Chapter 9

Comprehension

Billowa has power. Strong power. She didn't even strain herself when she held Dawn down. But what's her purpose here? Is she really going to be able to give Buffy a soul? I don't see how. Willow and I tried plenty of times, and it's not an easy thing to do. And what about those vampires she brought with her? Can we actually trust them? Sure we've been told they have souls, b-but how do we know? I mean, there's just so much. It's all too much. Can you just hold me right now, Willow?

"H-her soul?" gasped Tara.

"Yes," was all Billowa said in reply.

"B-but how? I mean, there's so much to it with the orb, and the incantation, and the body-taking over gypsy stuff, and…and…" muttered Willow while shaking her head and staring at the ground.

"Those are just silly things; gypsy curses and the like? Nonsense. True power is what is necessary here; power to control beings, to contain souls," continued Billowa.

"Control beings? Contain souls? No m-mortal should have that kind of power!" responded Tara.

"And what makes you think she is some mere mortal you twit?" demanded Sarah, causing Willow to jump to her feet as Tara glanced away.

"Watch yourself," hushed Willow.

The air became stagnant as Willow glared at Sarah, while keeping a watch on Billowa to even twitch a muscle.

"Calm," was all Billowa said. Sarah immediately eased back down onto the couch.

* * *

Stupid mud, stupid dirt, stupid grass, stupid cemetery, but most importantly, stupid Wesley, Cordelia thought as she made her way across the cold earth. She wasn't much for the dirty work, and having to crawl around the cemetery on a night when she could be out, rather than searching for Angel, wasn't her idea of fun.

"You know, just once I'd like to disappear like Angel's allowed to," said Cordy aloud to no one. The words struck a nerve in her, like any image of Angel did nowadays. Putting a sigh to their lost love she trudged on.

"A bit chilly out, eh?" asked a voice from the darkness. Cordelia stopped in her tracks and turned to face the shadowy figure making it's way into the moonlight.

"There is such a thing as knocking? Well, in a place with doors that are connected to the burial place of dead bodies," started Cordelia as the figure moved into the light. His horns made themselves noticeable as it moved across the clumpy ground with ease. "And I'm starting to think that knocking's not the biggest problem of mine at the moment."

With a shriek Cordelia turned and took off on the path that she had came on. She didn't get very far before a heel lodged into the slick mud and she came face-first into an oozy pile of dirt. "That's the last time I wear a Gucci shirt with heels while I'm traipsing through a cemetery in search of a vampirey-demon," she gasped as she pulled a large piece of grass from her mouth.

Glancing behind her, she saw the demon marching up to her, not putting any effort into the chase at all. Must be used to this, thought Cordy as she tried to climb up.

"Whoa, Cordy? Hey, wait up! It's been years!" cried the demon. His sudden speech stopped Cordelia from taking off as soon as she stood up. She eased her way over to the demon and gazed into his dark pools that must have been eyes.

"Zack? Zack Marston? How long has it been? What's new? Besides the whole, red-scaly thing…" she muttered off. Being closer she finally got a better examination of his red scales, finding that they reflected black depending on the viewpoint. She horns were encrusted with intricate designs that flowered down onto the top of the demon's bare skull. The whipping she heard as she gazed at his muscle-thick arms came from a tail swaying behind him. It was much like the rest of his body except for the green, bushy leaves at the end. "How did that happen anyway?"

"Oh, this?" he asked, pointing to the horns, "Long story. So, where've you been? I just got back from L.A. Fabulous city. Bright lights and everything!"

"Really? I've been living in Los Angeles for quite awhile, I wonder how I ever missed you. In fact, I'm in to the whole demony thing, been chasin' 'em for quite awhile actually. I think I'm getting better at it too, with my chops and kicks," she said, while flinging her hands into the air and accidentally kicking tufts of dirt at his shins.

"Uh…yeah, I can see why the demons didn't really enjoy leaving the sewers," said Zack, going along with Cordy.

"Well, that might actually be because of this vampire-with-a-soul-redemption-freak I work with. His name's Angel, he scares the locals, but he's actually just really broody, among other things," replied Cordelia.

"Hmm, Angel. Come to think of it, that might actually be why everyone was afraid. Not that your 'fists of fury' are any less frightening," he added.

"Uh-huh."

They made their way toward the gates of the cemetery with only the swoosh noise of Zack's tail behind him.

* * *

"Pretty colors," said Isobel, pointing at Billowa's eyes, which had changed a shade of red when she told Sarah to sit down. Billowa's head jerked at the child as her eyes narrowed. Isobel walked over to Billowa's leg and gazed up at her face. The moment was frozen in time until Isobel cracked her face up and began to giggle at Billowa.

"Get this child away," ordered Billowa, her nostrils beginning to flare.

"Hey!" cried Anya, standing up outraged, yet at the same time, tugging at Isobel's arm to pry her away from the red-haired witch.

"This is a place of love, and I'm not feelin' it from you," said Xander, having felt he needed to.

"Childish boy. Spin off your silly jokes and laugh when no one else does, but I'm not here to feel the love, or dish any out. My matters are with the vampire; the outcome of this situation. To make myself clear before I take my leave: I'm not here for you, I'm not here for Angel, I'm not even here for Buffy. What I am here for goes far beyond your comprehension. The world is in a stage of danger, and if it weren't necessary, I would let this dimension crumble," said Billowa as Mark and Sarah stood up beside her. Billowa gave a nod in Angel's direction, then turned to Willow and snapped. A dark cloud grew from the air and encircled the trio, and in an instant disappeared, along with the three people who were standing there seconds ago.

* * *

"Oh God, oh God," said Buffy, sitting on the newly-toppled dirt she had made to bury another of her sins. The hunt had felt so good; the blood had been sweet and made her feel victorious. The night had been hers, the thrill exhilarating. Then came the darkness. Night flooded her senses, leaving her in a world of black.

The horror struck her as she reminisced about her recent kill of the biker-chick. She even wore the leather jacket around her, to help with the chill of the night air. She thought about the scraping sound as the motorcycle had fallen and scarred the pavement, as the girl riding it when flying and finally landed with a resounding crack on the road. She giggled at the thought of the blood oozing onto the tar, mixing with the tiny pebbles to create an elaborate design.

Then she cried. She smacked herself for feeling the joy of the hunt. She rolled onto her side, blood beginning to seep from the newly-created wound on her cheek. The smile faded from her lips, not even leaving a memory.

The dead look of the innocent victims flashed behind her eyes whenever she closed them. The screams and cries for help. The echoes of lives fading into the distance. The tears shed from the eyes of infants and elders alike. The pain of each sufferer filled her own senses so much she couldn't bare it.

* * *

"It is done." A proud smile followed by a grin and a chuckle from two others.