A/N: I'm so good to you guys....
4
Angel sat in the sitting room looking uncomfortable by all the Slayers that surrounded him, as he always did when he visited, the girls flocked to him. Good looks and a soul would do that for a vampire. Buffy sat opposite him in an armchair in a sullen mood. She had dressed down in an oversized gray jumper and a pair of black pants. Buffy actually didn't remember buying the jumper so she had no idea where it came from. A mysterious jumper really wasn't the issue right now – a group of demons with the Scoobies faces was.
"Interesting" Angel nodded slowly.
"Really not" Buffy said, "These guys are killing people"
He sighed "I know Buffy, I'm sorry. The way you tell it they can't be killed by anyone except for the person who looks like them. So, let's find the place – get everyone there and kill them"
"What about those of us who don't have superpowers? Not gonna be so easy to kill a demon by yourself" She pointed out.
"Well, we could at least thin the herd" He offered.
Giles cleared his throat "There is an added problem"
"Right," Buffy nodded slowly "Spike"
Angel frowned "What about him?"
"They've got a guy that looks like him. We're thinking they're making a Spike demon"
Angel sighed, catching on "So he'll be pretty much all powerful because Spike is gone"
The Slayer said "Yeah, that's about the size of it"
The vampire leaned forward on the chair "Are we sure some kind of spell won't work on them?"
"We don't think it's likely" Giles shifted on the arm of Buffy's chair "Willow?"
Willow looked up "I don't think so, Angel. I've tried to locate them but even that is impossible. So looks like spells to kill all of them are out"
Angel thought for a moment "What about a talisman that cleanses?"
"The one we used against The First? Impossible, that perished with Spike" Giles said with certainty.
"So, we use a spell – a recovery spell to get the talisman back and then we use it" Angel said.
"And who's gonna wear it, huh?" Buffy was angry now "Someone more than human but with a soul? Anyone willing to get burnt to death, huh?"
Angel remained annoyingly calm "We have to do whatever is necessary"
"So you're offering yourself up?"
"In a heartbeat"
"Well, your heart doesn't beat, Angel" Buffy stood, pacing "So that doesn't mean much. You really think I'm gonna let you wear that necklace and watch the same thing that happened to Spike happen to you?"
"To save the world? I think you will" He stood too.
Buffy turned on him "And who says this group of demons is a threat to the world? Maybe they just wanna run around looking like us then go on home to HellLand"
"Doubting it" The vampire stood his ground.
"Why can't we have petty crime demons once in a while?" Buffy began pacing again.
Xander sighed "Wouldn't be nearly as interesting"
"Even so, I think Angel has a valid point" Giles sighed "I think that the talisman could help us"
"I am not gonna let Angel wear it"
The vampire looked at her "How are you gonna stop me?"
Buffy threw her hands up "Fine, Fine! Do whatever the hell you want. Just don't expect me to just stand there and watch you fry"
She turned and walked out of the room. Willow followed her out and wordlessly hugged her then drew back looking her in the eye.
"Buffy, if you don't want me to do the spell I won't do it" The redhead said loyally.
"No" Buffy shook her head "If Angel wants to make a stupid mistake it's up to him"
The witch paused "Well, maybe we won't have to use it! The talisman could just be plan B or plan Z. If all else fails stuff"
The Slayer took a moment "Yeah, I guess. Always good to have something to fall back on"
"See, it's a plan"
"It's a horrible, stupid, reckless plan..."
Willow nodded, smiling "But a plan nevertheless"
Buffy smiled wearily "I'm gonna go out. Swing by The Demon Bar – they're really not going for subtle, huh?"
"Want some company?" Willow offered.
"Nah, you gotta work the mojo. I won't be back late" Buffy grabbed up a knife and waved to her friend before walking out of the door.
She got to her car, which she had finally passed the driving test for, and snapped the seatbelt in place before starting it up. It was a small, cheap car but it ran just about and that was what counted. She pulled away and drove down then roads of Flower Meadows. It wasn't quite dusk yet and vampires wouldn't be about but that didn't mean other demons wouldn't need beating down. Besides she might get some info out of Harry, the barkeep. Buffy was looking to let out a little frustration and the demons of Cleveland never disappointed.
It took her ten minutes to get to the bar and a further five minutes to find somewhere to park. Once parked she jumped out grabbed the knife and slid it down her waistband. The Demon Bar loomed ahead with its glowing neon sign and black walls it looked inviting but on the inside it was a palace for demons of all kind – this place was nothing like Willy's Alibi back in the old days in Sunnydale. Buffy reached the door where a bouncer stood arms crossed over his broad, oily chest. He was bald and on top of his head was a fin, a wicked spiky looking fin. His eyes were all black with a tiny pinprick of red in them and his skin had patches of scales here and there and was a shade of dark purple. He wore an aqua T-shirt and black leather trousers with heavy boots. The bouncer saw her and bared his tiny spiked teeth menacingly.
