Category: Buffy/Roswell crossover
Disclaimer: I don't own them. You can sue me if you want, but, you'll die trying to collect anything of substance. (hint: exchange rate: $6 to US$1) catch my drift?
Author's Note: HEY guyz! Whoever could it be at the door? Hmm…I dunno. Anywayz, Keep readin' and reviewin', then I'll keep writin'. Don't like something? Tell me and I'll think about changing it, if possible. Okay, I'll shut up now.
CHAPTER SIX
They all turned to the entrance of the demon club. Standing in the doorway was a man with tall spiky hair and piercings galore. He wore a black sleeveless top and baggy, black jeans. He looked a lot like another person that stood downstairs. Michael raised his arm in preparation.
"What are you doing here, Rath," he growled.
"Came to visit my buddy Faith and I hear you's be here too," he said with his thick New York accent, "So I be thinkin', Rath, you better take yo' fine booty for a visit. So here I am. You miss me?"
"I-I thought you were dead," Isabel said, frantically searching behind him with her eyes for her worse half.
"Ain't nothin' to worry about," Rath said, "she ain't here. Khivar got rid a' her as soon as he got his heir."
"How do you know?"
"Yo' man we gots resources unlike you butt cracks."
"We?" Max asked.
"Oh yeah, I broughts some friends for ya. Thought you might be missin' 'em. Ay yo dupe, put down yo' damn hand, I ain't gonna kill ya."
Rath walked further into the karaoke bar and was followed by three figures. Two were male and the other was female. Finally two brunettes and a blonde appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
"Alex?" Isabel whispered as if talking louder would have caused him to disappear. A wide grin broke out on Alex's face.
"It's me, Izzy," he said, "I told you I would never leave you."
Michael looked between them suspiciously.
"How do we know this isn't a trick?"
"How else do you explain the 'dead' Zan and Alex coming back to life?" Ava asked.
"You're the same as Tess, you could be mind warping us right now," Kyle said. Isabel was still staring at Alex in disbelief. She was slowly inching towards him.
"How about you ask me something only I would know?" Alex suggested.
"Okay," Maria said, after the initial shock had worn off, "what did you give me for my eighth birthday?"
"Oh come on, not in front of everybody," he whined.
"Only way we'll know, buddy."
"Okay," he acquiesced, "It was after your dad left and you were really sad so…I, uh, I borrowed Liz's Ariel costume and performed the whole of The Little Mermaid in your living room," he stuttered, blushing profusely.
"Oh my god, it's Alex," Maria said tearfully. She stepped forward and touched his face gently. Isabel squealed and jumped on Alex kissing him everywhere she could reach. Joyful tears steamed down her cheeks. Liz joined the Alex sandwich. Michael put down his hand and looked a little less suspicious.
"B-but I carried the body," Kyle stammered.
"You carried a body," Zan corrected.
"Maybe you should start from the beginning," Max suggested.
"Okay," Rath said, sitting at the bar, "so Lonnie gets this idea that we's goin' home with Khivar. She thinkin' that I be her little puppy dog but she don't know me."
"Yeah, anyway, she tried to get me to go to that summit thing. See, we remembered everything from back home on Antar, so she remembered bonin' Khivar way back then. She figured that she could play us again like she did last time."
"What she didn't know is that we knew she was a traitor back then, too," Rath continued, "Back home we was gonna kill her but she got us first."
"Anyway," Ava picked up, "she told Rath that she was plannin' to kill Zan and Rath told me and Zan. We planned that we would fake his death so she would trust Rath. So, I mind warped her to think that we killed Zan."
"We came to Roswell to get Max for the summit," Rath said.
"I stayed behind, 'cause I heard Tess and Lonnie scheming to get rid of us. I figured with Max gone, she would get rid of all youse humans," Ava said, "I heard her tellin' Lonnie that she got one of youse humans to translate the book the summer before. I know that you can't keep a mind warp that long so I fixed your friend Alex here."
"We were gonna tell youse that Lonnie was up to no good, but then we found out about that witch Tess, so we leaves you alone," Rath said, "Anyway, since Tess assumed I was on her side, she told me and Lonnie her whole plan and that deal your protector made with Khivar. We couldn't let Khivar get either set of us, so we came back to your friend Alex here."
"I guess this is where I explain," Alex said, "I sort of remembered Ava healing me so when they came back with the plan I went along with it, to save you guys. I had to pretend to go crazy because of the mind warp, and go over by Tess to get her to fix me. We knew she would kill me, so Ava mind warped her into thinking I died. They replaced my body with a husk they found. It didn't originally look like me, but, they did some alien magic on it and voila, dead Alex Whitman. That's why you couldn't heal me, Max."
"Anyway, we've just been lying low, waitin' for my dupe to leave this rock so we could come out," Ava finished. The Pod Squad looked at the dupes in a new respect, even though they were still a little wary of them. They were all, with the exception of Lonnie, just like them. It also didn't hurt that they brought Alex back. Isabel, Liz and Maria hung on to Alex as if their lives depended on it.
"Damn, Whitman, I should try the disappearing thing too. Get a bunch of chicks to hang all over me," Kyle joked.
"Hey, ain't nobody glad to see me? I was 'dead' too you know," Zan complained.
"No lovin' for the New Yorkers, eh?" Rath said, "Yo, get me a screwdriver with tobasco," he ordered Lorne, "coke for the fearless leader, he can't hold his liquor."
"Oh god," Max groaned, "he has the same nicknames as Michael."
"Hey, it's the truth, ain't it?" they both said at the same time. They looked at each other and shrugged.
Cordelia walked over to where Ava was trying to blend into the woodwork. She tried to make conversation with the blond alien. Zan and Rath had their drinks at the bar and were observing the group. Angel offered them a couple of rooms in the hotel to stay in for the time being. At around 11:00 they left Caritas and headed for the hotel. Isabel insisted on sharing a room with Alex since Max and Liz and Michael and Maria could share, and especially since she had been deprived of her Alex for so long. Zan, Rath and Ava shared a room since they didn't know anyone else and weren't that eager to trust. They had decided to wait until Faith got out of jail to go back to Caritas for Lorne to read the rest of them, and for them to train for the upcoming battle. They had yet to figure out who the main players would be and whose side they would be on.
A woman sat outside watching the union in the hotel. A cold breeze blew her hair into her face as she spied. Her time would come. She would be able to get her job done. It was only a matter of time before the darkness would emerge from light. It was only a matter of time before she could join in the fight. She threw her hair over her shoulders as she sauntered away. Only a matter of time.
1 The sun was shining and the concrete was gray. In an old hotel in LA, 2 vampires, 2 witches, 2 watchers, 2 slayers, 6 humans, 6 aliens, an ex-demon and a key were gathered in the basement. Books were spread around them as they continued to research the impending doom of mankind. It was now 9:00 am and they still hadn't found anything. Three worked on translating an ancient scroll and nineteen attempted to make sense of old, but not as ancient books. Eight pairs and two triples scattered the well-lit, but still dreary room.
It was decided that four would collect the other slayer from prison. Rath, Michael, Maria and Ava went to get Faith out of jail. Her parole started today at 9:00 and they wanted to meet her there. Angel had wanted to go also, but the sun made that a little difficult. After a lot of argument on Angel's part, the four teenagers got to drive his black convertible, which Michael and Rath had been dying to get their hands on. The two of them thought very much alike, though they would like to think not. They actually got into a fight over who would get to drive, until Ava got fed up and ordered Michael to drive them there and Rath to drive them back.
