated up and over the rim of the dumpster. Willow knew her love wouldn’t have used magic so callously without good reason. The emotions she was feeling from Tara changed as the blonde witch caught sight of the dumpster’s contents. While feelings pouring down their connection couldn’t be mistaken for relief, Willow knew what Tara was looking at wasn’t as bad as she had feared just moments before.

“Willow!” Tara shouted back to her love who had already shot down the alley and crested the dumpster. She knew she would need the redhead’s help to fix the gory mess before her.

“Oh Goddess.” Willow gasped as she looked into the dumpster for the first time. Cordelia lay motionless, sprawled over refuse from the building’s renovation. The scent of dust and grit warred with the tang of blood as red seeped down into the pile of broken concrete slabs. A single length of steel rebar protruded from the pale cheerleader’s torso.

“I need to stop the bleeding and ward her against infection until the ambulance arrives.” Tara said in an authoritative tone that shocked her nearby mother. Only Willow had ever heard Tara speak like that before that day. It shocked the redheaded witch as she recalled just how many lifetimes it had been since she and Tara had faced something that drew out the iron in her voice.

“Take what you need.” Willow said as she placed her hands on Tara’s shoulders.

Jennifer and Cassie peeked over the wall of the dumpster as Tara and Willow set to work. They both immediately regretted their curiosity. “Cassie, I need you to run to the coffee shop and call an ambulance.” Jennifer said as she pulled the girl back towards the mouth of the alley.

“I didn’t even know she was in there. There’s so much blood.” Cassie whispered before looking up to Jennifer’s worried blue eyes. “Is Cordelia gonna be okay?”

“Tara and Willow will do everything in their power to save that girl.” Jennifer swore. “But they can only do so much. Cordelia’s holding on but her aura is weak. She needs real doctors or else no amount of magic will save her. We need to be strong for her. Can you be strong right now?”

Cassie nodded before turning and running to the coffee shop. In her heart Jennifer knew her girls would pull them all through this catastrophe. They just had to.

******************************

“Okay, so y’all know the drill.” Rondell said as Chain pulled the van up to the edge of the first warehouse district they had been tasked with checking. “Standard nest sweep. No engagement. If you see anything fall back and call it in. We could be out here all god damn night looking for Fang’s girl.”

Before the handful of teens sitting in the back of the van could ask him any follow up questions or grumble about the jobs they had been given a loud thud came from just outside as the side door of the van vibrated violently. Rondell leapt forward and threw the door open. He saw nothing until a soft moan drew his gaze down to the pavement below. The woman they had been sent to find had found them.

“Or she could just run into us ten seconds after we pull up to the first checkpoint.” Chain muttered from over Rondell’s shoulder.

“Darla?” Rondell asked, gaining all of the disoriented woman’s attention. “We’re friends with Angel. Would you like us to take you to him?”

A confused look spread over the blonde’s face. It was gone in an instant as she practically leapt under the young man’s outstretched arm and into the back of the van. Rondell and the others made room for her shaking form. Rondell closed the side door as Chain crawled back up to the driver’s seat.

“Looks like that great big ‘Mission Accomplished’ sign won’t be going to waste.” Chain said with a chuckle as he pulled away from the curb.

******************************

The young witch let out a weak groan as she regained consciousness. The first sensation to register in her aching head was the feel of thin fingers nervously interlaced with her own. Amy groaned again before cracking her eyes open. The sight awaiting the witch did little to comfort her.

“S’bout bloody time.” Spike slurred before taking a long swig from the last third of a bottle of whisky. “You’re gonna do a spell for me.” He paced at the end of the burnt bed Amy realized she and Dawn were laying on.

“What?” Amy asked as she tried to sit up only to clutch at the throbbing ache within her own skull. “What spell?”

“A love spell! Are you brain dead?” Spike shouted back at the young woman.

“Well you did almost bash in her skull.” Dawn muttered only to flinch as Spike turned away from them and threw the bottle in his hand against the far wall. The deafening sound of shattering glass quieted the two girls sitting on the ruined bed. The vampire let out a hollow laugh as he went back to a fire damaged dresser covered in burnt dolls and glass bottles. He fished out another bottle of hard liquor.

“I’m gonna get what’s mine.” He grumbled as he downed a fifth of vodka. “What’s mine. Teach her to walk out on me.” He turned and saw the two girls watching him in shock. “What are you staring at?”

“Nothing.” Dawn said with just a little more venom than she intended.

“You can do it, right witch?” Spike asked as he rounded the bed to loom over Amy. “You can make Dru love me again. Make her crawl.”

“Yeah, yeah sure, whatever.” Amy said as she began to rub what she knew had to be a massive bruise across her forehead. “Just let me unscramble my brains and I’ll try.”

Spike lashed out and grabbed the witch by her hair. “What are you talking about try? You’ll do it!” He shouted. “You lie to me and the next bottle gets shoved right through your face! You want that?”

Amy glared at the enraged vampire for a moment without saying a word. When she finally spoke her voice was cold and unwavering. “Do that and you’ll never get your girl back. There’s a thousand different ways for you to screw up what you’re asking me to do and the first twenty of them involve harming either of us.”

A slight grin played across the vampire’s face as he relaxed his grip. He chuckled as he leaned away from the bed. “You’re bluffing.”

“You want me to do a love spell on a woman I’ve never met or even seen.” Amy shot back in an aggravated huff. “For that I need the standard love spell crap plus a clear head.” Amy paused and turned to Dawn for an instant. “Hey kid, you haven’t had your first period yet have you?”

“What?” Dawn shouted in disgust. “Why would you ask me that?”

“Relax Dawn.” Amy replied as she began to rub her temples once more. “Having a an extra virgin to hold candles and waft incense around will make the spell stronger.” She then turned to glare at the vampire once more. “But none of it will work if either of us are bleeding. You want this Dru to become obsessed with you and no one else right?”

“Damn right.” Spike growled as he turned back to his bottle. “She wouldn’t even kill me.”

The vampire sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. Dawn and Amy shared a worried look as Spike let out a faint sob. Dawn nodded once towards the demon’s back only to roll her eyes when Amy just shook her head. The vodka bottle fell to the floor with a dull thud.

“She just left.” Spike went on in a broken, sullen voice. “She didn’t even care enough to cut off my head. Or set me on fire.” He sniffled before turning back to the girls. “I mean is that too much to ask? You know? Some little sign that she cared.”

“It was that fight with the Slayer that did it.” Spike went on. “After that whole mess Dru was always going on about finding her keys. Or her little ball of sunshine. Whatever the hell that meant. I told her it didn’t mean anything. The only reason we came to this sodding town was to get her well again but she didn’t care. So we got to Brazil and she was...” He paused a moment as the scope of his loss hit him once more. “She was just different.”

“I gave her everything!” Spike told the girls he had kidnapped. “Beautiful jewels, beautiful dresses, with beautiful girls in them, but nothing made her happy.” He shook his head and let out an anguished chuckle as his lover’s transgressions played out in his mind yet again. “And she would fliiirrrrrt. I caught her on a park bench making out with a chaos demon! Have either of you ever seen a chaos demon? They’re all slime and antlers! They’re disgusting!” He looked at the young witch again before running one hand through her hair. “She only did it to hurt me.” He said quietly. “So I said ‘I’m not putting up with this anymore.’ And she said ‘Fine.” His voice began to quiver as conflicting emotions batted him back and forth. “And I said ‘Yeah, I’ve got an unlife you know!’ And she said…” He began to sob even harder as his head came to rest on Amy’s shoulder. “She said we could still be friends.”

He wept openly as Dawn let out an almost involuntary “Aww.”

“I mean friends!” He cried into Amy’s shoulder as the witch just glared at Dawn’s shocked and bewildered expressions. “How could she be so cruel?” A moment passed before he stopped weeping. Amy felt the unstable vampire drink in her scent. “That smell, your neck.” She cringed as she felt his face shift and disform. “I haven’t had a woman in weeks.” Spike told her as he brought his game face up for her to clearly see.

“Damnit you stupid vampire, what did I just say about blood and virgins?” Amy shouted as she and Dawn scrambled off of the other side of the bed.

“Well, unless you count that shopkeeper.” Spike added as he stood to follow his captives.

“I’m serious Spike!” Amy shouted in a tone that brought her headache back into sharp focus. “You touch either of us and this spell won’t work. It’s bad enough the chick is in Brazil or wherever. The further away she is the harder I have to push to get through to her.”

Spike grabbed the witch by the back of her neck and leaned in close. Dawn gasped as his face shifted back to normal right before her eyes. “Alright.” He released Amy and went back to the dresser to search for another half empty bottle. “Get started.”

Amy walked over to a box he had sat on the end of the bed. She peered inside to find all the ingredients for a standard love spell. It was exactly what she needed. This would not do. “This isn’t enough.”

“What do you mean it isn’t enough?” Spike growled. “This is all the stuff the shop girl sold you earlier that she thought you needed for a love spell.”

“And if I was casting a love spell on two humans I’ve known for years this would be plenty.” Amy shot back in exasperation. “But you want me to do it on two vampires I’ve never met before today! And one might be on the other side of the planet! See the difference?”

“What else do you need?” Spike asked in a menacing voice.

“Depends.” Amy said as she turned over jars of dried herbs and desiccated animal parts. “Is this Dru a vampire you or someone in your line turned, or is she from another undead bloodline?”

“She’s my Sire!” Spike snapped back defensively.

“She sired you?” Amy asked in shock before a fit of hysterical laughter doubled her over.

“What’s wrong?” Spike asked with growing agitation.

“Oh man you are lucky neither of us has ever gotten laid.” Amy said with a slight gesture between Dawn and herself. “This is still going to be a major pain in the ass to pull off. Unless of course you have a handful of the grave soil from both of the places you and your ex crawled out of the first time you were each buried? No?” When Spike just shook his head in annoyance she turned back to the box and began pulling out items to show him. “Okay then we need double what we have here for this, this and this. I need something that belonged to her that she cared about and don’t be cute and say you count because if that were true we wouldn’t be here. Also something of yours to focus and anchor the spell to. And Dawn is going to need a menorah and a full set of candles to walk around the spell circle and chant over while I work. If you have a lock of her hair give it to me now because it will help a lot.”

“No hair.” Spike grumbled dejectedly as Amy continued to rattle off things she needed.

“That’s it for the basic bare minimum stuff.” The witch said before she turned back to the disgruntled vampire. “But if you really want anything I cast to stick to her for more than a week I need a copy of the Libre Mortis. That’s the only way a witch at my level can mix the enchantment you’re asking for with the kind of necromancy I’ll have to piece together just to be able to target the two of you.”

“Where the bloody hell do you expect me to find a copy of that book in this town?” Spike shouted in disbelief.

“The Slayer’s watcher has a copy you might be able to borrow.” Amy told him with what she hoped was a straight face.

******************************

“You really are a sodding idiot sometimes Smith.” Weatherby grumbled as he watched the gypsy fix the other watcher’s bandage. The only reply he received from the injured man was a weary groan.

“What does this do to our plans Rayne.” Collins asked the sorcerer while they both ignored his subordinates.

“I’d say they’re moving along quite nicely.” Ethan told the man. “Right now that woman is doing everything we expected of her and then some. The vampire won’t know what hit him when the truth finally comes out.”

“You’re sure about that?” Collins asked once more with skepticism.

“Absolutely.” Ethan’s absurd grin did little to reassure the watcher.

******************************

“Ready?” Amy asked the Slayer’s little sister.

“Ready.” Dawn told the witch. With a sly grin Amy turned back to the door at the top of the narrow flight of stairs that led out of the basement they had been locked in. She carefully walked up the steps, keeping to the edges just next to the wall.

“Watch your feet Dawn.” Amy told the girl following right behind her. “These stairs look like they’re about to fall apart more than the rest of this hellhole.”

“Yeah, when Willow and Tara run a guy out of town they really run a guy out of town.” Dawn replied. “Scorched earth, and all that stuff too.”

They both quieted down as they reached the door. Amy put one hand out to the space just above the doorknob and closed her eyes. “Goddess Hecate, remove that which bars my path. Ignis!”

Dawn stared in wonder as the metal under Amy’s hand began to glow. If grew brighter, then began to flow downwards. When the witch took her hand away there was a grapefruit sized hold where the doorknob had once been.

“Don’t tell the lovebirds I did that.” Amy begged Dawn with a nervous chuckle in her voice. “We’re in an emergency and this was the fastest way to get you home. Yeah, that will get them to go easy on me.”

“Relax Amy.” Dawn told the worried young woman. “Let’s just get out of here.”

“Right.” Amy snapped to attention before pushing the door open and taking Dawn by the hand. They had a great deal of ground to cover and night had already fallen over the hellmouth. Little did they know that one set of curious red eyes followed their every move.

******************************

“So I’m strolling through the park, looking for a meal, and I happen to walk by and she’s making out with a chaos demon.” Spike retold the story of his breakup yet again as he sat in the open doorway of the backdoor to the Summers residence. His back was leaning against the invisible barrier that kept out his kind. His audience listened patiently as she readied the steaming kettle to make two mugs of warm cocoa. Once the drinks were poured she set them on a tray and carried them back to her guest sitting in the doorway.

“And so I said ‘You know, I don’t have to put up with this.” Spike went on as Joyce set the platter on the floor and slid the end with his cup just over the threshold. “And she said ‘Fine.’ So I said ‘Fine, do whatever you like!’ I thought we were gonna make up.”

“Well she sounds very unreasonable.” Joyce said in her most consoling voice as she listened to the vampire’s woes.

“She is. She’s out of her mind.” Spike agreed, letting a rare smile play across his face. “That’s what I miss most about her.”

