Title: Family Matters part 2: The Notes
Author: Am-Chau Yarkona
E-mail: spam@hagden169.fsnet.co.uk
Summary: In LA, a mysterious woman summons Fred and Gunn, saying she can help them find Angel. Meanwhile, in England.
Rating: PG-13.
Pairing: Giles/Spike, Fred/Gunn, others later.
Spoilers: For the ends of Buffy season 6 and Angel season 3. Also contains some things gathered from spoilers on seasons 7 and 4 respectively.
Warnings: Pre-slash, unusual Mary-Sue.
Author Notes: This is Mary-Sue. I freely admit it. But it's not quite the normal kind.
Story Notes: None.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Joss etc gets it, I get nothing, not even chocolate money.
Rupert,
I have gone to LA. Someone there- Angel maybe- is calling me. It's a Sire-call, and I can't ignore it. When you can, join me. Please.
I love you, always,
William.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
My Willow,
Mummy says I must go to the party, and Miss Edith will be with me. I love you, pretty one,
Dru.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
If only I could reach you! I see your faces, dancing, smiling, but when I stretch out you're not there. If I can go one more pace, and another, I will find you. I will- I must.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Right, Angelus, why the hell have you fucking called me?" William yells, as he kicks open the doors to the hotel.
Gunn leaps out of the chair behind their reception desk.
"Just who do you think you are?"
"Name's William. Where's Angel?"
"He's not here. Can I help?"
"Not unless you happen to be my Sire in disguise."
"'Fraid I'm not. Who were you looking for?"
"My Sire, you pillock!"
"Well, the only people here at the moment are me, Fred and Alice."
"And just who are you? Something's odd here."
"I'm Charles Gunn. Pleased to meet you, man."
"Vampire, actually."
They shake hands, the peaceable, if surreal, nature of the gesture stunning both of them into unaccustomed silence.
Eventually, Gunn says, "Vampire, huh? Why ain't you trying to bite me?"
"Got a peaky soul, ain't I. Not to mention a chip."
"You must be Angel's grand-childe, then. Not calling yourself Spike anymore?"
"Na. Got bored with it. Look, if Peaches ain't here, and nor's Dru, or Darla, who's called me?"
"Alice."
"Who?"
"As I understand it, she'd your Sire, ages back. She turned Hienreich, he turned Darla, she turned- well, I expect you know about that."
"She's the Master's Sire! Alice- Alice Malone?"
"Yeah."
"And she's called me?"
"The whole family. You're just the first to arrive."
"Oh. Does she want to see me?"
"I dare say. I'll go ask her when."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Five minutes later, William was wondering whether the soul of his boots or the floor would wear holes in them first if he kept pacing, when Gunn came down again, with a pretty girl by his side and a blue-skinned demon following close behind.
"She says you're to go up now. It's room 164, just at the top of the stairs." Gunn told the impatient vampire.
"Right." With barely a glance at the other two, William went, trying to check that he was reasonably respectable as he went. He wasn't quite sure who Alice Malone was or why she seemed to be working with humans, but if she was his Sire- however many times removed, she probably wanted him to at least look neat.
He knocked on the door labelled "164", and waiting, trying to contain his mounting irritation.
"Come in," an elderly voice called, and he noticed he could hear breathing- human breathing!
Pushing the door back, he went in. The room was dimly lit and hot, heated over and above the Los Angeles summer. Lying in the bed was a tall woman, frail and bony. When he saw her, he realised- this is the woman who Called me! She's human?
"You're human?" he said, frowning. "You're human, and you Called me."
"I'm not really human," she replied. "Come, sit by me. We have much to talk about."
"Yeah, that we do," he says, letting his annoyance show, but he pulls up a chair and sits by the bedside.
"Do you know who I am?"
"You're Alice Malone- the Master's Sire, Darla's grandsire."
"That's right. How long have you known that?"
"Since about five minutes ago."
"Have you ever heard of me in another context?"
"Nope."
"Well, I'm a human-immortal. Like the girl Cordelia, I traded my humanity for demonic abilities that help me fulfil my role. I got a vampire face, a heartbeat, and visions. It's a simple deal, and has proved well worth my while- even if I do have to drink blood occasionally."
