Ezekiel
Disclaimer: Do not own Buffy.
A/N: This is it...only a few chapters left. sob I feel like I'm gonna cry. Oh, well. Always the option for a sequel. Whaddya think?
Adil, Edana, Tara, and Marcie walked along the Paradise street the night of Daniel's and Rebecca's wedding. In spite of the fact that the group had only known the older man for a short time, he trusted them with his life, and they did, as well. The group knew he was a very good man, and a good detective, particularly because he had survived in the archaic city for longer than any detective to date. And he believed that they were good people because of his past dealings with Ezekiel and because they had chosen to do what he currently could not: fight evil.
At the current moment, the group was walking to the Warrior's apartment. Adil, the only one with a car, had decided to take the bus, considering that his car was on the fritz again. He had his arm around Marcie's waist, and she was leaning into him. Neither had any qualms about what had happened, in fact, they had enjoyed it very much and, after their display in front of Edana, they had decided to try being a couple. So far, though it hadn't been that long, things were working out. Hell, it had only been one day, and neither had any clue if they were compatible. But, they were willing to try.
Tara was holding Edana's hand as they walked, wanting to feel her girlfriend as much as she could. For some reason, after the wedding, she had been extremely turned on. Perhaps, she thought, weddings just brought out the lust in her usually quiet self. But, right now, all she really wanted to do was get herself, and her girlfriend, to bed and not leave till school started up again. However, the group, specifically Adil, had come up with an even better solution.
In agreement with one of his then-fiancée's requests, Daniel had not had a bachelor party. Unfortunately, that meant that all of the people who were running the show had been jilted out of a really fun time. So, the group had made a decision to go to Surge's tonight, get drunk, and find out whether or not Adil and Marcie had won at the pool tournament. Of course, Adil's original suggestion was to have the girls stripped and the guys watch and, if they wanted, for the girls to make out with each other. Tara had been ok with watching and making out, but not stripping. Marcie had been ok with stripping, which just goes to show that it's the quiet ones that are kinky. Edana had, of course, been ok with both.
However, Tara had reminded him that he and Marcie were starting a relationship and that watching her strip and, perhaps eventually, making out with a girl may not be the best platform to start off with. After all, she and Edana had only made out and groped, but they had not yet had sex or seen each other naked and, considering that they had already done both, it would be best for them to slow things down. Of course, Adil had tried to argue but, he had failed.
As they walked, chatting animatedly about silly things like school, friends, and the upcoming apocalypse, none of them noticed the figures walking behind them. One of them held a piece of brick in his hand. He hefted it up, took careful aim, and threw it with all his might. It sailed thru the air, like a missile with a bent wing, and hit its target with enough force to send the elemental mage down to the ground, unconscious.
Enraged at whoever had done this, Tara reached into her purse to withdraw her pistol, only to stop as she noticed that one of the two vampires was holding Adil by the throat, his arms behind his back. Marcie, however, was nowhere to be seen. She kept her hand in her purse, waiting for the time, should it arise.
"You lot are Ezekiel's friends," the vampire that had thrown the rock said, "You are coming with us."
"Don't think so," the invisible girl said, and the vampire turned to dust in the wind as his heart was destroyed by a sharpened piece of wood.
The remaining vampire held onto Adil as he turned sharply towards where his partner had fallen. He opened his eyes as wide as he could in order to see who it was that had done this to his friend, and did not see when Tara pulled her pistol out in a flash and pointed it at his head. He did, however, hear the thunderous blast as a bullet made from the white witch's blood sailed through the air and struck the demon's neck, sending him into the pits from whence he came.
The white witch smiled as she put her weapon away, proud of the fact that she had helped her friends. She did not notice, as she bent down to check on her love, the pair of yellow eyes watching.
"Wow," the Warrior of God said in disbelief as he leaned back in his chair and sipped his beer, "And I thought I had it rough. But here, you saved a werewolf's life, got involved in a conspiracy for the British government, flew a frigging Area 51 aircraft, met a potential Slayer, and found some kind of a wonder room that led you here."
"Well, what about you, mister," the Warrioress of God smiled at her brother as she too sipped on a beer, "You helped save the world! How cool is that?"
"So did you. With the dragons, right?"
