A Sunnydale Werewolf in Manhattan
Part Two
Written by Donald E. Fleming II
Story concept by Donald E. Fleming II
Disclaimer: Original Gargoyles characters are the property of Disney and Buena Vistas Studios. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and related characters and storylines are the property of Warner Bros. Other Gargoyle characters are the property of The Gargoyle Saga (TGS) writing staff. All characters are being used without permission of their creators.
Note: This fanfic was written and posted prior to the May 2, 2000 episode of 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer', which featured the brief return of Seth Green's character Oz to the show. As such, there will be continuity conflicts between this fanfic and the current 'Slayer' storyline. This is unfortunate and unavoidable, but should in no way detract from the story. If you are one of those who don't like such conflicts, my apologies to you.
Previously…
Giles looked at her. "Willow, have you been reading the Watcher diaries again?"
"Sorry, Giles," she admitted shyly. "But I was looking for something that could help Oz so that he would come back and I…ah...well..."
"Never mind."
Sunnydale Interlude"I think I've got something," Giles said. He read the text more thoroughly. "Yes, this is what we need. It's a suppression spell. It's supposed to be able to 'suppress the beast of the moon'."
"Lexington has found some disturbing information on the Internet," Goliath said. "It seems that there is a hunter that specializes in killing Oz's kind."
"A werewolf hunter?"
"Yes."
It was here, he realized. The one that had eluded him for so long was here, in New York. And this time, it would not get away.
A Sunnydale Werewolf in Manhattan Part One Late Evening, July 1, 2000 The Labyrinth, Manhattan"Okay, guys," Oz said. "I think that's enough for today."
Brooklyn set down his guitar and smiled at Oz. "I think we played pretty good," he said. He saw his mate Sata standing nearby, shaking her head in that 'I have long since given up trying to understand him' mannerism of hers.
Oz caught the look between them and smiled. "Well at least someone thinks so," he said, pointing to Graeme.
Brooklyn's son was all smiles as he watched his father. "You guys Rock!" he said excitedly. "You think you'll be ready to play by the Fourth?"
"What, for that Battle of the Bands concert in Central Park?" Oz said. "I don't know, kid. I don't think there'll be that many people there that'll accept a gargoyle as back-up guitarist. Even one as cool as your dad. Beside, we haven't decided on a name yet."
"What was the name of your band in Sunnydale?" Brooklyn asked.
"Dingoes Ate My Baby," Oz said.
Brooklyn and Graeme looked at each other. "Somehow I don't think that New York is ready for a band with a name like that," he said.
"I don't either," Oz said. "It's more a California name anyway."
"How about P.I.T. Vipers," Graeme said.
Oz thought about that for a moment. "Nah," he said. "I don't think the world's ready for another snake band either."
"Not Pit vipers as in snake," Graeme said. "P.I.T. Vipers." He looked around and found a leaflet on the table. He picked it up and showed it to Oz. "Like this."
"Oh, I get it," Oz said. "P.I.T. As in People for Interspecies Tolerance."
"Exactly," Graeme said.
"I don't know," Oz said, handing the leaflet back. "They might get ticked about us trying to capitalize on their trademark."
"They won't," Graeme said. "It was the coolest band..." he started before Brooklyn elbowed him. "Oops. Sorry, Dad."
"What?" Oz said. Graeme had suddenly caught his interest.
"It's nothing," Brooklyn quickly covered. "Really."
"Let me guess," Oz said. "This is more of that TimeDancing stuff you guys aren't supposed to talk about, right?"
Brooklyn could only give Oz a helpless look.
"Hey, it's cool," Oz said. "Need to know and all that. For myself, I prefer not to know what the future holds in store for me. It makes life that much more interesting." He looked at the other members of his band. "Okay. P.I.T. Vipers it is."
Graeme smiled, while nearby Sata shook her head again.
Central ParkHe watched as the strange beast jumped up, trying to get to the human that it had chased up the tree. The human looked down at it in terror, not willing to risk being mauled by the animal.
It certainly is an effective predator, he thought and he wondered if Jason Canmore had had the right idea in trying to recruit him. When hunting predators, it was a good idea to have someone on your side who thought like they do.
"Ach, Bronx," he heard someone say. The voice was old, and spoke of a hard life, not impoverished, but experienced. He watched as a large gargoyle walked up to the tree. "What've ye got there, boy?" he asked.
The creature, 'Bronx', barkedand then growled, then started digging its claws into the bark of the tree. He studied the gargoyle as it looked up into the tree and caught sight of the human.
"Please, don't let him bite me," the human said. "I wasn't doing anything."
"Is that a fact," the old gargoyle said, crossing his arms. "I suppose ye were about to return that purse you grabbed from that poor old woman."
Definitely experienced, he thought. An old warrior perhaps, judging by the scar over the left eye and the sword he had tucked into his belt. He took into consideration that as of yet the gargoyle hadn't drawn it. Obviously, he didn't view the human his animal had chased up the tree as a threat.
"Right, right," the purse-snatcher said as he looked at the purse he still clutched in his hand. "Here, you can take it," he added as he tossed it down.
Another human approached, and he watched as the gargoyle turned to look at him. This one was a cop.
"Another purse snatcher, Hudson?" he said.
"Aye, Morgan," the gargoyle said.
"What's that make it, five this week?" the black police sergeant said.
"Ye'd think they'd take a hint and clear out," Hudson said.
He noted the camaraderie between the two. A pair of old soldiers, he observed. Both doing their part to protect this city.
He quietly eased away as the cop finally coaxed the purse-snatcher out of the tree, although there was a tense moment when the beast turned to look straight at him as he moved. After I bag my quarry, he thought. I may just think about adding a gar-beast to my trophy collection. It may certainly be well worth it to bag one.
July 2, 2000
The Labyrinth
"I think there might be trouble," Elisa said to her brother as she sat at the table.
