Real Estate (Or, 'A Unique Fixer Upper')
By Cynamin & NutMeg
Disclaimer: We own no one but ourselves. Got that?
Part Four
Angel Investigations
On call day and night for all your demon problems
Nights are always better
"Angel Investigations. We help the hopeless."
There was a long pause on the other end of the phone line. Cordelia rolled her eyes, ready to hang up. "Hello?"
When there was no answer, Cordelia went to put the phone down. she almost missed the voice on the other end. "Cordelia?"
"Buffy?" Cordelia asked in surprise. She glanced around, glad to see that Angel had not yet come upstairs. "What do you want?"
"I...I need to talk to Angel."
Cordelia was instantly wary. "Why?"
Buffy sighed. "It's...call it a business call, Cordelia. It's about the visitor Angel had."
"Are you going to be nice? Is he not going to be moping around the office for the next week after he talks to you?"
"Well..." There wasn't much Buffy could say to that, and she knew it. "I *need* to talk to him. It's important."
Cordelia was considering telling her that Angel was busy and hanging up. After all, no good could come of this. Still...
The decision was taken from her, though. Appearing next to her desk, Angel spoke softly. "Who's on the phone?"
Cordelia sighed and handed it over without a word, not trusting herself to speak, and having the feeling that he *needed* to take this call.
Angel took it, a little confused, and with more than a little apprehension. "Hello?"
"Angel..." an achingly familiar female voice came over the line. "It's me."
Angel felt his heart seize up -well, it was more of a phantom pain- at the sound. "Buffy." Why was she calling? He realized she was waiting for him to say something. "It's uh...what's wrong?" *Smooth move Mr. Articulate.*
"It's about the visitor you had," the Slayer replied. "And her warning."
"Oh, God. Is everyone okay? Have you met her sisters? What's going on!"
"Relax, Angel," Buffy cut him off sharply, but she sounded a little pleased that he was concerned. Then again, he could have been imagining that part. "That's why I'm calling. We've met them. Willow and Anya both say they check out okay."
"Anya?" Angel was incredulous. "What would she know about them?"
"Apparently they were friends at some point. That's not the point though. It's that their OTHER sister, the one who told you to stay away, is the dangerous one," Buffy explained. "She has apparently done this kind of stuff before. Causing mischief where she doesn't belong. Meddling in people's lives. Be careful, there's no telling what she might do."
Angel could hardly believe what he was hearing. But it made a certain kind of sense. The way she appeared suddenly, mysteriously. Her pleasure in making him uncomfortable. That…goddess...was certainly trouble. But then, could this be one of her tricks too? Something told him he was just being paranoid. He didn't like being dropped in on in his boxers. Unless, of course, that visitor were Buffy. He sighed. "Thanks for the warning. We'll be on the lookout. Is there anything we can do to help?"
There was a significant pause on the other end of the phone line. "No," she said briefly. "Just...be careful, okay?" Then the phone line clicked off without even a goodbye.
Giles' Apartment
Perfect for meeting to save the world
Vampires not invited
Buffy hung up the phone, her hand shaking slightly. She tried to hide it, but Willow noticed.
"What's wrong?"
Buffy turned away from the phone and chewed her lip slightly. "I don't know if he believed me," she said after a moment.
Willow was about to reassure her when a clatter sounded loudly in the quiet room. The red haired goddess was walking quickly from the house, her chair having fallen over in her haste to get up. She was paler than usual, and then she was out the door and gone. Her sister looked back and forth at the other people in the extremely silent room. She stood abruptly and followed.
The apartment was dead silent in their wake. Seeing two immortal, powerfull beings that disturbed about anything could not be good. "I'll...see what's going on," Willow offered. No one made a comment as she went to leave the apartment as well.
Everyone heard Cynamin's scream when Willow opened the door, though. "It was supposed to be easier than this!" she cried.
Willow hastily shut the door behind her. Neither goddess registered her presence. Cynamin was pacing, clearly agitated, her sister watching her worriedly.
"It was supposed to be..." Cynamin was saying. "You know, come in, get them together, fix that eancy weency curse problem, and poof! Everything solved, happily ever after!" she nearly yelled. "How are they supposed to live happily ever after, though, if they won't even come to the same town!"
Willow gasped audibly, and backed up against the wall, as if to avoid being noticed. *They want Buffy and Angel together? Why? Oh wow!*
NutMeg was comforting her sister. "Come on, it'll happen. Some things can't be stopped. This is one of them! So what if our troublesome sib thinks she can out smart us?"
"But she IS outsmarting us!" Cynamin snapped. "She doesn't even LIKE this world!"
Willow listened eagerly. *This WORLD?*
"I know. So she can't know EVERYTHING about it," the blonde goddess reasoned. "We just have to guess what she'll throw at us next."
Cynamin seemed to relax, her pacing suddenly ceased, and she slumped slightly. "Guess what she'll throw at us next, huh? You make it sound so easy."