"That was more like Britain. It's important, just not as important."
"How long have you been out of the Vatican?"
"I guess around the same time as you came around here, just from what you've told me. It was fun, trekking across Europe like that. Shorter than I thought, but fun. Hey, why did you move here?"
"Just found this place," he admitted, "Didn't even know it existed till I came around here. And you found me through a witch named Laura?"
"Yeah, she was the border control for a village in the bayou that kept peaceful demons and such safe. Not that bad, once you thought about her. I never met her husband, though."
"Lucky for you that the portal led here. Amazing how life tends to work out, sometimes. Right now, I don't think any of us are having that kind of luck."
Before he could continue, the front door flew open, revealing four people, one of which was unconscious with a wound on the back of her head.
"I see what you mean," the Warrioress muttered.
The vampire that had been spying on the group during their short-lived fight walked inside the warehouse along the docks, his steps uneven. He was afraid of what the boss would think. He made his way through the dark rooms and found himself in the center of the building. His master was standing there, his back turned against him.
"Well," the Master Vampire asked.
"The two cornered them," he started, "Knocked the girl with the fire out cold. One of them grabbed the Middle-Eastern kid, had him by the neck. One of the girls, though…she could turn invisible."
"Invisible," the vampire asked as he turned around, a lit cigarette in his mouth, "What the bloody Hell is up with that?"
"Beats the shit outta me," he answered, "But, she staked the one that wasn't holding the boy. The other one tried to use him as a shield against the girl, but that witch pulled out a gun and shot him."
"Bugger," the vampire responded, and he tossed his fag away to the ground, "How is he?"
"Dead. The bullet took out his neck. It had to be magic, man. Had to be."
"…And?"
"Well, I took off."
"You took off," the blonde vampire growled, his anger building up, "You didn't stick around to sort it out?"
"They would have killed me," he argued.
"…Right," the stronger vamp said with an understanding smile, "They would have killed you."
He turned away and began to walk out the area, causing the lackey to sigh in relief. Then, the vampire turned around and flung a stake into his heart.
"You had to have known I would have as well."
He laughed as the dust blew away in the wind. The wanker had had no brains, anyway. Made sense to stake him and be done with it. The Big Bad turned and walked away.
"She's alive," Ezekiel said to himself as he examined Edana's head wound, "Doesn't look like it'll need stitches. Uh, hand me that beer."
Adil tossed him the bottle he had asked for and the Warrior began to pour its contents onto the wound. The pain was obvious to all present, save Tara and Marcie, who had never had to treat such wounds with alcohol. Sighing, he turned away from his friend and drank the rest of the bottle's contents.
"She needs rest," he muttered, "Tara, call Pam and get her to drive out here. Her mom finds her like this and shit will start flying."
The white witch nodded and moved over to the table where the phone was located. Ezekiel sighed and sat down on the couch.
"Zeke," he heard Adil ask, "Who is this?"
The Warrior looked up to see who he had been speaking about and mentally cursed himself as he realized he had forgotten to introduce his sister to his friends.
"Everyone, this is Tivona," he said, keeping them in the dark about who he, and consequently, she truly were, "She's my sister."
"Whoa," Marcie said as she examined the Warrioress, "You guys must come from good blood. She's hot."
"Thanks…I guess," his sister said, a feint smile on her face; that time with Yvonne had only been a joke, she wasn't used to girls really complimenting her on her looks, or at all.
"Don't worry about Marcie," he said with a smile, "The ones you have to worry about are Edana, the one with the hole in the back of her head, and Tara, the one on the phone. They're into girls, and Edana's also into guys."
"Fine with me," she said, "So long as they don't sneak into my bed or nothing."
"I doubt that'd happen," Tara said as she hung up, "You're a Warrioress. The only reason why I would is because you invited me. Besides, I'm with her."
As she said this, she pointed to Edana.
"Tara MaClay," the witch introduced herself, "That one there's Edana Thorne. The other guy is Adil Ansar, he just lost his uncle."
"Oh, I'm sorry," the Warrioress said to the young man.
"Don't be," he muttered, "You didn't kill him. Besides, I'm working through it."
"You need someone to talk to, I'm here," she found herself offering, despite the fact that she had only known the man for a few minutes now.