“Well Spike, sometimes even when two people seem right for each other their lives just take different paths.” She tried her best to consol the heartbroken vampire as she sat on a stool just a foot inside the back door to her home. “Like when Buffy’s father and I…”

“No! This is different! Our love was eternal! Literally!” Spike cried out in pain and frustration. He couldn’t believe how little these humans understood that the sheer number of years he spent with Drusilla set his love life apart from the brief flings they called forever. He settled down after a moment, having no real urge to fling himself against the barrier. Especially while the Slayer’s mother was freely offering all of her attention to his plight. “You got any of those little marshmallows?” Spike asked as he looked into his warm mug.

“Oh, let me look.” Joyce said as she got up to check one of the cupboards. Spike watched her as she moved about the kitchen. In a moment he’d get around to asking for the spell book. Joyce would hurry to help him once she learned who his hostages were. Before he could chuckle at his morbid train of thoughts a heavy fist contacted with the back of his head. Spike saw metaphorical stars for a moment before he was grabbed by the collar of his long black coat and hoisted up from the small back yard deck. The vampire found himself hurtling through the air for an instant before his back slammed into the ground. His vision of the very literal stars in the night sky was blurred by yet more metaphorical stars.

“You!” An angry voice shouted as its owner pounced atop the stunned vampire. “Do!” The second word was punctuated with a fist to his face. “Not!” Punch. “Get!” Backhand. “To!” Punch. “Come!” Two quick jabs. “Here!” The anger behind each blow and shouted word was more than Spike was expecting from anyone in the Slayer’s camp.

“Good evening Faith.” Joyce called out casually as she stepped out onto the porch for the first time that evening. “Is Buffy with you? I was worried I’d have to keep him distracted until your normal patrol ended.”

“Shit!” Faith exclaimed as she continued to pummel Spike into the ground. “Did no one tell you what’s going on Mrs. S?”

“Sorry Mom.” Buffy said as she came out through the back door and joined her mother on the porch. “But we’re on high alert until we find whoever took… Spike!”

“Slayer!” Spike yelped in between strikes from the enraged brunette.

“Think he’s in on it B?” Faith asked as she slowed her assault.

“Can’t rule it out.” Buffy said as she came up beside her girlfriend. The two Slayers hauled the injured vampire to his feet. “You shouldn’t have come back Spike.”

“I do what I please.” Spike said with smug contempt in his voice. Buffy simply pulled a wooden stake from her sleeve and readied a strike for his chest. “Your sister!” He shouted at the last second.

“You took Dawn?” Buffy asked in a cold voice as she drew the stake back, still ready to end his existence.

“Dawn’s missing?” Joyce shouted.

“You do me now you’ll never find her or the witch.” Spike threatened with an all too self assured smirk.

“Where are they?” Faith demanded an answer as she squeezed his arms with all of her strength.

“It doesn’t work that way kiddies.” Spike said dismissively as he tried to shrug out of the death grip the Slayers had on him. “Your friend’s gonna work a little magic for me. When she does my spell I’ll let them both go.”

“You’re not famous for keeping your promises Spike.” Buffy said with a cold glare.

“Well, you and your butch girly girl want to tag along that’s fine.” The vampire quipped in an all too amused tone. “But you get in my way and you kill your sister.”

Both Slayers let Spike go and Faith went to follow him into the alley that ran behind the backyard. Buffy turned to her newly terrified and anxious mother and did her best to consol her before vanishing into the night. “I’ll bring her home Mom.” Buffy swore in an authoritative tone that momentarily shocked the fear and panic out of the older woman.

“She’s right Joyce.” Jennifer said as she and Joyce watched the trio exit through the gate in the backyard’s fence.

“They’ll bring her home.” Cassie added in a tone that said the young seer was speaking out of hope rather than certainty.

“Jennifer? Cassie?” Joyce whispered in surprise before turning to the other woman. “When did you? What’s going on?”

The witch simply put an arm around Joyce’s shoulder and guided her back into the kitchen. As Jennifer readied the kettle for a comforting round of tea she told her friend everything they found in the alleyway near the coffee shop and all that happened once they got Cordelia and Xander to the hospital. By the time she finished her tale Joyce was shaking and Cassie was fighting the urge to cry.

Before any questions could be asked the front door opened and the three blondes heard footsteps coming down the hall. “Mom? Are you, oh, hey guys!”

“Dawn!” Cassie shouted as she leapt up and ran into the other girl’s arms.

“You’re okay!” Joyce added in an equally relieved cry as she joined the two girls.

“Yup, got her home safe and sound and all that stuff.” Amy said as she went over to the fridge and opened the freezer door. “The Slayer keeps ice packs in here right.”

“Goddess girl, come here and let me take care of that awful bruise.” Jennifer said as she took in the sight of Amy’s still swollen face. The young witch complied as Jennifer tended to her with a minor healing chant. Amy basked in the warmth that far surpassed any she had ever experienced from her own mother’s magic.

“Thanks Jen.” Amy said as she felt the dull ache melt away. “Think I can get a ride back to my Dad’s house? The sun’s been down for a while and I’ve already had my fill of vampires for the month.

“Of course Sweetie.” Jennifer said as she turned to see Joyce and Cassie still caught up in greeting the youngest Summers. The crisis had been averted. Now all that was left to do was anxiously await the return of the Slayers from dusting their bleach blond annoyance. As Jennifer guided Amy to her car she knew the girls would come home safely.

******************************

“Oh would you get over it already!” Faith shouted as they rounded the corner and caught their first glimpse of the magic shop.

“Shut your gob.” Spike said as he glared at the brunette.

“We’ve been listening to your moping all night!” Faith shot back. “If I have to hear one more story about a bench or fire hydrant where you and your slut killed someone I’m gonna stake your ass!”

Spike took a swing at the Slayer only to have his fist caught in mid air by the brunette while the blonde grabbed his shoulders and tossed him against a brick wall. “What do you know?” He shouted. “It’s your fault! The both of you! She belongs with me. I’m nothing without her.”

“Yeah, that I’ll have to agree with.” Buffy quipped and Faith came up to stand beside her. “You’re pathetic, you know that? You’re not even a loser anymore. You’re a shell of a loser.”

“Yeah?” Spike asked as he stared down the Slayers. “You’re one to talk.”

“Meaning?” Buffy said in a tone that betrayed just how close she was to losing her patience just like her girlfriend had.

“The last time I looked in on you two you were completely oblivious in your precious little closet,” he jabbed a finger at Buffy before turning and jabbing the same finger even harder at Faith, “and you just followed her around like a stray puppy. Now you’re all lovey dovey like none of that tip toeing around each other ever happened. Makes me want to heave.”

“Shut up.” Faith growled.

“You must be some kind of unlucky sod.” Spike said directly to Faith as he leaned forward a hair. “All the not too picky Slayers in history to get all a quiver over and you fell for the one that thinks she’s straight.”

“Our relationship is stronger because we started as friends.” Buffy said defensively as she reached out and grabbed Faith’s hand.

The look of scorn mixed with amusement on Spike’s face showed how little he was convinced. “You’re not friends. You were never just friends. You were in love from the first second, only one of you was too scared to admit it and the other is just damaged goods. You’ll be in love till it kills you both. You’ll fight. And you’ll shag. And you’ll hate each other till it makes you quiver, but you’ll never be just friends.”

“Love isn’t brains children.” He went on ignoring the glare the blonde was shooting at him. “It’s blood. Blood screaming inside you to work its will. I may be love’s bitch but at least I’m man enough to admit it.”

As he came to a close Spike couldn’t help but feel the relentless waves of animosity coming off the blonde Slayer. “Don’t you ever compare the soulless mockery you had with that crazy whore to what I have with my Faith.” Buffy seethed with ice in her voice. “And if you ever talk about my girl like that again I’ll track you down and make you watch as I stake Drusilla right in front of you.”

For a moment Spike was speechless. The naked animosity in the petite blonde’s voice shook him harder than any of his previous encounters with these or any other Slayers. Before he could come up with a snide reply a lighthearted laugh came from the mouth of the nearby alley.

“Oh, ho, good one Slayer.” A diminutive demon in a burgundy suit and checkered tie clapped his hands as he stepped out into the street. His skin was a dull gray, his hands sported three mildly flipper like fingers while the rows of sharp teeth, black eyes and the gray fin atop his head were clearly that of a shark. “But if you’ll excuse my intrusion for a moment Mr. Spike here owes me a rather substantial debt.”

“Really?” Buffy said as she and Faith shared a look before turning back to the shark headed demon. “How much?” They both asked as they watched a half dozen mismatched demons join the well dressed sharkman.

“About forty Siamese.” He said while idly waving his flipper like hands about. “And since he has a history of running my associates and I are keen to collect while he’s in town.”

“Siamese?” Faith asked in confusion.

“Kittens my dear Slayer.” The demon said with what barely passed for a smile.

“Kittens?” Buffy asked in even more confusion. “Why kittens?”

“Poker winnings.” Spike grumbled before turning back to the demon. “And just how did you know I was back in town Bro’os?”

“Oh the mayor’s aide called Willy to tell him about the shopkeeper.” A demon with drooping folds of pale, loose skin, floppy ears and red eyes chimed in. “Willy told everyone in his bar.” Once his explanation was through the demon took a sip from the large slushy in his hand.

“Clem?” Spike said as he looked closer at the other demon. “What the hell do you want?”

“You borrowed half my CD collection before you left town last time.” Clem told the vampire. “Any chance I can get them back?”

“Oh sod off you loose skinned wanker!” Spike snapped as Faith and Buffy shared a giggle.

“As much of an honor as it is to meet you two fine Slayers, I’m going to have to ask that you let us conclude our business with Spike.” The shark demon said. The Slayer gave the demons and the vampire a speculative look and appeared to be seriously weighing her options.

“I die your sister dies.” Spike snapped.

“Wait. One of those brunettes was the Slayer’s little sister?” Clem asked, causing everyone to turn and stare in his direction.

“You saw my sister?” Buffy all but shouted at the loose skinned demon.

“I saw Spike lurking around earlier and went to see where he was going.” Clem told the Slayers in a worried voice. He had never gotten such direct attention from someone so powerful and didn’t dare to even consider tempting her wrath. “He stopped by this burned out old factory in the middle of the abandoned industrial district and when I stopped by to check on him later I saw two girls with light brown hair sneak out and run off. I followed them all the way to Rovello Drive to see if they might know where Spike had my CD’s but stopped when I saw them go inside a house.”

“You really did have them at the factory!” Faith shouted as Buffy shouted “Dawn’s already home!”

“As interesting as all this is, I believe that concludes your business with this vampire.” Bro’os said in his most diplomatic voice. “If you Slayers would be so kind.”

“Now hold up.” One of the other demons chimed in for the first time. His head sported a row a dark purple spines that ran down the back of his neck and skewered the center of his shirt at regular points. “I hear that Slayers are good for all kinds of tasty things. No reason to rule anything out just yet.”

“Trust me when I tell you that you don’t want to test those myths boy.” The shark snapped at the other demon before turning back to the Slayers and putting on his toothy facsimile of a smile.

“Okay, here’s how this is gonna go.” Buffy called out as she drew her long sword from her sheath. “Anyone who’s eager to get Slayed form an orderly line. If you just want to beat on Spike without testing our patience go fight him over there.” She finished with a vague wave to the other side of the empty street.

“Hey!” Spike growled.

“Prepare to die Slayer!” The purple spined demon shouted as he charged. Faith’s blades lashed out in the blink of an eye and the demon’s head bounced off the pavement twice before rolling along the ground.

“Any other takers?” Buffy asked in a chipper voice.

“Thanks but no thanks.” The shark said with a mild bow to the two young women.

“Oh no not me.” Clem agreed as he raised his hands in submission. “I don’t do the whole fighting thing.”

“Hey B, didn’t G man or the witches say that loose skinned demons were vegetarians?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Buffy agreed. The Slayers stepped to one side of the street as the shark and the rest of the demons squared off against Spike. The battle was fierce, bloody and sloppy by their standards. After a few moments Buffy and Faith found themselves gravitating towards Clem who had pulled out a sealed bag of mixed nuts and began idly snacking away as he watched the carnage. “So you followed my sister all the way home?” Buffy asked a moment after Clem tilted the bag to offer her and her girl a handful of his snacks.

“Oh, yeah kinda.” Clem said before a terrified look crossed his face. “I didn’t try anything Slayer, I swear. But this is the hellmouth and they seemed to be running on adrenaline so I figured better safe than sorry. I didn’t talk to them though. I think the witch might have sensed me once or twice but she didn’t stop to say hi.”

“Relax, Clem was it?” Buffy told the worried demon. “Thank you for watching out for my sister. Keep up the good behavior and you’ll get a spot on our do not Slay list.”

“There’s a list?” Clem asked with a just a glimmer of hope shining through his astonishment.

“Sure, why not.” Buffy told him as Faith let out a laugh and took a large handful of nuts from the bag in his hand.

“Well that’s a relief.” Clem said with a sigh. “You know you two are a lot nicer than all the rumors let on. Plus I can tell you make a lovely couple.”

“Why thank you Clem.” Buffy said just before a roar from Spike interrupted their pleasant conversation. The Slayers and the loose skinned demon turned to see the last of the demons who had followed Bro’os dead on the ground around Spike.

“Now that was fun!” Spike said with a genuine smile and a delighted chuckle. “Oh, don’t tell me that wasn’t fun. God it’s been so long since I had a decent spot of violence. Really puts things in perspective.”

“It’s so hard to find good help these days.” The shark muttered with a disappointed shaking of his head. “About that debt Mr. Spike, we can just call it squaresies.”

“I’m no welcher.” Spike growled at the shark. “Meet me in LA in a week and we’ll settle it.”

“Sure, sure.” Bro’os said with a slight bow. “I know you’re good for it.” The shark quickly slunk off into the shadows.

“Now for you, you loose skinned ponce!” Spike shouted, turning an angry glare on Clem.