"What kind?" Talon asked. "Xanatos isn't up to his old tricks again, is he?"
"No," she said. "It concerns Oz."
"I knew he'd be trouble," Delilah said. Before Elisa could say another word, the hybrid clone turned and stormed out.
"What was that all about?" she asked.
Maggie sighed. "She doesn't like Oz," she said.
"I can't imagine why not," Elisa said. "He's a great kid. Aside from his problem, I mean."
"That's just it," Talon said. "She doesn't like him because of what he is. A werewolf."
Elisa sighed and rested her forehead on her hands. "I thought we were all beyond that by now. I thought that none of us would be judging each other based on outward appearances any more."
"It's not just that, Elisa," Maggie said. "Delilah doesn't like him because he hunted her."
"She's holding a grudge?"
"It looks that way," Talon said.
Elisa got up from the table. "I'd better go talk to her."
"I don't know what you can say that I haven't already tried telling her," Talon said.
"Oh, I think she'll listen to me," Elisa said. "And besides, Oz's got enough things to worry about as it is."
No one got in Delilah's way as she stormed through the Sanctuary, looking for Oz. They took one look at her and went the other way. Something had upset her and they didn't want to be anywhere in the vicinity when things got messy.
She found him quickly. Oz was with the rest of his band in a part of the Labyrinth where the acoustics were good. He was starting in on another set when he caught sight of the aggravated clone.
"Uh, oh," he said.
"What's up?" Brooklyn asked.
"Hurricane Delilah at two o'clock," Oz said.
Brooklyn looked and spotted her. "She doesn't look happy."
Broadway, who had brought Angela down to listen to Oz play, turned and caught sight of her stormy approach. "I wonder what she's mad about?"
"I think it's me," Oz said.
Delilah practically walked over the assembled clones who had been listening to Oz play, but found her way blocked by Broadway and Angela. When she tried to push her way past them, Brooklyn joined them in keeping her from the teenager.
"What's this all about, Delilah?" Angela demanded.
Delilah stepped back when she realized they weren't going to let her pass. "Him!" she said, pointing at Oz. "He brings trouble!"
"Listen," Brooklyn said. "I know you don't like him because of what happened, but…"
"No! More trouble comes because of him," Delilah said. "Elisa said so!"
Brooklyn and Broadway looked at each other.
"I can't believe that," Angela said.
Delilah looked at the lavender female. "You can ask her yourself," she said. "She is talking to Talon even now!"
"Delilah, I know that I've hurt you," Oz said. "And believe me, I wish I could take back what happened. But I can't. I just wish you'd forgive me for what happened and believe that I couldn't control it."
She held up her arm, which had healed long ago, and showed him the tattered sleeve of her jacket. "This I can forgive," she said. "But not what will happen if you stay."
"I don't get it," Broadway said. "What'll happen if Oz stays?"
"Trouble," Delilah snarled as she took a step towards Oz.
A small figure stepped in front of her.
"BACK OFF, DELILAH!" Elisa barked, raising her hand in front of her.
Delilah stopped, stunned. Ever since she had befriended Delilah, Elisa had never raised her voice to her. The hybrid clone was the closest thing she had to a daughter.
She looked at Oz, standing just a few feet away behind Elisa, then at Elisa herself. She could tell that Elisa was not going to let her pass without a fight. Of all the humans she had encountered, Elisa was the only one who could stand up to her like this…and not be intimidated by her.
"He brings trouble," Delilah said. "You said so yourself."
"I did not!" Elisa snapped. "I said there might be trouble that concerns Oz. I did not say that he was trouble!"
"What kind of trouble?" Oz asked.
"I'll tell you in a minute, kid," Elisa said, turning her head to look at the young musician before turning her attention back to Delilah. "As for you, do you know what he's been through? He had to give up his home, his friends, his family, a girl that he loves because of this problem. And he's lucky. He doesn't have to go through this crap every night like Fox did!"
Delilah was shocked by this. "This happened to Fox?" she said.
"Yeah, five years ago," Elisa said. "Every night for a month! You weren't around at the time to see what happened to her, but I was. Fox was completely out of control. She almost killed me, Goliath, Xanatos. It almost ended up killing her, too. And the only reason she doesn't go through it any more is because she was under the influence of the Eye of Odin at the time. We were lucky. We got the Eye away from her before anyone got hurt. Oz doesn't have that luxury. This is going to be with him for the rest of his life!"
Delilah's shoulders were shaking. She hadn't realized what he was going through. In a way, he was just as alone as she was. More alone in fact, because he couldn't let anyone get close to him for fear that he might accidentally hurt them. At least Delilah had Elisa and the clan. Who did Oz have?
She took one look at Oz's large compassionate eyes, and then turned away and ran so that no one could see her crying.
"Is she going to be okay?" Oz asked.
"I think so," Elisa said. "Angela, why don't you…"
"Right," Angela said. She turned and took off after Delilah.
Talon came in as Angela was leaving. "I guess you got through to her," he said.
"I hope so," Elisa said. She turned to face Oz. "We need to talk."
"What's up, Elisa?" Oz asked.
"What do you know about a hunter named Cain?"
Sunnydale, California Rosenberg homeWillow smiled as she tapped away at her computer.
Willow "So how is Oz doing?"
Lex "He and Brooklyn are putting together a band."
Willow "Really? smiles "That sounds great."
Liz "And they sound real good too, Willow. I heard them practicing last night. And they talked about playing at the P.I.T. concert on Tuesday."
Willow "Aww!" sighs "I wish I'd known about that."
Lex "Prior commitment?"
Willow "My mom and I are going over to Buffy's house for the Fourth." frowns "Shoot."
Lex "I could record it for you if you'd like."
Willow "Would you? smiles "That'd be great! Then I can watch it when we find a way to help Oz."
Liz "Any luck with finding a treatment?"
