Part 8,
Illyria sat in the hospital room next to Gunn; she could sense how much she had changed since when had been reborn into this world. Kar or Charisma as she had been known to her friends Illyria had helped as she sat in the waiting room waiting to hear about the fate of her Slayer and Mage friends after she had lost her boyfriend and fellow Neo-Scooby in the battle they had waged against the forces of the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart. Illyria had offered to participate in the Bracken Funerary rites to honor the young warrior. Kar had accepted as Illyria had taken to wearing the Fred face but still keeping the warrior vestments on as she wondered among the fellow warriors she had fought along side. It wasn't until she had gotten to Charles Gunn's room that she felt like she needed to do something more, so she had taken up to sitting at his bedside and holding his hands. Several doctors and healers had come to her to ask what was the stuff in his gut that had prevented him from bleeding all over the place from all of his injuries; all she had said it was just part of her. That she wanted him to live long enough that they could get through the battle and him somewhere so that they could treat his injuries. When they wanted to know more, all she said was that she had done it on instinct and started to become scared as she moved against a wall and curled up on the floor. So the doctors had stopped asking her, probably knowing it was probably something biological she could do given the wound in her hand.
One of the Slayers had been an EMT in training had moved to patch up her hand so along with some magical medical ointments and a couple of stitches in her hand that itched like mad, Illyria's bandaged hand was slowly healing. So all Illyria worried about was that she had to make sure that Wesley's funeral was ready and that Charles was well enough to attend it.
"Hey Blue." Spike said coming into the room wearing one of the spare leather jackets that he had gotten in Italy and carrying a potted plant. Illyria raised her head to see Spike there.
"Hello Spike," Illyria, said, as she looked Haggard, that and she hadn't changed out of her leather cat suit, which looked like it was starting to smell.
"Angel told me to swing by to see how the two of you are doing." Spike said as he came in and placed the plant down on a nearby table.
"I am doing well, but Gunn needs time to heal." Illyria said as Gunn shifted awake.
"Hi, Blue." Then Gunn's gaze shifted to where Spike stood. "Well isn't it one of the Fang Brothers, Spike. So where is our illustrious leader?" Gunn said groggily.
"Well Gunn, Old Stiffly pants is filling in the Watcher Council about him going old Undercover for the Powers that Be." Spike said as he pulled up a chair. "But things are somewhat still a rustle with the entire Alien's walk among us stuff going on. But the Slayers that saved our Butts do want to have a word with you." Spike continued.
"So the world knows the truth about Wolfram and Hart?" Gunn said as he looked into Spike's eyes for the answer.
"Well, when you took out that Hell Spawn of a Senator you caused quite an uproar when Angel Filled the State Department in that she was getting campaign funds from hostile nations and various terrorist groups, that and she had used so major mind control stuff to make her opponent think that he was a sexual predator. Gunn there are several guys downstairs that want to pin a medial to your chest for taking that bitch out. " Spike said as Gunn attempted to digest what Spike was saying.
"So I'm a hero, I don't feel like one." Gunn said as he leaned back on his pillow. "So what about the kid who died after those Cops shot him?" Gunn said getting to his street smarts stance on things of what was really important.
"Well, given the mess that went down. The cops have been put on administrative leave following the incident. But old Blue here has offered to help with the religious services to honor the kid. But When I mentioned that you were a lawyer, do you how fast the words of Apology came out to that kid's family, man Blue here threatened to disembowel a journalist if they set foot in this building. " Spike said pointing to Illyria.
"He was disturbing your healing process as well as the other warriors that came to help us." Illyria leaned closer to Gunn. "I grabbed him by his reproductive area to make my point after he touched my behind and called me Cat Woman." Gunn just looked at her some.
"Illyria you look like Fred but you don't. It's like you look like her sister." Gunn said as Illyria did her bird head move thing whenever a situation arose of when she didn't know how to react or just confused about which of her natures she was to use.
"I have attempted my best to comply to some of Wesley's wishes of not being Fred, but I feel that I have to take a human form so I can feel comfortable in this world. I have seen some of the other Demons that fought along side with us and the ones called Slayers. They told me to pick a form that looked human, but try to put some of my emotional self into the form that would allow me to feel comfortable in it without screaming the term "Demon Here". Do you like?" Illyria said as if seeking approval from a parent. Spike studied her for a moment and looked her right in the eyes as he sniffed her.
"You look just about right Blue. But your wardrobe needs a major overhaul, that and you smell like you need a bath." Spike said he touched some of Illyria's hair and it felt greasy. It took Illyria moving her head to where she could sniff under her arm and she immediately came up and quickly lowered her arm down as she had bloodshot eyes.
"I smell that repulsive?" Illyria said looking at her other armpit and quickly attempted to raise her head high enough that she would a good distance if she ever moved her arms up. "How do you deal with the stench?" Illyria asked wondering if there was a way for her to get the repugnant sent off of her.
"Blue, there is a little thing called daily bathing and soap." Spike said as Illyria felt like a small child, but Spike noticed that Illyria looked drained, not in a physical power sense but emotionally. Between the battle and Wesley's loss, it had started to add up and she started to Cry.
"I miss Wesley. I feel his memories that I have had with him as well as Fred's. The void is like a giant mouth attempting to devour me from the inside. I feel like something is eating me alive, yet I wish for darkness, for nothingness or for him to be brought back." Gunn reached over and stroked the side of Illyria's very warm and very human cheek.
"It's called being alive Blue. It takes time for you to climb out of the void after someone dies. It feels like it will be another lifetime, but you will go on. I have been there and I feel it too. You are not alone in your loss, me and Spike will help you through this." Gunn said as Illyria took her hands and held his hand on her cheek as if to check if it was really there and not some illusion.
"I will stay with you Charles." Illyria said as Gunn looked at her understandingly.
"Illyria you need some rest; go with Spike and get yourself cleaned up; I'll be okay here." Gunn said as Illyria looked at him worried.
"I want you to be safe." Illyria pleaded as the Fred aspects of her newly merged personality started to come through. Both Gunn and Spike knew how she was feeling that was when Spike stepped outside and brought a friend in.
"Well Little Shiva you won't have to worry about Gunn being left defenseless." Spike said as he moved to conceal a person so that Gunn and Illyria couldn't see who was behind him.
"You might remember this person from that big rumble we went through Gunn." Spike moved and behind him stood the young reddish haired fashion conscious English Slayer who had saved their butts several nights earlier. "My I present to you Vi, the Vampire Slayer." Spike said as Gunn attempted to get up to get into a better position but gave up and just laid back. Illyria just studied the young girl taking notice that one o her arms was in a cast.
"You are injured." Illyria said stating the obvious.
"Yeah, well I broke my arm during the mess. But I had the Doc put a metal plate in the cast so that I could have a weapon while my arm heals. Heck I got the idea from a football player that did the same thing back in the nineteen eighties here in America." Vi said as Spike just moved away from her some.
"Hey she's a Slayer, I wouldn't mess with this missy." Spike said as he moved over to Gunn. "So how has Blue been treating you?" Spike said attempting to change the subject.
"Well I think she needs some time to decompress. All of us do." Gunn said as he looked at Illyria.