“Back off blood sucker!” Faith shouted as she stepped in between the vampire and the cowering demon. “Floppy ears here gets a pass since he went out of his way to make sure the brat got home safe.”

“Bugger off Slayer.” Spike snapped at the brunette. “I was just gonna tell the little git that Dru kept all his Lilith Fair CD’s when she left.”

“Aww.” Clem said with evident disappointment.

“Poor guy.” Buffy said while offering Clem a consoling pat on the shoulder. “But now that we know they’re safe you’re not getting that spell.”

“Fuck the spell! He’ll be lucky if we let him leave town in anything other than a dust buster!” Faith shouted.

“Oh, sod the spell.” Spike said with a dismissive wave. “I’m really glad I came here, you know? I’ve been all wrong headed about this. Weepin’, crawlin’, blamin’ everybody else. I want Dru back, I just got to be the man I was. The man she loved. I’m gonna do what I should have done in the first place!” He went on with far too much cheer. “I’ll find her, wherever she is, tie her up, torture her, until she likes me again.”

With a wide smile the vampire turned and began to stroll down the empty street. Just before he was about to disappear down an alley he stopped and turned back to the Slayers and the confused demon. “Love’s a funny thing.” He said with an amused grin before walking off into the night.

“Well that happened.” Faith muttered in annoyance.

“Yeah, I really don’t know why I used to hang out with that guy.” Clem added. “What kind of friend looses all the stuff you loan them?”

“Come on Clem.” Buffy said with a reassuring smile. “Willow gave me an MP3 player with like fifty thousand songs on it. You can share my Lilith Fair collection.”

“Really?” Clem asked in hopeful surprise as Faith asked the same thing in bewilderment.

“Sure, why not.” Buffy told her girlfriend and her new friend. “I’ve got another one I haven’t opened yet and Willow is always giving me new stuff to help immerse myself in our “new lifestyle.” Plus Clem seems like a decent guy.”

“I like to think I am.” Clem agreed with a happy little bob of his head.

“Okay.” Faith said, shaking her head in amusement at her girl’s easy acceptance of the odd looking demon they had just met. “Let’s head home.” She said with lighthearted laughter.

******************************

“Angelus.” Darla whispered as she walked into the front office of the Hyperion Hotel and saw her former lover leaning over the desk.

“Not that we aren’t just thrilled to have you, but he goes by Angel around here.” The Slayer said as the petite blonde walked right by her.

“What with everyone in here having a soul and all.” Doyle chimed in.

“Guys.” Angel whispered as he locked eyes with his sire. “you mind? Just give us a minute? Please.”

“Of course.” Wesley said and he turned and strode from the room.

“Yeah, whatever you need. We’ve got a patrol to get back to anyway.” Gunn added as he and everyone but his sister followed the watcher. The Slayer gave Darla an almost withering look before favoring Angel with a concerned one. She then got up and left the two in the privacy of the small room.

“I thought I was going to die.” Darla whispered as she came around the desk to stand by Angel’s side.

“You’re not.” He assured her.

“Not sure how I feel about that.” She admitted with a sigh.

“I know what you mean.” Angel said as Darla leaned back and took in the sight of him.

“I’m so lucky. To have someone who understands. Who knows.” Darla said as she realized for the first time what he must have experienced when she condemned him the very second he was cursed with a soul. “That’s something you never had, is it?”

“It wasn’t your fault.” He said to ease her newfound guilt.

“No. But there’s so much that is.” She went on as a far away look came over her eyes.

“It’s gonna be okay.” Angel assured her once more.

“I knew you’d help me. Knew if I could only get to you, it’s why they brought me back. To get to you.” Darla said as she once more stared into the eyes she had missed so dearly over the last century. “Now I find I need you just as I’ve always needed you.”

“You’ll make the pain stop won’t you?” She asked in an almost pleading tone that surprised the vampire.

“It takes time.” Angel tried to explain.

“It takes moments.” Darla countered as she threw her hair back and bared her throat for him. “Do it. Now.”

“What?” Angel was sickened by the request. How could she misunderstand him so completely? How could she ask him to do the unspeakable?

“Make me what I was again.” Darla pleaded in the voice she had once used to seduce countless men.

“Darla.” Angel said as he began to back away.

“You said you’d help me!” She demanded as she followed.

“I will. I want to but,” the shock and disgust warring within the cursed vampire rose again as his pleas grew more adamant, “not like this.”

“Turn me back.” She begged. “God, I can’t bear this pounding in my chest for another second.”

“It’s a gift.” Angel told her with just the barest traces of envy in his voice. “To feel that heartbeat. To know, really and for once, that you’re alive. You’re human again Darla. Do you know what that means?”

“Of course I do. It means pain, suffering, and disease. Death! I released you from this world once. I gave you eternal life.” She reminded him as she went on. Failing to see what was holding him back. “Now it’s time for you to return the favor.”

“Favor?” Angel asked in disgust as he stepped back from the aggravated blonde. “Is that what you think? You think you did me a favor?” His voice grew cold and distant with each word. His eyes stared without recognition, through the woman standing before him. “You damned me.”

“Fine. Fine then. If it’s such a punishment take out your revenge. Pay me back.” She went on in a huff before a pained look of desperation filled her eyes. “Please.”

Silence reigned over the tense standoff for far longer than either expected. Angel knew what she was asking of him. He could even understand why she was asking. That knowledge did little to fight the abject horror and utter disgust at the very idea of what she wanted. In all his aimless wandering since being cursed with the return of his soul only three such instances had sickened him so completely. The irony that she was the cause of the first instance was not lost on Angel.

“I can’t.” He said at last.

Darla looked Angel in the eyes for a long moment. No words were exchanged as they each realized just how far separated they had become. Without a moment’s hesitation the petite blonde turned and fled the hotel. Angel couldn’t find it in himself to call out to her.

******************************

“Cordy?” Xander said quietly as he peeked inside his girlfriend’s hospital room. He saw the cheerleader lying in the hospital bed with her head turned away from the door. “They wouldn’t let me out of my own bed till now.” He remarked with an upbeat smile.

The silence coming off the brunette worried him. Yet he still managed to pull up a seat beside her bed. “I went down to the gift shop but they didn’t have ‘Sorry our date got sidetracked by vampires.’ cards. So I got you this little bear with a stethoscope.”

“Xander.” Cordelia said as she finally turned her head and stared at the young man with an empty expression. “I can’t do this anymore.”

“Do what?” He asked before the cold look in her eyes registered. “Oh, you mean us?”

“Stay away from me.” She said.

The young man slowly stood from his seat. Though it broke his heart, he turned and left the room. He never noticed the faint trail of tears streaming down Cordelia’s face.

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Time and Time Again


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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Fri Jan 22, 2016 4:36 pm 
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Belated dibs!

Aww, poor Xander.
Still, Anya's more fun to have around :P

Seriously though, why didn't they just dust Spike?
Kidnapping Dawn?
Granted, it happens a lot, but still, you'd have thought that B/F would have staked him or chopped his head off for that.

And what was with Angel letting Darla run off?
That can't be a smart move, for a stack of reasons.

Oh, well.

Still, pretty fun :P

Looking forward to the next bit. :bounce

R :flower

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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 10:12 am 
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Hi Azirahael.

You just made lots of good questions and points. And I'd really like to address most of them. But literally all of the answers are "Yeah, you're right. That's going to bite them in the ass later."

One of Spike's lesser acknowledged super powers is that he can make Slayers underestimate him. So he scraped by this time.

Also Darla coming and going is partly due to just how much free page space I though there was going to be when I went through Buffy season 3 and her bits of Angel season 2 and shoehorned stuff where it felt right.

And speaking of Anya, the next Buffyverse chapter has a few fun twists in it to celebrate her arrival. But first there's a mild to moderately smutty Dark Ages entry to get through.

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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 4:33 pm 
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Yay for excellent update-y goodness!

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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Wed Feb 03, 2016 9:01 pm 
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Hi Zampsa. Thanks for posting.

I have to apologize for the lateness of today's update. Nothing majorly bad happened but a whole bunch of little things happened and my writing/double checking schedule for the first half of this week went out the window.

In any case there is a new Dark Age Chronicles entry coming in right about....



Now!

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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Wed Feb 03, 2016 9:07 pm 
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Time and Time Again.

Author: Citanul

Feedback: Be kind, rewind? Seriously though all feedback is welcome.

Spoilers: Just about all of them. Go watch the show. And Angel too. Also Agents of Shield a little bit. You know what, if a name you don’t recognize pops up most of the time you can find dozens of pages of character bio if you type that name and the word comics into Wikipedia. It’s almost scary how much page space comic book fans have taken up on that site.

Rating: NC-17 = Smutty smut smut smut. Seriously though they make love quite often.

Pairings: W/T, B/F, G/J, D/J, F/G, A/?, X/C (X/A in half the worlds.) D/C (Though not till they’re older and even then maybe not so much with the graphic detail.)

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: So we're back to the Dark Ages yet again. A couple warnings need to be made for this chapters. Three or four scene in the plot gets completely derailed by a couple extra smutty love scenes and a few allusions to off camera love scenes that, while they took place off camera, should still be considered to have been very hot and steamy.

And while it may not constitute a trigger warning it should be noted that Faith lets a particularly painful detail about her past slip out while talking with Buffy. She doesn't go into any specifics. But the implications are there for Buffy's imagination to run wild with.

******************************

Dark Age Chronicles: Masters and Lovers

“So we’re not waiting for the lovebirds?” Lorne asked as he took his seat at the round table in the heart of the library’s main floor.

“I thought we were the lovebirds.” Tara replied with a coy smirk as she cradled Willow in her lap.

“Nah, you gals moved past the lovebirds stage of the relationship months ago.” Gunn said with an amused laugh that was shared by many of their family members.

“Mmm, he has a point Baby.” Willow whispered into Tara’s neck.

“In any case we’ll fill in Buffy and Faith after they come up for air.” Tara said once the chuckling settled down. “But now that we know for sure it’s important that everyone knows what the Mad Queen is capable of.”

“So you both met her in other lifetimes then.” Alonna said in a steady, neutral tone.

“Mmm-hmm.” Willow replied as she looked around the table to the rest of their inner circle. She thought back to the last time they had gathered like this after a crisis. Almost everyone was present. Willow’s parents who had grown into the roll of managing the Citadel staff and library. Fred who tirelessly assisted Willow, and the slender brunette’s parents who had proven more than capable of mobilizing the hundreds of skilled tradesmen that kept the city running. Lorne the gentle demon who had become a spiritual guide for every man, woman and child that lived within the city walls. Doyle and Harry, the couple that leapt at the opportunity to teach the next generation of the Witch King’s citizens. The young squires, Cassie and Dawn, who sat beside Joyce. Willow smiled as she noticed Giles had also taken a seat beside Joyce. Then there was the trio that had been at Tara’s side the longest. Their generals, Xander and Gunn, and Alonna one of their three strongest Slayers. She couldn’t believe how many dear family members they had found in this world.

“So yeah. Maggie Walsh.” Willow said with a slight cough after she realized they were waiting for her to continue. “In our first life she posed as a professor at the university where Tara and I met.”

“Posed as?” Ira asked his daughter in a confused tone before the darker implications of that distinction came to his mind.

“What was she really?” Giles asked, knowing full well how dangerous an enemy posing as and educator could be.

“We later found out that she was the scientific mastermind behind a secret military order.” Willow said. She received several astonished wide eyed looks from those sitting around the table. Knowing the worst was yet to come she forged ahead. “She had her toy soldiers running around at night capturing demons and vampires. I have no idea how many young men she got killed before she was stopped. They would take the captured demons back to their underground base for experiments.”

“Experiments?” Lorne and Doyle asked in hushed, frightful whispers. Harry clutched at her husband’s hand.

Alonna put a reassuring hand on Lorne’s shoulder. “What did they do to the demons?” The Slayer asked in a grim voice.

“They dissected most of them.” Willow explained. “She had the scientists working under her cut them open to learn all she could about their different anatomies. Some were forced to wear control collars that would give the demon a painful shock if they stepped out of line. One vampire was fitted with a control chip.”

“What do you mean chip?” Joyce asked as Cassie shuddered at the gruesome foreknowledge she possessed.

“They cut open a part of his skull and put a tiny electronic device inside his brain.” Willow said only to be greeted with even more shocked gasps. “If he ever tried to injure a living human the chip would send a shock directly into the part of his brain that registered pain. While he had the chip he couldn’t consciously harm any humans.”

“Seems like it’d be easier just to stake him.” Alonna muttered.

“Especially once we found out that he could freely murder dozens of people if he was hypnotized.” Willow admitted before going on in a low grumble. “Or when we found out it wouldn’t go off if he truly believed the person he was hurting wanted him to do all sorts of nasty…”

“Sweetie.” Tara chimed in with a worried yet firm edge to her voice.

“Sorry.” Willow said once she realized what she had almost let slip. “Yeah the behavior modification chip barely worked in the long run. It wasn’t even three years before it broke down and started shocking him at random intervals. Maybe it wasn’t ever meant to last that long.”

“Okay so, what was the endgame there?” Xander asked. “Was she planning to chip every vampire on the planet?”

“Near as we could tell the chip was a prototype.” Willow explained. “The first one in the vampire was a proof of concept. Later ones would have been implanted in her special soldiers. To make them loyal and obedient to whoever held their leashes.”

“She experimented on her human soldiers.” Giles said as he realized what Willow was hinting at.

“The ones she sent out to hunt at night were all getting regular doses of a bunch of different drugs that made them stronger than the average man.” The redhead said as Tara began to stroke her back. “If they ever went off their meds they suffered all kinds of emotional and physical problems. But all of those different things were pieces of her bigger evil plan. The main reason she was capturing demons and studying their anatomy was to find the best way to put her favorite pieces together.”

