DISCLAIMER
This is an Alternative Universe story and is a sequel to The Slayer and the Wiccan. I've borrowed characters from The X Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, Xena, The Pretender and a British Sit Com called Drop The Dead Donkey. I do not own any of these characters and am not gaining anything financially by using them. I'm also using 'Terry Wogan'. However as I'm using the Eurovision Song Contest as a backdrop to one of the two stories I'm building here, it would be difficult to keep Terry, who as far as I'm concerned is the voice of Eurovision, out. I will be using him sparingly and apologize to him if he feels that I'm maligning him in any way.
Footnote
For those who do not know Drop The Dead Donkey. It's a Sit Com written by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin about a fictional British Satellite News Company. The characters portrayed here are similar but not quite the same to the official version of Drop The Dead Donkey. For example, Dave Charnley is a Lothario but he wouldn't do what he is accused of here (and he doesn't here as well, Sir Roysten Merchant has got the wrong end of the stick. A small hint about the next chapter)
THE SLAYER AND THE WICCAN
1:03 - SINGING WITH THE DEVIL (PART ONE)
Tulsa
It had been six months since the events of Cuba and things were moving on apace. Buffy, Willow, Dana and Monica were now a strong part of Malone's organisation. He regarded them in fact as his number one team, but, didn't want to tell them that. The stench of Cuba wouldn't go away. The Senate Committee refused to sanction a whitewash despite the CIA's attempt to clean house. Many agency bigwigs lost their jobs, some even committed suicide at the shame of having their fingers well and truly burnt. But, yet again, the people behind the conspiracy, the so-called Shadow Government remained elusive. Malone was starting to have his suspicions about who these people were but no proof was forthcoming. There was a major casualty. The President of the United States himself was made a scapegoat for the fiasco. His opponent for the presidential race, the first woman to ever run for the highest office - Mrs Alison Adams Lowell, made capital of the Cuban crisis.
"How can you trust a man who allows his own intelligence agency to have two young women, who were only doing their job, killed. What will he do to you if you anger him? Will he have you killed or imprisoned without trial? How can you trust a man who allows his intelligence agencies to run amok like this? You can't! It will be a crime of the greatest magnitude if President John Taylor be given another term to put your lives at risk. The trauma that Willow Rosenberg and Buffy Summers went through in Cuba should be a lesson for us all." Ms Lowell told an appreciative audience in Tulsa.
The rhetoric won her the Oklahoma Primary and made Buffy and Willow and to a certain extent Dana and Monica household names. One of the journalists at the Tulsa speech was Phoebe Halliwell. She worked as an On Screen Journalist for San Francisco's biggest television station and had gained a healthy viewers rating through her sensitive look at the ills of the world today. She was no Jerry Springer and she certainly wasn't Oprah Winfrey. But, she had that charm that people warmed to. If there was a comparison to be made it would be a fearless British reporter by the name of Roger Cook. Phoebe had been known to stick a microphone in a crooks' face, tell him that he is a crook and producing the evidence that proved that he was a crook, just like Roger Cook. All the time, she was backed up by the only camera person who would work with Phoebe considering the death threats that she got from the criminal underworld - her sister Prue. Her cop sister, Paige not only tagged along when things got hot, but also provided the information needed to expose the crook, usually in the nick of time when it looked like that Phoebe was never going to bring a villain to book. Then there was the fourth sister, Piper. She ran a hotel called the Chandler Hotel for the mysterious Mr Francis Albert Chandler. On the outside it was an ordinary hotel with ordinary clientele. On the inside, as Piper and her sisters had found out to their cost, strange things happened. People had been known to disappear and reappear after a short time having been involved in some wild adventure in either the past or another dimension. People had even been known to die mysteriously. Case in point, the mysterious death of John Potts, a notorious scandal sheet journalist. He had found out the Halliwell sisters secret - they were powerful witches, known as the Charmed Ones - and was going to expose it on national television. The day before he was due to travel to Los Angeles with the evidence, he disappeared. Six hours later, his body reappeared in the Port of San Francisco. His heart had been ripped out and several organs were missing. Phoebe had been disturbed by that event. Not only did it make her sick, but it also brought her and her sisters to the attention of two FBI agents, one of them being one of the four women in the centre of the Cuba crisis - Dana Scully. She remembered how persistent Scully and her partner was. Not only did she put the sisters through several hours of grilling, but she had the manor where she and her sisters lived bugged. It made life difficult for Phoebe and her sisters as there was no way that she could use witchcraft or any magic without Scully finding out. Eventually, Scully was distracted by other more pressing problems and had to abandon the investigation. However, Phoebe knew that Scully hadn't forgotten and with her following Senator Lowell's campaign for Presidency, there was a chance that she was going to run into the red-head again. It was a blessing and a curse. A blessing because Phoebe quite liked the red-head. She was devastated for her when she heard that the red-head's partner had been killed in an ambush meant to take Scully and Monica Reyes as well. A curse because old wounds were going to be reopened and it was possible that she may have to tell Scully and possibly Reyes and their new partners, Willow Rosenberg and Buffy Summers who she and her sisters were, if only to save them from investigation every time something strange happened in San Francisco.
"Miss Halliwell?"
San Francisco - California
Phoebe came out of her daydream and faced her boss, the well manicured John Husband.
"Do you want to go through with this complaint?"
"What complaint?" Phoebe said in a daze.
"Against Damien Day. You are aware this is the third such complaint you have put up against this man."
"Because he's a menace," Prue answered for her sister "His antics in South Africa caused a riot."
Phoebe nodded her agreement. Damien Day worked for a British cable news company called Globelink. On three occasions Day and Phoebe had clashed over ethics. The first time was in Central America when Day deliberately asked a firing squad, who had just executed five political prisoners, to repeat the execution because his cameraman stumbled at the wrong moment. The President was more than eager to agree to Day's request as it meant a vindication of his government and its policies by a major news gathering organisation. Phoebe personally took both Day and Globelink News to the Broadcasting Ethics Commission for that stunt. Day wriggled his way out of that one by suggesting that he deliberately did that to expose the lengths that this particular President would go to get publicity and also to expose his cruel nature to the viewing world.
"It may have been unjustified to people like Miss Halliwell," Day had said "But, it did it's job. Within a month the world was short of one nasty dictator."