"Yeah we all need time to think. Hey another major Apocalypse down, and I'm not non-corporal. That's a plus." Spike said as he had memories of nuking the Hellmouth.
"Well I think you better take Blue here home." Gunn said as Illyria got up and Vi moved over to look at her.
"Yeah, " Spike said as Vi looked at Illyria.
"You are like the one called Kennedy. You are young, but I have seen your kind fight. You have much potential as warriors even with the stolen magic's the flow in your bodies." Illyria said as she sensed the girl's magic's.
"Yeah, how did you know that I went from being a Potential to full blown Slayer due to a spell." Vi said looking at Illyria.
"I sense it on you, but I feel better with you being here." Illyria said as she put her gloved hand on the girl's shoulder. "Take care of him, while I rest."
"Will do," Vi said as she pulled out her stake from her jacket. The stake looked very ornate with its curves and handle. But the point had something written on it in black ink. For Illyria it was probably some spell or a chant the warrior used before battle to shield her from harm.
"Good," Illyria said as she started to leave with Spike as he took his coat off and placed it over Illyria's leather cat suit so that when she was walking down the halls she looked as normal as possible. "Make sure Gunn eats well. I want him to regain his strength." Illyria said as she left with Spike.
"Hey Blue, I'm eating. I just don't like the food here." Gunn yelled in protest to Illyria as she left the room. Unseen by him she was grinning at his remark.
Angel was looking over the paperwork he had to go through at the Hyperion Hotel. Between the dozen or so Watchers, Initiative Agents, Slayers and fifteen local officials that wanted to know what the heck he had in the Wolfram and Hart offices since the Senior Partners decided to collapse the building down on its self in a loose attempt to kill him. But he had gotten out along with Eve, but Eve had fled after a block or so from the building. He knew that she would be coming for him but for right now this was a time for grieving and rebuilding.
"As you can see here Angel, as a former operative of the Initiative who shall I say have not been taken off of the books, I am enacting your status of being active." Agent Riley Finn said to Angel from across the table.
"Okay, you want to know about the entire T-class sub mission." Angel said wondering if this was what it was all about as he felt that this guy had a reason to peg him as being a troublemaker.
"No actually you did your mission to get the sub and neutralize the threat." Finn said to Angel as he reached into his suitcase and pulled out a fairly sizable folder that he placed on the table. "This is about what was really going on at the offices of Wolfram and Hart." Finn said as he opened the folder and flipped through several pages and several very large photos. "We have Zombie body parts, Mummy guts and wrappings, a fairly large sarcophagus that seems to have several jewels removed, an lobotomized immortal guy strapped up like Hannibal Lecter found in a closet and enough legal documents that indicted several people of high treason and murder." Finn said, as he looked over the next few pages of the file. "I want to know how you wound up in the middle of this, or I swear I will throw you out of this place into daylight and watch you fry." Finn said as he shot up from his chair to tower over Angel.
"Okay you want the truth, I'll tell you the truth. Wolfram and Hart was the base of operations for a multi-dimensional organization that wanted to bring about The Apocalypse. Emphasis on the "The"." Angel said to Finn in a loose attempt to gain some leverage with the Federal Initiative Agent, but only getting himself into more of a pickle than before.
"Well given that we have gotten back the information from the autopsy of the late senator, you were correct about her being a class seven Sub-T, a demonic organism that uses a human body either reanimated or alive to be its vessel." Agent Finn said he took out another large folder containing all of the stuff that the government had recently dug up on the late Senator Lilith Hodgekiss. "Between the accounts you gave us as well as the people she had met with, Homeland Security is putting in serious overtime Angel." Finn said as he looked at Angel. "So will you fill me in on what you have been doing there?"
"Okay," Angel said as he got up and moved over to a bookshelf and pulled out a book that had been in Fred's room. "Have you ever heard of beings known as the Powers that Be." Angel said as he opened the page up to page and set it down by Finn, which Finn started to look at with curiosity. "They are a group of beings that for the past few years I have been working for. Think of them as being a type of trans-dimensional law enforcement group. Think of a NSA slash CIA group whose main purpose is to keep the forces of Evil at bay and stop the occasional Apocalypse" Angel said as he leaned against the wall and watching Finn's reaction.
"So you are doing the something that Buffy was doing in Sunnydale but on an international slash interplanetary level." Finn said as he looked and read some of the text before him.
"Yes..." then it hit him how did he know Buffy. "Listen how do you know Buffy?" Angel said to Finn and Finn replied back.
"We kinda of dated her first year of college," Finn said Angel.
"So you know Mr. Cordo?" Angel said to Finn.
"Yes, I found out who was after me and Buffy had sex in her bedroom and this pink piggy was found on my side." Finn said as he attempted to change the topic back to something other than his love life with the Slayer. "Yeah, lets get back to you telling me about the Wolf, Ram and Hart."
"Well the offices of Wolfram and Hart happen to be one of the base of operation of a trio of beings called the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart. Three of the foulest beings ever to be known. Now they want to add Earth and several other realms to their list of campaigns." Angel said as the information started to set in.
"So what happened with the vortex was their plan for invasion?" Finn said to Angel.
"Pretty much it was their way of getting revenge due to me taking out their liaison generals here on Earth. Each of the guys that my team and me took out were each capable of launching an Apocalypse on their own. But put them together, well lets just say it didn't look good. " Angel said as Finn got the idea.
"So when you mean Apocalypse you men Apocalypse on a Apocalyptic a scale and then some." Finn said as Spike walked in.
"Yeah, and those buggers were just plain dangerous." Spike said as he turned to look at Finn who turned to see Spike.
"Spike..." Finn said as he recognized his friend from the Scooby's.
"So isn't it old soldier boy. So how is the misses. Still kicking monster ass." Spike said as he came into Angel's office.
"Yeah she is, but we are dealing with a pretty nasty Ankle biter." Finn said as he reached into his wallet and pulled out a picture of his wife and his kid out. Spike took a look at the little girl in the photo next to Finn's wife.
"I see that she is a hand full." Spike said as a disheveled Illyria came in behind him. She turned her head in the bird like manner she used when exploring. Finn took a look at Illyria seeing that she had her blue hair and some of the blue stripes fading back in but it looked like it was not a fat thick line, but looked like it gradated from a dark blue at her hairline to a mixture of peach to where it had originally ended.
"She looks well for a human child. But I see that she has warrior blood in her." Illyria said as she leaned on Spike's shoulder as she slowly bit her lip. Finn looked at Illyria some and noticed that this was an individual who was drained emotionally and physically.
"You okay?" Finn said as he moved by Illyria but she reacted by moving behind Spike.
"Hey there blue bird." Spike said as he felt that Illyria was acting like a scared human.
"Spike I am going up to Fred's... My room. I need to undress and bathe..." Illyria said as she disappeared from Finn's gaze and reappeared behind him and walked out the door. "You have a brave child, warrior of the green." Illyria said as she disappeared.
"Whoa, how did she do that?" Finn said as Spike looked at him.
"I think somewhere old Fred and Old little Shiva there decided to agree on the time share of the body they are in. Science geek girl and an Ancient Demon stuck in the same body." Spike said as Riley looked at him.
"I know, it sounds strange to me, but the Powers That Be decided to use Illyria's powers and Fred's science knowledge to help us out. Heck she did close that vortex." Angel said remembering the conference he had with Doyle in the Oracle's chamber.
