Chapter Nine:
Arrival, History, and the Bolinkodagenat
Toby found himself arriving in Los Angeles not too long after his encounter with the Jarlkarlones. Oz was now sitting beside him in the passenger seat fully clothed in the baggy, patched suit that Toby had found under his seat. The guy had looked cool, calm, collected, and calculating before… now he looked like a calculating farmer. He didn't belong in those clothes, but Toby had nothing else to give him. The last of the money had been dried up on things like gas and the handgun Toby had managed to get without a delay--with a little help from Richard, of course. Then there was the little amount of food they had eaten as well.
Oz had eaten a good ten servings of snack foods before slowing down. Apparently he hadn't had a good meal in the last few months. The guy didn't have a steady job and thus no cash flow. He was a drifter. Pity. Oz could've been something great, Toby supposed, but that damn werewolf thing had dragged him down.
There hadn't been a great deal of talking in the last day of driving. There had been eating and a few mumbled words, and a lot of silence, but no actual conversation. Oz hadn't even asked where they were headed. Toby thought the depression that emanated off of Oz was caused by his years of drifting. He didn't know that it was actually because Oz was terrified that he couldn't keep control of his wolf form anymore than he could control when the sun rose or set.
Now that they were arriving in Los Angeles Oz was looking around like he expected to see a ghost from his past. Toby didn't think he'd see much of anything now other than empty buildings and streets. He had heard about the evacuation on the radio, he just hadn't expected the magnitude of the abandonment. He had been to L.A. before, and he had never imagined that it could be anything more than busy and noisy. Now it was empty and silent. So silent that you could hear a pin drop as the saying goes.
Lucky for the both of them they were driving just three streets away from a crowd of Mochlackdangodenacks. If they had taken a different street they could've wound up right in the middle of the crowd. If that scenario had occurred, they would not have survived. So, lucky them that they had avoided the crowd.
Toby took a right at a four - way intersection that had a blank traffic light that seemed too surreal for Toby's taste. He took a left at the next chance and then another right. Unknown to him he was moving further and further to the east side of the city while his destination resided on the west side.
Lorne was still wandering about on this side of the city as well, not knowing where Angel was or how to find him. Slayers were fighting in the south and Initiative soldiers were blasting away in the north. Connor, Drusilla, and Bob were in an apartment complex in the north - eastern portion of the city. Ashley was still out of city - limits, but she would enter the city from the west.
As Toby drove down the street he began to hum to himself the song "So Cold" by Breaking Benjamin. Oz, who was staring out the window looking for Angel or any of the others from the group he had left so long ago, did not hear this humming.
Above the rumbling of the truck's engine someone did, though. A green someone who could hold a note for as long as he lived. A green someone who was now searching for Angel to not only warn him about Lindsey, but also one of the fiercest demons to ever exist. Lorne read Toby's mind like a book. Upon reading Toby's mind, Lorne walked out of the alley he had been hiding in to evade sight of the driver of the truck.
Toby spotted Lorne, who now had a hood thrown up over his head to conceal his demonic face, and stopped. Oz looked at Toby curiously, then he, too, spotted the hooded figure standing beside the alley.
"Who's that?" he asked in his calm voice. His eyes were squinted slightly.
"I don't know," Toby replied. It was probably the first multiple worded sentence he had ever spoken to Oz's human form.
Suddenly Richard was at Toby's door in the form of Tom Hanks wearing the suit he had worn in "The Green Mile" and speaking like Tom Hanks, too.
"Don't acknowledge my existence," Richard said before Toby could even give Richard a second glance. "They'll think you're crazy because they can't see or hear me. Think "It's A Wonderful Life" and you'll get what I mean. Don't be scared of that guy over there even after he takes off his hood. He's a bit green. His name is Lorne and he works with the man that I want you to take Oz to. Call him over, but not by name."
Suddenly Richard disappeared. Toby gazed at this Lorne, reluctant to call the stranger over. But, his imaginary friend told him to do just that, so he motioned for Lorne to come over.
Lorne crossed over to the truck, not distrusting Toby because he had read the man's mind. He glanced at Oz, the Lycanthrope Angel had briefly informed him of a couple of years back. He remembered a few things that Angel had said about Oz. That he was in love with the witch, Willow, who was a lesbian. He did remember Angel telling him that Oz had come to Los Angeles once before to help Angel, but couldn't remember anything else from what Angel had said.
