Disclaimer: Same as always. I only own Mortem and Frantic.
*NOTE* Well, this is annoying. I went back and made all the chapters double spaced and fixed all the typos I could find, but then the overall spacing got messed up. If anybody knows why this is happening, please e-mail me at Willow2666@hotmail.com. Thank you!
Second Author's Note: I finally got all my notebooks back, so I should be able to get back to updating this fic again. But right now, I have this essay due at school, so I basically have to devote most of my time to that right now. Sorry it took so long to update, but thanks for all those who have stuck with it!
Chapter Twelve
The next day, not too late in the afternoon, Buffy called the hotel room number the girl from Frantic had given her. As soon as one of the members Buffy hadn't met picked up, Buffy let her know she'd be over soon with a few friends. Willow had tried Xander and Anya's apartment again, and finally got an answer from Xander. He said neither of them were done talking, and the rest of the gang should go on ahead. That they did.
It only took the group, again save Giles, two knocks before they girl apparently known as Liza answered.
"Oh. Come on in."
The four girls walked into the elegantly decorated room, wondering how in the world the band could afford it.
Liza motioned to a plain turquoise couch. "You can sit there if you want. My better halves are out getting lunch. They said they'd be back soon to talk."
Willow and Tara's bodies stiffened. Buffy could tell they had sensed something she and Dawn hadn't. Buffy put a hand on Willow's shoulder. "Will? What's wrong?"
Willow glanced to Buffy, then back to Liza. "You're a demon."
Liza looked surprised, but nodded. "Yeah. Half and half. Human and demon. I can't really do much, though."
Buffy looked harder at Liza, trying to find a hint of lie or deception, but found nothing. "What about the other three? Are they-"
"They're all at least partially human. One's fully even. Or at least claims to be. Ashlee. Although, the rest of us have doubts . . ."
No one said anything, but the four girls sat down. The silence told Liza to continue.
"We can feel so much power from her. Mostly in surges when she's sad or angry, but it's there. Our latest theory is that she's a witch. A very powerful witch." Liza glanced to Tara and Willow. "Like both of you. Well, not at all like both of you." Her eyes rested on Willow. "You have so much more power, locked up inside you. Enough to fight her and win. But I think we both know you won't. Can't. Not with what you know." He eyes moved sadly to Tara. "Not with what you've lost."
Buffy didn't even have to look to know tears were forming in her best friend's eyes. It hurt to know even in this world, Buffy was still the cause of pain and suffering.
Tara looked confusingly to Liza. "What are you talking about?"
Liza cleared her throat in a gesture to shrug off the question. "It's not important. But they're almost back and I wasn't supposed to tell you any of that . . ."
Just on cue, the sound of a key card inserting came and the door opened. The three other girls walked in carrying Subway bags. They quickly sat down on another couch opposite of Buffy, Willow, Tara, and Dawn's.
The girl who had given Buffy the note with the hotel information spoke up. "So. What did you guys talk about?"
"Not really much of anything. I was waiting until you all got back," Liza replied while fiddling with her subway bag.
Buffy, Willow, Tara, and Dawn sat for a few moments in awkward silence until Liza glanced up from unwrapping her sandwich. "Oh. Sorry about that. I guess I'll introduce us four. As you already know, I'm Liza." She pointed to the blonde girl sitting next to her on her left who was also the girl who had given Buffy the note. "This is Ashlee." Next Liza motioned to the girl on the left of Ashlee, who had chocolate brown hair and deep blue eyes. "That's Cynthia." Finally, she pointed to the last girl on the other end of the couch who had blonde hair with black tips at the end and brown eyes. "And that's Michelle. So. Who the hell are you?"
Buffy sighed at started fidgeting with her hands. Something about the whole meeting unnerved her. "I'm Buffy, this is Willow, that's Tara, and at the end is my sister, Dawn."
Ashlee dropped her soda, which luckily didn't spill. "You're the Slayer?"
Buffy glared at her, trying to find something that would give the girl away as evil. "Yes. And I'd like to know what you know about Mortem and spontaneously combusting."
Cynthia put her food down and her head in her hands. "A few weeks ago, we were playing, and inbetween songs some guy bursts in saying 'Mortem must die' and then he bursts into flames. Thank God I hadn't eaten that day. But, the phrase sounded familiar to me, so that night I went online and looked it up, and I found a few sites. I found out about a resurfacing hell god named Mortem who was planning to do something in Sunnydale, but no ones knows what. I found some more information about The Key and the ritual of a god going back to that hell dimension, but it doesn't seem like what Mortem wants to do."
She paused to take a sip of her soda. "That's basically all I know."
Her statement was followed by three murmured "Me too"'s.
Buffy glaned at the clock and realized it was a lot later than she had thought it was. "Well, we have to go. But if you find out anything else, here's our home number and address."
She stood up and walked over to the hotel phone where a pad of paper and a pen were stationed, and copied down the information. When she was done, she gave it to Liza.
Liza read over the note and looked up at Buffy as she retreated to the door. "We will. We're not playing again after tonight, but we're in town for two more days after."
Willow nodded as she, Tara, and Dawn headed toward the door. "Okay. So, if you see anything unusual, just give us a call."
With that, the four left for home.
