Across town, a man stood at a window and considered his next move. He gazed at the city beneath him and wondered what the world would be like when he was a god. He wondered what kind of god he would be. Certainly not like the God, he used to revere back in the catholic churches and schools of his youth. That god attracted nothing but the scum of the world. He had always looked down on humanity long before he stopped being human. When he had been young, he had watched pious old men lecture about goodness, then engage in the most sinful behavior. That was where he had first learned the power of secrets. The things that old men would give him if he kept their confidence amazed him. The things that their rivals would give him when he betrayed those confidences amazed him even more.

It was an old priest, who had a fascination for watching the young chorus boys defile themselves sexually, who had given him the appointment to the records section of the Vatican Library. This was where the church kept its official documents on the supernatural. It was here amid the heretical literature that Antonio De Marco had taken his first halting steps into god hood. He begun to study the old texts and started to teach himself things only the Romany wanderers knew. His power had grown and with the power had come the knowledge of the larger world beyond. He sharpened his senses to the point where he could see that which was invisible to the naked mortal eye. His moment of revelation had come at the expense of one of his best clients. The old priest had been a beast of some sort, feeding off the guilt and shame the catholic faith inspires in all its adherents.

He had been encouraged to go on a pilgrimage. The official reason was so that he could share his gifts with the rest of the world. He noticed that many of those he had blackmailed breathed easier after he left. He traveled north and explored. It did not take him long to find others with secrets he could exploit and take advantage of.

In the North Country, he had found a monastery in the middle of the peninsula traveled by the gypsy caravans. Under the guise of bringing God to the heathen, he had continued his education. He had continued his other sidelines as well. A young Romany Princess he was meeting led him to his end. She had been giving herself to him to gain wealth. When he had grown bored with her he had tried to dispose of her quietly. She had not gone quietly and had demanded a final meeting. Antonio had gone to the forest thinking to rid himself of the woman in a more permanent fashion. She had not been alone.

The vampire had almost killed him, but he had escaped. He had covered up the incident. The Gypsy bitch no doubt believed she had some power over him. His silence was not born of shame. He was possessed of a steely determination to have the power he had witnessed, the power of the undead.

"Which brings us to you my dear." He turned and murmured to the maid behind him. The maid's eyes filled with fear. Antonio liked that fear. It made him want to do more vile, depraved things to her. He crawled across the bed toward her watching as she tried to cry. He smiled, if only the fat friar who had taught him the pleasures of restraining those you wanted to ravage had known of a simple spell. It deprived the victim of movement and speech. He was just about to decide if he wanted to feed, or defile the savage little minx (her resemblance to the Romany Princess is what had gotten his attention) when the telephone rang. He cursed and intensified the spells to keep the girl quiet.

"Hello."

"You left the motel I set up for you." the voice at the other end hissed.

"It was a vile dump. Not conducive to the work I most do."

"As opposed to the first class hotel you moved to."

"The spirits move me as they will."

"Since it is I, and not the spirits that are paying for your accommodation some discretion might be in order"

Antonio looked at the maid spread eagle on the bed. "I'll try to take it easy on the room service."

" Pangloss has sent his enforcer to Sunnydale."

"Any idea why that old dilettante would involve himself in this."

"No doubt, he perceives my eventual victory as threat and schemes against me. It has ever been thus, in the clan wars.

"Don't worry, By the time She finds me I will have completed the spell and her powers will be mine to give you."

"My sources tell me that there was trouble picking up the item?"

Antonio looked at a metal case sitting on the bureau. "Those lawyers tried to get me involved in a messy revenge plot against the person the stole they blade from."

"What did they want you to do for them, Kill the man?"

"It wasn't a man it was a vampire and they didn't want him dead, they wanted the curse that binds him removed."

"Angelus … they wanted you to de-hex Angelus."

"Yes. It's part of some complex Byzantine plot … it could be done, but the convergence needed for the task you are paying me for is a fleeting one and there was no time to waste."

"Really, this has possibilities, perhaps when your task is over you might return to LA and…."

"Was there anything else, or can I go back to what I was doing?"

"Yes there is, Word has reached me that the Slayer has become aware of your presence

Antonio smiled at this. "Relax, Morgan I fully anticipate she will try to interfere. When she is dead the bounty is mine, I will remember to share …a small amount of the credit with you though."

Antonio hung up the telephone to cut off the protest from his employer. Then he glided over to the case and opened It. Inside lay a rough handled blade made from red crystal. The Blade pulsed faintly with life. He turned back to the bed and moved toward it turning the blade over in his hand.

"You know my dear, in all the excitement I almost forgot that I must prepare The Blade for its use. I am sure that once the horror of your imminent death has worn off you will begin to appreciate the honor I do you by allowing the blade to drink of your blood first."

Antonio started using the blade on her. He found it interesting that long after she bled dry she was still trying to scream.

***