"Of course it's easy! She wants to cause trouble for us. What would you do if you wanted to cause trouble for us?"
Cynamin thought for a moment. "Well, she's already ruined our trustworthiness with Angel," she said reluctantly. "I guess...the next step would be to destroy what trust we've built here."
"So, we'll keep our eyes out," NutMeg said, trying to reassure her. "What else can we do?"
Willow quietly went back inside, wondering what she'd heard meant...and fearing the answers.
Angel Investigations
Sunny Dispositions, Dark Interior
Some form of payment preferable
Angel set down the phone and abruptly turned away from Cordelia's asking eyes, going into his office and shutting the door. Why couldn't life be simple? Just once! One week it was demons...the next three goddesses running around in Southern California. And to top it all off he had no idea which ones were to be trusted. Of course, his gut instincts told him he should trust Buffy when she said that the two Anya had vouched for were on their side. But then, Anya *had* been a revenge demon.
"Okay, Mr. Broody. What did she say to you this time?"
Angel looked up at Cordelia, who stood back-lit in the doorway. He sighed slightly. For a guy that didn't breath he seemed to do that an awful lot. "She...had news about the visitor we had."
"That's it?" Cordelia asked. "Not even a 'hi, how are you?'"
Angel flinched slightly. "It was...just a business call, Cordelia."
"And people say *I'm* rude," Cordelia replied. At Angel's glare, she changed the subject quickly. "So, what about the really weird one in the outfit that screamed 'I haven't read a fashion magazine in 200 years'?" Cordelia asked lightly.
Angel smiled very slightly at that. Same old Cordelia. "That would be the one," he agreed. "It seems the sisters she warned about have shown up in Sunnydale. They're not a problem apparently, though. They warned about *their* sister - our guest. And...Anya knows them. She vouched for them."
Cordelia laughed. "Well, that's a rousing endorsement," she said sarcastically. At Angel's continued pensive look her amusement faded. "What are you going to do?"
Angel didn't answer immediately, mostly because he had no answer to give. What *was* he going to do? "Cordelia, which would you trust more, your instincts or your mind?"
She looked a little startled at the question. But then, Cordelia's idea of instincts was the primal need to shop. "It would depend on the problem," she replied.
"If your instincts said to trust people you've always trusted, but your mind says that everyone can be tricked."
Cordelia laughed slightly, trying to lighten the mood. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, gloom-and-doom. That sounds like you being super-skeptical again."
Angel couldn't help but smile at his friend's honest statement. "That's true. I guess the best thing to do now is wait. If we don't do anything right away, *someone* or some*thing* will have to make a push to forward their plans. We can wait and see which goddesses do what. I expect we'll get another visit from Her Darkness."
"Oh great," Cordelia groaned. "She gave me the creeps."
Angel looked up sharply. "Really?"
Cordelia nodded. "Yeah. She was way-out-there freaky."
*Trust to instincts* the thought came unbidden from the Vampire's mind. "Then maybe we already have our answer."
Cordelia looked confused. "What are you talking about?"
"She gave me the creeps, too," Angel replied. "And while I'm doubtful of Anya's endorsement, Willow also said they were okay apparently."
"Then what's that problem?" Cordelia asked, sounding slightly exasperated with him.
Angel leaned back, trying to figure out why exactly this situation still bothered him. "We had one goddess come here and warn against going to Sunnydale. Specifically, she warned me about her sisters. Then these sisters show up in Sunnydale, and they give the opposite warning. I'm not sure who to trust."
"Then trust your friends," Cordelia said as if it was the simplest solution in the world. "What? The dark lady gave both of us the creeps. The other two have apparently gained everyone else's trust. As much as I don't like her personally, Buffy is the Slayer. She's usually pretty good at figuring out who's trustworthy."
Angel smiled slightly. "Yeah, you're right," he agreed.
Cordelia grinned at him and went to leave him alone once again. Part way out the door she turned around. "Angel?"
"Hmm?"
"Did you say our visitor warned you not to go to Sunnydale?"
"Yeah, she did," Angel affirmed. "Why?"
Cordelia was perplexed. "Why warn you? I mean, you weren't *planning* on going to Sunnydale. Were you?"
Angel looked up at Cordelia with a look she might have described as having an epiphany if she had only studied the SAT vocabulary. "Maybe we should make a trip to Sunnydale. I, for one, don't like being left in the dark."
"Really?" Cordelia chuckled. "I thought that was what you liked best."
"Cordelia," the Vampire warned. "Call Wesley. I need to talk to him."
"Yes, sir," she gave him a mock salute and a grin. "Just promise me you won't do anything to go all evil on us again, okay?"
Angel gave her a stare she immediately translated as *don't go there.* She nodded and picked up the phone.
Lowell House
Good friends, good parties, lots of fun.
Good food if you don't mind your meat bloody.
