~*Two*~

"I learned to let go,

Of the illusions that we can possess."

-- Madonna

            "We are almost all assembled." The man turned towards the wall, glaring into it, almost through it. "Before the end of this week, we will be ready to rise in force."

"That is good. When all the members of the Klak have been reunited, we will be whole again. They can not stop us this time." The voice seemed to come from everywhere all at once. It was distinctly feminine. It was soothing and calm, yet still held a hard, bitter edge. "You will make sure they do not fail me, Fiore. Make sure that they are here in time."

            "I will, Mistress. I will ensure that our plan does not fail." The man bowed his head, his voice rasping out the last few words. "It is only a matter of time before the rest of the Klak have arrived. You understand they can only come in the night. I have watches set up at the airport to receive them. Already we have assembled Violet, Dierdra, Rowan, and Kelson. It will only be a matter of time before the rest arrive."

            "I am pleased, Fiore. I am very pleased with your progress. Let the world know that the Journeyers will not be kept down long. It has been centuries since I have seen the rest of our Klak, it will be good to finally greet our Brothers and Sisters again." The voice swirled around the man and finally came to concentrate in the form of a young woman.

            She was pale, unbelievably so, as if she had never seen the sun in her life. Her hair was full and black, cascading down her shoulders. Her eyes were a piercing green and her mouth a blood red. She wore a long, velvet black dress. It framed her slight stature rather prettily. She walked slowly and deliberately up the man standing before her. Her eyes betrayed no emotion as she savagely covered his mouth with her own.

            He struggled only for a few seconds, and when she drew away again, his expression was one of pure happiness. His eyes glowed golden, and his face changed. His forehead protruded out, making his eyes sink back into his head. Pristinely white fangs formed in his mouth, and he licked his lips slowly. "I have missed you, Mistress."

            "You will get another taste of happiness again soon, Fiore. If things proceed as planned… it will be very soon…" She whispered into his ear.

*          *          *

            It had been a while since the last time he had seen snow. He marveled in it now, watching as it fell slowly in chunks and flakes from the black sky. He stood, not even paying attention to anything around him, as the tiny, intricate flakes dotted his black clothing.

He was mildly aware that he was not alone on the sidewalk. All around him, he could hear the bustle of holiday shoppers scrambling to buy the last of their gifts. He shook himself out of his reverie, shoving his hands deep into his pockets as he began to saunter slowly down the street.

Michigan Avenue was always busy around Christmas time. Lights had been strung festively across the lampposts and hung delicately from the trees. At every corner, he could hear carols being played by street musicians just looking for enough money to buy dinner. It seemed that the city of Chicago never stopped being busy. He found himself wishing for the quiet of his own room, where at least he could think without hearing bells jingling all around him. He wasn't exactly sure why he was here; he just wanted to get away from the cramped spaces of his hotel room.

A persistent beeping in his pocket alerted him that someone was trying to contact him. He dug his cell phone out and turned it on in one swift motion.

"Go ahead." He said into it, continuing to walk down the street.

"Angel, it's Cordy." The young woman's peppy voice blared through the small mechanism, "How's the Windy City?"

"Cold." He replied, again stopping to watch the snow.

"That's good to know." She didn't seem to be very interested, "Anyways, Wes thinks he's figured out what you're up against."

"Good, put him on."

There was a slight pause and then shuffling as the phone was passed to a new speaker. "Yes, Angel, I have it here in front of me." The ex-Watcher's distinct British voice spoke, "I believe what you're dealing with is a demon called Lanthos. Now, this is a very old demon, in fact, it hasn't been spotted for a few centuries. The last account I have of it is from the mid-1800s."

"So why'd it decide to show up now?" Angel asked, intrigued.

"I'm not quite sure. But Cordelia confirmed that it was the same demon from her vision. No one actually knows where Lanthos comes from. There are no records of its origins… hence, there are no known ways to kill it."

"Well, something must have destroyed it. Unless it decided to hide for a couple centuries." He sighed into the phone, "I'll try to keep my ears open for any mention of this Lanthos… You have any leads as to where I can find someone who might know a little about this here in Chicago?"

Wesley paused, "Well… there was a very good reason I booked you into that hotel…"

"Which, by the way," Angel cut in, "Has about the smallest rooms I've ever seen. It sorta bores you out of your mind having to stay in there all day…"

"As I was saying…" Wesley ignored the vampire's comment, "That hotel, the Crown, used to be the headquarters for Watcher business. Of course, Chicago hasn't seen a Slayer for a few decades now, but the connections are still there. You might find something."