"Doesn't sound too bad, I admit."
"Well- I find blood drinking quite disgusting, but every deal of this kind must have its down side, while one retains enough freedom to make mistakes."
"Much as I'm enjoying this little story-telling session, I have a lover back in England I'm rather anxious to return to. Could you tell me why I'm here?"
"Because I want a family reunion. To save your Grandsire from madness, I had to put out a Call strong enough to summon all of you."
"This is my Grandsire in which reckoning?"
"There's more than one? I meant Angelus."
"I have a physical Sire and an emotional Sire. We won't go into that now. Why're you trying to save Angel from madness? Is he in danger?"
"His son."
"Angel has a son!"
"Yes, a human boy, born of prophecy. Angel and Darla conceived him."
"Darla's still around?"
"Yes, she was made human by Wolfram and Hart- the lawyers- and then Drusilla turned her again. Did you not know that?"
"No, no one tells me anything around here."
"That isn't quite true, William- I'm about to tell you some things."
"You are?"
"Yes. So listen well, and please feel free to take notes."
William smiles gently, and settles back. If he's got no choice in the matter of listening to this old biddy, he might as well enjoy it.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
In a dark hovel in LA's back streets, a teenaged boy turns in his sleep and opens one eye, to find a blonde woman staring him in the face. "Err," he says, and then- as his senses wake- realises. Not a woman- a vampire.
He gropes to his side for a stake, but the woman catches his arm. "Connor?" she says. "Angel wanted to call you Connor, and I guess he must have had his way in this forsaken dimension."
"Get off me, demon!" the boy snarls. "My name's Steven, and Angel has no control over me!"
"Hush, my son," she whispers. "Of course he doesn't. Not everything in this world has to be about Angel."
"I'm not your son!"
"Oh, but you are. I was going to call you Alexander, after another great king, but Angel said the name had unpleasant associations. How about Alex, do you like that?"
"Get away from me!"
"Oh, come now. Can't you feel the call? The spell has worked- I walk this plane once more- and my Grandsire is calling. Don't you want to come, my son?"
"I feel the pull- but I'm no son of yours."
"You are- but you must come, anyway." She pulls him up, although he protests, and out into the warm night. He tries to land some punches and a kick, but she evades most of them and punches him back for the ones that land.
"You are my son," she growls, "and you will come with me!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Drusilla? I'm home!" Willow says, opening the door of her dorm room. "Sorry I'm late. The Scooby meeting took longer than expected. We haven't been friends like this for so long." Seeing no one, she goes over to the bed where she left her lover asleep, and sees the note.
What? Mummy? Darla, maybe? Where? She sits down on the bed, thinking fast.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"The note he left says he's gone to LA. I'm going to fly over as soon as I can, but I'd be grateful if you'd ring LA and see if he's there."
"I'll do that, Giles. I can hear my 'call waiting' going- I get back to you when I've heard something. Bye."
"Goodbye."
"Hello?"
"Buffy? It's Willow here. Dru's gone. There's a note, but it doesn't say where. You know how she is."
"I know. Don't worry, Will- I have a lead. Giles has just phoned to say Spike took off for LA yesterday, so I'm guessing maybe Dru got a vamp-call too."
"That's would explain, "Mummy says I must go," certainly."
"I'm thinking maybe we should drive down there, find out what's going on."
"Yeah- Dru won't last long on her own, and if we follow in the car. She can't have been gone for long, the sun's only just gone down- you don't think she went before."
"No, Willow, I'm sure Dru isn't that stupid. Not while she's at near full strength, anyway. I'll call Xander, ask him to pick us up, and get Clem to come and stay with Dawn."
"Okay."
"Put some clothes together- we might want to stay a night or two. And don't worry, Will- I've got this all under control."
"Thanks, Buffy."
"See you."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Of course I can drive you, Buffy. Harmony has gone off on one of her road trips again, so I'm happy to help."
"You okay with that?"
"I'm fine. I'll go pick Willow up, and be with you in ten minutes. You can interrogate me on the way to LA."
"Xander! You make me sound like the Spanish inquisition."
"Hah! None of those vampires expect you, do they?"
"Just get the car out, Xander. We can be silly on the way, too."
