When they had arrived in Los Angeles, Buffy and the gang had rented several rooms in a cheap shack of a hotel near the city center. Willow had suggested that they move in with Angel at their hotel slash detective agency, but Buffy didn't feel that she would be comfortable that close to Angel. Giles had contacted Wesley as quickly as possible, wanting to catch up on the activities in the city and keeping his friend up to date on the events leading up to the destruction of Sunnydale California. Again, Buffy had asked her once and former Watcher not to tell Angel that they were in town.
She wasn't entirely sure what motivated her to avoid the vampire. A part of her yearned to see him, to feel the comfort his presence lent her. But another side, a more rational side, knew that it would only create tension. And if it happened that they didn't stay in LA, it was better that he never know she was there to begin with. To that end, she had avoided any activities that would bring her to his attention, namely slaying.
The clerk at the front desk of the motel, a greasy man reading a magazine behind a metal grate, leered at the two slayers and their companion as they made their way past the foyer up the stairs. They're rooms were on the second floor of the squat building, the halls stinking horribly, the pain rotting. Using one of the hole-ridden plastic cards that served for keys in these places, Buffy opened the door to her room and led Cain inside. Faith disappeared into the room she shared with Robin; she would tell the others to meet them in Buffy's room.
"You mind telling me who you are? I mean aside from the name?" Buffy threw her keys on the small round table in the center of the room and turned to face the strange man who seemed to take possession of the room as soon as he stepped into it, tearing down invisible walls and consuming the air with his animal presence.
"The name's really all you need to know for the moment." His lips twitched slightly, a movement that she was beginning to realize was the equivalent of a grin in almost anyone else. "Sorry if I sound cloak and dagger. I'm really not this arrogant. I'm going to have a lot of explaining to do in a few minutes, and I'm not exactly good with words. Rupert can tell you plenty about me if you care to ask him."
"You know Giles?"
He nodded and took off his sports coat, sliding onto the blue couch that took up one wall of the room. He noticed her staring at his chest and glanced down, seeming to see for the first time the guns in twin shoulder holsters. "Oh, I should probably put those away shouldn't I? People get nervous around guns."
"Especially when they're being carried by strange men."
He removed the weapons and tucked them into his jacket. "I was told that you wouldn't like this particular approach. Sorry. I'll try and be a bit more friendly."
"Told? What do you mean told?"
"Like I said earlier, I've spent quite a bit of time trying to find out everything I could about you. The people I spoke to all agreed you'd think I was either a moron or evil doing it this way. But I thought it would be fun."
"Who'd you talk to?" She opened up the small fridge and pulled out a coke, glancing at him to see if he wanted anything. He shook his head and she sat down on the opposite side of the couch, cracking open the can.
"Members of the Watcher's Council mostly. That's how Rupert and Wesley know me. I associated closely with the Watcher's Council before they got blown up." One hand moved up and adjusted the dark glasses on his face and she could feel the intensity of his eyes upon her, invisible behind the black glass. "You're quite famous you know. You and everyone in your particularly talented little group. The whole world knows about you, the world we live in anyway. I feel rather like a teenager at a pop concert, meeting you all." His lips twitched again, a slight raising of his eyebrows making it clear that he was being sarcastic.
"You certainly don't show it. You're very stone-faced. Or stony- faced. Stoned-faced maybe? Never mind," she said, smiling slightly. It was amazing how quickly his demeanor had changed to an almost normal state, while still retaining the catlike intensity and icy detachment that made him so utterly inhuman. She felt like he was simply acting, each word designed to put her at ease. Yet even knowing this she found that it was working.
"Years of practice. Self control and concentration. I spent five years in Tibet, studying with Buddhist monks. That's also where I picked up most of my fighting skills."
She raised her eyebrows. "You're a Buddhist then?" she asked, taking a sip of her coke.
"Not in the religious sense no. The whole self enlightenment thing seems rather strange to me. Most religions do, Buddhism less than most. But they're ideas about tapping inner strength and mind over matter and such are quite intriguing. Whether or not there is Nirvana or whatever it's called, I learned a lot from them."
"I've never really seen a point to religion. Or any of the organized ones anyway. The weird thing is, I know there's a heaven."
"Really? Oh, you mean when you died."
"Which time?" She laughed, a little bit bitterly. "But yeah, when I died." She wasn't entirely sure why she was discussing her spiritual views with someone she'd know for perhaps two hours.
"That's a whole lot more reassurance than most people have. Myself I don't know what happens when we die. You should look up some of the Buddhist meditating techniques though, they're really very good. Improves focus and all of that."
"I'll think about it. My life's crazy enough without any weird trances."
"Exactly. Take a few minutes and just open up every day, and things won't be so hectic." He frowned slightly and fell silent.
They sat for about three more minutes, the irritating whir of the ceiling fan echoing deafeningly in the tiny room.
"Buffy, if you don't have a bloody good reason for having Faith wake me up, I will be forced to hurt you. My head hurts horribly. Do you have any idea how-." Giles stepped into the room, holding his head and stopped, his eyes widening behind his glasses as he caught sight of Cain. "Erik? What that bloody hell are you doing here? I thought you were dead. You weren't with the Council when it.?" he trailed off, sitting in one of the rickety chairs surrounding the table, his eyes never leaving Cain's face.
Wesley stepped in a few moments later, and his reaction was much more violent. Upon laying eyes on the man in the room, he started wildly, nearly falling, grabbing the door frame for support. "You're alive?" he whispered, his face pale. "Or did I just have much too much to drink last night?"
"I'm alive Wesley, very much so. I wasn't even in Europe when the bomb went off. Please sit down. I have some things to tell everyone and it'll be much easier if you aren't blocking the doorway."
Looking as though he was seeing a ghost, his eyes teary, Wesley went into the small bathroom of the room and gulped water from the faucet before taking a seat next to Giles.
The rest of the group filtered in over the next few minutes. Nearly all of the potentials had left and the Scoobies were once again a small, select group. Xander and Andrew, now close friends brought together by a person they both cared for, seemed to make all sorts of guesses about Cain the second they saw him, remarking that he was probably some sort of government agent or assassin. Kennedy and Willow hardly seemed to notice him, giggling quietly and whispering in each other's ears, offering only a slight smile and a nod to the stranger. When they sat down though, Buffy noticed Willow throwing several, unreadable glances in Cain's direction, looks he presumably returned, though it was never possible to be sure where his gaze was directed. Dawn flounced in with Faith, bringing up the rear, looking happy and fascinated with the handsome, mysterious stranger sitting across from her.
"Good morning everyone. It's wonderful to finally meet you all. I've been trying to get this conversation for several months. My name's Cain. The reason I'm here is because I have an offer to make you. All of you. I'd like you all to join the new Watcher's Council."
His words were greeted by silence as everyone stared.