"There. He's one of them."
"Are you sure?"
"I saw him up close and personal. I would recognize him anywhere."
Willow and Eric were hidding in the shadows of an alley. The main street was right before them. The redhead's gaze hardened when a bulky guy passed right in front of the alley without even thinking that if a vampire had been there, he would already been dead. [That son of a bitch is too cocky for his own good,] Willow thought.
The dead man stood up and pulled the small redhead behind him. They followed the guy on a small distance before they saw him enter one of Sunnydale's many cemetaries. He grinned. "Want to go cry on... somebody's tomb?"
Willow laughed. She took his arm and held it close to her, as if she needed help to walk. "Lets go, *husband*. I have to grieve for my mother's soul." They walked silently, making their presence unknown until it was the right time. They had no need for the unsuspecting initiative member to be alerted by them.
When they were deep enough in the cemetary, they stopped. A crow flew by and Eric smiled wildly. "I think it's time to do our show." He stepped back a little and the redhead knelt in front of a tomb she's picked out like that. The man was still in sight.
The redhead started sobbing widly. "Why?! Why did you have to leave so soon? Why did it have to be you?" She screamed. "Damn it! You always told me to have faith in God... it didn't worked for you. He let you die!" She laughed wildly, as if she was possessed.
"Are you alright miss?"
Willow smiled and stayed back to the young man. [And here he stepped right into it.] She coughed as if she had been caught in the middle of a quite embarassing situation. She stood up, but kept her face hidden. "I'm sorry I was so loud. Did I disturbed you?" she asked shyly.
The man was smiling to himself. She seemed innocent enough and an easy prey. [I will have her before the end of the night.] "No you didn't disturb me. Do you want me to get you back home?"
"Sure." She gave him her hand. When he took it, she squeezed his hard and he cried out in pain. "Didn't your mother warned you about talking to strangers?" she asked in amusement.
The man started trembling like a leave when Eric stepped right in front of him, his face once more painted in black and white. "What are you?"
"Carnival clown."
Willow startled. It was a very familiar voice and it meant bad news. [Uh oh.] She was kicked hard and she fell face first on the soft grass. Before turning around, she made sure her makeup was in place. She faced the small form. "Slayer," she hissed.
Eric frowned. The redhead had changed her voice deliberatly. Somehow, she had known the blond woman when she was alive and didn't want to be recognize so soon. It meant only one thing : Buffy, the girl she had spoken about with that Spike guy.
The Slayer frowned. "Wait, let me ask it too. What are you?"
"Nothing you can understand," Eric replied. Apparently, the blond girl hadn't seen him because she startled when she heard his voice beside her. He looked around and noticed that the young man had disappeared, probably ran like a coward. [Great.]
The angry look didn't go unnoticed by the redhead. "Fuck! You let him an opportunity to escape you fool!" she told Buffy. She grabbed Eric's arm. "Disperce!" she said, waving her hand at the Slayer. While she couldn't move, the two undead beings fled in the direction of the University's campus, the crow following them.
"Great. We lost him." The redhead sighed. She did a gesture in front of her face and the makeup disappeared. "The night was starting so well."
Eric grinned. "It might still be one of the best."
A few meters away, the initiative member walked quickly, staying well under the spotlights. Willow shot a look at her fellow undead. "Lets have some fun!"
* * *
THE NEXT MORNING
"Giles, I swear I've never seen any demons like them before."
At seven o'clock in the morning, the entire Scooby Gang had been called for an emergency meeting at the magic shop. "Well, what do they look like?" the Watcher asked.
"There was one female and one male. They both had creepy black and white faces. Clearly disturbing if you ask me. The female one has some kind of magical power. Oh, and when they left, a big black bird flew behind as if it was following them."
Anya's eyes widened. "Shit! Everyone looked at her and she sighed. "They aren't demons. We now have two living dead humans taking residence in good old SunnyHell."