"Angle man you have to understand that Illyria has a long road ahead of her lad. Not the type of one that will be easy for her. She is kinda of a rough pre-Buffy, pre 'dillia you. So I would suggest that you and your pal Spike be close to her. She will need all the help she will need." Doyle said with his new face before Angel at the bar Doyle had constructed in the Oracle's chamber.
"So Illyria will be an ally, I know that she is an unknown X-Factor I have to deal with but I feel that she is too alien for me to even start to understand. I mean she has a serious superiority complex and yelling I remember when you were the quote, 'Muck that eats itself'." Angel said as he emphasized the last two words by him placing his hands up and using them to make Parentheses marks in the air.
"I know, but it is all that warrior pride crap she has to sort through, she hasn't realized that the human she is in is still there and I'm not meaning in a memory sense." Doyle said as Angel looked at him as if the guys' head was on backwards.
"You mean Fred is still alive in there?" Angel said looking at Doyle. "We need to get her out. We need to..." Angel was about to say more, but Doyle put a mute on Angel's voice literally as he held up a TV remote.
"Angel," Doyle said raising his hands up get Angel's attention before turning the mute on the control off. "Illyria needs Fred to be inside of her so that the transition can be complete. The prophecy the PTB learned about her states that if Illyria is ever resurrected after the time she was supposed to be brought back she would be permanently merged with shell she wound up in. I do mean merged. Illyria's memories and the memories of the person she was entwined up into were to be merged together along with her personality." Doyle said as he placed his hand on Angel's shoulder.
"So what you are saying is that Fred and Illyria are going to become one being and there is no way to stop it." Angel said in defeat.
"Yes, but give old Blue some time, she has to learn to become human, Wesley understands this. But Illyria will fall down a few times just say you will be there. She will understand, the Fred in her will guide her into becoming what she needs to be." Doyle said as he picked up his glass and took another slug of the liquid inside.
"Yeah, Well Let's Illyria decompress, she has two funerals she has to take care of in the next few days." Angel said as he looked up to the staircase to see Illyria leaning against the wall as she started to cry.
"What happened to her?" Riley said to Angel.
"She lost a good friend of her's prior to the fight in the alley to one of the bastards we took out. She killed the guy but not before he took out old Wes." Spike seeing the once mighty Demon-Goddess start to break down like any mortal would.
Illyria walked into Fred's room of the Hyperion Hotel. Angel or probably Wesley had had it restored to the pre-fire fight condition it had been in. Illyria walked around the room sensing memories of Fred's life flow before her as she pulled off her boots to reveal her bare feet. The textbooks she had of the magic called science. Several books on opening dimensional vortexes between worlds, a magazine with an article Fred had written about Trans-dimensional travel and the theories behind it. Then she looked at several pictures on the wall of her and of her friends. That and on one shelf there was a photo of Fred's parents with their daughter on her high school graduation day wearing a red robe and a square brimmed cap with a white tassel on the top. Fred was grinning like mad. Illyria grinned at the memories that this image brought back in her mind. Then it hit her she hadn't accessed the spark she needed to recall those memories. She had changed. Quickly Illyria moved to the mirror to see what she looked like. It had been weeks since she took over Fred's body but as she moved over she looked at her appearance. Not all that much had changed, Illyria still had the stripe that ran from her forehead down the sides of her neck, she still had blue hair, but as she moved closer to her eyes, they were still blue, but the blue wasn't on the surface anymore, it was behind the color section of the human eyes, it was the color of a human blue iris. Her eyes showed that they were no longer demon; they were human. Illyria started to develop a feeling of dread as she looked at her exposed hand. She needed to see her shell's flesh.
Illyria moved and spread out her arms and commanded the garment that she had created from her tome to revert back to their original state of the small gem she had used. As the garment's leather started to turn to liquid on her skin and flow into one of her hands, something in her mind wanted the garment off of her body so that she could bathe.
Illyria watched as the oozing material flowed into her hand where the glove was still attached after she had torn the other one off during the battle with the Forces of the Wolf, Ram and Hart to save Gunn's life. As Illyria started to look at her body she felt that the garment wasn't retracting fast enough so she took her hand and pulled the glove off as the tendrils were flowing into it and placed the pulsing oozing mass on the dresser table so that she could examine her shell's nude form. She looked at her body and realized that she had more blue sections on her skin than she originally remembered. She still had the two blue lines running down he neck but now she realized that they moved in a clear pattern down her arms and ended on the back of her hands. But it was the sections on her body that had been covered by the Shell's garments during her reawakening that she had never seen. She looked at her shell's chest and noticed that there were two sections of blue, one section were under the Shell's mammary organs forming a "W" shape to it which she traced with her hand. She had a strange feeling when she touched it, but as she crossed her arms to touch the same pattern on her arms, she got the same feeling like it was the shell's way of saying, home. But it wasn't until she saw that the third stripe she had running down her front was where Fred would have called her Bikini line that Illyria started notice that the shell had started to mark off its turn, as she reached to the area she felt that it was spongy and like the rest of her exposed skin felt like it had a layer of slime on it. As Illyria started to walk into Fred's shower and turn on the lights she felt that there was a change in how she moved and handled her body. It wasn't until she looked in the mirror of the door and the bathroom mirror at the same time that she took notice of the like blue stripe running down her nude spine. It looked like the same one she had on her bikini line but it looked much darker. The Fred in her took a moment for her to study the pattern and did an experimental scratch of her skin near the area on her front. A small layer of tissue came off in a broad thin sheet in her hand and Illyria just looked at the fragment in her hand.
"Interesting?' Illyria said as she moved into the shower stall. Illyria felt that most of the general knowledge she needed to operate this indoor rainfall device came to her naturally. That was when she reached for the side of the shower door and picked up a washrag along with a bar of soap and started washing herself. Between learning what her new body's bare flesh felt like in her hands, the water almost brought about a calming effect on her as she washed the grime off of her body. Occasionally she would noticed that some of the blue markings she had started to change some as the dead cellular material came off and live warm flesh replaced it. Illyria took a moment to turn off the water and raise her hand to her neck, she was still blue but when she felt the small crease in her shell's neck she felt a pat, pat of blood moving under her skin as she head and felt her heartbeat of her human form for the first time. She was scared. As Illyria moved the rag around her body and started to clean other places on her body, she noticed that some blue on her bikini line started to come off as well as the line on her back and under her breasts. Afraid, Illyria experimented on one of her arms and the markings remained. She wasn't washing all of the blue off of her body, it was as if her shell had adapted to her and she to it. When she reached down to press a bottle something gooey that read shampoo into her hand and started to clean her hair. Some of her blue strands of hair came out mixed with some of the shell's old hair in her hand. Illyria attempted to replace it but the strands didn't stay, they were dead. Illyria reached up and did an experiment in the shower and changed her form some, she noticed that between her shift from her current form to the old Burkle persona, she noticed that some of the form did change while the rest didn't but the biggest shock for her was when she shell's lower fur just dissolved away given that the shell had a host of bacterial on the skin that had started to eat away the hair and turning it to a goopy mess since Illyria had donned her warrior vestments all those weeks ago leaving the Shell's dead tissues to decay under the sealed garments. As Illyria stood under the water and she was shocked by the sudden sensation as cold water hit her bare flesh as she finished rinsing off the soap and cleaning agents from her hair and skin. She screamed and jumped out of the shower to the shower matt on the floor. As the air hit her bare wet flesh she looked at the mirror and saw herself. She wasn't a demon or a goddess, nor was she a human; she was a mortal. Illyria attempted to use her powers to dry off her form but it only resulted in staying wet. Even swapping to her Fred form only showed a wet naked human standing before the mirror.