Riley paced as he waited for Buffy to arrive. She had promised to be over soon for their date, but had called to say the meeting had run late and she was just getting out of the shower. He was looking forward to a romantic dinner and some time alone, but the warning of the dark, mysterious, and breathtakingly stunning woman he vaguely remembered in a kind of hazy dream. It was an interesting thing to remember, especially since he could not have picked her face out of a crowd on the street. His mind felt fuzzy. All he knew was that he HAD to make sure Buffy was warned about the two goddesses out to destroy her. He couldn't let that happen!
But how to stop them? He didn't even know what they looked like. He didn't know who they were. He couldn't just say to Buffy "there are two evil goddesses in town out to get you." This may have been Sunnydale, but not everything was that simple. Buffy would brush it off, probably, saying that she knew things around here better than he did and that she could take care of herself. Simply telling her would get nothing accomplished.
So Riley continued to pace and pondered the strange warning he had received, the warning he believed whole-heartedly. If he couldn't just tell Buffy to be wary and have her actually do so, he'd have to take more immediate action.
"What's with the carpet pacing?"
Riley looked up with a start. He hadn't even heard Buffy open the door. He smiled and pulled her close in a warm, tender kiss. "I just couldn't wait to see you," he replied. Not mentioning his former train of thought.
Buffy smiled. "That's sweet. So, are you going to take me to this surprise destination of yours or not?"
"Of course," the TA grinned as he escorted her out the door. As they walked he put an arm around Buffy's shoulders. "So, how was the meeting? Did I miss anything?"
Buffy sighed. "You wouldn't believe all that's going on. I'll just give you the short version if that's okay." When Riley nodded she continued. "Well it seems that our two new friends are actually goddesses here on some kind of mission of good. Their mischievous sister is also in our world making trouble and trying to keep them from accomplishing their task. I know this probably sounds completely wacky, but it's true. Willow and Anya both vouch for them, and they sure don't feel like evil-creepies."
Riley felt sick. Those girls...*those* sisters... They were the ones about whom he had been warned, and he had led them right to Buffy. Why, they were probably working on their nefarious plan right now!
Some of his horror must have shown on his face, for Buffy placed a gentle hand on his arm and looked at him in concern. "Riley? What's wrong?"
He said nothing for a moment and pulled slightly away. He gave her an empty grin and lied. "Nothing's wrong," he assured her. "So...uh, where are they staying?"
Buffy shrugged. "You know what? I don't know. Last I saw them they were at Giles', though. I think they're still there. Why?"
"No reason," Riley said falsely. "No reason at all. Um...did they say why they're here?"
Buffy got an odd look on her face as she thought for a second. "No...no, they were rather vague on that."
*So they aren't all on the up and up,* Riley thought. "Shouldn't someone have asked?" he queried.
Buffy glared at him. "You don't think Willow's right about trusting them?" She asked, clearly pissed that he was questioning her friend, and her own judgment.
"Now, Buffy," he held up both hands, palms toward here in a placating gesture. "It's not that I don't think you and Willow can tell when someone's good or bad. I just think that if we're dealing with goddesses, who knows what kind of spells they could have cast on anybody?"
Buffy still maintained an expression of anger, but he could see doubt creeping into her eyes. "You don't think someone would have noticed a spell being cast? Willow, or Giles - he played with a lot of magic in his time. Or Tara or Anya maybe? Or, I don't know, me? You don't think I can tell who's trustworthy and who isn't?"
"They're goddesses, Buffy," Riley explained slowly. "Who knows the sort of magic they possess. Maybe they could distort our whole reality and we wouldn't even notice!"
Buffy opened her mouth to argue, but fell silent instead. Her anger disappeared. "As much as I hate to admit it...you're right."
Riley kept himself from rejoicing at that minor victory. He noticed Buffy's hesitation. "Then what's bothering you?"
"It's just...if you're right, why doesn't it *feel* right?"
Riley shrugged. "I don't know. But you can't trust these two at face value. You simply can't."
Buffy nodded, then looked at him strangely. "Why not?"
"You *can't.* They aren't like us."
"Like we're all normal, right?" Buffy asked, sounding a little ticked off.
Riley sighed. "You know what I mean."
"No, I don't think I do," she replied. "What DO you mean?"
"Buffy!" he said back in exasperation. "They aren't human! You don't know what they want. You don't know what they can do!"
"That's it, isn't it?" Buffy said in sudden understanding. "All that's human is automatically good, and all that's isn't is evil. Is that the way it's always going to be with you?"
"That's not what I meant," Riley defended himself. *Not that it doesn't seem to hold true most of the time...*
Buffy's gaze seemed to go...cold. "I should hope not. Because I've seen some terrible, evil things, and they were caused by human hands. And I've known ... others that were far more 'human' in their ways, good 'people' who weren't people at all."
The conversation was taking a very different turn, and he wasn't sure quite where he'd lost control of it. "This isn't the point, Buffy. Those girls aren't..."
"Aren't what?" Buffy demanded. "Aren't like us? Maybe they're closer to us than you think. How human are we, Riley? I'm the Slayer. I can do things no other human being can do. And you, with your strength enhancing drugs and demon technologies...who knows everything they've done to you?" She paused, looking a bit bitter. "How human are we?"