When they finally got there, they had to wait half an hour for Faith to finish the necessary paperwork for her release. They sat out in the parking lot waiting for her in the hot sun, with the top down and the wind blowing through their hair. Finally Faith burst through the door like she owned the place, clad in tight black leather pants and a black tank top. Rath grinned as she approached.
"Hey, babe," he said as she climbed into the back seat.
"Hey," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck from behind, "Where's Lonnie?"
"Dead."
"Good," she said as she nibbled on his ear.
"Yo dupe! You drive," he said, practically flying into the back seat. He almost landed on Maria who was leaning against Michael. Michael grinned and climbed into the front seat. By unspoken agreement, Maria and Ava switched seats. So, they headed back to the hotel with Rath and Faith making out in the backseat next to Ava who wasn't even trying to hide her disgusted face. Maria was singing along with the radio as per usual, and Michael was cussing out the not-so-good drivers on the road.
At the hotel, they headed straight for the training room where everyone else was gathered and dressed for some heavy-duty exercise.
"W'sup Gang, I'm back!" Faith said, in way of a greeting, "You miss me?"
Angel, Zan and the Roswell Gang greeted her warmly while the Sunnydale and LA crew greeted her with a bit of contempt. Faith was still a sore spot for them, even after a year of absence. She had created deep wounds in them that had yet to heal. The newcomers heard the stories but still accepted her. They, of all people, should know that the past isn't everything.
"Okay, I am in need of a good fight now, a whole year is way too much time to be out of business," Faith said, "How 'bout it, B, a little one on one?"
"Sure," Buffy answered. 'Maybe I can beat the hell out of someone for a change,' she added silently. They moved to the center of the room and the others surrounded them like a human (and alien) boxing ring. They circled each other like predators until Faith finally attacked.
Her movements were slow at first, but as the fight progressed, she became more swift and precise. She was returning to her original strength as slayer, which had been repressed while in jail. The fight was pretty much balanced until Faith ducked and tripped Buffy and then pinned her to the floor. Buffy glared at Faith from beneath her. Faith put on a triumphant smile and jumped up.
"Interesting," Wesley murmured to Giles, "you don't suppose she's lost her Slayer powers because of dying twice?"
Giles stared at Buffy as he mulled over the idea.
"Perhaps," he said, finally, "Maybe we should have her fight Angel, he should be an equal opponent, right?"
"Yes, he should." Wesley called Angel over and explained their theory. Angel agreed to spar against Buffy. They fought for fifteen minutes until Buffy finally beat him. That at least boosted her self-esteem.
"Well, that's not the problem," Giles commented, "Maybe it's because of the aliens' powers, though, that doesn't explain Faith."
"It also can't work because Max can barely beat Xander," Wesley said.
"We should check the new aliens. What were their names? Rath, Ava and Zan. If they possess the same skill as Michael and Isabel…"
"It could be an alien thing," Wesley said. They made Rath, Ava and Zan first work with the punching bag. This test proved that Rath had the same skill as Michael, Isabel and Faith. Zan and Ava were just as bad as Max and Liz. Alex, who was last, also showed the same skill as Isabel, Rath, Faith, Michael and Maria. This confused the watchers even more.
"Maybe you blokes should call those lazy buggers in the council instead of having us do all this bloody research," Spike said as he came up behind him, "have the bloody pansies translate the thing."
The watchers looked at Spike as if they didn't even think of that, which they hadn't. They ran upstairs to call the Council.
"Duh," Spike said, rolling his eyes, "Okay, I got the bloody wankers off our case for a while," he announced to the group, "what do we do with our free time?"
"Ooh, I want to see the alien powers!" Dawn exclaimed.
"Um, okay," Max said, "who do you want to see first?"
"You can start…oh fearless leader," she said. Max muttered something under his breath about excess Michaels and moved to stand in the middle of the room. He raised his green shield in front of him.
"Lame!" Spike shouted.
"Heal something, Maxwell," Michael said.
"Fine, you want to be the guinea pig?" Michael shrugged and walked up to the King…well one of the kings. He cut his arm on one of the axes and showed it to the others.
"Ooh, blood," he said, jokingly. Max laid his hand on it and concentrated. His hand started to glow and Michael's arm was perfect again. The Sunnydale gang was amazed. It was a cool trick…if you weren't accustomed to it as the Roswell and New York gangs were.
"You're next, Zanther," Rath said. Zan grumbled under his breath and stood next to Max. He raised his hand and shapeshifted into Max's form. He was clean cut and shaven. He lost the piercings and tattoos. He then shifted again until his hair fell to his back and was a bright red. He got bigger muscles and a goatee. He then morphed back into himself.
"Cool," Xander said, "Can you all do that?"
"Rath, Zan and Ava can because they've had more practice," Isabel said, "we probably could if we tried."
"Yeah, but Rath is the best at it," Ava said, "This is what Tess would look like, by the way," she added as she changed her hair to its natural blond, curly texture. She changed her clothes into a more Tess oriented style. She spun around once and then changed back.
"Mind warp them," Maria urged.
"Okay." She closed her eyes in concentration. They all laughed as they saw Giles and Wesley in the middle of the room dancing in pink g-strings with florescent green mohawks. The image dropped as the real Giles and Wesley returned. The group watched them and then collapsed into hysterical laughter.
"What's going on?" Giles asked, wondering if they had all gone mad. Ava showed them the picture and they turned beet red to the roots of their hair. This made the group laugh even harder. Spike and Dawn were rolling on the floor laughing. Even Angel was laughing at them.
"Okay, next," Dawn said, "you go Isabel."
"Well, I can dream walk but you can't really see that," she said, "and well, change molecular structure but we can all do that." She shrugged and walked over to Angel. She waved her hand over his shirt and turned it bright pink with red polka dots. She made his pants fire engine red leather and made it tighter. She then touched the walls and turned them a light blue color. They laughed at Angel's new outfit until he practically begged Isabel to change it back. She did, though reluctantly.
Rath was up next. He shapeshifted into Dawn and silently stood next to her while she was watching Isabel. Dawn turned and screamed.
"Oh my God! Who is that?" she asked after she caught her breath.
"Damn you short, baby," Rath said, smirking. He walked over to Buffy and morphed into her as he walked. Buffy poked him to see if he felt any different. He then morphed into Spike.
"Having fun, you little buggers?" he asked in a Spike voice. He morphed back into himself.
"Okay, who didn't we see…Michael!" Xander said.
"I don't have much control over my powers," he said, "I tend to blow things up."
"Explosions are always good," Xander said.
"Okay," he said. He raised his arm and pointed at the old chair in the corner. It exploded.
"What about that thing you showed me?" Maria asked.
"I've never been able to do that on my own," he answered.
"Then I'll help," she said. She joined Michael in the middle of the room and joined hands with him. The others looked on with fascination. They raised their linked hands in the air and closed their eyes. A bright blue light appeared in the middle of them. They opened their eyes and stepped back. It floated there in the middle of the room. The surface of the ball of light swirled until it was a red color. It then turned purple and green and orange before splitting into 23 tiny balls and spreading to everyone in the room. Liz, Max, Isabel and Buffy poked it in fascination. Faith reached out and grabbed it boldly. It disintegrated into tiny little sparks. The other balls followed suit then reconvened in the center of the room above Michael and Maria. It then lowered until it re-entered their bodies. They glowed for a second before stepping away from each other.
