One month later...
"Dawn, where'd you put the suntan lotion?" Buffy asked.
"I think I left it at the hotel. Is that bad?" Dawn asked.
"Well, seeing as how we're headed back to the states, I don't see the harm," Buffy said as she entered the airport terminal. She had enjoyed her vacation. Mainly it was because for once it had been a complete vacation, not just one for Buffy while the Slayer went and did her thing. Buffy's vamp-dar hadn't gone off once since they'd gotten to Rome, and there hadn't been a single murder victim drained of their blood in the news. They waited for about an hour until their plane began boarding. Suddenly, a hand clamped down on her shoulder. Buffy's instincts kicked in and she grabbed the arm attached to the hand and threw the person over her shoulder. As the man reached the floor, Buffy recognized him.
"Riley?" Buffy asked.
"Well, I should have known by now not to sneak up on the Slayer," Riley moaned. Buffy quickly helped him up.
"Riley, what are you doing here?"
"Giles told me you and Dawn were in Rome. You know, you are pretty hard to track," Riley said.
"It's what's kept me alive," Buffy said, with a smirk, the memory of waking up in her coffin two years ago flashing through her head.
"Anyway, I'm here on business," Riley said.
"Weren't you always?" Dawn said.
"Hi Dawn. Anyway, can we talk somewhere less crowded?" Riley asked.
"Actually, our flight is leaving like, now," Buffy said.
"I've got it covered. Sam's already working on a distraction," Riley said.
"Sam? You brought Sam?" she asked.
"You don't mind? I mean, she is my wife," Riley said.
"Yeah. I guess it's still a little hard thinking that one of my ex's has a wife while I'm still single," Buffy said.
"So, uh, are you and Spike...?" Riley said. From his tone, he was obviously dreading the answer.
"Spike's dead. He died about a month ago, saving my life," Buffy said solemnly.
"Are we talking about the same Spike?" Riley asked.
"He had a soul," Buffy said.
"Really? Does every vampire you have sex with have a soul?" Riley asked.
"I earned that. But we haven't had sex since, uh..."
"Since I caught you in the act?" Riley asked.
"Yeah."
"Riley!" Buffy turned to see Sam walking up to them. "Buffy, you look great," Sam said.
"And you look... pregnant!" Buffy said. It was true. Sam looked to be about seven months pregnant.
"I know. Isn't this great?" Sam smiled.
"We had a sonogram recently. It's a girl, and we were considering naming her after you," Riley said.
"Really? Wow. I mean... wow," Buffy said. She sat down to process things.
"Riley, have you told her about why we even called her here?" Sam asked.
"Right. Buffy, there's a crisis that we were hoping you'd help us with," Riley said.
"How many bombshells do you plan on dropping on me so quickly, Riley?" Buffy asked.
"It hasn't been intentional. But since Sam's pregnant, and about to go on maternity leave, we figured that it would be safer if we had some help from the Slayer," Riley said.
"That's great, Riley, but I'm not THE Slayer anymore," Buffy said.
"I don't understand. I thought it was your destiny," Riley said.
"Oh, it is. But there are now hundreds or thousands of Slayers. It's a part of how we won the battle of Sunnydale," Buffy said.
"Right. A battle that will never make the history books," Riley said.
"Uh huh. So. What's the problem?" Buffy asked.
"There's a government base is Greenland that went silent a few weeks back," Riley said.
"And this involves me... how?" Buffy asked.
"Last week, a few civilians there were said to have been dismembered by, what eye-witnesses refer to as, big green aliens," Riley said.
"And you think that these 'aliens' were demons," Buffy said.
"Not think. Know. I spoke to Giles the day after we got the report and gave him the description. He identified it as a... 'Knee-jer-ack-ba' demon," Riley said, mangling the demon's name.
"A wha?" Buffy asked.
"The 'K'ne'jer'ak'ba' demon. They can withstand all sorts of cold, up to and including negative two hundred and fifty degrees..."
"Cold little buggers, aren't they?" Buffy asked.