To Phoebe's disbelief, they accepted that argument. They fined him and Globelink, yes. However, that was a slap on the wrist compared to what he did. A year later, whilst covering the Scully/Reyes trial against the FBI. Day actually bribed a former colleague of Monica Reyes, a former colleague by the name of Brad Follmer, to give an in-depth exclusive about Monica Reyes's sexual preferences, suggesting that she was a lesbian. For a while, it caused problems for Scully and Reyes' case until Phoebe found out through a disgusted ex-colleague of Day's called Alex Pates about Day's involvement with Follmer. Phoebe had Pates testify to this effect at the trial. She and Pates even prepared another case against Day for the Broadcasting Ethics Commission. Risking peaking Scully's interest in her again, Phoebe even wrote to Reyes suggesting that she should sue Day for libel and offered to gain her side of the story through a 'Martin Bashir type' interview. It was turned down by Harry Malone on behalf of Reyes. Fortunately for Dana Scully and Monica Reyes and because of Pates's deposition, Follmers' testimony was dismissed as another attempt to discredit the case that Scully and Reyes had against the FBI. However, Phoebe's case against Damien Day broke down because neither Malone nor Reyes denied that Day's story was false, only not relevant to the case. Therefore Damien Day could have argued that because neither Reyes nor Malone denied the claim then the story might be true and the truth is an absolute defence against any libel action. Follmer was thrown out of the FBI for taking bribes and therefore, added his name to the people who wanted Phoebe dead, but no other action was taken. Another example of the federal authorities washing their dirty linen out of the public eye. Then in South Africa, this time with Alex Pates as a witness, Day actually organised a mass break out of prisoners by allegedly having arms slipped into a prison near Soweto.
"Fifty people died because of what that bastard did! Prue, Alex and I were nearly killed ourselves," Phoebe said "All because the national strike was coming to an end peacefully. He cannot be allowed to get away with it."
Husband sighed.
"Oh come on, John!" Prue said "He's gone too far this time. He has to be stopped."
"What evidence do you have?" Husband asked.
"Alex took pictures of Day meeting the organisers of the break out. She even has pictures of money exchanging hands."
"Taken by people who have a grudge against Damien Day. That's what it's going to look like," Husband said "Damien Day is going to say that you had the pictures doctored to have him set up. He knows that Prue is more than capable of such an action."
"You're not going to sanction it are you?" Phoebe said.
"I can't, not without independent evidence."
Prue got to her feet angrily.
"Prue, I'm not the bad guy here. I want this bastard as much as you do. He is dragging the industry that I love into the gutter. However, he either has the luck of the Irish about him or his bosses at Globelink have some very important people in their people in their pockets."
Phoebe got up, glared at her boss and stormed out. Prue followed close behind. Husband shook his head in despair. What they weren't to know was that at that moment, Damien Day was booking into the Chandler Hotel under the name of George Dent and Piper Halliwell herself was taking the booking.
Paris Conference Centre
Paris was beautiful in the springtime, or so they say. Neither Scully, Reyes, Buffy nor Willow could testify to that because they were too busy. Somebody had decided to exercise his right to question musical taste and threaten to blow up the Eurovision Song Contest unless all the participating governments paid him one million euros each and that the European Broadcasting Union, the originators of the contest in 1956, organise a press conference to tell the world that the contest would be suspended indefinitely. Some might say that was a small price to pay to exorcise the world of such drivel. Harry Malone didn't think like that. To him a threat was a threat even it was by a madman with a grudge against an international institution. It was also the reason why his best team had been flown from Japan to Paris to oversee the contest's security and to lead the search for the nutcase. Buffy stood on the stage and saw the gigantic scoreboard being erected. In front of her, the masses of empty seats waiting to be filled twice over the next two days stood like a nemesis over her.
"Overpowering, isn't it."
Buffy turned around and saw Terry Wogan join her on stage.
"I suppose you heard the songs earlier today," Terry continued.
"If you can call them that," Buffy said.
"Good for you," The Irishman said with a twinkle.
Buffy smiled.
"How can you commentate on such an event?" Buffy asked "You even hosted the damned competition when it was last held in the United Kingdom."
"A strong stomach and a good scotch."
Buffy's smile turned into laughter.
"Or masochism," Buffy countered
Now it was Terry's turn to laugh.
"How is security?" Terry asked.
"About as secure as it's going to get. I suppose there is no way you can persuade the organisers to postpone the event."
"I don't have that much influence," Terry said.
Buffy grimaced. She could see Willow talking to a Gendarme with a tracker dog as they scoured another row of seats and prayed that they found something.
"I can't believe you are taking this idiot seriously," Terry continued.
"Have to," Buffy said "Thousands of people could die if we don't."
"All of this because of a song contest," Terry said "All he needed to do was not to watch it and persuade his friends not to watch. He doesn't have to kill people."
"We live in a sick world, Terry."
Terry nodded his agreement. He could see the Red-headed Willow Rosenberg give Buffy the thumbs down sign.
"That's twenty down, another thousand to go," Buffy grumbled.
Terry patted Buffy on the back. Normally Buffy would have flattened somebody who did that. However, coming from this genial Irishman, she didn't mind.
A Security Room - Paris Conference Centre
In a security room, Dana Scully and Monica Reyes went through the CCTV footage again. This was the hundredth time they had seen the footage and the hundredth time they had seen the same people come in and out of the Conference Centre. Inspector Jacques Rougier entered with two steaming mugs of coffee.
"Thought you might need this."
Scully took the mugs from Rougier's hands and gave one to Reyes.
"Seen anything?" The Inspector asked.
"You one hundred times," Reyes said taking a sip of her coffee.
Rougier laughed.
"I'm not that bad am I?"
Reyes allowed herself a smile.
"Are you sure we have everything?" Scully asked.
"Everything that the British, the Germans and the Spanish have. We went through Interpol as usual and they provided us with all the information they have," Rougier shook his head "We have images of all the cranks and nutcases that have said anything about Eurovision linked into this computer. I can't believe that he's not here."
"Therefore, we are either dealing with somebody not in anybody's computers or some clever some son of a bitch who has managed to erase his name from the computer," Reyes deduced.
"Maybe not so clever," Scully said.
Reyes looked at Scully and saw that she was looking at the tape again.
"Rewind the tape until I say stop."
Reyes rewound the tape.
"Stop!" Scully said "Now wind it forward."
Reyes pressed the Fast Forward button. It went forward a few frames.
"Stop!"
The picture froze on a tall man wearing a black leather jacket and short dark hair. He was entering just behind a Gendarme.
"Alex Krycek!" Scully spat.
"Are you sure?"
"Is there a way you can enhance this frame?" Scully asked the technician.
"Yes,"
The Technician got to work enhancing the frame.
"It must have been a brief second," Scully said "That's how I missed him."
"If it's Krycek, what the hell is he doing here?" Reyes asked.
"And who is Alex Krycek?" Rougier asked.
"The bastard that set Monica and myself up to be killed four years ago and had our partners murdered," Scully said with a hint of bitterness.
"Why isn't he on any computer?"
"Because he falls under my second category," Reyes said sadly "A clever Son of a Bitch."
The technician finished enhancing the frame to reveal both Scully and Reyes's worst fear, the figure was definitely Alex Krycek.