Lorne didn't want to pull his hood down just yet. Not until he knew that Toby wouldn't freak out--Lorne had gotten his name when he had peaked into Toby's mind.
"Hello stranger," Lorne greeted him kindly without revealing a bit of his face. "I'm wondering where you're going?"
Toby looked over at Oz and then back at Lorne. "I'm going to see a man. I hear he's your boss."
Lorne was momentarily caught off guard and let Angel's name pass through his lips.
Toby shrugged. "I never caught his name."
Richard leaned over Toby's shoulder, half in and half out of the car. He now looked like Dr. Evil from "Austin Powers", and sounded like him, too.
"Not exactly the tact I was hoping for Toby. I'm surrounded by friggin' idiots!"
Richard then pressed his pinkie to his lip and then disappeared again.
"I suppose it is this Angel that I'm looking for, Mister…" he left the sentence open for Lorne to finish, despite the fact that he already knew the green demon's name.
"Lorne."
"Lorne…" Toby trailed off thoughtfully. "Well, Lorne, if you would mind pointing me in the right direction of Angel, then that'd be swell."
He flashed a smile that wasn't in the least bit charming. Toby had never had much luck with smiling.
"I'd be glad to tell you exactly where he is at the moment," Lorne continued. He wanted to sound as humans as possible, so he didn't think allowing his usual amount of personality to flow into his words was the best idea. "Unfortunately I've been searching for he boss for a while. It's a long story that, while it wouldn't exactly bore you, it would leave you winded. Now, bee tee douba - u, what's your name?"
"Name's Toby. Toby Manlilker. Pleasure to meet ya."
Toby held his hand out of the open window and Lorne shook it energetically. "Pleasure's all mine. Do you have a seat I could perchance take in the cab? Or do I have to ride in the back?"
"Unfortunately you'll have to ride in the back. There're only two seats up here and Oz here has the other one. If you'll wait a moment I can open the tail gate for ya."
"No, no," Lorne held the driver's door closed. "I can climb in back. If you'll slide open that window so we can have a conversation it'd be appreciated."
"Certainly."
Lorne clambered into the back of the truck and came up to the cab with the back window now slid open.
"So… what are we gonna talk about?" Oz asked curiously. He looked back at Lorne, but it was actually Toby who answered.
"How about movies? Like "Austin Powers"."
Oz smiled. He loved that movie. "You know what's funny?"
Lorne looked at him as Toby started the truck up and began driving. "What?" Lorne asked.
"How Scott Evil looks in no way like me."
Meanwhile…
Lindsey finished brushing his teeth with his brand - spanking new tooth brush and placed it in the medicine cabinet that was hanging off of the tents thick fabric. If the thing were stuffed full of medications and pills it wouldn't have fallen from that sturdy hold.
He then grinned at his reflection. His teeth were now sparkling clean. Not the whitest teeth in the world, but better than they had been the day before. Now he was back to wondering about his whole situation with being in a dead body.
He had no sooner gotten onto that subject when a blonde slayer appeared in the mirror behind him. "What's your history?" Buffy asked brusquely. "I heard that you were a major pain in Angel's ass. I didn't get much out of him other than he had sent that green empath demon to kill you. I'd like to know more before I go into combat with you."
Lindsey chuckled. "Nothing but ancient history darling. I'm reformed. I suppose Angel left that out, though. He wants me dead because I guess he really can't trust me ever again. I used to work for Wolfram and Hart. I didn't put it to use the way Angel attempted to. I couldn't put it to use in any direction up or down. I wasn't in charge.
"I worked with a Lilah Morgan. She was a pain in his ass as well. Not to mention she had sex with the late Wesley a bunch of times after the good old Wes betrayed Angel and took Connor away."
"Connor?" Buffy inquired, honestly confused.
"You really were left out of the loop weren't you, now? I'll get to him later. Be patient.
"I resurrected Darla. I think you may be familiar with her, considering she tried to kill you, and tried to turn Angel against you. I heard something about guns being used in that fight."
Buffy's eyes widened as she remembered her short battle with Darla that had ended with a pile of dust on the floor of the Bronze.
"You remember now," Lindsey stated as he spotted her expression, then chuckled a bit more. "I brought her back to life. She was human then. Then Drusilla--I suspect you remember her, too--came to town and sired Darla. Then she was all fangs again. That's about the time that Angel went through this whole dark stage.