"...Celsius. They are rarely seen away from either the north or south pole. They're easily identified by their green skin, which glows in a radioactive light in all sorts of patterns, usually similar in their family groups. They reproduce by laying one of their eggs in... the still warm body of a freshly killed human. When the egg hatches, it emerges as a vapor, which lets it take over the motor functions of the corpse. It then alters the DNA of the corpse to turn it into a fully grown demon," Dawn read straight out of the demon book.
"So they attacked the base as a breeding ground?" Sam asked.
"Sound like it," Buffy said.
"So. That's why there's no Santa Claus. These guys must have killed him," Dawn said. Riley smiled a little.
"Okay, so, we got a creepy crawly that turns its victims into one of it. What do I do to kill it?" Buffy asked.
"That's where the problem is," Riley said.
"There is no known way to kill the K'ne'jer'ak'ba demon besides pure vacuum," Dawn said.
"So they can't be killed by cutting off the head?" Buffy asked.
"We don't know where its head is. Dawn, please read on," Riley said.
"The anatomy of the K'ne'jer'ak'ba demon is almost entirely different from other known creatures of the world. There is a head stalk and a limb resembling a head, however, all studies have shown that this is not where any known body part is place. Unlike humans and most demons, the K'ne'jer'ak'ba does not have a centralized brain. Instead, its thought processes are spread out throughout the nerves of its body. Nice things, huh?" Dawn said.
"Yeah. So, Riley, if it can't be killed, why not just give them the base?" Buffy asked.
"Apparently, these demons have been planning this for a few weeks," Riley said.
"How do you know?" Dawn asked.
"And who died to give you it?" Buffy asked.
"Most of the demon research team. Unlike the Initiative, the D.R.T. only studies dead demons. Buffy, the government has decided that if something isn't done about the demons, they're going to evacuate everyone off of Greenland and bomb the place," Riley said.
"So? That sounds like a safe plan," Buffy said.
"Not really. I've been going ahead and reading through this, and it says that while the demons are mostly found in the poles, there have been recorded cases of them attacking in other parts of the world. And that while the young are inhabiting the corpses, they can act like any normal human, including talking. They remember what their victims do, so they could walk an incubator into an evac ship and kill the people there and lay its eggs in them," Dawn said.
"So they're like a really big and green vampire?" Buffy asked.
"Well, they aren't killed by sunlight or a stake to the heart, but basically," Riley said.
"Has anyone considered the other possibility?" Dawn asked silently.
"What other possibility?" Buffy asked.
"That these things really are aliens like the witnesses say?" Dawn finished. There was silence.
"Aliens. First time for everything. I suppose they're aren't coming in peace," Buffy said.
"Probably," Riley said. "Aliens..."
"What, you don't have Men in Black?" Dawn asked.
"The government doesn't believe in aliens. Just demons. Aliens. That would explain why it's almost entirely different from the demons we've faced in the past," Riley said.
"The government doesn't believe in aliens?" Buffy asked.
"Well, I bet that the writers of these demon guides don't believe in aliens either, considering they called them demons," Dawn said.
"Riley, maybe you and Sam should sit this out," Buffy said.
"No. At least, I'm not sitting this out. But Sam is," Riley said.
"Riley-"
"Sam, you're going to either stay here, go back home, or go and stay with Giles. I don't want anything to happen to you or the baby," Riley said.
"I was going to say 'be careful', but now I'm going to say that do you think I'm crazy enough to go up against demons, let alone aliens, when I'm in the third trimester?" Sam asked.
"Well-"
"Riley, trust me, let it go," Buffy said.
"You're probably safer if you just apologize for jumping to conclusions," Dawn said.
"You're probably right," Riley said.
"Buffy, should we call some of the gang?" Dawn asked. "Or maybe Angel? I mean, he does have that law firm's abilities at his fingertips."
"No. We can handle this. I've killed one alien before. I can kill another," Buffy said.
"Buffy, are you sure that that's a good idea? The Queller was a hell of a lot smaller than these de- aliens, and there are a lot of them. Just at the attack last week, there were said to be about five of them, and the base was crewed by about two hundred and fifty men," Riley said.
"And who knows how many more were involved with the attack, plus how many they've nabbed and killed for their young? Buffy, you really will need help with this," Sam said.