“Oh dear lord.” Giles whispered. The watcher was aghast at even the idea of such a morbid desecration. Willow looked over to Lorne and Doyle to see them not fairing much better.

“She named her first super soldier Adam.” Willow said in a detached voice. “He may have started out as a human before she got to him. But once she was done he was a monster in every sense of the word. Stitched together from parts of at least a half dozen different demons. Mechanical parts in his chest and brain to make him smarter and more resilient than any wholly organic creature. One of his arms was even taken from a Polgara demon that Walsh tricked Buffy into capturing.”

“What’s so great about Polgara arms?” Xander asked as Lorne began to look rather queasy.

“They can extend a three foot long bone spike from the inside of their wrist.” Giles explained to the curious looks of the younger man and the others sitting around the table.

“And the first thing Adam did once he woke up was bury that spike all the way in Maggie Walsh’s back.” Willow told them. “I guess her behavior controlling experiments didn’t work on some of his parts. We spent the better part of a year trying to find and destroy the monster she had cobbled together from dead demons, men and a mountain’s worth of mommy issues. And every time he faced off against Buffy she barely survived.”

“The creature was that strong?” Giles and Alonna asked in shock.

“Stronger.” Tara assured them.

“It was only through a magic ritual that bound the minds of Giles, Xander and me to Buffy that she was finally able to defeat him.” Willow said. “But even then the plot Adam had set in motion claimed almost all the lives of Walsh’s remaining soldiers. Her “son” tricked the remaining men into filling their cages with live demons so that he could let them all free inside the base. The slaughter would have given him enough spare parts to build an army of abominations just like him.”

“Oh Goddess!” Lorne cried out in horror. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”

“Okay that’s all kinds of horrifying.” Fred chimed in with a nervous frown. “But you guy’s have said that world had technology that we just don’t. She can’t do any of that stuff here. Can she?”

“Until Graham showed up with the first wave of her army I’d have said no.” Willow told the worried brunette. “But then Buffy cut this off the neck of one of the demons they brought along with the soldiers.” The redhead pulled a battered and ruined device attached to a slashed leather band out from under the table and placed it in front of Tara’s seat for all to see. “This machine shocked the demon when it tried to turn and run away from her. It was smart enough to recognize Buffy the instant she pulled out the Scythe and it wanted nothing more than to turn tail and run. This device sensed the demon’s unwillingness to fight and caused him pain.”

“I’m gonna go out on a limb and say this fancy, what do we call it? A shock collar?” Xander began to say but trailed off.

“Either that or slave noose.” Lorne grumbled as he stroked his own green neck.

“Whatever we call it, it runs on electricity right? Like the street lights that come on every night?” Xander asked

“Yeah, it’s definitely an electronic device.” Willow told the group. “I could probably make one if I had the right tools and I’ve seen magic powered versions of this same thing used to subjugate humans, but I can’t stand the sight or these things. If nothing else we have to stop her from making these collars and selling them to groups like Southern Claw.”

“Oh dear lord.” Giles gasped. “I can’t imagine the pain and suffering that would follow if that rabble of degenerate slavers obtained this technology.”

“Plus we have the more serious problem to deal with.” Dawn said. The odd statement drew concerned looks from everyone at the table. The young woman merely rolled her eyes and looked to the redhead. “Willow, as far as we know, you invented electricity in this world.”

“Well I wouldn’t say I invented it.” Willow protested. “It’s energy. You can’t invent or create energy. I just made a few toys that let us harness that kind of energy.”

“Yeah, yeah whatever.” Dawn said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “The point is you invented the use of electricity by people. So how exactly did this crazy chick make an electronic thingy of her own that you yourself would never have brought into this world?”

“And more importantly how many other devices and secrets does she have up her sleeve?” Alonna said as the witches sat in stunned silence. The sobering revelation drew their meeting to an unsettling close. They knew almost nothing of the technology their adversary was capable of producing. Even less was known of how she had accomplished or acquired such advances. The question became whether or not they could defeat such an unknown threat. Only time would tell.

******************************

“Are you comfy Honey?” Buffy asked as she moved around Faith’s bedroom. “Can I get you another pillow?”

“Yeah, I’m good B. Don’t need no more pillows.” Faith said a she continued to lie back in the nest of throw pillows, quilts and warm blankets the petite blonde had made of her bed.

“Okay Honey.” Buffy replied with undaunted cheer and affection. “Are you hungry? Want me to run to the kitchens and get us some lunch?”

“Yeah that might be good.” Faith agreed. “Give me a chance to stretch my legs a bit. Plus I have to take a wicked piss.”

“Why didn’t you say so?” Buffy said as she practically leapt to the side of the bed. Before the brunette could register that was happening to her the layers of blankets were thrown back and a pair of strong arms had scooped her up.

“B! Buffy! What the hell?” Faith hollered as she was carried into her bathroom. “Put me!” She cried out in annoyance as her over eager girlfriend gently set her down on the toilet. “Down.” Faith grumbled quietly.

“I’ll give you a minute Sweetie.” Buffy said with no hint of concern for the very awkward turn their newfound domesticity had taken. The blonde placed a tender kiss on Faith’s forehead before turning to the door. “I’ll go get our lunch order settled. Wait for me to carry you back to bed when you’re done.” She added as she disappeared through the doorway.

“She is gonna kill me with this obliviously naughty nurse act.” Faith muttered to herself as she stood to remove the sleeping gown and underwear her girlfriend had insisted on dressing her in. Though Faith was beginning to grow thoroughly annoyed with Buffy’s over eager care she couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. No one had ever tended to her needs so completely. No one had ever cared before. If only she could convince the petite blonde that she was all but fully healed. Then they could both tend to each other’s more amorous needs.

******************************

“So was there something else you needed us for that couldn’t be brought up at the meeting?” Fred asked the witches who now sat in the cushioned chair at the center of the spherical, mirror lined observatory room. The now only somewhat secret observatory was growing crowded for once. Fred’s gaze traveled first to her parents and then to Lorne, Doyle and Harry. All other eyes were on Tara as she and Willow brought up a series of images on the concave mirrored surface.

“We have news about the mountain where we found you three.” Tara said as her eyes trailed over a bird’s eye view of the densely forested hillside. The image moved over the burnt out remains of one small village. Roger and Trish Burkle let out mournful sighs seeing their old home in ruins. Harry nestled further into Doyle’s side. Lorne simply bowed his head.

Fred continued to watch the images as they moved around the side of the mountain and brought an almost pristine village into view. No similar harm had befallen their closest neighbor. Not a single building, barn, of fence was damaged. The sight was odd considering the other village didn’t have a fortified wall or even a crude earthen barrier surrounding it. It was completely defenseless.

“So the other village didn’t get hit by bandits and slavers?” Lorne asked. While he lived on that mountain he hadn’t experienced much sympathy or compassion from the hunting parties of either village but he could certainly empathize with his human friends over the loss of their old home.

“No.” Willow told them as the images zoomed in on a row of wagons with large metal cages built atop their frames. “But they did pay a visit.”

“And never left.” Tara added with a worried frown.

“We’ve been watching for days now.” Willow went on. “The town has a pattern. There is absolutely no activity during daylight hours. But at night the villagers come out to move wagons and things all over the place.”

“How is that even possible?” Doyle asked as Fred began to realize just how dangerous fleeing to the neighboring village would have been for her.

“Why would they shun the sunlight?” Roger asked as Trish stared at an open doorway in the corner of the raven’s view.

“Is that blood?” She asked as Tara made the bird take a closer look at a dark red stain on the floorboards of the tavern’s covered porch.

“Yes.” Tara said in a grim tone.

“What does all this mean?” Roger asked as he saw Lorne and Doyle shake their heads.

“It means the girls are going to be busy for the next week or so.” Lorne told the worried human.

“There’ll be a lot of Slaying to take care of if they turned even half of all those bandit gangs and slaver caravans.” Doyle remarked as she held Harry closer to him.

“The Slayers?” Trish asked in confusion as she looked back and forth between the images on the concave walls and the two witches she owed for saving her life and family.

“Vampires Mom.” Fred said in a hollow whisper. “The town is completely populated by vampires.”

“In one week our forces will s-sack that village.” Tara said in her resigned yet authoritative voice. “The Slayers will h-have their work cut out for them.”

As the Witch King spoke the eyes of several of her most trusted subjects stared in horror as something ran across the darkened doorway of the tavern. A moment later a disfigured face appeared in the shadows, glaring with piercing yellow eyes at the raven perched across the street. Then it was gone and all was quiet in the observatory.

******************************

“That’s excellent work girls!” Giles called out to the Slayers sparing in small groups all over the open floor of the Academy. “Chloe, keep up your guard. Vi don’t hesitate to strike.”

“This seems bad.” Joyce said as she wrung her hands at the watcher’s side. “Tara and Willow are sure they’ll need all the Slayers for this raid?”

“This is what these girls were chosen for Joyce.” Giles said in his most consoling voice. “It’s what they excel at.”

“But we don’t know how many vampires are even there.” Joyce protested. “What if it’s a trap?”

“It’s always a trap. Which is precisely the reason we’ll get there in the early morning.” The watcher assured her. “They’ll have a whole day’s worth of sunshine to their advantage.”

“Everything will work out Joyce.” Alonna assured the worried woman as she took several practice swings with her newest toy. “Buffy, Faith and I will be able to tell how many vamps there are the second we set foot in that village.”

“I still don’t like the idea of any of you girls facing those monsters.” Joyce said as she tried to visibly relax for the unconcerned Slayer.

“It’s what we do.” Alonna said with a proud smile.

“It’s their calling.” Giles agreed as he wrapped his arms around the woman he loved. “In a few short days these Slayers will sack that town and wipe out their first nest. It’s a testament to all their hard work. I couldn’t be prouder.”

Joyce tried her best to dislodge the frown that creased her brow. Try as she might there was no dissuading her fears. Even with all the tales of Buffy’s exploits she couldn’t help but worry over the safety of her daughters. Both her own and the many adopted ones that now trained for battle right before her eyes.

******************************

“So I was examining the collar and I’m pretty sure there used to be a radio transmitter and receiver built into it. But that whole part was smashed to pieces by Buffy when she chopped the demon’s head off so there’s no way that Walsh has been listening in on us or even watching our meetings through the device.” The redhead babbled on as she luxuriated in the firm embrace of her lover and “king.”

Tara drove the jet black royal steed up the hillside overlooking the back of the citadel. They came to a bend in the tree line that curved around a small open ended clearing. She led the horse behind the cover of the small grove of trees and dismounted. Without even having to glance upwards Tara put out her arms and caught her everything as she clumsily dismounted in a way that seemed indistinguishable from simply falling out of the saddle. Startled green eyes locked with enamored blue as a weak chuckle escaped the redhead’s lips.

“Guess I still have some work to do when it comes to the whole horses, thing.” Willow admitted as Tara turned from the horse and carried her across the small clearing. The honey blonde smiled as they stepped into the lightly shaded woods.

“You’ve already come a long way Sweetie.” Tara assured the woman in her arms. “We’ll show that birthday party pony yet.”

“You say the sweetest things.” Willow whispered just before Tara leaned in for a kiss. The tender clash of lips lasted only a moment. When it had passed Willow sighed in contentment. Tara smiled once more as they continued deeper into the forest.

Willow smiled blissfully and let her head fall to Tara’s shoulder. “So when we finally raid her fortress I think you should let me go over the stuff in her labs. If she managed to whip up radio signal technology there’s no telling what else she has, or how dangerous any of it could be in the wrong hands. You and I both know there are some things that just should not be invented. I want to personally make sure her really terrible stuff gets trashed properly and the actually useful stuff gets brought back to our home. Depending on what she has I might even be able to turn the tower into a giant radio antenna or something. We’d be able to make quick and easy calls to the mines without magic and all that. We might even find some other useful stuff.”

“Of course Sweetie.” Tara said as she came across a spot that seemed like it would be perfect for her purposes. She smiled wickedly as she brought Willow in for another kiss.

Willow swooned yet again as Tara kissed her deeply and passionately. All thoughts of inventions and conquest fled from the redhead’s mind as the fires of love and lust burned within her. She thrilled at the sensation of Tara’s tongue dancing with hers. Her back arched with pleasure, driving her chest into Tara’s as the kiss sent wave after wave of heat coursing through her slender frame. Willow writhed in ecstasy as her arousal pooled within her aching center. She was so caught up in the all encompassing passion that the sudden severance of contact drew an excruciating whimper from her throat.

“Baby?” Willow moaned in a haze of want and need just before she heard a sobering click. Green eyes flew open in a panic as her head shot up. Sometime during the kiss Tara had pressed Willow’s back against a massive tree covered with dark smooth bark. Her arms were stretched upwards over her head. Her wrists were confined within a pair of highly polished shackles. They glimmered slightly every now and then as thin rays of sunlight filtered through the forest canopy. A long chain ran up from each restraint and met atop a thick branch that Willow failed to so much as budge while she dangled helplessly.

Perhaps the only comfort was the fact that the redhead could feel soft padding all along the inside of the shackles. Tara would never allow the slightest bit of unwanted discomfort to befall Willow. As she felt her back press into the smooth tree bark she realized Tara’s hands were trailing up and down her body. Nervous green eyes once again met captivating blue and all fear was driven from Willow’s mind. Anticipation for what was about to happen to her fired a tidal wave of sheer carnal need down Willow’s spine and directly into her heated core.

“Baby.” Willow moaned with desire and need as she dangled from the tree branch. Her legs abandoned their subconscious effort to help her feet reach the forest floor. They spread and began to slither up the sides of Tara’s thighs. Willow let out a pitiful whimper as the long skirt she was wearing halted her efforts to embrace her always.

“Something wrong Sweetie.” Tara asked as her hands slowly began to unbutton the blouse Willow was wearing. She smirked as Willow did her best to convey all of her wanton desires in a single helpless moan. As it became clear Tara was going to ignore her pressing needs Willow’s hips bucked hungrily against the honey blonde’s.