He smiled at her and nodded in thanks.
"I'm Marcie Ross," the invisible girl said as she leaned against the wall next to Adil, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"Wait a second," the Warrior said with a smile, "Are you two…two?"
"How do you think we should answer him," Marcie asked her boyfriend.
He responded by planting a smoldering kiss upon her lips. She moaned into it and answered his wanton tongue, allowing him access into her mouth and her into his. For a long moment, they wrestled and clashed before succumbing to the need for air. When they resurfaced, all eyes were on them.
"…wow," the Warrioress said.
"How did this happen, I wasn't here for this," Ezekiel said in outrage.
"Basically," the Yemenite answered, "Think about how you met Tara."
"Ah, the drunk in the bar routine," he said with a smile, "Well, at least someone here got some good play."
He involuntarily cringed as memories of the previous night came flooding back, and thanked God that he had drunk as much as he had. He only had brief, very very brief, flashes of the horrifying event. She may be hot in the body, but…she's annoying as Hell.
"Has my big brother lost his virginity," Tivona asked, totally honest.
Laughter answered her question.
"Hey, Billy Idol," Angus said to the man sitting at the bar, "If you want something, you'd better order it. If not, we're going to close up now."
"I need some information," Spike said to the snitch, "I want to know where the Warrior of God is."
"Hell no," the black man said as he threw both hands down on the table, "I ain't stupid, buster. I know for a fact that if I tell you where he is, I will be dead in underneath a second."
"And if you don't tell me," the Master Vampire lunged across the counter and latched onto the human's neck, "I'll kill you, you stupid blighter. Now talk!"
"No," the snitch said, an amazing act of loyalty on his part, "I won't tell you and if you kill me, he'll kill you in ways you can't begin to imagine, vampire."
William the Bloody snarled and slammed the snitch down onto the counter, knocking him unconscious. He was about to sink his fangs into the lush vein. He stopped himself, however, as he allowed the man's words to sink in. According to him, this blighter had the protection of the Warrior and if he killed the bastard, then he'd end up getting burned to death. Not good.
Sighing, he let the man fall to the floor and walked out the club.
Tivona sighed as she sat down on her bed. Ezekiel had offered to let her take his own bed so that she could sleep in it, but she had refused. He was stressed, she could tell. She remembered when she had snuck into his quarters to check on him, and had found him crying because he was so wounded. She had been able to sneak medical supplies out of the hospital ward and had helped him feel better. Even now, when they had been separated for so long, she could tell whenever he was in pain. After all, he had to find a statue of the four angels bound at the bottom of Euphrates before they escaped and, if they did, then everything they had been working for in this city would be ruined and hundreds of lives would be lost. Not to mention, he was sharing it with Marcie who was, in spite of how often he had tried to convince her, refusing to let him take the couch.
So, the Warrioress had chosen to go downstairs to the basement. She could use the room as a bedroom, because she needed sleep. It wasn't greedy to want to sleep, and she had used this fact to find her new queen sized bed. She had also decided to make this room her room, on a permanent basis.
Spike leaned against the wall of his warehouse, pondering. So far, he had done nearly everything he could to find his quarry, but hadn't gotten even close yet. He needed to find that ripe bastard and get everything settled so that he could return to his normal life, or unlife. He looked up as he heard the doors open and saw about twelve of his boys come inside.
"What do you blokes want, I'm busy," he growled at them, "Go away."
"No," a huge vampire called Grog said with a scowl upon his vampiric face, "We've taken a vote and we've decided that we don't like this."
"Too bloody bad, you buggers work for me and you'll bloody do what I say or I'll have you kissin' daylight, got it?"
He stared into the vampire's eyes. Then, ducked down as a fist came his way.
"What the fucking Hell do you think you're doing!"
"We're through with you, Spike," Grog snarled, "We're joining them. They may want to destroy the world, but, that's better than working with that son of a bitch."
He pulled his arm back and launched a fist at the platinum blonde vampire, who dodged and threw a fist at the huge vampire.
Ezekiel sat up early that morning, a little after the sun had risen. He had only gotten around four hours worth of sleep, but, it was alright. It had been worth it to spend some time with his sister. And, he had had to make sure that Edana got over to Pam's alright. She had come around a little before the detective's arrival and had been introduced to Tivona, which would most definitely have been more interesting if she had been at full health. Unfortunately, no lesbian jokes.