"Oh, piss" He grumbled "A Slayer! Can't you guys leave us alone for one goddamn night?"
Buffy smiled pleasantly "Hey, Cody. Always a pleasure"
He sighed melodramatically "Hey Buffy, I told you not to call me that. We're meant to be mortal enemies"
"Sorry, forgot" She pointed to him "New T-shirt?"
Cody nodded enthusiastically "Yeah, I got it on sale at Macys. The color compliments my skin tone, don't you think?"
Buffy nodded "Definitely. Listen, Harry in there?"
"Isn't he every night?" He motioned her through.
Buffy walked past him and into the long corridor that led to the walkways that crisscrossed above the main body of the club, which was below ground level. She looked down, holding onto the railing, at the demons that danced frenetically down below on the large lighted dance floor. Strobe lights with black walls made the effect eerie and like something out of a horror movie. Loud music pumped out of huge speakers as a scraggly demon wailed into a microphone with a cigarette dangling between his lips. The guy looked like a cross between Mick Jagger and a demon she used to know named Clem – not that there was much difference between them anyway.
Then to one side was a long bar that took up the whole length of one wall. Demons sat on the barstools, arms, tentacles and whatever raised as they shouted drink orders. Buffy turned and walked down the stairs down into the midst of the shaking and gyrating demons of all kinds. There were Polgaras' swinging like a jazz band and M'Fashnick demons head bashing. Buffy pushed past them all and rolled her eyes at a couple of scary looking demons with glow in the dark eyes and fingernails and teeth that were doing the macarana. She managed to get to the bar where smoke from cigarette's hung in the air thickly.
Buffy slid into a stool between a spiny-headed demon and a green demon that was dripping sludge all over the bar and floor.
Harry, the owner and barkeep, saw her and threw a cloth over his shoulder before making it wearily over to her. Harry was around fifty years of age with a mop of gray curls on his head and bushy gray eyebrows above sad blue eyes that sparkled. He was average height and a little round around the stomach area but he just looked like any other man of his age. Harry wasn't a man. Or at least not entirely – he was half demon, or maybe three-quarters demon but Buffy didn't ask how that was possible. He wore his usual flannel shirt and blue jeans with rips in them.
"Hello, Buffy" He croaked with his tired voice "Little early for you, ain't it?"
She shrugged "Not really here for the ambiance and the fine choice in alcoholic beverages. I want information"
"So what's new?" Harry grumbled.
Buffy tilted her head "You seem grumpier than usual, Harry, if that's possible"
"Patronage has been down"
"Place looks like its swinging tonight"
Harry nodded "Won't stay like that for long now you've come back. For some reason a Slayer really puts people off their beer"
Buffy smiled bittersweet "Just the affect I have on people"
"Yeah, yeah. What do you want to know?"
"Some demons' been copying me" Buffy informed him "Me and my friends. They're going all Face Off on us...except without the swapping of the faces...the principles really the same..."
Harry sighed "I told you yesterday I didn't know anything about them"
Buffy frowned "Yesterday?"
"Yeah, you know. Right before you started that demon free-for-all killing"
She shook her head "I wasn't here yesterday"
"Yeah, you were. You came, you saw, you killed a bunch of demons" He inclined his head and spoke softly.
Buffy groaned "That wasn't me. Must've been one of the demons. What did I...what did it ask?"
"Just what you asked. I told you I hadn't heard anything and you seemed satisfied with that and then just started beating on my customers. Not very friendly of you" He held up his arm that held a deep scratch on it "And you scratched me. Not friendly at all"
"Wasn't me, Harry" She stood "This is just great. Was I with anyone?"
"Yeah, that witch of yours, a tall dark and fang-faced guy and some old, crumbly dude" He shrugged.
Buffy spoke "Willow, Angel and Giles. So that means they've got a Buffy, a Xander, a Willow, an Angel and a Giles. God, I hope that's it. Thanks Harry"
She turned and started to leave when he called back to her.
"Buffy," He yelled, "You also asked if anyone knew you had a new guy staying with you. I told you everyone knew and nobody cared. Then you asked if I thought your security system back home was any good 'cause you were looking to improve it. I said it's crap and anyone could just slide through a window"
Buffy grumbled as she walked off "Check – improve crappy security system"
She made it all the way to the top walkway of the club before trouble came a'calling. A demon with long whip type things for arms and a thin and long head blocked her way, hissing and flicking out a long, viper like tongue at her. His skin was mottled blue and his eyes yellow and full of hate. He wore nothing and she began to re-evaluate the 'he' thing because he didn't seem to have a sex. Just a tail. Buffy heard hissing behind her and saw she had an identical demon back there flicking their tongue and readying itself.