Tara smirked before favoring Willow with the quirked grin that always stole the redhead’s heart. “Now, now. None of that.” Tara admonished as one hand slipped down to Willow’s stomach. Hope flared in Willow’s chest for an instant only to be dashed again as Tara pressed Willow’s writhing body firmly into the tree. “I’m going to take my time with you.” Tara whispered into the red locks covering Willow’s ear. “You’ll just have to be patient until I get around to your needs. Can you be patient for me Willow?”

Willow gulped as the husky breath behind the lust ridden question sent shivers up and down her entire body. She knew she was in trouble. Tara’s breath on her neck mixed with her helpless physical state and the seductive nature of the honey blonde’s words had already brought Willow perilously close to the edge. She knew she would struggle to hold out. She also knew how much Tara would be turned on by her struggles. Without hesitation Willow locked eyes with Tara yet again. She nodded eagerly and did her best to relax her body. There was nothing that titillated her more than being Tara’s obedient plaything.

“Good girl.” Tara said as Willow’s legs came to rest against the tree. “I’ll be sure to reward your good behavior before I let you down.” Tara smirked yet again as she watched Willow shiver in delight.

The honey blonde had been nervous about their first experiments in the less conventional forms of lovemaking. Those fears had quickly abated once she realized just how much Willow enjoyed giving into her submissive nature. Though the redhead conveyed confidence and certainty in almost every other aspect of her life Tara had learned long ago that her girl secretly loved to be tamed. She longed to surrender all her control in the safe embrace of the woman she loved above all else. Tara was only too honored to accept all of the love, trust and adoration Willow freely gave to her.

Tara’s hand returned to the buttons of Willow’s blouse. Willow let out a sigh of longing as the last button was undone. Tara spread her fingers and palms out under the hem of Willow’s blouse. Her hands slowly caressed their way up the redhead’s pale stomach, spreading her garment as they went. As her hands grazed the swell of Willow’s petite breasts she smirked yet again.

“I can tell that someone didn’t wear a bra today.” Tara said in a mildly chastising tone as she threw Willow’s shirt open. Her hands quickly returned to the redhead’s exposed breasts. Cupping, squeezing and kneading as she pleased. Willow’s whimpers turned to sighs of pleasure as her nipples were caught between Tara’s thumbs and forefingers. Tara pinched the delicate buds, delighting in the way Willow arched her back. With Willow’s chest thrust firmly into Tara’s palms the backs of her hands pressed into her own chest just hard enough to remind the honey blonde that she was still wearing her riding jacket.

Deciding not to let Willow have all the fun Tara lunged forward, her mouth descending on her everything’s exposed neck. “Oh Goddess! Yes! Tara!” Willow screamed into the treetops. Tara laughed into pale, lightly freckled flesh as she heard birds take flight. She continued to suck and nibble her way down to Willow’s collar bone. “Oooohh.” Willow moaned as the length of her clavicle was caressed with the softness of the lips she adored so completely.

Tara’s lips broke away from Willow’s tender flesh with a loud pop. “I really should punish you for your indecency Sweetie.” Tara remarked as she gazed upwards towards her panting lover. “But I could be tempted to show mercy and let you down from there just this once.”

“No!” Willow shouted in sheer panic at the very idea of stopping their play. A moment passed as Tara just stared at the anxious redhead with subdued and expectant eyes. Willow caught her mistake and corrected herself immediately. “I’m a very bad girl and I deserve to be punished. I knew I was supposed to wear a bra and I didn’t out of sheer arrogance. But it’s a good thing you caught me or else I would never have learned my lesson. My sexy, sexy lesson.” She began to trail off in an aroused daze before snapping back to attention at the slight chuckling that came from her everything. “I mean there are rules! Rules that need to be followed, and here I am flaunting those rules. Scoffing at them! Scoff, scoff, scoff. See how I’m scoffing? This kind of behavior can’t be rewarded. Punishment is due! For the sake of discipline! Please Baby. Please, please, please discipline me.”

“I don’t know Willow.” Tara went on in a bored tone as she slipped her ridding jacket off of her shoulders. It fell to the forest floor as she began to fiddle with the buttons of her own shirt. “The Witch King is well known for displays of mercy. I have a certain reputation to uphold. Just let me get the key and help you down from there. We can go back home and have a nice soothing cup of tea before going right to bed.”

“I’m also not wearing any panties!” Willow shouted in desperation as Tara described a perfectly boring evening. “You should always check if I’m wearing panties. You know how forgetful and naughty I am.”

“Why you vixen!” Tara shouted in mock disgust. She reached forward yet again and twisted Willow’s exposed nipples once more for good measure. “How dare you refuse to wear panties?”

“AHH! Ooh yes.” Willow let out a yelp then whimpered in delight as her nipples underwent one of her favorite types of punishment. “I’m your naughty little vixen Tara. Yes! All yours! So, so naughty. Teach me my lesson Tara. Punish your naughty little vixen!” She begged as her lover’s hands withdrew.

“In due time Willow.” Tara assured in her best detached tone. “First I need to cool off a bit.” Her shirt fell to the forest floor, exposing the lacey black bra she had one of the servants sew for just such an occasion as this.

“Oh Goddess, you are so beautiful.” Willow moaned as she writhed against the trunk of the large tree.

“Such compliments please your King vixen.” Tara replied with a warm smile. “I’ll have to reward your behavior later. After you’ve been punished.”

“Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes.” Willow rambled in joy. Tara’s heart skipped a beat as she noticed Willow was clamping her legs together fiercely with every word. She knew her love would be overflowing by the time she got around to checking whether or not Willow was actually wearing anything beneath the long skirt.

All those things went through her mind as she brought one arm up to hold the cups of her bra in place while the other worked the clasp at her back. She slipped out of the undergarment and dropped it to the forest floor. All without giving Willow even a glimpse of her already achingly hard nipples.

Words escaped the bedazzled redhead. Her jaw fell open, fixing the most amusing dazed look on her face. Tara felt another thrill at the effect her breasts had on the love of her many lives. She felt another rush to her aching center and knew that she too was more than ready for their play to move on to the next phase.

With a few quick steps Tara closed in on Willow. She felt the hardened peaks of Willow’s nipples grind against the back of her hand and forearm. She smirked once more as she locked eyes with her helpless love. Green eyes shone brightly with all the pleading, wanton, need that coursed through Willow’s body. Tara let the arm across her chest fall to Willow’s hip. Their nipples met as Tara leaned in for another searing kiss.

“Mmmm.” Willow moaned into Tara’s throat as their tongues clashed once more. She almost didn’t notice the movements of Tara’s hands at her own waist. Willow’s heart soared again as she felt Tara’s hips lean away from her for a moment before returning without the extra layer of leather that had covered the honey blonde’s lower half. She let out another excited yelp as she felt Tara’ strong fingers working the ties of her skirt. As the long cylinder of fabric fell to the forest floor Willow’s heart soared. It all but stopped as she felt Tara’s soft curls brush against her own patch of short red hairs.

Tara moaned in contentment as she began to grind into Willow. Willow was in paradise. Breasts mashing into one another. Stomachs growing hot with friction then slick with perspiration. Lips both above and below brushing across each other in a never ending dance. Sporadic shivers of ecstasy running up one woman and down the other as their clits collided every so often. Their abundant nectar spilling from both their cores mixed before slowly flowing down the inside of their thighs.

Tara smirked yet again as she felt Willow’s thighs spread and lunge forward in a vain attempt to wrap her legs around the honey blonde’s hips. She pulled her aching core away from the quivering redhead. Willow let out another moan as she was denied the release she so desperately craved. Her anguished whimpers ceased instantly as she felt Tara’s hand cup her heated pussy.

A strained moan escaped Willow’s lips. “Yes Tara. Please.” She begged and pleaded. “Take me Tara. Please. Make me yours all over again.”

“Ask nicely Willow.” Tara said in affirm tone as her flattened palm provided not quite as much pressure as Willow wanted on her molten entrance.

“Fuck me like I’m your sex toy Tara!” Willow continued to beg and moan. “Use me to get off and then make me clean you up with my tongue. Pull my hair and call me a slut as you spank my ass red!”

“Tempting.” Tara admitted before leaning in beside her girl to whisper in her ear. “But I still have to punish you.” Before Willow could protest further Tara plunged her middle and ring fingers into Willow’s slick folds as deeply as they would go. The scream that left the redhead’s throat made sure that there was no wildlife left in the area to watch what happened next.

“Yes! Baby! Fuck me!” Willow cried out in rapturous delight as Tara’s strong fingers flexed and curled within her soaking wet pussy. The redhead bucked uncontrollably into Tara’s hand again and again. As she rode Tara’s fingers Willow’s legs came up to wrap around her waist as tightly as the ecstatic redhead could manage. Tara laughed as her body was pulled tightly against Willow’s. She captured Willow’s lips in her own as she stirred relentlessly.

Willow approached the edge Tara had driver her towards from the moment they entered the forest. Tara’s fingers easily found the most vulnerable spot within her. Tara’s palm ground into and over the tight bundle of raw nerves nestled at the top of Willow’s entrance. Tara’s breasts massaged her much smaller chest. Tara’s tongue writhed and wriggled its way into her mouth where it utterly dominated her own silken muscle. With one firm stroke along the sensitive mound within Willow’s inner walls the redhead became undone.

Tara’s heart soared as she held herself against the shaking redhead. Tara rode out every bucking thrust of Willow’s hips and each quivering vibration of her chest. Her mouth never left Willow’s as they shared every instant of the mind shattering orgasm that rocked the lithe redhead’s entire body. Moments that dragged into minutes passed by before words could be spoken again.

“Tara?” Willow asked as her eyes fluttered open. “That was, wow.”

“I love you too Sweetie.” Tara said with a light kiss to Willow’s nose. “But now that your punishment is out of the way it’s my turn.”

“Your turn?” Willow asked only to watch in shock as Tara slipped down to her knees. “Right, of course. How rude of me. I mean it’s only fair for you to get a turOH MY GODDESS! YES!”

Willow’s screams continued anew as Tara’s mouth latched onto her still swollen and sensitive clit. The honey blonde suckled to her heart’s content as Willow writhed anew while she remained bound to the tree. Tara’s efforts to drink Willow dry only increased as she felt the redhead’s legs drape themselves down her back. She soon sent her tongue on an expedition as deeply into Willow’s center as it could venture. With Willow’s thighs holding onto Tara’s head and Tara’s tongue swirling about inside her always the honey blonde’s world became consumed by Willow. All that Tara could taste, touch, see, hear or smell was Willow. Tara couldn’t imagine a more perfect paradise.

With one final swirl of her tongue a torrent of Willow’s nectar flowed down Tara’s face, chin and throat. Tara drank as deeply as she could. She always savored every last drop of her everything. Once the torrent slowed to a faint trickle Tara slowly worked her lips up Willow’s body in a winding route that drew light tremors from the spent redhead. Her final destination in that sensual journey turned out to be none other than Willow’s lips and the tender kiss that lay waiting there.

“You were amazing Willow.” Tara said once she was sure Willow had gotten a good long taste of her own arousal that still coated Tara’s face and mouth.

“Baby you were the amazing one.” Willow protested. “I just hung here.”

“You’re the one who gave me all of your trust and love.” Tara countered as she reached up and undid the shackles around Willow’s wrists. “You have no idea what it means to me that I’m the only person you’d ever give that gift to.”

“Only you Tara.” Willow said as she slowly slid down the tree. She came to rest on her knees before Tara. The redhead looked up to meet the honey blonde’s eyes.

Tara wondered what brought on the faint smirk playing across Willow’s face. Before she could even think to ask Willow’s head shot forward and her mouth latched onto Tara’s still exposed clit. Tara let out a faint cry that died in her throat as Willow sucked on the tender bud between her legs. Their eyes never parted as Willow continued to turn the tables on her always.

Whimpers and moans of intense pleasure left Tara’s lips as she felt one of Willow’s hands snake its way up the inside of her thigh. She shuddered as Willow sunk three fingers into her pussy. Tara fell over the edge she had just brought Willow over and before she could fully recover from the sensation she felt Willow’s other hand slide between her ass cheeks.

Tara’s eyes widened in shock as Willow’s thumb penetrated her backside. The dueling sensations immediately brought Tara screaming over the edge yet again. She collapsed into Willow’s waiting arms, breathless and spent. More than a few minutes filled with deep panting and tender kissing passed before Tara was able to form a response.

“And you doubted how amazing you are.” Tara whispered with a coy smile as she trailed light kisses over Willow’s shoulder. In time they would dress and return to their citadel. But not just yet.

******************************

“Faith!” Buffy cried as panic set in. “What are you doing out here?” Her girl was lying on the couch set to one side of the balcony connected to the brunette’s bedroom. Her dark bathrobe was wrapped around her in a way that told Buffy she hadn’t left her chambers even though it was clear Faith was ignoring all of Buffy’s other demands for mandatory bed rest.

The brunette looked up from her position on the cushioned bench with more than a little exasperation. She shook her head for an instant before turning back to the view that lay just beyond the parapets of her private balcony. “I’m getting some sun B. What’s it look like?”

“You’re injured!” Buffy protested in a half shouted tone. “You shouldn’t be out here alone!”

“Okay sweet cheeks, you need to chill with all that!” Faith snapped drawing a stunned look from the Slayer. “I’m healed up Buffy. I don’t need you fussing over me like some crippled street rat. I ain’t gonna be the damsel in distress in this relationship.”

“I didn’t.” Buffy said before stopping herself. Her hands began to fidget in front of her light sundress in a way that drew an amused smirk from Faith. “I just, I can’t lose you Faith. Not after… I’m just scared I guess.”