He rose up and grabbed his leftover beer from the bedside table and began to drink. He walked out to the balcony and stared down into the shaded alleyway. For a moment, he didn't realize what he was looking at, then, reality came crashing down.
There were eight vampires inside the shade, each with their game face on, as the Slayer from Sunnydale had called it. They were circling around a vampire with platinum blonde hair and a bloodied nose in a black leather duster and dark clothing, along with a blood red undershirt. Ezekiel sighed. He didn't need a fight this early in the day and, they were all vampires. Why fight for a vamp when you could let them destroy each other? Of course, he sort of had no choice when he heard what they were saying.
"What's the matter, Spike," a huge vamp said, "Too afraid to fight without your precious God-boy around?"
"Spike," he whispered to himself, Wait a minute, "GOD-BOY?"
Without pausing for thought, he jumped over the railing of the balcony and landed on the pavement. Immediately, every vampire turned and stared at him.
"GOD-BOY?"
"Who the Hell are you," the big one said, "Beat it, punk. We don't care about humans."
"Lucky for you," Ezekiel growled as he walked closer, "I just so happen to be that God-Boy you just mentioned."
"What," the blonde vamp asked, "What, you're that wanker?"
"Better not call me a wanker, William," the Warrior of God said as he walked into the center of the circle, "I'm on your side as of right now if you're against these fuckers."
"Too bloody right," the Big Bad said, "And when we're done, we're going to have a nice chat."
"Sounds good to me," Ezekiel answered back as he cracked his neck, "Now, let's rumble!"
Tivona ran as fast as she could out of the room, dressed in only her sleepwear, which she had mostly had to get from Yvonne. The Southern belle apparently had a fascination for negligee. At that moment, she was dressed in little more than a black see-through dress. Yet, she was running like the wind, hoping she could reach her brother in time.
Ezekiel ducked his head as one of the vampire's tried to catch him with his arm, and drove his fist into its ribcage. He heard a few bones shatter against his blow and smiled, then completed the maneuver by launching a bladed hand into its throat. He heard a very loud crack and the creature fell to the ground, clutching its injury and wailing. Ezekiel turned around and punched the next vampire onto the ground, bent over, and snapped its neck, sending it into dust. He turned back around and did the same with the other vampire.
As the dust settled, he felt a pair of arms grab his shoulders and lift him up.
"You die now, human," it growled into his face.
"Would you mind having a breath mint first?"
The beast snarled and lunged forward, but stopped suddenly. He stared up at the Warrior and decomposed on the spot. Ezekiel stared down at the former being, wondering just what the Hell had happened. Then, he noticed the stake. He looked up to see his sister in one of the most revealing dresses he had ever seen in his life, kicking the crap out of a vampire.
"Thanks, sis," he called as he turned around and axe-kicked another vampire.
"You're welcome," he heard.
Spike didn't really know what to think with this current situation but, when it came down to it, all he really cared about was getting through it alive. Unfortunately, what with the rising of the sun overhead and all, he didn't think he'd have much time left after the fight. He sighed and drove his fist into the next vampire's face, knocking it out into the sunlight and sending it on down to Hell.
"Bugger this," he whispered to himself, "We need to finish up."
"Don't think so, Spike," he heard a familiar voice say.
William the Bloody turned around and saw Grog, who then grabbed him by his shoulders and lifted him up into the air. The Scourge of Europe struggled as best as he could, but found the vampire's grip too difficult. He looked up and saw that the huge creature had moved over to the sunlight.
"See you in Hell, Spike," Grog sneered at him.
"You first," a feminine voice said behind the demon, and it was followed by two hands reaching up and twisting the impossibly thick neck completely around, causing it to collapse into dust.
Spike fell to the ground, clutching his side, grateful that he was still alive. He looked up and saw a spectacular redhead in a very lovely piece of fabric staring down at him, hands on her hips and lips pursed out. A very sexy woman.
"Well," he said with a grin, "Aren't you a ripe bird then, love?"
"Hands off, Willy," Ezekiel growled as he came forward and lifted the vampire to his feet, "She's my sister."
