Author's note: (Listens to crickets)
Chapter 7
Inside Connor lowered Kaia back to the couch, one hand resting casually on her shoulder.
"You couldn't have told us what you were doing earlier?" Phoebe asked her.
"Worked out, didn't it? Look, you guys…" She hesitated, looking at Connor, who prompted her quietly, "Demons."
"Right—you guys don't seem to get good demons here. But there are some. Landok's…well, he's not evil. Much. And Lorne's definitely a white hat. I know how you feel about working with demons, so I did it for you."
"Wasn't your decision." Leo said quietly.
"I took it upon myself. I do that." She shrugged. "No coincidences. Landok has something to do. It may as well be this."
"So who does he follow?" Phoebe asked.
"He doesn't. I guess the Powers'll co-opt him for this, once he's done with my job."
"I could have found him." Connor murmured.
"I'd be a babbling loon before you were gone ten minutes." she told him frankly. "Don't be jealous. I still love you the best."
Connor flushed, glaring around the room and virtually daring anyone to comment. The only person who looked back at him was Chris…and there was no mockery there, Connor realized. Instead there was something like empathy.
"It's taking too long."
"Something should have happened."
"Why can't they…"
"…the demons…"
"Angel and the…"
"…Rangers have retreated…"
"…injuries…"
Kaia pulled herself out of her doze at that one, finding herself alone in the sitting room. "Connor?"
"He's not here, sweetie." Phoebe came in from the sunroom. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just…did you say the Rangers were injured?"
Phoebe glanced over her shoulder before looking back at her. "No, they retreated without injuries. I think. Red Lion, and Wolf, were hurt, and Giraffe."
"Not hurt." Kaia relaxed, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
When she opened her eyes again Phoebe was crouched beside her. "Do you need anything?"
"Nothing you can give me." She smiled faintly. "Where did Connor go?"
"He didn't tell us. Just that he had to leave for a little bit. He thought you'd sleep."
"He would."
Phoebe cocked her head to the side. "Why?"
"Connor doesn't think about anything only how hard he needs to hit something to kill it. It's not his way." She pushed herself off the couch, wrapping her arms around herself. "It's cold."
Phoebe looked around. "No, sweetie, it's pretty warm in here."
Kaia shook her head, not meeting Phoebe's eyes. "Cold."
Phoebe considered her for a minute before going to the closet in the hall. She came back with a sweater which she draped around Kaia's shoulders. "Better?" she asked.
"Thank you." Kaia pulled it tight. "Where is everyone?"
"In here." Phoebe gestured to the dining room.
"Doing what?" she asked.
"Trying to figure out how to kill these guys."
"And how's that going?"
Paige looked up as they came in, rising from her seat on the couch. "Kaia—sit down before you fall over." Kaia took the proffered seat in silence. "Phoebe, what about the Old Things? If the Rangers have retreated what's stopping them?"
"I am." Kaia said.
"You've got them? So why couldn't you do that before?" Paige asked.
"Because I didn't want to do it unless I had to. It's splitting my focus too much. Where's Connor?"
"Out. Remember I just told you that?" Phoebe reminded her.
"No." Kaia shifted restlessly in the chair.
"He said he was doing something for you." Chris said. "Something you didn't finish earlier?"
Kaia started to answer, but Leo orbed in and she turned to say, "I thought you were staying Up There to deal with the Powers."
"Your pet demon's done his job." Leo told her.
"He's not my pet. I don't even like him." Kaia folded her arms on the table and rested her head on them. "So where's Groo?"
"Where do you want him?"
"LA. Angel'll use him."
Leo orbed out again. Kaia tilted her head to the side. "Can we kill them yet?"
"Not yet. Where did Connor go?" Chris asked.
"Doesn't matter. He won't be able to do it."
"Won't be able to do what?" Paige asked.
"What we couldn't do earlier. He can't do it without me."
"Then why would he bother?" Chris asked. Kaia shrugged, abruptly losing interest in the conversation.
"What time is it?"
"Late. You should get some rest."
"Been resting. Tired of it." She buried her face again.
Chris sighed. "Fine. I give up."
"What are you talking about?" Piper asked. "Give up what?"
Chris leaned over Kaia, holding out his hand. "Without Connor she's going insane. I can help her."
Kaia raised her head. "Not supposed to do that. Bad. They'll know."
"This time it's Ok. Come back into the sitting room."
She shook her head, unfolding her arms and putting her hand in his. "No."
"Why not?" Chris shook her arm lightly. "Come in and rest."
"Tired of resting. I told you that. Anyway, something important's going to happen."
"Important like what?" Chris asked quickly.
Kaia shrugged, using her grip on his hand to pull him down to sit next to her. "Don't know. Just important."
"Kaia..."
