Chapter 7 One step towards normal
************
The night was dark, with a waning moon which nonetheless cast just enough light to see by. This far from the gates there was no artificial light to dispel the darkness, but to the onlookers eyes had adjusted enough in the gloom and the moon cast just enough light to make visibility no serious problem.
In this isolated corner of the cemetery two sets of eyes kept a silent vigil over a grave. A little way behind them a third figure watched their backs, his hazel eyes alert as he kept watch. His slightly nervous gaze swept continuously over the graves and mausoleums which littered the grassy surroundings, while (unknown to his companions) less tangible senses surveyed the surrounding area, tentatively probing into more pronounced patches of darkness and shadow.
The focus of their attention was a newly filled grave. It had been filled just that afternoon, its sorry occupant a victim of Sunnydale's deadly nightlife, just one more poor soul who had come to grief at the hands of a demon in a human shell. There was no headstone as yet, but photos and bouquets of flowers rested upon the grave, the last offering of tearful friends and family. An arrangement of irises rested atop to head of the grave, their beauty and soft scent strangely comforting to the mourners which had laid them. To the observers however, the soothing scent of the irises, which lingered in their noses in the still evening, seemed a mocking note to those aware of the true horror of the situation. For the moment the vista was peaceful, the freshly turned earth of the grave smooth and compacted, the tributes sad and filled with photos celebrating a life cut so tragically short.
The observers knew only too well however, that it was all an illusion. There was still life of a sort in that fresh grave, a twisted version of the soul which had already left this world. And so they watched, and waited.
Suddenly without any warning the ground at the head of the grave began to shift. Subtly at first, but soon the slight mound of compacted earth started to shudder, tributes toppling sideways as it caved in. Before long a hand breached the freshly filled grave, earth stained and torn nails clawing at the air. Earth flew from the grave as its no longer peaceful occupant clawed his way upwards, struggling upwards through the still loose earth of the grave in a grim mockery of birth, a figure slowly emerging clad in the ruins of what had been intended to be his last earthly clothes. Clawing wildly at the softloam, his hands scrabbled for purchase on the grass, scattering tributes and clods of earth wildlyas if casting aside the memory of what he had once been, growling all the while as its fingers finally found purchase. With an inhuman strength, it pulled himself upwards out of the grasp of the dry earth from whence its body had been committed crushing the sad wreath of irises beneath his weight as he struggled to pull his legs free.
Finally succeeding, he paused momentarily, sniffing the air and inspecting its hands as if seeing them for the first time. Then with a snarl his head snapped up, as his inhuman senses caught a whiff of perfume. A low growl of hunger rumbled from its throat as its gaze fell upon a pair of widely spread legs a few feet away. He raised his head higher, surveying the girl before him, his earth stained features tightening into a predatory expression.
"That's right big boy" Willow smiled mischievously, "Come and get it!"
The new vampire, a former acquaintance of the scoobies from Sunnydale High School, rose malevolently to his feet, growlingat Willow menacingly as he did so. The demon inside the cold body of Andrew Hoelich advanced upon her, his vampiric face distorting once friendly and slightly chubby features. Willow, with a confident smile on her face, didn't even back away a step, although she did flinch slightly. The move brought the vampire up short, despite his raging thirst, for he had expected and eagerly anticipated her fearful response.
Willow quietly murmured something to herself and suddenly the air around Andrew began to distort and solidify like water. Reacting with almost impossible speed to the bizarre sight in the only way it could, the Vampire exploded towards Willow with a speed that should have terrified her, but instead it found itself tossed away with the force of a wrecking ball as a wave of energy slammed into the vampire. The full force of Willow's magical assault hit 'Andrew' square in the chest and sent him (along with assorted clods of earth and floral wreaths) hurtling backwards through the air, to slam painfully against a solid tree trunk with a loud crack that could be heard clear across the cemetery. And as the vampire slumped to the ground, momentarily stunned, Willow tugged her walky-talky from her pocket.
"Oz, Xander, now!" Willow spoke into the radio quickly, hoping they could get to the vamp and stake it before it could recover. At her call, both young men burst out of hiding, Oz emerging from a bush close nearby, Xander from the cover of a mausoleum maybe twenty feet away. The latter had been watching their rear, and had substantially more distance to cover. Oz, unwilling to leave his girlfriend exposed had concealed himself nearby in a shrub after Xander volunteered to watch their backs. Unfortunately, the werewolf's choice of cover proved misguided, the thick stems of the plant causing him to stumble as he went into action, the stake flying from his hand and vanishing into the darkness. Hesitating only momentarily, the disarmed Oz bravely charged the dazed Vamp, vaguely hoping he could further delay it until Xander or Willow arrived.
The vampire, recovering swiftly and realizing that the first snack of his unlife wasn't going quite as planned, groggily rose to his feet, frantically trying to recover his fuddled wits. Before he could do so he was pounced on by one of the two young men who were charging towards him. Oz knocking aside the vampire's arm laid a surprisingly powerful left hook into the vamps solar plexus that made him stagger back, but since he no longer needed to breath 'Andrew' was only bruised, despite the reflexive expelling of breath. Oz followed up that blow with a more useful and vicious uppercut that half-stunned the vamp but didn't quite knock him off his feet. Sensing its impending doom the demon blindly struck out with a wild haymaker that Oz barely managed to block.
It might have been clumsy, but the sheer force of the inhuman blow still knocked the young werewolf sideways to the ground. Turning to growl menacingly at the fallen Scoobie, 'Andrew' swiftly forgot about Xander, who's running footfalls were muffled by the thick grass. The vampire only became painfully aware of his presence when Xander, launching himself into the fight, stomped on his right knee cap, snapping it at the joint and bringing the vampire to his knees. The fledgling roared in agony, only to fall silent suddenly as he felt a stake pierce his heart. Looking down in disbelief at the stake buried in his chest, the demon just had time to blink in surprise, before exploding into dust.
Oz slowly rose to his feet, messaging his numb forearm as Xander and Willow made their way to him.
"Now that is what I call teamwork." Xander grinned, as he exchanged high fives with Willow and more carefully with Oz, who was still cradling his left forearm.
"Oz, are you alright?" Willow asked in slight concern.
"I'm fine babe." Oz assured her as the feeling of numbness slowly gave way to a dull burning ache. He ignored it and snuck a quick kiss.
"Wow, we got him!" Willow smiled "that's fifteen for fifteen this week alone, and no Jedi in any of those kills, just pure Scoobie work."
Willows exuberance was so contagious Xander would never have had the heart to tell her otherwise, even if he could. Anakin's influence resided within him now; during these past three months Anakin had been a demanding teacher, constantly pushing him further, farther and harderthan he ever thought possible. His fighting skills and knowledge of the Force had grown to such a degree in that short time that Anakin felt comfortable allowing Xander and the scoobies to patrol on their own while he hunted for far bigger targets then meeting at a pre-disclosed rally point. Xander appreciated the subtle gesture of confidence and trust in his skills that implied.
Stretching out in the Force Xander could feel his master along with Giles a few miles away, clearing out yet another vampire nest that had set up shop over on Pikeman Street. It made Xander almost want to laugh in derision every time he thought about the stupidity of vampires, because no matter how many times Buffy, or more recently Anakin, cleared out a nest, within a week a new group would set up shop in the exact same spot. Amateurs.
Don't get too cocky my young Padawan. You are far from an expert yourself. Anakin sent through the growing link that Master and Apprentice shared.
Yes Master, Xander sent back.
As much as he wanted to enjoy this moment of triumph he knew that Anakin was right. A few critiques on their performance were called for.
Xander smiled and rubbed his hands together. "Ok, in the spirit of our new professionalism it's time for the after action review, how did we do? And how could we have done better?"