"Oh," best not touch her, "Alright then, mate. Ugh," he turned his head skyward and examined his situation, "Can we maybe go inside now…you know, before I become a British barbeque?"
"There's no back door there," the Warrior said in response.
"What about that window," Tivona asked, pointing to one of the few windows left that weren't in the sunlight.
She went to it and tried to open it, but found that she couldn't.
"Locked," she said.
Ezekiel sighed and moved to the front of it, pulled back, and threw a powerful punch into it. If he were a regular human, he would have injured his hand and probably not gotten all the way through. As it was, he was far from a regular human. Sighing, he gripped the wall and lifted himself up into the room.
"Does anyone use this room," she asked as she lifted herself up onto the frame.
"Yep," the Warrior said as he stared into the room.
"Whatever it is, I'm parboiling out here," the British vampire shrieked out.
"Alright, get your red ass inside," Ezekiel said.
Sighing, the Warrior and Warrioress each moved out of the window frame and made room for the vampire. He jumped up and held onto the sides and pulled himself into the room. When he hit the floor, he looked up and saw a sight that would fill his dreams for years.
Stacks and stacks of porno magazines.
"Must've been Renaldo's stash for when he was alive," Ezekiel said to himself as he leafed through the stack of porn.
"That is one damn odd position," Tivona muttered as she stared at an edition of Hustler, "I don't know why men or women read this stuff. It's just filled with lies and stuff that'd never happen."
"Hey, mind your mouth, Little Bit," Spike said, outraged at the downplaying of porn, "This is some quality merchandise of adult entertainment."
"You know, I'd have to agree with him on that one," Ezekiel commented, "But, there's gotta be some more important things than this."
"What's better than this stuff," the Scourge muttered.
"Aren't you with Drusilla still," Ezekiel said to the vampire.
"Technically, yes," he answered with a sigh, "She's out of it, though. Got knocked up bad in Prague and fell into some kinda vampire coma. She's been out for about six months now. Don't know when she'll wake up."
"Where is she right now," Tivona asked, feeling a pang of sympathy for the vampire as she did so.
"In LA," Spike answered solemnly, "She might not ever wake up."
"Well, we're so sorry for your loss," Ezekiel said, sarcasm deep in his voice.
"Hey, I came to you out of friendship," the Scourge said.
"You didn't come to me at all! You ran away from a group of vampires and ended up around my doorstep. I only helped out because they called me God-Boy!"
"Explains why you're only in your pants," Tivona said with a smirk as she went and opened the closet, "Ugh, guys, there's a woman in here."
The vampire and the Warrior shared a look, then moved quickly over to where she was pointing. There, in the closet, was a dead girl. She had blonde hair and ridges along her cheeks. Also, she had a tattoo on her left eye, sort of resembling a bolt of lightning.
"Oden Tal," the three whispered together.
"He must have bought her off the black market," Ezekiel figured, "See, sometimes, when Oden Tal get caught and turned, the Vigories get killed or taken out. There's a group of these guys working Vegas. Renaldo must've bought her at auction."
"What do we do with her," Tivona asked, "I mean, she's got no will left. There's no way to give it back."
"Actually, there is," Spike said as he stared at her, "But, why bother? Slave hot as that one, wouldn't mind having her 'round to keep my bed warm at night while Dru's out of it."
"Shut up, Spike," the Warrioress growled at the vampire, causing him to back away a few steps.
"We're not selling her," the Warrior said, "Besides, there's nothing to sell. She's dead. Too long without food."
"So, she died standing up," Tivona muttered, "Nice way to go."
"Must have something to do with the differences between the dimensions," Ezekiel said, "So, let's bury her and be done with it."
"I'll do it," the Warrioress said as she gently scooped the dead being into her arms and carried her out of the room, "I'll get her to Yvonne in the bayou. There's lots of space around there."
"Thanks, Tivona," her brother said with a smile, "You really are a great Warrioress."
She smiled at him and moved out the door. Spike smiled and shook his head.
"You two getting all cutesy wootesy," the vampire said, "Makes a guy want to heave."
"We haven't seen each other in years, maybe," the Warrior defended himself.