"Josh, Gees. Something tells me that wouldn't have worked." Illyria said in a sheepish voice as she reached and wrapped a towel around her body. Then she paused as she had the towel around her body. "Did I say that?" Illyria said in her own voice as she looked in the mirror. Quickly she moved way from the mirror and changed into her blue form, then Illyria attempted to forge garments with her powers but all she did was change the white towel she was in into a vacuumed sealed short white dress that bore some close feau appearance to her warrior vestment bodysuit except for the legs, shoes and the sleeves. She took a step forward but the garment lost its cohesion form and reverted back to being a simple plain towel.
"Crap." Illyria said using some of Spike's modern verbal jargon, then the Fred part of her personality kicked in. "Looks like I'm stuck with what's in my closet?" Illyria said in her Fred voice. Getting worried Illyria moved out of the bathroom and starting searching the drawers for some sleeping garments that Fred wore. When Illyria found a large t-shirt she slipped it on as she remembered that Fred didn't sleep with no lower undergarments on except for her monthly cycle.
Illyria just sat on the bed in the shirt and looked around as she realized that the Oracles were correct that she and Fred were to be merged into one being and it was just starting to set in for her as she pulled a pillow in front of her and started to hug it as she fell onto her side.
"Wesley, I wish you were here to comfort me and tell me what is wrong with me?" Illyria said as she started to cry as she fell asleep. Her dreams would be confusing for her as she slept.
Fred was standing in front of Wesley at the Wolfram and Hart offices. She was sitting on his desk as her tan blouse and back business skirt captured the light in the wooden room and highlighted her thin lithe of a figure as she looked at him.
"Wesley, your alive." Fred said as she moved to beside of him and sat down on his lap as he sat in his chair.
"Yes I am, Fred what is it?" Wesley said as Fred started to hug him close.
"I was so afraid that I lost you." Fred wanted to smell his scent and feel the roughness of his beard.
"Lost me what do you mean by loosing me?" Wesley said as he reached down to stroke her face.
"I had this nightmare where I was turned into a demon by Knox and I was trapped inside. I so wanted to be free, but due to the way this demon was brought about she felt sorrow for killing me. You wanted to kill her but due to spell that Powers That Be cast on her, she and I were to be merged into one being. I was to help her adjust to the modern world but her pride kept getting in the way. She wanted to be ruler once again even after her empire had turned to dust. But she went to you after you Killed Knox so that she could adjust. You even helped her loose a good chunk of her powers." At this time Fred was crying uncontrollably in Wesley's arms. "She and I felt like you didn't want us, though we tried to conform to what you wanted. She even took my form at my request to protect my parents from the emotional harm of them leering that I was trapped inside or probably dead in a demon body." Fred said as she looked into Wesley's eyes.
"Fred, It's going to be okay."
Wesley said as he held her tight. That was when Fred looked at the codex he had in front of him and the image on the page was of Illyria in her Ancient form.
"What are you researching?" Fred said worried that her nightmare had another purpose to it.
"Well I'm trying to figure out some symbols your office sent down on item that showed up today." Wesley said as Fred started to grow scared.
"What Item" Fred said worried.
"A Sarcophagus that came in today." Wesley replied as Knox came into the room with a container in his hand that looked like shrunk version of the Illyria sarcophagus.
"Hey Wes do you have figured out where this box came from." Knox said as Fred started to cling to Wesley like he was a vital lifeline in a storm at sea. "Oh, sorry if you want me to come back later, I can..." Knox said as Fred looked at him with growing fear and anger inside of her.
"Knox, follower of Illyria of the Primordial; you will not be the one to bring her forth. I have seen the pain that you will bring to me and to her. I cannot allow you to endure such pain." With that Fred grabbed a letter opener from Wesley's desk and lunged at Knox.
"Hey Fred, listen I know that you date ended horribly and that we broke up, but it's no reason to go..." Knox said as he started to move backwards with the mini- sarcophagus in his arms.
"You sacrificed me to her. You piece of Crap." Fred said as she slammed the letter opener into Knox's chest. As Knox stammered backwards the sarcophagus fell to the ground and broke open and covered Fred with its contents. Fred stammered backwards as she started to spit up blood as her skin grew hard and her eyes and hair turned blue. Then something happened as Fred ripped at her garments and tore them off to reveal her nude body. She was growing into a shapeless mass that split into two. Out of the mass two forms started to take shape. One of the forms took up the appearance of Fred Burkle human, while the other transformed into the human form of Illyria.
As the pain ripped through their bodies, Fred got a chance to look at the newborn Illyria and she was scared.
"Fred... I'm scared." Illyria said as she reached out a hand that had blue scales on the back of it. Fred could see the fear in her eyes.
"I know... So am I...." Fred said as she held her twin's hand. Then the two of them looked at Wesley who was holding one of his Berretta nine Millimeters up at the twins.
"Who are you, what happened to Fred?" Wesley said as he held his weapons on the two.
"I'm still here, Wesley." Fred said as she tried to get up off of the floor as Illyria moved to help her up but the two of them fell down on the ground again as cracks in their cheeks started to form.
"Wesley, I love you...." Fred and Illyria said at the same time as the crack continued though the rest of their bodies before exploding and killing Wesley and everyone else on the planet all at once with a thunderous boom. With that Illyria woke up screaming.
The thunderclap outside from the massive downpour of rain had woken her up. Illyria looked around the room and saw the rain pattering down. Illyria got up and moved with a pillow and a blanket and moved towards the window and sat down in a nitch and curled up looking out at the night sky.
"Wesley I'm so sorry that Illyria lied to you about me and her being in the same body. We couldn't tell you... Will you forgive me?" Illyria said as she brought the pillow she had closer to her body and let her tears soak into the cloth. Then there was a knock on the door.
"Illyria, are you in there? I heard a scream, are you okay?" A feminine voice said from the other side of the door. Illyria just sniffled into the pillow with her face before she answered back.
"Yes, I am in here. And... No I am not well." Illyria said back as she slowly broke down.
"Mind that I come in?" The voice said waiting for an answer.
"State who you are, and I will consider it!" Illyria said as an order.
"It's Jo-Ann, Connor's friend. You fought along side me and my Sorority sisters." The voice said behind the door.
"You may enter, the door is not locked." Illyria said, as she remained sited letting the coldness of the window sink into her bare leg. Jo-Ann entered to see where Illyria was sitting, and by the look that Jo-Ann got from Illyria's eyes, was of pure exhaustion.
"Illyria, I came by to tell you that Gunn wants to speak with you." Jo-Ann said as she watched the once powerful Demon-Goddess get up from where she was sitting looking worried.