"Maybe we could use some help," Buffy said, taking in the numbers. " Dawn, I want you to call Giles, then Willow and Kennedy, Faith, and then Xander."
"Right," Dawn said.
"And Dawn? Tell Xander that you're going to be staying with him," Buffy said.
"What?" Dawn asked.
"I don't want you in any danger, and Xander doesn't even have magic to help him," Buffy said. "Dawn, you are not going to be in this fight. Its too dangerous."
"I found the Turok-Han, didn't I?" Dawn said.
"Dawn. No arguments. Please. This is too dangerous, and I won't have you fighting in this battle," Buffy said. Dawn pouted, but Buffy stood firm. Dawn left to go make the calls. "And Dawn? Before we go, you're giving me your tazer," Buffy said.
"I know I've been out of the loop, but Faith? Isn't she the psycho second Slayer?" Riley asked. "The one who took over your body?"
"Things have changed. She helped us out and is searching for redemption," Buffy said.
"Isn't everyone?" Riley sighed. Buffy rolled her eyes. They waited until Dawn returned with the phone.
"Giles wants to speak to you guys," Dawn said. Buffy and Riley headed into the other room and put him on the speakerphone.
"Buffy, what is it? Dawn was telling me something about Greenland and aliens? It sounds like she's been spending too much time with Andrew," Giles said. Buffy chuckled. Riley looked at her. Buffy made a 'later' gesture, and then filled Giles in.
"So, the K'ne'jer'ak'ba demon is really an alien being?" Giles asked.
"That's our working theory. It explains certain differences in its biology," Buffy said.
"Yes, but you and Dawn both flunked biology," Giles said.
"Ha, ha. Very funny Giles. But Riley agrees with us," Buffy said.
"And biology was my minor back at U.C. Sunnydale," Riley said. " Especially the demon variety."
"I suppose that working in the Initiative would do that to you," Giles muttered.
"Giles, Riley says that there must be around two hundred and fifty of them, and more on the way. We need help. Can you call Willow and get her up here?" Buffy asked.
"Well, uh, that would be the problem. You see, Kennedy called me yesterday and told me that something has happened to Willow. Kennedy says that Willow had been working with some high level magicks, and then... disappeared. Kennedy doesn't know anything else," Giles said.
"Giles, you don't call, you don't write, and leave me to find out about these things when I need what's missing," Buffy said.
"Giles, where was Willow?" Riley asked.
"Somewhere in Brazil. Why do you ask?" Giles sad.
"Buffy, maybe Dawn, Xander, and Sam could go to Brazil and find Willow," Riley suggested.
"It couldn't be as dangerous as sending them to Greenland," Giles said.
"It sounds like a good idea," Buffy said.
"And Dawn doesn't attack Xander with a tazer in this plan either," Giles said.
"I'm never going to live that down, am I?" Dawn asked.
"Probably not."
"Right, well, I'll call Xander and have him on the next flight to... Uh, will we be meeting there or here?"
"Dawn and I are done with the Rome scene. It's gotten a little dull," Buffy said.
"Very well. I'll see you here in the morning, then, right?" Giles asked.
"As soon as you give me Faith's number," Buffy said. She wrote down the number of Faith and Robin's hotel, then hung up with Giles. Quickly, she dialed the number.
"Yeah?" Faith asked. She sounded groggy, and Buffy wondered what the time difference between here and where Faith's hotel was.
"Faith? Sorry if I'm waking you, I don't know what the time difference between Rome and New York is," Buffy said.
"B? Hey, what's the problem? And does it involve any slaying?" Faith asked, waking up. Buffy filled her in.
"You up for it?" Buffy asked.
"Sounds cool. Robin and I can get a ride up to Britain and be there by tomorrow night," Faith said.
"Great. See you soon," Buffy said. She hung up.
"So are you going to call Angel too?" Riley asked.
"Why?"
"Dawn told me about that law firm he's gotten control of. Sounds like he could be of some pretty good help," Riley said.
"No. That law firm is pure evil. With a capital E-V-I. Angel made a mistake by accepting their help, and so until he realizes it, we're not going to help him or get his help," Buffy said. "Anyway, the four of us better get going to the airport."