"That…was so cool!" Dawn exclaimed, "It was so pretty, can you all do it?"
"We don't know," Max said, "That's the first time I've seen it. Michael, why didn't you show us?"
"And give you a reason for another meeting? I think not," Michael and Maria said in unison.
"They're back at that again?" Anya whined.
"It happens more after we do that," they said, "that's why we don't do it often."
"What's it for?" Xander asked.
"Not the slightest clue," they said.
"Maybe that's why Maria started developing powers," Liz suggested. They shrugged.
"Who knows."
"Rath, you practice a lot, can you do that?"
"No."
"So, what did the Council say?" Spike asked, changing the subject.
"We faxed them a copy of the scroll, they should have it translated within the hour, or so they say," Giles said, "Whether they tell us what is says or not, is another question."
"Aren't they supposed to tell, though?" Liz asked.
"They like to control things, especially the information they have and choose to give out. I think we should check out the demon underground, find out what's been raised recently. Maybe we're going about it the wrong way. Perhaps we should search for whatever is being raised instead of the chosen."
"Okay, then, Angel, you and Gunn go to Merl and ask him if he's heard anything," Wesley instructed, "Um, we'll have to find out if Wolfram and Hart are up to something. They might be a part of it. Willow, maybe you should try to get into their database."
"I'll try, but I'm not that good at hacking," she replied.
"Let Alex do it," Isabel said, "he got into an FBI computer once, he could probably get Wolfram and Hart."
"Yeah, I've been computerless for way too long," he said.
"Okay, great, the computer's upstairs, tell Cordelia what you will need and whatnot."
"What do we do?" Max asked.
"Um, weak fighters stay here and train," he said, "we need you ready to do battle if we can't find the chosen. Work on your powers, they might be helpful. Everyone else can do research, or train, whatever you want once it's helpful. Giles and I will be trying to translate upstairs. If you want to help, be my guest."
"God, this sucks," Michael and Maria said.
"Yeah, I know," Rath said, "I really don't want to read anymore of those damn books."
"Oh well," Kyle said, "Onward through the pages."
They headed upstairs to find something to do. There wasn't really much they could do. They had been through almost all the books in the whole hotel, if it wasn't there yesterday, it wouldn't be there now.
"I'm gonna sleep, that was way too early a morning for me," Michael and Maria said.
"Damn it, stop doin' that!" Kyle yelled.
"We would if we could, jock!" they yelled back. They gave him the death glare, then went upstairs to their room.
"No nookie now!" Faith yelled up to them, "It's not the same as sleeping."
The sun hung high in the sky, shedding its blue light into the dark crevices of the land. The walls of the capital stood high above the tops of the houses. The palace lay at the center of the great city. The most powerful family of the planet rested within its walls. It's royal blue walls shone in the light of the sun. Its golden doors were open to the wide expanse of garden that lay before the grounds. The inside of the palace was in complete disarray.
"We must gather an army at once!" she cried, "I will not have my kingdom ruled by that tyrant!"
"Yes your majesty." Her secretary bowed and then ran out of the room in search of the warlord. The queen paced the length of the room.
"We cannot have Khivar rule our planet," she said.
"Yes, quite right, your majesty," her advisor said.
"Whatever will we do, Waltham?" she asked, "we are not prepared for war, not yet. We have not had a war in one hundred years! Not since my great great grandfather's rule. It must mean that I am a bad ruler," she ranted as she paced, "I cannot believe that I have let a war be declared. I should have prevented this! This kingdom will be in ruins or worse, enslaved!"
"I am sure we will prevail, your highness," Waltham replied, eyes following her slender form across the room.
"And what of my son? Surely we must leave a throne for him to receive, my husband would roll in his grave if he did not."
"Prince Deimon will ascend to the throne, your grace," he said. Just then, a young boy ran into the room and clung to his mother's legs. He buried his face in her dress.
"What is the matter, my son?" she bent down to pick him up. It was then that she noticed his tear stained cheeks. He clung to her for dear life. It was as if he knew that they wouldn't be together for much longer. She sat down and patted her son's back, calming the crying toddler.
"If only you could speak," she whispered, "I wish I knew what was wrong."
Suddenly the doors burst open to reveal the General. He wore a green uniform that displayed his many awards. He looked distressed
"My Queen," he said, bowing his head, "I must speak with you alone."
"Okay. Waltham," she said, signaling for her advisor to leave.
"Your majesty, I have reason to believe that there may be a traitor amongst us."
"How so?"
The general smiled a slow, evil smile, "Because, my allegiance is not with you," he said as he raised a gun to her head. The Queen began to back away from him. She clutched her son tightly, then put him down behind her. She would protect him even if it killed her.
"You may kill me," she whispered, "but please, let my son go."
"I think not, your highness," he said menacingly, "We can't have any heirs around, now can we?"
"So be it," she said steadily, "but know this, you shall be damned forever for this crime. To kill a child of only two years. All for Khivar, what did he offer you, huh? For the relinquishing of your soul and conscience. Must be a tidy sum."
"Lord Khivar is quite generous. But enough of this chit chat. I shall be done with you now," he said preparing to fire.
"I have failed you. I love you, my son," she whispered to the toddler that stood behind her. She shut her eyes and waited for the shot.
"NO!" Michael screamed. He shot up panting in a cold sweat. Tears streamed down his face. "Mom," he said in a tortured whisper.
"Shh, Michael. It's only a dream," Maria whispered, trying to calm him down. She held him against her chest as he cried. Suddenly, the door burst open and the light went on. Everyone in the hotel came barreling into the hotel room.
"What happened?" Max asked.
"I don't know. I think he had a nightmare. Go away, he won't tell with all of you here," Maria said quietly. Everyone but the Pod Squad left the room, convinced it was only a nightmare. Max, Liz, Alex, Isabel and Kyle sat in the living room, waiting for Michael and Maria to emerge from their bedroom. Ten minutes later, Maria and a very distraught Michael walked into the living room.
"I saw her," Michael said, quietly.
"Saw who?" Max asked.
"My mother," Michael whispered.
"Really? Oh my god, Michael!" Isabel cried. She embraced Michael quickly. She was surprised by the fear that was being emitted from him.
"What's wrong?" she asked, "What happened?"
"Th-there was a war. Khivar was going to attack the kingdom, try to take it over. There hadn't been a war there in one hundred years so they were rushing around trying to build an army to fight and beat Khivar," he said, "Sh-she called up the general to find out the plans. He came to her office and told her that he had to speak to her alone, so she sent away her advisor. I was still there with her, I don't know, it seemed like I knew what was going to happen to her but I couldn't say. She kept saying 'if only you could talk' I guess she knew that I knew that something was wrong."
"So, what happened?"
"He said that there was a traitor among us, and she asked how he knew and he told her it was because he was it," Michael continued, sadly, "H-he was going to kill us so that Khivar could have free reign. She stalled him for a while, you know, talking to him, she was trying to get him to let me go, but he wouldn't. He said there couldn't be any heirs. Then," he said, anger starting to creep into his depressed voice, "he started to pull the trigger. That's when I woke up, I don't know what happened after."