Riley opened his mouth to respond, but Buffy cut him off. "Nevermind, I don't want to hear it right now. There's a lot to be done. If you want to help, come to Giles' tomorrow morning. If not..." She didn't finish the thought, but instead turned heel and left.
As the door slammed behind her, Riley's mouth closed. *I've got to do something to save her from them.*
Part Five
Angel Investigations
Always looking for a few good demon hunters.
Hopeless and Helpless need not apply, we've met our quota.
Wesley stood back in the doorway of Angel's bedroom, watching the vampire pack a small, black duffle. "Are you sure this is the best idea?" he asked for the ump-teenth time.
Angel didn't even look at him. He just regarded an odd looking axe for a moment in silence before putting it aside as too big to fit in the duffle. Besides, he wasn't planning on fighting. This...was a truth-seeking trip.
"I mean, I'm sure Mr. Giles has everything well in hand," Wesley tried.
Angel nodded. "I'm sure he does. But if someone suspicious *doesn't* want me to go, then I think I should be there."
"You are a contrary vampire aren't you?" the Brit sighed.
Angel smiled. "It's my nature," he said as he stuffed another shirt in the bag. "Call me paranoid and suspicious if you like."
Wesley ignored the comment and looked a bit flustered. "Yes, well...if you're certain this is the correct course of action..." he said. "That is, I trust your judgment, Angel. I'm just worried it may be clouded where...Sunnydale is concerned."
"I'm not going because of Buffy," Angel said smoothly.
"Now, I didn't say that," Wesley replied defensively.
Angel looked slightly amused. "No, but it's what you meant," he pointed out. "Look, I'm going to Sunnydale because there's something going on that I need to figure out, alright? You didn't see this...goddess...that made both Cordelia and I uncomfortable."
"Sorry I missed her," Wesley muttered.
He didn't mean for Angel to hear, but his supernatural hearing picked it up anyway. "You can come along if you want," Angel said after a moment.
Wesley tried not to look *too* eager at the opportunity. In truth, he had been dying to see how things were in the Hellmouth, as well as get his hands on some of Giles' books. "I think that's a good idea," he said as calmly as possible. "Give me an hour to pack and we can be on our way."
Angel tried not to chuckle as Wesley rushed out of the basement apartment without even waiting for his response. He knew the "rogue demon hunter" would be back in half an hour, tops. He didn't mind the company. Wesley was an asset, had a tremendous amount of knowledge, and could drive in the daytime. Angel would wait for him.
He continued to pack, not in any great hurry. Things didn't seem too dire at the moment, and he had to wait for Wesley. Of course, things could change to dire very quickly both in L.A. and in Sunnydale. He only hoped he'd get there before that happened.
Someone cleared their throat in Angel's doorway, and he glanced up. Cordelia was looking at him and his half packed belongings. "Wesley's coming?" she asked briefly.
"Yes."
"You're not leaving without me, then," Cordelia stated firmly, before leaving the room as well.
*Probably to start packing,* Angel thought with a bit of a sigh, knowing just how long it could take Cordelia to pack. It would probably be midday, then, before they were all ready to leave. Longer than Angel would have liked.
He just hoped that for *once* things on the Hellmouth wouldn't get out of control before he arrived.
The Bronze
Good music, good drinks, good times
The most normal place in town
NutMeg grinned as Willow, Buffy, and Anya escorted her and Cynamin into what turned out to be an exciting looking dance club. The sign outside had read "The Bronze." NutMeg's first thought was of scantily clad Greek and Roman warriors.
Not that she expected to find them inside this place. Still, it looked like a lively party. It certainly brought smiles to the faces of the girls they were staying with simply to walk in the door. NutMeg was quickly grinning from ear to ear as well.
Cynamin, on the other hand, looked positively...well, NutMeg didn't know what her sister was thinking, but she had a scowl plastered on her face. Her hands were in her pockets and she wasn't saying a word. Actually, she hadn't said much since her outburst that morning.
NutMeg elbowed her suddenly and Cynamin let out an undignified squeak. The three girls turned around in surprise, and NutMeg began to chuckle.
"What was that for?" Cynamin demanded.
"You're reverting to your too serious ways," NutMeg mock scolded. "You need to loosen up. And *this* is the perfect place for that!"
Cynamin didn't look completely convinced, but she managed a weakly amused smile. "Whatever you say," she replied with only mild sarcasm.
NutMeg gave up on her stick-in-the-mud sibling and stepped up to walk next to Willow and Buffy. "This place is great. We don't have anything like this at home."
"Goddesses don't party?" Willow looked a little startled at the concept. Obviously she'd never really thought about the after-work habits of deities.
The blonde goddess laughed. "Well of course we do. Most of us anyway. But usually we don't have...well...*this,*" she motioned around her. "A lot of the Elders think physical forms of entertainment are too infantile."
"Infantile?" Buffy queried.