Willow "We're making some progress. Giles is putting together the components we need, but I don't know if we can find all of them in time."
Liz frowns "In time for what?"
Willow "The spell has to be cast during a lunar eclipse. It gets complicated."
Liz "When's the next eclipse?"
Lex "It's on the 16th." taps his chin "I wonder if Demona could help out?"
Willow "Could you ask her?"
Lex "I can have Angela ask her when she gets back from Los Angeles if you'd like. picks up a notepad "What do you need?"
Willow "I'll send you a shopping list later."
Liz looks over her shoulder "I have to go. My folks are bugging me about hogging the computer again."
Willow "It was nice to meet you, Liz." shakes hands and hugs "Take care."
Liz "And don't worry about Oz. I'll keep an 'eye' on him." nudges Willow and leaves
Lex "Willow, can I ask you a question?"
Willow "Sure, Lex. What do you want to know?"
Lex "Do you know someone named Cain?"
The Labyrinth, ManhattanOz sat at the table and let what Elisa told him sink in.
"So do you know him?" Elisa asked.
"I didn't meet him exactly," Oz said. "Like I said before, when the change hits, I sort of black out."
"But he did hunt you," Goliath said. He had grown to like the teenager over the past two weeks, despite the danger posed to his city if Oz were to escape during his monthly transformations.
"Buffy told me about him after the last night of my first change," Oz said. "He wasn't too happy about losing me."
"Would you be able to tell if he were near?" Goliath asked.
"I don't think so," he said. "No."
"Great," Elisa said. "That's all I need, another wacko in my city out to bag a monster. I'm getting real tired of this."
Goliath put his hand on her shoulder. "As am I," he said. "I will instruct the others to increase patrols, see if we can flush this Cain out into the open."
"I don't think that'll work, Goliath," Talon said. "He'll probably lay low until he's ready to come after Oz."
"Talon's right, lad," Hudson said. "A good hunter will wait until he's ready to bag his quarry. And since the lad here won't be a werewolf till the full moon, this Cain will wait until then to show himself."
"Perhaps," Goliath said. "But I do not like the idea of this hunter being at large while we wait for him to make his move."
"I know how you feel, Goliath," Elisa said. "I don't like it myself. But until Cain does do something , it's all we can do."
Goliath knew she was right. But he didn't have to like it.
July 3, 2000
Sunnydale
Buffy dodged as the vampire swung at her with the pipe. This is getting boring, she thought. Ever since Adam went underground, the vampires had fallen back on their old routines. She kind of wished they would do something original every now and then, just to keep her guessing. At least Spike wasn't around, yammering about what he'd do to her after he got that damned chip out of his head.
She became aware of someone else's presence in the graveyard. When the vampire tried to bring the pipe down on her head, she blocked the blow, grabbed the arm and flipped him onto his back, turning as she did to see who was coming up behind her.
"Hi, Willow," she said. "What's up?"
"I need to talk," she said. "Something's come up."
The vampire jumped up and took another swing at Buffy. She ducked and jabbed at the vampire's stomach, almost doubling him over and causing him to fall back
"What is it?" she asked. When the vampire made another swing with the pipe, Buffy grabbed his wrist, twisted and broke it and relieved the vampire of the pipe, which she tossed back to Willow.
"I think Cain's in New York," Willow said.
This startled Buffy long enough for the vampire to finally land a blow. When she went down, the vampire turned on Willow, but as soon as he did, he felt a sudden pain in his chest. He saw the end of the stake poking out of his chest just before he collapsed into a heap of dust.
"Sorry about that," Willow said.
"That's okay, Willow," Buffy said. "It wasn't your fault." She tucked the stake into her bag. "Besides, I was about done with him anyway. Now what's this about Cain?"
"I think he's in New York," Willow said. "I think he's after Oz again."
Buffy hung the bag from her shoulder. "We better tell Giles."
"Cain is in New York?" Giles said. "Are you sure?"
"Not really," Willow said. "But Lex thinks he is."
"Lex?" Buffy asked.
"Lexington," Willow said. "He's one of Brooklyn's rookery brothers. I met him at one of the Castle Wyvern chat rooms a couple of days ago."
"Willow, how can you be sure this 'Lex' is one of the gargoyles?" Giles said. "It could be anyone who uses that site."
"I thought about that when I first met him, so I asked him a really tough question," Willow said.
"What question?" Buffy asked.
"I asked him who the TimeDancers were," Willow said.
"Did he get it right?" Buffy asked.
"Got it on the first try," Willow said. Giles and Buffy accepted this. Only members of Brooklyn's clan and their close friends would have knowledge of the TimeDancers' identities.
"So what makes Lexington think that Cain is in New York," Giles said.
"He didn't say that Cain was there," Willow admitted. "But he did say that it was possible he was. I think we should go to New York."
"Isn't that a little premature?" Giles said. "There's no guarantee that Cain is in New York. And I still need time to gather the final components for the spell."
"Lex said he'd ask Demona for help with that," Willow said.
"Great," Giles said. "That's all we need is for her to be involved. Need I remind you about her past history."
"That's not fair, Giles," she said. "Lex said she's over that now, and besides we might need her help casting the spell. She is a sorceress, you know. And we did help her get that jewel back."
"Yeah," Buffy said. "After I almost smashed it."
"Maybe she's forgotten about that," Willow said.
"I hope so," Buffy said. "What do you say, Giles? Are you up for a trip to the Big Apple?"
"Very well," Giles said. "But not tonight. I still have some things to research if we're to get this done right."
"That's okay, Giles," Buffy said. "I did tell Mom that I'd be around for the Fourth of July. Besides, I want to tell her about Riley."
July 4, 2000The Labyrinth
Oz and Claw was packing up the gear when Delilah came in. When he saw her approach, the Mutate took a step towards Oz to put himself between them.
"It's okay, Claw," Oz said. "I think I'll be okay."