"I dropped my stake when I came out of hiding." Oz said in a slightly embarrassed tone. "So better accountability of weapons."
"And I probably should have been a bit closer than twenty feet away to support you better." Xander admitted.
Willow frowned at that, remembering the first night they had met Anakin, when the scoobies had been expecting only to ambush a new fledgling but in turn had themselves been ambushed by several other vampires. After that night, Xander, drawing from Soldier guy's memories, had harped almost fanatically about the concept of rear security, which was what he had been pulling tonight to ensure they didn't get ambushed again. Unfortunately, with only three people in this ambush it had left him slightly out of place to help cover his friends when they sprung their trap.
"You're being too hard on yourself, you did really good, Xander," Willow smiled warmly. "And besides, Oz is fine and we dusted the vamp, so I say we did pretty well."
"Still a little rough around the edges, but we're getting better. Like Electric Ninjas." Oz noting his friend's confused expressions, added as an afterthought. "It's a band."
"I was actually expecting this guy to be a bit more of a challenge then he was." Willow said. She sounded, amazingly to Xander, slightly disappointed.
Oz frowned as he recalled something. "Wasn't Andy Hoelich on the gymnastics team?"
That's right he was!" Xander remembered, and then he snickered. "Didn't do him much good though, did it?"
Willow and Oz just shook their heads in agreement.
"Ok, and the second problem I'm having… come and get it big boy?" Xander directed an amused look at Willow.
Willow blushed slightly. "Well…w-well, the Slayer always says a pun or a witty play on words and I think it throws the vampires off, and, and it makes them frightened because I'm wisecracking. Okay, I didn't really have a chance to work on that one, but you try it every time." Willow stammered "Besides, did you see the way he just hesitated? I think it kinda worked, too."
"Uh if I may suggest: 'this time it's personal' I mean, there's a reason why it's a classic." Oz offered.
Xander took a step back "I've always been amazed at how Buffy fought but I always felt we took her punning for granted."
Willow directed a scolding look at Xander that could have withered a tree with its intensity "Xander, past tense rule!"
Xander grimaced slightly "Oh, sorry. I just meant that we in the past took it for granted and, uh…we won't when she gets back."
"Do you think Buffy knows school's starting tomorrow?" Willow asked.
Oz blinked as he suddenly realized something "Tomorrow. Right. Big day."
Willow went to Oz and he wrapped his arms around her middle. "Oh, I'm going to be busy a lot. But, only till three and that's when you usually get up, when we're not training."
"I can't wait to see Cordelia. I haven't seen her in over a week." Xander paused for a beat. "I can't believe I can't wait to see Cordelia."
Willow smiled "I wonder what our first homework assignments are going to be?"
Xander put his hands on his hips and gave her an odd look.
Only Willow….only Willow.
"Hey you're excited over Cordelia, Okay? You two haven't even been apart that long and you're acting like it's been forever since you've seen each other."
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder." Xander quipped, but with a hint of longing in his voice he reserved for Cordelia...and maybe Buffy too.
"Yeah, well, we've all got issues." Willow replied.
"I guess we should pack it in, you know, on account of a big day tomorrow." Oz offered.
The group started to walk away from Andrew's destroyed grave and out towards the entrance to the cemetery.
"Wouldn't it be great if Buffy just showed up tomorrow? Like nothing ever happened?" Willow spoke up. It made her sick to her stomach to think of going a day in school without her best friend with her.
"She can't show up, she got kicked out." Xander said sharing a significant look with Oz as he dashed some of Willow's hope.
"Well, yeah, I-I know. I just wish…I wish we knew where she was." Willow replied sullenly as the trio of Scoobies walked quietly out of the cemetery keenly aware that tomorrow would be another day…without Buffy.
**************
There is no emotion, there is peace
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge
There is no passion, there is serenity
There is no chaos, there is harmony
There is no death, there is the Force
The comforting words of the Jedi code echoed in his mind and fed his soul as he murmured them quietly to himself before opening his eyes. It had been a common practice he had fallen into at the conclusion of each session of meditation to give him focus and direction, something which his Master highly approved of. With his mind rested and his body energized at the conclusion of his session of Force Healing, Xander straightened up from his meditation position and gazed at his alarm clock, the only source of visible light in his room.
Two minutes until six a.m. Feeling his body rejuvenated Xander stood and looked through his bedroom window to see the first hints of oncoming dawn that heralded the arrival of a new day. He hadn't slept the previous night as had originally planned. The nervousness he had felt at the thought of facing a day of Hellmouth high without Buffy had left him unable to sleep. So after spending an hour of tossing and turning in bed he had decided to reach out to the Force to heal his fatigued body and calm his mind.
It never failed to work.
The light side of the Force offered him warmth and comfort to ease his nerves, to drive away his fears and infuse him with a sense of confidence only one with the Force could truly feel. But the Force also gave his life direction, purpose, clarity and peace. Things he had hungered for all his life which now had been offered to him by its gifts and wonders.
Much calmer now then had been hours before Xander quietly slipped into his workout shorts and froze when he caught his reflection in the full length mirror next to his door and blinked at what he saw.
These past few months of rigorous training had done wonders for his body but he had been so focused on his training and his skills he hadn't noticed the changes until now. He had packed on a little weight…about fifteen pounds of solid muscle to be precise. His chest had grown broader with nicely defined and sculpted Pecs and shoulders. Flexing his arms, Xander took a moment to study his nicely defined biceps and triceps to his thick forearms. They spoke of developed strength, power and flexibility, like taunt steel cables rippling under his skin.
Looking down Xander couldn't stop the wide smile that broke out on his face. His abs which had always been above average, thanks to long nights of slaying, now was the definition of a beautiful washboard six pack! The numerous cardio and muscular strength exercises, along with his new healthy diet and nightly slaying, had rapidly melted away what little fat had remained on his body leaving behind a sculpted, chiseled, beautiful vision of the male form. His legs were muscular and taunt giving him a power, agility and grace in his movements seasoned athletes would envy.
Xander also couldn't help but notice how his skin had a healthy, vibrant glow to it that could only be caused by the currents of Force energy, channeled and focused in his body.
"Holy crap, I've turned into a sexy beast!" Xander smiled to himself, no wonder Cordy hadn't been able to keep her hands off him these past few weeks. Now he understood why she always seemed to giggle like a catholic school girl doing something naughty when she ran her hands under his shirt.
Weird how he hadn't noticed until now.
Shrugging, Xander slapped on his black tank top and quietly moved through the house, not making a sound, nor stumbling over any furniture, thanks to his awareness with the Force. He moved to the basement he had recently setup to act as his personal training and meditation chamber. It wasn't exactly the same standards of the training chamber at the enclave but it would do for light morning workouts and sessions of meditation.
As he began his warm-up stretching and calisthenics, Xanders mind drifted back to how this last year of school was getting in the way of what he was beginning to consider his true calling in life. Once upon a time he would have been apprehensive about life after graduation…if he had graduated, but no longer. Now he looked forward to it, as if graduation was already a foregone conclusion. His calling in life was to become a Jedi Knight, high school was nothing compared to what he would have to face to get there and the amazing thing was he looked forward to it. Smiling to himself Xander centered himself in the Force to truly begin his workout.
No more worries, Xander thought to himself. He focused his mind and concentrated on his morning workout. Today was a new day.
**********
Sunnydale High school.
There wasn't a day that went by these past few years that Xander hadn't seen the place. But today, unusually, the school seemed to glow in the morning sunshine with the promise of a new beginning, and was looking far less sinister then he could ever remember. It was all a lie, he knew. Perhaps it was his connection to the Force that emboldened him or perhaps he had become hardened to the many horrors he had faced on a daily and nightly basis for these last few years. He didn't know, perhaps both were true. But for the first time in his life Xander moved passed its open front lawn and through the arch way into the school completely unafraid, at peace with himself, and completely aware of his environment.