"Speaking in terms of the age of the universe anyway," NutMeg replied. "Like millennia. The younger species and worlds as opposed to the older ones."
"You mentioned...Elders," Buffy said slowly. "What...that is, how old are you...in comparison?"
"Old enough," NutMeg said, very sure of herself.
That only made Buffy look more suspicious.
"It's a sensitive subject," Cynamin explained finally. "We're considered to be essentially teenagers in our own way, but after a couple of millennia being treated like you're twelve wears thin."
"I could imagine!" Willow replied, wide eyed.
Cynamin smiled slightly. "Plus, poor NutMeg here is the baby of the family."
"Hey!"
"Which only makes it worse."
"I am *not* the youngest!" NutMeg glared at her sibling. "There are thousands of goddesses younger than I am! It's not *my* fault that I have two nincompoop sisters who act twelve! It's because of you two that everyone *assumes* I'm just as immature! Like you...DROOLING over every cute media star in the known universe! And Kirshana, always causing trouble. It's not fair!"
"I do not DROOL!!" Cynamin yelled back, annoyed. "And I do not act twelve! And Kirshana is Dad's favorite, so you can't blame it on her either!"
"Oh, you do so!" NutMeg spat. "There was Chris O'Donnell for a while, then Stan Kirsch, Antonio Banderez, and don't me STARTED on David Boreanaz!"
"Who?" Buffy looked confused at the last one. The sisters ignored her.
"Don't even go there!" Cynamin yelled back. "Or need I remind you that you once upon a time liked Jonathan Taylor Thomas!" This was obviously an old argument. "And you were right there with me for Chris O'Donnel and Stan Kirsch. And *you're* the one who drools over Antonio Banderez doing bare-chested pushups!"
NutMeg was grinning at her. She loved getting her sister riled up like this. "And...David...?"
Cynamin gaped like a fish for a moment, trying to come up with a good come back. Finally she sighed in defeat. "Can I help it if he looks good in leather pants?"
NutMeg seriously failed to hold back the snort of laughter
That was when the two sisters realized they were surrounded by confused, and amused, mortals. This sent them into another fit of giggles.
"Umm...not to interrupt the very odd sibling bonding you've got going here," Buffy said once they had stopped laughing to catch their breath, "but...what are you talking about?"
"Drool-worthy men," NutMeg piped up, causing her sister to fight back more laughter.
"Oooh, like Xander," Anya said dreamily. "Especially when he gets all sweaty and..." She trailed off when she noticed the whole group staring at her. "What?"
A loud ringing caused the entire group to jump instead of replying to Anya's questioning look. Willow reached into her brightly colored motley cloth purse and pulled out a cellular phone.
"Where did *that* come from?" Buffy asked.
Willow smiled. "Giles got tired of never being able to find any of us, so he bought it."
"Why did he give it to *you*?" the Slayer continued.
"Because I'm *the most responsible, and least violent,*" she chuckled at her own imitation of Giles' voice. She picked up the phone. "Hello, Giles? Mmmhmmm. Okay. Yep. Bye." She hung up with a beep and put the phone away. "Giles wants us back at his place."
Buffy rolled her eyes dramatically. "But we just got here!" she said, even as she led the group of them back out of the club they had just barely entered.
Everyone else followed her calmly, knowing there wasn't much else they could do. Giles wouldn't have called if it wasn't important. Probably just the end of the world again. Cynamin and NutMeg stayed at the back of the group, wondering just what they were getting into this time.
They were just out the door when Buffy stopped abruptly. The rest of the group bnarely avoided running into her. There was no one in sight except...
"Hey!" an unfortunately familiar male voice called.
"Riley," Buffy replied, sounding none too happy.
The two sisters cringed.
"Buffy," he nodded a greeting. "I was on my way to get you."
"Well, we're on our way to Giles'," the Slayer began to move past him. "He needs us right away. What do you want?"
"I...I just..."
Buffy sighed. "Riley, it's really important that we go now," she said, trying to move on.
"Well, you said I should come..." he began, then stopped when he saw Cynamin and NutMeg. "You!" he said angrily.
Both goddesses looked bewildered. "Uhh...us!" NutMeg replied.
"What do you think you're doing here?" Riley turned to confront them, actually rather imposing up close with his angriest face on.
NutMeg smiled innocently. "We're here to save the world of course. Just like every other girl here." She stepped up closer to him, allowing Riley a moment to take note of what she had implied. Just like she had hoped, he lost it.
"Like I'm supposed to believe that," he snarled. "I don't know what you've done to the others, but you can't fool *me.* I know you're here on some evil whim, planning to throw the world into chaos again or whatever. So why don't you go away and leave us alone!"
"Riley Finn!"
NutMeg grinned broadly into the irate TA's face as he turned to face his now even more irate girlfriend's face. His face went from bright red to bleached white. Quite a trick.
