Chapter Three: A Love Song- of a Sort
Half an hour later, another meeting took place in the Summers household. This time, the Scoobies, the X-Men, Dawn, and Spike were there. Xander and Angel protested Spike's presence, but since he saved Scott's life, and since he knew everything about Buffy anyway, Buffy invited him in.
The groups looked at each other.
"Well, it's your town, Buffy," Scott finally told her. "You decide who gets to go first."
Buffy nodded.
"I will. I'm a Vampire Slayer."
"A what?"
"A Vampire Slayer. The Slayer, for short."
"Isn't that what that guy in the cemetery called you?" Alex asked.
"That's right."
"I'm sorry, but I don't understand," Jean said. "Some friends of ours had a run-in with a vampire, and they said he looked human. They didn't say anything about fangs or yellow eyes or a demonic looking face."
"That's because they were in what we call 'vamp-face,'" Willow told her. "Your friends had a run-in with a vampire? You actually believe us?"
"Yes, and yes," Lorna told her. "They said that he claimed that he was Dracula."
"Dracula?" Xander asked her. "Black hair, animal magnetism, turns into a bat, bad accent, 'I vant to suck your blood' Dracula?"
"That's the way they described him. He almost turned one of our friends into a vampire."
"He'd been biting her for a few nights," Scott explained. "She was under his control, and supposedly took on a few vampiric traits herself."
"That's ol' Drac, alright," Spike snorted. All eyes turned to him. "He's the only one who's vain enough to use those melodramatic gypsy tricks he's picked up. The rest of us prefer to just feed, or sire in the normal way, but not that sodding debtor."
"We've had a run-in with Dracula, too," Buffy said. "He's the only vamp with powers like the ones in the movies. Of course, since he inspired all the movies-"
"Gotcha," Alex told her. "Wait a minute!" He turned to look at Spike. "'The only one of us?'"
"That's right, mate." Spike went into vamp face. "I'm a vampire, creature of the dark, unholy hellspawn of the night."
"But you helped Buffy. Doesn't that make you a good vampire?" Lorna asked, dubiously.
"He's been neutered," Xander said gleefully. The X-Men looked at him.
"Spike had a chip implanted in his head," Giles explained. "He can't hurt humans anymore. Well, he can, but the chip gives him a severe shock wherever he does. He can still hurt demons and the undead, though."
"'Fraid so. 'Good vampire,' indeed. If you want a good vampire, talk to Peaches over there," he snorted, jerking a thumb at Angel, who glared at him.
"How come you're a good vampire?" Alex asked, more than a little curious.
"I sort of pissed off the wrong people," Angel responded. "They cursed me by giving me my soul back."
"That's a curse?"
"Imagine doing the most horrible things imaginable for over a hundred years. Imagine enjoying every minute of it. Then imagine suddenly caring about every single sin you've committed. Tell me that's not a curse."
"Anyway, Angel's a good guy now," Cordelia put in. "He works for the Powers That Be. He's one of their Champions. He saves souls."
"So your fighting for- what? Your redemption?"
"No," Angel said quietly. "I can never do that. It doesn't work like that. I can't cancel out all the things I've done. I can only make sure that nothing ever happens to an innocent ever again."
"Oh." The room went silent.
"Okay," Scott said. "We've been hearing about your friends, Buffy, but I want to hear about you. What's this 'Slayer' bit?"
"In each generation, there is a Chosen One," Wes began.
"She alone must stand against the Vampires, the Demons, and the Forces of Darkness," Giles continued.
"She is the Slayer," they finished together.
"Okay, you guys are still sound a little too Watcher-y for me," Xander muttered.
"So there's only one Slayer at a time?" Lorna asked.
"That's the way it's supposed to be," Buffy replied. Jean gave Buffy a glance that was part suspicious, and part speculative.
"So what exactly makes you the Slayer?" she asked.