"Slayer! You dare to come back here!" The first one said with a voice like nails scraping down a blackboard "After what you did to my mate yesterday I will rip your ugly head off and use it as my hat then I will consume your fat body!"
Buffy looked genuinely hurt "Fat?"
"Bitch!" He spat stepping closer as did the one behind her.
"Hey, look you aren't going to believe this but the Buffy yesterday wasn't the me Buffy, that was a different Buffy that looks like me but is not me, who is the real Buffy. Me, I mean" She took a deep breath.
The demon looked at her, confused, then let out a roar and stormed up the walkway toward her. Buffy withdrew the knife as she heard the one thundering behind her too. She timed it just right and jumped up in the air as the two demons crashed into one another. She landed with a foot on each one's head and jumped off landing in front of the two demons that were still disentangling themselves. She had barely moved a step before one of their vine whip arms lashed out and struck her around the face so hard and fast she fell to the walkway.
Two vines curled around her ankles tightly and yanked her to them so hard she flew up in the air, over their heads and landed on her front on the walkway next to them. The demons let out a screech and began pulling her to them. Buffy used the knife to hack into their whips and was happy when they both squealed and let go. The Slayer scrambled to her feet but was back off them when one of the demons whirled around and hit her around the face with their heavy tail.
This time Buffy fell on her back in some of the blue demon blood from their injuries. She grimaced and started to get up when a vine encircled her neck and lifted her clean off the floor. Buffy gagged and brought her knife up to plunge it straight in the forehead of the demon as deep as she could. It screamed and fell back letting go of her so she dropped to her feet. The demon crashed to the floor, dead.
"You kill my beloved and now you kill my brother!" The remaining demon bellowed "It is a good day for you, Slayer. Now it will end!"
He stormed up the walkway to her and Buffy waited till he was nearly on her before vaulting over the side of the walkway. The demon watched in surprise. At the last moment the caught hold of the bottom of the walkway and heard as demons and humans alike started yelling and she looked down beneath her to see it had turned into entertainment. Then she paid them no more attention as the swung herself once, twice and three times until she flipped herself all the way back up on to the walkway but on the opposite side. The demon was bent over the railing looking for her with its back to her. Buffy pulled the knife from his brother and the demon heard the squelching because it whirled around where Buffy stabbed it in the forehead with the knife. It gagged eyes wide as it swayed and finally dropped to its knees.
"You...are...very...fat" It choked before falling face first to the floor, dead.
"Hey!" She panted "No need to get personal. Demons really know how to hit you where you hurt"
Buffy took a few deep breaths then leaned over the railing to look down at the gaping demon crowd that stared up at her "I'll be here all this week. No autographs though. Thanks, you've all been peaches, really"
With that she turned and walked out of the club covered in demon blood and wondering if she should go on the Slim-fast diet.
5
Buffy arrived back home and walked into the front room everyone was milling about looking miserable and defeated. Buffy saw on the floor was a sacred circle made of salt and a few herbs dotted about but she didn't see the talisman. Willow was talking animatedly with Giles who was shrugging and Angel was looking broody as usual whereas Xander and Dawn were playing cards looking nonchalant.
"Hey" Buffy said and they all looked her way sheepishly "How'd it go?"
Willow turned to her "It was a bust. I called to the talisman to return to this world and...nothing, not even a 'poof!' or 'bang!'. I was sure I had it, damn talisman of evadingness!"
"You tried" Buffy patted her arm and took a deep breath "Turns out that there's a Giles demon too"
Giles looked out "Me? How flattering...I mean disgusting and violating, of course"
"Of course" Buffy smiled.
"You met up with him?" Angel asked, standing.
She shook her head "Nah, but I heard about it from a reliable source. So that makes the core Scoobies...I'm hoping that's all there is"
Dawn frowned "Hey, why don't I get a demon double?"
"It's really not that fun" Xander said "Trust me"
"Without the talisman I think we're going to have to rely on brute force," said Angel.
"Yay, my favorite type of force" Buffy piped up.
"Gonna be a little hard seen as we don't know where these beasties are living" Xander pointed out "We could just wait for them to come to us"
Angel sighed "And be left unprepared? That's stupid"
"I am Xander. I'm meant to be stupid" He shrugged.
Dawn patted him on the top of the head "You're not stupid, Xander"
"Thanks" He smiled.
"You're just a little slow" Dawn said sympathetically.