"So Angel and Darla met up and had a little round in bed. Don't worry about it, though. Like I said it's ancient history. Angel kept his soul and Darla came back a few months later after getting the hell out of town. You'd never guess what was growing inside of her. I mean, it was two vampires that had gone at it, not two humans. So the fact that Darla was prego with Angel's child came as a shock to all of us."
Buffy's jaw dropped. "You're full of shit."
"Oh contraire. Darla was pregnant and gave birth a few months after her return. In order to give birth, however, she staked herself. I never heard why, though."
Buffy shifted her weight from foot to foot, not impatiently, just thoughtfully. "What happened to his son?"
"All was good for a while. Then came along Holtz. Holtz's entire family was mutilated by Angel back in his soulless vampire days. Holtz swore vengeance upon Angel and got a demon to keep him alive in a stone statue until his time came to get revenge on Angel.
"Lots of blood was shed as Angel and the bunch evaded Holtz time and time again. A karaoke bar was blown up and an entire squad of Wolfram and Hart soldiers were killed. I'm sorry. I got out of time line there. Holtz was around during Darla's final days. In fact he was the reason that Angel's son was born in an alley just outside of a burning karaoke bar.
"After Darla staked herself and Connor was born--" Buffy's head snapped up to the mirror that Lindsey was still gazing into at that. "--Holtz decided to hold off his attack on Angel. THEN it was alright for a little while.
"That's when Wesley was misguided into stealing Connor. He thought it was for the best because 'the father will kill the son' as the fake prophecy put it.
"Then Holtz launched his attack. He stole Connor and ran off into another dimension."
Lindsey chuckled, not at what he had said, but at Buffy's expression of surprise.
"Not much longer later and Connor was back in this dimension along with Holtz. They had aged several years and Connor--now a teenager with fighting skills that probably surpass even your own--was ready to kill Angel, the father who had abandoned him. The father who would stop at nothing to destroy Holtz and Connor as Holtz said to him everyday of every year that they were in that dimension. Of course it wasn't years to us."
Buffy was quite taken aback at all of this information and her expression was still comical to Lindsey.
"Holtz was killed and Connor believed it was Angel who had done it. So Connor wanted Angel dead now more than ever. He lured Angel into thinking that Connor trusted him as a father. Then he launched his attack.
"Through all of this, I must say, there was a love story of sorts between Angel and Cordelia. Cordelia was given a position as a higher being once they had decided to fully realize that love and go with it. It was also at this point that Angel was trapped in a metal casket and dropped to the bottom of the ocean where he remained for a couple months while Wesley searched desperately for him."
Lindsey continued to explain the rest of the events. From Angel's discovery to the ruination of world peace. Then he explained Cordelia's death and Connor's new place in the world. He then turned around to look at Buffy who was shell - shocked at how much she had missed out on. Then he went to leave.
"But I still don't know anything about you," she called after him.
Lindsey chuckled yet again. "I know."
And the he disappeared through the flap of the tent and left Buffy all alone to think about what she had just been fed.
Meanwhile…
Dawn was about to fall into sleep when a voice whispered in her ear. She recognized the voice. She hoped to God that it was just her ears playing tricks on her. She hoped that maybe it was just a dream. A little nightmare.
She knew it wasn't. She knew that as soon as two cold hands clasped gently down on her shoulders. She didn't scream. She just closed her eyes tighter.
"Go away," she whispered. "Get away from me."
"I love you, Dawn, in a way," the voice said. "I don't want to make you suffer like I threatened to before."
"Leave me alone. I don't want you here. Go away."
"You're very special to me, Dawn - y. You're very special to me because you aren't human."
"I'm human. Leave me alone. I'm human."
No screaming. She didn't want to scream.
"No you're not; you're the Key."
Dawn bit her lower lip. She hadn't wanted the voice to say that. But she had known it was going to.
"You're used to open up dimension portals Dawn. Nothing else. And that's why you're so special to me. I want you in my service."
"I'll never be in your service."
"You'd be a great asset. A greater one than you could ever be to that Slayer that masquerades as your sister."
"She is my sister. Now go away."
"I need a Key, Dawn. I know how to use one, too. Not like that pathetic excuse for a god, Glory. I could give you some great treasures, too. Physical pleasure that far exceeds that of sexual ecstasy."
"I don't want that. Not if it means going against Buffy."
"But she's not your sister."