"I have super-reflexes, a have a natural way with certain weapons, sometimes a get prophetic dreams, and as you know by now," she glanced at Alex and Lorna, "I'm really strong."
"You saw us, huh?" Alex asked sheepishly.
"Nope."
"Then how-"
"I heard Lorna telling Scott," Angel said. "Vampires have really good hearing."
"Really?" Scott frowned. "What else did you hear?"
"That Buffy has mutants in your side of the family tree."
"We're related to mutants?" Dawn looked surprised. "Ohmygod that is so very COOL!"
"While this would be the natural segue to our little explanations," Jean said, "I'd like to hear more about the nature of the Slayer."
"Shoot," Buffy responded.
"How exactly do you get your powers?
Are you born with them?"
"Nope. At least I don't think so. I got my powers when was Called at fifteen."
"Called?"
"Yeah. That's what the Watchers call it when a Slayer gets her Slayerness."
"Are all Slayers Called when they reach fifteen?"
"I think there have been younger Slayers," Buffy said, glancing at Giles.
"Yes, there have been, actually, although 15 is roughly the average. It depends on when the previous Slayer-" he abruptly stopped.
"When the previous Slayer what, Mr. Giles?" Scott broke in. He had a sneaking suspicion of what it was, but he hoped he was wrong.
"When the previous Slayer-" he looked at Buffy, who simply nodded. "When the previous Slayer dies."
Scott's heart sunk. *You knew, didn't you?* he asked Jean.
*No, I didn't. But I did guess. When Buffy said that there was only supposed to be one at a time, I figured that either a Slayer was only around for a few years out of every 15 or so, or that there was a stream of Slayers somehow being activated. But unless I'm mistaken, there's a bit more that we haven't heard yet.*
Jean turned to Buffy. "When Lorna asked you if there was only one Slayer at a time, you said that that was the way it's supposed to be. What did you mean by that?"
Buffy glared at Jean. "You're a smart lady, you know that?"
"I try. There's more than one right now, isn't there?" In her mind, she could tell that Lorna had come to the same conclusion that she herself did. For that matter, Scott and Alex did as well, but they were trying to deny it.
"Fine. You're right. You'll probably get this out of me anyway, so I'll just tell you. I died."
"WHAT?" Scott and Alex yelled simultaneously.
"A really tough vampire bit me, and dropped me in a pool of water. I was clinically dead for a few minutes. Xander and Angel showed up to save me, and Xander performed CPR." She smiled at him. "He brought me back, but I was dead enough to satisfy whatever it is that makes little Slayers, so another was Called. But because I'm the Slayer, I had my powers when I came back. And so now, there are two."
"It's a situation unprecedented in all history," Wesley said. "The Council is trying to figure out what it means."
"The Council?" Alex asked. His head was spinning. He knew that magic existed, he knew about vampires, hell, he'd even met Stephen Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme himself. But this was coming a little fast for him. A sure sign that he'd been out of the superhero biz for a while.
"The Council of Watchers," Wesley answered him. "An organization based out of Britain. The Watcher's Council ensures that supernatural menaces like vampires and demons don't get too out of hand, but it's main job is to find and train the Slayer in her mission."
"And they've been doing a bang-up job," Buffy muttered. "Not you and Giles, you're alright, but the rest are- sorry. I can't say any of the really accurate words around Dawn."
"Aww!" Dawn jokingly whined. "You never let me hear anything interesting!"
"So what's wrong with them?" Scott asked.
"They're a collection of clueless bureaucrats, out of touch with how the modern world works," Giles said. "And I'm one of them. Wesley and I both were, until we got fired."
"But Giles got re-hired, because of Buffy and his position as Buffy's Watcher," Wesley finished. He turned to Giles. "Sometime before I return to Los Angeles, tell me how Buffy humiliated dear old Quentin. Some stories never get old."
"I've only got one more question," Scott said.
"Good," Buffy replied. "Last one before you get to sing your hearts out."
"Why do your friends know about you?"