"I'm glad of that. Your taxi will be with you soon."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Of course you must go to him. I quite understand. Helen will help out, you say?"
"Yes- Helen will take me to the airport and then pick Rowan up after school tomorrow. She'll look after him until you get back, hopefully tomorrow afternoon."
"I think I've got that now, Rupert. You should go and get packed now- it's going to be hard to be ready to go in time."
"I don't plan on packing everything up- I'm coming back, no matter what's happened."
"Don't be too sure. You sound like you're tempting fate, to me. Still, go and pack. I hope it all works out for you and William."
"So do I. Goodbye, Charlene."
"Goddess bless."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"So I could turn Rupert, but he'd still be human? With a soul, and everything?"
"Everyone has to make their own bargain with the Powers, William. You would most likely have to give something up, or do something which was unpleasant or difficult for you."
"I could deal with that. I made a bargain to get my soul, after all. It's something I could do again. Tell me- how do I get to the Powers to make a deal?"
"It's hard work. I think the girl Cordelia may be able to help you."
"Then let's find her."
"Harder still, but I admire your enthusiasm. You lover is coming- he may be able to help us."
"Rupert's coming? Since when?"
"He boarded the plane as I spoke to you. Visions are whimsical things, sometimes."
"So what do I do?"
She smiles, the soft smile of one who is trying not show the pain they are in. "Wait, and let me rest awhile."
"I need something to do."
"Wait, and let me rest. Go now."
Reluctantly, he says, "Okay. I'll be downstairs."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Hours later, Alice wakes from a dream; to realise it was a vision. She sees her Childer, their footsteps sounding in a firm rhythm: William pacing in the hallway below, Angel striding across the seabed, Drusilla marching by the roadway, Darla dragging her son through LA's alleyways, and Heinreich- Heinriech! Involuntarily, she squints her eyes, trying to confirm her identification, but the vision is gone. Where was he? Near at hand, though she hadn't known she'd called him.
"Rangy!" she calls, weakly, her physical voice deficient in comparison with her loud physic voice.
"Yes, my lady?" the blue-skinned demon answers.
"It's Heinreich! He is coming! I saw him. Somewhere- north of here."
"Inside the city or out, ma'm?"
"Outside. About as far away as Drusilla is, in the opposite direction."
"What do you desire me to do, lady?"
"Find him. Fetch him here. If we are to have a family reunion, even the unruly ones who have come from other realities."
"From other realities?" Gunn asks. He had come to listen when he heard Ranguger called.
"Yes. In my stretch to reach my far-flung Childer, all the way across the globe, I must have called those who were dwelling in other realities as well. I just pray that they can be tamed and controlled, not to rampage through the city killing everyone in their path."
"Yeah, it'd be a shame to let that happen," Gunn agreed, dryly.
"I must confess that I agree. For a city, Los Angeles is most pleasing, and not only because it is soon to be the scene of one of my parties."
"So how do you propose to control him, lady?" Ranguger chipped in.
"I think we must cast a curse upon him. He does not have to love of a mortal that William had, to inspire him to find his own soul."
"Can you do that?"
"Yes, and better- Heinriech, I think, may be speared the happiness clause that was the interesting invention of the gypsy woman."
"You can use the gypsy curse?"
"She embellished mine. There is a world of difference. It would be best if you were to go and find Heinriech, observe him- capture him if need be- until we can perform the curse. It will take me some time to prepare." Gunn nods and departs. "Rangy, I'll need my Book Of Shadows, my herbs bag, and an Orb of Thesulah. There's probably one in the suitcase."
Ranguger also nods, and moves into the room to search the suitcase by his mistresses' bed, while she- slowly and carefully- pulls herself up to a sitting position. He watches the operation out of the corner of one yellow- green eye, but does not offer his help. Long years have taught him that to offer help is a sure way to anger her into do even more things that tire her. 'Contrary, you mistress, isn't she?' says a voice in his head.
'Yes,' he replies, silently, 'She never knows when to stop. I care for her, though, even if she can't say my name properly.'
'I see that,' the voice says, 'Have no fear. I have to wish to harm her."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
In a plane over the Atlantic, Rupert Giles polishes his glasses nervously. 'Calm down,' he tells himself. 'It will be okay. You'll find him.'