"She killed herself and stopped the portal from opening. She did that all for me. She did it with the Summers blood that I have. She is my sister. You can get the hell out of here because I'm not going to go to your side."
"I really need a Key, Dawn. I really, really do."
"No."
"Turn around. Look at me."
Dawn closed her eyes tighter. She didn't want to see it, whatever it was.
"Look at me!"
Suddenly she was lifted off the bed and turned around to face upwards.
"Open your eyes!"
"No!"
Outside Illyria's head snapped to the direction of Dawn's shout. Illyria then began to walk over to Dawn's tent.
"LOOK!"
"NO!"
But she DID look. She opened her eyes and they locked with a giant's. Two eyes the size of dinner plates glared at her, glowing red where a human's eye is white. The pupils were black pits that she couldn't take her eyes off of.
No longer were the cold hands cold or gentle. They were giant, rough claws that were restraining her to the bed. The thing had to be twenty feet tall with inverted knees and pincers at its mouth. Its insect - like shell was a shiny black. It had two large spikes jutting out of each shoulder and one out of the tip of its head.
Then the thing was being dragged off of her. It spun around shrieking and found itself staring at Illyria.
"GOD!" it exclaimed in a purely demonic voice and then disappeared.
Illyria looked upwards and smiled ever so slightly and uncharacteristically. "Bolinkodagenat."
Dawn fainted then as Illyria glided over to her to check for injuries. Back when Illyria had possessed such great power, the Bolinkodagenat had been her most powerful general. Now she found herself enjoying the fact that she would be fighting her most powerful ex - ally.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Hey, MorbidMan here. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It took a bit to write. Anyone who knows who Seth Green is would've gotten the joke that ended the section with Lorne, Toby, and Oz. I just thought it would be funny to say that after making Richard look like Dr. Evil. For those who didn't get it, Seth Green acted as both Oz and Scott Green.
That's it for my A/N, other than an apology for any inaccuracies that may be present in Lindsey's recount of the story of Connor. See you next chapter.
"I'm going to place them in an easily escapable situation involving an overly elaborate and exotic death." - Dr. Evil "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery"
"I'm not actually going to witness their death, I'm just going to leave it alone and assume that everything went to plan, what?" - Dr. Evil "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery"
Arrival, History, and the Bolinkodagenat
Toby found himself arriving in Los Angeles not too long after his encounter with the Jarlkarlones. Oz was now sitting beside him in the passenger seat fully clothed in the baggy, patched suit that Toby had found under his seat. The guy had looked cool, calm, collected, and calculating before… now he looked like a calculating farmer. He didn't belong in those clothes, but Toby had nothing else to give him. The last of the money had been dried up on things like gas and the handgun Toby had managed to get without a delay--with a little help from Richard, of course. Then there was the little amount of food they had eaten as well.
Oz had eaten a good ten servings of snack foods before slowing down. Apparently he hadn't had a good meal in the last few months. The guy didn't have a steady job and thus no cash flow. He was a drifter. Pity. Oz could've been something great, Toby supposed, but that damn werewolf thing had dragged him down.
There hadn't been a great deal of talking in the last day of driving. There had been eating and a few mumbled words, and a lot of silence, but no actual conversation. Oz hadn't even asked where they were headed. Toby thought the depression that emanated off of Oz was caused by his years of drifting. He didn't know that it was actually because Oz was terrified that he couldn't keep control of his wolf form anymore than he could control when the sun rose or set.
Now that they were arriving in Los Angeles Oz was looking around like he expected to see a ghost from his past. Toby didn't think he'd see much of anything now other than empty buildings and streets. He had heard about the evacuation on the radio, he just hadn't expected the magnitude of the abandonment. He had been to L.A. before, and he had never imagined that it could be anything more than busy and noisy. Now it was empty and silent. So silent that you could hear a pin drop as the saying goes.
Lucky for the both of them they were driving just three streets away from a crowd of Mochlackdangodenacks. If they had taken a different street they could've wound up right in the middle of the crowd. If that scenario had occurred, they would not have survived. So, lucky them that they had avoided the crowd.
Toby took a right at a four - way intersection that had a blank traffic light that seemed too surreal for Toby's taste. He took a left at the next chance and then another right. Unknown to him he was moving further and further to the east side of the city while his destination resided on the west side.