The group was silent. They were sad for Michael. All he ever wanted was a family and the only time he got to see a member was to see them die. Isabel hugged her surrogate brother before ushering the others out. Maria took his hand and led him back to the bed. She put him to lie down then lay down behind him in the same position she held almost a year ago. She held him until he fell asleep again. She, too, fell asleep with her arms around him.
Lilah entered her dark office and walked to its large window. She loved the view from there. She could see all the city lights from there. She could see the Hyperian Hotel from there, the place that their worst enemy resides. She sighed. Angel would have to wait for another time. Right now, she had to go get her new client. She turned away from the window and walked out the door.
"So be it," she said steadily, "but know this, you shall be damned forever for this crime. To kill a child of only two years. All for Khivar, what did he offer you, huh? For the relinquishing of your soul and conscience. Must be a tidy sum."
"Lord Khivar is quite generous. But enough of this chit chat. I shall be done with you now," he said preparing to fire.
"I have failed you. I love you, my son," she whispered to the toddler that stood behind her. She shut her eyes and waited for the shot.
"NO! MAMA!" he screamed, as his mother hit the floor.
He jolted awake. He tears streamed down his two-year-old face. The light from the sun reflected off his glistening skin. He looked around his room in the palace. The fear he felt from the dream was still fresh in his mind. He jumped off his bed and ran through the passage that would take him to the one person that he needed to see, his mother.
"What's the matter, my son?" she asked as she bent down to pick him up. He hugged her tightly to him, savoring the feel of his mother's arms. He wanted to remember her if his dream was true. He didn't want it to be true, but he was sure it was. It was realistic, like the time he dreamt his father died. When he woke up, his mother told him the news. He had been scared to sleep after that, scared to dream. He didn't like to know the future.
"If only you could speak," she said, "I wish I knew what was wrong."
He wished so, too. Damn the royal traits! Nobody in the royal family could speak until they were three years old. It made it difficult for him to warn mama. Why have the dreams if you could do nothing about them? Well, he would try at least.
Suddenly the doors burst open to reveal the General.
"My Queen," he said, bowing his head, "I must speak with you alone."
"Okay. Waltham," she said, signaling for her advisor to leave.
'Oh no! No, don't leave, Waltham!' the prince thought. He clutched his mother tighter. 'No, mama, no!' he tried to say, but still couldn't. He tried to relay the message by frantically squeezing her.
"Your majesty, I have reason to believe that there may be a traitor amongst us." Oh no. He knew where this was going.
"How so?"
The general smiled a slow, evil smile, "Because, my allegiance is not with you," he said as he raised a gun to her head. The Queen began to back away from him. She clutched her son tightly, then put him down behind her.
"You may kill me," she whispered, "but please, let my son go."
"I think not, your highness," he said menacingly, "We can't have any heirs around, now can we?"
"So be it," she said steadily, "but know this, you shall be damned forever for this crime. To kill a child of only two years. All for Khivar, what did he offer you, huh? For the relinquishing of your soul and conscience. Must be a tidy sum."
"Lord Khivar is quite generous. But enough of this chit chat. I shall be done with you now," he said preparing to fire.
"I have failed you. I love you, my son," she whispered to the toddler that stood behind her. She shut her eyes and waited for the shot.
"NO!" he screamed, jumping in front of her. He raised his arm and released his rage on the unsuspecting soldier. A blue beam of light hit the general in the arm, throwing the gun out of his hand. He stared at him in shock.
"You will not kill mama!" He raised his arm again, this time aiming for the heart. He concentrated and shot him again. The general fell to the floor, writhing in pain. An animalistic scream emerging from his throat.
Just then, the door burst open, revealing Waltham and two guards. They glanced from the fallen warlord and the Queen.
"Take him to the dungeons," she managed to choke out in her shock. The men bowed before grabbing the general and carrying him out of the room. Waltham remained with the Queen. Deimon collapsed against her in exhaustion. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. She then picked him up and carried him to her bedroom. She lay him on the bed and stroked his hair gently.
"It'll be okay, little one," she whispered, "You are truly special. You saved me and I thank you. My baby talked," she continued, silent tears mingling with the words, "I always wished to hear you speak before I died."
"What happened, your highness?" Waltham asked.
"My son saved my life," she said softly.
"What happened with the general?"
"He was working for Khivar," she said, "He tried to kill us, but Deimon saved me. He has powers, how is that so?"
"I do not know, my Queen," he said.
"Well, find out," she ordered, "I want to know if this will harm him in any way. Go to the royal doctors, have them look into the family tree or something, find out why and how dangerous this is."
"Yes, your majesty," Waltham said. He bowed and walked out of the room.
"Michael! Michael!" a voice was calling him out of slumber. He opened his eyes to see Maria towering over him. She had a worried expression on her face.
"What happened?" Michael asked, not liking her facial expression.
"You were dreaming," she said, "you cried out in your sleep and then blasted a hole in Angel's wall. What happened?"
"I saw her again," he said, "My mother, she didn't get shot."
"So, what happened?"
"I'm not sure what it means, but it started off with what I saw before and then I woke up. I was two. It was like, some kind of prophetic dream or something. I ran to her to warn her, but I couldn't talk because of some…royal trait or something. Anyway, the same thing happened like last time, but this time it went further. He was gonna shoot her, but then I jumped out from behind her and blasted him. That's probably what happened with the wall."
"How come she didn't blast him herself?"
"She couldn't. I wasn't even supposed to have powers. She sent Waltham to figure it out for her. I think we should see Lorne, he might know what that was about."
"Yeah, we should tell the others. What about Rath?"
"We'll have to tell him, too. He'll be mad we didn't tell him before, though, I know I would."
"Well, let's go. Maybe he's been having the dreams, too."
"Yeah."
They walked out of the bedroom, prepared to tell the others the news. They were surprised to find them sitting in their living room area. Max, Liz, Isabel and Alex shared the couch. Kyle sat in the easy chair that sat in the corner. Spike, Dawn, Rath and Faith were playing poker on the floor in front of the other sofa, which held Angel, Cordelia and Gunn. Willow, Tara, Xander, Anya and Buffy were watching TV in the other corner. Ava sat in a chair across from Kyle with Zan sitting on the floor beside her. Wesley and Giles were nowhere in sight.
"Uh, hey guys," Maria said, "What's up?"
"Care to explain why there's a hole in my hotel?" Angel asked, crossing his arms.
"Uh, okay," Michael said. He quickly explained his dreams to them. Rath was furious, as expected, but was intrigued by this new…mother thing. He never had one either so it was all new to him. He didn't have any recollection of this, though. He could remember things from his past life, but only from his life in the Royal Four.
"Are you sure this isn't just a subconscious manifestation to justify what Lorne said?" Gunn asked. They stared at him. "What?"
"I think I can tell the difference between a dream and a memory or vision, whatever that was," Michael said. They agreed that the Pod Squad and Angel would go to Caritas to talk to Lorne.
She walked into the warehouse, heels clicking loudly on the hard, concrete floor, the percussion sound ricocheting off the bare walls. The dim candlelight flickered in the night. She looked around the room. It was pretty plain, for a calling ritual, really it was just a portal opening. She was getting anxious. This new client was supposedly the most powerful they ever had. She wondered who he was. Oh well, might as well get a good seat, the ritual was beginning.