"Dawn, where'd you put the suntan lotion?" Buffy asked.
"I think I left it at the hotel. Is that bad?" Dawn asked.
"Well, seeing as how we're headed back to the states, I don't see the harm," Buffy said as she entered the airport terminal. She had enjoyed her vacation. Mainly it was because for once it had been a complete vacation, not just one for Buffy while the Slayer went and did her thing. Buffy's vamp-dar hadn't gone off once since they'd gotten to Rome, and there hadn't been a single murder victim drained of their blood in the news. They waited for about an hour until their plane began boarding. Suddenly, a hand clamped down on her shoulder. Buffy's instincts kicked in and she grabbed the arm attached to the hand and threw the person over her shoulder. As the man reached the floor, Buffy recognized him.
"Riley?" Buffy asked.
"Well, I should have known by now not to sneak up on the Slayer," Riley moaned. Buffy quickly helped him up.
"Riley, what are you doing here?"
"Giles told me you and Dawn were in Rome. You know, you are pretty hard to track," Riley said.
"It's what's kept me alive," Buffy said, with a smirk, the memory of waking up in her coffin two years ago flashing through her head.
"Anyway, I'm here on business," Riley said.
"Weren't you always?" Dawn said.
"Hi Dawn. Anyway, can we talk somewhere less crowded?" Riley asked.
"Actually, our flight is leaving like, now," Buffy said.
"I've got it covered. Sam's already working on a distraction," Riley said.
"Sam? You brought Sam?" she asked.
"You don't mind? I mean, she is my wife," Riley said.
"Yeah. I guess it's still a little hard thinking that one of my ex's has a wife while I'm still single," Buffy said.
"So, uh, are you and Spike...?" Riley said. From his tone, he was obviously dreading the answer.
"Spike's dead. He died about a month ago, saving my life," Buffy said solemnly.
"Are we talking about the same Spike?" Riley asked.
"He had a soul," Buffy said.
"Really? Does every vampire you have sex with have a soul?" Riley asked.
"I earned that. But we haven't had sex since, uh..."
"Since I caught you in the act?" Riley asked.
"Yeah."
"Riley!" Buffy turned to see Sam walking up to them. "Buffy, you look great," Sam said.
"And you look... pregnant!" Buffy said. It was true. Sam looked to be about seven months pregnant.
"I know. Isn't this great?" Sam smiled.
"We had a sonogram recently. It's a girl, and we were considering naming her after you," Riley said.
"Really? Wow. I mean... wow," Buffy said. She sat down to process things.
"Riley, have you told her about why we even called her here?" Sam asked.
"Right. Buffy, there's a crisis that we were hoping you'd help us with," Riley said.
"How many bombshells do you plan on dropping on me so quickly, Riley?" Buffy asked.
"It hasn't been intentional. But since Sam's pregnant, and about to go on maternity leave, we figured that it would be safer if we had some help from the Slayer," Riley said.
"That's great, Riley, but I'm not THE Slayer anymore," Buffy said.
"I don't understand. I thought it was your destiny," Riley said.
"Oh, it is. But there are now hundreds or thousands of Slayers. It's a part of how we won the battle of Sunnydale," Buffy said.
"Right. A battle that will never make the history books," Riley said.
"Uh huh. So. What's the problem?" Buffy asked.
"There's a government base is Greenland that went silent a few weeks back," Riley said.
"And this involves me... how?" Buffy asked.
"Last week, a few civilians there were said to have been dismembered by, what eye-witnesses refer to as, big green aliens," Riley said.
"And you think that these 'aliens' were demons," Buffy said.
"Not think. Know. I spoke to Giles the day after we got the report and gave him the description. He identified it as a... 'Knee-jer-ack-ba' demon," Riley said, mangling the demon's name.
"A wha?" Buffy asked.
"The 'K'ne'jer'ak'ba' demon. They can withstand all sorts of cold, up to and including negative two hundred and fifty degrees..."
"Cold little buggers, aren't they?" Buffy asked.
