Thank you necha and canttouchthis87 for adding this to your alerts. I hope you and the other readers continue to like the story and want to keep following it.

Thanks once again to dreameralways and Anyankaholic for their excellent reviews. We'll see how Munch handles the moral dilemma he's faced with in future chapters.

The first few lines are repeated from Chapter 10 but it seemed to flow better than just picking up where I left off. Now, on to the new chapter!

MORE THINGS IN HEAVEN AND EARTH

Chapter 11

J.F.K. Airport, New York City, Friday, August 27th: 08:16

"Giles needs that book," Buffy said, her voice filled with determination, "and we don't know how long the cops are goanna hang around."

"So, what are you goanna do? Steal it from under their noses?" Cordelia asked sarcastically.

Buffy looked thoughtful.

"Why not?" She replied.

"Are you insane?" Cordelia said, her voice rising. "Jeez, I thought it was Giles who had the youthful offender thing going! Those are cops there, remember."

"It's not really stealing." Buffy pointed out. "Mr. de Groot wants to give us the book. All we're doing is getting it sooner."

"I'm so never goanna get into a good college." Cordelia muttered. Then she took a deep breath and firmed up her shoulders. "What do you want me to do?"

Buffy glanced around, assessing her surroundings. The concourse and the doors leading outside were busy with people arriving to meet flights and new arrivals and their meters and greeters leaving.

"We'll do it outside." she decided. "Better for the getaway bit." A large group of people, all talking loudly, were making their way towards the exit. "Quick," she whispered. "They're blocking the cops view!" The two girls slipped outside and Buffy pointed to the corner of the building. "Cordy, go over there and create a distraction as soon as you see de Groot and the cops come out."

"Being in jail is so goanna damage my social standing." Cordelia grumbled but she did as Buffy requested.

Buffy looked round for a hiding place and crouched down behind a group of discarded baggage trolleys, just beside the exit door. She didn't have to wait long. Cordelia had just reached the corner when the cops and de Groot exited the building.

"Aghhhhhh, help, police, someone! Aghhhhh!"

Buffy grinned. As Giles would say, Cordy gave good scream. She watched as the cops tensed and took an instinctive step in the direction of the noise. Then she moved, using all her Slayer speed and agility. She was on the group in an instant. She grabbed the bag de Groot was holding. For a moment it looked like he was going to struggle, then he saw her face and with a nod that was almost a bow, he released it and she was off and running. She heard the sound of pounding feet behind her. It was only then that she realised the flaw in her plan. The cops were chasing her and she didn't know the layout of the airport. If she didn't lose them, she could easily run into a dead end and end up being caught.

'Really gotta pay more attention to the forward planning thing.' She thought. She continued to run and the sound of the cops feet grew more distant but they were still behind her. 'Definitely not into the donuts. These cops were way physically fitter that the cops in Sunnydale!' She saw that the sidewalk was coming to an end. To her right was a busy road. 'So not the time for roadwork. Besides, Accident City!'

In front of her was a wire link fence about ten foot high with barbed wire on the top. Inside it there was a two storey building and men driving forklifts. Goods inwards and outwards or baggage handling she guessed. Without breaking stride she leapt upwards, keeping a firm grip on the bag. She sailed over the fence, clearing it by a good foot. She landed on her feet, bending her knees to absorb the impact, then continued running. Workmen looked around and a few tried to grab her but she easily swerved and avoided them.

'Maybe I've got a future in pro-football if the Slayer gig doesn't work out.' She mused as she continued running. The building was coming up fast and she could see a large square opening leading inside it.

'Definitely don't want to go there.' She thought.

She noticed there was a bar hanging out from the wall, probably part of a pulley arrangement. She tossed the overnight bag into the air as high as she could, took a flying leap and grabbed the bar; swinging herself around it she used the added momentum to reach the roof. She had timed her throw just right; the bag came down just as she hit the roof. She grabbed it and continued running.

J.F.K. Airport, New York City, Friday, August 27th: 08:21

"So, your father had a number of valuable books." Detective Malone asked, "Has anyone been after him to sell one of them recently?"

David de Groot opened his mouth but before he could answer, a loud scream came from somewhere close by.

"Aghhhhhh, help, police, someone! Aghhhhh!"

All three detectives took a half step towards the sound before their attention returned closer to home with the sound of running footsteps approaching them. By the time they had turned, however, they were just in time to see a small, slightly built girl with long, light brown hair running away from them at an impossible speed. She held in her hand a familiar object.

Elliot recovered first. He looked down at their witness' hands and saw, as expected, they were empty.

"Stay here with Detective Malone." He ordered, then he and Olivia took off after the suspect. Both he and his partner were in good shape and he was amazed as their quarry draw away from them. Then he saw that she was approaching the end of the sidewalk. In front of her was a tall fence topped with barbed wire. The bag snatcher's only option was to take to the road where the cars would slow her down.