"Are you sure?" Claw's facial expression said. Over the past several weeks, Oz had gotten to know Claw to the point where he could tell what the Mutate was thinking just by reading the expression on his face. He still needed to use hand gestures every now and then to convey complex ideas to him, but it was unnecessary for simple things. Like friendship. And worry.
"Believe me," Oz said. "I don't think she's here to cause trouble. Why don't you take the stuff to the van and I'll join you in a few minutes."
Claw lifted the amplifier and guitar case and headed for the passageway that led to the warehouse where Oz had stored his van. The warehouse was primarily used for regular deliveries of supplies to the Sanctuary, courtesy of the Xanatos-Renard Foundation, and housed one of the accessways to the Labyrinth. Talon had suggested to Oz that he park his van there during his stay to avoid any more tickets.
After Claw left, Oz turned towards Delilah. "You're not here to hurt me, I hope."
"No," she said quietly. "I just wanted to say I was sorry for the way I acted."
"It's not your fault," Oz said. "You were only doing what you could to protect..."
"No," Delilah said. "Not protect. What I did was out of anger, not out of any sense of duty to my clan. I was holding a grudge." She turned away from him. "It was wrong."
"You couldn't have known," Oz said as he took a step towards her. "Maggie told me all about you. Despite how you look, your still growing, learning new things. This is probably your first experience with this."
"No," she said. "I have seen this before. In Sharon. She almost let her hatred for a man named Tommy Kimura destroy her because of what he did."
"What did he do?" Oz asked. He had met Sharon Nomura when he first arrived in the Sanctuary, but she never talked about how she became a Mutate.
"He is a Yakuza," Delilah said. "And he believed that gave him permission to force her to marry him. She refused, but he was not about to take no for an answer."
"So what happened?"
"Sharon took some of the mutagen that turned Derek and Maggie into Mutates," Delilah said. "She turned herself into a Mutate so she could destroy him."
"Did she?"
"No," Delilah said. "He is in prison now. But after her transformation, Sharon attacked him and marked him. She warned him to stay away from her and her parents. She told him that the next time she was forced to come after him that she would kill him." She turned around and looked at Oz. "I went after you for the same reason. Because you hurt me. Because you pursued me for the three days of your change. I felt like Sharon did. I did not know that you were not in control of yourself while you were the werewolf. But I do now. And I am sorry for what I did."
"It's okay, Delilah," Oz said. "We both got off to a bad start. Maybe now that this is all out in the open, we can try it again."
"I would like that," Delilah said.
When Claw came back, he found them hugging each other. He smiled to himself and discreetly exited the room.
SunnydaleJoyce Summers' home
"So who wants hot dogs?" Xander asked cheerfully.
"Right here," Buffy said.
It was a great Fourth of July, Willow thought. If only Oz were here to enjoy it with her…
"How are you holding up?" Buffy asked, seeing the faraway look on her face.
"Okay, I guess," she said. "I just wish I didn't have to wait so long."
"Wait so long for what?" Joyce Summers asked. She came over and handed a hot dog to her daughter.
"Willow's working out a spell to help Oz," Buffy said.
"Oh, so he won't be a…" Joyce said. She didn't want to say it out loud, not when there were friends around who didn't even know that Buffy was the Slayer. How would they react to the fact that Oz was a werewolf? "Where is Oz anyway?"
"He's in New York," Buffy said. "Which brings up a favor I want to ask you."
"You want to go with me to New York this week," Joyce said. Despite the fact there were still a few things she didn't know about her own daughter, Joyce Summers could still read her like a book.
"Yeah," Buffy said. "Can I? I promise I won't cause any trouble."
"And you'll keep the slaying down to a minimum?"
"Mom," Buffy said. "If the vamps in New York were such a big deal, I'd probably know about it already. We're just going there to help Oz."
"We?"
"Willow's going too," she said.
"And Tara," Willow added.
"Your witch friend?" Joyce said.
"Yeah," Willow said. "We need at least three for the spell. And we think there might be someone there who can help out with finding a few more things for the ritual."
"Is your mom okay with this?" Joyce asked. At the last minute, Willow's mom had been called out of town and couldn't make it to the party.
"She still doesn't know that I'm a practicing Wicca," she said. "She thinks I'm going for a computer expo that Xanatos Enterprises is hosting next week."
Joyce frowned slightly. She had gotten to know Willow's mom ever since that sorry incident involving that demon, nothing like a good old-fashioned witch burning to bring a community together, she had thought afterwards, and keeping her in the dark about her daughter's activities didn't sit well with her. But as long as Willow stayed out of trouble…
"Okay," Joyce said. "Just as long as you stay out of trouble."
"Thanks, Miss Summers," Willow said. She turned and ran off to tell Tara.
"Now, Buffy," Joyce said, turning to her daughter. "What's this I hear about a new man in your life?" She looked around. "Is he here?"
"His name's Riley," Buffy said. "And no, he's not here. He went back home to Iowa for a couple of months." To recuperate after their last run-in with Adam, she reminded herself. "Let me tell you all about him."
"This isn't going to be like the last one, is it?" Joyce asked.
"Don't worry, Mom," she said. "I promise you, this one's human. Although he does lead a very interesting life."
Joyce could already tell that this was going to be a very long story.