"How *dare* you attempt to speak for me or anyone else here!" the Slayer slammed her fist into Riley's chest, knocking him back a good two feet. "Not to mention assume that we're so adle-brained that we've been brainwashed instead of making an informed decision! Obviously you haven't a clue as to what you're talking about, and I think you need to reconsider your sources of information. I can't believe you're so ignorant. Now get the *hell* out of my sight!" She stopped, panting, only then realizing that she had been moving forward the whole time, and Riley was now backed up into the wall of the building.
Willow's and Anya's eyes were as big around as walnuts. Cynamin looked confounded and a little annoyed with her sibling. NutMeg was grinning broadly.
Riley edged around the corner of the building and ran. He had to get away from them! Not only were they brainwashed, they were demon possessed!
When Riley was gone, Buffy exhaled, breathing deeply to calm herself down. "I can't believe him! The nerve!"
Willow stepped up and put her hand on Buffy's shoulder. "We need to go."
The Slayer nodded and led them once again off across town.
Cynamin moved to the back and immediately accosted her sister. "What did you think you were doing?!" she whispered angrily. "He was ready to physically attack you!"
NutMeg grinned. "Exactly what I wanted him to do. He lost his temper. He sounded like a completely self-righteous idiot. In front of Buffy, who now doesn't walk to even *see* him."
Cynamin stopped her scolding and a look of realization came over her face. "Oh," she whispered. Then, brighter and grinning, "Oh!" She smiled in delight. "You...I...yes!"
The group turned around and looked at her in surprise. "Sorry," Cynamin muttered sheepishly before turning to her sister once again. "Thank you," she whispered earnestly. "He was *so* getting on my nerves."
"I noticed," NutMeg whispered back, looking amused.
Cynamin grinned. "Congratulations, you solved problem number one. How to get rid of fish boy." Her smile faded then. "Only, like, 2 million problems left to go."
"2 million?"
"Starting with How to get our couple of choice in the same town as one another," Cynamin muttered. "They're being extremely uncooperative about that."
I-10 East
The fastest way to nowhere
California Traffic at it's finest
"Pass another chip," Wesley sighed from the driver's seat of Angel's car.
"I don't see why we have to live in the city with the worst traffic in the country!" Cordelia wailed from the seat next to him.
"Just lucky I guess," Angel replied with a straight face as he handed Wesley a Pringle. He was in the back and the top was up. The sun was almost down, but the smog on the highway was bad enough that the top was needed to keep out the carbon monoxide. The air conditioner was on full force and recirculating the internal air.
Angel was laying down in the back, a blanket over him to keep out the last of the days sunlight. It was a good thing he didn't really feel the temperature, or even with the air conditioner on he would have been miserable. He was starting to wonder if this little expedition was doomed...if the traffic was trying to tell him something...
"Angel."
"Hmmm?" Angel blinked, then again. Then, he woke up completely. It was dark. Completely. And the car wasn't moving. Out the window he could see only the tops of trees. "Are we there?" he asked, eager to be out of the back, where his long frame was now feeling very cramped.
"No," Cordelia sighed dramatically from where she stood, looking in the back window. "We're not fortunate enough to be back in Sunnyhell."
"Then where are we?" the vampire asked. "And where's Wesley?"
"Here," the Brit replied, coming into view. There was a black smudge across his face that smelled like it might be gasoline.
"Okay, *what* is going on?" Angel asked his two friends and employees once again.
Wesley sighed. "We appear to be out of gas."
Part Six
Giles' Residence
Home of one of the many who doesn't seem to need work
Vampires please go away
"Where have you girls been!?" Giles demanded as soon as he opened the door.
"Good to see you too, Giles," Buffy said pointedly, sidling her way past him, closely followed by her friends and the two goddesses.
Giles would have none of it. "It just so happens we are in the middle of an emergency," he said pointedly. "This is no time for you to be doing who knows what who knows where!"
Buffy fought back a grin. "Chill, okay? We were just trying to show our visitors a good time. We were at The Bronze. Now what's the big emergency?"
"The Initiative," he said without preamble. "Their meddling has caused us to have a serious problem."
"When doesn't it?" Anya snorted derisively.
Giles shot her a glare. "They somehow managed to knock out all of the electricity on the University campus while chasing Adam. Now all the electric security locks on campus -and all the lights- are out, and Adam is running rampant."
Buffy sighed. "And still Riley had the time to come and threaten us," she muttered.
NutMeg giggled.
Willow looked at her. "I don't suppose you two could..." She waved her hands about for a second, "make it *poof* all better?"
Cynamin shook her head. "Our powers are...restricted outside our own domain. And if Kirshana's involved in this...which wouldn't surprise me...we wouldn't be able to anyway."
"Alright Giles," Buffy said, sounding none too thrilled. "Break out the good weapons. It looks like we're going hunting."
U.C. Sunnydale
Institution of Higher Learning and Lower Scum
Don't trust the Frat Boys
Campus...was dark. And not just night dark, but lights-out-and-the-clouds-are-covering-the-stars-and-moon dark. It was strangely quiet too. As if all the students were hiding. Of course, it *was* one in the morning. And they probably *were* hiding. Occasionally a grunt or other demonic sound would carry across the silent lawns, unearthly and creepy.
