Reviews were very much appreciated… and on with the show… As a random fact I calculated that if I printed Pulse as a book, or at least as much as I've written so far, it would be 200 pages long already!
Part Twenty
Do you know what you want? You don't know for sure. You don't feel right, you can't find a cure
They actually managed to get some work done over the rest of that day. The Hyperion had been bought, though it was too late, Buffy moaned for when her mother came to visit the next day, her dad's tiny three bedroom apartment already had four people sleeping in it, it was Summer Vacation and Connor was due to stay the entire week, five people was going to be more than an uncomfortably tight fit.
Willow and Oz, who had made a fair effort to learn about the occult once he discovered he was a werewolf, turned up around lunch time with a bunch of printouts from websites and piles of books. Buffy quietly panicked about how to hide her preternatural activities from her mother, and obsessively cleaned things. Doyle taught Connor how to research properly and how to hide demonic artefacts from Connor's mother and impending grandmother.
"Doesn't this feel dishonest to you?" Willow asked him as they watched Connor locating all the thin tall books on the bookshelves that could easily conceal a talisman or have another, less suitable for human eyes, book stacked behind.
"I've been hiding my demon side all my life. It'll never feel strange to me." Shaking his head he laughed. "Besides, if I get him to do this now, he's trusting enough to tell me all the hiding places he finds, that way when he's hiding letters from girlfriends instead of Diagon Spheres I have free range over where to look."
"Cunning." Oz agreed.
A moment later Connor bounded up and jumped into Doyle's lap. "When do I get to learn to fight?" He demanded.
Doyle considered this. "At about… a quarter to… NEVER."
Copies of all the prophecies had finally been delivered by Faith, before she headed to the hotel, the photocopies were spread out all over the living room, Angel poured over them writing out translations for the others and muttering to himself as he cross-referenced all allusions to immortal warriors.
Only one thing was clear. There where constant references to three. Three sheep killed by three snakes that gave birth to a litter of three dragons… it was bizarre, and completely incomprehensible. While there where definitely references to Buffy and Angel as 'the last opposites united in this time or the next' it was unclear whether this was a good or bad thing. It was virtually impossible to detect who anyone was within the text either, there was the death-bringer whom Buffy and Willow had been channelling prophecies about for weeks, an immortal warrior, a stranger 'in the darkness', a key and there where various references to someone 'not undead yet not of the living'.
All of which was fine excusing the fact that they had no idea what related to who… the immortal warrior could've been Buffy or Angel, and the death-bringer could've been any of them, really, because how where they to know who was going to go against them in the final battle? No one could really even work out if it was the final battle either with all of the references to the end of the world being eternal.
As evening ticked ever closer they where forced to pack up all of the resource material into the back of Oz's van and Willow, Oz, Doyle and Angelus headed over to the Hyperion to set up their new base of operations in the only habitable room there, so that the apartment would be occult free for the arrival of Joyce, Buffy's mom.
Buffy stayed behind to prep Connor on things he wasn't allowed to say in front of his grandmother.
And whist the couch.
Pushing the door open with the tips of her fingers, Willow tried to recall exactly why she'd volunteered to go into the hotel first while the guys carried the stuff over. Catching her first glimpse of the inside she was glad at least that it wasn't nearly so dark and dingy as Angelus had warned it might be, the builders had strung yards of thick cable lights all around the banisters and from the rafters of the ceiling, so that the foyer glowed like the inside of a Christmas tree. It also meant she could see the builders clearly and she was extremely glad to see that they definitely looked human, it was probably just a precaution in case Joyce decided to visit the site of her daughters new home, and Willow was relieved for the first time that Joyce was coming to stay.
The hotel was beautiful, in the soft glow of the lamps, reds and golds played across her senses and as she stepped in she let one hand float along the velvet chair backs. A large crash brought her flying back to reality, a stream of curses flew between two workmen who'd dropped a pile of chairs on the balcony above the foyer. Above them a painting of two angels flickered in the light, seeming almost menacing locked in the shadows as they were.
"Willow!" A shout echoed, and spinning around the red head saw Faith picking her way through the builders toward her.
"Hey." Willow waved feeling a wave of relief crash through her body. When Faith reached her side Willow resisted the urge to throw her arms around her in a hug, knowing Faith's jumpy nature, and settled on just beaming happily instead. "Got somewhere a couple of superheroes in training can prepare to save the world?"
"Ahuh, we've been sorting it since I dropped off the papers with Angelus this morning." Motioning that Willow should follow her Faith headed into the crowd of builders again yelling over her shoulder as she did so. "You're lucky y'know, you're getting the only habitable room in the whole hotel!"
"Perks of the job." Willow agreed, glancing behind her she saw Oz hovering by the door, casually assessing the room with a box tucked under one arm. Finally spotting her he held Willow's gaze for a long moment before stepping fully inside the hotel and quickly crossing the expanse of the lobby toward Willow, a few steps behind was Doyle and a few steps behind him was Angelus.
"How d'you convince the boys to do all the work?"