The Offices of Globelink News, London
George Dent entered the newsroom of Globelink News looking a state. His cardigan was a mess, his tie was askew and his trousers mudded. His Assistant Editor, Helen Cooper, looked up and saw the state of her immediate superior.
"What the hell happened?"
"I had a slight accident," George said "A car splashed me."
"Oh George!" Helen said exasperated.
She guided the bedraggled Editor to the office, gesturing Joy to follow her. At his desk Dave Charnley smiled. He had just won another fifty from News-reader Henry Davenport. The middle aged news-reader looked at Charnley suspiciously. However, without a word, he parted with the money. Inside the Editors office, both Helen and Joy went to work trying to clean up George.
"I'm going to have to go back home now," Dent bewailed "I'm soaked to the skin."
"You can't," Helen said "The Prime Ministers' press aide is going to be here in half an hour to discuss arrangements for the interview tomorrow."
Dent sighed. When he woke up this morning he felt good. It was the first time in ages he felt that way. Then he thought of Damien and having to fend off another complaint from Phoebe Halliwell and it went down hill. His sinuses started to play up. On the train, his foot was crushed by a big woman carrying some heavy suitcases. Now he had just had his clothes splashed and it was going to take forever to dry.
"You're going to have to handle it, Helen," Dent said "I can hardly speak to the PM's press aide looking like this."
Helen looked at Joy and sighed. Dent knew that she regarded the PM's press aide as a greasy oil slick
"Maybe you can do us all a favour and chuck him out the window," Joy suggested.
"Don't tempt me," Helen said "Take George to the nurse's room. Have her drag out some clean clothes. I'll handle 'Oil Slick'"
"Anything from Damien?" George asked as he allowed Joy to guide him out.
Joy crossed her eyes in frustration and both George and Helen ignored it.
"Nothing since he reached San Francisco," Helen answered "Do you know why he went there?"
"It's where Phoebe Halliwell works," Joy answered.
"Oh no!" Helen said "He hasn't."
"It's okay," George said "He said he had a major lead on a big corruption story concerning the San Francisco mob and a British computer firm."
"And you believe that?"
"He showed me the preliminary research work. It looks legitimate. Gus okayed the trip."
Helen shook her head. She knew that the story was a front for Damien Day to continue his vendetta against Phoebe Halliwell. He was going to get into big trouble and there might no way out of it this time. Joy looked pleadingly at Helen, but the Assistant Editor shook her head.
The Office of Rufus T Harper - San Francisco
"Mr Day, please come in."
Damien walked into the office of Rufus T Harper, millionaire entrepreneur and alleged leader of the San Francisco mob. He saw three men and a very attractive dark haired woman, wearing a very sexy dark suit which didn't hide very shapely legs, with Harper. Other than the woman, one of the men stood out quite markedly. He wore a black leather suit and had quite a handsome look about him with his rounded smiling face and his penetrating brown eyes. Damien looked at this particular man and the women and thought that there was something between these two, something he couldn't quite place.
"Have a seat," Harper said.
Damien sat down and looked at the company. Harper smiled.
"Don't worry about them," He said "Bruno, Mark, I don't think we need you."
The two heavy set men left. The handsome man and the woman started to follow.
"Jarod, Katherine, don't go, you might be interested in this."
Damien watched the man and the woman return to where they were.
"Mr Hall and Miss Parker are my legal team. Anything you say to me you also say to them. Clears up misunderstandings, I hope you understand."
"Sure," Damien said.
"I also have somebody else who is interested in our discussion. I hope you don't mind."
Damien did, but he didn't want to rub this guy up the wrong way, especially when he needed his help. He shrugged.
"I thought not."
Harper switched on his intercom.
"Tammy, has Mr Spender arrived?"
"Yes sir," The Buxom blonde in the other office answered.
"Send him in."
The door opened and the blonde showed in a middle aged man with heavily marked face. Day immediately recognised him as the man who approached him with Brad Follmer's testimony. Somebody that he heard both Monica Reyes and Dana Scully call 'Cancer Man'.
"Mr Day," He said "Nice to see you again."
Damien shook 'Cancer Man's hand.
"You know Mr Day?" Harper said.
"We have had a few interesting conversations. Most of them concerning a certain Phoebe Halliwell. I suppose this is what this is all about."
Damien looked at Harper, who nodded his encouragement.
"Yes!"
Damien also noted that the man called Jarod and the woman called Katherine look at each other. Yes, there was something about those two, he thought. He watched 'Cancer Man' slip into a seat beside Damien.
"You wish to find out more about Phoebe Halliwell and her sisters, but don't have the resources to conduct your own investigation," Harper surmised.
Damien nodded.
"Can't your own company provide you with the resources?" Miss Parker asked.
"We're on a tight budget at the moment," Damien said "The owner of Globelink News has ordered that cutbacks need to be made in order to make ends meet."
"That is not entirely true," Jarod said "Sir Royston Merchant does have the capital to finance your station. He just doesn't want to do it."
Damien looked at Jarod in amazement.
"I had Jarod and Miss Parker look into your company. It is a unique television station to say the least," Harper said.
Damien chuckled. That was putting it mildly, he thought.
"Do you want to know why he's trying to run you into the ground?" Harper continued.
Damien nodded dumbly. This is was a bombshell straight out of the blue. If Gus Hedges heard about this, it would kill him. Maybe he would break it to him slowly, Damien thought. He heard both Miss Parker and Jarod tell him about Merchant's reasons for wanting to destroy Globelink: How he forced the righteous Alex Pates to leave; How he hired Gus Hedges, the most incompetent man in his staff, to run Globelink on his behalf knowing that he would fail and, most importantly, how Damien himself and Dave Charnley were the main reason why Sir Royston Merchant wanted to destroy Globelink. They had indirectly caused the suicide of his beloved niece. Day, by having her sacked because she was proving to be too much competition for him; Charnley, by raping her during a drunken Christmas party three days before she was sacked.
"She never got over either," Jarod said "And committed suicide a week later."
Damien remembered the incident. He had Sir Royston's niece set up with a phoney story concerning a government minister and a rent boy. She investigated the story and presented the 'facts' on air. Globelink was sued for libel due to the fact that the story was a complete fabrication, orchestrated, unbeknown to anyone by Damien. Dent was forced to sack Sir Royston's niece and publish a retraction statement both live on air and in every newspaper. There was a feeding frenzy which wasn't helped by the suicide of Sir Royston's niece and the subsequent allegation of rape by Dave Charnley. The allegation was thrown out due to lack of evidence. However, Sir Royston never believed that and arranged to buy the company in order to begin its destruction from inside.
"Charnley, we cannot excuse," 'Cancer Man' said "But you, Mr Day, you were only trying to secure your position."
"We can understand that," Harper added "We also understand why you want to deal with Phoebe Halliwell and her sisters. As this suits our needs as well, we are willing and able to help."