Author: Am-Chau Yarkona
E-mail: spam@hagden169.fsnet.co.uk
Summary: In LA, a mysterious woman summons Fred and Gunn, saying she can help them find Angel. Meanwhile, in England.
Rating: PG-13.
Pairing: Giles/Spike, Fred/Gunn, others later.
Spoilers: For the ends of Buffy season 6 and Angel season 3. Also contains some things gathered from spoilers on seasons 7 and 4 respectively.
Warnings: Pre-slash, unusual Mary-Sue.
Author Notes: This is Mary-Sue. I freely admit it. But it's not quite the normal kind.
Story Notes: None.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Joss etc gets it, I get nothing, not even chocolate money.
Rupert,
I have gone to LA. Someone there- Angel maybe- is calling me. It's a Sire-call, and I can't ignore it. When you can, join me. Please.
I love you, always,
William.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
My Willow,
Mummy says I must go to the party, and Miss Edith will be with me. I love you, pretty one,
Dru.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
If only I could reach you! I see your faces, dancing, smiling, but when I stretch out you're not there. If I can go one more pace, and another, I will find you. I will- I must.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Right, Angelus, why the hell have you fucking called me?" William yells, as he kicks open the doors to the hotel.
Gunn leaps out of the chair behind their reception desk.
"Just who do you think you are?"
"Name's William. Where's Angel?"
"He's not here. Can I help?"
"Not unless you happen to be my Sire in disguise."
"'Fraid I'm not. Who were you looking for?"
"My Sire, you pillock!"
"Well, the only people here at the moment are me, Fred and Alice."
"And just who are you? Something's odd here."
"I'm Charles Gunn. Pleased to meet you, man."
"Vampire, actually."
They shake hands, the peaceable, if surreal, nature of the gesture stunning both of them into unaccustomed silence.
Eventually, Gunn says, "Vampire, huh? Why ain't you trying to bite me?"
"Got a peaky soul, ain't I. Not to mention a chip."
"You must be Angel's grand-childe, then. Not calling yourself Spike anymore?"
"Na. Got bored with it. Look, if Peaches ain't here, and nor's Dru, or Darla, who's called me?"
"Alice."
"Who?"
"As I understand it, she'd your Sire, ages back. She turned Hienreich, he turned Darla, she turned- well, I expect you know about that."
"She's the Master's Sire! Alice- Alice Malone?"
"Yeah."
"And she's called me?"
"The whole family. You're just the first to arrive."
"Oh. Does she want to see me?"
"I dare say. I'll go ask her when."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Five minutes later, William was wondering whether the soul of his boots or the floor would wear holes in them first if he kept pacing, when Gunn came down again, with a pretty girl by his side and a blue-skinned demon following close behind.
"She says you're to go up now. It's room 164, just at the top of the stairs." Gunn told the impatient vampire.
"Right." With barely a glance at the other two, William went, trying to check that he was reasonably respectable as he went. He wasn't quite sure who Alice Malone was or why she seemed to be working with humans, but if she was his Sire- however many times removed, she probably wanted him to at least look neat.
He knocked on the door labelled "164", and waiting, trying to contain his mounting irritation.
"Come in," an elderly voice called, and he noticed he could hear breathing- human breathing!
Pushing the door back, he went in. The room was dimly lit and hot, heated over and above the Los Angeles summer. Lying in the bed was a tall woman, frail and bony. When he saw her, he realised- this is the woman who Called me! She's human?
"You're human?" he said, frowning. "You're human, and you Called me."
"I'm not really human," she replied. "Come, sit by me. We have much to talk about."
"Yeah, that we do," he says, letting his annoyance show, but he pulls up a chair and sits by the bedside.
"Do you know who I am?"
"You're Alice Malone- the Master's Sire, Darla's grandsire."
"That's right. How long have you known that?"
"Since about five minutes ago."
"Have you ever heard of me in another context?"
"Nope."
"Well, I'm a human-immortal. Like the girl Cordelia, I traded my humanity for demonic abilities that help me fulfil my role. I got a vampire face, a heartbeat, and visions. It's a simple deal, and has proved well worth my while- even if I do have to drink blood occasionally."
"Doesn't sound too bad, I admit."