"Gunn, what is wrong with him? Why does he want to speak with me?" Illyria said as she got up and moved towards Jo-Ann, Jo-Ann looked at Illyria some seeing how this blue being standing before her looked like she had been drug through hell and back as her appearance stated by the t-shirt Illyria had on hadn't gone all the way down one side of her body leaving a good chunk of exposed naked thigh before her.
"Illyria..." Jo-Ann said as she pointed at Illyria. "... You might want to pull your shirt down, you are kinda of flashing." Jo-Ann said as Illyria looked down to see the shirt was failing to cover her form.
"Sorry." Illyria said in an almost sheepishly embarrassing human tone of voice as she slowly blushed while she pulled down the shirt.
"You know, you kinda of feel more comfortable being you, than: "I am Illyria, Warrior Queen of whatever, prepare to die" or "You bad, I Kill."" Jo-Ann said as Illyria studied her with her head tilted to the side like a bird.
"I am not amused by your comment." Illyria said going to full warrior babe mode. "Speak and tell me what does, Gunn want to speak to me about."
"Illyria, he wants to know if you are okay because you have been through a lot in the past few days." Jo-Ann said as Illyria looked at her some more. "He just wanted to know that you are not alone in your loss." Illyria just stood there deep in thought. "In my opinion I came up here to ask, are you okay? Because I heard the scream and I thought that you were having an Nightmare." Jo-Ann said as Illyria just glared at her.
"In my time, Nightmares were real creatures that walked among us, slitting people open and exposing their entrails for all to see. Now they are trapped to go into the minds of humans to torment them and I am not Human!" Illyria spat to Jo-Ann. Jo-Ann looked at her and knew Illyria was posturing.
"Illyria, will you put a sock in it. I know that you are lying, I read people. I see into their souls, I see their true selves and I know that you are scared out of your wits of what that dream brought up." Jo-Ann said as she looked at Illyria with the sense of understanding. "We are fellow warriors here, so if you lie to one of your allies or comrades in arms, it is as if you are going to kill them in the middle of battle and you will not have anyone to your aide when you need it the most." Jo-Ann said as Illyria turned inwards to explore her own mind for the answer. "This will cripple you more than any strike from any weapon. Now I let you decide." Jo-Ann finished.
"I have had disturbing imagery appear in my mind recently." Illyria said as Jo-Ann started to move over to the slept on bed.
"Want to sit down and tell me about it? It might make you feel better and stop them from coming back" Jo-Ann said as she patted a section of the bed motioning Illyria to sit down beside her.
"I choose to do this so that those images do not return again." Illyria said as she moved to pick up her pillow and carried it with her so that she could have something to hold onto and to cover herself with as she sat down by this warrior.
"Illyria tell me a little bit about yourself and of the dream that you had." Jo-Ann said as she quietly sat and listened to the story of Illyria and Fred's existence before they got merged together into one entity. Illyria during the entire conversation felt like she wasn't talking to an inferior but a fellow warrior. Which made her heavily tone down much of when humans were Muck stories she had but it wasn't until she got up to talking about Wesley and how much he meant to her that Jo-Ann offered her shoulder up for Illyria to cry upon.
"You are not some omni-present being that can be everywhere at once. You are only a single individual that only do so much, the rest of it is up to fate and is beyond your control." Jo-Ann said as Illyria slowly bit her lip.
"I wanted to do more. I want to have Wesley back. I have a void in me that I wish to fill, but I feel like I have had my heart ripped from my chest and I can sense it hanging out. I want to have it back in. To be whole" Illyria said with the full weight of her loss came forth and Jo-Ann caressed Illyria's shoulder to let her know that she wasn't alone.
"It's okay, Blue. It's okay... I'll stay here with you to chase the monsters in your dreams away. It will take time and the wound will never go away completely, but you can feel it because you cared so much for Wesley. That is just your soul screaming about its loss. That is just part of being Alive." Jo-Ann said as she and Illyria just sat there until daybreak and Illyria finally fell asleep on her shoulder being a small and very mortal human being.
Nina Ash was getting off of the plain in LAX and she wondered how much of this town had changed since she had last been here. That was when she saw one of Angel's associates standing with a sign before here. It was Spike, one of Angel's fellow Vampires who she had run into during her stays down at Wolfram and Hart when she went through her going furry stages. Between eating lunch down at the W and H cafeteria she had noticed that he was scribbling on a sheet of paper several lines of poetry down pertaining to Angel and Her's love life, especially the time she mauled him as a puppet. But she knew that the tough exterior he had showed to people, he was actually concerned about people he was close to, especially about his science geek friend Fred. But after he swatted her on the but once, she looked at him and decided to get some revenge on him so she told him that he would have to pose for one of her sculptures for class project she was doing. He said yes, but she failed to tell him that he would have to do it in the nude. The look of shock on his face when he showed up was priceless, especially when she took a photo of it. So after that incident the two of them had gained a respect for each other. He would stop making fun of her and she would keep a particular photo in a safe place. But as a fellow artist she noticed that given some real effort Spike could be published in some legitimate poetry anthologies. So she decided one afternoon to log onto the Internet and post one of his recent works to a web based poetry contest and she was waiting back for the response from them for his poem called "Dawn."
Now seeing Spike down here at the Airport meant that there was something wrong, or that Angel didn't want to be seen down here and placing Nina and the rest of her family in jeopardy and that he was running defense by picking her up. Heck whatever had happened here in LA the person that was After Angel had literally nuked the Wolfram and Hart offices to get to him so she was worried as she approached the Billy Idol-est Vampire.
"Hey Spike... Why are you doing here?" Nina said as she walked up to the Vampire in the long black leather jacket.
"Hey there Love... I see that you have been in the sun, somethin' that I personally can't do myself with the entire bursting into flames and all." Spike said as he took notice of Nina's luscious golden tan.
"Hey there Spike, so what have you been up to since I last saw you" Nina said as her sundress clung to her bronzed skin. Nina's sister Jill and her Niece Amanda looked at Spike like he had three heads on him.
"Um, Nina do you know this guy because there are like twelve other folks holding up signs with your name on them." Jill said looking around the terminal.
"Yeah, will given that Nina, here can smell Angel's sent on me and she can also sense that I have worked with him recently." Spike said as he looked around. Several other people holding up the sins realized that they were outmatched by whatever Nina was.
"What to you mean that you can sense that he works with your boyfriend?" Amanda said looking at her aunt with concern.
"Well Nina, you haven't told your kin about the night that Angel saved your life. That and the following nights afterwards" Spike said as a woman with dark hair and dark olive skin came up by them as Jill and Amanda wondered how the heck Nina knew this guy from. "Ah, Kennedy, I see that you and the rest of your friends have showed up to help me." Spike said as several other figures showed up behind her.
"Hey Spike the main reason that we're doing this is to make sure that these Stalkerratzy don't impeded your trip home with Angel's girlfriend and her family." Kennedy said holding a suitcase and a tote bag in her hands.
"When did you get our luggage?" Jill said a little violated by how her personal stuff was being handled by a complete stranger.
"Well, lets just say we didn't want anyone grabbing your stuff." A man with brown hair in a long black military raincoat said, as the legs of his jeans were somewhat damp from the recent Los Angeles rainstorms. "Oh, and I got rid of the fifteen Lo-Jacks, two GPS units, three protein trackers, and one passive transmitter. Trust me they won't find out where you live or where Angel or the rest of our allies exist at." The man said as he pulled out a plastic bag that looked like it was wet and leaking water all over the floor.