Damien Day felt better after that.
"In what way?"
"By arranging a meeting with you and the Halliwell Sisters arch nemesis. A demon known as Hegaroth," Harper said.
"Demon?"
'Cancer Man' smiled.
"Didn't we tell you. The Halliwell Sisters are witches known as The Charmed Ones,"
He said.
Damien's mood was getting better and better.
The Security Office - Paris Conference Centre
Buffy and Willow looked at the picture Scully and Reyes had enhanced. They had met Alex Krycek on three occasions and had seen enough to mistrust the man totally. There was something about him. He was handsome in a dark, mysterious way and that made him dangerous.
"What do you think he's doing here?" Willow asked.
"He's not here for the song contest," Scully answered "That's for certain."
Behind the women Harry Malone shook his head. This was a complication that he didn't want. He had a lot on his plate. His team in San Francisco had told him of a meeting between the San Francisco mob and a certain unscrupulous British television journalist called Damien Day. They told him that the meeting concerned a crusading female Journalist called Phoebe Halliwell and her sisters, collectively known as 'The Charmed Ones'. It suggested that Day was being used to lure the Halliwells into a trap, similar to the type of trap that cost Scully and Reyes their partners. He will be damned if he let somebody else die because a stupid journalist allowed professional rivalry to rule his head. Now there was a problem, a man he was sure he had dealt with had returned. That meant that his best team stayed in Paris to prevent the Eurovision Song Contest from being blown to hell and Jarod Hall and Katherine Parker had to somehow stop the Halliwells from being killed in a needless trap with only Athena and Aphrodite to back them up. There was of course something he could do. But from what Malone had heard about Damien Day, he was a loose cannon with a penchant for endangering his cameraman in his quest for the story of a lifetime. So going to Globelink News and asking for the Editor to call Day back may not work, because it was possible that Damien Day would be in the pit so deep that he couldn't or wouldn't listen to reason. But, if he didn't try and the Halliwells and possibly Mr Day himself were hurt or even killed, he could never live with himself. He had to trust that Scully and Reyes in particular remained detached and professional concerning Mr Krycek. He knew that Krycek had set their partners and Scully and Reyes themselves up to be killed. He also knew that he almost had Scully, Reyes, Buffy and Willow killed on an assignment in Russia. It took a combination of the Slayer and the Wiccan's incredible survival skills and a combined SAS/Delta Force search squad commanded by an old friend of Malone's - Colonel Peter Skellern to get them out of that. The incident cost three lives, three good lives. All four had good reason to want to deal with Mr Krycek and Malone had to hope that they resisted the temptation.
"What do you plan to do?" Malone asked.
"Find out where he's staying, put a twenty four hour watch on him," Reyes said "It's all we can do."
"Maximum care, Ladies," Malone said "As of yet, he hasn't committed an offence. We do not want to be cited for harassment."
"We'll only be watching, Mr Malone," Willow promised.
"Remember that your main task is the security of the Eurovision Song Contest," Malone said "You will only act if Mr Krycek's actions proves to be a danger to the contest. Is that clear?"
"Crystal!" Buffy said.
The others nodded their agreement. Malone shook his head and realised that had to do.
An Underground Crypt - San Francisco
Damien switched his flashlight on and shone it at the altar before him. He shuddered at the sight of the macabre combination of religious icons and Satanism. He walked over to the altar and pushed his finger along to check for dust. He was surprised that there was no dust. In fact, the place seemed to be very well maintained. Behind the altar was a throne. Damien approached the throne and sat down. He felt comfortable despite the hardness of the throne.
"Mr Day?"
Damien looked around startled. The voice sounded eery and menacing as if it was Satan himself. He got off the throne and stepped down.
"I'm Damien Day."
An Imp appeared sitting on the throne. Damien looked at this sight with astonishment. He wished at that moment that Gerry the Cameraman was with him so that he could get this sight on film
"Good evening, Mr Day," The Imp said.
"I assume you are Hegaroth," Damien said.
"You assume correctly," The Imp smiled "I believe we have a mutual friend, Rufus T Harper."
"Possibly," Damien said carefully.
The Imp's smile became broader.
"You are wise to be cautious," He said "I too need to be cautious. After all you could be working with the Halliwell Sisters."
Damien laughed.
"Hardly!"
"That's what Mr Harper suggested you might say, which is why I've brought somebody else to this meeting."
A man materialised in front of Damien and the Imp. Cole Turner bowed in reverence to Hegaroth.
"Do you know this man?" Hegaroth asked.
Cole turned to face Damien. Damien smiled in recognition at Phoebe's old boyfriend.
"Yes, my lord," He said "His name is Damien Day, he's a reporter for a British Television company called Globelink News."
"Does he know Phoebe Halliwell?"
"Yes," Cole answered "However, they are not the best of buddies. They've had several run ins concerning Mr Day's unique way of obtaining information."
Damien smirked at this comment.
"So it would be fair to say that they would not cooperate with each other against me."
"In my opinion, no chance," Cole said.
Hegaroth nodded his approval.
"Do you need anything else, my lord?" Cole said.
"Not at this moment," Hegaroth said "You will be notified when the time comes."
"I serve at your pleasure."
Cole bowed and vanished. Damien almost wanted to chuckle at this example of forelock tugging. Cole Turner looked powerful. He knew that he was the demon Balthazar and had powers that would make others tremble. Yet in the presence of Hegaroth he was impotent.
"You looked impressed Mr Day."
Understatement of the century, Damien thought. However he wasn't going to rise to the bait. He was here for one reason only.
"Now that you've established my credentials," Damien said "Can we conduct business?"
"By all means, Mr Day, by all means."
A chair appeared to the left of the throne.
"Please take a seat."
Damien sat in the seat and mentally got himself ready to do business.
A Café in San Francisco
Jarod and Miss Parker entered the café and looked around for their contact. They took a table near to two women, one a beautiful grey eyed women with shoulder length auburn hair wearing casual yet expensive clothing, the other a brassy looking blonde with an infectious smile and a less casual way of dressing. Athena looked up from her book and waved at Jarod and Miss Parker. She then glared at Aphrodite's blatant wave at the man sitting at the counter.
"Aphrodite, pack it in."
"Come on Sis, I'm only having fun," Aphrodite smiled.
"That type of fun gets us all in trouble," Athena said "And we are meant to be working. Pack it in!"
"You're no fun," Aphrodite scowled.
Athena saw the smile on Miss Parker and Jarod's face and grimaced in pain. She hated being shown up in front of Gwen's granddaughter in particular. They got up and approached Jarod and Miss Parker.
"Mind if we join you?" Athena asked "At the present moment, I don't think we should be alone."
Athena glanced at the man at the counter to prove her point. After Jarod looked threateningly at him, he backed off and concentrated on the waitress behind the counter. Aphrodite glared at her Sister, resenting her inference, but then, on Jarod's nod, sat down sulking.