"We help her fight!" Willow said proudly.
"That's right," Xander said proudly. "We too get to kick some demon ass!"
"So you're like- the Slayerettes?" Lorna asked.
"We prefer to call ourselves the Scoobies," Tara said. "Well, you know, we're mostly young, and go around chasing demons and ghosts."
"Yeah!" Anya said proudly. "Xander goes out and fights, and gets all hot, sweaty, and full of adrenaline, and we have-"
"That's enough, Ahn!" Xander interrupted her before she could finish and completely embarrass him. He may as well not have- the smirks everyone wore told him that everyone got it.
"But we're not defenceless," Tara put in. "I'm a witch, Willow's a really powerful witch, Anya used to be a demon, Spike's some more muscle, Mr. Giles is really smart, and both he and Xander are really good fighters."
"That's right, except you left out the part where you're really powerful too," Willow said, smiling at her girlfriend.
"And there's not just us," Xander finished. "Cordy and Angel used to be in the club, too, before they left to be detectives, and we've also had a werewolf and a soldier, too." The words were out his mouth before Xander winced. Both Buffy and Willow gave him a smile, as if to say 'It's okay, Xand.'
"What about the Hellmouth?" Dawn asked.
"Okay," Buffy said. She turned to her family. "You deserve to know about that too. Sunnydale is located on a Hellmouth. A Hellmouth is kind of a Disneyland for demons and other fun supernatural things. It's a confluence of mystical energies, which all combine to create a weak point in the barriers that keep the dimensions separate. All that magic doesn't directly hurt anyone, but it does attract a lot of vamps and demons, and you know what I have to do to them. The evil ones, anyway. Not all demons are evil." She turned to Giles. "How'd I do?"
"That's it exactly," he smiled proudly at her. The smile turned into a smirk. "I didn't know you actually listen to me so well."
"Very funny," she replied, and turned to her family. "Well, that's us," Buffy said. "What about you?"
"Our turn," Alex muttered. "Go ahead, Fearless Leader."
"Well," Scott began, "as I'm sure you've all guessed by now, Jean and Alex and Lorna and I are mutants."
"Uh-huh," Xander responded. "So what can you do?"
"Ladies first," Alex smirked.
Jean and Lorna looked at each other, and then Lorna stepped forward.
"I can control magnetic fields," was all she said.
"Like that weird Magneto guy?" Anya asked.
"Yes, but I'm not that powerful. Maybe I will be someday, but not right now. Would you like a demonstration?" Everyone nodded, intrigued.
Lorna smiled. Xander began to rise into the air.
"Whoa!" he screamed. Everyone except the mutants stared at him.
"And that's just from the metal in your belt buckle." She set him down.
"Coolness," he breathed. "Do it again!" he begged.
"Some other time," she said to him. "I'm glad you told me what all that energy is. I thought that I was going to go nuts." She turned to Jean. "Your turn."
"I'm a psi. I have telekinetic and telepathic powers."
"You can read minds?" Dawn asked, a little stunned. She shot a worried look at Buffy.
"Don't worry," Jean laughed. "The Hellmouth energies seem to be interfering with my telepathic powers. I still have them, and when I consciously use them they're fine, but I can't hear any random surface thoughts. It's a bit refreshing, actually."
"Can you read my mind?" Angel asked.
Jean nodded. Suddenly, she gasped.
"It's like your not there!"
"I thought not. It's the same thing with mirrors- you can't see anything because in some ways, there nothing to see."
"I see."
"Can you read my mind?" Xander asked.
"I thought that having your mind read once would be enough," Cordelia snorted.
"Oh?" Jean asked.
"Yeah," Cordy responded. "Buffy was telepathic for a while when we were in Senior Year."
"Really?"
"I'm not anymore," Buffy clarified. "It's
a long story."
"I'm dying to hear it," Jean responded. "Ready?" she asked Xander. He nodded. After a moment, she smirked.