Disclaimer: I don't own them. You can sue me if you want, but, you'll die trying to collect anything of substance. (hint: exchange rate: $6 to US$1) catch my drift?
Author's Note: HEY guyz! Whoever could it be at the door? Hmm…I dunno. Anywayz, Keep readin' and reviewin', then I'll keep writin'. Don't like something? Tell me and I'll think about changing it, if possible. Okay, I'll shut up now.
CHAPTER SIX
They all turned to the entrance of the demon club. Standing in the doorway was a man with tall spiky hair and piercings galore. He wore a black sleeveless top and baggy, black jeans. He looked a lot like another person that stood downstairs. Michael raised his arm in preparation.
"What are you doing here, Rath," he growled.
"Came to visit my buddy Faith and I hear you's be here too," he said with his thick New York accent, "So I be thinkin', Rath, you better take yo' fine booty for a visit. So here I am. You miss me?"
"I-I thought you were dead," Isabel said, frantically searching behind him with her eyes for her worse half.
"Ain't nothin' to worry about," Rath said, "she ain't here. Khivar got rid a' her as soon as he got his heir."
"How do you know?"
"Yo' man we gots resources unlike you butt cracks."
"We?" Max asked.
"Oh yeah, I broughts some friends for ya. Thought you might be missin' 'em. Ay yo dupe, put down yo' damn hand, I ain't gonna kill ya."
Rath walked further into the karaoke bar and was followed by three figures. Two were male and the other was female. Finally two brunettes and a blonde appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
"Alex?" Isabel whispered as if talking louder would have caused him to disappear. A wide grin broke out on Alex's face.
"It's me, Izzy," he said, "I told you I would never leave you."
Michael looked between them suspiciously.
"How do we know this isn't a trick?"
"How else do you explain the 'dead' Zan and Alex coming back to life?" Ava asked.
"You're the same as Tess, you could be mind warping us right now," Kyle said. Isabel was still staring at Alex in disbelief. She was slowly inching towards him.
"How about you ask me something only I would know?" Alex suggested.
"Okay," Maria said, after the initial shock had worn off, "what did you give me for my eighth birthday?"
"Oh come on, not in front of everybody," he whined.
"Only way we'll know, buddy."
"Okay," he acquiesced, "It was after your dad left and you were really sad so…I, uh, I borrowed Liz's Ariel costume and performed the whole of The Little Mermaid in your living room," he stuttered, blushing profusely.
"Oh my god, it's Alex," Maria said tearfully. She stepped forward and touched his face gently. Isabel squealed and jumped on Alex kissing him everywhere she could reach. Joyful tears steamed down her cheeks. Liz joined the Alex sandwich. Michael put down his hand and looked a little less suspicious.
"B-but I carried the body," Kyle stammered.
"You carried a body," Zan corrected.
"Maybe you should start from the beginning," Max suggested.
"Okay," Rath said, sitting at the bar, "so Lonnie gets this idea that we's goin' home with Khivar. She thinkin' that I be her little puppy dog but she don't know me."
"Yeah, anyway, she tried to get me to go to that summit thing. See, we remembered everything from back home on Antar, so she remembered bonin' Khivar way back then. She figured that she could play us again like she did last time."
"What she didn't know is that we knew she was a traitor back then, too," Rath continued, "Back home we was gonna kill her but she got us first."
"Anyway," Ava picked up, "she told Rath that she was plannin' to kill Zan and Rath told me and Zan. We planned that we would fake his death so she would trust Rath. So, I mind warped her to think that we killed Zan."
"We came to Roswell to get Max for the summit," Rath said.
"I stayed behind, 'cause I heard Tess and Lonnie scheming to get rid of us. I figured with Max gone, she would get rid of all youse humans," Ava said, "I heard her tellin' Lonnie that she got one of youse humans to translate the book the summer before. I know that you can't keep a mind warp that long so I fixed your friend Alex here."
"We were gonna tell youse that Lonnie was up to no good, but then we found out about that witch Tess, so we leaves you alone," Rath said, "Anyway, since Tess assumed I was on her side, she told me and Lonnie her whole plan and that deal your protector made with Khivar. We couldn't let Khivar get either set of us, so we came back to your friend Alex here."
"I guess this is where I explain," Alex said, "I sort of remembered Ava healing me so when they came back with the plan I went along with it, to save you guys. I had to pretend to go crazy because of the mind warp, and go over by Tess to get her to fix me. We knew she would kill me, so Ava mind warped her into thinking I died. They replaced my body with a husk they found. It didn't originally look like me, but, they did some alien magic on it and voila, dead Alex Whitman. That's why you couldn't heal me, Max."
"Anyway, we've just been lying low, waitin' for my dupe to leave this rock so we could come out," Ava finished. The Pod Squad looked at the dupes in a new respect, even though they were still a little wary of them. They were all, with the exception of Lonnie, just like them. It also didn't hurt that they brought Alex back. Isabel, Liz and Maria hung on to Alex as if their lives depended on it.
"Damn, Whitman, I should try the disappearing thing too. Get a bunch of chicks to hang all over me," Kyle joked.
"Hey, ain't nobody glad to see me? I was 'dead' too you know," Zan complained.
"No lovin' for the New Yorkers, eh?" Rath said, "Yo, get me a screwdriver with tobasco," he ordered Lorne, "coke for the fearless leader, he can't hold his liquor."
"Oh god," Max groaned, "he has the same nicknames as Michael."
"Hey, it's the truth, ain't it?" they both said at the same time. They looked at each other and shrugged.
Cordelia walked over to where Ava was trying to blend into the woodwork. She tried to make conversation with the blond alien. Zan and Rath had their drinks at the bar and were observing the group. Angel offered them a couple of rooms in the hotel to stay in for the time being. At around 11:00 they left Caritas and headed for the hotel. Isabel insisted on sharing a room with Alex since Max and Liz and Michael and Maria could share, and especially since she had been deprived of her Alex for so long. Zan, Rath and Ava shared a room since they didn't know anyone else and weren't that eager to trust. They had decided to wait until Faith got out of jail to go back to Caritas for Lorne to read the rest of them, and for them to train for the upcoming battle. They had yet to figure out who the main players would be and whose side they would be on.
A woman sat outside watching the union in the hotel. A cold breeze blew her hair into her face as she spied. Her time would come. She would be able to get her job done. It was only a matter of time before the darkness would emerge from light. It was only a matter of time before she could join in the fight. She threw her hair over her shoulders as she sauntered away. Only a matter of time.
1 The sun was shining and the concrete was gray. In an old hotel in LA, 2 vampires, 2 witches, 2 watchers, 2 slayers, 6 humans, 6 aliens, an ex-demon and a key were gathered in the basement. Books were spread around them as they continued to research the impending doom of mankind. It was now 9:00 am and they still hadn't found anything. Three worked on translating an ancient scroll and nineteen attempted to make sense of old, but not as ancient books. Eight pairs and two triples scattered the well-lit, but still dreary room.
It was decided that four would collect the other slayer from prison. Rath, Michael, Maria and Ava went to get Faith out of jail. Her parole started today at 9:00 and they wanted to meet her there. Angel had wanted to go also, but the sun made that a little difficult. After a lot of argument on Angel's part, the four teenagers got to drive his black convertible, which Michael and Rath had been dying to get their hands on. The two of them thought very much alike, though they would like to think not. They actually got into a fight over who would get to drive, until Ava got fed up and ordered Michael to drive them there and Rath to drive them back.