"Hi, Witchie Poo," Miss Parker said "Did Big Sister take away your fun?"
Aphrodite glared at Parker menacingly.
"Parker!" Athena warned.
"Ignore Parker," Jarod said "Her claws are still sharp."
Athena chuckled at both Parker's teasing look and the pout on her sister's face.
"What have you got for us?" Athena asked.
"Mr Day is meeting Hegaroth at this moment," Jarod answered.
Athena sipped her coffee thoughtfully.
"Any idea what the meeting's about?"
"I would assume Phoebe Halliwell," Parker answered "Mr Day is obsessed with the destruction of Miss Halliwell."
"To the point of doing a deal with the devil himself," Athena said "How do you want to play this?"
"I think that Parker and I should remain as close to Damien Day as possible, maybe get involved in his plan," Jarod said "At the same time I think one of you two should warn Phoebe Halliwell and if necessary act as a bodyguard."
"I could do that," Aphrodite said.
"You sure, Dite?" Athena said "This could get rough."
"You never let me do any of the fun things," Aphrodite said.
"Maybe it is time for Witchie to get her feet wet," Parker said "If her nails can stand up to it."
Aphrodite looked at Parker menacingly and caught Parker's teasing grin. The Goddess of Love stuck her tongue out at Parker.
"Children," Athena almost laughed "Will you please stop it!"
"She started it," Aphrodite moaned.
"And I'm finishing it," Athena said.
Aphrodite folded her arms and continued glaring at Parker. Both Jarod and Athena sighed and shook their head.
"Okay, Dite," Athena said "Phoebe Halliwell is yours. Only use your powers if you have to."
"I know the rules," Aphrodite said.
The Streets of Paris
Krycek was easy to track down. He had booked into the Hotel Metropole and made his presence pretty visible. Why? Nobody knew. Nevertheless, Scully and Reyes and Buffy and Willow took turns watching him. Scully and Reyes took first watch and they followed Krycek to two night clubs and the most expensive restaurant in Paris. At all three places, he was involved in meetings. At the first night club, he met and flirted openly with two women. The second was more interesting as he met two men who liked flashing their money around. They left together to go to the restaurant an hour later. At the restaurant, they waited for Krycek and his companions to go in before slipping behind two couples.
"A table for two," Scully said.
The Maitre'D looked at the two of them and decided that they were dressed well enough to grace such an establishment. Both were wearing trouser suits, casual yet smart.
"You do I assume have a reservation?"
"Sorry," Scully said "We don't."
"Then you're going to have to wait until a table clears."
"That's fine," Reyes said "I assume we can use the bar whilst we're waiting."
"By all means," The Maitre'd said.
Both Scully and Reyes nodded to the Maitre'd and moved to the bar. They positioned themselves so that they could see Krycek and his companions but they couldn't see them. The Bar Tender, a slender looking coloured person, approached them.
"White Wine, I assume," He said.
Scully looked at him. The Bar Tender gave her a gleaming white smile.
"You both look like the White Wine type,"He said.
"And you recognise the type?" Scully asked.
"Of course," He said "It's my job."
"Why not," Scully said "Monica?"
"I'm easy," Reyes said.
The Bar Tender poured them both white wines with expert ease. Both Scully and Reyes took their drinks and started sipping slowly.
"They're regulars you know," The Bar Tender said.
"Pardon?" Reyes said.
"The two with the guy you're watching. They've come to this Restaurant every day for the last ten days."
"Any idea who they are?" Scully asked.
"I thought so, Cops," The Bar Tender said "Or with one of the Intelligence Agencies. CIA?"
"United Nations," Reyes said.
That comment caught a glare from Scully.
"He knows what's going on," Reyes 'said' "He might be able to help."
"Just go easy, we are supposed to be low profile," Scully returned.
"Harry Malone's mob," The Bar Tender said.
"You know him?" Reyes said.
"We've had one or two run ins over the years, Marcel's the name."
He took Reyes's hand and kissed it. He then gave Scully the same treatment.
"Who are they, Marcel?" Reyes pressed.
"Israelis, they're with the Israeli Eurovision Song Contest delegation," Marcel smiled "I don't think they're here for the contest if you know what I mean."
"Really," Scully said "What do you think they're here for?"
"Arms," Marcel said "Your boy is the third representative of a major foreign power that they've met over the last five days. They maybe getting somewhere with this guy."
"Why?"
"This is their second meeting."
That piqued Scully and Reyes's interest.
"We really could do with finding out who they are," Reyes said.
Marcel winked.
"Leave that to me," Marcel said "I think your table is ready."
The Maitre'd approached them and waved them forward.
"Thanks, Marcel," Reyes said.
"Just tell Harry Malone that this is the second favour he owes me," Marcel said.
Paris Conference Centre: The Eurovision Song Contest - The Elimination Stages
For Buffy and Willow, it was like visiting a badly trained Dentist and having him pull their teeth without a pain killer. The songs, terrible during practice, were, in the main, turgid during actual performance. It was a repetition of the same type of song, dance tracks that died out in the mid ninety nineties or ballads that would send anybody with musical taste screaming out of the hall adjuring for mercy. They were in the wings, watching the audience, some carrying flags of the participating nations, some with their faces painted signifying whom they were supporting, filing in and out. Some were leaping up and down in support of their particular country. The whole scene was weird to say the least. If Buffy and Willow had to put a finger on what it was like, it was like the Superbowl or the last time the Soccer World Cup was held in the States, and not a song contest.
"How many more songs are there?" Buffy 'said'.
"Ten more," Willow chuckled.
"Tomorrow, Dana and Monica get this. I don't care if both of them have broken legs and we have to wheel them here in wheelchairs."
"Buffy, think of poor Terry, he has to put up with this for both days."
Buffy looked up at the commentary box and saw Terry talking in his microphone. He caught her eye and gave her a small wave. Buffy waved back.
"I think you have a friend there," Willow teased.
Buffy stuck her tongue out at Willow and was caught by a television camera. She heard Willow chuckle telepathically.
"Rosenberg, you are in so much trouble!"
"I don't doubt it."
Paris Restaurant
Marcel came from behind the counter with two more glasses of wine for Scully and Reyes. He placed them on the table.
"I've found out who they are. Their names are Avid Cohen and Michael Bengarian. They're from an extreme right wing movement, based in Israel, dedicated to the eradication of the Palestinian problem."
"What would they want with Krycek?" Reyes asked.
"I assume that your boy represents a major supplier of arms in your country," Marcel said "This new Road-map to peace that your President has brokered has buggered up a lot of plans. Both sides are looking for other suppliers."
"Oh great!" Scully said "That's all we need."
"And I would suggest it's a little more than that," Marcel said
"Meaning?"