"I kinda gave the stuff a through swirly to make sure it wasn't operational before hitting then with my own personal scrambling gear." The man continued as his dark large teardrop sunglasses started to move down his nose, giving his broad Caucasian face the appearance of someone larger than he was. Several of the guys holding up their cards let them fall the floor realizing that their plans to get an exclusive just went down the drain. That was when the more desperate Stalkerraizty started to come forward with their cameras and started to click away. Data reached into his jacket and took out two slender boxes and clicked them open with his thumbs and let out a total of eight circular disks that when they his the floor took the shape of robotic spiders. When one of the Stalkerraizty started to take photos of one of the little robots it leaped into the air and proceeded to slice the camera apart in his hands with its little tendril robotic legs. Calmly Data looked down at the other robots gathered around his feet and studied them.
"Guys do what Lou just did, take out the exposed cameras in this place that have recorded Nina or any member of her family's images on them. Now seek and destroy." Data said as several of the photographers within a spaced of thirty seconds had their film and their digital cameras they had on them ripped, sliced, mangled, shredded and just plain impaled by Data's robots quicker than old Doc Ock would have ever done in the Spider-Man Comic book. "Now Nina, I believe hat you and your are safe from being on the front page of any tabloid." The man said as the robots started to walk on back to him.
"Thanks Data, for the update." Kennedy said as she moved past him and towards Spike seeing that several of the Stalkerraizty were just looking at the remnants of their cameras. Some of them started to say that they would sue him for every cent he had but Data reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue rubber racket ball that he rolled up onto the finger of his right hand and let it spin. It wasn't until blades started to sprout from the sides of the ball as it was spinning that several of the Stalkerraizty backed off. "So you have seen the Phantasium flicks haven't you so you know what this thing is capable of doing. Now my friends and me are going to escort these folks home. So I suggest that if you want to get some photos, well you will have to wait till later. Now leave or I will introduce this ball to someone's innards." Data said as he flicked the ball into the air and let it land on the back of his hand sideways so the blades remained spinning in a horizontal position letting everyone know he meant business.
"Spike, I would suggest that we get out of here. Data's little slice and dice bots just got the attention of security." Data understood as he put the now retracted blade ball back into his jacket.
"I guess I went overboard with the Ninja Plebes and the Blade Ball." Data Said sheepishly as the robot had started to return to him and started to wrap themselves around his legs and slowly worked their way up his body to form a kind of interlinked sash across his shoulder.
"Okay, lets get out of here folks." Spike said moving away as Nina looked at the scene.
"Aunt Nina," Amanda said looking at one of the Slayers. "I'm getting a weird feeling about this Spike man you know." Nina looked at Spike and noticed that he had several scrapes across the back of his head. "I think he is like your boyfriend." With that Nina knew that she would have to spill the beans about Angel and Spike sooner than she expected, but she changed the subject as she moved towards Spike.
"Spike, how's Angel? Is he as Banged up as you?" Nina said worriedly as they moved into the short term parking structure from the arrival terminal.
"Yeah, he is considering that he went toe to toe with a dragon and Hamilton back to back." Spike said as they got to a red 2004 Plymouth Minivan and Data took out a pair of car keys and activated the remote doors on the van.
"Here," Data said as he handed the keys to Kennedy and got into the passenger front seat. "You may want to drive. You know more about defensive driving than I do and I need to make sure that the stealth system works right." He said as he got in and flipped open a screen and started to tap on the touch sensitive display as a diagram of the minivan started to rotate around next to a energy graph and several up and down control buttons.
"Listen Spike mind that I make a call to Angel." Nina said as Spike handed her a cell phone.
"Sure love, try Angel's cell he has it on him." Spike said as he got in and helped Kennedy and Connor place the bags in back. Nina stood there in the parking structure as she listened to the line ring several times before it picked up.
"Angel." The voice said on the other line.
"Angel its Nina." Nina said as she listened to the phone.
"Hey Nina, sorry about not being there to pick you up." Angel said, as there was a ruffling of papers in the background. "I've been a little busy with the state department." He said, as there was a sudden crash in the background. "Illyria..." Angel yelled, as there was a sudden drop of the phone as she could hear him running across some cavernous room. Then there was the sound of a woman sobbing.
"I want Wesley back.... it hurts Half-breed. Does all of humanity feel this way when someone close to them dies." A woman's voice sounding so close to Fred's that the woman could have been a good voice double for her in a film.
"It's going to be okay Illyria... I miss Wesley too. He was my friend, but you are not alone in your loss... remember Gunn..." Angel said as Nina listened to this conversation. Whoever this Illyria was, she was in pain.
"Um, Hum." The woman confirmed between sobs.
"Well he needs you." Angel said as Nina could hear the tears forming on the girl's face with her enhanced hearing. "Now what would Wesley have said if he had seen you like this?" Angel said as Nina heard the girl wipe her nose.
"That I truly now know what loss is..." Illyria said almost coldly in an attempt to sound disconnected.
"No that you are in some part Human." Angel said as he listened for a response. "You have only touched on your demon side which gives you physical strength. But it is your human side that gave you the strength to avenge his death at the hands of Vale. Illyria it is going to be a long road for you to deal with this side of you. The fact that you cared about a human and is it affecting you has shown that you are not weak; you are alive and know what life is and have become stronger because of it. Don't let that slip from you or Wesley's death will be in vain." Angel said as Nina could hear the girl next to Angel heartbeat pump a little slower as she calmed down.
"Angel are you, okay?" Nina said as she listened some more to the line. It took a moment or two for Angel to Answer as he walked the girl over to some couch and sat her down.
"Hey Nina." Angel said as Nina could hear him get up and move across the large room, which was probably a lobby in an office building or a hotel. "Sorry about that, I have just busy dealing with one mess after another. So how was Cabo? Sorry that I wasn't there." Angel said trying to say he had royalty screwed up.
"I understand now. You wanted me safe." Nina said as she heard Angel sit down. "But why didn't you tell me that you had an horde of demons to deal with." Nina said upset.
"Nina I was being watched and I couldn't tell you. Listen I'll make it up to you by telling you everything that has happened and that led up to me fighting for my life. If you want to leave me because of it then I won't have any regrets, but I have to tell you this. Will you give me this chance so that we can start clean?" Angel said laying his love life and his heart on the line.
"Okay Angel, I'll give you this chance. But if you lie to me I'll personally drive a wooden stake into your chest." Nina said making her point clear.
"I understand Nina." Angel said with a gulp before asking her politely his next few words, "Can you put Spike on so I can talk with him." Angel said to Nina as she handed the phone over the Billy Idol-esq. Vampire.
"Yeah... Um Hum, Understood mate. I will treat her with the same compassion as I did Buffy's Kid sister Dawn." Spike said as he hung up the phone.
"Well ready to go." Nina said as her sister looked at her.
"Nina, Listen. I want to know more about this guy you are dating, but given that the guy in the front seat has a set of Ninja spider bots on his body. I'm a little weary about getting into a van with him." Jill said looking at Data in the front seat.