"Haven't you seen Austin Powers, Mr. Harris? Thinking of baseball and cold showers doesn't work. Although I'm sure Anya would be very flattered." Xander blushed. Jean suddenly gasped.
*What's wrong Jean?* Scott asked via their psychic rapport.
"Something I saw before I closed the link," she replied aloud. "It's nothing. Well, nothing that I can't show you back home in our nice, big, supple bed." Now Scott blushed. The others laughed. "Thanks for the idea, Xander."
"Don't mention it."
"And now we come to the combustion boys," Spike said.
"We don't light things on fire!" Alex said emphatically. "At least we're not supposed to."
"Mr. Giles," Scott asked, "does the Hellmouth interfere with any other forms of energy."
"No," he replied. "At least, not in my experience. The only energies that interact with the Hellmouth at all are other magical energies, although some of those do interact with things like electricity." Willow blushed, remembering the time she accidentally blew the circuit breaker for her entire block by trying to contact the spirit world.
"Well, Alex and I have similar powers-" Scott began.
"Practically the same powers, which is normal when mutants are blood relatives," Alex finished.
"What do you do?" Giles asked.
"We absorb sunlight and other cosmic rays, and redirect them into other forms of energy," Scott told him.
"Fascinating," was all Giles said.
"Wait a minute," Buffy asked. "How come those laser eyes of yours blew a hole in my shirt, but didn't hurt me?"
"Certain mutant powers don't affect close blood relatives," Scott explained.
"Yeah," Alex added. "For example- Buffy, if I could, say, draw lightning out of the sky and hit you with it, you'd be electrocuted-"
"But if he generated it himself, you'd be fine," Scott finished.
"Yeah," Alex added. "Scott and I could batter each other all day and we'd only destroy our clothes and end up naked."
*We should get them to do that sometime* Lorna sent to Jean.
*No argument here* Jean sent back.
"Alex channels his powers through his arms and chest, and my powers come out of my eyes," Scott continued, oblivious to the psychic exchange.
"The only difference is that Scotty can't control his powers, and I can," Alex added. "That's why he has to wear those glasses. Ruby-Quartz is the only thing that we know about that doesn't get destroyed by his beams, other than Summers skin."
"Why can't you control your powers?" Cordelia asked.
"Well, the Professor thinks that its because I hit my head when I was a kid. It damaged the part of my brain that would normally control them."
"How did you hurt yourself?" Buffy asked.
The X-Men were quiet for a moment.
"It was when my parents died. Alex and I had the plane's only parachute, and the landing was rough."
"Oh," was all Buffy could say. The room was silent for a time.
"Well, there's more," Jean finally said.
"We're listening," Buffy replied.
"We're in a club too. You've heard of the X-Men?"
The Scoobies couldn't believe what they heard. Scott, Jean, Alex, and Lorna were X-Men?
"I take it you have."
"We're not terrorists, like everyone says," Scott quickly said.
"Yeah," Lorna added. "The worst name that we can be called is 'dreamer.'"
"We believe that humans and mutants can live together in peace," Alex added.
"What we do is try to make sure that that can happen, and we do that by fouling up the plans of anyone that is trying to destroy one side or the other. By fighting them, if necessary," Scott continued.
"And unfortunately, it usually is," Jean finished.
"Wow," was all that Dawn could say. Then she grinned. "I knew you guys weren't evil!"
"You did? Great!" Alex said, impulsively hugging the youngest Summers. "It's about time someone realized that!"
"Believe me, we all know what it's like to have our actions misread by some stupid little trolls," Buffy muttered. "I'm sorry- I remembered Snyder there. Scott, you were talking about a Professor. Is that Professor Xavier?"
"Yup," Alex grinned, stealing his brother's thunder. "He's the leader of the X-Men. He's the one that made us what we are today."
"Is he a mutant too?" Willow asked.
"Yes he is," Jean replied. "In fact, he's currently the most powerful psi alive."