"A gut feeling," Marcel said "I think something is being planned using the Song Contest as cover."
"You are aware that there's a bomb threat against the contest," Reyes said.
"I know," Marcel said "I think you'll find that's something quite different."
"Another gut feeling?" Scully asked.
"Word on the street," Marcel said "The talk is that you are looking for a former popular singer who claims to have had his attempted comeback using the Song Contest sabotaged by a political conspiracy and is looking for revenge."
"Name?"
"Unknown," Marcel admitted "There are one or two possibilities. I can find out more if you like."
"Can you keep your ears open?" Reyes said "It would be useful if we could find out exactly what they have in mind and who this damned nutcase is."
"Of course," Marcel said "Where can I reach you?"
Scully jotted down the name of the hotel and handed the paper to Marcel. Marcel looked at it and put it into his pocket.
"Enjoy your meal," He said.
He left just as Waiters returned with plates of steaming hot food.
Globelink News, London
Sir Malcolm Ridgway, a member of the Prime Minister's Communications Department, approached Harry Malone just as he emerged from the lift.
"Mr Malone, what are you doing here?"
"I'm here to see the Editor," Malone said.
"About?"
"UN business," Malone said "I assume you're here to fix up an interview for the Prime Minister?"
"Nine o'clock Thursday night," Ridgway said "He'll have something important to say about our participation in the Road-Map to peace."
"Such as?"
"Tune in and find out."
Malone sighed. Politicians and manipulative Civil Servants he could do without.
"Sir Malcolm, if this has anything to do with a military commitment in the area, you are aware that we need to know before any engagement is made."
"You will be," Ridgway said "Now if you don't mind, I have to brief the Prime Minister about the arrangements made here."
Malone stepped aside and allowed Sir Malcolm into the lift. He saw Globelink's Chief Executive, Gus Hedges, make a beeline for him and tried to dodge him.
"Harold Malone?"
Malone cursed his luck and put on his best smile.
"It is you," Hedges said "What brings you here?"
"I'm here to see your Editor George Dent concerning the behaviour of one of your people, a Mr Damien Day."
"Ah!" Hedges said "That might be sensitive. He's on a secret assignment."
"I know exactly where he is, Mr Hedges," Malone said losing patience "I also know about his so-called secret assignment. That's the reason why I need to see Mr Dent now, so if you don't mind."
Gus gave Malone a puzzled expression.
"Of course, I'll take you to see him," He stammered.
Gus gestured Malone into the newsroom and steered him towards George's office. Everybody stopped what they were doing on seeing Malone. Henry Davenport approached him.
"Nice to see you again, Mr Malone," He said.
"Likewise, Mr Davenport, now if you don't mind."
Henry caught Gus's shake of the head and backed off. They saw Malone go into George's office and shake hands with both George and Helen Cooper.
"Okay," Joy said "What has Damien done now?"
"It must be something serious for the Commander of the United Nations Criminal Intelligence Task Force to come here." Dave said.
Realisation hit Joy, Henry and Dave at the same time.
"He hasn't has he?" Joy said
"Oh hell!" Dave and Henry said together.
George Dent's Office, Globelink News
"Mr Dent, I must ask you to take what I'm telling you seriously," Malone said "There
are lives at stake."
"Nevertheless, Damien is making a deal with a demon," Helen Cooper said "It sounds a bit too 'Professor X'"
"Under normal circumstances, I would agree with you," Malone said "However, I can tell you that Hegaroth is no Science fiction myth. He is flesh and blood. A lot of the evil that this Earth has suffered throughout the years has been indirectly linked with Hegaroth. It is possible that Mr Day has been introduced to this demon via Rufus T Harper and a former Federal Agent by the name of Spender. Mr Harper you know as the head of organised crime in San Francisco."
"And the man Damien is investigating," Helen said "Concerning a corruption scandal."
Malone shook his head. They were not believing him and the longer this went on the more likely somebody was going to get seriously hurt. He was this close to having Fiona Anstey sending UNIT to San Francisco and having the President declare martial law in the city.
"What you don't know, Miss Cooper, is that Mr Day has met both Harper and Spender in Harper's office. This meeting took place ten hours ago and the topic of discussion was the elimination of Phoebe Halliwell."
Both George and Helen's faces dropped. Gus remained smiling.
"How do you know this?" He said.
"I have people within Harper's organisation."
"Oh god!" Helen said.
"What about this Hegaroth?" Gus pressed
"I have it on good authority that Mr Day is in a meeting with Hegaroth at this moment," Malone said "Even if you don't believe that he is a demon, you have to believe that Hegaroth is an extremely dangerous man. You have got to call Mr Day off."
"Why?"
"Because if you don't and he lures Miss Halliwell and her sisters into trap. This world is in grievous trouble."
"That's what I have trouble with," Gus said "This science fiction nonsense. We are talking about demons and little green men from Mars here. I can't take what you're saying seriously."
"Then you're about to hear more science fiction, Mr Hedges," Malone said "Something that does not leave this room, ever!"
"We are a news organisation, Mr Malone," Helen said.
"I'm aware of that, Miss Cooper," Malone said "However, if you breathe even one word of this to anybody, I will shut you down. I don't want to do that because I have some sympathy for you."
"In what way?" Dent said.
"You're being deliberately destroyed from inside," Malone said "Sir Roysten Merchant has been out to wreck you from day one."
"Not true," Gus said "That is Slanderous."
"It's not Slander if it's true," Malone said "And I can prove what I say is true. However, we are straying from the point."
"No!" Gus snapped "I want to see this evidence."
"Not now, Gus," Helen said "We have a bigger problem."
"This is our boss he's defaming," Gus complained.
"Not now!" Helen repeated "Please continue Mr Malone."
Malone glanced at Gus and saw his mutinous face. He felt sorry for him, sorry for his obvious blindness to the bastard that was his employer, sorry that he was dumb enough not to see that he was being used as a fall guy.
"To get straight to the point, Miss Halliwell and her sisters are very powerful witches known as The Charmed Ones," Malone said "Over the last three years they've been responsible for the destruction of many demons that have tried to invade our world. Hegaroth is such a demon. He has already created a niche for himself in San Francisco and other areas in California. The only reason he hasn't gone further is the Halliwell Sisters"
Gus burst into laughter.
"Mr Hedges, the threat is real. If Mr Day manages to make a deal with Hegaroth that eliminates the Halliwell Sisters. Everything that Sir Roysten Merchant is doing to this firm will pale into insignificance. We'll all be either dead or slaves."
"What do you want us to do?" Helen asked.
"You can't be buying this crap!" Gus retorted.
"Do you want us to recall Damien?" Helen continued ignoring Gus.
"That would be helpful," Malone said.
"Consider it done!"
"Oh come on!" Gus snorted.
"Shut up, Gus!" Helen said.