Lorne was still wandering about on this side of the city as well, not knowing where Angel was or how to find him. Slayers were fighting in the south and Initiative soldiers were blasting away in the north. Connor, Drusilla, and Bob were in an apartment complex in the north - eastern portion of the city. Ashley was still out of city - limits, but she would enter the city from the west.
As Toby drove down the street he began to hum to himself the song "So Cold" by Breaking Benjamin. Oz, who was staring out the window looking for Angel or any of the others from the group he had left so long ago, did not hear this humming.
Above the rumbling of the truck's engine someone did, though. A green someone who could hold a note for as long as he lived. A green someone who was now searching for Angel to not only warn him about Lindsey, but also one of the fiercest demons to ever exist. Lorne read Toby's mind like a book. Upon reading Toby's mind, Lorne walked out of the alley he had been hiding in to evade sight of the driver of the truck.
Toby spotted Lorne, who now had a hood thrown up over his head to conceal his demonic face, and stopped. Oz looked at Toby curiously, then he, too, spotted the hooded figure standing beside the alley.
"Who's that?" he asked in his calm voice. His eyes were squinted slightly.
"I don't know," Toby replied. It was probably the first multiple worded sentence he had ever spoken to Oz's human form.
Suddenly Richard was at Toby's door in the form of Tom Hanks wearing the suit he had worn in "The Green Mile" and speaking like Tom Hanks, too.
"Don't acknowledge my existence," Richard said before Toby could even give Richard a second glance. "They'll think you're crazy because they can't see or hear me. Think "It's A Wonderful Life" and you'll get what I mean. Don't be scared of that guy over there even after he takes off his hood. He's a bit green. His name is Lorne and he works with the man that I want you to take Oz to. Call him over, but not by name."
Suddenly Richard disappeared. Toby gazed at this Lorne, reluctant to call the stranger over. But, his imaginary friend told him to do just that, so he motioned for Lorne to come over.
Lorne crossed over to the truck, not distrusting Toby because he had read the man's mind. He glanced at Oz, the Lycanthrope Angel had briefly informed him of a couple of years back. He remembered a few things that Angel had said about Oz. That he was in love with the witch, Willow, who was a lesbian. He did remember Angel telling him that Oz had come to Los Angeles once before to help Angel, but couldn't remember anything else from what Angel had said.
Lorne didn't want to pull his hood down just yet. Not until he knew that Toby wouldn't freak out--Lorne had gotten his name when he had peaked into Toby's mind.
"Hello stranger," Lorne greeted him kindly without revealing a bit of his face. "I'm wondering where you're going?"
Toby looked over at Oz and then back at Lorne. "I'm going to see a man. I hear he's your boss."
Lorne was momentarily caught off guard and let Angel's name pass through his lips.
Toby shrugged. "I never caught his name."
Richard leaned over Toby's shoulder, half in and half out of the car. He now looked like Dr. Evil from "Austin Powers", and sounded like him, too.
"Not exactly the tact I was hoping for Toby. I'm surrounded by friggin' idiots!"
Richard then pressed his pinkie to his lip and then disappeared again.
"I suppose it is this Angel that I'm looking for, Mister…" he left the sentence open for Lorne to finish, despite the fact that he already knew the green demon's name.
"Lorne."
"Lorne…" Toby trailed off thoughtfully. "Well, Lorne, if you would mind pointing me in the right direction of Angel, then that'd be swell."
He flashed a smile that wasn't in the least bit charming. Toby had never had much luck with smiling.
"I'd be glad to tell you exactly where he is at the moment," Lorne continued. He wanted to sound as humans as possible, so he didn't think allowing his usual amount of personality to flow into his words was the best idea. "Unfortunately I've been searching for he boss for a while. It's a long story that, while it wouldn't exactly bore you, it would leave you winded. Now, bee tee douba - u, what's your name?"
"Name's Toby. Toby Manlilker. Pleasure to meet ya."
Toby held his hand out of the open window and Lorne shook it energetically. "Pleasure's all mine. Do you have a seat I could perchance take in the cab? Or do I have to ride in the back?"
"Unfortunately you'll have to ride in the back. There're only two seats up here and Oz here has the other one. If you'll wait a moment I can open the tail gate for ya."
"No, no," Lorne held the driver's door closed. "I can climb in back. If you'll slide open that window so we can have a conversation it'd be appreciated."
"Certainly."
Lorne clambered into the back of the truck and came up to the cab with the back window now slid open.