Dressed in cloths handpicked by his fashionably conscious girlfriend Xander chose an outfit that he knew would display his new physique and grab her attention. He couldn't wait to see her but as he casually scanned the crowds for her he began to notice slightly odd reactions from people who glanced his way.
At first he ignored them and continued on with his own business. It wasn't as if he hadn't been the recipient of odd looks in the past. But as he continued on and the reactions became more pronounced he began to wonder why they were reacting this way. Surely it couldn't be him they were looking at like that, could it? There was only one way to find out. Stretching out with the Force Xander began to attune himself with the atmosphere of the school to gauge the emotional state of the people around him.
Maintaining his focus while opening his awareness, Xander moved through the hallways like a guided missile set on its target; his shoulders reared back, his chest out and head held high, he walked with a casual ease that had people, who were familiar with him, stopping in their tracks or doing double takes as he strode by. And in one or two occasions he caught someone staring slack jawed right at him.
Their thoughts and feelings were clear to him now. The first thing to hit him was the sense of sheer disbelief as he walked by. Much like a crowd of onlookers would look upon something that didn't quite understand and wonder what the hell was going on! But from there, depending on the character of the person in question, that one single defining emotion was followed by a wide and curious mix of different ones.
He could sense strong feelings of amazement, envy and even lust focusing around him. Which was probably typical in any high school where teenagers tended to let their hormones run rampant, Xander considered. But as he narrowed on the source of their emotions he was shocked and amazed to find that they weren't just centered around him, they were directed at him!
Great stones of Zeus!
He knew the differences from who he had been and who he was now were significant, but they couldn't be that extreme, could they? He couldn't help but grin to himselfat their reactions to him. His friends had grown accustomed to the changes in him; as he slowly transformed from the anxious, witty fool, to a confident young man. But while his friends had adapted to the new and improved Xander, the vast majority of the people at Sunnydale high were only just now seeing the 'after' shot and comparing it to the 'before' they remembered from last year. Already he could see people looking at him and speaking in hushed whispers then suddenly going silent as he walked by. It seemed people were already talking about him and he hadn't even made it to his first class yet.
Weird.
Moving through the hallways he didn't bother to crack witty jokes or engage familiar faces he passed beyond a casual hello. Nor did he feel the need to embarrass himself to elicit a laugh, usually at his own expense, from someone who probably had no respect for him anyway, simply to be acknowledged. He kept his face calm and impassive and his focus firmly set, as he made his way to his locker. His stride was confident and relaxed; a far cry from the near frantic and nervous energy that had been the defining hallmark of his character, which always threatened to spill over at a moment's notice. Much to most people's annoyance.
But now, no longer, and already the usually unaware crowd of Sunnydale high schoolers seemed to be picking up on this, or that at least picking up that something was different about him.
Again, he couldn't help but notice the odd or confused looks from the people who knew him, but rather then comment or inquire on it; he simply ignored it and continued on un-phased. Reaching his locker he spotted Willow just as she was closing up her own.
"Hey bestest bud, what's up?"
"Still a little tired from last night but I'm ok, you get a good nights rest Xander?" Willow asked.
"More or less." Xander shrugged as he placed his book bag in his wall locker. "Slipping past the plastered duo, as usual, went off without a hitch. You know we're not going to be able to stay out as late any more now that schools back on again, you know?"
"Yeah I know. Someone's going to have to let Mr. Tall; blond and moody know this so he doesn't work us to the wee hours in the morning."
"Tall, blonde and moody? Where did you come up with that one?" Xander asked with raised eyebrows and an amused smirk. Yes, that did fit his Master to a tee…
"Cordelia."
"Ah, Cordelia, how doth my heart sing for thee."
"Sure thing Romeo" Willow scoffed with a mirthful roll of her eyes as she started to turn away. "It's only been a week, Xander."
"I know. Have you seen her yet?" Xander asked.
"Not yet." Willow answered with a shake of her head.
"Where are you heading off too?" Xander asked.
"Endure the welcome back lectures with each of my new teachers then I was going to hit the library before lunch during my free period and check in with Giles. You?"
"Yeah, same here, I've still got to go see Mrs. Anderson and Mrs. Cooper about getting into their classes. Both of them know me so I'm anticipating much lecturing about the finer points of not being the class clown during their classes."
Willow smiled warmly. "You'll be fine, Xander."
"Oh I know it Wills, I know it. But that just means I'm going to be busy for most of the morning." Xander sighed melodramatically as he closed his wall locker. "Don't people believe in the concept that you should get a clean slate with the start of a new school year?"
Willow smiled sympathetically "Not anymore, Xander. You know, like when clean slates went the way of the dinosaurs along with blackboards. Your very blemished record will sadly still be there since computer files are eternal!"
"Bah! You're no help!" Xander snickered good naturedly.
"Well, I gotta go Xander, I'll see you around." Willow waved as she started to move off down the hall.
"I'll catch you later, Willow." Xander waved after her and started off down the other direction. He only made it about ten feet before he managed to catch a girl from running into him who seemed to be in a hurry and hadn't been paying attention to where she was going.
"Hey easy there, where's the fire?" Xander smiled.
The girl looked up to meet his eyes and Xander felt his heart catch in his throat. It was her! The girl he had helped at the Bronze the first night he learned to feel the Force. She was strikingly beautiful, now that he got a good look at her; putting most of the girls here at Sunnydale to shame. She had a models face with a thin curvy body, shoulder length brown hair with dark brown eyes a guy could get lost in. She wore a modest red dress with spaghetti straps over her shoulders that showed just enough skin of her shoulders and hint of her ample cleavage to grab a guy's attention and hold it. Her skirt was high enough to still be considered tasteful yet showed a vision of her beautifully tanned and perfect legs that seemed to run on forever. In short, this girl was a pure babe in every sense of the word that no warm-blooded (or even coldblooded) male, who appreciated the female form, wouldn't want to get with.
Yet despite everything that should have been kicking his hormones into overdrive, Xander gulped and prayed she wouldn't recognize him. If she did that might lead to some awkward questions he really didn't want to deal with right now.
"Uh...yeah, I'm sorry; I didn't mean to…run you over like that." The girl smiled shyly as she looked at him then she frowned slightly "Don't I know you?"
"Uh, no, not really," Xander smiled politely. But he suddenly had the burning desire to be anywhere else but there. It's not that he didn't want to talk to her; it's just that seeing her brought back the memory of sudden rage that nearly overwhelmed him that night he fended off her attacker. He had done his best not to think about his moment of pure insanity and distance himself from the memory. But seeing this girl brought it all back in startling clarity as if it were yesterday. It shook him up more then would have liked.
"I'm Sandy." She said, snapping him back to reality as she held out her hand.
Xander took her hand and shook it briefly. "Xander."
"Are you alright? You seem a little…spooked?" Sandy asked, her female intuition accurately sensing Xanders discomfort.
Xander smiled thinly "No, no I'm…fine. Really."
"Ooookaaaayyyy." Sandy drawled with a stunning smile that amazingly put him at ease. "And here I was thinking that little ole me scared you half to death."
Xander couldn't help but laugh; she was beautiful and she had a sense of humor.
Sandy frowned again as she studied Xanders face more intently. "Are you sure we haven't met before?" She asked again, it was almost like there was something about him that she was supposed to remember.
"You've probably seen me around is all; that's probably what it is. I'm a friendly face everyone knows, not like a creepy stalker or something." Xander internally cringed when that slipped out. He was doing his best to try and direct her mind, and his, away from the events of that night so she wouldn't piece it together.
Way to go genius.
Sandy openly gave him an appreciative once over, carefully taking all of him in. "I bet." She smiled coyly. Apparently having missed Xander's little slipup.