"I don't know, Chris. Just—important."
She tucked herself under his arm, forcing him to sling their joined hands around her shoulders or risk dislocating them, and sat quietly. Chris lifted the Book from the table and flicked idly through it, not seeing anything, really.
"There." she murmured, touching a page.
"What?" He looked down.
"Fomor agus na Fir Bolg." Kaia nodded. "Who we're fighting."
"Sure?" Chris asked.
"Mm-hmm. The big ones are Fomor, and the little ones are Fir Bolg."
"We had names for them already."
Kaia shook her head. "Flunkies. Dead flunkies, by now. Na Fomor are in charge."
He glanced at Phoebe. "This page wasn't here before."
"Yeah, that happens." Paige agreed, coming to look over his shoulder. "There's no vanquish."
"At least we know what we're fighting. I'll start spreading the news." Phoebe said resignedly.
"Was that it?" Chris asked Kaia. "Can we go inside now?"
"No. Something else." Chris shrugged and began flicking randomly through the Book again.
"What's wrong?" Phoebe asked after a few minutes.
"Nothing." Chris answered automatically.
"Don't give me that, I can feel you all the way over here. What is it?"
Chris shook his head, and Paige chimed in with, "Come on, Chris, a problem shared is a problem halved."
He stared at her. "What did you say?"
"A problem shared is a problem halved. What, they don't have that saying in the future?"
"That's how they're doing it." He nudged Kaia. "You up for a trip?"
"Whither thou goest." she said with a shrug.
"How who does what, Chris?" Phoebe asked.
Chris ignored her, rising from the couch—something made more difficult by Kaia's refusal to let go of his hand. "Paige, do you have any potion left?"
"It won't help." she reminded him.
"I know. I need to check something. Do you have it?"
Shrugging, she took a bottle from the sideboard and tossed it to him.
"Careful with that." Piper warned from the kitchen door. "All the herbs we have stored are dying. We won't be able to make any more. What are you doing with it, anyway?"
"I think I know how to kill them. I need Kaia to come and check something with me."
"How?" Piper asked.
Chris shook his head. "Let me check it out first—if it doesn't work I don't want you tied into thinking about it this way."
Phoebe started to answer but was cut off as her animal crystal rose suddenly from the table, glowing.
"Hey!" She made a grab for it, but it darted out of her reach, changing back to its' firefly-like form and vanishing. "What's it doing?"
"Don't know." Kaia absently patted Chris's leg, feeling for the crystal he'd stored in a pocket, and he flinched away. "Sorry."
"It's still there. I could have told you."
"Can I see?" she asked quietly, and he pulled the crystal out and gave it to her.
The phone in Piper's hand rang, and she turned away to answer it.
"Why would they call back Phoebe's crystal and not Chris'?" Paige asked.
"I don't know. I've never understood them." Kaia answered, rolling the crystal between her fingers.
"Kaia, it's for you." Piper held out the phone.
"Hurry." Chris murmured, and she squeezed his fingers lightly, taking the phone from Piper.
" 'Lo?"
"Tara. How're you doing?""Crap. What's going on, Cole?"
Cole sighed. "The Wild Zords have closed the Animarium. They won't let us bring the Slayers and they won't help us fight."
"What? Why?"
English, Tara. Cole warned.
"Bother that—and why are you using Animarian? Actually, never mind. What happened, Cole?"
"Some of the Slayers refused to stay in the courtyard. They went wandering and found the lake, and brought a bunch more out. The Zords are considering it trespass because the Slayers refused to leave."
"They're with you. That's why..." she broke off, rubbing her face. "All right. I'll take care of it. Is there any chance?"
"No. And I don't blame them; they were promised and it was broken."
"Yeah." She glanced at the crystal in her hand. "Cole, Chris still has his."
"Yeah." He didn't bother with Animarian this time. "His and Connor's are being left to them, because the animals trust you."
"Do me a favor then? One of Angel's guys has Connor's."
"We'll take care of it."
"Thanks, Cole. Tell the Princess I'm sorry, ok?"
"Sure. 'Bye."
"Bye, Cole."
She hung up and took a deep breath before turning back to them. "The Wild Zords have closed the Animarium and withdrawn from the battle. The Slayers violated their agreement." She tossed Chris' crystal back to him. "We need to go see if your plan's gonna work."
"Why do I still have this?" he asked.
"They trust me, and by extension you."
"But not me?" Phoebe asked.
"I don't know how their minds work." Kaia protested. "I keep telling you that." To Chris, she added, "Put it away and let's go."
Chris shoved the crystal into his pocket and glanced at Piper. "We won't be long."
"Angel or one of his might ring to know what happened to the crystals." Kaia added.
Piper nodded quietly, and they were gone.