"I used my feminine wiles." Willow replied flatly, suddenly unsure about her presence in the hotel, her skin was crawling… sensibly she knew the fear demon wasn't in the hotel anymore, he was in her mind instead, and perhaps that was why she felt so drawn to the place, drawn to the dark corners and shadow enclaves, the Hyperion didn't feel like Christmas anymore.
The train of people stopped suddenly behind Faith at a patch of wall under one of the staircases. Puzzled, Willow opened her mouth to ask why they'd stopped, when Faith pushed the wall with her fist and the wall swung inward, gasping in surprise Willow studied the wall more closely and realised it was simply a wooden fake - the door simply a hinged panel. Glancing inside they could see a few over stuffed armchairs and a long dining room table surrounded by a dozen tall backed chairs. Excepting the fake wall at the front, the other walls were rough cut stone, partly obscured by tall stacks of cardboard packing boxes. An empty fireplace sat at one end of the room, and the grate that sat inside was rusty and bowing.
"Voila." Faith said with a flourish grinning at the shock on Willow's face. "One extremely easy to hide secret research room."
"Definitely." Oz agreed.
"Well done, Faith." Angelus echoed, then motioned for the others to go in, once they had and where milling around the room glancing at the contents of the boxes, and dropping those they carried in a stack by the door, he turned to Faith. "Is Spike here?" he asked her quietly.
"Yes, of course."
"Send him here, I need him to collect something."
Nearly an hour later Doyle sat in one of the velvet armchairs with his feet propped up on another, a book open in his lap, he'd stopped reading a while ago, the text was difficult to concentrate on, after you'd read the same thing for the hundredth time it started to feel more than a bit pointless. He surveyed the ragtag group in front of him with practised ease, they were seated around him in varying degrees of absorption with the books they where reading. A witch, a werewolf, a slayer and a vampire. And a demon makes five he thought sarcastically. Individually they where all natural enemies but they worked together in a comfortable companionship with each other, even Oz who was new to everyone but Willow was readily accepted into the group so long as he was willing to help, he broken the straining ice a while earlier by commenting that their new hideaway bore more than a passing resemblance to the batcave. For a moment he studied Oz, bright blue hair, punk rock T-Shirt… with a poet's attitude, his head was bent deep over his text, while one hand clasped Willow's hand. These people where thrown together because the world was ending and yet they weren't drifting along in utility friendships preserved only because if they didn't the world would end… they really seemed to care. It was difficult for Doyle to get his head around.
The clinking off the latch brought Doyle's attention to the door just as it swung open. Spike, the bleached blonde vampire he'd met earlier, swaggered in, black leather duster billowing in a non-existent wind and a bemused Doyle wondered if he'd perfected his way of walking simply to create that effect. Behind him walked an older man, with brown slightly wavy hair that was greying slightly at the edges, and wearing a suspiciously tweed looking suit.
"Giles!" Doyle laughed, appreciatively, and before he'd really registered what he was doing, he was on his feet and wrapping the older man in a manly hug. "I thought you where in London?"
"Just got back." Stepping into the room, the man behind him was revealed, younger but with the same style of dress and way of holding his posture, this guy was greeted by a wave from Faith, both of them took seats at the table.
"Shall we start with introductions?" The younger man suggested. "I'm Wesley Wyndham-Pryce, I'm Faith's Watcher. This is Rupert Giles."
"Buffy's Watcher." He finished.
"You know Willow, Angelus and Spike…" Faith filled in, "but the guy with the blue hair is Oz, and this is Doyle."
"Of course!" Wes breathed. "I've heard a lot about you from Buffy, could you-"
"Hey," Willow interrupted, "tell us what happened in England first, cross-examine later."
"How are the beloved Council?" Faith asked sarcastically.
"Dead, mostly."
TBC…
Not terribly sure about this part... but if the plot must!
Thought it was about time to round-up where lyrics are coming from again… hmm bit of a random mix actually.
Parts 11-20 lyrics from:
11: In a cold month, in that room, I found reason for the things we had to do
Rolling Stones or possibly Simon and Garfunkel, I haven't been able to track down which.
12: They come, they come, to build a wall between us
Crowded House – Don't Dream it's Over
13: like a rat in a maze the path before me lies, and the pattern never alters, until the rat dies
Simon and Garfunkel - Patterns
14: though hate ain't cheaper it's built to last
Peppercorn – Free Love
15: I want you, I need you, I've gotta be near you
Deep Purple – Strange Kind of Woman
16: I can't read you I wish I could what's going through your mind? I can't touch you your hearts protected I get left behind
Daniel Bedingfield – I Can't Read You
17: And like a little girl cries in the face of the monster that lives in her dreams, is there anyone out there 'cos it's getting harder and harder to breathe
Maroon 5 – Harder to Breathe
18: been here before, been here forever
Another I've no idea, if anyone happens to know send me an email and I'll credit it later.
19: Remember the times, together we're strong, never give up this life
The Rasmus – First Day of My Life
20: Do you know what you want? You don't know for sure. You don't feel right, you can't find a cure
Kiss – God gave Rock'n'Roll to you II