Xander kicked himself behind his amiable smile. Danger Will Robinson, danger!
"Uh, listen Xander; I don't suppose you know where Mr. Kirkwood's class is, would you?"
Xander raised his eyebrows "Mr. Kirkwood, as in Mr. Kirkwood who teaches advanced Calculus, Mr. Kirkwood?"
Sandy smiled again "The very one!"
Beautiful, funny, charming, and now he could add smart to the list, next thing you know he'd find out she was a Slayer! Oh boy he had to get out of there fast!
"Yeah I do actually. He moved down to room one fourteen when Mrs. Frasier retired. They haven't updated the new school rosters yet" Xander informed her. "Doesn't he teach like the top five percent of the school?" Xander asked. He only knew of his classes because Willow was in them and she excitedly babbled on about his classes.
"More like the top two percent actually." Sandy beamed with evident pride.
Xander turned and pointed the other way down the hall. "Third door on the right, you were already heading in the right direction, you can't miss it."
"Thanks." Sandy flashed a toothy smile that would have given Cordelia's a run for her money.
"Uh, listen I got to go. It was nice talking to you Xander." Sandy smiled.
"It was nice talking to you too Sandy, I'll see you later." Xander smiled.
"You too" Sandy echoed. They parted ways pleasantly and proceeded down the halls in opposite directions heading to their respective classes; with Xander exhaling a deep sigh and a mirthful chuckle at the same time he shook his head before he disappeared into the crowd.
Sandy made it about halfway to her class when she suddenly stopped and spun around to look back at Xander, who had already vanished into the sea of faces. The frown that had crept on her face as she tried to recall something important melted away to be replaced by wide eyes and a hand covering her slack jaw as she desperately tried to pick him out in the retreating crowd.
"Hey Sandy, you ok?" Another girl walked up next to her.
"I'm fine, Aura." Sandy smiled in recognition of her friend.
"You sure?" Aura asked in concern.
"I'm sure." Sandy smiled genuinely. She grabbed Aura's arm and gently began leading her down the hall back to her class. "Aura, what do you know about a guy named Xander?"
***********
The Library had been buzzing with activity since the start of the school day as students were busy looking for books they would need for the semester. The library was the only facility on campus that was big enough and organized enough for the students to collect their assigned books for their respective classes.
It was not usually this busy in the Library, and in fact only a small tight nit group ever occupied it at any given time. But today the place had been a practical war zone! A crowd had descended on the library with all the subtly of a lynch mob as each student threw themselves with gusto into the virtual battle with one another in order to achieve the prize of the best books. It was an amusing sight to see for the casual onlooker not engaged in what Xander had described to Giles as 'Mortal Kombat!'
But that had been earlier in the day and things had rather died down since then which allowed the Watcher to act in his capacity as Librarian. As such, when Giles stepped out behind the stacks on the mezzanine level, Willow was right next to him.
"Hey Giles, how did things go with Anakin last night?" Willow asked.
"I watched - and felt entirely inadequate - as Anakin cut down over a dozen vampires with disturbing ease. And they never even laid a hand on him." Giles answered with a shake of his head.
"That's about par for the course for the guy." Willow deadpanned."
"Quite." Giles nodded. "So how did things pan out at the cemetery?" Giles asked as they made their way down the steps.
"Dusted him no problem" Willow smiled as she fell in step just behind Giles.
The duo split up as Giles went through the door to go behind the checkout counter while Willow remained on the other side. "That's very good to hear Willow. I was somewhat skeptical with Anakin's assessment that you all were fit to patrol the quieter areas of town on your own, but I see now that I was mistaken. But for God sakes be careful out there. I mean, um, I appreciate your efforts to keep the vampire population down until Buffy returns, but um…Well, if anything should happen to any of you and…you should be killed, I should take it somewhat amiss." Giles related as he took Willows books and scanned them.
"You'd be cranky?" Willow smiled.
"Entirely" Giles said, returning her smile with just a hint of sarcasm and fatherly warmth.
"Well we do our best not to get in over our heads. Anakin said it was all about choosing battles you know you can win. That falls in line with our whole mission statement." Willow said.
"And what would that be?" Giles regarded Willow with an amused smirk.
"Don't get killed." Willow responded dryly. She took her books and stacked them neatly just as the phone in Giles's office began to ring incessantly.
"Good, good." Giles tapped the top book in her pile "I think you are going to love that one. Excuse me" Giles moved off towards his office to answer his phone. Willow picked up her books and started out of the library. But before she could take a few steps Cordelia came up to her.
"Hi!" Willow greeted.
"Hey, Willow." Cordelia smiled as she put her bag on the counter.
"How was the little family get-together?"
Cordelia rolled her eyes. "Daddy wanted to get away so he decided to take us to Disney land. I didn't exactly have a choice in the matter. Like I didn't out grow that five years ago. The whole time I was there I was hoping we'd hurry up and get back."
"You didn't have fun? I mean, I wish my parents would have taken me to Disney land…but they ah, sorta never have time for…me."
Cordelia shrugged slightly "It was ok, except for the part I almost got us thrown out by slugging Mickey Mouse, but other than that it was just…boring."
"Wait a minute, you punched Mickey Mouse? Cordelia how could you do that?" Willow asked in morbid curiosity.
"He sorta snuck up on me when I wasn't looking and Anakin's training just kicked in. He was out cold and kissing pavement before I realized what had happened. Oops, I tell you explaining that one to security was real fun."
"Eep." Willow grimaced.
"Don't let the excitement in my voice fool you, it was all about dread, I just wanted to hurry home and be with Xander." Cordelia smiled warmly. "So what happened while I was away?"
"Dustin vamps, you know, the usual. Oh. You remember Andy Hoelick from the gymnastics team, right?" At Cordelia's nod Willow continued on "Well he got turned yesterday so we had to stake him."
Cordelia shook her head sadly. "He was a sweet guy, a bit of a dork but he was a sweet dork none the less. In fact I've noticed there are a few familiar faces that aren't here that should be."
Yeah…" Willow exhaled sadly. "That's life in Sunnydale for you." She tried not to think of Buffy as she adjusted her books while Cordelia grabbed her bag then they both stepped out of the library and into the hall.
"Is Xander around?" Cordelia asked, quickly changing the subject.
"Yeah, I saw him earlier, he's around here somewhere." Will responded.
"Good, great, I haven't seen him yet." Cordelia pulled her hair behind her ears.
"Cordelia it's only been a week." Willow pointed out.
"I know. Do I look Ok?" Cordelia asked.
Willow nodded and smiled. "Oh, yeah, you look great."
Cordelia suddenly looked worried. "How's my hair?"
"Uh, it's good!" Willow smiled reassuringly.
"He didn't meet anyone while I was gone, did he?" Cordelia asked suddenly,before continuing on as if she hadn't heard Willow's earlier assurances. "No, who's he gonna meet in Sunnydale, but monsters and stuff? But then again he's always been attracted to monsters." Cordelia turned to Willow with another worried look "How's my hair?"
"Still good." Willow turned to leave and spotted Oz coming towards her which surprised her. What was he doing here? She started to move in his direction when Cordelia grabbed her arm and turned Willow back towards her.
"Maybe he's forgotten me. Maybe he has his eye on some nasty skank trying to take what's mine." Cordelia released her iron grip on Willows arms and smiled thinly. "Well, I'll just have to make him remember." She smiled to Willow as she moved off. "See ya."
Willow turned back to face Oz. "Hey, you came to visit me." Willow spotted the books in his hands. "You came with books? Are they books for me?" Willow asked.
"Well, actually, they're kinda for me." Oz replied delicately.
"I don't get it." Willow responded as if she'd heard a joke she didn't understand. They started walking down the halls through a practical beehive of activity as students moved this way and that to head to their own classes or the lounge to enjoy their free period.