Buffy held her hands up "Guys, we don't know where these demons are or what their plans are...I figure give them a couple of days and see what happens"
"We can't just do nothing, Buffy" Giles stepped up.
"Okay, then find me their address, hell, even their Email address and we'll do something about it then, Giles. In the meantime we train, we patrol and we keep an eye out for them...or us...them being us and when we know something we kill them" Buffy nodded "Now the first thing we have to do is get things sorted here. I want every window locked, every door bolted and that includes the attic window and the basement outside entrance. I also want everyone to sleep with two in a room for the time being and everyone should make some kind of mark on themselves so we know they're the real Scoobies, got it?"
Dawn clapped her hands "Like a tattoo?"
"No" Buffy shrugged "Like a bracelet or a stamp on their hand...whatever"
Giles shrugged "I have a library stamp"
"Oh, great!" Xander sniggered "So now we get 'Property of Giles' stamped on us?"
"Actually it says 'On Loan'" Giles corrected him.
"Much better!" Xander said sarcastically.
Buffy shook her head "I don't care what it looks like so long as we can tell who's the real guys and who's not. Giles, can you go and get it please? Make sure everyone is stamped including Angel"
The vampire sighed "Is that really necessary? I'm not staying here, I'm in a motel"
"You should stay here. We need everyone on board, Angel" Buffy said.
He paused "Fine, so long as I don't have to room with him" he pointed to Andrew.
"Way to hurt my feelings!" Andrew muttered.
"You can stay in the basement with Xander," She said.
Xander and Angel both said, "You're kidding?"
"Guys" Buffy said in a warning tone and they both shut up "Willow and Kennedy you guys are safe, the other girls can pair up as they like but I want Giles with Andrew"
"Oh, bloody hell!" Giles moaned as he entered the room with the stamp.
"Hey!" Andrew protested.
Buffy sighed "Faith with Robin and me with Dawn"
Dawn looked up "Sleepover time, huh? Can we have marshmallows and pillow fights?"
"Man, would I like to be a fly on that wall!" Xander grinned goofy and Dawn giggled hitting him playfully.
"'Kay, everyone who's stamped I want you to go and check the perimeter of the house in groups of three then go through the house and shut every window and door, okay?"
The girls already stamped, grumbled but split up with about half of them going outside and the other half walking around the house. Giles stamped Xander's hand then the rest of the core group finally ending with his own.
"Everyone done?" She asked.
They all nodded.
"Always thought of myself as 'On Loan'" Xander muttered.
"Guys can you make sure everyone's got a decent weapon in their room, please?" Buffy questioned.
Xander, Dawn and Willow all nodded and left to go to the basement and get the weapons out.
Angel came up to her "You sure you want me sleeping here?"
"Sure and I figure basement is the safest option what with the sun and all" She said "It might not be real comfortable but–"
"I've had worse" He shrugged nonchalant "Maybe we should call up Gunn and Wesley..."
"Unless they've been made into a demon they won't be very useful" Buffy reminded him.
"Right" Angel nodded "Well the sun should be down soon, maybe I should see what I can find out from the demons around here"
Buffy sighed "If you think anyone will be willing to talk to you..."
"They don't have to be willing" Angel smiled.
She smiled back "Okay but be back before midnight and you have to use the password at the gates"
He nodded as he started to leave "What kind of password is that anyway?"
"A good one" Buffy said confidently.
Angel shrugged "Whatever you say. I'll see you by midnight"
He turned and swept out quickly and stealthily. Buffy took a breath and turned to Giles who stood to one side arms folded and watching her. He smiled proudly and twirled his stamp around in his hand.
"You did very well, Buffy" Giles beamed "The logical thing to do and you came through with it. The marking us...I don't think I would have come up with that"
"Yes you would have" She grinned.
"All right, I might have but it would have taken me at least five minutes longer" Her Watcher laughed.
Buffy sighed and worked the cricks out other neck "You think they'll attack tonight?"
"I find it highly unlikely" Giles said "But then you never can count on demons to do the predictable thing, can you?"
She nodded "Guess not"
He rubbed his forehead "Not that I'll be getting any sleep anyway what with my roommate"
"Sorry" The Slayer apologized "It's just I need someone with Andrew that can protect themselves, you do understand don't you?"
Giles nodded curtly "Yes, it's just the analyzing of the Bond films I'm dreading. I mean just because I'm British doesn't mean I know everything about them. One thing I do know though is that Timothy Dalton was in no way the best Bond. Oh, no I am very much a Connery man myself"
Buffy arched an eyebrow "Save it for Andrew, Giles"
A/N: Must I say it again? Oh, okay! REVIEW!