Central ParkHe watched as his quarry performed on the stage, getting the audience involved in the music. He had to admire his boldness, playing as though he was perfectly normal. But Cain knew that Oz wasn't normal. There'd been a moment between the sets when he looked out across the audience and seemed to focus directly on him. The beast could feel his presence in his territory. He had turned away at that moment to talk to one of the other band members, a brick red gargoyle no less, before starting in on the next set. There was activity nearby. Cain eased out of position before the white-haired female gargoyle could discover him. She looked around and frowned. That's right, darlin' he thought. I'm not here. Just go back and tell your werewolf friend he was just imagining things. Delilah examined the area around her. Someone had been here, she thought. She could see where the grass had been disturbed. The bushes rustled off to her left. She turned and leapt over them and almost landed on a pair of teenagers making out. The girl took one look at Delilah and almost panicked. The boy made a frantic grab for his pants. "I'm…I'm sorry," Delilah said, blushing and backing away. "I didn't…I thought…" She looked around. Off to one side, she could see another couple looking at her. She'd stumbled into what looked to be a good old-fashioned orgy. "Never mind," she said as she turned and ran. The teenagers took one look at her fleeing form before returning to business. Cain smiled as he watched the embarrassed gargoyle retreat.
"Did you find anything?" Lex asked. He was supposed to be patrolling the park, but he'd talked Goliath into letting him tape the concert for Oz's friend Willow. He was thoroughly enjoying himself being the only one there with permission to videotape the performance. "Nuh…no," Delilah said. "Nothing at all. Excuse me." Lexington frowned as he watched her race away. "What's up with her?" Liz said. She was adjusting the zoom on the video-cam. Xanatos sure has some top rate equipment, she thought. "I don't know," Lex said. "From the look on her face, you'd think she'd seen a ghost." Liz laughed as she finished her adjustment and went over to his side. "It's a good thing she didn't come back a few minutes sooner," she said, playfully nibbling at his ear. Lex smiled. "Yeah," he said. "That would have been embarrassing."
July 7, 2000
Willow reread the text for at least the fifth time that day. This was not going to be as easy as she thought, she realized. The ritual had to be performed over a period of two days. They had to perform some sort of keying spell to lock the mystical energy on her on the first night of the full moon, and then they had to perform the actual spell the next night. And each spell had to be performed exactly right.
She looked at Tara resting in the seat next to her on the plane. She hoped she was up to this. They had been practicing together ever since their run-in with the Gentlemen, but this would be the most complicated spell they had ever cast together. And they had to get it right on the first try. If they messed it up, there would be no hope of casting it again.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Buffy asked.
"I don't think a penny would cover it," Willow said. "Not with inflation the way it is."
"It's a good thing Mom let me have her credit card then," Buffy said.
Willow smiled. "It's just that this spell is really involved. I wonder if I'm ready for something this big."
"Oh, come on, Willow," Buffy said. She took a brief glance at the text. "This is nothing compared to what you did for Angel. Now that was a spell."
Willow half-snorted. "I barely remember casting that spell," she said. "It was like one minute I was just trying to get the words right and then poof, all of a sudden, I'm reciting it from memory, and in perfect rhythm."
Buffy looked at her. "You never told me that," she said. Buffy hadn't been there when Willow cast the spell that restored Angel's soul. She'd been fighting Angelus to the death to rescue Giles and keep her former lover from unleashing the demon Acathla.
As it was, the spell came too late to keep that from happening and Buffy was forced to run Angel through to seal the portal.
"I didn't want to bore you with the details," Willow said. "And you really didn't seem to want to talk about it then either."
"I guess," she said. "So you're worried the same thing might happen again."
"No, I'm worried that it won't." Willow closed the book and looked at Buffy. "You know me, Buffy. My spells are still more miss than hit. I still haven't been able to change Amy back. A good sorceress like Demona would have no trouble with that."
"Who?" Tara asked. Buffy and Willow looked at her as she stretched, trying to wake up.
"Sorry," Buffy said. "Didn't mean to wake you up."
"That's okay," Tara said. "What time is it?"
Buffy looked at her watch. "What time zone are we in?"
"Eastern, I think," Willow said.
"Then it's about three in the afternoon," Buffy said. "We should be landing in about twenty minutes." She looked over at her mom, asleep in the seat across the aisle from her. "I guess I should wake her up and let her know." She reached over to tap her mom on the shoulder while Willow filled Tara in on their encounter with the immortal gargoyle.
JFK International AirportWillow was immediately overwhelmed by the size of the terminal. She looked around with a look of awe on her face.
"Pay attention, Willow," Buffy said. "You don't want to look too much like a tourist. You'll attract the wrong kind of attention."
"Sorry, Buffy," she said. "It's just that…wow! I mean…it's so…big."
"Okay," Buffy said. "You wait right here and I'll go get our bags."
Willow looked around. "Where's your mom?"
"She went to make a phone call," Buffy said. "She said she'd be right back. And Tara went to use the ladies room. I don't think she liked the idea of using the one on the plane." She picked up Willow's bag and thrust it towards her. "Don't let your bag dangle like that," she said. "Open invitation to a purse snatcher."
Willow took her bag and clutched it to her chest. "Right. Sorry."
"Don't move," Buffy said. "I'll be right back."
Willow watched as Buffy headed towards the luggage carousel. After a few moments, she lost sight of her and felt very much alone. She started heading in the direction she'd seen Buffy go when she bumped into a redheaded woman in a red business suit. Willow dropped her bag and made the woman drop hers.
"I'm so sorry," she said as she bent down to grab her and the woman's bags. "I wasn't watching where I was going and…"
The woman looked at her. "Willow Rosenberg?"
Willow grabbed the bags and stood up, shocked. She looked at the woman. Who was she and how did she know my name? "Excuse me," Willow said. "But do I know you?" Despite the fact she was certain she had never seen this woman before in her life, there was an odd familiarity to her.
The redhead smiled. "I'm not surprised you don't recognize me," she said. "The last time we met, I had blue wings and a tail."
"Oh," Willow gasped in realization. "You're…you're…"
Dominique Destine put a finger to her lips. "Let's keep this quiet, shall we? Not everyone knows my little secret."
"Sorry," Willow said. "It's just that I've never seen you as..well…human. Even though Brooklyn said that you could."
"Only during the day," Dominique said. "And believe me, the change isn't pleasant."
She stepped back and studied the teenager. "So, Willow. What are you doing in New York?"