"Well it's sort of a funny story. You remember when I didn't graduate?"
"Well I know you had a lot of incompletes, buts that's what summer school was for." Willow responded.
"Yeah, well you remember when I didn't go?"
Two students ran past eliciting a yell from a teacher "Whoa, slow down, people. Summer is over, be somber!"
Willow was shaking her head as if she couldn't wrap her brain around what she was hearing. "But you never said anything, and I probably should have figured this out sooner because I always thought it was weird how you always made it to daily training. So, how am I supposed to react to this rather alarming news?" Willow asked.
"Well, actually, I was pretty much banking on you finding it cute." Oz Countered.
"Well, traditionally, you know, repeating a grade isn't exactly a turn-on." Willow began as they reached the lounge "A-and you're practically a genius. You're Mr. Test Scores. I-it's all a little weird."
Oz grimaced slightly "So the cute thing is out?"
Xander strolled up to them before Willow could answer. "Have you guys seen Cordelia?"
"Yeah, she's around here somewhere." Willow answered.
"Awesome." Xander said with a big grin. "Which way?"
Willow pointed vauegly down the hall towards the nearby lounge, her gaze not leaving Oz. "That way."
"Cool, you know, how do I—"
"--You look good and your hair is fine. Believe me that's all I've been hearing about most of the morning." Willow interrupted.
'Yeah dude, rumor mill is buzzing about you, big time." Oz added.
"Cool, I'll catch you guys later." Xander said distractedly. His eyes narrowed slightly as he faced the lounge, then with a big grin he calmly walked off.
Larry and another member of the football team walked past Willow and Oz allowing them to overhear the excited jock. "This is our year, I'm telling you. Best football season ever! I'm so in shape, I'm a rock!" Larry stopped by the vending machine just as Willow and Oz were walking past him in to the lounge "It's all about egg whites. If we can focus, keep discipline, and not have quite as many mysterious deaths, Sunnydale is gonna rule!"
Willow finally spoke up once she was sure her voice wouldn't be drowned out by the excited football player. "I'm trying to get to cute, really. But I'm still sorta stuck on strange."
"Well, I'd be willing to bargain down to eccentric with an option on cool." Oz smiled as he took Willows arm in his and walked to the raised area in the lounge with the couches. Behind them Xander and Cordelia finally met up.
"Hey gorgeous" Xander smiled brightly
"Hey" Cordelia returned his smile.
"Good little family trip?" Xander asked.
"It totally sucked." Cordelia answered honestly.
"Miss me?" Xander grinned.
Cordelia returned his grin with one of her own. "Every day."
Xander drew her close and wrapped his arms around her middle that rested in the small of her back and planted a big scorching kiss. The kind he knew that drove her crazy.
Cordelia wrapped her arms around his neck and moaned contently before pulling back. "I especially missed those." She whispered huskily into his ear."
"That's good, because for a while there I was worried Pedro the cabana boy put you under his spell and I was going to have to fight to get you back." Xander smiled playfully.
Cordelia playfully rolled her eyes. "Never gonna happen, if you keep that up!"
The two young lovers moved in for another Kiss when the sound of someone clearing their throat emanated behind Cordelia, halting them mid motion.
"Mr. Harris and Miss. Chase, I thought we had this discussion once before about public displays of affection." The squeaky voice of Sunnydale's Napoleon wannabe dictator stated loudly for everyone in the packed lounge to hear.
Xander stifled a groan as he momentarily rested his forehead against Cordelia's before slowly releasing her and facing the insufferable little troll head on.
"Mr. Harris, why am I not surprised you and your little delinquent girlfriend are the ones so cavalierly breaking this rule?" Principal Snyder asked with a sneer.
"Practicing for the drama club? You know that famous kiss scene from 'Gone with the Wind'? I hear it's a real winner"
"You're not in the drama club Mr. Harris." Snyder pointed out rudely "In fact the only acting I could see you doing, is playing a bum on a street corner begging for change. And as for your little delinquent girlfriend, I'm afraid she just doesn't have what it takes to succeed in Hollywood. Keep your dreams simple darling, like snatching some rich fool for a husband. That way when you're disappointed by your inevitable failure you have something to fall back on. While you still have assets to use."
Xander could feel Cordelia's rising anger, matched by that of practically everyone in the lounge. One thing that was universal in Sunnydale High school was a loathing of Principal Snyder. The man seemed to go out of his way to hurt people. Unlike principle Flooty who had been largely respected by everyone.
"That was a very mean thing to say Principal Snyder." Willow instantly came to their defense.
"The truth often hurts Miss Rosenberg." Snyder smiled thinly.
That was it! Xander swore to himself. Snyder could make fun at his expense all he wanted and Xander wouldn't bat an eye, but the moment he or anyone else, attacked his friends it would not go unanswered. Stretching out to the Force Xander focused on two particular points on Snyder's suite. With very subtle gestures of his fingers Xander was going to make a point that Snyder wasn't going to be the only one embarrassed by this little confrontation. Xander absently noticed that Oz was frowning directly at him but he didn't allow himself to be distracted by it.
"Why are you all still here!?" Snyder nearly roared, causing what little conversation in the lounge to cease abruptly. "Don't you all have classes to be getting to?"
"It's almost lunch time Principal Snyder and most of us have a free period, besides our lessons don't really start till tomorrow." Willow spoke up again with a firm voice that showed she wasn't intimidated by him but in fact was rather angry.
Snyder pointed a finger directly at her in warning "Don't you talk back to me little lady or it will be detention for you."
Willow looked like she was about to speak up again when Oz put a hand on her shoulder and quietly shook his head, something that silenced her.
"Good" Snyder nodded with a growing triumphant smile on his face that Xander couldn't wait to wipe off. "Now as for the rest of you delinquents I suggest you clear out of here now or you will all be in detention for the next week."
Snyder turned to walk away but suddenly faltered with a yelp when he felt his pants give way and fall to his ankles, exposing his tightie wighties. The spectacle was soon greeted by roaring laughter from the entire lounge as people pointed and laughed in delight.
"Stop that!" Snyder squeaked in a high pitched voice. "You all have detention, every one of you!" Snyder pulled up his pants and took a step to leave when he fell over again, this time completely, as he tripped over his tied shoelaces. In the process of falling over he again lost his pants as he fell face first.
The roaring laughter increased to a near frantic pitch as everyone pointed and laughed in delight, and a mocking round of applause broke out from the perimeter of the group…but one individual didn't join in with the mirth, eyeing Xander suspiciously.
Snyder managed to wrestle himself off the floor and pull his pants up and glared at the crowd before finally setting his eyes firmly on Xander.
"This isn't over Mr. Harris! I know you're responsible for this, I'll see you rot in detention for this!" Snyder yelped then he clumsily bunny hopped out of the lounge and down the hall as the people in the lounge, and now the adjacent hallway, laughed in delight at his predicament.
"Oh my God Xander how did you do that?" Cordelia asked as soon as she recovered from her fit of laughter.
"Do what?" Xander asked.
"That thing with your fingers that made Snyder lose his pants and any cool points he wished he had!" Cordelia clarified. Xander grimaced; apparently he hadn't been quite as sneaky as he thought he had been. He needed to think quickly and throw them off the scent before they got suspicious. But before he could formulate a response he got help from a most unexpected source.
"It looked like a magic trick I've seen done before; simple, not very dangerous, but effective for small tricks." Oz spoke up.
"Wow, really?" Willow beamed a smile at Xander "Xander that was so cool!"
"I'll say, that'll teach that badly dressed little dwarf to mess with me!" Cordelia turned toward Xander and wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled "You do the sweetest things."