“I get that B.” Faith admitted as she looked out over the fields, farm houses and sparse forests that lay between their wing of the citadel and the outer wall. “You scare the hell out of me sometimes.”

“I scare you?” Buffy asked in a timid voice as she came to stand beside her girlfriend’s couch.

“Sure.” Faith said. “I never cared about someone else like I care about you. Never had much of any good stuff in my life before Blondie brought me to this place. Never had so much to lose before. It’s scary, you know? Fuckin’ terrifying.”

“I just thought…” Buffy was unsure how to ask about the rumors she had heard around the academy. “One of the girls said you had a thing with some of the girls in town. A blacksmith’s daughter? Or something.”

“Don’t listen to those dingbats Buffy. I ain’t anywhere near as big of a slut as they all seem to think.” Faith said with a dry chuckle that lacked her usual warmth.

Buffy paused as the brunette used her actual name. In the past Faith had gone whole weeks with simply calling her “B.” Yet when the brunette actually used her name it was always accompanied by a point Faith was desperately trying to drive home. A small part of the petite blonde winced internally as she realized Faith had used her real name more during her convalescence over the last week than she had since the day they first met. Buffy suddenly felt a mixture of shame and remorse as she realized she had most likely worn out her welcome.

“Sorry.” Buffy replies with a slight grimace that brought a smile to Faith’s face. “I shouldn’t be asking about your past. What matters is that we’re together and we love each other. Not who we used to love.”

“I’ve never loved anyone before I met you Buffy.” Faith admitted with a pained shiver.

“Really?” Buffy asked with a hopeful smile. “Not even the blacksmith’s daughter. Or the mason’s daughter. Or…”

“No one!” Faith cut her off with a firm promise. “No one has ever gotten to me the way you do. I’ve fooled around and scratched the itch a few times. But I’ve never been in love before you came along.” The blonde stared into the brunette’s eyes for a long moment. Buffy could tell how much Faith was struggling to tell her all the things she’d normally keep to herself. All the regrets she’d let fester in the pit of her stomach. Buffy realized she needed to reassure Faith with some admissions of her own.

“I’ve never had someone who made me feel even half of what you make me feel Faith.” Buffy said as she sat down on the very edge of the couch beside her girl. “There was a boy in my old hometown, before…” She paused and Faith swore she saw more than a few conflicting emotions clouding the hazel eyes she adored. “But it wasn’t real. It wasn’t at all like what I have with you. I’m sorry for going overboard with the whole nursemaid thing.”

“Nothin’ to be sorry ‘bout B.” Faith assured the petite blonde with a gentle hand on her back. The brunette began to rub slow circles into her girl’s weary muscles as an idea formed in her mind. “Say, this couch is plenty big enough for two. Especially when one of them is you. Why don’t you lay down with me for a bit and we can do the whole cuddle thing or some shit.”

“Was that a short joke?” Buffy asked as she watched Faith scoot to one side of the couch. Before an answer came the petite blonde was nestled into the curvy brunette’s side with a content sigh.

“No need to worry about size B.” Faith dodged the question. “Sexy things come in small packages.”

“Sexy?” Buffy asked with a skeptical but hopeful expression. “I’m not… I’ve never been… Really?”

“You have no idea.” Faith replied with a smirk as her arm wrapped around Buffy’s shoulders and pulled her girl closer. Buffy smiled brightly for a moment before another frown creased her brow. Faith noticed the sullen expression and immediately grew worried that the best thing that ever came into her life was already slipping through her grasp. “You okay B? You can tell me about it. I’m here for you no matter what.”

“All this talk of itch scratching.” Buffy began to explain with an embarrassed hunching of her shoulders. “It’s just so… I guess since I’ve never, you know?”

“Never?” Faith asked with widening eyes. “Like never, never? Not even by your lonesome?” A brief shake of her blonde head was Buffy’s only response.

“I’m sorry Faith.” Buffy said after an awkward silence fell over the couple. “I guess you’re disapoin…”

“Stop right there Buffy!” Faith snapped. “Ain’t no reason for you to be self conscious and shit about any of that. Not having sex with random dipshits who ain’t worth your time is a good thing. Hell, if I had had that option…” Faith trailed off suddenly as a concerned look filled Buffy’s wide hazel eyes. “If anything I’m the one who should feel…”

“I love you Faith!” Buffy declared with certainty and affection heavy in her voice. “You can tell me anything and I’ll never judge you or hold it against you or whatever. And you don’t have to tell me if you’re not ready to talk about something. Either way I’m here for you just like you just said you were here for me. You never have to feel ashamed with me.” Buffy punctuated her promise with a kiss that for the moment drove all fear and doubt from the brunette’s mind.

Faith shuddered as the kiss was broken off before it could grow more heated. “Because I love you.” Buffy finished with so much conviction in her voice and gaze that Faith had no recourse but to believe her every word.

The two Slayers settled into the couch once more and turned their attention to the view laid out before Faith’s balcony. Buffy let out a content sigh as her head came to rest on Faith’s shoulder, one arm draped across her girl’s stomach. Faith sighed in reply as her cheek came to rest atop Buffy’s head full of shoulder length blonde locks in much the same way. Both of her arms circled Buffy’s weary shoulders. They stared out at the horizon, both Slayers content in the knowledge that they had found in each other something that most people searched for their whole lives without ever coming close. A slight giggle broke the serene moment and drew Faith’s attention back to her girl.

“Wanna let me in on the joke B?” Faith asked as her thumb rubbed small circles on Buffy’s shoulder.

“Oh it’s stupid.” Buffy said as she realized that even in their quiet moments she had all of Faith’s attention. “I just remembered something Xander and one of the soldiers were saying about dry spells. I figured you must be eager to end the one you’ve been in this week since your injuries made it so you couldn’t scratch that itch.”

“It’s been a whole lot longer than a week B.” Faith admited with a chuckle of her own.

“Really?” Buffy asked as she turned her head to look back into Faith’s expressive brown eyes. “I mean I didn’t just assume you were catting it up all over town when I wasn’t looking, but you haven’t done anything in more than this last week?”

“It’s been a few months B.” Faith told the confused blonde.

“Months?” Buffy asked in shock as she sat up and turned to face her girl. “Why months? You’re beautiful and you like sex. So why has it been months?”

“It’s been months…” Faith began with a heavy sigh and a slow closing of here eyes. “Because that’s how long ago the love of my life walked through the main gate of this city, and ever since that day I’ve done nothing but try to prove to her that I was good enough for her love. I haven’t scratched that itch, with anyone, or by myself, since the day I fell in love with the most beautiful little blonde Slayer that ever lived.”

Faith heard a slight gasp but refused to open her eyes. A moment passed before a single finger came up to the bottom of her chin and lifted her face up in the direction of her girl. Faith did her best to school her emotions before opening her eyes. She knew she had just screwed up the best relationship to ever come into her life. Every time she opened herself up she lost what was most precious to her. She couldn’t bear to lose Buffy. But she knew she already had. Every prior interaction in her life told her so.

Quietly cursing herself internally, Faith knew she had to face the other Slayer. She knew she had to accept the heartbreak Buffy was about inflict upon her. She slowly opened her eyes expecting to see disgust, or at the very least pity and disappointment in the hazel eyes she would miss for the rest of her days. But instead of contempt Faith saw something she had difficulty recognizing. Tears built in the corners of Buffy’s eyes as the emotion Faith had trouble pinning down overwhelmed the petite blonde.

As the look of surprise and confusion came over Faith’s face Buffy leaned in and captured her lips with a kiss that bespoke of all her compassion and affection for the other Slayer. But most of all the kiss conveyed the truly endless love the blonde held for the brunette. Faith shuddered at the realization. She had declared her love for Buffy several times during her convalescence, and Buffy in turn had assured her of the same. But Faith had never truly known what it was to love and be loved. She knew the connection between Willow and Tara was powerful beyond words. She believed the emotion was worth all the work, struggle and misery the two witches endured to keep it. She assumed the affection most people in committed relationships had was close enough to what the royal couple shared that things worked for them just fine. But Faith had never understood the feeling itself. Not until Buffy had shown her the light.

The kiss wore on for ages that Faith wished would never end. The soft clash of Buffy’s tender mouth against Faith’s pouty lips. Only when the need for breath grew too demanding did the petite blonde break the connection.

“Wow.” Faith said in a daze.

“No one has ever said something so beautiful to me in my entire life.” The petite blonde whispered as she drew closer to Faith once more. “I’ve never felt so cherished with anyone as I do when I’m with you Faith. I never knew I could feel anything like this. I never imagined my life could be this complete with someone else in it, and now that I know what it means to be loved by you I can’t imagine any life that doesn’t have you in it. I love you Faith.” Buffy swore.

“I love you too Buffy.” Faith promised as her girl’s words swept aside years of insecurities and doubts that had held the brunette down all her life. For the first time in her life Faith understood what it was to love and be loved. In an instant she knew she never wanted that feeling to end.

Buffy smiled brightly as she knelt beside Faith on the couch. To the brunette’s utter surprise Buffy threw one leg over Faith’s hips, straddling the Slayer in a way that made the blonde’s flimsy sundress ride up ever so tantalizingly. Buffy’s lips captured Faith’s once more, but Faith was shocked by the wildly different nature of the second kiss. Where the last kiss gently conveyed affection, emotion and deep abiding trust this kiss screamed and roared of need, desire and passion.

Faith shuddered into Buffy’s lips as raw seething want ignited a fire within her core. She quivered as she felt Buffy’s hands undo the knotted sash keeping her bathrobe closed tight. With the sash undone Buffy wasted no time in spreading the robe. A surprised but appreciative yelp escaped the petite blonde’s lips as her hands moved to where she thought the ties for Faith’s nightgown would be. As her hands caressed two full globes of soft flesh Buffy broke the kiss and stared down at her girl.

“You took off your nightgown?” Buffy asked in surprise as she took in the sight of Faith’s exposed beauty. “And your panties!” She cried out in shock.

“Best way to sleep when you got someone hot to cuddle up to.” Faith replied as her hands massaged Buffy’s thighs. “Damn but I like seein’ you in these little dresses B.” She said with an appreciative leer as her fingertips slipped under her girl’s dress and worked upwards to trace the waistband of her panties. “Gotta love it when you give me easy access.”

“You have exclusive access Faith.” Buffy said with a sigh of pleasure as she took a moment to enjoy Faith’s strong fingers. “God you feel so good.” She added as her hands continued to knead Faith’s breast.

“All yours B.” Faith assured as she let out an equally pleased sigh. “Anytime you want to play with the girls just ask.”

“Sorry I’m not so.” Buffy began to apologize only to have her breath taken away as Faith’s hands flew up under her sundress to cup her breasts.

“Never apologize B.” Faith ordered in a husky breath as she squeezed and kneaded in much the same way as Buffy continued to with her. “Like I said. Sexy things in small packages.”

“Oooh.” Buffy moaned with closed eyes as Faith’s wonderful fingers found her already hard nipples.

“You like that B?” Faith asked knowing full well the answer long before her girl quietly nodded her head. As Faith continued to massage and knead Buffy’s soft breasts the blonde came to the realization that she wanted nothing more than to give all of herself over to the hungry brunette beneath her. Her hands slipped off of Faith’s ample bosom and found their way to the hem of her sundress. In an instant the light dress was pulled up and over her shoulders, falling to the floor beside the couch.

Faith almost choked at the glorious sight above her. She felt the pang between her legs intensify as she watched Buffy writhe and moan. Faith’s breathing picked up pace as Buffy’s hands trailed back down her own stomach and thighs until they came to rest on Faith’s stomach. Buffy leaned forward into Faith’s palms with her eyes still closed.

As the blonde enjoyed everything Faith’s hands did to her chest her own hands slipped down to Faith’s belly button and then beyond. Faith trembled as the Slayer’s strong fingers trailed through her dark chestnut curls. Her hips bucked strongly as Buffy’s open palm cupped her trembling and heated lips.

The sudden lurch caused Buffy’s eyes to fly open in shock. She looked down and for the first time realized where her almost subconscious explorations had taken her. The sweet liquid seeping from Faith’s trembling pussy burned like fire as it coated her hand. Her open palm spread out over Faith’s naval with its splayed fingers pointing towards Faith’s breasts. The palm seemed to channel heat from deep within the brunette all the way up through the blonde’s arm and into her heart. The scent of Faith’s arousal filled Buffy’s flaring nostrils, igniting a fire within her own core that begged to be stoked. Buffy knew that only Faith could satisfy the new and terrifying desires burning her alive.

“Goddess B.” Faith whispered as she bucked into her girl’s open palm. “Thought I was gonna have to steer you around the curves.”

“I’m doing good?” Buffy asked in a suddenly excited voice.

“God damn!” Faith moaned in ecstasy as she bucked yet again, driving her swollen clit into Buffy’s palm. “Yeah, better than good. Just, just keep, keep doin’, Goddess.”

Buffy smiled as she pleased her girl. She had never imagined herself as an overly sexual person before. Never dared to hope that her slightest touch might pleasure another person so thoroughly. Never dreamed of bringing someone she loved to such heights so easily. Buffy was more than pleased with herself until one terrifying sound shattered her pleasant little fantasies.

Faith let out a strained groan that sent chills down Buffy’s spine. Hazel eyes flew open in panic as Buffy immediately took her hands off of Faith. “Oh god! Faith? Are you okay? Did I hurt you? Baby I’m so sorry!”

Before the blonde could climb off her girl Faith’s hands shot forward. One snaked through Buffy’s hair, grabbing the blonde strands by the roots, while the other grasped the hand that was still coated in the brunette’s nectar. Faith pulled the startled blonde into a searing kiss that both shocked and thrilled Buffy to her core. The hand holding Buffy’s trembling wrist brought the open palm and delightful fingers back to Faith’s quivering folds.