"I suggest that you consider your position very carefully, Miss Cooper," Gus said
"And I suggest that you keep your threats to yourself, Mr Hedges," Malone said "We are dealing with matters of international security. If you interfere in any way, and that includes dismissing Miss Cooper, I will have you arrested and charged with, at the very least, perverting the course of justice."
Gus sat down shell shocked. This had probably been the worst half an hour of his life. Firstly, he had found out he had been set up to fail by the man he admired. Then, he had been humiliated not once but twice by his employees. Now, somebody was threatening him with arrest. This certainly was not a good day
"I will expect progress, Miss Cooper, Mr Dent," Malone said.
"Of course," George Dent said for the first time.
Malone nodded and left the office.
"He can't threaten me like that," Gus said getting to his feet.
"I suggest that you forget it, Gus," Dent said "We may already be in a lot of trouble. You picking a fight with the Commander of the United Nations Criminal Intelligence Task Force is only going to make matters worse."
Gus took a deep breath and sat back down. He was going to crucify Damien when he got back. He had to, his pride had been shattered.
Chandler Hotel, San Francisco
Piper Halliwell looked at the figures in front of her and felt her brow furrow. The numbers were not adding up as she would like. This was the height of the season, yet takings were down.
"I would have to be running a hotel with a bad reputation," She sighed to herself.
She heard a slight cough and looked up. Aphrodite stood there wearing an expensive mauve business suit.
"I'm looking for a Piper Halliwell," She said.
"That's me."
"Ah good," Aphrodite said with a smile.
She gave Piper a business card which Piper read twice, the second time trying to match up the slightly ditsy blonde with the information on the card.
"United Nations Criminal Intelligence Task Force, Miss Aphrodite Scott."
"Ms," Aphrodite corrected "I'm one of their top agents. I need to speak with you and your sisters on a matter of extreme urgency concerning a threat to your lives."
Piper looked at the Goddess of Love in surprise.
"Why me?"
"Because you are able to get in contact with your other sisters and we have not got time to waste."
"Leo!" Piper shouted.
Leo Wyatt appeared from the back office and received the look of approval from Aphrodite.
"Can you look after the store until I get back?"
"Sure, Are there any problems?"
"I don't know," Piper said "If you need me, you can get me on my Cell Phone."
"Understood."
Piper followed Aphrodite out of the Hotel foyer and into the street. Damien Day emerged from the lift and watched Aphrodite and Piper leave. He cursed his luck and set off after them. Athena put down her paper and mouthed to Leo 'don't worry' before following. Leo grimaced with the pain of not being able to help his fiancé. However, when Athena approached him and told him of the problem that Piper and her sisters faced, she specifically told him to both stay out of it and not tell Piper that he knew what was going on. If he didn't have that restriction, he would have pummelled Damien Day's head into the ground for what he was doing. However, he had to wait and hope that everything would be alright.
The Streets of San Francisco
Athena saw her Sister and Piper drive off in Piper's car. She also saw Day hail down a Taxi and set off in pursuit. She quickly ran across the road and got into her Jaguar and started up the engine. She then put it in gear and headed into the traffic, trying to keep at least one cars distance away from the Taxi she was following. The first stop was the station where Paige was working. Athena pulled up in a position where she could watch Damien and saw the Taxi he was in take position a hundred yards further on.
"I hope you've got the money, Mr Day," Athena chuckled.
Police 'Station' - San Francisco
Paige and Inspector Daryl Morris got to their feet when they saw Piper and Aphrodite enter the office.
"Piper, what are you doing here?"
"We need to talk," Piper said.
Daryl sighed and saw the look on Paige's face. He guided the three women to a free interrogation room, where he placed himself on guard duty again. He hated having a partner who was one of the Charmed Ones. But, he felt it was the only way their secret could be kept, which was why one of these clandestine meetings took place he felt obliged to ensure that they weren't disturbed.
Interrogation Room
"Paige, this is Aphrodite Scott, she's with the United Nations Criminal Intelligence
Task Force."
Paige looked at Aphrodite and had the same doubts Piper had to begin with. Her fluffy blonde hair, her figure, the expensive clothes, her twinkling green eyes, in fact everything about her suggested no way. However, the card and the accompanying identification badge suggested different.
"You have checked this?" Paige said.
"No, she hasn't," Aphrodite said "But, if you want to, feel free."
Paige looked into Aphrodite's eyes and saw that she was telling the truth.
"Okay, what do you want?"
"To offer you protection," Aphrodite said "I believe you know a man called Damien Day."
Paige looked at Piper.
"You're kidding, right?"
"I suggest that you listen, Paige," Piper said "This could be serious and I have no idea where Phoebe and Prue are."
Paige saw the alarmed look on Piper's face and frowned, that always meant that trouble was just around the corner. She looked at Aphrodite and saw that the smile on her face had gone and had changed to a look of concern, another bad sign .
"Okay, talk."
"Mr Day was in a meeting with one Rufus T Harper, someone I think you know very well."
"Yes, you can say that," Paige said "Go on."
"There were several big shots at that meeting, one of them was a former Federal Agent called Spender. The subject of that meeting was Phoebe Halliwell, your sister."
Paige's ears pricked at that last statement. This was the final bad sign.
"There's no easy way to put this," Aphrodite said "So I'm going to be blunt. Mr Harper put Mr Day in contact with a demon called Hegaroth."
"Oh no!"
Aphrodite nodded and placed a kindly hand on Paige's right hand. Paige grasped Piper's hand
"It's our belief that Day has formed a pact with Hegaroth and that not only Phoebe and Prue are in danger...."
"Piper and I are as well," Paige finished "Great!"
"Where are Prue and Phoebe?"
"Sacramento, that big rally for Senator Alison Adams Lowell."
"Of course," Piper said "I should have remembered. I'm sorry Agent Scott."
At that moment Aphrodite's cell phone rang.
"Sorry."
Aphrodite took it out of her bag and switched it on.
"Yes," Aphrodite listened carefully to Athena on the other end of the line "Yes, I've just found that out myself. Go! I'll join you as soon as I can."
"What is it?"
"Your story has just been confirmed," Aphrodite said.
The Streets of San Francisco
Athena shut off her Cell Phone and concentrated on following Damien's Taxi. It was clear that he was heading for the airport and from the information, she had just received from Miss Parker, she knew where he was going - Sacramento. She thought for one minute of breaking her own rules and to transport herself to Sacramento in order to warn Phoebe and Prue Halliwell. Then she realised that Piper and Paige was probably doing that at this present moment. There was no need to break the rules at the moment.
Sacramento, California
"Have you any idea what Senator Lowell will put in today's speech?" Phoebe could hear the TV Anchor Person ask.
"It'll be pretty much her usual stuff, Phil," Phoebe said "There will be an attack on President Taylor's foreign policy, his handling of the economy and his failure to keep his previous election promises on national health care."