"So, what do you blokes plan to do with-"
The Scourge of Europe stopped mid-sentence and stared at the rest of the closet's contents. There, within that dark space, were two twenty gauge shotguns, two AK-47s, six sniper rifles, and at least twelve pistols. Each of the pistols sat atop around three boxes.
"I smell somethin'," Spike muttered as he looked at the weapons, "Something like what you'd find in Colombia."
He walked inside and picked up one of the pistols, tossed it aside, and lifted up one of the boxes. He took it outside and set it atop the table, moving a large amount of magazines out of the way, and tore the top off. It revealed small bags filled with a white substance.
"Looks like heroine or crystal," Ezekiel said with a sigh, "You know, I drink and I sleep around, but, I do not and will never do drugs."
"I hear you, mate," the British vampire said with a grin, "I was at Woodstock, you know. Real nice time. Spent the whole thing standing around, staring at my hands. Weird, and I never wanna do that again. Nearly burnt up in the sun."
"Good for y-" the Warrior stopped; the vampire's last statement had suddenly reminded him of what exactly he was dealing with.
"What do you want, Spike," Ezekiel said, his patience wearing thin, "And, bare in mind, there are quite a few friends of mine that are capable of killing you if you try anything."
"Relax, I came here…well, meant to come here is the term…I was coming here to get your help. I know something about this apocalypse that you're having right now, and you really need to know it."
"Alright," he sighed and turned his head to see Tivona come inside, "Back already?"
"Quicksand," the Warrioress responded, "Makes for easy burial."
The Warrior nodded and turned back to the problem at hand. Sighing, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed in Adil's number.
"Hello," his friendly voice came over the line.
"Adil, it's Zeke," the Warrior said into the phone, "Come over right now. Pick up Edana and Tara on your way over."
"Sure, we on alert?"
"Sort of," Ezekiel said, "Be ready to act," with that, he turned his phone off and returned his attention to the vampire, "OK, what is it that you know?"
"Here's the scoop, mate. This front you're up against, they got themselves a little bit of an out when it comes to the Euphrates angels. The way it works is that the statue itself and the army has the ability to wipe out this soddin' city and everyone in it. That's just one part. Have you ever heard of the gem of Amara?"
"Yeah. It's like the Holy Grail for vampires. But, it's a myth."
"Wrong there, mate. It's real. Or, well, the original jewel is real. The actual ring or necklace itself might not be. Eh, bugger, anyway, Euphrates found the jewel and carved it into four necklaces. Their plan is to bleed themselves and, since they can't die, the angels will be able to completely feed off of them. They'll be able to take their army all over the world, and kill everyone."
"But, even then, they're only allowed to kill a third of the Earth."
"No, that's for the end of the world, pissant. This isn't the end, just a pit stop for when it comes. For right now, they can kill as many people as they want."
"…Dear God, why didn't I think of that," the Warrior smacked his head in frustration.
"You really screwed up there, man," Tivona scorned him playfully, "But, still, you had to assume that. You didn't know they'd find the gem."
"That's why I'm here," Spike picked up, "I don't want this world to end. I like it here. We've got…Manchester United, dog racing, imported beer. And you've got people. Lots of little people running around like Happy Meals with legs. I'm not willing to lose that. Because of that, I am their enemy. And, the enemy of my enemy…"
The vampire extended his hand.
"…Is my friend," the Warrior finished the statement.
He shook the Master Vampire's hand.
"Do you know any more vampires like you?"
"Sure," Spike sighed, "Most of them are right pissed off at me because I'm willing to get help from a Warrior of God. And, now, a Warrioress of God. Why?"
"What about the ones doped up on drugs?"
"How'd it go," Marcie asked as Ezekiel, Adil, and Spike walked inside his room.
"We got around fifty vampires willing to fight in exchange for the drugs," Adil said as he sat down beside her.
"Not a single punch thrown, just a meeting," Ezekiel said with a grin.
"I'm still surprised they went for your deal, mate," William the Bloody said as he took a seat, "Beer, please?"
Ezekiel sighed and reached into the fridge for two more beers, sense Marcie raised her hand for one as well. He tossed two over to his friends on the couch and one over to Spike.
"What exactly was the deal, anyway," the invisible girl asked as she began to nibble on the Yemenite's ear.