Faith broke the kiss and stared into Buffy’s stunned yet aroused hazel pools. “Fuck me like you mean it Buffy.” She breathed into Buffy’s parted lips as their eyes bore into one another. Faith’s hand slid around to rest against the back of Buffy’s so that they both held the brunette’s pussy. Faith lined her fingers up with Buffy’s as she began to kiss the blonde yet again. As Faith sensed her girl relax yet again she made her move. The brunette brought her tongue out to dance through Buffy’s mouth just as her middle and ring fingers curled forcing Buffy’s same fingers to be shoved deep within Faith’s quivering walls.

Buffy’s eyes flew open as the new sensation sent a tidal wave of emotions cascading through her mind. The sheer intimate closeness she felt from Faith as the brunette’s muscles squeezed and rippled around her fingers. The warm wetness of Faith’s tongue as it wrestled her own just behind her teeth. Another moan escaped Faith’s throat only to be swallowed up and reverberate through Buffy’s chest in a way the petite blonde could never have imagined. Buffy was in awe. She had never dreamed that making love could be anything like the bond they were sharing at that precise moment.

Buffy flexed the fingers she held within her girl and savored the taste of another moan of pure bliss. The blonde was so wrapped up in the tightness of Faith’s inner walls that she almost failed to notice Faith’s hand sliding under the waistband of her panties. She trembled as she felt Faith’s fingers glide through her soaked amber curls. She whimpered in joy and delight as those same fingers slid over and through her molten folds. She screamed as she felt two of Faith’s fingers curl and dive inside her pussy.

Buffy had never experienced anything like what the brunette was doing to her. Faith was inside her, softly stroking two strong fingers against inner walls that tightened and strained around the rapturous intrusion.

Buffy felt the pace of Faith’s fingers quicken as they twirled and danced within. She made an effort to match the brunette’s motions with her own hand. The Slayer felt pressure building to an almost unbearable breaking point. She felt herself edge closer and closer to a conclusion she never knew existed. For all Buffy’s travels and adventures she had remained ignorant of this one crucial aspect of human existence. She was only too thrilled to have Faith guide her into this brave new world. A shudder tore through Faith’s body, breaking their rhythm and sending Faith’s head crashing back to the couch cushions. Buffy fell with her and as the tremors rumbled though Faith’s entire body they ran down her arm and straight into Buffy core. In an instant that she thought would never end Buffy soared to the highest heavens before crashing down atop Faith’s spent and panting body.

The scent of Buffy’s arousal mixed with Faith’s as the nectar from either Slayer coated the thighs and stomachs of both young women. Buffy idly wondered how soon she could have sex with her girl again. She wondered how many times it would take to permanently mark Faith with her scent and be marked herself with Faith’s in return.

A slight trembling from below drew Buffy’s attention. She looked down to find Faith’s eyes brimming with tears. It surprised the blonde when she realized she was crying as well. As they each stared into the tear filled eyes of the woman they loved both Slayers came to a startling realization. Neither had ever known true happiness before this moment. Neither had ever felt true contentment. Neither had ever been so thoroughly swept up in love.

As their lips came crashing together yet again hope blossomed in both Slayers’ hearts. In time they would have to get dressed and return to their duties to the Witch King. But that time had not yet come to pass.

******************************

The watcher poked his head out of the private chamber he had been granted. He looked to one end of the long curved hallway towards the Slayer Academy. Then he looked the other way, down the corridor to the Printer’s Hall. He sighed in relief as he stepped out into the hallway. He straightened his tweed jacket and vest before running a hand through his mussed hair. The sound of lighthearted conversation and footsteps drifting down the hall robbed him of his relaxed demeanor.

“No Vi, I’m not telling any of the guards or soldiers that they might have a chance with Buffy.” Xander said in exasperation as the joke the redhead kept asking him to pull wore on his nerves.

“Yeah that’s less of a practical joke and more of an excuse to have Faith straight up murder some poor dumb jock who doesn’t know when he’s leering at other people’s things.” Rona remarked as the trio came into view at one curved end of the hall.

“Yeah I can see where you guys are coming from.” Vi admitted. “I just don’t see what Faith’s deal is. She never spends this much time on one bed warmer. Even if she is another Slayer.”

“People change.” Xander said as he caught sight of the slightly disheveled Englishman standing outside his chambers. “Giles! What a surprise to see you here. Outside you own rooms. How’s it going?” The young man said in a tone he hoped would convince the two Slayers to drop the subject of the watcher’s first charge’s romantic life.

“Quite well actually.” Giles replied with a wry smile as he removed and began to polish his glasses. “And I took the liberty of having a nice long chat with Faith. She assured me that Buffy’s happiness was her only concern. No matter how long she had to wait to break in her new bed warmer.” He finished with a withering glare to the newly anxious redhead at Xander’s side.

“Oh, I wasn’t.” Vi began to struggle for an excuse. “I mean it’s cool that she… It’s not like… I’m sorry sir.” She finished with a sullen lowing of her head.

“Yes well see that it doesn’t happen again.” Giles chastised in a bored tone that did little to belie his concern for the petite blonde. “As of the day Lady Tara and Lady Willow unlocked your potential each and every Slayer in this city became your sister in arms. You’ll all have to learn to trust and depend on each other if you are to change this world for the better.”

“Yes Sir!” Vi and Rona said as they almost snapped to attention before the watcher’s mild rebuke.

“Run along now.” Giles said. The two Slayers were only too quick to follow the halfhearted order.

“I have got to learn how you get them to fall in line like that.” Xander remarked with an impressed whistle. “Half the times when I ask them for something they just roll their eyes and pat me on the head like I’m a puppy that won’t learn to roll over.”

“Yes well I’d give you my secret but I’m afraid it’s not something that works for everyone.” Giles admitted with a sigh to the young man. “One of the reasons why the council has fairly low recruitment numbers. Not everyone can convince a willful teenage girl with phenomenal strength and power to do what is needed of her as the chosen one.”

“I’ll bet.” Xander replied with a slight smirk. “Well see ya around G man. Tell Joyce I said hi.”

“Why on earth would you assume…” Giles began to ask only to be cut off by the retreating young man’s laughter.

“Oh please.” Xander chuckled to himself. “If it weren’t for a certain willful teenage girl with phenomenal strength you two would be shacked up by now. Maybe even married.”

The young man disappeared down the hall. In his absence Giles took another look both ways before leaning back and knocking softly on the lower half of his front door. In an instant a disheveled older blonde stepped into the hallway while she straightened both her hair and bodice.

“That was close Rupert.” Joyce said with a coy and seductive smirk that stole the watcher’s heart away all over again. “But thank you for sticking up for Buffy and Faith.”

“Think nothing of it my dear.” Giles assured his not so secret girlfriend as he put an arm around her shoulders and another around her waist. “I’m so very proud of and more than a little attached to all your daughters.”

“You always know just what to say to win a lonely widowed mother over don’t you.” Joyce replied with a chuckle.

“I had better.” Giles said as he leaned in for another kiss. “Who’s to say she won’t remain a lonely widow for long? She is rather attractive and by far the most naturally caring woman a man with a house full of wonderful children could ask for.”

Joyce smiled again at the possibilities that lay within his charming banter. She gave him one final kiss before steeling herself and skipping down the hall like a schoolgirl. The watcher could only smile as his eyes remained glued on her retreating hips. The mother of his three most beloved children could always steal his breath away.

******************************

“Is it clear?” The skittish young brunette asked.

“Seems that way.” Gunn remarked as he popped his head out of the spiral staircase that lay in the back corner of the main floor of the library.

“I can’t believe we just did that in the lab of all places.” Fred muttered as she and her ebony suitor climbed out of the spiral stairwell hidden amongst the library stacks.

“I can’t believe the mouth on you girl.” Gunn chided playfully as a proud little smile spread across Fred’s face. “Damn but you know just what dirty words to say to wrap a brother around your fingers.”

“You’re so sweet.” Fred said as she leaned into his chest once more. She looked up into his deep brown eyes, feeling all the more cherished as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Gunn smiled at the slender woman in his arms. “I do alright.” He said as he leaned down to kiss her one last time before they would have to go about their separate duties. Like all the ones to come before it this kiss ended too soon for the likes of the young couple. They walked, hand in hand, out the narrow isle in the stacks that was the only way to the stairwell. As they came to the end of the narrow path they turned to go their separate ways, holding onto each other’s fingers for as long as was physically possible.

******************************

Happy couples and dear friends were gathered all around the large table in the center of the library. Willow and Tara looked from one face to another noting just how intimate the many couples were acting. Fred leaned into Gunn, both the assistant and the general shared matching goofy smiles. Doyle and Harry cuddled in much the same way. Dawn and Cassie shared more than a few giggles as their fingers intertwined under the table. Joyce and Giles tried to hide their overt intimacy from the young women all around them. It was to no avail. Even the Burkles and the Rosenbergs nestled into their respective partners in a way that left little doubt about their recent activities.

Perhaps most intriguing of all were the blonde and brunette Slayers. Faith had returned to the table for this latest meeting, and this time she had a very affectionate Buffy perched in her lap. This turn of events brought a warm smile to Tara’s face and a ridiculously goofy one to Willow’s. They had never before seen Buffy so relaxed and happy with one of her partners. There had been moments with Angel and even Riley where the witches saw a genuine connection, but they were pale shadows compared to what the witches sensed now. Love and devotion poured off the two Slayers in waves that threatened to drown the entire city. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind. Buffy and Faith were now the one thing everyone else at the table knew the brunette had been striving for since the day they met. A very happy couple.

“Well I can see by the sheer amount of JBF hair around the table that everyone has had a good time since the last meeting.” Xander chimed in, earning a light slap to the arm from Alonna. “Heh, heh oww.”

“You’re not wrong sugar plum.” Lorne replied as he sipped from a small fruity drink he had taught the citadel’s kitchen staff how to make. “My fillings are just humming. Oooh! Gotta love that tingle that happy couples put out.”

“It’s a shame Clem isn’t here.” Alonna said with a chuckle. “He’d get all sappy about the room’s vibe.”

“Oh honey, he can feel this little gathering from his house on the other side of the square.” Lorne assured the Slayer with another grin. “Plus he gets some of this from hanging out with his friend Gary and his wife all the time.”

“Really?” Giles perked up at the mention of the other demon’s far ranging senses. “Clem can sense emotions from so far away? I had thought you were the stronger of our empaths.”

“Oh I’m pretty good honeybunch.” Lorne told the now interested watcher with a chuckle as he sipped his drink. “But loose skinned demons are in a class of their own as far as sensing what the people all around then are feeling. Deathwok clan take years of practice to even come close to that level.”

“And even when they master their senses none of them are as good or helpful as Lorne here has been.” Alonna added for the green man’s benefit.

“Thank you sweet pea.” Lorne said. “If only my mother could hear you say that. I use my aura sense to help people find their destinies and I’m a freak. My cousin Landok uses it to hunt and he’s considered the golden spawn. Go figure.”

Half way through Lorne’s retelling of his family drama Buffy perked up. The blonde Slayer broke away from the light kissing session she had shared with Faith. As the brunette shuddered from her loss Buffy turned towards Lorne with the most worried and frightened look anyone at the table save for Willow and Tara had seen from her.

“Landokmar of the Deathwok Clan.” Buffy whispered in a shaky voice that drew everyone’s attention.

“Well yeah, if you want to use his full name.” Lorne said before looking at the petite blonde and noticing her panicked state of mind. “What about him honey bun?”

“I think I, I…” Buffy began but quickly broke off as her eyes met with Lorne’s. As if in shame her eyes snapped shut and her head turned downwards to the table. She only looked up after a few moments of Faith diligently rubbing circles into her back. With grim resignation the Slayer looked to the green demon and continued. “Lorne I Slayed your cousin.”

“Really?” Lorne asked. There was a hint of disbelief in his voice.

“There was a merchant caravan.” Buffy began. “And they were being attacked by a hunting party of green demons with long shaggy red hair and tiny red horns.”

“Yeah that’s Landok alright.” Lorne agreed with a sigh. “How much of a fight did he put up?”

“It wasn’t like I, they were harassing a bunch of defenseless people.” Buffy pleaded, not seeing the understanding and concern in the demon’s red eyes. “Their leader was shouting about trespassing on clan territory and they already had the few caravan guards knocked out. So I kinda just ran up and…” The Slayer brought a single finger to her throat, expecting the worst from the kind man across the table.

“Oh.” Lorne said with far too much relief in his voice as he leaned back from the table. “That’s all fine then. Don’t beat yourself up about it.”

“Huh?” Buffy asked as all eyes around the table turned towards the demon in shock.

“Sweetie, did you cut his head off cleanly and quickly?” Lorne asked in a knowing tone. The Slayer nodded. “And did the others in his hunting party back off as soon as he was down?” Another nod. “And did they grab his head and body on the way out?” She nodded again. “And did you or anyone else chop his body up into itty bitty pieces before they left?” She stared at him in horror before shaking her head. “Then he’s not dead.”

“What?” Several voices shouted at once.

“Yeah my species doesn’t die when you cut their heads off.” Lorne told the group as if it was the most casual of topics. “Oh don’t get me wrong. It hurts like hell. And reattaching is a long slow process that takes up at least a day or two. But Landok was probably back to full health and perfectly fine by the time you and that caravan were out of their hunting territory. Though he probably got taken off the hunting roster for a year or so just incase they ran into you again.”

“Fascinating.” Giles said in a hushed tone.

“You can survive a beheading?” Alonna asked as she turned back to the green man.

“Sure.” Lorne replied as if it was the most casual of topics. “So long as my body is intact my head can survive nearly forever. Plus I’d remain conscious and be able to see, hear and speak just like normally. Though my singing voice might be a little off, what with no physical diaphragm attached.”

“That’s… wow.” Willow said.