"We came here to help a friend," she said as she handed Dominique her bag before digging into her own.
"We?" she asked.
"Buffy's here," Willow said. "And another friend. A Wicca like me."
Dominique looked at her. "You're a Wicca?"
"Not quite in your league, I know," she admitted. "But I have cast a few good spells. Although some of them don't turn out quite so good. And those that do don't last all that long."
"How long have you been practicing?"
"About two years," Willow said. "And you'd think after that long I'd get better with practice."
Dominique smiled. "Don't worry," she said. "It took me a while before I managed to get spells to work right. And I had a tutor. You're probably doing better than I would have in your circumstances."
Willow smiled at the praise before studying Dominique. "So what should I call you?" she asked. "You probably don't go by…"
"Ms. Destine," Joyce said as she appeared at Willow's side. "Your office said I might find you here."
"Excuse me," Dominique said.
"I'm Joyce," she said. "Joyce Summers. We were going to meet to talk about some items you wanted to purchase from my gallery." She looked at Willow. "Where's Buffy?"
"Right here, mom," Buffy said, carrying several bags. She looked at Dominique. "Who's your friend?"
"This is the woman I told you about, Buffy," Joyce said. "Ms. Dominique Destine. This is my daughter, Buffy."
Dominique extended her hand. "We've met."
"Really," Joyce said. She looked at Buffy. "When was this?"
"Back in May," Dominique said. "She helped me find a jewel that Mayor Wilkins had stolen from me."
"Oh, right," Buffy said in realization. Then this was… "I almost forgot about that."
"Buffy," Joyce said in disappointment. "You helped one of the richest women in the world and you didn't tell me about it?"
"Don't be too hard on her, Mrs. Summers," Dominique said. "Given the mayor's dubious past, I wanted to keep it a secret."
"Please, call me Joyce," she said.
"Joyce, then," Dominique said. "Listen, why don't we discuss this in my car? My driver is no doubt waiting for me, and I can have him drop you off at your hotel."
"I don't want to impose…" Joyce said.
"Nonsense," Dominique said. "Besides, it'll give us time to determine a fair price for the items we discussed. And you wouldn't believe the price you'd have to pay for a cab."
That convinced her. "Okay," Joyce said.
"Good," Dominique said. "We'll wait for you out front."
Buffy watched as Dominique disappeared into the crowd.
"Well, Buffy," Joyce said. "Are you going to tell me about it?"
"Mom, this is one of those things you're better off not knowing," Buffy said. "Believe me." She wiped her hand on her slacks as she remembered what the Jewel of Ragorak was for.
After Tara rejoined them, they headed out of the airport and found Dominique Destine waiting for them. A few minutes later, they were on their way into Manhattan.
July 8, 2000
"So how soon before you can fly out here, Giles?" Buffy asked. She had called to let him they had arrived and told him about their encounter with Dominique.
"I should be there by Thursday," he said. "I still need to find some suitable scroll material to transcribe the keying spells. And I need to find the keying spells themselves."
"Thursday?" Buffy said. "Giles, that's not enough time. The first night of the full moon is next Saturday."
"I know, Buffy," he said. "Believe me, I'm making every effort to find the components. But even with Anya's help, I may not be able to find all of them in time. Much as it pains me to say it, you may just have to ask Demona for help."
Buffy smiled. "I'll ask her after she finishes talking to my mom."
"Why would Demona be talking to your mother?"
"They're discussing a purchase," Buffy said. "When she was in Sunnydale, Dominique saw a few things in mom's gallery she wanted to buy."
"Dominique?" Giles said. "I thought you said Joyce was talking to Demona."
"She is," Buffy said. "Dominique Destine is Demona's daytime identity."
"Dominique Destine?" he said. "You mean…"
"Yeah, Giles," she said. "Head of Nightstone Unlimited. Do me a favor and don't tell Riley if you see him. This is one secret I'd like to keep from him."
The InitiativeAgent Riley Finn walked into the command center.
"What's up, Forrest?" he asked.
His second-in-command looked at him. "I thought you were on recovery leave," he said.
"I got bored," he said. "You can look at corn fields only for so long."
Forrest smiled. "I guess the saying is true. How can you keep 'em down on the farm…"
"After they've seen Paris," Riley finished. "Or the stuff we've seen for that matter."
He picked up a clipboard and looked at it. "Not much going on, I take it."
"Nah," Forrest said. "After Adam went underground, things have gotten quiet around here."
"Too quiet, if you ask me," Riley said. "Wait a minute, what's this?"
Forrest looked at the report. "An unconfirmed Hostile Sub-T in Manhattan," he said. "Happened last month."
"Unconfirmed?"
"Yeah, showed up during the full moon," Forrest said. "You know how that is."
"There was a report like that dated five years ago," Riley said. "An H.S.T. was sighted in October of that year. Could be the same one."
Forrest looked at the report again. "You want me to put together a team?"
Riley thought for a minute. "No, not yet. I'll head there first, see what's going on."
"Okay," Forrest said. "Oh, and Riley," he added as Riley started to walk away.
"Yeah?"
"Watch out for falling rocks, man."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Gargoyles, remember?" Forrest said.
Riley smiled. "Right."
July 10, 2000 Willow "Hey, Lex? Are you out the?" searchesLex "Hi, Willow." hugs "How are you doing?"
Willow "Just fine. Buffy and I flew in on Friday."
Lex "You're here in New York?"
Willow "Yeah, and I really want to meet you guys."
Lex "I guess that means you found a way to help Oz."
Willow "I think so. We might need some help with the spell, so we're going to see if Demona will help out."
July 11, 2000 Nightstone Unlimited Office of Dominique Destine, CEO"So, Slayer," Dominique said. "What brings you and your friends to Manhattan?"
"We're here to help a friend," Buffy said. "His name is Oz. He's a werewolf."