When they finally got there, they had to wait half an hour for Faith to finish the necessary paperwork for her release. They sat out in the parking lot waiting for her in the hot sun, with the top down and the wind blowing through their hair. Finally Faith burst through the door like she owned the place, clad in tight black leather pants and a black tank top. Rath grinned as she approached.
"Hey, babe," he said as she climbed into the back seat.
"Hey," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck from behind, "Where's Lonnie?"
"Dead."
"Good," she said as she nibbled on his ear.
"Yo dupe! You drive," he said, practically flying into the back seat. He almost landed on Maria who was leaning against Michael. Michael grinned and climbed into the front seat. By unspoken agreement, Maria and Ava switched seats. So, they headed back to the hotel with Rath and Faith making out in the backseat next to Ava who wasn't even trying to hide her disgusted face. Maria was singing along with the radio as per usual, and Michael was cussing out the not-so-good drivers on the road.
At the hotel, they headed straight for the training room where everyone else was gathered and dressed for some heavy-duty exercise.
"W'sup Gang, I'm back!" Faith said, in way of a greeting, "You miss me?"
Angel, Zan and the Roswell Gang greeted her warmly while the Sunnydale and LA crew greeted her with a bit of contempt. Faith was still a sore spot for them, even after a year of absence. She had created deep wounds in them that had yet to heal. The newcomers heard the stories but still accepted her. They, of all people, should know that the past isn't everything.
"Okay, I am in need of a good fight now, a whole year is way too much time to be out of business," Faith said, "How 'bout it, B, a little one on one?"
"Sure," Buffy answered. 'Maybe I can beat the hell out of someone for a change,' she added silently. They moved to the center of the room and the others surrounded them like a human (and alien) boxing ring. They circled each other like predators until Faith finally attacked.
Her movements were slow at first, but as the fight progressed, she became more swift and precise. She was returning to her original strength as slayer, which had been repressed while in jail. The fight was pretty much balanced until Faith ducked and tripped Buffy and then pinned her to the floor. Buffy glared at Faith from beneath her. Faith put on a triumphant smile and jumped up.
"Interesting," Wesley murmured to Giles, "you don't suppose she's lost her Slayer powers because of dying twice?"
Giles stared at Buffy as he mulled over the idea.
"Perhaps," he said, finally, "Maybe we should have her fight Angel, he should be an equal opponent, right?"
"Yes, he should." Wesley called Angel over and explained their theory. Angel agreed to spar against Buffy. They fought for fifteen minutes until Buffy finally beat him. That at least boosted her self-esteem.
"Well, that's not the problem," Giles commented, "Maybe it's because of the aliens' powers, though, that doesn't explain Faith."
"It also can't work because Max can barely beat Xander," Wesley said.
"We should check the new aliens. What were their names? Rath, Ava and Zan. If they possess the same skill as Michael and Isabel…"
"It could be an alien thing," Wesley said. They made Rath, Ava and Zan first work with the punching bag. This test proved that Rath had the same skill as Michael, Isabel and Faith. Zan and Ava were just as bad as Max and Liz. Alex, who was last, also showed the same skill as Isabel, Rath, Faith, Michael and Maria. This confused the watchers even more.
"Maybe you blokes should call those lazy buggers in the council instead of having us do all this bloody research," Spike said as he came up behind him, "have the bloody pansies translate the thing."
The watchers looked at Spike as if they didn't even think of that, which they hadn't. They ran upstairs to call the Council.
"Duh," Spike said, rolling his eyes, "Okay, I got the bloody wankers off our case for a while," he announced to the group, "what do we do with our free time?"
"Ooh, I want to see the alien powers!" Dawn exclaimed.
"Um, okay," Max said, "who do you want to see first?"
"You can start…oh fearless leader," she said. Max muttered something under his breath about excess Michaels and moved to stand in the middle of the room. He raised his green shield in front of him.
"Lame!" Spike shouted.
"Heal something, Maxwell," Michael said.
"Fine, you want to be the guinea pig?" Michael shrugged and walked up to the King…well one of the kings. He cut his arm on one of the axes and showed it to the others.
"Ooh, blood," he said, jokingly. Max laid his hand on it and concentrated. His hand started to glow and Michael's arm was perfect again. The Sunnydale gang was amazed. It was a cool trick…if you weren't accustomed to it as the Roswell and New York gangs were.
"You're next, Zanther," Rath said. Zan grumbled under his breath and stood next to Max. He raised his hand and shapeshifted into Max's form. He was clean cut and shaven. He lost the piercings and tattoos. He then shifted again until his hair fell to his back and was a bright red. He got bigger muscles and a goatee. He then morphed back into himself.
"Cool," Xander said, "Can you all do that?"
"Rath, Zan and Ava can because they've had more practice," Isabel said, "we probably could if we tried."
"Yeah, but Rath is the best at it," Ava said, "This is what Tess would look like, by the way," she added as she changed her hair to its natural blond, curly texture. She changed her clothes into a more Tess oriented style. She spun around once and then changed back.
"Mind warp them," Maria urged.
"Okay." She closed her eyes in concentration. They all laughed as they saw Giles and Wesley in the middle of the room dancing in pink g-strings with florescent green mohawks. The image dropped as the real Giles and Wesley returned. The group watched them and then collapsed into hysterical laughter.
"What's going on?" Giles asked, wondering if they had all gone mad. Ava showed them the picture and they turned beet red to the roots of their hair. This made the group laugh even harder. Spike and Dawn were rolling on the floor laughing. Even Angel was laughing at them.
"Okay, next," Dawn said, "you go Isabel."
"Well, I can dream walk but you can't really see that," she said, "and well, change molecular structure but we can all do that." She shrugged and walked over to Angel. She waved her hand over his shirt and turned it bright pink with red polka dots. She made his pants fire engine red leather and made it tighter. She then touched the walls and turned them a light blue color. They laughed at Angel's new outfit until he practically begged Isabel to change it back. She did, though reluctantly.
Rath was up next. He shapeshifted into Dawn and silently stood next to her while she was watching Isabel. Dawn turned and screamed.
"Oh my God! Who is that?" she asked after she caught her breath.
"Damn you short, baby," Rath said, smirking. He walked over to Buffy and morphed into her as he walked. Buffy poked him to see if he felt any different. He then morphed into Spike.
"Having fun, you little buggers?" he asked in a Spike voice. He morphed back into himself.
"Okay, who didn't we see…Michael!" Xander said.
"I don't have much control over my powers," he said, "I tend to blow things up."
"Explosions are always good," Xander said.
"Okay," he said. He raised his arm and pointed at the old chair in the corner. It exploded.
"What about that thing you showed me?" Maria asked.
"I've never been able to do that on my own," he answered.
"Then I'll help," she said. She joined Michael in the middle of the room and joined hands with him. The others looked on with fascination. They raised their linked hands in the air and closed their eyes. A bright blue light appeared in the middle of them. They opened their eyes and stepped back. It floated there in the middle of the room. The surface of the ball of light swirled until it was a red color. It then turned purple and green and orange before splitting into 23 tiny balls and spreading to everyone in the room. Liz, Max, Isabel and Buffy poked it in fascination. Faith reached out and grabbed it boldly. It disintegrated into tiny little sparks. The other balls followed suit then reconvened in the center of the room above Michael and Maria. It then lowered until it re-entered their bodies. They glowed for a second before stepping away from each other.