“We’ll have to tell the girls and the soldiers to grab your head and body on the way out if any of that shi-stuff ever happens to you Jolly Green.” Faith said as she felt her girl relax completely in her lap. “Can’t be losin’ the royal singing voice now can we? Unless we want all our parties to suck.”

“Anything else you’ve been holding out on us Lorne?” Alonna asked with an amused smile.

“No, oh wait.” Lorne said as he recalled a topic of speculation around the clan campfires of his youth. “Where do you humans keep your hearts? Near the center of the chest right?”

“Yeah.” Fred said before confusion set in. “Wait! Where is yours?”

“Firmly nestled where it should be.” Lorne replied with a smile. “In my left butt cheek.”

The admission drew surprising laughter from all three Slayers around the table. As it dragged on the others began to grow concerned. “Okay that’s weird but why are they soo…?” Harry asked her husband who only gave a confused shrug in return.

“I believe they are positing on what their jobs would be like if Lorne’s people could ever be turned by vampires.” Giles said as he watched Buffy and Faith’s hands move in matching downward stabbing motions as they held invisible stakes.

“Well it’d be easier I guess.” Lorne admitted with a chuckle of his own. “No ribcage to punch through.” He and most of the others around the table shared a laugh as the Slayers’ mirth seemed to redouble.

As the laughter eventually died down and tears of joy were wiped from several young women’s eyes the heads around the table turned towards the royal couple. Willow and Tara shared a nod before the redhead turned and looked to each of the three lead Slayers.

“Okay, so this is what I came up with for sacking that town.”

******************************

A faint whistling sound could be heard along the outer edge of the small isolated village. No townspeople came out to investigate the noise. No one bothered to greet the Slayer that walked along the narrow dirt road that led into the center of the village. She twirled a stake in her open palm as she strolled.

As she walked the deserted streets another whistling sound joined her. Two Slayers emerged from alleyways on either side. They continued towards the town square, their whistling joining together in a calm melody that did not belong in the desolate village. More Slayers slipped out of shadows and alleys along the path until they all seemed to converge in the heart of the town. Dozens of Slayers whistled the same tune as they gathered around the empty dirt road. Each one openly carrying a lethal weapon as casually as one might carry a piece of fruit.

“You girls ready to light this place up?” The short blonde at the head of the group said. Slayers all around her shouted and cried out as the thrill of impending battle filled them with purpose. The blonde smirked then pulled a small glass flask out of her pocket. She turned and faced the village headman’s house at the center of town. With one well aimed heave she launched the flask at the house. It shattered against the wall just above the front door, releasing the thick caustic goo within. In an instant the ooze ignited, spreading flames out across the surface of the dwelling.

Screams came from inside the large house. One such cry ended as a large man leapt out the front windows of the burning building. His skin ignited as soon as the sunlight touched his form. The vampire was dust before it even hit the ground.

One by one other Slayers pull out identical flasks and spread the blaze. With iron in her voice Buffy shouted the one order her fellow Slayers would need that day.

“Dust ‘em all!”

******************************

“And that is why “Greek Fire” is the scariest thing I have reinvented in this world.” Willow said as she and Tara surveyed the Slayer led massacre from a nearby hill.

“I’m sure the last of the Mad Queen’s men who attacked us thought so just before they, well, you know.” Xander remarked as he, Gunn and several other soldiers stood awaiting their phase of the battle.

“The boys are stationed at every one of those tunnel entry points your birds found.” Gunn said as he turned to the Witch King standing in her full plate armor, ready for battle.

“Good.” Tara replied as she squeezed her everything’s hand. “As soon as a few more of those buildings are cleared the dangerous work begins. Nothing with fangs is to leave those tunnels.”

“All hail the Witch King!” Several of the soldiers standing behind Gunn and Xander shouted while saluting the royal couple. Each man knew the powerful women leading the charge were more than up to any challenge that lay ahead of them that day.

******************************

“You feelin’ that?” Faith asked as she turned to Buffy and Alonna.

“Yeah.” The other two lead Slayers reply. Their heads turned in unison towards a patch of dirt nestled between two burned out buildings. With practiced ease Alonna raised the massive morning star she had claimed from the Mad Queen’s general. Buffy drew the Scythe while Faith readied her twin short swords. The three nodded to one another and faced the unremarkable patch of dirt. They knew this opportunity was too good to pass up.

******************************

“Damn!” The Master shouted as he stormed his way down the tunnels that ran throughout the earth under the small village. “Damn it all to hell! The second nightfall comes we take those girls by force!” He yelled at one of his minions before turning down a side corridor. “None of this would have happened if Luke and Jesse had returned with Darla and the rest.” He grumbled.

Before he could complain further the ceiling above his head caved in. The Master leapt back just before lethal rays of sunlight could scour his undead flesh from his bones. The massive morning star that had ruined the tunnel withdrew as a raven flew into the gaping hole. The bird perched itself on an unlit torch sconce as three women leapt to the ground before the ancient vampire. He sneered at them in contempt and hatred.

The Master readied to attack the Slayer burdened by the oversized weapon. Before he could even bring his arm up so that his sharpened nails could slit the ebony girl’s throat she ducked, allowing the brunette to leap over her and lashed out with one short sword. The Master howled in agony and outrage as his fingers fell to the floor of the tunnel.

The blonde leapt forward with a series of quick thrusts from the wooden stake worked into the shaft of her strange weapon. The old vampire tried to retreat. Each strike from the blonde that he blocked or dodged was followed up by a blow from the brunette that he couldn’t. The Master saw an opening in the blonde’s defenses. He lashed out to strike only to realize too late that the brunette was waiting for him. Her blades whipped out and took the vampire’s other hand with one clean slice through his forearm.

The Master crouched to turn and flee back down the tunnel only to be caught off guard when the ebony girl brought the massive mace down on his leg. Escape was impossible. The blow had shattered every bone in his left leg. He fell to the ground flailing lightly as he tried to back up against the wall. The blonde with the strange weapon advanced on him with a wicked smile.

She held the curved blade of the weapon up for him to see clearly. With one glance back over her shoulder she spoke to him for the first time. “Smile for the pretty bird.” She said with far too much amusement behind her grin. “Your spawn will want a good view of your death.”

The Master looked to the raven in confusion before staring back at the raised Scythe. In a flash of motion and grace the Slayer brought the vorpal blade down on her foe. Metal cleaved through dead bone, muscle and sinew just before the ancient vampire’s head rolled from his shoulders. A roaring sound filled the corridor as his flesh turned to dust and flew away. The three Slayers looked down on their foe’s remains in mild surprise.

“Well I’ll be damned.” Buffy muttered in good natured surprise. “He really did leave a skeleton.”

“We should grab the skull and leave.” Faith said as she glanced up and down the tunnel expecting more vamps to show up at any moment.

“I’ll take care of it.” Alonna assured them as she stepped forward. The ebony Slayer raised her massive weapon once more before bringing its wrath down upon the skull that had rolled towards their feet. Without delay she continued to hammer down on the ribs and long bones of the Slain vampire. When all that remained was dust and miniscule shards of brittle bone the Slayers turned and leapt out of the gaping hole they had made in the roof of the tunnel. There were still a few more buildings to burn down.

******************************

“And there you have it.” Snyder said as Larry and a handful of troops began to wrap up the large mirror they had dragged out of the barrack’s common room and into the entrance chamber of the mine. “So any questions?”

The last of the order of Aurelius stared in shock at the little man that went out of his way to torment them. They could scarcely believe that their master had fallen. The Master was truly dead.

Luke fell to his knees as the last images of the ebony Slayer smashing the Master’s bones into oblivion burned their way into his mind. Darla stood there turning back and forth between the little man and the large mirror. No words escaped her lips. Angelus seethed at his captor. He had no care for the Master himself, but the indignities these humans forced upon him stoked fires of pure hatred inside his muscular form. Penn stared at the place the mirror had been. His mouth hung open in the most befuddled state. Jesse just stayed quiet as his fellow captives witnessed the end of an era.

Profane laughter broke the silence that followed the pig farmer’s question. All heads turned to stare at the slender black haired woman in shock and disgust. Drusilla simply continued to cackle at the far too disturbing chain of events.

“The emperor has a fine suit of gold and gems for his coronation day but he is nowhere to be seen!” The woman shouted in between bouts of unsettling laughter. “The fine clothes will be picked apart by the crows, but shiny stones and metal shall not sake their hunger!”

As she continued to laugh uncontrollably Angelus turned to his bleach blond progeny. “Spike!” He growled.

“There there pet.” Spike whispered into Drusilla’s ear as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. “Hush now while the others mourn the great big poof.” His words didn’t cease the woman’s mirth, though her loud cackling did shrink down to the point where it was little more than a continuous eerie chuckling.

“Well I’ll leave you all to it then.” Snyder said as Larry and the troops left with the large mirror. He turned and began to leave only to stop at the mouth of the entrance tunnel. “Oh, and one more thing before I go.” He said while turning to face the vampires with one raised hand. “You’re all behind on this month’s quota. Dig up more usable minerals or the next few pigs will be from the sickly quarantine pen. Chop, chop!”

The undead simply glared at the man’s back as he turned and strolled out of their prison.

******************************

“Okay everyone’s checked in.” Alonna said into the communication gem in her collar. She and the other two senior Slayers stood in the open patch of dirt that used to be the town square. With each and every building in town now a smoking ruin that distinction no longer applied to the barren patch of dirt. “No casualties on our end and no live hostages to report.”

“That’s unsettling.” Buffy remarked with a frown. “They must have been planning an attack on another human settlement if they ran out of people to snack on.”

“Think we’ll find some in the tunnels?” Faith asked with a skeptical frown.

“Not after the mess we made up here.” Buffy admitted. “But none of us sensed anything besides vampires. And with the lead vamp gone all the girls’ senses should be clearer.”

“We’re just damn lucky that Red and Blondie had their birds watching this hell hole for over a week.” Faith added. “I didn’t like the idea of stumbling around in the dark looking for all their secret hidey holes and trap doors.”

“I know right.” Alonna said just before bringing a hand up to her ear to hear an incoming message more clearly. “That was Xander and my brother. All the tunnel entrances are on lockdown and the last of the Slayers assigned to guard the exits with the troops is in position.”

“So then we should get a move on.” Faith said. “Only an hour left before sunset.”

Buffy nodded in agreement. The three Slayers drew their weapons and turned to face the open hatch behind them. As they descended into the vampire infested tunnels one of the nearby soldiers turned to the young woman assigned to aid his squad in guarding the entrance.

“Are they gonna need a hand down there?” The man asked in a worried and bewildered tone.

“Nah.” Molly said with a dismissive wave as the sounds of screaming vampires wafted out of the tunnel and into the night sky. “They’ll be fine.”

******************************

“Well I’ve been reaching out with my senses all day and I’ve come to a conclusion.” Willow said as she and Tara continued to hold hands on the nearby hilltop.

“And what’s that Sweetie?” Tara asked with an amused smile.

“I really don’t like vampires.” The redhead quipped only to receive a snort of laughter from her always.

“Well I knew that already.” Tara replied with a chuckle as she continued to reach out with all the aura reading abilities she had at her disposal.

“Seriously though.” Willow grumbled as she let her much more limited aura senses go dormant for a moment. “Either they have a mage down there powerful enough to be shielding all life forms from even our witchy senses. Well yours more than mine anyway. Or they didn’t have any live humans to feed off of. Which is also vexing when you think about how gluttonous vampires are.”

Tara began to reply only to go silent immediately as her senses picked up on a sudden shift in the energy beneath the town. “They’re done.”

“Really?” Willow said as the last traces of sunlight faded and night set in. Even she could tell the village and surrounding countryside were suddenly devoid of vampiric auras. “Well how do ya like that? We come out here expecting an old vamp with at least some mojo and it turns out to be all bluster from another normal vamp with delusions of grandeur.”

“Oh no.” Tara gasped in shock and horror that truly frightened Willow.

“What is it baby?” Willow cried out sensing all of Tara’s fears in one nearly overwhelming burst. “Is it the Slayers? Did something happen to them?”

“They found the bodies.” Tara whispered in a hollow voice.

******************************

It had been over far too quickly. Buffy, Faith and Alonna tore through the tunnels in a blaze of destruction. They lashed out at every vampire that dared to move. As the last vampire fell a raven took up residence on Buffy’s shoulder. The Slayer sighed in relief knowing that Tara was with them even while she, Faith and Alonna were clearing out dank and disgusting tunnels.

Buffy came to the end of the short path she had followed and turned to face an open chamber door on her side. The stench coming from within was almost unbearable. Covering her nose, the petite blonde stepped into the large open room. She lit the torch she had left clasped to her side and immediately regretted the decision.

The room was over half full and packed to the ceiling with dead bodies. Near the bottom of the pile were people of varying ages in simple clothes. Men, women, children, farmers and tradesmen. She had found the original villagers. As her eyes moved up the piles she noticed a change right away. The ordinary dress of peasants was soon replaced with mass produced uniforms donned only be men. To Buffy’s surprise she recognized the two types of dress worn by the men atop the piles of dead.

“What they hell were they doing eating so many men from Southern Claw and the Mad Queen's forces?” Buffy asked as she slowly backed out of the room the vampires had used as a dumping ground. A growing sense of unease in her stomach made the Slayer question whether or not they had just made their lives unbelievably harder.

_________________
Time and Time Again


Last edited by Citanul on Wed Nov 02, 2016 4:34 pm, edited 4 times in total.

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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Wed Feb 03, 2016 11:50 pm 
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9. Gay Now
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Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2010 12:51 pm
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Location: Kaskinen, Finland. Citizen of Kitopia
Yay for excellent update-y goodness!

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 Post subject: Re: Time and Time Again
PostPosted: Tue Feb 09, 2016 11:40 am 
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Interesting.

I'm curious as to what the master was up to, if he wasn't raising an army.

Let the good times roll! :bounce

R :flower

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