Chapter 2

Lorne stretched his back a bit before continuing the story, "Well there you have it, pretty much all of the players are on the field, now the question is what the strategy is? One side, we have our fearless leader and his ragtag team, and on the other a group of Old Ones whose taken over some of his friends."

Los Angeles

Angel and Spike returned to Spike's apartment, while Gabriel and Illyria left for Wesley's apartment to see if there was anything useful to use. Spike picked up a chair as Angel took his bloody coat off.

"Long day," Spike said. His face was scarred, and his body riddled with slashes but they would heal soon enough; a plus being a vampire.

"So what now? What's the plan? Assuming you got one." Spike asked.

"Now?" Angel replied, "I need a shower, excuse me," and headed for the bathroom, "Tell me when Illyria…and her warrior comes back."

Spike nodded, and continued cleaning up his apartment. A lot of debris was left from the previous fight between Illyria and Hamilton.

Illyria and Gabriel entered Wesley's apartment through his open window, and turned on the lights and looked around, the place was clean and tidy. 'Just as it was when Winifred came to Wesley for help,' Illyria thought as she headed for the stacks of books kept on the shelf. Gabriel looked around, and found a weapon cache and began sorting through them.

"This Wesley," Gabriel said, "was he your Qwa'ha Xahn in this world? Did he bring you here?"

Illyria looked back at him and replied, "Yes and no. This shell belonged to his lover. I…killed her…he was filled with grief," she stopped, and picked up a picture of Wesley. "When I found I could not take back this world, I came to him and he agreed to help me find my way."

If I abide, you will help me?

Yes…

Because I look like her?

…Yes…

Gabriel found a collapsible sword and placed it on the table. "You seemed to have cared much for this mortal."

Illyria pondered for a moment; cared, no; it was something else, something different.

"Perhaps." She turns to Gabriel, "Back at the wizard's chambers, Wesle…Lucifer said that your shells knew each other, is that true?"

Gabriel looks back at her, and goes through Terrance's memories. 'Yes, it is true. The two knew each other at the Watcher's Academy. They were both good friends.'

Southern Hampshire, Watcher's Academy, 1986

"Go! Run! Hurry!" A young, blond haired man yelled, as he ran through the halls of a building. Screams could be heard in the distance. The man turned around, and saw blood spewed out at the walls as he heard a ferocious roar and a dying scream in the distance. He continued running until he went through a door and locked it, gasping for air with his back on the door.

Good lord! That bloody council said only one vampire, not a dozen! The man thought, as he heard a crash, and spun around to see another vampire running at him through the broken window. Move! MOVE! But the man was shocked, and stood his ground, stake in his hand but he could not move it then…another crash and he closed his eyes. A scream and the sounds of dust forced him to open his eyes, and he saw that the vampire was gone; turned to dust. He looked around and saw another young lad, black hair and stood about five feet seven,

"Oh bloody hell Terrance! Where were you?"

Terrance looked back at him, stake still in his hand. "Hands were full Jake, many vampires are roaming the area. We must leave. Follow me."

Terrance ran through the broken window with Jake behind him. The door behind them blew open and the vampire grabbed Jake by his ankles. Terrance turned around in time to see the vampire snap Jake's neck and as he drank his blood. 'Bloody demon!' He threw a stake at Jake's heart, sorry mate. The stake stabbed through Jake's punctured chest, and into the demon's heart. It turned to dust within moments.

Terrance held his breath for a moment and focused, a trick he learned back home from his master. He could hear faint movements above as the vampires were finishing the rest of his friends. 'I don't have much time.' Grabbing his stakes, he leaped through the window into the courtyard. It was a full moon that night, and the light shined on him as Terrance looked up before going back inside. As he entered the lobby, a body was thrown at him. Terrance dodged, and looked at the direction where it came from. Four vampires entered the lobby.

"Ah, fresh meat, don't you just love those watchers?" One of the vampires said, wiping the blood from his mouth.

Terrance turned and saw six more vampires come in from the left; he slowly tightened the grip on his stakes.

"And now," the same vampire continued, "the last fresh meat…how should we split it?"

"Shotgun!" One of the vampires yelled and jumped at Terrance. He saw the vampire and quickly unleashed his collapsible sword from his wrist and sliced the vampire's head off. It turned into dust as it fell past him onto the floor on the other side.

"As the Americans would say," Terrance said, holding the sword upright, "bring it on!"

'Strike hard and fast, let loose your thoughts, act on instinct, and not let them make a second move.'