"Although Jean may well push him down to the number-two spot," Lorna said.
"Wow," was all Buffy could say. The others were impressed too- she could tell.
"I've seen you guys on the news!" Tara said suddenly. "Scott, are you the one with the visor?"
"Yes, I am," he replied with a smile. "That's why they call me Cyclops."
"That's right- Scotty's just a big one-eyed monster," Alex laughed.
"Very funny. When Lorna and Alex were X-Men, they were called Polaris-"
"As in 'polarity,'" Lorna interjected.
"And Havok," Scott finished.
"Probably because of all the fights
he got into," Buffy said before Alex could say anything. "Seriously, he was
like Scrappy-Doo. 10 year olds shouldn't have mullets."
"I did not have a mullet!" Alex exclaimed. The others laughed.
"Actually, Alex," Lorna said, trying not to laugh, "you did. I've seen the pictures."
"Et tu, Lorna?"
"Don't worry- it looked good on you. In fact, I bet it'd make you look even sexier."
"Really?" Alex eagerly asked, anger forgotten.
*It takes so little to appease him* Lorna sent. Jean only smiled in return.
"And right now, Jean's codename is just Jean Grey," Scott concluded.
"I was 'Marvel Girl' when we first started out, then I was Phoenix for a while, and now I'm just 'Jean Grey,'" Jean explained.
"Why the switch," Buffy asked.
"Well, that's a long story of its own," Jean said. "We don't like to talk about it." Scott put his hand on her shoulder, and she rested her head on it for a brief moment. They both remembered the months she spent recovering after the Phoenix Entity left her body. She was a wreck for a while, and Scott was there by her side through it all, helping her recover.
The Scoobies sensed that there was a story there, but decided to leave it alone. Whatever it was, there was much obviously Big Badness involved.
Dawn took the lull in conversation to consider what she had been wondering ever since Alex and Lorna arrived. She'd never tell this to her father, because she didn't think that he could handle it, but maybe the X-Men could.
"Uh Jean," Dawn asked, breaking the silence, "could I ask you a favour?"
"Sure Dawn," she smiled, "if I can."
"Would you read my mind?"
"Dawn-" Buffy began.
"Buffy," Dawn said, a look of resolve on her face, "they're family. They deserve to know. And I want to know if Jean can read my mind." She turned to Jean. "I hope that you know what you're doing. I don't know what this'll be like for you."
The X-Men shared a confused look.
"Okay," Jean finally said. "You ready?"
"Uh-huh."
"Here we go." Jean was quiet for a moment. Images flooded into her mind- green light everywhere, men dressed as monks, a stunning blond in a dress, and then-
Jean gasped. Scott could feel her shock through his rapport with Jean.
"Jean! What's wrong? Jean!"
"I'm fine, Scott," was all she said.
"You saw, didn't you?" Dawn asked her, quietly. The Scoobies and their friends, all of whom knew Dawn's secret, waited for Jean's answer.
"Yes. Yes I did." Dawn and the Scoobies let out a subconsciously taken breath.
"What?" Scott demanded. "What did you see?"
Jean sighed.
"It's a long story. I'll show you- it's faster." She projected what she had seen in Dawn's mind to her fellow X-Men. After a moment, everyone in the room knew the secret of the Key.
"So what do you think of your fake cousin?" Dawn asked, tearfully.
After a moment, Scott came to where she was sitting, and knelt down to look her in the eye.
"Dawn, I remember holding you when you were a baby. I remember the way you stared at all of my toys when I showed them to you. I remember you getting sick one night, and going to the hospital with Mom, Dad, Uncle Hank, Aunt Joyce, Alex and Buffy so that we could find out what was wrong with you. All of that's real to me, even if it didn't happen. You're Dawn Elizabeth Summers, my youngest cousin. A whiny pain in the neck, sometimes" here he smiled, "but I love you. That's all that matters. I don't care what else you are." They hugged, and then Scott made room for Alex to talk to her.