"Well- I find blood drinking quite disgusting, but every deal of this kind must have its down side, while one retains enough freedom to make mistakes."
"Much as I'm enjoying this little story-telling session, I have a lover back in England I'm rather anxious to return to. Could you tell me why I'm here?"
"Because I want a family reunion. To save your Grandsire from madness, I had to put out a Call strong enough to summon all of you."
"This is my Grandsire in which reckoning?"
"There's more than one? I meant Angelus."
"I have a physical Sire and an emotional Sire. We won't go into that now. Why're you trying to save Angel from madness? Is he in danger?"
"His son."
"Angel has a son!"
"Yes, a human boy, born of prophecy. Angel and Darla conceived him."
"Darla's still around?"
"Yes, she was made human by Wolfram and Hart- the lawyers- and then Drusilla turned her again. Did you not know that?"
"No, no one tells me anything around here."
"That isn't quite true, William- I'm about to tell you some things."
"You are?"
"Yes. So listen well, and please feel free to take notes."
William smiles gently, and settles back. If he's got no choice in the matter of listening to this old biddy, he might as well enjoy it.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
In a dark hovel in LA's back streets, a teenaged boy turns in his sleep and opens one eye, to find a blonde woman staring him in the face. "Err," he says, and then- as his senses wake- realises. Not a woman- a vampire.
He gropes to his side for a stake, but the woman catches his arm. "Connor?" she says. "Angel wanted to call you Connor, and I guess he must have had his way in this forsaken dimension."
"Get off me, demon!" the boy snarls. "My name's Steven, and Angel has no control over me!"
"Hush, my son," she whispers. "Of course he doesn't. Not everything in this world has to be about Angel."
"I'm not your son!"
"Oh, but you are. I was going to call you Alexander, after another great king, but Angel said the name had unpleasant associations. How about Alex, do you like that?"
"Get away from me!"
"Oh, come now. Can't you feel the call? The spell has worked- I walk this plane once more- and my Grandsire is calling. Don't you want to come, my son?"
"I feel the pull- but I'm no son of yours."
"You are- but you must come, anyway." She pulls him up, although he protests, and out into the warm night. He tries to land some punches and a kick, but she evades most of them and punches him back for the ones that land.
"You are my son," she growls, "and you will come with me!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Drusilla? I'm home!" Willow says, opening the door of her dorm room. "Sorry I'm late. The Scooby meeting took longer than expected. We haven't been friends like this for so long." Seeing no one, she goes over to the bed where she left her lover asleep, and sees the note.
What? Mummy? Darla, maybe? Where? She sits down on the bed, thinking fast.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"The note he left says he's gone to LA. I'm going to fly over as soon as I can, but I'd be grateful if you'd ring LA and see if he's there."
"I'll do that, Giles. I can hear my 'call waiting' going- I get back to you when I've heard something. Bye."
"Goodbye."
"Hello?"
"Buffy? It's Willow here. Dru's gone. There's a note, but it doesn't say where. You know how she is."
"I know. Don't worry, Will- I have a lead. Giles has just phoned to say Spike took off for LA yesterday, so I'm guessing maybe Dru got a vamp-call too."
"That's would explain, "Mummy says I must go," certainly."
"I'm thinking maybe we should drive down there, find out what's going on."
"Yeah- Dru won't last long on her own, and if we follow in the car. She can't have been gone for long, the sun's only just gone down- you don't think she went before."
"No, Willow, I'm sure Dru isn't that stupid. Not while she's at near full strength, anyway. I'll call Xander, ask him to pick us up, and get Clem to come and stay with Dawn."
"Okay."
"Put some clothes together- we might want to stay a night or two. And don't worry, Will- I've got this all under control."
"Thanks, Buffy."
"See you."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Of course I can drive you, Buffy. Harmony has gone off on one of her road trips again, so I'm happy to help."
"You okay with that?"
"I'm fine. I'll go pick Willow up, and be with you in ten minutes. You can interrogate me on the way to LA."
"Xander! You make me sound like the Spanish inquisition."
"Hah! None of those vampires expect you, do they?"
"Just get the car out, Xander. We can be silly on the way, too."