"Anything for my girl" Xander winked. He kissed the tip of her nose and pulled back to take note of the crowd suddenly gathering around them. By this point, having heard Snyder's proclamation of Xanders guilt, numerous students came by and offered backslaps, high fives or simply just to acknowledge the cool trick. Xander ate it up. Having spent most of the day preparing to deal with the usual myriad of insults, sneers and general contempt from his fellow students, Xander wasn't quite prepared to handle their praise and affection. In just a few simple hours of maintaining his focus while not falling into familiar habits, and one small subtle use of the Force, he'd gone from class clown to the hero of the day.
In the lounge and throughout the rest of the school the bell rung signifying the start of Lunch as everyone began to pour out.
"Keep it up Xander and you just might be the most popular guy by the end of the week." Cordelia proclaimed.
"A guy could get to like that." Xander smiled.
*************
WolfRam and Hart
Los Angeles Branch.
"Yes, yes that's everything we have, our complete dossier." Lindsey McDonald said into his secure cell phone with a satisfied smile. "I assure you it'll point your boss in the right direction." Lindsey paused as the other person on the line responded.
"Yes I'm sure she's been giving your boss no end of grief, but now with the information we've provided I'm sure you can handle the rest." Lindsay said with a roll of his eyes.
"We'd just like for you to remember that, as always, it is our esteemed pleasure to be of service." Lindsey paused again as the other person on the line spoke.
"We would definitely appreciate all the gory details of her demise, accurate records and all that. Pictures would be good as well." Lindsey stated with a smirk. There was brief chuckle on the other end of the line then the person spoke again.
"Before and after pictures would be appreciated," Lindsey continued. "Something that captures that look of stark terror on her face just right, that way we can confirm it is actually her. After that….well, just something that still has her face relatively intact so we can positively identify the body. DNA and fingerprints cost time and money to identify."
There was a brief murmur of acknowledgement on the other end. "Excellent, then I look forward to hearing of your success Mr. Trick. Please convey our compliments to your boss." There was another brief murmur of acknowledgement then the line went dead.
Lindsey smiled to himself before putting away his cell phone. Holland Manners would want to hear about this as soon as possible now that Kakistos would be moving against Faith the Slayer with the information Wolfram and Hart had so generously provided. Shuffling the files in his hands, Lindsey strolled out of his office and toward Holland's with an amenable gait, pleased he at least had some good news to bring his boss to offset the other reports he was carrying, the files relating to the new Demon Hunter in Sunnydale. It made for some very grim reading, and it had been some time since Lindsey's last report to Holland on the matter, quite a bit had changed since then. Holland was not going to like this one bit.
"….And at last report the entire ore operation has been completely shutdown; all contact with Hell dimension HD-417 has been severed. We've been trying to reestablish contact…but the chances are there may not be anyone left to contact." Lilah reported as Lindsey quietly made his way into Holland Manners office.
Lindsey frowned slightly in confusion, a move that Lilah didn't fail to notice, she answered with her own little smug half smile. Lindsey immediately schooled his face in an expression of diligent concern, but inwardly he was instantly on the alert. Long and painful experience meant that smiles like that from Lilah set off definite alarm bells in his mind.
Holland had a very grave look on his face; he was quite clearly stressed, as if he were about to have an ulcer on the spot. He motioned for Lilah to continue.
"We did manage to get a microburst transmission from HD-417 shortly before it went offline. This is what we got" Lilah related. She grabbed a nearby remote and directed it to a wall mounted monitor and clicked a button. On the screen the image of a young woman fighting through the Hell dimension's guard force came through in all its gut wrenching horror. She moved with a grace that would have made a dancer green with envy, her strikes packed enough power in them to make Mike Tyson whimper in shame, and she demonstrated cunning and dexterity that would have made seasoned warriors build a shrine in her honor.
She moved methodically, cutting through the guard force without breaking a sweat, despite the terrible heat and humidity that permeated the place. She was strikingly small, almost tiny, yet she towered over her opposition as only few could, even those of her calling.
The blonde hair, the clearly recognizable visage of her face, the way she fought, even the witty jokes she cracked with her Californian accent, all of it confirmed her identity better than any report ever could. And there was only one person who fit that description, much to the creeping horror and weary resignation of the trio in the office.
Buffy Summers.
Lilah stopped the recording and there was heavy moment of oppressive silence as the trio of demonic lawyers struggled to come to grips with what had happened. HD-417 was one of three ore refinement facilities, top of the line in fact, that used the best in human slave labor and deceptively advanced ore refinement techniques. The refined ore served a critical purpose to the Senior Partners as the material was used in the construction and maintenance of armor and weapons for the growing armies of the Senior Partners…and for precious materials needed and solely utilized by the circle of the Black Thorn.
To lose even one of these facilities set back the timetable the Senior Partners themselves hadput down, considerably.
The facilities themselves had been established in Hell Dimensions under the control of the Senior Partners and subcontracted out to a private security company that had long since jumped into bed with WolfRam and Hart. The Hell dimension facilities had been considered safe from reproach by the Slayer or anyone gutsy enough, or stupid enough to try and take them down. And that was assuming they even knew about them to begin with. But a Slayer, and not just any Slayer, but the notorious Buffy Summers had just done what no other Slayer in history had ever accomplished. She'd just managed to hurt WolfRam and Hart; just how badly was still being assessed.
But if Lindsey knew anything about the Senior Partners, he knew they were going to be seriously pissed and would expect heads to roll for this. A fact that certainly didn't bode well for any of the three occupants in the room, each of whom had a considerable stake in this situation.
"How did this happen?" Holland Manners finally spoke into the thick him more closely, Lindsey noted that Holland was deathly pale and breathing deeply. He suspected that Holland couldn't decide whether to be furious or panic. The once calm and cool exterior he always portrayed had been shattered leaving Holland looking more vulnerable than he had ever seen him.
"We have been able to extract certain details from a number of survivors of the incident. In particular a girl named Anne who, believe it or not, knew the Slayer. According to her, 'Ken' the leader of a local outreach group had managed to convince her to take refuge at the local shelter for the homeless. Apparently that's where Miss Summers met Ken; there was some kind of altercation concerning Anne and many of the 'forgotten' workforces. Anne believed that the Slayer had managed to piece together enough information to lead her to the shelter. Details are sketchy how she got into HD-417 but once there she quickly went to work on shutting it down and freeing the remaining labor force.
"Ken was the cover name of the lead demon in charge, was it not?" Holland asked. The demon himself was actually one of the most trusted by WolfRam and Hart for the job.
"Yes." Lilah responded.
"How in the hell did he not know he was dealing with the Slayer!?" Holland said in a dangerously calm voice.
Lilah flipped through her paperwork for a moment before responding, a move Lindsey knew was designed give herself a few seconds to present the data in a way that would put the least damage on her. "According to our records, 'Ken' was using the local blood bank as a means to screen healthy candidates from sick ones. All candidates were required to be tested; if the Slayer had given blood then the unique properties of her physiology would have raised the alarm. But she never did."
That was a bit of an understatement. WolfRam and Hart had, throughout its long and wretched history, aided in the hunting and extermination of Slayers, with more than a few occasions of obtaining blood and tissue samples to analyze. It had been the hope of the Senior Partners to reproduce the amazing gifts of the Slayer for their own use, but sadly all they were capable of achieving was identifying certain mystical and genetic markers of one of the Chosen.
"We're still not certain how she pieced together the Shelter was the front for the Ore operation, but she did." Lilah concluded with a disturbingly calm expression on her face that sent alarm bells ringing in his head. What was she up to?
"Thank you Lilah." Holland said then he turned to Lindsey. "Lindsey, how the hell did she get by you, and go this long without detection? Especially right here, in our own front yard?" Holland huffed.
Lindsey grimaced inwardly. Now he knew why the bitch - as she was quietly known - was so smug. Lilah's mandate was internal, although she, like himself, did from time to time meet with foreign clients and coordinate with branches outside of Los Angeles. His primary responsibility was affairs in LA and the nearby towns, and as such, it was his balls that were on the band saw for this particular situation.