Willow shivered. "I don't like this," she whispered. She was holding a good sized club with a hook on the end so hard her knuckles were white. "I really don't like this."
Buffy turned to look at her, barely able to see her in the dark. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't like it either," she whispered.
"Oh yeah, that makes us feel a whole lot better," Xander replied sarcastically, having arrived on the scene only shortly after the rest of them had.
"We'll cover more ground if we split up," Buffy suggested.
Anya made an odd sound at that. "I don't think it's a good idea to be without supernatural powers right now. If I was still a demon, I'd say 'cool, let's split up' but as it is...I'm sticking with the Slayer."
"You have more supernatural powers in this group than that you know."
Anya glanced back at NutMeg, who had spoken, and Cynamin. "Oh, yeah."
"Good then," Buffy nodded. "Anya and Xander go with Cynamin. NutMeg come with Willow and I. We'll cover the dorm side. You three start at the other end," she motioned at Xander's group.
Cynamin looked a bit grumpily at the group she'd been given. "Come on then," she said, managing to sound annoyed even when whispering, and lead the two to the other end of the campus.
"Nice to know we're wanted," Xander muttered as they walked away.
"Shhhh!"
NutMeg just grinned as her sister headed off.
"Let's go," Buffy motioned with one arm, and the Slayer, the witch, and the goddess headed for the dorms.
Angel's car
A true classic
Stylish by night, essential by day
"There it is!" Cordelia shouted happily, jumping up and down and waving at the approaching lights.
"Finally," Angel sighed.
"Aren't you glad I brought the cell phone?" she said smugly.
"Thrilled," Wesley's reply was only *slightly* sarcastic.
"You know, if you'd checked the gas gage before we left we wouldn't be in this mess," Cordelia pointed out.
"Yes, well, if you had filled up the car the last time you 'borrowed' it I wouldn't have had to," Wesley retorted.
Angel sighed. *Am I the boss or the baby-sitter?* he thought briefly. "Let's not place blame here," Angel said. "Let's just get some gas, and get on the road again. Alright?"
"Okay," Cordelia agreed just to be agreeable.
The tow truck hooked up the car and the three of them crammed into the tiny cab with the cute but very un-rich tow truck driver, George. It was a twenty minute drive to the nearest gas station, and Angel thought he might scream if he had to listen to Cordelia and George flirt for another moment. As they got down out of the cab he was just happy to be able to stretch.
George winked at Cordelia one last time and then nodded at Wesley and Angel. "Hey, this one's on me."
"Thanks," Cordelia smiled as he drove away. Then she turned to Angel. "I just saved you fifty bucks. I think *someone* deserves a thank you."
Angel looked at Wesley. "Wesley, thank you."
Wesley grinned back. "You're most welcome."
Cordelia didn't have time to ask what they were referring to before she was unceremoniously dumped through the back window of the car.
"Hey!" she cried when she found herself sitting in the back.
Chuckling Angel went around to the driver's seat. Wesley sat next to him, and then they were off once again. With any luck, they might make it to Sunnydale before sunrise...
U.C. Sunnydale Library
Full of New ideas and Old tomes
Don't let the dust get you
Cynamin stalked quietly through the old building, warily keeping an eye -and a minor magic spell- out for Adam. She was going to throttle her sister if she ever figured out how she managed to get to go with Buffy, while *she* was stuck with Xander and Anya!
Okay, so Anya wasn't really that bad. I mean, they'd been friends once. of course, at the time Anya had been a vengeance demon and Cynamin had just gotten off this really bad relationship...so they kind of had common ground. This new, powerless Anya was *very* strange. And she thought most mortals were weird!
She heard something. None of her magical alarms went off, so it wasn't Adam, but there was someone else here. With a shushing motion towards her charges, Cynamin crept forward to the source of that strange whisper.
She peered around the corner and stopped dead. It wasn't the *last* thing she expected to see, but it was close. This was the perfect opportunity to find out what was going on. Motioning Xander and Anya to be quiet, she gave Xander the hand signal to turn on the hand-held tape recorder he had brought. She was glad now that he had thought to bring it in the first place. *We've got you now, Kirshana.*
The pitiful vampire was cowering in front of the angry goddess, her black clothing blending into the shadows around her. He would not look her in the eye.
"Please," he begged. "To go up against the Slayer like that...it's suicide!"
Kirshana looked at him with angry fire in her gaze. "Of course it is!" she whispered harshly back. "This isn't about you. This is about darkness. This is about showing my sisters once and for all what the stronger force in the universe is. You will do as you're told," she ordered. "You will fight, and you will die. Meanwhile, the real plan will go into effect. You are the distraction only - be a good one."
The vampire quivered and bowed, then turned and ran.
Kirshana was grinning viciously. "This is working out better than I thought. The mortals on this world are even stupider than the last one I was on! Perhaps I should follow my siblings more often. This is *so* amusing." With a chuckle, she vanished.