"There aren't many spells for curing a werewolf, I hope you know," she said.
"We know," Willow said. "But we did find one that looks promising." She dug the book out of her bag and opened it, showing the text to Dominique. The Nightstone CEO picked up the book and looked at it.
"This isn't a cure," she said. "This is more along the lines of a suppression spell. It's like putting a cancer into remission."
"We understand that," Buffy said. "But right now, it's all we've got to help Oz."
Dominique closed the book. "You do realize that your friend will still undergo his monthly transformations."
"But he won't be as vicious," Willow said. "And right now, that's all we're hoping for."
Dominique looked at Willow. "You love him that much?"
"Yes," Willow said. "And I know he loves me. That's why I want to help him."
"Let's cut to the chase," Buffy said. "We need your help, Ms. Destine. After all, we did help you get your gargoyle Viagra thingy back. Will you help us?"
"That's a rather unique view of what actually happened, Miss Summers," Dominique said. "You tried to take it away from me."
"My mistake," Buffy said. "I admit that. We didn't have all the facts. No one did, not even Brooklyn and he's the TimeDancer. But you did get it back. And I did apologize."
"I considered that," Dominique said. She picked up the book and opened it again. "You do know that you have to perform a keying spell the night before."
"I know," Willow said. "We have most of the stuff for the ritual and Giles is coming in on Thursday with the transcribed scrolls, I hope."
"You hope?" Dominique asked.
"Giles is having trouble finding the keying spell."
"Don't worry," she said. "I have one that will suffice."
"Good," Buffy said. "Then on Saturday, Willow can begin the ritual…"
"No."
"No?" Buffy and Willow said together.
"No," Dominique said. "This is a very precise spell. And it requires that the energy be keyed to one person alone." She looked up from the book. "You, Willow."
"I was afraid of that," Willow said.
"And," she continued. "It also requires that the three spellcasters that will be involved in the actual casting of the spell be present." She closed the book again. "How many do you have?"
"Not counting myself," Willow said. "One. Tara. And Giles has done some spell casting so that's two."
"You'll need all three to perform the ritual," Dominique said. She looked at Willow. She could see that she had the makings of a great sorceress, but she would need to be helped along if she were to get that far. "I will help. Give me a couple of days to get the materials together and we'll meet at my home to begin preparations."
"Thank you, Ms. Destine," Willow said.
"You're welcome," she said. "Candice," she said, touching the intercom. "You can send Mrs. Summers in now."
Joyce Summers entered the office as Buffy and Willow were getting up to leave. She was curious as to why Ms. Destine had wanted to talk to Buffy and Willow first, but she put it out of her mind. Probably wanted to thank them again for helping her recover her property, she thought.
"We'll see you later tonight, mom," Buffy said.
"Where are you off to now," she asked.
"We thought we'd see the sights before we head over to see Oz," she said.
Belvedere CastleCentral Park
Buffy, Willow and Tara sat and waited until shortly after sunset. They had been all over the island looking at everything and now they were ready to go see Oz. But first they had to find him.
"Are you sure this is the right place, Willow?" Buffy asked.
"Yeah," she said. "Liz said that she'd have Lex and his friends meet us here."
"Who?" Tara asked.
"Liz," Willow said. "She's Lex's girlfriend. I talked to her online after we got back to the hotel."
"His...girlfriend?" Buffy questioned. "I thought gargoyles were stone during the day, except for Demona."
"They are," she said. "Liz is human."
"Isn't that a little unusual?" Tara asked.
"Not when you consider the company we keep," Buffy said. "Oz is a werewolf, my last boyfriend was a vampire…"
"And Goliath," Willow said. "Brooklyn said his girlfriend is human, too."
"Speaking of which," they heard a voice say. Buffy jumped up at the sound of the voice. Before her stood a young woman in jeans and a red leather jacket.
"Easy, ladies," she said.
"Who are you?" Buffy said.
"I'm Detective Maza," she said. "Goliath's…ahem…girlfriend."
Buffy relaxed a bit, then completely when she saw a familiar 'beak' come out of the shadows.
"Brooklyn," Willow said. She jumped up and ran to greet the former TimeDancer.
"Hey, Willow," he said. "Good to see you again. You too, Buffy." He looked past them at Tara. "Who's that?"
Willow went back and took Tara's hand and pulled her forward. "This is Tara. She's a friend."
"Hi," Tara said shyly.
Brooklyn stuck out his hand. "Glad to meet you."
Tara extended her hand slowly and grasped Brooklyn's briefly before letting go.
"I thought we were going to meet the rest of the gargoyles," Buffy said.
"Goliath wanted to make sure this wasn't some kind of trap," Elisa said. "That's why only Brooklyn came."
"Since Brooklyn and his family are the only ones aside from Demona who've actually met us," Buffy said. "Makes sense. So when do we get to meet the others?"
"They're going to meet us at the Labyrinth," Elisa said. "I'll take you there myself." She turned to Brooklyn. "You go on ahead. We'll catch up."
"Right," Brooklyn said. He quickly scaled a tree and headed off.
"Shall we, ladies?" Elisa said. She preceded the three teenagers out of the park.
Cain watched them as they left.
Great, he thought. She's here. That's all I need.
The LabyrinthGoliath met them at the entrance to the Sanctuary.
"Hey, big guy," Elisa said, giving Goliath a hug. Buffy smiled at that. I've done weirder, she thought.
"I take it that these are Oz's friends," he said. He looked at the three girls.
"I'm Buffy," Buffy said.
"The Slayer," he said, extending his hand.
Buffy took his hand and marveled at the grip. "I see my reputation precedes me," she quipped.
"Sata has told us all about you," Goliath said. "It is an honor to meet you."
"I'm Willow," Willow said. "And this is Tara. She's a little shy."
Goliath shook hands with the other two teenagers. "Oz is fortunate to have friends such as you," he said.