Another vampire leaped at him, but Terrance sliced off his head as well. Two more entered the fray, and he spin-kicked one of them into a cabinet and staked the second one in the heart.

One of the vampires rushed at him, and threw a punch. Terrance dodged and used his second stake on this one but before he could turn to dust Terrance punched stake on the vampire hard into another, staking the other in the process.

A big vampire tried to get a hold on him but he slid under the demon, grabbed his stakes, and staked the vampire in the back. He plunged the second stake into another, running it into him. The next vampire kicked Terrance, but missed and tripped onto the floor. So Terrance took the opportunity to stake the vampire on the ground.

Another vampire grabbed Terrance from behind, and threw him into a table nearby. However, he was able to throw his stake into the vampire; killing him in the process.

Terrance turned to the last vampire that he had kicked into the cabinet, who rushed at him but he dodged to the right. He slashed the vampire's chest with his sword; picked him up and jabbed him in the neck onto the wall. Terrance picked up the stake as the vampire screamed, blood pouring from his neck like a spring leak, "Mercy…please! I…beg of you!"

Terrance stared at the vampire. "Mercy? Where was mercy when you slaughtered my friends?" Resolutely, he staked the vampire. 'It is done, someone better have a good explanation for this.' He removed his sword from the wall, and headed towards the now unlocked entrance as he heard a click.

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"Now Terrance, this situation is to be kept confidential, understood?"

Terrance looked up. He was sitting in a small office, the events of last night still fresh in his memory, "Yes…"

Rodger Wyndam-Pryce, his friend's father, spoke out. "What happened last night was a tragedy, we did not wish for something like that to happen."

"We were told we were going to be locked in a place with just one vampire. Not a dozen vampires! It wasn't a test, it was a slaughter!" Terrance pointed out. Pryce struck back, "Young man, in the fields you will be faced with more than one vampire, and unexpected things will occur on the field. You must learn to adapt to whatever situation. Understood?" Terrance gulped, and replied with a weak, "Yes." Pryce sighed, and leaned back on his chair. "The council and I have been discussing you, and we have agreed that it is not right to accept you into the council."

Terrance's eyes widened, and tried to contain himself from lashing out at him. "Why?"

"Because your skills are needed elsewhere," Rodger replied. He picked up some papers, and threw them to Terrance's side. "You are my boy's exact opposite. While he is weak, his expertise lies in knowledge," and points to Terrance. "You on the other hand have not done well in your exams, needless to say. Yet your combat skills exceed even our own instructors here at the academy. It even rivals with that of a slayer. We want to set you up as a personal soldier for ourselves. For missions behind the scenes whenever the slayer is unavailable."

Terrance lay back on his chair. 'In other words you want me to be the council's assassin, go figure. At least I'll be getting something out of this academy. A shame though, all my life I've always wanted to be a watcher to train a slayer.'

"I understand," he replied.

"Good, dismissed, and again, only you and I know of this conversation. All your assignments will come from me."

Terrance nodded, and left.

"So, you're not going to be joining the Watcher's Council after all this?"

Terrance, sitting behind his desk, looked up at Wesley who just entered their study room.

"Looks like it," Terrance sighed, "I can't tell you much, but your father and the council wishes to enlist my skills in other areas. I get the feeling I'm going to be a very busy man for the next couple of years to come."

Wesley looked out the window at the sunlight and sat on the desk next to Terrance. "My father…he can be difficult at times. I wish you would've been able to stay though; it would have been great for us to work side-by-side as watchers. Training slayers and such," Wesley said, pointing to Terrance. "With your skills and my brain, we could forge a legendary slayer together."

Terrance sighed again, "Yeah too bad. Well, I'm sure you'll do fine without me," and looked closely at head boy. "You are sure you can handle it right? Since the last time we went up against a demon you screamed like a frightened little girl."

Wesley straightened himself. "I've…I've made some improvements. I'll be ready to face whatever comes at me in the near future. I wasn't head boy back then for nothing."

"I see." Terrance smirked as he got up, "Well, only a few days before graduation," and looked at Wesley. "Let's make a promise."

"A promise?"

"Yeah, fight the good fight, keep fighting, and never give up. No matter where you are or what you do, you do what you can to contribute to the good fight. Even if your friends turn against you."

Wesley pondered that for a moment, and then held out his hand. "Promise. Keep fighting, no matter what happens or where we are."

Terrance gripped his hand. "It's a promise then, let evil shake at our feet!"

The two laughed.