"Sir I can't explain it, no Slayer we have on record has ever operated like Miss. Summers has. Whenever a Slayer is called she immediately has a dramatic effect on the Local vampire and demon community before moving on to bigger targets and eventually getting herself killed. We don't know how long she's actually been in Los Angeles; there have been no rumors or sightings of a possible Slayer in the area and no sudden thinning of the vampire population, believe me that would have instantly grabbed our attention."
Lilah weighed in as well "Our teams were quickly dispatched to her place here in LA; her landlord was most cooperative and provided us all the information he could. According to our projected timetable she arrived shortly after her battle with Angelus and took up residence. She did absolutely nothing that would have identified herself as a Slayer in that time."
"A deep undercover operation maybe?" Holland put forward.
Lindsey took the initiative, seizing the opportunity to defend himself, although not before shooting Lilah a swift assessing glance. Why was she helping him? Was it fear of the Senior partners, or did she have some deeper motive? What is the bitch planning, and does it involve my neck?" With no trace of his internal monologue, he spoke confidently and calmly,thinking as fast as he ever had. "Not likely. Considering how Slayers and their Watchers tend to operate they left far too many witnesses behind. And there is the fact that Miss Summers left her apartment in the care of the young girl, Anne. No, there were far too many loose ends to tie up for this to be some sort of deep cover strike. Watchers and Slayers simply do not put innocent lives at risk like that."
Holland nodded, apparently satisfied, although Lindsey knew from long experience not to be deceived or to let his guard down. One did not become head of a Wolfram & Hart branch easily, especially one as important as Los Angeles, Describing the business as cut-throat was a major understatement. Skeletons in the closet were most definitely not a rarity, although they tended more to be decapitated & mutilated corpses in Manner's case.
Manner's spoke. "This Anne girl and the other witnesses, they could cause us some serious trouble if word got back we were involved in this, what are we doing about them?"
Lilah's predatory grin would have given a Vampire's a run for its money "We could simply have them killed." Lilah offered.
"No." Answered Holland with an emphatic shake of his head, "that's the last thing we need right now. Dead bodies tend to leave trails that can be traced back to their source. The last thing the Senior Partners are going to want to deal with is more unwanted attention."
"We need to do something sir." Lilah emphasized.
"We'll need to do something to show that we're on top of the situation and find someone fitting to shift the blame too." Lindsey offered, having finally recovered his balance. 'Someone fitting, that isn't me!' he thought darkly, wondering if he could somehow shift the blame to Lilah? It was unlikely he knew. She was too good at her job to make stupid mistakes or leave openings that could be used against her.
"Your right about that Lindsey." Holland agreed with a Nod. Lindsey felt his blood run cold at that statement. It wasn't what Holland had said…it was the way he had said it. It was as if Lindsey could feel what Holland was thinking. Tossing a glance at Lilah he observed every few moments she would gaze at him from time to time with a thoughtful expression on her face. Lilah was, in fact, easier to read then Holland was, and Lindsey had no doubt she was going to use this situation as leverage against him.
Then in a flash of sudden realization, that nearly threatened to make Lindsey loose his lunch, he realized that his earlier fears had become reality. They were already planning to use him as their fall guy!
It made sense really; when the rational part of his mind fought pass the shock and sudden fear he felt. Lindsey had been tasked with tracking down Buffy Summers. Despite everything else, that had been his primary job outside of his cases. The fact that he had failed to accomplish that job, which allowed Buffy Summers to shut down one of their most critical operations…well, unless he said something extremely fast, there was only one way this could end.
His record with the Firm had been unblemished up to this point, but Lindsey knew that wasn't going to save him. No…he needed to find some way to stand apart from the others and survive the inevitable purges that were sure to follow, and he suddenly realized that the file in his hand just might be one of a few ways of doing that...in the long term. But in the mean time he had a few other ideas that could stabalize if not elevate his position.
"We could just do nothing sir," Lindsey put forth rejoining the discussion.
"What did you have in mind Lindsey?" Holland asked.
"We let them talk to anyone who would listen-"
"-Are you out of your mind!" Lilah snapped, cutting him off.
"Let him Finish Lilah." Holland said sternly.
"As I was saying," Lindsey began again "We let the kids talk their heads off, telling everyone and anyone who'll listen about how they met demons who enslaved them at some halfway house. The sheer absurdity of their story will be the equivalent of giving them enough rope to hang themselves; they'll lose all sense of credibility. People will think they've been hitting the drugs just a bit too hard. In the end no one is going to believe them and the situation will resolve itself."
"Our teams are already working to contain the situation, so there's not much likelihood of anyone outside of the Firm learning of our connection to the ore refinery. Our biggest problem is not to lose our heads when the Senior Partners inevitably decide to clean house." Lilah added, immediately aware that the scales of blame had tipped suddenly against her, and trying not to be outshined by Lindsey.
"I want a way out of this situation that doesn't involve us losing our heads, or worse. We need something put forth soon; very soon. Is that understood?" Holland demanded.
Lindsey could literally feel the lie in that statement and suddenly the fear inside him slowly shifted to a red, hot, consuming anger. A rage that seemed to transform the room from its normally bright and sunny view into a murky crimson hue; His anger sharpened his focus and his senses and resolved his will to survive…no… not to survive… to profit from this opportunity; at the expense of everyone in the room. He had never felt such strength flow through him before, enlightening him to this plot, invigorating him with its strength, and demanding him to rise up and cast down his rivals. He couldn't help but be amazed at the ease though which a plan began to take shape in his mind; fueled by this new found strength coursing through him. And it all happened in the span of a few moments, behind a thoughtful façade that gave away nothing to the other two occupants in the room.
"Actually sir I have a few ideas that might help us salvage something from this situation and put us all in a far better position so that we don't lose our heads." Lindsey said in a tone of voice that bordered on smug superiority.
Holland and Lilah looked up to him in surprise before Holland motioned for Lindsey to continue.
"We can use the private security contractors as our scapegoats, their senior executives are actually humans. At the same time we can use this to cover certain operational expenses by using their next of kin as payment." Lindsey said.
Holland and Lilah shared a look of confusion before Holland turned back to Lindsey and spoke up. "Go on Lindsey."
"Sir, the Firm uses private security contractors that specialize in working for and utilizing 'demonic entities'. WolfRam and Hart is actually their biggest employer. The point is they are the ones responsible for security in the hell dimensions the Senior Partners own and operate, so we subtly shift blame on to the heads of their senior executives and field operatives. Arch Duke Sebassus will no doubt dispatch elements from his Honor Guard to extract revenge, while we are using their next of Kin as a form of payment for damages incurred by their incompetence."
"Keep going." Holland asked his gaze distant as if focused on the big picture, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and hoping, praying that it was real…
"Sir I know of a Sheik that owns a Brothel in Saudi Arabia that would be more than happy to buy the daughters of their senior executives for a hefty price; western women are highly coveted over there-" Lindsey observed that Lilah fidgeted in her seat ever so slightly in discomfort, and judging by the look on her face, disgust as well, but she wasn't speaking up. That told Lindsey that while she was disgusted with this plan she had no alternative and thus reluctantly went along with it.
"-And if I'm not mistaken" Lindsey continued without missing a beat, " We have a very lucrative client right here in LA that is in need of a heart transplant and replacement body fluids, I believe the senior executive of the private contractors security force has a son who is an athlete and a rising star at just twenty years old."
"Excellent Lindsey!" Holland praised. "With both of these deals we could cover the processing cost to close the ore operation…"
"…And provide startup funds to help get the facility back online once we reestablish contact." Lindsey directed smoothly. That's when Lindsey knew he had them.
