Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow II: The Rising Sun

Previously:

"Sounds great," Kara said, licking her lips slightly. Then, turning on her heel, she smiled widely at Anya. She knew that Tara had classes until late that night and Willow usually spent her time studying alone in the dorm room. "Well, I'm off. See you guys later," she said and strolled out of the shop.

..........................

Callum sighed. He remembered Kara liked to talk about Veronica, how enigmatically she always spoke. That vagueness made her seem more like a god than anything else. However, he didn't quite seem to be able to pull it off, at least not yet. Looking at Angel, he said, "I'm the new Power and I need your help."

Chapter Eleven:

Jack sighed and stood, stretching his legs. Spread out in front of him on his dining room table was the report the Council and Coven jointly filed regarding the murder of Rebecca Hart. Unfortunately, they hadn't been able to discover any fingerprints or other identifying marks that would have pointed them toward their killer. However, Jack was more certain than ever that Cassius was behind it. Had a simple street thug or robber murdered Rebecca, certainly the perpetuator would have left some clue. The murder was too perfect.

Several alarms bells rang off in Jack's head as he reviewed the material. Most importantly, there hadn't been a forced entry. Rebecca had invited her killer into her apartment. Based on that information, Jack could assume that Rebecca had known her killer, had some sort of relationship with the person, be it professional, friendly, or intimate. If Rebecca knew her killer, however, that meant that her killer was mostly likely either a member of the Coven or Council. That thought concerned Jack deeply, for it meant that someone on the inside was working with Cassius, or else had simply gone off the deep end. Either thought didn't particularly appeal to him.

"How's it going?" Margaret asked, walking up behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist as she rested her head on his shoulder. Jack looked back at his wife and smiled.

"I'm not so sure we're going to figure this one out," he said honestly. "Nothing makes sense."

"How so?" Margaret prodded. "Sometimes it helps to brainstorm," she said.

"Rebecca invited her killer inside her apartment. Why would she do that if the person was a complete stranger?" Jack said.

"So she knew her killer," Margaret easily concluded.

"Exactly. But if she did, than her killer is someone we all know. Someone inside of the Council or inside of the Coven," Jack explained further.

"A mole," Margaret stated. "You think that Cassius has a spy?"

"If not a spy, at least someone doing his dirty work. With the control that Cassius can wield over people, whoever killed Rebecca might not even know he or she did it," Jack reasoned.

"And if that's the case, Cassius could take control of anyone," Margaret said, a shudder running through her body.

"We'll never be able to catch him," Jack said, sighing in defeat.

"Do you think he'll strike again?" Margaret asked, watching out of the dining room window as the sun began to sink below the horizon. It suddenly seemed very cold outside, despite the warm weather of summer, very bleak.

"Oh yes, I imagine he will."

..........................................

Angel watched Callum intently as he related his story to the group assembled before him, the entire L.A. crew, or at least, those who were actually in Los Angeles. Though Angel was inclined to believe the young man, he couldn't help but be cautious. "What happened then?" Angel asked as Callum paused.

"I woke up in a parking lot in London. There was an old man there, started talking to me. He said that 'they' had chosen me to be the next Power and that I had to go to Sunnydale."

"Why?" Wesley asked, leaning forward. The young man's story interested him immensely and he found himself being wrapped up in it.

"Apparently Cassius is there," Callum stated. "We have to stop him. If he kills Lucian than I'm all that's left between him and the world."

"He doesn't know that you've been called though," Angel argued.

"No, he doesn't. But that doesn't mean I should just sit back and watch as he picks everyone else off. I have to do something," Callum said vehemently. "I know you'd much rather stay here and forget any of this ever happened, believe me, so would I. But I care a great deal about the people in Sunnydale. My family's there. I'm not just going to let some deranged god pick them off one by one on some quest for the supreme power of the universe or whatever," Callum said.

"Neither are we," Angel finally said. "However, if we're gonna help you, you're gonna help us first."

"How so?" Callum asked, not entirely sure he wanted to know.

"There's a slime demon killing people by the docks. We have to take care of it before we leave. You help us out, we'll help you out," Angel said. "Deal?"

"Deal, but I should warn you, I'm not good with the fighting and violence," Callum said after a moment's thought.

"You're a god now, my friend," Wes said, smiling slightly. "Somehow I think you'll manage."

......................................

Willow was just starting to set up for the locator spell she and Tara would be doing later that night when someone knocked on her dorm room door. Glancing up at the door in surprise, she chuckled to herself and stood. Walking over to the door, she quickly fixed her hair, wanting at least to look presentable, and opened the door. "Hey," she said when she saw Kara standing out in the hallway. Kara smiled.

"Hey, mind if I come in for a second?" Kara asked. Willow opened the door further.

"Of course, you're always welcome here, you know that," Willow said. She waited until Kara had entered and then closed the door. "So what's up?"

"Giles wanted me to be here for the spell, you know, in case something happens," Kara said, making up an excuse. "Can't be too careful nowadays, what with Cassius about."

"Yeah," Willow said in agreement. "I still can't believe that Rebecca is dead. I mean, she was the sweetest person in the world. She didn't deserve that."

Kara simply nodded and forced a smile. "When are you expecting Tara?" She asked, changing the topic. Willow didn't seem to notice the sudden change. Kara wandered about the room, looking at the pictures on Willow's wall. Resting her hand on Willow's desk, she began absently tapping on the wood with her fingernails.

"Not for another hour or so," Willow answered, moving about the room and collecting candles. She deposited them on the floor and began setting them up. Kara's tapping broke the silence that had fallen over the room. Looking up, Willow noticed Kara was staring absently out of the window, deep in thought. "Hey, you okay?" She asked, rising to her feet and walking over to Kara.

Kara eyes shifted over to Willow instantly. The fog that had settled on them cleared and Kara smiled widely. "Never been better," she said. Willow eyed her warily. She hadn't given much thought to Anya's suspicions earlier, but now that she was alone with Kara, she could feel something different about the girl, something wrong. Her aura seemed clouded, everything about her being in turmoil. Nervous energy bounced off her, accentuated by the constant tapping of her fingernails on the desk.

"You sure?" Willow asked, her eyes narrowing slightly. Kara looked at her.

"You think you're so smart don't you, Willow?" Kara said, moving forward and grabbing the redheaded witch by the arm. The act caught Willow by surprise and when she tried to pull her arm away, she couldn't. "You've got your magics and you think the whole world revolves around you. Don't you understand? You're just a little girl. You've only been on this earth for a blink of an eye. I've been here forever," Kara said, her voice turning into a low hiss. Willow looked up into her friend's eyes and noticed they were black.

"What are you doing?" Willow asked, trying to keep her voice calm. She was trying to remember some sort of spell she could use to dislodge Kara, but nothing was coming to her. Her mind was blank and she was starting to panic.

"You want to know who killed Rebecca Hart? You want to find Cassius?" Kara asked, laughing.

"Yes," Willow replied. She watched as Kara drew a knife out of her jacket.

"I killed Rebecca Hart," Kara said, laughing as Willow's eyes widened in fear and disbelief. "And I'm Cassius." With a swift motion, Kara plunged the knife deep into Willow's stomach. The witch cried out and fell to her knees, clutching the wound. Blood ran over her hands and she looked up into Kara's eyes.

"They're going to figure you out," she said, her voice weak and thin. Then she collapsed and her eyes rolled back in her head.

"No, I don't think they will," Kara said, smiling to herself. Then, leaning down, she yanked the knife free and placed it back in her jacket. "Not before I kill them all."