'We'll get you now!' He thought triumphantly, then watched as she leapt over the fence as if it were no more than a hurdle in a steeplechase. He and Olivia were both panting for breath as they reached the wire, just in time to see the figure use the bar to swing herself onto the roof and somehow catch the bag before disappearing.

"Did you see that?" Elliot turned to his partner, disbelievingly.

Olivia was too out of breath to reply but she nodded her head.

"How did she…?"

Olivia glanced up at the fenceand shook her head.

Both detectives made their way back slowly to where Detective Malone was standing with de Groot just in time to hear Ed Malone ask. "So you didn't recognise them?"

De Groot shook his head. "No, detective, as I said before, it happened so fast."

"Given the way you acted earlier when Detective Malone offered to carry the bag for you, I'm surprised you didn't put up a fight." Elliot grunted, still catching his breath.

David de Groot's face was unreadable as he replied. "Well, officer, you hear about muggings. I didn't want to be killed like the rest of my family."

Olivia pulled Elliot aside, out of de Groot's hearing. "El, that girl…"

Elliot nodded, "Yeah, I know, she looked a lot like Buffy Summers."

"But it can't be. Whoever that was would be a shoo-in for the U.S. Olympic Team in track, field and gymnastics. There's no record of Buffy excelling in any sport. She was a cheerleader!"

Elliot glanced towards de Groot. "Our vic. doesn't seem too cut up about losing his valuable book." He observed. "And earlier it seemed like he was expecting to be met by someone else."

"You think he's involved in the murder of his own parents and sister?" Olivia asked.

"Hey, unmarried thirty something guy, still living at home. It wouldn't be the first time." He replied. "And he was lying about not knowing Rupert Giles."

Bedford Hotel, Friday, August 27th: 09:36

Giles paced. He felt useless without his books. Jenny had, once again, run interference and taken the non Scoobies to Columbia for the summer school. She had explained to the authorities there that the others were still too upset by Clark's death to attend. He thanked the Powers that the American concern for victim rights prevented them from asking too many searching questions. He watched as Willow clicked and scrolled her way through the internet while Xander and Oz sat on the sofa, munching what the American's inaccurately described as chips and chattered away about Star Wars in low voices.

He looked at his watch. Buffy and Cordelia should be back soon. He didn't really expect they would be able to collect the book from David de Groot. The police here in New York were far too efficient for that but Buffy rebelled at inaction and there was always a faint chance the police would be delayed by traffic or something similar, giving the girls the few minutes they would need. He turned as the door opened and Cordelia sauntered in and sat down elegantly next to Xander.

"Where's Buffy?" he demanded.

"Well, hello! What happened to manners?" Cordelia answered, snippily. "I think you've been a bad influence on her. She snatched, grabbed, then took off like gangbusters leaving me to find my own way back. Do you know the kind of weird people who ride the subway? You don't want to know the kind of weird people who ride the subway!"

Giles stared at her, processing her words but Xander was ahead of him.

"Buffy stole the book from out under the cops' noses! Way to go Buffster!" he exclaimed admiringly.

"Except for the part where she might have been recognised." murmured Oz.

Cordelia tossed her hair. "No chance of that. By the time they knew what was happening, she was well away. All they could see was her back."

"What happened after that?" Giles asked urgently.

"Like I know! I distracted the cops like she asked, then booked before they came searching for me."

The door opened again and Buffy came sauntering in, the overnight bag in her hands. She ceremoniously offered the bag to her Watcher.

"One book of the Old Time." She said, with satisfaction.

"Buffy, what have you done!" Giles asked. "You could have been caught!"

The Slayer shrugged. "No biggie with Slayer speed and agility. No way they could follow me."

"But you displayed your abilities to them." Giles pointed out.

Buffy gave him a long suffering look. "Hold your horses Giles, you're the one whose always saying that adults rationalise the things they don't understand. They're probably thinking de Groot was mugged by a parkour practitioner."

Giving it up as a bad job, Giles opened the bag and lovingly extracted the book. He was about to open it, when, "Ooh, ooh!" shouted Willow. There was a pause, then, "Oooh!" she exclaimed in a completely different tone of voice.

She turned towards the group who were now looking at her enquiringly. Her face was red and her expression was embarrassed. "I've been searching the Net for information on the address the vampires delivered the sacrificial victims to." She explained. "And well, I've found something." She waved towards the screen and everyone crowded round her.

"Wow!" said Xander. "Now that's what I call a workout!"

"Is that possible? I don't think that's possible!" said Cordelia.

Buffy considered. "I think I could do it." She said. "Not that I'd want to!" She added hastily.

"Probably wise." Oz informed her.

Giles read the information on the screen. "Oh, dear!" he said. "I think we need to speak to Detective Munch as a matter of urgency."

T.B.C.