"So… what are we gonna talk about?" Oz asked curiously. He looked back at Lorne, but it was actually Toby who answered.
"How about movies? Like "Austin Powers"."
Oz smiled. He loved that movie. "You know what's funny?"
Lorne looked at him as Toby started the truck up and began driving. "What?" Lorne asked.
"How Scott Evil looks in no way like me."
Meanwhile…
Lindsey finished brushing his teeth with his brand - spanking new tooth brush and placed it in the medicine cabinet that was hanging off of the tents thick fabric. If the thing were stuffed full of medications and pills it wouldn't have fallen from that sturdy hold.
He then grinned at his reflection. His teeth were now sparkling clean. Not the whitest teeth in the world, but better than they had been the day before. Now he was back to wondering about his whole situation with being in a dead body.
He had no sooner gotten onto that subject when a blonde slayer appeared in the mirror behind him. "What's your history?" Buffy asked brusquely. "I heard that you were a major pain in Angel's ass. I didn't get much out of him other than he had sent that green empath demon to kill you. I'd like to know more before I go into combat with you."
Lindsey chuckled. "Nothing but ancient history darling. I'm reformed. I suppose Angel left that out, though. He wants me dead because I guess he really can't trust me ever again. I used to work for Wolfram and Hart. I didn't put it to use the way Angel attempted to. I couldn't put it to use in any direction up or down. I wasn't in charge.
"I worked with a Lilah Morgan. She was a pain in his ass as well. Not to mention she had sex with the late Wesley a bunch of times after the good old Wes betrayed Angel and took Connor away."
"Connor?" Buffy inquired, honestly confused.
"You really were left out of the loop weren't you, now? I'll get to him later. Be patient.
"I resurrected Darla. I think you may be familiar with her, considering she tried to kill you, and tried to turn Angel against you. I heard something about guns being used in that fight."
Buffy's eyes widened as she remembered her short battle with Darla that had ended with a pile of dust on the floor of the Bronze.
"You remember now," Lindsey stated as he spotted her expression, then chuckled a bit more. "I brought her back to life. She was human then. Then Drusilla--I suspect you remember her, too--came to town and sired Darla. Then she was all fangs again. That's about the time that Angel went through this whole dark stage.
"So Angel and Darla met up and had a little round in bed. Don't worry about it, though. Like I said it's ancient history. Angel kept his soul and Darla came back a few months later after getting the hell out of town. You'd never guess what was growing inside of her. I mean, it was two vampires that had gone at it, not two humans. So the fact that Darla was prego with Angel's child came as a shock to all of us."
Buffy's jaw dropped. "You're full of shit."
"Oh contraire. Darla was pregnant and gave birth a few months after her return. In order to give birth, however, she staked herself. I never heard why, though."
Buffy shifted her weight from foot to foot, not impatiently, just thoughtfully. "What happened to his son?"
"All was good for a while. Then came along Holtz. Holtz's entire family was mutilated by Angel back in his soulless vampire days. Holtz swore vengeance upon Angel and got a demon to keep him alive in a stone statue until his time came to get revenge on Angel.
"Lots of blood was shed as Angel and the bunch evaded Holtz time and time again. A karaoke bar was blown up and an entire squad of Wolfram and Hart soldiers were killed. I'm sorry. I got out of time line there. Holtz was around during Darla's final days. In fact he was the reason that Angel's son was born in an alley just outside of a burning karaoke bar.
"After Darla staked herself and Connor was born--" Buffy's head snapped up to the mirror that Lindsey was still gazing into at that. "--Holtz decided to hold off his attack on Angel. THEN it was alright for a little while.
"That's when Wesley was misguided into stealing Connor. He thought it was for the best because 'the father will kill the son' as the fake prophecy put it.
"Then Holtz launched his attack. He stole Connor and ran off into another dimension."
Lindsey chuckled, not at what he had said, but at Buffy's expression of surprise.
"Not much longer later and Connor was back in this dimension along with Holtz. They had aged several years and Connor--now a teenager with fighting skills that probably surpass even your own--was ready to kill Angel, the father who had abandoned him. The father who would stop at nothing to destroy Holtz and Connor as Holtz said to him everyday of every year that they were in that dimension. Of course it wasn't years to us."
Buffy was quite taken aback at all of this information and her expression was still comical to Lindsey.
"Holtz was killed and Connor believed it was Angel who had done it. So Connor wanted Angel dead now more than ever. He lured Angel into thinking that Connor trusted him as a father. Then he launched his attack.