Alex knelt beside Scott and looked straight at Dawn.
"All I remember about you as a baby is how you used to pee whenever I held you. You didn't do it with anybody else. Oh, no. I was your special rag. That's real to me, and so are you. I love you, kiddo." He hugged her. "Welcome to the family," he whispered into her ear. "You and me are the only sane ones, but it's a good family to be in." When they released each other, Alex said loudly, "And if that Glory bitch tries to hurt you, she's gonna see what a pissed off Summers can really do!"
"Count on it," Scott added, very firmly.
"You got that right," Buffy smiled, standing with her cousins.
"And it won't just be from the Summers' either!" Jean added, joining the group.
"Oh, no," Lorna put in joining the throng.
"No one's Dawn gonna touch Dawn while I'm here," Xander said, joining the group.
"Not if I can help it." Willow joined the others.
"Not if we can help it," Tara said quietly as she joined up.
"Me too," Cordelia whispered, hugging Dawn from behind.
"There are only three things in this world that are priceless: money, sex, and family," Anya said as she came over. "And I'm not going to just stand by when someone tries to take one of those things away."
"Saving souls is in the job description," Angel said as he came over. "But in this case, I have a personal reason for doing it."
"For millennia, the Watchers Council made a habit of turning little girls into weapons and sending them to their deaths," Wes said as he joined up. "I'm not a member of the Council anymore."
"I am," Giles said. "And Dawn? You're just as much in my care as Buffy is. I trust you know what that means."
Dawn smiled and nodded. It meant that he loved her more than life itself and that he would gladly die to protect her. British people had such a tough time saying what they really felt. And speaking of British people-
All eyes turned to Spike.
"What? You think I'll let anything happen to my Little Bit when I'm around? Well I won't. Not to her and not to her family." He looked straight at Buffy when he said that. It should have creeped her out, but for some strange reason it made her sort of happy.
Only Angel heard when Spike whispered, "I promise you, Joyce. Nothing will hurt Dawn, not if I can stop it. I owe you that much, at least." After the impromptu meeting broke up, Angel spent a great deal of time contemplating his Child's Child and how much he'd changed.
* * * * * * * * *
Joyce Summers was buried the next night. The funeral was sad, as all funerals are, but it had an interesting edge to it, seeing as how the chief mourners each had some kind of weapon in case of an unwelcome intruder. In some ways it was cathartic, but everyone that left knew that they had lost a great lady, and that their lives would never be the same.
After it was over, the L.A. group started back to their home. It had been a while since they left, and there were a bunch of souls that were bound to need saving. The mission called, as it always did. It was a good one, though, and that's what really mattered. The Scoobies and the members of Angel Investigations parted on good terms, hoping to see each other soon. After all, they were not only fellow soldiers protecting a very sorry world, but old friends as well.
Alex and Lorna were going to drive Scott and Lorna back to the airport on their way home. While the other three got ready, Scott pulled Buffy aside to the kitchen. They sat down at the table.
"And what now, Buff?" he asked her.
"I don't know," Buffy sighed. "That's what I've been afraid of ever since the day mom died. I've been spending all my time getting ready for the funeral, and now it's over. I'll be taking care of Dawn, I know. I might even get a job. There's this fast food place called the DoubleMeat Palace that's always hiring. I want to go back to school in the fall."
"Okay, but what are you going to do?"
"I don't know. It's just me, now. Me, Buffy Summers, in the big bad real world. I don't think I'm ready, Scott," she said with desperation in her voice, "I really don't think I'm ready!" Scott hugged her.