"Meaning that while we were delivered a grievous blow by the Slayer, we are the only ones coming up with solutions, so that this situation is not a total loss." Holland echoed Lindsey's line of reasoning.
"Bringing to light the true extent of incompetent security by our Private Security contractors; thus ensuring that we come out of this situation smelling like roses while our rivals are purged by the Senior Partners." Lindsey added. "In fact we can probably go one better than that and use this situation as a means for a quiet takeover of their Security firm. It would definitely cut down on operational costs in the future."
Looking to Holland he could already see the man jumping all over the plan, which meant that at least in the short term Lindsey had just bought himself a reprieve, but that didn't mean he had forgotten what these two had just tried to do to him….oh no he would not forget this at all.
But vengeance could wait for another day. Survival took first priority.
"I like it" Holland smiled in relief "How soon can we implement this plan?"
"With the placing of a few calls I can have everything arranged by the close of business today." Lindsey offered a coldly confident smile. "Bear in mind the Firm won't come out on top but we'll at least be able to salvage something from this tragedy, spin this as quick action to step in and clean up the mess these contractors left us."
"Then make it happen, Lindsey, dismissed." A very much relieved Holland manners reclined back into his seat.
Lilah got up and headed for the door without another word and Lindsey again could sense a glimmer of her feelings, he even managed to catch the faint trace of a satisfied smile before she left the office.
Big mistake Lilah… Why is she satisfied, she just lost out? Or was this part of her plan?
"Lindsey you have something else to report on?" Holland asked distractedly from behind his desk. He pulled out a bottle of brandy and quickly filled a cup which he downed immediately, and then another to calm his quacking nerves.
"I was coming to brief you on the situations in Boston and Sunnydale sir. Mr. Trick on behalf of Kakistos called a short while ago, just as you said they would-" A little acknowledgement from Lindsey to placate Holland, playing to his ego to throw Holland off balance and make him think Lindsey didn't suspect what had almost happened and that things were still status quo- "Kakistos is set to move against Faith. It shouldn't be long before we hear good news back from them."
And on the sudden and very likely chance that something went wrong, which Lindsey intended to quietly engineer so that the situation blew up in hollands face.
So when Holland reported to the Senior Partners that they were expecting good news on the take down of the new Slayer, it would highly embarrass him if things didn't quite go as reported. Of course Lindsey had to be subtle about this and cover his tracks, lest the blame be shifted to him as the case manager. He just had to do it in a way that there could be no doubt as to Holland's sloppy management, perhaps micromanagement, of the situation and not his own efforts. The growing number of failures under his leadership or at least related to his tenure would no doubt call into question his competence…
Leaving room open for advancement.
"Good, good." Holland muttered into his third glass of Brandy in as many minutes. Lindsey could already feel the potent alcohol starting to cloud the man's mind and senses. He had suspected for a while that success had started to dull Manner's edge. He might have fought his way with skill and subtlety, and over a large pile of dead bodies, to the top position in LA, but Lindsey had just begun to have the smallest suspicion that the man had become sloppy. He seemed overconfident, far too certain of his position in an organization where advancement over the corpse of your boss was a time honored tradition. Of course Lindsey had thought it could easily be a ploy, designed to make himself and Lilah overconfident but this new … awareness… of Lindsey's made him wonder if his suspicions were true.
"What do you have to report on Sunnydale?" Holland asked.
"Nothing new, sir" and Lindsey slid his folder out of view. "Our local team has had to pull back to a safe distance as they were nearly made by Skywalker." That wasn't necessarily a lie, but not completely true either; Anakin Skywalker's unrelenting campaign on the Hellmouth had come relatively close to nabbing the team sent to monitor him. So Lindsey was reporting the truth…from a certain point of view.
"Has he shown any other abilities?" Holland asked.
It happened so fast it momentarily took Lindsey off guard but for just a moment it was as if he could sense Holland's thoughts. Images came, too fast and too many to truly make out. But a few did stick with Lindsey. That of figures cloaked in deepest black, glowing yellow eyes with frightening passion and power. They were glorious…
The Sith
The name seamed to resonate from somewhere he couldn't make out, almost like a whisper but it was most definitely not Holland's mind. Lindsey was sure of that much.
"No sir." Lindsey lied.
"Keep monitoring Lindsey." Holland said, now on his fifth glass of brandy.
This was something that both confused and frustrated Lindsey initially. When he had reported to Holland of Anakin Skywalker's crusade in Sunnydale and the devastating effectiveness it was having. Holland's remarks at first glance appeared to make no sense. But as Lindsey pieced it together it was beginning to become perfectly clear what Holland was up too.
Holland was planning to maneuver himself into position to take sole credit for Skywalker's capture or downfall. So he kept Lindsey busy with gathering information and the latest up to date details while Holland quietly maneuvered his own people and resources into position who would eventually take Skywalker down.
It was a simple, yet none the less clever plan for all that, a clear reminder that while Manner's might be overconfident, he was most certainly not stupid, and still extremely dangerous! It was a plan that just might have worked too, if Lindsey's new found awareness hadn't kicked in, and that was most definitely not going to happen. But the images Lindsey had glanced from Holland's mind-and Lindsey was increasingly certain that was where they came from- indicated that Holland knew exactly what Skywalker was or at the least had experience in dealing with his kind before.
That in turn meant there had to be records within the Firms archives that Lindsey needed to get too, if he was to profit from this situation as well.
Bringing about a favorable end to the ore refinery incident, making Holland look like a fool in front of the Senior Partners on the Faith situation, and maneuvering himself to take the credit when it came time to bring down Skywalker, all the while denying Lilah her chance to profit from all of this…
All in a days' work at WolfRam and Hart.
"Don't worry, sir. I'm all over the situation." Lindsey smiled, his voice dripping with double meaning that his now half intoxicated prey was totally oblivious too. Lindsey soon left Holland's office. He had preparations to make, and a very short window of opportunity in which to make them.
Joyce Summers was in her kitchen. She was down on her knees trying to retrieve a stuck utensil from her dishwasher, an item which had somehow, against all odds, become lodged in perhaps the most difficult place conceivable to remove. It was a task that was causing her no small degree of frustration. As she wrestled with it, leaning forward in an awkward position, her back reminding her depressingly that she was no longer as spry as she used to be, there came suddenly from above her head the chimes of the doorbell.
Startled, she sat back onto her heels. Then, frowning at the fork she had just in that instant managed to wrestle free, she rose to her feet. Dropping the fork into the sink, she grabbed a towel to wipe her hands and set off to cover the short distance to the front door. As she moved out of the Kitchen and into the hall, she couldn't help but wonder who might be visiting her now.
Mr. Giles had come back empty handed again only a day ago, and Willow and Xander had just left two hours ago after coming by to see her. Steeling her resolve she draped the towel over a chair and slowly made her way to the door. When she opened it a flood of conflicting emotions hit her like a blow to the gut at the sight of the unexpected figure standing there. It took all her willpower to hold the tears back, but only just.
Buffy.
She looked disheveled and tired. A small bag hung over her shoulder, and what Joyce recognized as the stub of a bus ticket was clutched in her hand. Her beautiful green eyes, so familiar to Joyce, reflected mixed emotions of sadness and perhaps hopefulness at the same time. For a long moment neither moved, just staring at each other without a word having to be spoken; then by mutual consent they stepped toward each other and held each other close in a long, tight embrace.
It didn't matter that she had been gone for over three months. It didn't matter that Joyce had spent all night, every night of those long months tossing and turning in her bed, worrying over her daughter. The weight of the heated words they had exchanged, which had hung so heavily on her heart since that day, seemed suddenly to vanish, becoming merely a bad memory from long ago, as the two cried into each other's embrace. All that mattered was that she was home.
Buffy Summers had finally come home.