Cynamin turned to Xander. "Did you get that?"
The dark-haired guy grinned. "Every word."
"We've got to get back to the others."
The trio quickly exited the building. Unaware of the eyes on them from above.
Kirshana smiled to herself and went off to find her next target.
The Quad
Center of dorm life on campus
Anybody up for Frizbee?
Buffy crept silently through the bushes outside one of the girls dorms. NutMeg and Willow had made a quick detour to Stevenson to pick up a book of spells Willow thought might be useful. Buffy continued to scout. She hadn't seen anything yet. Not even a camouflaged member of the goon squad. The bushes rustled behind her and she spun, stake drawn.
"Calm down," a voice said, coming from what had just been in front of her. Buffy spun back around to come face to face with a woman in black. The outfit was clearly goddess. Buffy recognized it because it was similar to an outfit NutMeg had shown them from her home...dimension. "My my aren't we jumpy?" the woman smiled. It wasn't a pleasant smile.
"What do you want?" Buffy glared at the woman.
"To warn you," she replied calmly. "My sisters are here for Angel."
Buffy's heart clenched. "What do you mean?"
Kirshana laughed. "Isn't it obvious? My sister Cynamin is absolutely obsessed with your vampire. She'd do anything to ensure his happiness. Even take him for herself."
Buffy looked stricken. "You can't...She wouldn't!"
Kirshana just smiled in a knowing way. "If you insist," she said lightly. "Of course, you could always wait until he arrives to find out for yourself."
"He's coming here?" Buffy said in a strangled voice.
"He should be...over half way here by now," Kirshana clarified.
Buffy wasn't sure what to think. Anya and Willow trusted the other two. And this one was supposed to be the sister causing trouble. But, why would she lie? "I don't believe you," she replied. "Angel has no reason to come to Sunnydale."
"You're presuming he comes of his own free will," the goddess smiled. "Compulsion is a very simple spell to master."
Buffy was completely floored by the suggestion. "Angel...he's very strong willed! They couldn't...she wouldn't..."
But Kirshana could see the doubts brewing in Buffy's mind. "Perhaps," she said in a tone suggested that she thought Buffy completely wrong. "We shall see soon enough, won't we?" With that, she disappeared as quickly as she had appeared in the first place.
Buffy was still staring at the empty space where the dark goddess had just been standing when she heard her name called from behind. It was Willow and NutMeg.
"What were you staring at?" Willow asked as they approached.
"Oh, nothing," Buffy replied. She didn't want to say anything to make the goddess standing next to her best friend suspicious. "Thought I heard something. Turned out to be a squirrel."
"Out this late?" Willow asked. "That's unusual."
Buffy just shrugged, preoccupied. "Yeah, I guess..."
"Oh!" Willow said suddenly. 'Maybe it was a were-squirrel! Or a vampire squirrel!"
That made Buffy grin slightly, and she tried to shake off the horrible feeling she gotten since Kirshana had spoken to her. It didn't work too well, though, when she was standing right next to another goddess. A goddess whose purpose was now more in question than ever. *Maybe Riley was right.*
NutMeg watched Buffy carefully as they continued scouting, and noticed that the Slayer was eyeing her warily, though she knew the Slayer couldn't tell she was being watched herself. Something had happened while she and Willow were gone, and she would bet Kirshana was at the bottom of it. As they neared the center of campus, she stepped behind the other two and searched outward with her mind for her sister.
She found her not far away. *Cyn...*
Cynamin's mental reply was bubbling over with excitement. *I just ran into Kirashana! Not run into...she was talking to this vampire. They were planning something...I got it on tape!*
NutMeg had trouble getting her own thoughts heard. *That's great. Have you been taking lessons in babbling from Willow?*
A mental chuckle. *No.*
*Well...we've got a problem here.*
Cynamin was instantly serious. *What sort of problem?*
*I don't know. Buffy's acting strange. Like maybe she doesn't quite trust me.*
*But why wouldn't she? She seemed to earlier.*
*You think maybe Kirshana got to her?*
*Why would Buffy trust her?* Cynamin asked, worried.
*Kirshana's got the strongest skill in compulsion out of all of us.*
*That could be how she convinced Riley we were bad news,* the older sibling replied.
*But what could she have said about us that Buffy would easily believe, or that might leave her vulnerable to suggestion? A Slayer's mind has always been strong against that kind of thing.*
Cynamin gave a mental sigh. *She's human; she has weaknesses. Friends, family... Fears we don't know about. We'll just have to wait and see which one is bothering her.*
NutMeg's mental nod was answer enough. *Though you know this will come back and haunt us later.*
*I know,* Cynamin agreed reluctantly. *Right now, I don't see that we have any other choice.* A pause. *We're heading back over to where you are. Just...keep your eyes open, okay?*
*Eyes, ears, and empathic sensors wide open, sister dearest," NutMeg replied lightly, even though the undertones confirmed that she was dead serious.
(Continued)