"Yes, you are," he told her. "Aunt Joyce taught you everything that there is to know about the real world. And Buffy?" She looked up at him. "If being an X-Man has taught me anything, it's that no one is alone unless they want to be. Look at all the friends you've got! Xander, Willow, Anya, Tara- and what about your friends in L.A.? What about your family? You've got Alex, Jean, Lorna, and finally, there's me, for whatever I'm worth. And you've got Uncle Hank, if you can ever track him down- he may not show it much, Buffy, but he loves you. And what about Mr. Giles? He seems to be a father to you. And don't forget Dawn. She's been through a lot, and she'll probably go through more soon, but she a Summers, and that means she's strong." Scott couldn't believe that he said all that.
"Thanks, Scott," Buffy said. She had tears in her eyes, but they weren't tears of sorrow. "Please don't be a stranger, huh?"
"Count on it."
*Scott?* Jean's voice echoed in his mind.
*In the kitchen* he replied. Jean entered soon after. She sat down next to Buffy.
"Buffy," she said, "Scott and I have been talking, and-" she looked at her fiancée, who nodded. "And we've come to a decision about the wedding. It'll be going ahead as planned."
"Oh, good," Buffy breathed, relieved. She knew that Joyce would have wanted it to go ahead as planned.
"And Buffy?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you and Dawn have white dresses?"
"Yes, we do. Why?"
"Because all of my bridesmaids are going to wear white."
That took a moment to sink in.
"Bridesmaids? Us?"
"If you want to be."
"Yes! Oh God, yes! We'd be honoured." She turned towards the door and called, "Dawn! Come here please!"
"What is it?" Dawn asked when she got to the kitchen.
"Dawn," Jean asked, "would like to be one of my bridesmaids?"
The squealing and the firm embrace told Jean that the answer was yes.
* * * * * * * * *
When the Summers house was finally empty of guests, Buffy and Dawn just looked at each other. The house seemed dead somehow.
"What do we do now?" Dawn asked Buffy.
"Well, you have to go to bed. You're going to school tomorrow."
"Okay. And can I also start packing for New York?"
Buffy smiled. "If you want. Just don't pack anything that you'll need between then and now. And don't stay up all night!" Buffy called as Dawn ran up the stairs.
Buffy smiled. New York. For years she'd been hearing about the School that Scott attended and now taught at, and after what she'd been told of the X-Men, she wanted to meet them too. She wondered if this Logan that Scott and Jean told her about was really as good a fighter as they said he was. Hopefully she'd find out in a little over a week.
For the first time in what seemed a long time, life was actually starting to look good for Buffy. She then cursed herself, again. If it didn't turn out that way, it was now officially her fault.
* * * * * * * * *
At that moment, across town from the Summers house, in one of the trendier parts of town, was a beautiful villa. A small mansion, truth be told. And in that mansion, an ugly scabby figure was kneeling before a stunning blond woman.
"Wonderful news, Your Beauteous Splendiferousness!"
"Out with it, Jinx," she said in an annoyed and bored tone. "It's almost time for the late night showing of 'Passions.'"
"My contacts have located a spell that will tell you the location any one object, item, person, or entity that you desire!"
The blond sat up, all thoughts of 'Passions' out of her mind.
"Are you sure?"
"Oh yes, Your Magnificent Eminence-"
"Yeah, whatever. How soon can your 'contacts' get it here?"
"The spell requires a number of rare and valuable ingredients that will take time to gather, your-"
"How long, Jinxy? Don't make me mad at you!"
The minion swallowed. He did not want to get his mistress angry with him at any cost.
"All told, a little over a week. That's with everything needed, your-"
"Be gone, Jinx. And get me my chocolates! I can't enjoy a show without my maraschinos!"
"Yes, your Chocolate Lovingness Wonderfulness!" Jinx went off in search of the mistress' chocolates.
Glorificus, the Beast, lay back on her plush leather sofa with a large grim on her face. A little over a week? That was cutting it close, but if the spell worked she would have time to kill. Only she wouldn't be killing time. A certain Slayer was high on her to kill list, though.
"A little over a week, Slayer," she exulted to herself. "I'll make you pay for keeping my Key from me. In a little over a week, I'll show you what a pissed off HellGoddess can really do!"