"...Celsius. They are rarely seen away from either the north or south pole. They're easily identified by their green skin, which glows in a radioactive light in all sorts of patterns, usually similar in their family groups. They reproduce by laying one of their eggs in... the still warm body of a freshly killed human. When the egg hatches, it emerges as a vapor, which lets it take over the motor functions of the corpse. It then alters the DNA of the corpse to turn it into a fully grown demon," Dawn read straight out of the demon book.
"So they attacked the base as a breeding ground?" Sam asked.
"Sound like it," Buffy said.
"So. That's why there's no Santa Claus. These guys must have killed him," Dawn said. Riley smiled a little.
"Okay, so, we got a creepy crawly that turns its victims into one of it. What do I do to kill it?" Buffy asked.
"That's where the problem is," Riley said.
"There is no known way to kill the K'ne'jer'ak'ba demon besides pure vacuum," Dawn said.
"So they can't be killed by cutting off the head?" Buffy asked.
"We don't know where its head is. Dawn, please read on," Riley said.
"The anatomy of the K'ne'jer'ak'ba demon is almost entirely different from other known creatures of the world. There is a head stalk and a limb resembling a head, however, all studies have shown that this is not where any known body part is place. Unlike humans and most demons, the K'ne'jer'ak'ba does not have a centralized brain. Instead, its thought processes are spread out throughout the nerves of its body. Nice things, huh?" Dawn said.
"Yeah. So, Riley, if it can't be killed, why not just give them the base?" Buffy asked.
"Apparently, these demons have been planning this for a few weeks," Riley said.
"How do you know?" Dawn asked.
"And who died to give you it?" Buffy asked.
"Most of the demon research team. Unlike the Initiative, the D.R.T. only studies dead demons. Buffy, the government has decided that if something isn't done about the demons, they're going to evacuate everyone off of Greenland and bomb the place," Riley said.
"So? That sounds like a safe plan," Buffy said.
"Not really. I've been going ahead and reading through this, and it says that while the demons are mostly found in the poles, there have been recorded cases of them attacking in other parts of the world. And that while the young are inhabiting the corpses, they can act like any normal human, including talking. They remember what their victims do, so they could walk an incubator into an evac ship and kill the people there and lay its eggs in them," Dawn said.
"So they're like a really big and green vampire?" Buffy asked.
"Well, they aren't killed by sunlight or a stake to the heart, but basically," Riley said.
"Has anyone considered the other possibility?" Dawn asked silently.
"What other possibility?" Buffy asked.
"That these things really are aliens like the witnesses say?" Dawn finished. There was silence.
"Aliens. First time for everything. I suppose they're aren't coming in peace," Buffy said.
"Probably," Riley said. "Aliens..."
"What, you don't have Men in Black?" Dawn asked.
"The government doesn't believe in aliens. Just demons. Aliens. That would explain why it's almost entirely different from the demons we've faced in the past," Riley said.
"The government doesn't believe in aliens?" Buffy asked.
"Well, I bet that the writers of these demon guides don't believe in aliens either, considering they called them demons," Dawn said.
"Riley, maybe you and Sam should sit this out," Buffy said.
"No. At least, I'm not sitting this out. But Sam is," Riley said.
"Riley-"
"Sam, you're going to either stay here, go back home, or go and stay with Giles. I don't want anything to happen to you or the baby," Riley said.
"I was going to say 'be careful', but now I'm going to say that do you think I'm crazy enough to go up against demons, let alone aliens, when I'm in the third trimester?" Sam asked.
"Well-"
"Riley, trust me, let it go," Buffy said.
"You're probably safer if you just apologize for jumping to conclusions," Dawn said.
"You're probably right," Riley said.
"Buffy, should we call some of the gang?" Dawn asked. "Or maybe Angel? I mean, he does have that law firm's abilities at his fingertips."
"No. We can handle this. I've killed one alien before. I can kill another," Buffy said.
"Buffy, are you sure that that's a good idea? The Queller was a hell of a lot smaller than these de- aliens, and there are a lot of them. Just at the attack last week, there were said to be about five of them, and the base was crewed by about two hundred and fifty men," Riley said.
"And who knows how many more were involved with the attack, plus how many they've nabbed and killed for their young? Buffy, you really will need help with this," Sam said.