"That…was so cool!" Dawn exclaimed, "It was so pretty, can you all do it?"
"We don't know," Max said, "That's the first time I've seen it. Michael, why didn't you show us?"
"And give you a reason for another meeting? I think not," Michael and Maria said in unison.
"They're back at that again?" Anya whined.
"It happens more after we do that," they said, "that's why we don't do it often."
"What's it for?" Xander asked.
"Not the slightest clue," they said.
"Maybe that's why Maria started developing powers," Liz suggested. They shrugged.
"Who knows."
"Rath, you practice a lot, can you do that?"
"No."
"So, what did the Council say?" Spike asked, changing the subject.
"We faxed them a copy of the scroll, they should have it translated within the hour, or so they say," Giles said, "Whether they tell us what is says or not, is another question."
"Aren't they supposed to tell, though?" Liz asked.
"They like to control things, especially the information they have and choose to give out. I think we should check out the demon underground, find out what's been raised recently. Maybe we're going about it the wrong way. Perhaps we should search for whatever is being raised instead of the chosen."
"Okay, then, Angel, you and Gunn go to Merl and ask him if he's heard anything," Wesley instructed, "Um, we'll have to find out if Wolfram and Hart are up to something. They might be a part of it. Willow, maybe you should try to get into their database."
"I'll try, but I'm not that good at hacking," she replied.
"Let Alex do it," Isabel said, "he got into an FBI computer once, he could probably get Wolfram and Hart."
"Yeah, I've been computerless for way too long," he said.
"Okay, great, the computer's upstairs, tell Cordelia what you will need and whatnot."
"What do we do?" Max asked.
"Um, weak fighters stay here and train," he said, "we need you ready to do battle if we can't find the chosen. Work on your powers, they might be helpful. Everyone else can do research, or train, whatever you want once it's helpful. Giles and I will be trying to translate upstairs. If you want to help, be my guest."
"God, this sucks," Michael and Maria said.
"Yeah, I know," Rath said, "I really don't want to read anymore of those damn books."
"Oh well," Kyle said, "Onward through the pages."
They headed upstairs to find something to do. There wasn't really much they could do. They had been through almost all the books in the whole hotel, if it wasn't there yesterday, it wouldn't be there now.
"I'm gonna sleep, that was way too early a morning for me," Michael and Maria said.
"Damn it, stop doin' that!" Kyle yelled.
"We would if we could, jock!" they yelled back. They gave him the death glare, then went upstairs to their room.
"No nookie now!" Faith yelled up to them, "It's not the same as sleeping."
The sun hung high in the sky, shedding its blue light into the dark crevices of the land. The walls of the capital stood high above the tops of the houses. The palace lay at the center of the great city. The most powerful family of the planet rested within its walls. It's royal blue walls shone in the light of the sun. Its golden doors were open to the wide expanse of garden that lay before the grounds. The inside of the palace was in complete disarray.
"We must gather an army at once!" she cried, "I will not have my kingdom ruled by that tyrant!"
"Yes your majesty." Her secretary bowed and then ran out of the room in search of the warlord. The queen paced the length of the room.
"We cannot have Khivar rule our planet," she said.
"Yes, quite right, your majesty," her advisor said.
"Whatever will we do, Waltham?" she asked, "we are not prepared for war, not yet. We have not had a war in one hundred years! Not since my great great grandfather's rule. It must mean that I am a bad ruler," she ranted as she paced, "I cannot believe that I have let a war be declared. I should have prevented this! This kingdom will be in ruins or worse, enslaved!"
"I am sure we will prevail, your highness," Waltham replied, eyes following her slender form across the room.
"And what of my son? Surely we must leave a throne for him to receive, my husband would roll in his grave if he did not."
"Prince Deimon will ascend to the throne, your grace," he said. Just then, a young boy ran into the room and clung to his mother's legs. He buried his face in her dress.
"What is the matter, my son?" she bent down to pick him up. It was then that she noticed his tear stained cheeks. He clung to her for dear life. It was as if he knew that they wouldn't be together for much longer. She sat down and patted her son's back, calming the crying toddler.
"If only you could speak," she whispered, "I wish I knew what was wrong."
Suddenly the doors burst open to reveal the General. He wore a green uniform that displayed his many awards. He looked distressed
"My Queen," he said, bowing his head, "I must speak with you alone."
"Okay. Waltham," she said, signaling for her advisor to leave.
"Your majesty, I have reason to believe that there may be a traitor amongst us."
"How so?"
The general smiled a slow, evil smile, "Because, my allegiance is not with you," he said as he raised a gun to her head. The Queen began to back away from him. She clutched her son tightly, then put him down behind her. She would protect him even if it killed her.
"You may kill me," she whispered, "but please, let my son go."
"I think not, your highness," he said menacingly, "We can't have any heirs around, now can we?"
"So be it," she said steadily, "but know this, you shall be damned forever for this crime. To kill a child of only two years. All for Khivar, what did he offer you, huh? For the relinquishing of your soul and conscience. Must be a tidy sum."
"Lord Khivar is quite generous. But enough of this chit chat. I shall be done with you now," he said preparing to fire.
"I have failed you. I love you, my son," she whispered to the toddler that stood behind her. She shut her eyes and waited for the shot.
"NO!" Michael screamed. He shot up panting in a cold sweat. Tears streamed down his face. "Mom," he said in a tortured whisper.
"Shh, Michael. It's only a dream," Maria whispered, trying to calm him down. She held him against her chest as he cried. Suddenly, the door burst open and the light went on. Everyone in the hotel came barreling into the hotel room.
"What happened?" Max asked.
"I don't know. I think he had a nightmare. Go away, he won't tell with all of you here," Maria said quietly. Everyone but the Pod Squad left the room, convinced it was only a nightmare. Max, Liz, Alex, Isabel and Kyle sat in the living room, waiting for Michael and Maria to emerge from their bedroom. Ten minutes later, Maria and a very distraught Michael walked into the living room.
"I saw her," Michael said, quietly.
"Saw who?" Max asked.
"My mother," Michael whispered.
"Really? Oh my god, Michael!" Isabel cried. She embraced Michael quickly. She was surprised by the fear that was being emitted from him.
"What's wrong?" she asked, "What happened?"
"Th-there was a war. Khivar was going to attack the kingdom, try to take it over. There hadn't been a war there in one hundred years so they were rushing around trying to build an army to fight and beat Khivar," he said, "Sh-she called up the general to find out the plans. He came to her office and told her that he had to speak to her alone, so she sent away her advisor. I was still there with her, I don't know, it seemed like I knew what was going to happen to her but I couldn't say. She kept saying 'if only you could talk' I guess she knew that I knew that something was wrong."
"So, what happened?"
"He said that there was a traitor among us, and she asked how he knew and he told her it was because he was it," Michael continued, sadly, "H-he was going to kill us so that Khivar could have free reign. She stalled him for a while, you know, talking to him, she was trying to get him to let me go, but he wouldn't. He said there couldn't be any heirs. Then," he said, anger starting to creep into his depressed voice, "he started to pull the trigger. That's when I woke up, I don't know what happened after."