*Sorry that chapter was so sketchy and short. I'll try to post another chapter soon*
*NOTE* Well, this is annoying. I went back and made all the chapters double spaced and fixed all the typos I could find, but then the overall spacing got messed up. If anybody knows why this is happening, please e-mail me at Willow2666@hotmail.com. Thank you!
Second Author's Note: I finally got all my notebooks back, so I should be able to get back to updating this fic again. But right now, I have this essay due at school, so I basically have to devote most of my time to that right now. Sorry it took so long to update, but thanks for all those who have stuck with it!
Chapter Twelve
The next day, not too late in the afternoon, Buffy called the hotel room number the girl from Frantic had given her. As soon as one of the members Buffy hadn't met picked up, Buffy let her know she'd be over soon with a few friends. Willow had tried Xander and Anya's apartment again, and finally got an answer from Xander. He said neither of them were done talking, and the rest of the gang should go on ahead. That they did.
It only took the group, again save Giles, two knocks before they girl apparently known as Liza answered.
"Oh. Come on in."
The four girls walked into the elegantly decorated room, wondering how in the world the band could afford it.
Liza motioned to a plain turquoise couch. "You can sit there if you want. My better halves are out getting lunch. They said they'd be back soon to talk."
Willow and Tara's bodies stiffened. Buffy could tell they had sensed something she and Dawn hadn't. Buffy put a hand on Willow's shoulder. "Will? What's wrong?"
Willow glanced to Buffy, then back to Liza. "You're a demon."
Liza looked surprised, but nodded. "Yeah. Half and half. Human and demon. I can't really do much, though."
Buffy looked harder at Liza, trying to find a hint of lie or deception, but found nothing. "What about the other three? Are they-"
"They're all at least partially human. One's fully even. Or at least claims to be. Ashlee. Although, the rest of us have doubts . . ."
No one said anything, but the four girls sat down. The silence told Liza to continue.
"We can feel so much power from her. Mostly in surges when she's sad or angry, but it's there. Our latest theory is that she's a witch. A very powerful witch." Liza glanced to Tara and Willow. "Like both of you. Well, not at all like both of you." Her eyes rested on Willow. "You have so much more power, locked up inside you. Enough to fight her and win. But I think we both know you won't. Can't. Not with what you know." He eyes moved sadly to Tara. "Not with what you've lost."
Buffy didn't even have to look to know tears were forming in her best friend's eyes. It hurt to know even in this world, Buffy was still the cause of pain and suffering.
Tara looked confusingly to Liza. "What are you talking about?"
Liza cleared her throat in a gesture to shrug off the question. "It's not important. But they're almost back and I wasn't supposed to tell you any of that . . ."
Just on cue, the sound of a key card inserting came and the door opened. The three other girls walked in carrying Subway bags. They quickly sat down on another couch opposite of Buffy, Willow, Tara, and Dawn's.
The girl who had given Buffy the note with the hotel information spoke up. "So. What did you guys talk about?"
"Not really much of anything. I was waiting until you all got back," Liza replied while fiddling with her subway bag.
Buffy, Willow, Tara, and Dawn sat for a few moments in awkward silence until Liza glanced up from unwrapping her sandwich. "Oh. Sorry about that. I guess I'll introduce us four. As you already know, I'm Liza." She pointed to the blonde girl sitting next to her on her left who was also the girl who had given Buffy the note. "This is Ashlee." Next Liza motioned to the girl on the left of Ashlee, who had chocolate brown hair and deep blue eyes. "That's Cynthia." Finally, she pointed to the last girl on the other end of the couch who had blonde hair with black tips at the end and brown eyes. "And that's Michelle. So. Who the hell are you?"
Buffy sighed at started fidgeting with her hands. Something about the whole meeting unnerved her. "I'm Buffy, this is Willow, that's Tara, and at the end is my sister, Dawn."
Ashlee dropped her soda, which luckily didn't spill. "You're the Slayer?"
Buffy glared at her, trying to find something that would give the girl away as evil. "Yes. And I'd like to know what you know about Mortem and spontaneously combusting."
Cynthia put her food down and her head in her hands. "A few weeks ago, we were playing, and inbetween songs some guy bursts in saying 'Mortem must die' and then he bursts into flames. Thank God I hadn't eaten that day. But, the phrase sounded familiar to me, so that night I went online and looked it up, and I found a few sites. I found out about a resurfacing hell god named Mortem who was planning to do something in Sunnydale, but no ones knows what. I found some more information about The Key and the ritual of a god going back to that hell dimension, but it doesn't seem like what Mortem wants to do."
She paused to take a sip of her soda. "That's basically all I know."
Her statement was followed by three murmured "Me too"'s.
Buffy glaned at the clock and realized it was a lot later than she had thought it was. "Well, we have to go. But if you find out anything else, here's our home number and address."
She stood up and walked over to the hotel phone where a pad of paper and a pen were stationed, and copied down the information. When she was done, she gave it to Liza.
Liza read over the note and looked up at Buffy as she retreated to the door. "We will. We're not playing again after tonight, but we're in town for two more days after."
Willow nodded as she, Tara, and Dawn headed toward the door. "Okay. So, if you see anything unusual, just give us a call."
With that, the four left for home.
*Sorry that chapter was so sketchy and short. I'll try to post another chapter soon*