"Maybe we could use some help," Buffy said, taking in the numbers. " Dawn, I want you to call Giles, then Willow and Kennedy, Faith, and then Xander."
"Right," Dawn said.
"And Dawn? Tell Xander that you're going to be staying with him," Buffy said.
"What?" Dawn asked.
"I don't want you in any danger, and Xander doesn't even have magic to help him," Buffy said. "Dawn, you are not going to be in this fight. Its too dangerous."
"I found the Turok-Han, didn't I?" Dawn said.
"Dawn. No arguments. Please. This is too dangerous, and I won't have you fighting in this battle," Buffy said. Dawn pouted, but Buffy stood firm. Dawn left to go make the calls. "And Dawn? Before we go, you're giving me your tazer," Buffy said.
"I know I've been out of the loop, but Faith? Isn't she the psycho second Slayer?" Riley asked. "The one who took over your body?"
"Things have changed. She helped us out and is searching for redemption," Buffy said.
"Isn't everyone?" Riley sighed. Buffy rolled her eyes. They waited until Dawn returned with the phone.
"Giles wants to speak to you guys," Dawn said. Buffy and Riley headed into the other room and put him on the speakerphone.
"Buffy, what is it? Dawn was telling me something about Greenland and aliens? It sounds like she's been spending too much time with Andrew," Giles said. Buffy chuckled. Riley looked at her. Buffy made a 'later' gesture, and then filled Giles in.
"So, the K'ne'jer'ak'ba demon is really an alien being?" Giles asked.
"That's our working theory. It explains certain differences in its biology," Buffy said.
"Yes, but you and Dawn both flunked biology," Giles said.
"Ha, ha. Very funny Giles. But Riley agrees with us," Buffy said.
"And biology was my minor back at U.C. Sunnydale," Riley said. " Especially the demon variety."
"I suppose that working in the Initiative would do that to you," Giles muttered.
"Giles, Riley says that there must be around two hundred and fifty of them, and more on the way. We need help. Can you call Willow and get her up here?" Buffy asked.
"Well, uh, that would be the problem. You see, Kennedy called me yesterday and told me that something has happened to Willow. Kennedy says that Willow had been working with some high level magicks, and then... disappeared. Kennedy doesn't know anything else," Giles said.
"Giles, you don't call, you don't write, and leave me to find out about these things when I need what's missing," Buffy said.
"Giles, where was Willow?" Riley asked.
"Somewhere in Brazil. Why do you ask?" Giles sad.
"Buffy, maybe Dawn, Xander, and Sam could go to Brazil and find Willow," Riley suggested.
"It couldn't be as dangerous as sending them to Greenland," Giles said.
"It sounds like a good idea," Buffy said.
"And Dawn doesn't attack Xander with a tazer in this plan either," Giles said.
"I'm never going to live that down, am I?" Dawn asked.
"Probably not."
"Right, well, I'll call Xander and have him on the next flight to... Uh, will we be meeting there or here?"
"Dawn and I are done with the Rome scene. It's gotten a little dull," Buffy said.
"Very well. I'll see you here in the morning, then, right?" Giles asked.
"As soon as you give me Faith's number," Buffy said. She wrote down the number of Faith and Robin's hotel, then hung up with Giles. Quickly, she dialed the number.
"Yeah?" Faith asked. She sounded groggy, and Buffy wondered what the time difference between here and where Faith's hotel was.
"Faith? Sorry if I'm waking you, I don't know what the time difference between Rome and New York is," Buffy said.
"B? Hey, what's the problem? And does it involve any slaying?" Faith asked, waking up. Buffy filled her in.
"You up for it?" Buffy asked.
"Sounds cool. Robin and I can get a ride up to Britain and be there by tomorrow night," Faith said.
"Great. See you soon," Buffy said. She hung up.
"So are you going to call Angel too?" Riley asked.
"Why?"
"Dawn told me about that law firm he's gotten control of. Sounds like he could be of some pretty good help," Riley said.
"No. That law firm is pure evil. With a capital E-V-I. Angel made a mistake by accepting their help, and so until he realizes it, we're not going to help him or get his help," Buffy said. "Anyway, the four of us better get going to the airport."