"All right. Got it. I'll check it out later tonight." He stopped at a street corner, watching as a horse-drawn buggy went by.

"Be careful, Angel. For all we know, this Lanthos could be invincible."

"Yeah, don't worry about me."

*          *          *

            Buffy walked past several storefronts, her arms laden with bags. She hummed a cheerful Christmas carol, deciding that the whole festive mood was contagious. She had just finished buying herself a new wardrobe, one even Cordelia would have been proud of.

She made her way down Michigan Avenue, heading back towards her hotel. She had been pleasantly surprised when she had found that Giles had booked her into the Empress Suite and she was looking forward to a relaxing bubble bath before going back out again to patrol. She made her way into the lobby, offering a warm smile to the other patrons just checking in. Immediately, two bellboys rushed up to her and helped relieve her of her bags.

"It's all right… I've got it." She persisted, not sure why they were so eager.

"Please, let us help." One of them looked at her.

She was just about to decline their offer when she looked into his face. He seemed so excited, almost frightened of her. He was smiling ecstatically from ear to ear. He seemed nervous, yet very pleased. She sighed, deciding to let them help. After all, if the Chicago people wanted to be friendly to her, why not let herself be pampered for a while?

Once they got to her room, the two young men set her things down near the desk. Before she could even offer them a tip, they had scurried out the door. She raised an eyebrow, a little shocked at their hospitality. She shrugged, picking up the cordless phone and plopping down on the cushy couch in front of her.

Almost instinctively, she dialed Giles' familiar number and waited for someone to pick up on the other side.

Her expectations were soon met as she heard a very out-of-breath Giles answer the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey Giles. It's me."

"Buffy…" She could almost hear him smile, "It's good to know you made it to Chicago in one piece."

"Yeah… it would've been a real pity if I got decimated before I even got here to save the world…" She said sarcastically, "You told me to check in. So… here I am, checking in."

"I'm glad that you didn't lose your witty sense of humor during the flight." He commented, "How are you finding things in Chicago?"

"If you wanna know the truth… I'm not." She replied, "It's kinda strange for a city that's supposedly filled with demons, 'cause I haven't seen anything supernatural since the moment I got here. Unless you count the bellboys in this hotel… they're sorta freaky. Oh, and by the way, thank you for booking me in the Empress Suite. That must've cost you a fortune, but it's got quite a view!"

"Oh… dammit." Giles swore lightly into the phone, "I told them no special treatments…"

"What do you mean 'no special treatments'?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Well… you see… the Crown hasn't housed a Slayer in a few decades… so to them, you're sorta a hero. A legend, if you will."

"They know I'm a Slayer?!" Buffy glared at the phone, "Giles, what's going on?"

There was a slight pause on the other side and she could almost imagine Giles taking the time to take his glasses off and clean them on his shirt. "I didn't want to tell you this before you left, because I knew you would be upset. But the Council is the one that wants you in Chicago."

"Yeah… I thought this had something to do with the Council. I couldn't exactly see you financing a trip to Chicago… plus, you did leave me with an obscene amount of money. By the way, where did you get that?" Buffy asked, trying to keep the surprise out of her voice.

"That's also from the Council. They seem rather worried. They've agreed to cover all of your expenses, no questions asked. Anyways, I had been reluctant to deal with the Council at all, but they did sound rather desperate. They seem to think that the Journeyers are a genuine threat. Apparently, they took the courtesy of warning their Chicago contacts of your arrival. That might be why you're receiving the unsolicited attention."

"So you mean I get the superstar treatment while I'm here?" She asked, ideas already forming in her head.

"I wouldn't go so far as to describe it as 'superstar', but yes, you'll probably find most people will hold a good deal of respect for you. At least at the hotel." He replied, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Well then, I'll talk to you later Giles. I need to go test out my new reputation." She smiled, "I'll call you again if I find something."

"All right, Buffy. Just make sure to keep things under control. We don't want the news of your arrival in Chicago to leak out to the enemy."

"Don't worry, Giles. I'll be a good girl." She replied, "Talk to you later."