"They get the drugs if they fight and don't eat human blood till after the fight," the Warrior said as he opened his beer and took a swig, "I was worried that their bloodlust would end up overcoming their addiction. Turns out, those lousy fuckers need their fix more than their mix."
"Weetabix goes good with the blood," Spike said as he drank, "Man, I am thankful Dru isn't awake to see this. She'd be ripe pissed at me."
"She is insane, isn't she," Ezekiel asked the vampire.
"Out of her nutterin' mind," the vampire laughed as he circled his index finger around his temple, the universal sign for insanity, "But, she has visions, too. That's why I came. Heard her mutterin' in her sleep about the gem and the statue, how they'd get everything and nothing. I put two and two together, got four. When I came here, I had my boys do recon and found out that it was all true."
"Where's the girls," Adil asked.
"Down stairs," Marcie said with a smile, "When they went through the porn and you guys got the drugs together and went out to find the vamps, they each picked out three editions they wanted to keep."
"And you didn't," the Yemenite asked, a smile on his face.
"Oh, don't worry," she said to him with a smile, "I got three for you."
"…I think we might have the beginnings of a beautiful relationship."
Ezekiel and Spike shared a look.
"Love is weird," they said as one.
"You should see the ones Edana and Tara picked out," Marcie said with a sly grin, "Really good."
"What about the guns," the Warrior asked, "I don't use them that often, but, I can manage."
"They're doing that down stairs, too," Marcie informed them, "Tivona figured out that she could create different rooms, one for each of her needs."
"Well, this has all been spectacular and such," Spike said as he stood up, "But, I think I'm going to be hittin' the road now. Gotta start doing recon over the area, see if I can find where the ritual is."
"One of us needs to go with you," Ezekiel said.
"Go with who," Edana asked as she, Tara, and Tivona walked inside the room.
"With Spike," Adil answered, "Which is one thing I am not doing. I am going home and I intend on sleeping."
"Can I go with you," Marcie asked with a leer.
"…Any port in the storm."
With that, the young couple walked out the apartment, no goodbyes traded or anything. Spike smiled after them and turned back to the group.
"They're not getting sleep anytime soon."
"You think, genius," Tivona asked as she sat down on the now-vacant couch, "Eh, I'll go with you. I got a good nap downstairs."
"I'm not sure that's a good idea, sis," the Warrior said to her, "I don't trust him."
"Remember everything I did?"
"…Have fun. And, if you touch her, you'd better get someone to crucify you, because what I'll do will make that seem like paradise."
Spike smiled a nervous smile and all but ran out of the apartment.
"Now he's scared of me," Tivona complained good-naturedly, "Great going, bro!"
"I try."
Sighing, the Warrioress walked out the door after the vampire, but stopped as she passed by. She turned to him and stared him in the eyes.
"Do you still have your gloves?"
"…The ones from the Pope?"
"Yeah, those. You still have them?"
"Sure," the Warrior said as he stood up and walked into his bedroom, "They're right in here."
He opened the beside drawer and pulled out his leather gloves. He looked at them for a moment to make sure that they were in good condition, then threw them over to his sister. She grabbed them out of the air and made sure they were ready for usage. She put them on her hands and flexed her fingers.
"Nice," she said in response.
"Thanks. Hey, what was your gift?"
"Gift," Tara asked, "What gift?"
"Every Warrior or Warrioress gets a gift from the Pope," Tivona explained, "Ezekiel's was a pair of blessed gloves, while mine was a rune dagger."
"Rune dagger," Tara asked, interested now, "May I see it?"
"Sure," Tivona answered, "I have two, as a matter-of-fact. Need to find out just who this needs to go to."
The Warrioress reached along her belt withdrew the two blades, set them on the table for everyone to see, and backed away. Ezekiel reached forward and took the one given to her by the Pope while Tara took the one from Yvonne.
"Magnificent," Ezekiel said as he examined the weapon, "What does it do?"
"It slays demons," she explained, "Or, at least, that's what Plover told me when I spoke with him."
"Plover," Tara asked as she put the dagger down, "Gregory Plover?"
"Yeah, divine lawyer," Tivona said, "He said he'd worked with you guys before. Was he the one-"
"Yes, he was," Ezekiel said, "You forgot that little tidbit during your story. Where'd you guys go?"