"Will the names Buffy Summers and Willow Rosenberg come up again?"
"It's possible," Phoebe said "But as you know, Senator Lowell sees herself as somebody with an interest in recent news. She has not been known to raise old issues unless it benefits her campaign. As I understand Miss Rosenberg and Miss Summers have kept a fairly low profile since the trials of their former bosses."
Phoebe heard Prue's mobile phone go off and tried to ignore it.
"So you expect nothing unusual?"
"My understanding from the Lowell camp is that this will be her normal rally the troops speech," Phoebe said hearing her own mobile going off this time "However, it would not be beyond the realms of possibility that Senator Lowell will come up with something out of the blue. If you remember, the attacks on President Taylor concerning Willow Rosenberg and Buffy Summers came out of the blue, so anything is possible."
Her mobile went off again and she was beginning to battle to restrain her temper. Whoever this was is going to get such a walloping, she thought.
"I think we should leave you for the moment," The Anchor said "We'll get back to you for an analysis on Senator Lowell's speech."
"Yes, Phil," Phoebe said.
"And we're out," Prue said switching off her camera.
Prue's mobile rang again and the elder Halliwell answered it.
"Whoever this is, you are in such big trouble," Prue snapped.
Prue calmed down visibly when she heard who it was. Phoebe saw Prue's face become concerned.
"Piper?"
Phoebe joined Prue, placing herself close to her sisters mobile so that she could hear Piper for herself.
"What is it?"
Piper told them about Damien and his deal with Hegaroth. She also mentioned about Aphrodite and UNCIT's offer for protection.
"We can hardly worry about Damien Day now," Prue said "Tell Paige to get you and Miss Scott up here, we'll discuss it at our hotel. It's the usual hotel."
Piper moaned about the threat of Hegaroth.
"Piper, we're not ignoring Hegaroth," Phoebe said "We just happen to be busy at the moment."
"Piper, I'm hanging up," Prue said "Just meet us at the hotel in a couple of hours."
Prue switched off the phone.
"What's Day done now?" Phoebe asked.
"He may have done a deal with Hegaroth concerning us," Prue said.
"I heard that part," Phoebe said "I want to know what type of deal."
"If it's Hegaroth, there can only be one possibility. Our death," Prue said.
"If that's so, then Damien Day knows who we really are," Phoebe said "We have a major problem."
"We can't worry about that now," Prue said "We have a job to do."
Phoebe sighed in frustration. Prue was right of course. They couldn't run and hide every time a nasty raised it's ugly head.
"Phoebe, lets wait to hear what Agent Scott has to say for herself before we start jumping to conclusions," Prue said.
"Okay," Phoebe said.
San Francisco International Airport
Athena sighed with relief when she saw Miss Parker meet Damien and hand him a plane ticket. She felt Jarod behind her.
"Have you and Dite contacted The Halliwells?" He asked.
"Aphrodite is with Piper and Paige, I haven't heard from her yet."
"Don't worry about Mr Day," Jarod said "He's covered. Parker and I will keep an eye on him."
"What about Hegaroth?"
"My understanding is Day is to go to a hotel in Sacramento and wait for somebody to contact him. It probably wont be Hegaroth himself, but a minion."
"I don't like this, Jarod," Athena said "I've got bad feeling we're about to run into a hornet's nest."
"All the more reason you need to be with your sister and the Halliwells."
Jarod moved in front of Athena to cover her from Parker and Damien just as they were walking past. He caught Parker's mocking smile and followed. Athena looked around for a convenient blind spot. She went to a spot behind a large plant and formed into a ball of light before vanishing completely.
Hotel Near the Paris Conference Centre
Buffy entered hers and Willow's room and kicked off her shoes. The elimination stages were over and the songs were chosen for the next nights final. They weren't bad, Buffy thought, hardly chart toppers, but not terrible. Fortunately, no mad bombers decided to vent their spleen in tonight's performance, so they could afford to relax a little before tomorrow. Willow had remained behind to coordinate with Rougier over the security for the main contest, whilst she came back to the hotel to brief Scully and Reyes and be advised about what Alex Krycek was doing in Paris. The phone chose that moment to ring. Buffy scowled and picked it up.
"Yes," She said "No, Dana Scully and Monica Reyes aren't in at the moment, Can I take a message?"
Dana Scully and Monica Reyes chose that moment to enter.
"Hold on a minute," Buffy put her hand over the mouthpiece "Have you heard of somebody called Marcel?"
"Yes!" Reyes answered.
Reyes took the phone.
"Marcel, it's Monica Reyes, what have you got for us?"
Reyes asked Buffy for a pen. Buffy gave her an ordinary biro which Reyes opened and jotted down Marcel's information.
"Marcel, you are a gem," Reyes said.
Marcel asked who he was speaking to before.
"Yes, that was Buffy Summers, you can speak to her and Willow Rosenberg as freely as you speak to us," Reyes said "I'll arrange a meet so you can get to know them properly. Can you find out more about Krycek and our Israeli friends?"
Marcel said he'll try.
"Do nothing to get yourself hurt, I don't want another Hector Borrego on my conscience."
Relieved by Marcel's reassurance, Reyes put the phone down.
"Who was that?" Buffy asked.
"An old friend of Malone's," Reyes answered.
"What did he say?" Scully asked.
"He's given us a couple of possibilities for our mad bomber," Reyes said handing Scully the bit of paper "Where's Willow?"
"She should be back soon," Buffy said "She's going over security with Inspector Rougier."
"Willow!"
"I'm a bit busy, Monica," Willow 'said'.
"When will you be free?"
"Half an hour," Willow said "What's happened?"
"We may have something on our mad bomber?"
"I'm on my way, should I bring Rougier?"
"Yes," Reyes said "We may have to act on this tonight."
"I'll be ten minutes, don't start without me."
"As if we would Wills," Buffy said.
"After what you did tonight, you should be the last person to give me grief," Willow teased.
"Why?" Scully asked "What did she do?"
"Stick her tongue out at me on live television," Willow said.
"You're joking," Reyes said.
"Watch the news channels, it's all over it."
Scully went over to the television and switched it on. She found the local news channel and saw the sight of Buffy sticking her tongue out at somebody, followed by a brief commentary, fortunately for Buffy in French.
"We can't leave you two alone for one minute," Scully said "Pray that Malone doesn't see it."
"He already has," Willow said "He wants to see Buffy and myself when he gets here tomorrow."
Reyes shook her head at Buffy and imitated a slap on the wrist.
"It was an accident, how did I know there was a camera on me?" Buffy argued.
Scully patted Buffy on the back. Buffy placed her head on Scully's shoulder causing Scully to ruffle her hair.
"Just get here, Will," Reyes said "We'll worry about Malone later."
"Rougier and I are leaving the Centre now."
To Be Continued