"Well Data is just being Data, he is doing what Angel just told him to do, to keep your family off of the front page of the paper and the tabloids." Spike said as he gestured for Nina and her family to get in the van.
"Yeah, but come-on who uses Ninja spider bots as weapons." Amanda said looking at one of the robots on Data's shoulder.
"Well actually they aren't mine." Data said looking sheepishly. "Their my Girlfriend's and she built them to shall I say help her track down her stuff in her room." Data said as one of the robots detached from the slash and moved towards Amanda and rolled its long legs into four springy feet and started to behave like a kitten as it landed in her lap and started to feau purr as it snuggled near her belly. Spike, Data and Nina looked at the robot as it started to shimmer some and take on the appearance of a real Kitten as something like a hologram formed around it.
"Wow." Amanda said as the robot slash kitten started look at her.
"Well, I'll be..." Data said as the van started to move out of the parking structure. "Kat did say that she made her bots able to mimic animals, I just didn't know that she liked kittens." Data said as the kitten-bot started to behave like its form even with a fully functional tail.
"Hey she fells like cold metal, but I can almost feel fur on my arm." Amanda said as her mother looked at the creature as it started to play with her.
"So Nina... How did you meet my Dad?" Connor said attempting to change the subject and learn about Nina.
"Dad, what do you mean Dad," Nina said as she turned around to Connor and started to notice several of Angel's facial features on his face.
"Wait a minute, Angel is your father, and you little bugger..." Spike said behind the necro-tempered glass of the Van as they headed down the night streets of Los Angeles.
"Yeah, well considering that a few years back Wolfram and Hart brought back Darla from the dead, made her human so that they could get to Dad. She and Dad hump a few times." Connor said as Spike and Nina like he was nuts.
"Wait a minute Angel is your Father." Nina and Spike said at the same time in shock.
"Yes, he is now where was I?" Connor said as he started to remember where he was at with his story. "Oh, yes. Well Darla was getting sick due to some illness she had before they turned her from Vamp to human, she was sick with some sort of virus that effected her heart. Mom gets grabbed by some Vampire called Dru, who mom sired." that was When Spike burst in again.
"Dru as in Drucilla, my ex-girlfriend for over a hundred years. Dru... the one that left me for some Moss Demon." Spike said with his jaw dropping to the floor.
"Hey I'm tell you what Dad told me about my mom." Connor said, as he had to continue again. "Lets see Mom gets vamped again, this time I'm in her womb. She and Dru go do their evil feeding frenzy thing all over LA, in the process eating several members of the Board of Wolfram and Hart a few years prior to Dad joining the firm and running the LA Branch." Connor said as Nina was soaking all of this into her head. "Dad goes all Rambo trying to stop her. She disappears goes to South America; I start to grow like mad in her womb. She freaks and comes back to LA scared of the growing soul inside of her showing her humanity to her along with the face she has a half dozen or so Vampire, Demon and Demonic researchers after her to see how a Vampire could conceive a child." Connor pauses as he tried to sort out what he knew so far and what he had already said. "Well make a long story short, Dad had his hands full keeping her safe. That was when some old enemy of Dad's blows into town by the name of Holtz and goes Vamp hunting for Mom and Dad, But before he can get to mom and Dad, Dad grabbed Mom and they go on the run when she goes into labor while a deranged Vamp cult is after them. Mom knows that the only way that they can continue running is that she has to die so I can be born." Connor pauses for a long time before he said the next few words. "She grabbed a stake from my dad and plunged it into her chest and when the dust settled I was laying there a new born baby converted in my mother's own dust." Connor just stopped for a moment as it sank in.
"So, you grew up without your mother?" Nina said to Connor realizing how hesitant Angel was about becoming a father. He was afraid that he would lose her too.
"Yes, well kind of. See Angel had this Secretary and close friend named Cordillia who was part Demon and they wanted to raise me as their own child. But that wasn't to be, because Holtz, Angel's old enemy blew back into town grabbed me, fled to a hell detention raised me there to hate Angel. I came back and tried to kill my dad, well considering that when I learned that Holtz lied to me after his death, it took me some time to recover from that. Then with the entire Jasmine brain washing where she turned me into one of her foot soldiers and put Cordy in a coma that I finally went nuts and did a little hostage taking. Trust me Dad had to cut a deal with Wolfram and Hart to construct a set of memories for me as they wiped my mind of my past experiences all so that I could have a normal life." Connor said as much of the information he attempted to say just came into disjointed thoughts.
"Yeah well when some sorcery dude needed Dad's help he did a little blackmail thing on him by forcing me to use my powers for the first time after he had me hit with a truck. Then the rest of the event turned out to be fairly interesting as Wesley broke some magical memory hard drive and I got my memories back and trust me I have two sets of memories to contend with. One of just being a normal kid living with the normal dysfunctional family and the other set being from the Destroyer from Quartoth." Connor said as Kennedy turned to look at him in the rear view mirror while driving.
"Listen do you know what spell was used on you because there is a Slayer that is a little nuts that it might help her deal with her powers." Kennedy said remembering hearing about Dana.
"Yeah you can do that freaking Spell on that insane Slayer Dana so that she doesn't have this crazy urge to cut people's hands off okay." Spike said as he rubbed his wrist remembering where Dana had taken a bone saw to it and cut his hand off.
"Hey I don't know, but probably Angel Knows, maybe Illyria because she was there when it was broken." Connor said remembering seeing the Blue demoness.
"Okay, let me get this straight, Your Angel's son." Nina said as she attempted to digest the information she had just heard. "You went nuts, now you are sane due to some spell and you are slightly from a dysfunctional family." Nina said thinking of the fact that she wish she had told her sister the truth about her being a werewolf.
"Yes." Connor said as Jill and Amanda just looked at Nina like she had grown a second and then third head on her body.
"Okay, I think there is more to Angel than I thought I knew." Nina said as she sunk down in the seat.
"Okay Dog Girl, thinking that Angel was holding out. Trust me there are things that he himself doesn't know about. So just leering that he has a bloody kid is nothing. I dated a Slayer whose baby sister turns out to be some inter-dimensional key. Trust me, when you learn that nothing is strange any more." Spike said as Jill and Amanda looked at Nina some more.
"Aunt Nina, what does this Spike guy mean by "Dog Girl?"" Amanda said seeing that her aunt was getting into more of a pinch. Suddenly Nina sprung forward.
"We're not going to the Wolfram and Hart offices?" Nina said worried.
"Well it kinda of got nuked by the Senior Partners of Evil Inc." Data said as he looked around the streets and seeing several trucks of National Guard troops and Police officers barricading the area and attempting to keep trouble makers out.
"Oh, so where are we heading?" Nina said with worry growing.
"To the Hyperion Hotel. Angel, he did buy it a couple of years back when he was a Private Investigator." Spike said as he saw the form of the Art-Novo hotel come into sight.
"Wow, he owns the place." Nina said seeing the structure.
"He has been working on the place over the years, but with the occasional Apocalypse coming up here and there, he still has a lot of work to do." Spike said as the van pulled into the hotel's parking lot.
"Okay, I have the feeling that when a Vampire like Angel decides to do a project, he needs something that will keep him occupied for a few decades." Nina said seeing the size of the place as she got out of the van in the hotel parking lot.