"I'm glad of that. Your taxi will be with you soon."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Of course you must go to him. I quite understand. Helen will help out, you say?"
"Yes- Helen will take me to the airport and then pick Rowan up after school tomorrow. She'll look after him until you get back, hopefully tomorrow afternoon."
"I think I've got that now, Rupert. You should go and get packed now- it's going to be hard to be ready to go in time."
"I don't plan on packing everything up- I'm coming back, no matter what's happened."
"Don't be too sure. You sound like you're tempting fate, to me. Still, go and pack. I hope it all works out for you and William."
"So do I. Goodbye, Charlene."
"Goddess bless."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"So I could turn Rupert, but he'd still be human? With a soul, and everything?"
"Everyone has to make their own bargain with the Powers, William. You would most likely have to give something up, or do something which was unpleasant or difficult for you."
"I could deal with that. I made a bargain to get my soul, after all. It's something I could do again. Tell me- how do I get to the Powers to make a deal?"
"It's hard work. I think the girl Cordelia may be able to help you."
"Then let's find her."
"Harder still, but I admire your enthusiasm. You lover is coming- he may be able to help us."
"Rupert's coming? Since when?"
"He boarded the plane as I spoke to you. Visions are whimsical things, sometimes."
"So what do I do?"
She smiles, the soft smile of one who is trying not show the pain they are in. "Wait, and let me rest awhile."
"I need something to do."
"Wait, and let me rest. Go now."
Reluctantly, he says, "Okay. I'll be downstairs."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Hours later, Alice wakes from a dream; to realise it was a vision. She sees her Childer, their footsteps sounding in a firm rhythm: William pacing in the hallway below, Angel striding across the seabed, Drusilla marching by the roadway, Darla dragging her son through LA's alleyways, and Heinreich- Heinriech! Involuntarily, she squints her eyes, trying to confirm her identification, but the vision is gone. Where was he? Near at hand, though she hadn't known she'd called him.
"Rangy!" she calls, weakly, her physical voice deficient in comparison with her loud physic voice.
"Yes, my lady?" the blue-skinned demon answers.
"It's Heinreich! He is coming! I saw him. Somewhere- north of here."
"Inside the city or out, ma'm?"
"Outside. About as far away as Drusilla is, in the opposite direction."
"What do you desire me to do, lady?"
"Find him. Fetch him here. If we are to have a family reunion, even the unruly ones who have come from other realities."
"From other realities?" Gunn asks. He had come to listen when he heard Ranguger called.
"Yes. In my stretch to reach my far-flung Childer, all the way across the globe, I must have called those who were dwelling in other realities as well. I just pray that they can be tamed and controlled, not to rampage through the city killing everyone in their path."
"Yeah, it'd be a shame to let that happen," Gunn agreed, dryly.
"I must confess that I agree. For a city, Los Angeles is most pleasing, and not only because it is soon to be the scene of one of my parties."
"So how do you propose to control him, lady?" Ranguger chipped in.
"I think we must cast a curse upon him. He does not have to love of a mortal that William had, to inspire him to find his own soul."
"Can you do that?"
"Yes, and better- Heinriech, I think, may be speared the happiness clause that was the interesting invention of the gypsy woman."
"You can use the gypsy curse?"
"She embellished mine. There is a world of difference. It would be best if you were to go and find Heinriech, observe him- capture him if need be- until we can perform the curse. It will take me some time to prepare." Gunn nods and departs. "Rangy, I'll need my Book Of Shadows, my herbs bag, and an Orb of Thesulah. There's probably one in the suitcase."
Ranguger also nods, and moves into the room to search the suitcase by his mistresses' bed, while she- slowly and carefully- pulls herself up to a sitting position. He watches the operation out of the corner of one yellow- green eye, but does not offer his help. Long years have taught him that to offer help is a sure way to anger her into do even more things that tire her. 'Contrary, you mistress, isn't she?' says a voice in his head.
'Yes,' he replies, silently, 'She never knows when to stop. I care for her, though, even if she can't say my name properly.'
'I see that,' the voice says, 'Have no fear. I have to wish to harm her."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
In a plane over the Atlantic, Rupert Giles polishes his glasses nervously. 'Calm down,' he tells himself. 'It will be okay. You'll find him.'