The group was silent. They were sad for Michael. All he ever wanted was a family and the only time he got to see a member was to see them die. Isabel hugged her surrogate brother before ushering the others out. Maria took his hand and led him back to the bed. She put him to lie down then lay down behind him in the same position she held almost a year ago. She held him until he fell asleep again. She, too, fell asleep with her arms around him.
Lilah entered her dark office and walked to its large window. She loved the view from there. She could see all the city lights from there. She could see the Hyperian Hotel from there, the place that their worst enemy resides. She sighed. Angel would have to wait for another time. Right now, she had to go get her new client. She turned away from the window and walked out the door.
"So be it," she said steadily, "but know this, you shall be damned forever for this crime. To kill a child of only two years. All for Khivar, what did he offer you, huh? For the relinquishing of your soul and conscience. Must be a tidy sum."
"Lord Khivar is quite generous. But enough of this chit chat. I shall be done with you now," he said preparing to fire.
"I have failed you. I love you, my son," she whispered to the toddler that stood behind her. She shut her eyes and waited for the shot.
"NO! MAMA!" he screamed, as his mother hit the floor.
He jolted awake. He tears streamed down his two-year-old face. The light from the sun reflected off his glistening skin. He looked around his room in the palace. The fear he felt from the dream was still fresh in his mind. He jumped off his bed and ran through the passage that would take him to the one person that he needed to see, his mother.
"What's the matter, my son?" she asked as she bent down to pick him up. He hugged her tightly to him, savoring the feel of his mother's arms. He wanted to remember her if his dream was true. He didn't want it to be true, but he was sure it was. It was realistic, like the time he dreamt his father died. When he woke up, his mother told him the news. He had been scared to sleep after that, scared to dream. He didn't like to know the future.
"If only you could speak," she said, "I wish I knew what was wrong."
He wished so, too. Damn the royal traits! Nobody in the royal family could speak until they were three years old. It made it difficult for him to warn mama. Why have the dreams if you could do nothing about them? Well, he would try at least.
Suddenly the doors burst open to reveal the General.
"My Queen," he said, bowing his head, "I must speak with you alone."
"Okay. Waltham," she said, signaling for her advisor to leave.
'Oh no! No, don't leave, Waltham!' the prince thought. He clutched his mother tighter. 'No, mama, no!' he tried to say, but still couldn't. He tried to relay the message by frantically squeezing her.
"Your majesty, I have reason to believe that there may be a traitor amongst us." Oh no. He knew where this was going.
"How so?"
The general smiled a slow, evil smile, "Because, my allegiance is not with you," he said as he raised a gun to her head. The Queen began to back away from him. She clutched her son tightly, then put him down behind her.
"You may kill me," she whispered, "but please, let my son go."
"I think not, your highness," he said menacingly, "We can't have any heirs around, now can we?"
"So be it," she said steadily, "but know this, you shall be damned forever for this crime. To kill a child of only two years. All for Khivar, what did he offer you, huh? For the relinquishing of your soul and conscience. Must be a tidy sum."
"Lord Khivar is quite generous. But enough of this chit chat. I shall be done with you now," he said preparing to fire.
"I have failed you. I love you, my son," she whispered to the toddler that stood behind her. She shut her eyes and waited for the shot.
"NO!" he screamed, jumping in front of her. He raised his arm and released his rage on the unsuspecting soldier. A blue beam of light hit the general in the arm, throwing the gun out of his hand. He stared at him in shock.
"You will not kill mama!" He raised his arm again, this time aiming for the heart. He concentrated and shot him again. The general fell to the floor, writhing in pain. An animalistic scream emerging from his throat.
Just then, the door burst open, revealing Waltham and two guards. They glanced from the fallen warlord and the Queen.
"Take him to the dungeons," she managed to choke out in her shock. The men bowed before grabbing the general and carrying him out of the room. Waltham remained with the Queen. Deimon collapsed against her in exhaustion. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. She then picked him up and carried him to her bedroom. She lay him on the bed and stroked his hair gently.
"It'll be okay, little one," she whispered, "You are truly special. You saved me and I thank you. My baby talked," she continued, silent tears mingling with the words, "I always wished to hear you speak before I died."
"What happened, your highness?" Waltham asked.
"My son saved my life," she said softly.
"What happened with the general?"
"He was working for Khivar," she said, "He tried to kill us, but Deimon saved me. He has powers, how is that so?"
"I do not know, my Queen," he said.
"Well, find out," she ordered, "I want to know if this will harm him in any way. Go to the royal doctors, have them look into the family tree or something, find out why and how dangerous this is."
"Yes, your majesty," Waltham said. He bowed and walked out of the room.
"Michael! Michael!" a voice was calling him out of slumber. He opened his eyes to see Maria towering over him. She had a worried expression on her face.
"What happened?" Michael asked, not liking her facial expression.
"You were dreaming," she said, "you cried out in your sleep and then blasted a hole in Angel's wall. What happened?"
"I saw her again," he said, "My mother, she didn't get shot."
"So, what happened?"
"I'm not sure what it means, but it started off with what I saw before and then I woke up. I was two. It was like, some kind of prophetic dream or something. I ran to her to warn her, but I couldn't talk because of some…royal trait or something. Anyway, the same thing happened like last time, but this time it went further. He was gonna shoot her, but then I jumped out from behind her and blasted him. That's probably what happened with the wall."
"How come she didn't blast him herself?"
"She couldn't. I wasn't even supposed to have powers. She sent Waltham to figure it out for her. I think we should see Lorne, he might know what that was about."
"Yeah, we should tell the others. What about Rath?"
"We'll have to tell him, too. He'll be mad we didn't tell him before, though, I know I would."
"Well, let's go. Maybe he's been having the dreams, too."
"Yeah."
They walked out of the bedroom, prepared to tell the others the news. They were surprised to find them sitting in their living room area. Max, Liz, Isabel and Alex shared the couch. Kyle sat in the easy chair that sat in the corner. Spike, Dawn, Rath and Faith were playing poker on the floor in front of the other sofa, which held Angel, Cordelia and Gunn. Willow, Tara, Xander, Anya and Buffy were watching TV in the other corner. Ava sat in a chair across from Kyle with Zan sitting on the floor beside her. Wesley and Giles were nowhere in sight.
"Uh, hey guys," Maria said, "What's up?"
"Care to explain why there's a hole in my hotel?" Angel asked, crossing his arms.
"Uh, okay," Michael said. He quickly explained his dreams to them. Rath was furious, as expected, but was intrigued by this new…mother thing. He never had one either so it was all new to him. He didn't have any recollection of this, though. He could remember things from his past life, but only from his life in the Royal Four.
"Are you sure this isn't just a subconscious manifestation to justify what Lorne said?" Gunn asked. They stared at him. "What?"
"I think I can tell the difference between a dream and a memory or vision, whatever that was," Michael said. They agreed that the Pod Squad and Angel would go to Caritas to talk to Lorne.
She walked into the warehouse, heels clicking loudly on the hard, concrete floor, the percussion sound ricocheting off the bare walls. The dim candlelight flickered in the night. She looked around the room. It was pretty plain, for a calling ritual, really it was just a portal opening. She was getting anxious. This new client was supposedly the most powerful they ever had. She wondered who he was. Oh well, might as well get a good seat, the ritual was beginning.