"What are they *exactly*?" Xander asked his girlfriend.
"They are Crows, restless spirits roaming earth in a quest for vengence."
Willow stepped back further into the shadows of the darker place of the magic shop. She had been ready to see her friends once more... but not face to face. So she hide. She had been curious about what Buffy would told them about her encounter in the cemetary the night before. She wasn't deceived. In fact, she was quite pleased that Anya knew about Crows. If she revealed herself to her old friends one day, she wouldn't have to explain all.
"Could they be from Sunnydale?" the Slayer asked.
"Probably," Anya answered. "They always wake up in the same city they were buried a year after their death. Why do you ask?"
Buffy frowned. "I don't know. The woman was looking familiar." Then she shrugged. "I probably saw her in one of my classes or at the Bronze." She sat next to Giles. "Last night, they attacked a guy from school in the cemetary... what he was doing there, I wonder."
They startled when the door slammed shut. "Simon. Fellow initiative member," Riley said, stepping down the stair. "He was found this morning, get this, *pinned* to the door of his frat house, his guts spilled out and some kind of bird carved into his chest." He threw the military report on the table. "Would someone please tell me what is going on?!"
Xander grimaced at Riley's description of the body. "New demon-y residents of the Hellmouth."
Anya snorted and every heads turned toward her. "Yeah right. And Simon was a saint." The Scooby Gang gave her weird looks. "If the Crows killed him, believe me, he deserved it. They are not called *restless* spirits for nothing you know. They are only brought back in the world of the living if something horrible happened to them. They probably got us rid of a great deal of problems."
"And got us a bunch of others," Riley cut in. "Pr. Walsh was furious this morning. Everyone's going crazy at the base. It's the first time an initiative member is killed when not on mission."
[There's a first for everything, sucker!] Willow thought, grinning evilly. [And you're next.]
Buffy stood up. "Well, I'm going to information central."
"Willy?" Xander asked.
"No. Spike."
The redhead eyes widened. [This is *not* for the better!]
"Are you sure?"
"I saw him up close and personal. I would recognize him anywhere."
Willow and Eric were hidding in the shadows of an alley. The main street was right before them. The redhead's gaze hardened when a bulky guy passed right in front of the alley without even thinking that if a vampire had been there, he would already been dead. [That son of a bitch is too cocky for his own good,] Willow thought.
The dead man stood up and pulled the small redhead behind him. They followed the guy on a small distance before they saw him enter one of Sunnydale's many cemetaries. He grinned. "Want to go cry on... somebody's tomb?"
Willow laughed. She took his arm and held it close to her, as if she needed help to walk. "Lets go, *husband*. I have to grieve for my mother's soul." They walked silently, making their presence unknown until it was the right time. They had no need for the unsuspecting initiative member to be alerted by them.
When they were deep enough in the cemetary, they stopped. A crow flew by and Eric smiled wildly. "I think it's time to do our show." He stepped back a little and the redhead knelt in front of a tomb she's picked out like that. The man was still in sight.
The redhead started sobbing widly. "Why?! Why did you have to leave so soon? Why did it have to be you?" She screamed. "Damn it! You always told me to have faith in God... it didn't worked for you. He let you die!" She laughed wildly, as if she was possessed.
"Are you alright miss?"
Willow smiled and stayed back to the young man. [And here he stepped right into it.] She coughed as if she had been caught in the middle of a quite embarassing situation. She stood up, but kept her face hidden. "I'm sorry I was so loud. Did I disturbed you?" she asked shyly.
The man was smiling to himself. She seemed innocent enough and an easy prey. [I will have her before the end of the night.] "No you didn't disturb me. Do you want me to get you back home?"
"Sure." She gave him her hand. When he took it, she squeezed his hard and he cried out in pain. "Didn't your mother warned you about talking to strangers?" she asked in amusement.
The man started trembling like a leave when Eric stepped right in front of him, his face once more painted in black and white. "What are you?"