"Yeah, well considering that just last month some demons with assault weapons decided to target old Illyria for execution, but she left like a eight body count in her wake. The cleaning crew Angel hired hasn't even finished pulling the demon's gray matter out of one of the walls." Spike said as he opened the doors to the main lobby carrying two tote bags under his one of his arms.
"This must be a really big...." Nina stopped speaking as she saw Angel on the floor wearing a work apron and dark work clothes busily scrubbing along with a blue haired Fred who was in Red Sweat Pants, and a Red Baseball sports t-shirt with her hair in a reversed cap to clean a large fifteen foot in diameter red pentagram off the floor.
"Okay," Angel said out of breath. "Two years, six magic talismans, fifteen industrial cleaners, several magically enchanted cleaning brushes, and a particle accelerator mixed in with some superhuman strength, we now have a break in a line." Angel said as he got up off of the floor to see where he had erased one segment of the pagan marking.
"Angel," Nina said moving over her vampire lover.
"Nina, Hi." Angel said getting up off of the ground and Jill and Amanda saw Angel in full Vamp face.
"Wow, I haven't seen your Vampire face other than on TV." Nina said as she slowly traced Angel's bumpy forehead and brow with her fingers.
"Listen, I know I was a jerk that last time we...." Angel was cut off when Nina hauled off and kissed him passionately on the lips. Nina let her tongue explore the area around Angel's fangs and noticed one thing. One of his fangs was shorter than the other. As Nina slowly moved away Angel had changed back to his human face.
"Nina..." Angel said almost out of breath.
"I know, but you could have told me that you were in 'Save the World' Mode." Nina said as she looked at Angel with a bit of anger in her eyes.
"Nina I was being watched and I didn't want you and your family to be held hostage during the mess." Angel said, as he looked Nina in the eyes.
"Yeah, well you could have told me that you had a son." Nina said as Connor came up by Angel.
"Hey, it kinda of came out during the conversation with her Dad." Connor said as Angel looked at him. "Trust me, I just wanted to know what my Step mom would be like." Connor said as Nina realized that given how screwed up this kid was in life. He was surprising normal; heck he was part Vampire after all.
"Nina, there is something you are not telling me and I know it." Jill said as Nina started to sheepishly look at her feet.
"Jill there is something that I haven't told you about the night that me and Angel met." Nina said as she took a deep breath, then Fred did something that was out of Character that got everyone's attention. It was as if she was having a panic attack.
"Must get outside." "Fred" said as she pulled off her gloves as she attempted to deal with something under her skin.
"Illyria, calm down." Angel said as he and Spike rushed over to where she was standing. Nina watched the scene unfold before her.
"Gunn, I hear Gunn calling out to me." Illyria said as she fell down on her knees. "I see him on the floor dead, then I see him hurt." Illyria stammered as electricity flowed between her fingers making wide arcs that scared the crap out of Nina, what had happened to Fred to cause her to have these types of powers?
"Blue, calm down..." Spike said moving over to her as the electricity started to subside.
"Gunn... Gunn was having a nightmare. The beast was hurting him, then he woke up." Illyria said as she looked at her hands. "Angel... Am I a Half-Breed?" The question was not so much targeted towards Angel but a reflection of what "Illyria" was thinking.
"Blue, did you read Gunn's mind?" Spike said as he slowly rubbed the tears coming out of "Fred's" face. All "Fred" did was nod up and down.
"Is this part of what happened when you Saved Gunn's life?" Angel said as Nina started to move over to "Fred" or Illyria as she was called now and sat down on the floor next to her friend.
"I believe it is... But I do not know my place. Wesley my guide is dead, Gunn is being healed; and I feel that I am not connected to anything. The only people I feel comfortable with is with Spike and the ones called Slayer." Nina slowly took her hand and started to stroke through Illyria's blue hair.
"Wesley is dead!!! How did he die?" Nina said as she saw Illyria's cobalt blue eyes.
"One Red one called Vale took his life. He stabbed Wesley with a mortal wound. I was there after I had taken care of the ones I was sent to slay. He lay there as blood coming out. He wanted me to lie to him and I did. But my tears were real... My pain, the Vale mocked me calling me a "Weak little girl." I struck him dead." Illyria started to cry as all the repressed emotion she had started to come out of her like the crushing floodwaters of a desert river. Then Jo-Ann and Kennedy came down the stairs after putting down Jill, Nina's and Amanda's bags on the floor.
"Illyria, listen... If you want you can stay at Slayer house for a few days it might help. Its closer to the hospital, and you can visit Gunn quicker with out having to deal with the traffic." Kennedy said as she noticed Illyria calm down some.
"Yes... I choose so." Illyria said as she felt that this warrior also had felt loss in her life.
"Good, how about we go up to your room and get you some stuff." Jo-Anne said as she helped Illyria up off of the floor.
"The floor, I must help Angel remove the mark there." Illyria said as she turned to where the broken pentagram was still there.
"Blue, don't worry about that. We can get to it later, right now you look like you need to decompress, Love." Spike said as Illyria looked up at him.
"White haired one. When I sufficiently recover, we shall spar again and talk about what it is to be human." Illyria said as she leaned on Kennedy's arm.
"That will be something I can't wait for." Spike said as Illyria turned to Nina.
"Nina..." Illyria said as she raised her hand and touched the side of Nina's face. "Your kin will understand you better if they see you transform." Illyria said as she searched Nina's eyes. "You must tell the story before the moonrise seven days from now. I will stand guard and prevent you from harming them." Illyria said as Nina's eyes saw the humanity and the monster hiding behind her eyes.
"Illyria, don't let the monster inside of you win out over your humanity. If you do, then you just become a shell with no purpose in life. Don't become that." Nina said as Illyria looked at her.
"I will not become a shell, Wesley showed me what a shell is and I know what it is to be empty. I am trying to make sure that there is still something in here that he would be proud of." Illyria paused for a moment and looked at one of her hands that had several stitches in it from a large cut it had received and traced the line with one of her fingers. "I'm mortal and alive. Is this what you wanted to show me. To be alive?" Illyria said as she moved away from Nina as she started to move to one of the potted plants in the lobby and started to caress a leaf on it.
"Illyria what is it?" Angel said as he moved towards her.
"Angel, you and Nina must communicate and have intercourse with one another. I must go with the Slayers and learn their ways." Illyria said as she moved to the stairs and disappeared from sight leaving Nina and Angel looking at each other.
"Did she just say that she wanted us to have talk and have sex?" Nina said with her eyes bulging out of her head.
"I think either that there was a miscommunication over what she said or she knows something we don't?" Angel said as he moved over by Nina and hugged her on the side.
"Okay before the two of you do your dirty little deed..." Jill said from the doorway. "Please fill me in on how the two of you met." Angel and Nina looked at each other and decided to do rock, paper, scissors over who would start the tale of how they met first.
I hope that you liked this story and I'll be starting a new story focusing Illyria and her stay at Slayer House. It will be Called Illyria the Slayer, so I'll wait for your posts.
For those who reviewed this story, thank you. Oh, if you are wondering why I am ending this story early. It is the fact it is turning into a monster, so to keep characters down and make sure everyone knows who is who it will be broken into several sagas.
Thank you all,
Shannon Hearn