"Where is Oz?" Buffy asked.
At that moment, music began to filter towards them. A familiar tune that Willow recognized immediately.
"I guess that answers that question," Buffy asked as she saw Willow hurry into the Sanctuary.
Willow paused as she neared the source. She could hear the music clearly, but there was something else mixed in with it; singing. A woman's. The others caught up to her quickly.
"Who's singing?" Buffy asked.
"It sounds like you, Elisa," Goliath said.
"Get real!" she said. "I couldn't sound that good on a bet."
"Then it must be Delilah," Goliath said.
"Who's Delilah?" Willow asked.
"I'll explain later," Elisa said. She listened as the music picked up again. "I think it's this way."
Oz was performing for a mixed group of children and their parents. The children marveled at the teenage musician and were captivated by the vocals of the P.I.T. Vipers new lead singer, Delilah. She finished a hauntingly beautiful love song as Oz noted the new arrivals.
"Willow," he said, setting down his guitar and rushing to meet her. He scooped her up in his arms and hugged her. "What are you doing here?"
"We came to find you," Willow said. "We think we've found a spell that'll help you."
"You found a cure?"
"Not exactly," Willow said. "It's a suppression spell. It's supposed to make you less…mean."
"Kind of like magical obedience school," Buffy said.
"That sounds great," Oz said. "How soon will you be ready to cast it?"
"We have to have everything in place by Saturday," Buffy said.
Willow looked over Oz's shoulder at the approaching clone. "Who's that? she asked.
Oz looked over his shoulder. "That's Delilah," he said. "She's a friend." He turned and put his arm around Willow's shoulder as Delilah neared. "This is Willow, the girl I told you about," he said.
Delilah extended her hand towards Willow. "Oz has told me a lot about you," she said.
"Oh?" Willow said. "Everything?"
Delilah smiled. She could see what was happening. Willow was jealous. "Don't worry," she said. "We are just friends."
Willow wasn't inclined to relax. Oz's last female 'friend' had been a crazed she-wolf named Varuca. "And how long have the two of you been 'friends'?"
"Willow," Buffy said. She could see that Willow was jealous. She had good reason to be. Delilah was beautiful.
"We've only been friends for a few days," Oz said. "Before that…"
"Before that, I was more than willing to drop him off the top of the Eyrie Building," Delilah said.
Willow's eyes went wide.
"She hated me," Oz said. "I tried to kill her last month."
"I didn't know," Willow said.
"It's only now that Oz and I have put that behind us," Delilah said. "He is a good friend and I would not do anything to jeopardize that friendship."
"That's good," Willow said. "Because if you tried anything, I have a rat back in Sunnydale that's looking for a friend to play with."
Delilah noted the smile on Willow's face when she said that and knew she was kidding. She hoped.
"So what's going on here?" Willow asked. She looked at the assembled audience.
"We were doing on impromptu concert for these people," Oz said. "They didn't get a chance to see the concert last week." He looked over at Elisa. "You know, we could do a duet with you and Delilah."
"Are you kidding?" Elisa said. "I don't sound that good in the shower."
Goliath smiled. He knew exactly how she sounded in the shower.
Buffy stood off to one side as the concert got into full swing again. Willow was happy again, and that's what counted. She could see that Tara looked a little off about meeting Willow's boyfriend, but she chalked that up to nerves.
"Greeting, Buffy-chan," Sata said as she came in. "It is good to see you again."
Buffy bowed to the jade gargoyle. "It's good to see you too, Sata. How are the kids?"
"They are well. They are patrolling with Lexington tonight." Sata looked at Buffy. "Goliath said you had a favor to ask of me."
"We need your help in performing a spell," Buffy said.
"I am no sorceress, Buffy-chan," Sata said.
"That's okay," Buffy said. "We have Demona and Tara covering those bases. We need you as a sentry to make sure no one disturbs the ritual. And there's one other thing."
"What?" Sata asked.
"We need to borrow one of your swords," she said.
"Why?" Sata asked.
"We need a warrior's blade for the ritual," Buffy said. "To pierce the heart of the beast. I just hope it doesn't mean literally."
"Why not one of your own?" Sata asked. "As the Slayer…"
"Willow has to strike the blow," Buffy said. "And I know she can't handle any of the swords I've used. Too big and heavy."
Sata pulled the sheathed wakisashi from her obi. "You need a smaller blade that she can handle without risking injury to others then," she said.
"We would appreciate it," Buffy said.
"It would be an honor to assist you in this endeavor, Buffy-chan." Sata said.
"Thanks," she said.
July 13, 2000JFK International Airport
Joyce Summers hugged her daughter good-bye. "Are you sure you'll be all right?" she asked.
"Yes, Mom," she said. "Chosen One and all that."
She began digging into her purse. "Do you have enough money?"
"We're covered," Buffy said. "If we need more, we can always hit Ms. Destine up for some more."
"It's still hard to believe that she's going to let you stay at her place," Joyce said. "Does she know the reason that you're really here?"
"She knows," Buffy said. "She's helping us get the last pieces of the spell together before Sunday."
"I hope it works," Joyce said. She hugged her daughter again. "I'll see you next week then," she said before breaking away and heading for her plane.
Buffy waited until she was gone before heading down the concourse. Giles should be arriving any…
"Buffy," she heard a familiar voice call out, and it wasn't Giles'. She turned and saw the speaker walking towards her.
"Riley, what are you doing here?" she asked.
"That's not exactly the greeting I expected," he said as he lifted her in his arms. "Of course, I could ask you the same question."
"Business," she said.
"Slayer business?" he asked as he put her down.
"Sort of," she said. "What about you?"
"We got reports of a Hostile of undetermined nature last month," he said. "I came to check it out."
Inwardly, Buffy groaned. She had a feeling she knew which Hostile Riley was talking about.
Oz.
Things were about to get complicated.
To be concluded…