She sighed hanging up the phone. She allowed herself a small affectionate smile. It was good of Giles to look out for her. She shed off her thick coat and began to unwrap the scarf from her neck. She walked through the living room and found herself in a lavishly decorated bedroom. In the center, she found a large, king-sized bed laden with pillows of assorted sizes. She smiled, letting herself sink down into it. Looking at her watch, she realized that the night had just begun. She groaned inwardly and forced herself out of the safety of the pillows.

Her bedroom was connected to a large bathroom complete with a jacuzzi. She made a mental note to check that out later. On the other side, there was a large sliding door that led out onto a balcony. Picking up a sweater from her bag, she walked out into the crisp, wintry air.

It was snowing. She could feel each little flake falling onto her skin, melting on contact. She closed her eyes, letting herself feel the cold. When was the last time she had ever seen snow? She knew… she remembered… she would never forget. It had been one of the hottest winters in all of Sunnydale; no one had expected a sudden cold front to hit. But it wasn't the weather that she was reminded of. It was him. An image of him flashed through her mind. His tall, broad figure. He had refused to face her, his back turned towards her, as he stared out onto Sunnydale from the top of the hill. His hands had been clenched at his sides, and his figure was bent in a defeated fashion. She had begged him to go inside. She had pleaded with him to save himself before the sun came up. But he had refused. She still remembered the look of horror on his face. His dark features had been set in an expression of remorse and panic. Am I a thing worth saving, huh? Am I a righteous man? The world wants me gone! He had shouted those words at her. It had scared her. Just the prospect of him leaving. Of living without him. She had shut him out, crying all the while. And then… as if a gift from the heavens to stop her pain… it had started snowing. She had been in the middle of screaming her heart out at him. And there it had been… pure, innocent, white snow.

She opened her eyes again, his face still dancing in her eyes and his touch still lingering on her arms. She found tears trailing down her cheeks even though she hadn't even felt them swell up.

"Angel…" She whispered out into the night. She didn't know who she was talking to, she just felt that she needed to say his name. She needed to remember him, so that at least she knew that she had been happy at some point in her life. She hugged her arms around herself tightly. Years of pent up tears suddenly began to spring forth. Before she could even put up a fight, she found herself breaking down right there on the balcony. She felt so small, so weak. Life had been so much more simple for her back then. She had the man of her dreams, a mother who loved her, friends who cared.

Now… now she didn't even know what she had left. She had given away her heart to a man… no, a vampire. With him, he had taken her love, her happiness, and her optimism. What had she been fighting for the past two and a half years? It certainly wasn't for herself. She never wanted this life. But she had to be strong. She had to be strong for Dawn, to show her that the world wasn't just demons and monsters. She had to be strong for her mother, to let her know that she had raised a daughter to be proud of. She had to be strong for Giles, to pay him back for all the patient years of training her, and watching her grow up. But most of all… she had to be strong for him. To show him that she was OK, that he hadn't shattered her into a million pieces, impossible to pick up.

But now she was alone, sitting by herself in a strange new city. Here, she didn't have to be strong for anyone. No one would care about her sob stories, or listen to her weep into the night. Here, she could finally let out all the pain she had locked up in her heart. She stumbled back into her room, realizing that the cold was getting to her.

She collapsed on her bed and scrunched herself up into the fetal position, hugging her knees tightly to her chest. She closed her eyes, shutting the world out.

Tonight, she was going to be just another girl whose heart had been broken too many times.

*          *          *

            Angel walked out slowly onto the balcony of his hotel room. He breathed in the cool night air, letting it sooth his cramped muscles and his jittery mind. He had found little out on the street and had returned to the hotel. He promised himself that he'd ask around about the demon later. Wesley had sounded genuinely worried.

            The Chicago nightscape stretched out below him. The whole city was alight. Down below, he could hear the roaring of car engines and chattering of passer-bys. The city looked so peaceful to him. Off towards the east stretched the expanse of Lake Michigan. In the night, it looked like a dark, black hole, peaceful and tranquil. He sighed very quietly, soaking up the rare silence.

            "Angel…"

            His head jerked up, his eyes going wide. He looked around, desperately trying to figure out where that had come from. It had been her voice… her sweet, melodic voice. It had been so long since he had heard her speak his name.

            He shook his head. He was becoming delusional… she was dead. He knew it. He was constantly reminded of it. But he could have sworn he had heard her speak his name. He swallowed the lump in his throat, looking out one more time into the night.

            "I'm sorry, Buffy…" His voice cracked, "I'm so sorry…"

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