"Carnival clown."
Willow startled. It was a very familiar voice and it meant bad news. [Uh oh.] She was kicked hard and she fell face first on the soft grass. Before turning around, she made sure her makeup was in place. She faced the small form. "Slayer," she hissed.
Eric frowned. The redhead had changed her voice deliberatly. Somehow, she had known the blond woman when she was alive and didn't want to be recognize so soon. It meant only one thing : Buffy, the girl she had spoken about with that Spike guy.
The Slayer frowned. "Wait, let me ask it too. What are you?"
"Nothing you can understand," Eric replied. Apparently, the blond girl hadn't seen him because she startled when she heard his voice beside her. He looked around and noticed that the young man had disappeared, probably ran like a coward. [Great.]
The angry look didn't go unnoticed by the redhead. "Fuck! You let him an opportunity to escape you fool!" she told Buffy. She grabbed Eric's arm. "Disperce!" she said, waving her hand at the Slayer. While she couldn't move, the two undead beings fled in the direction of the University's campus, the crow following them.
"Great. We lost him." The redhead sighed. She did a gesture in front of her face and the makeup disappeared. "The night was starting so well."
Eric grinned. "It might still be one of the best."
A few meters away, the initiative member walked quickly, staying well under the spotlights. Willow shot a look at her fellow undead. "Lets have some fun!"
* * *
THE NEXT MORNING
"Giles, I swear I've never seen any demons like them before."
At seven o'clock in the morning, the entire Scooby Gang had been called for an emergency meeting at the magic shop. "Well, what do they look like?" the Watcher asked.
"There was one female and one male. They both had creepy black and white faces. Clearly disturbing if you ask me. The female one has some kind of magical power. Oh, and when they left, a big black bird flew behind as if it was following them."
Anya's eyes widened. "Shit! Everyone looked at her and she sighed. "They aren't demons. We now have two living dead humans taking residence in good old SunnyHell."
"What are they *exactly*?" Xander asked his girlfriend.
"They are Crows, restless spirits roaming earth in a quest for vengence."
Willow stepped back further into the shadows of the darker place of the magic shop. She had been ready to see her friends once more... but not face to face. So she hide. She had been curious about what Buffy would told them about her encounter in the cemetary the night before. She wasn't deceived. In fact, she was quite pleased that Anya knew about Crows. If she revealed herself to her old friends one day, she wouldn't have to explain all.
"Could they be from Sunnydale?" the Slayer asked.
"Probably," Anya answered. "They always wake up in the same city they were buried a year after their death. Why do you ask?"
Buffy frowned. "I don't know. The woman was looking familiar." Then she shrugged. "I probably saw her in one of my classes or at the Bronze." She sat next to Giles. "Last night, they attacked a guy from school in the cemetary... what he was doing there, I wonder."
They startled when the door slammed shut. "Simon. Fellow initiative member," Riley said, stepping down the stair. "He was found this morning, get this, *pinned* to the door of his frat house, his guts spilled out and some kind of bird carved into his chest." He threw the military report on the table. "Would someone please tell me what is going on?!"
Xander grimaced at Riley's description of the body. "New demon-y residents of the Hellmouth."
Anya snorted and every heads turned toward her. "Yeah right. And Simon was a saint." The Scooby Gang gave her weird looks. "If the Crows killed him, believe me, he deserved it. They are not called *restless* spirits for nothing you know. They are only brought back in the world of the living if something horrible happened to them. They probably got us rid of a great deal of problems."
"And got us a bunch of others," Riley cut in. "Pr. Walsh was furious this morning. Everyone's going crazy at the base. It's the first time an initiative member is killed when not on mission."
[There's a first for everything, sucker!] Willow thought, grinning evilly. [And you're next.]
Buffy stood up. "Well, I'm going to information central."
"Willy?" Xander asked.
"No. Spike."
The redhead eyes widened. [This is *not* for the better!]