"It was me, Yvonne, and Plover. He took us into his office."
"You got to see it," Edana asked, amazed at the Warrioress's luck, "Man, you guys have all the fun."
"It was pretty amazing," Tivona commented, "While we were there, he told us about the rune daggers. They're interesting."
"You know what," Ezekiel said with a grin as he began to fling the dagger up into the air, "There's something about these things that really sparks something in the back of my head."
"Zeke," Tara warned.
"It's alright," he said with a grin as he flipped it up again, "I'm sure that I know what I'm doing."
Edana decided to play around. As the dagger began its next upheaval, she burned his hand.
"YOW!"
He cried out as he felt the burning and flung the dagger backwards into his bedroom. It landed into the floor with a dulling thud. The Warrior shook his hand and got up to the sink. He began to soak his hand in cold water and turned to glare at the mage.
"You said you knew what you were doing," Edana said with an all-too-sweet smile.
Sneering at her, Ezekiel turned back and walked into the bedroom. He sat down on the bed and reached down to the dagger.
"You know, that wasn't really…hello."
"What," Tivona asked.
"…How many rune daggers did you say there were?"
"I didn't," the Warrioress answered, sharing a look of confusion with the other ladies, "Why do you ask?"
The Warrior pulled the leather dagger out of the floor and reached underneath the bed. He withdrew a dagger with a red handle and runes carved in along the handle.
"Why is this underneath the bed," he asked no one in particular.
"Hm," his sister moved over and took the dagger away from her brother, "I don't recognize it. Of course, why would I? I've never seen it before."
"Why does it look familiar," Tara asked herself thoughtfully.
"Maybe it is," the Warrior suggested, "Maybe you brought it…wait a second. I remember now: when I went to get your stuff from your hotel room back when you were dealing with your family, there was the Magnum and the dagger in your pack."
"I remember," Tara said with a smile, "My mother had given that to me, along with the Magnum. She didn't tell me what it was capable of, though."
"We can find out," Tivona said, "I can go talk to Gregory tomorrow."
"Sounds good to me," the Warrior smiled to his sister as he handed the rune dagger back to her, "Go and get Spike, check around, and be careful. Check in with me tomorrow morning if I'm asleep or busy, Ok?"
"Busy, as in…"
"Girls."
"You really think one will come to you at this time of the night?"
"Hey, you never know."
"Fine, Romeo," she said with a grimace, "Bye. Bye, gals."
"See you," Edana waved goodbye, "You know, she's an ok girl."
"Always has been," Ezekiel said with a grin as he grabbed his beer and sat down on the couch, with Tara and Edana sitting on each of his sides, each sipping a beer they had gotten, "I can remember when she was just a little girl outside St. Peter's Square. We'd been let out for a while and she got her knee scraped. I picked her up and kissed her booboo, made the bad demon go away."
"…You guys had a weird childhood," Tara said and she drained her beer down in one gulp, a large belch pursuing it.
"Nice," Edana said, "So…who wants to look at porn?"
Tivona yawned an earth shattering yawn, forcing her to stop in the middle of the stairwell. She had been out all night and had only gotten back around twenty minutes ago. She would have been back sooner, but Spike had discovered where they were and decided to go after them. Tivona couldn't convince him to wait for the big guns, so, she had to go with him to keep him alive. If the other fifty vamps found out he was dead, then they would think they'd been betrayed. Plus, she couldn't find a phone. So, she had been out all night keeping that damned vampire alive and making sure he got back to the drugged up vamps before it was too late.
Sighing and shaking her head to keep herself awake, she restarted her journey, only to find that she was already at the door. She smiled at the convenience and opened the door, finding that she didn't want to hear the knocking that she usually would have done. In reality, she had no right to be as tired as she was. Except for the fact that the night before, she had gotten the best sleep of her life. It had been such a shame when she was released from her slumber by the noise of the fight. She walked inside.
"Ezekiel," she called out, "I'm back and I'm tired."
She stopped in the doorway that led to his bedroom. He was there, sleeping soundly in the bed. Along with two other bodies. Two bodies of which she recognized.
"…Three-way," she muttered to herself, "Figures."
Sighing, she left her brother, the white mage, and the elemental mage alone in their post-sexual slumber.