"Through all of this, I must say, there was a love story of sorts between Angel and Cordelia. Cordelia was given a position as a higher being once they had decided to fully realize that love and go with it. It was also at this point that Angel was trapped in a metal casket and dropped to the bottom of the ocean where he remained for a couple months while Wesley searched desperately for him."
Lindsey continued to explain the rest of the events. From Angel's discovery to the ruination of world peace. Then he explained Cordelia's death and Connor's new place in the world. He then turned around to look at Buffy who was shell - shocked at how much she had missed out on. Then he went to leave.
"But I still don't know anything about you," she called after him.
Lindsey chuckled yet again. "I know."
And the he disappeared through the flap of the tent and left Buffy all alone to think about what she had just been fed.
Meanwhile…
Dawn was about to fall into sleep when a voice whispered in her ear. She recognized the voice. She hoped to God that it was just her ears playing tricks on her. She hoped that maybe it was just a dream. A little nightmare.
She knew it wasn't. She knew that as soon as two cold hands clasped gently down on her shoulders. She didn't scream. She just closed her eyes tighter.
"Go away," she whispered. "Get away from me."
"I love you, Dawn, in a way," the voice said. "I don't want to make you suffer like I threatened to before."
"Leave me alone. I don't want you here. Go away."
"You're very special to me, Dawn - y. You're very special to me because you aren't human."
"I'm human. Leave me alone. I'm human."
No screaming. She didn't want to scream.
"No you're not; you're the Key."
Dawn bit her lower lip. She hadn't wanted the voice to say that. But she had known it was going to.
"You're used to open up dimension portals Dawn. Nothing else. And that's why you're so special to me. I want you in my service."
"I'll never be in your service."
"You'd be a great asset. A greater one than you could ever be to that Slayer that masquerades as your sister."
"She is my sister. Now go away."
"I need a Key, Dawn. I know how to use one, too. Not like that pathetic excuse for a god, Glory. I could give you some great treasures, too. Physical pleasure that far exceeds that of sexual ecstasy."
"I don't want that. Not if it means going against Buffy."
"But she's not your sister."
"She killed herself and stopped the portal from opening. She did that all for me. She did it with the Summers blood that I have. She is my sister. You can get the hell out of here because I'm not going to go to your side."
"I really need a Key, Dawn. I really, really do."
"No."
"Turn around. Look at me."
Dawn closed her eyes tighter. She didn't want to see it, whatever it was.
"Look at me!"
Suddenly she was lifted off the bed and turned around to face upwards.
"Open your eyes!"
"No!"
Outside Illyria's head snapped to the direction of Dawn's shout. Illyria then began to walk over to Dawn's tent.
"LOOK!"
"NO!"
But she DID look. She opened her eyes and they locked with a giant's. Two eyes the size of dinner plates glared at her, glowing red where a human's eye is white. The pupils were black pits that she couldn't take her eyes off of.
No longer were the cold hands cold or gentle. They were giant, rough claws that were restraining her to the bed. The thing had to be twenty feet tall with inverted knees and pincers at its mouth. Its insect - like shell was a shiny black. It had two large spikes jutting out of each shoulder and one out of the tip of its head.
Then the thing was being dragged off of her. It spun around shrieking and found itself staring at Illyria.
"GOD!" it exclaimed in a purely demonic voice and then disappeared.
Illyria looked upwards and smiled ever so slightly and uncharacteristically. "Bolinkodagenat."
Dawn fainted then as Illyria glided over to her to check for injuries. Back when Illyria had possessed such great power, the Bolinkodagenat had been her most powerful general. Now she found herself enjoying the fact that she would be fighting her most powerful ex - ally.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Hey, MorbidMan here. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It took a bit to write. Anyone who knows who Seth Green is would've gotten the joke that ended the section with Lorne, Toby, and Oz. I just thought it would be funny to say that after making Richard look like Dr. Evil. For those who didn't get it, Seth Green acted as both Oz and Scott Green.
That's it for my A/N, other than an apology for any inaccuracies that may be present in Lindsey's recount of the story of Connor. See you next chapter.
"I'm going to place them in an easily escapable situation involving an overly elaborate and exotic death." - Dr. Evil "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery"
"I'm not actually going to witness their death, I'm just going to leave it alone and assume that everything went to plan, what?" - Dr. Evil "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery"