FIC: A New World (17?)
"San Diego?" Dawn looked around the faces of her companions. "That's an awfully big city. Couldn't the demon be more specific?"
"I'm afraid the Parlax doesn't work like that," Giles replied. It was an sobering experience to see her surrogate father all done up in make-up, looking twenty-five years older than his actual age, a terrifying reminder that everyone died. Well, she corrected herself with a glance at Angel and Illyria, almost everyone. "But at least it's a start," the Watcher continued. "We have to make a list of likely -."
"No list needed," Xander interrupted, his cheeks reddening. "I know where he'll be. At least I think I do."
"Oh yes?" Giles queried. "Do tell."
"You have got to be shitting me!" Faith glared at Xander. "Tell me you're jokin'!"
Xander swallowed at her scowl. "He went to ComicCon in '99, '00, and '01. He missed in 02 on account of Willow. We'd planned to go last year, but in the end," Xander looked down, "in the end he went on his own."
"It's okay Xander."
Faith was shocked by the surge of jealousy that almost over-whelmed her when Dawn squeezed Xander's arm, gaining a half-smile in response. Giving herself a mental shake she regained her focus. "Fine, so he's a major geek. Down with that. But surely he won't go there, not with us after him."
"He doesn't know that we're after him," Angel broke in, his face as inscrutable as ever. "As far he knows we think he's dead, remember?"
Faith nodded. She guessed that made sense. "Well at least he'll be easy to spot. What?" she groaned at Xander's grimace. "Oh come on," she protested. "There can't be more than a few hundred nerds there -."
"They broke fifty thousand visitors in the 2001 convention and its attendance increases every year. This year's Comic Con starts this weekend, he has to be in town for it," Xander replied.
"Ah shit," Faith said. "How the hell are we expected to find one goddamn half-pint in all that?"
"Fifty thousand is a lot less than the entire population of San Diego," Xander pointed out. "Besides," Xander reddened slightly and shrugged, "I know which stands he'll head for."
It took a nerd to catch a nerd, Faith grinned to herself. Then she scowled as another, more troubling, thought occurred. "Say," she glanced around her companions. "Us babes and studs will kinda stand out in a hall filled with spotty nerds. I mean Xan blends right in," she winked at her glowering Watcher. "But the rest he'll see coming a mile off."
"Diplomacy thy name is Faith," Xander paused, a nervous expression on his face. "Plenty of convention goers go in costume, we could go -."
"Oh fuck!" Faith yelled, this was not good.
"Who am I again?" Faith asked. She felt fucking ridiculous. She supposed she looked hot in her skin-tight blue PVC suit with fur around the edges and collar. But the white wig and black eye mask was stupid shit.
"The Black Cat," Xander explained. "A former burglar with probability-altering abilities that fell for Spiderman. Rumoured to be a character in Spiderman 3."
"Uh, uh," she nodded. "And who are you anyhow?" she asked as her bud put on a visor to add to his blue jumpsuit.
"Uh," Xander paused, "my char's called Cyclops."
Her Watcher's answer hit her like a thunderbolt. "Fuck X, I'm," she shook her head. "You know I was wicked jealous of B."
Xander sighed. "Faith, past is past."
"No," Faith shook her head. "Not that. I'd gotten over my G and Joyce envy. I was jealous," she laughed, this was so stupid. "Jealous that she got to kill Caleb, I wanted to rip that fucker's head off for what he did to you. Show you that I cared."
"Nothing says I care like a preacher's head on a platter?" Xander queried.
Faith chuckled. "Something like that X. I was wicked pissed when he hurt you, I felt like I'd failed," she shook her head. "I'd come back to Sunnydale to help you guys, within like a day you're down an eye."
"Sorry to have inconvenienced you," Xander muttered.
"But you know I'm with you now?" She smiled at Xander's nod. "So this comic crap, you're a real junkie right?"
"It isn't crap Faith," Xander looked offended. "It's like a whole universe, it's like a mythology for the new millennium."
"Oh yeah," Faith smirked. "Well as part of your duties as my Watcher is to teach me mythologies, right? And this stuff seems more interesting than this old world shit, right? I guess you got a student, if you want one?" she added nervously. She couldn't believe she was talking about this lame-ass stuff.
Xander looked surprised before nodding. "Sounds like fun."
"Wicked cool."
"Hey Miss! Are you a famous actress!"
"No hon," Faith forced herself to smile at the umpteenth acne-ridden teen to come up to her and drool down her cleavage while offering her an autograph book to sign. Convention-goers, why wasn't there a demon who hunted them? "I'm just a model hired to publicise Black Cat's appearance in Spiderman 3," she explained, using Xander's cover story.
"Wow," the boy's watery eyes widened. "You're a for real model?"
"Oh yeah," Faith drawled. "Been doing this for years. Say," she grinned as an evil idea occurred to her. "I'm kinda into ner-, smart guys." She quickly wrote down a phone number. "Phone me sometime."
"Really?" The kid's eyes widened still further as he reddened. "Y…you want me to call you?"
Looking at the kid's awestruck expression, Faith was beginning to feel a little bit of a bitch for teasing him. Thinking of it as a little bit of revenge for all the assholes that'd looked at her like she was an object rather than a person, she nodded. "Sure, we'll talk comics," she glanced at her companion. "We got places to be Cyke?"
"You gave him your number?" Xander looked at her in disbelief as they moved off.
"Fuck no," Faith snorted before grinning. "Vi's. She is gonna kill me!"
Xander looked to be struggling to hold back a smile. "You're an evil woman."
"Hell," Faith shot back. "I'm reformed, not a candidate for sainthood." She sobered. "Anything?"
"What?" Xander looked and her and reddened. "I was distracted."
Faith slapped her companion on the back of the head. "Damn it X! Focus!" She growled. "Which geek are you looking at this time?"
"Uh," Xander pointed towards a stand. "Her, and she's not a geek."
Faith nodded in approval as she quickly appraised the PVC clad brunette honey sat signing autographs. "Nice, good eye." She glanced at her companion. "Who is she anyhow?"
"Eliza Dushku," even though Xander had a visor on, Faith knew her Watcher had a glazed look in his eyes. It was the line of drool running from his mouth that gave it away. "She was Missy in Bring It On and Sissy in Jay & Silent Bob."
"Ah," Faith nodded. She knew the films. They didn't show cheerleading films in women's prison, those sort of films increased prisoners' horniness and caused trouble, but she'd seen both films since her release. Bring It On was kinda lame, but anything by Kevin Smith was wicked cool. "Let's get you introduced."
"What?" Xander's head snapped towards her. "Are you nuts? I can't just go up to her."
"Course you can," she started to drag the protesting man towards the table . "It's a Slayer's duty to make sure her Watcher's getting some. Makes him less cranky."
"Faith, no!"
"Don't be a wimp, it's easy ask for her phone number, security gets in the way, I'll beat 'em up."
"I see Andrew!" Xander exclaimed.
"That's lame," Faith scolded. "Be a man!"
"No," Xander pulled away. "I really see him!"
Faith glanced in the direction that her companion was pointing. Sure enough, she saw the runt stood by a stand with a huge '5' on the sign behind it. "Well shit!"
Xander pulled out his mobile. "Connor, Vi, Rona, he's by the Babylon 5 stand."
Jerry Doyle resisted temptation to reach across the autograph table and throttle the dribbling idiot stood opposite him. For the most part he loved meeting fans, enjoying their pleasure at his work. But he hated the fanboys who couldn't separate reality from fiction. If this twit called him Garibaldi again he wouldn't be responsible for his actions.
"But," the youth protested in a whinny voice. "Surely you must know how the future of Babylon 5 would have changed if either Sinclar or Lochley had been in charge instead of Sheridan? After all, Garibaldi was closest to the chain of command. And who do you think -." The boy's pasty white face turned even paler and his eyes widened as he noticed something. "Rona!"
Turning, the youth hurried into the crowd. Jerry sighed in relief. "Thank you god," he muttered before looking up at the long line of fans. "Next!" he demanded.
Andrew wheezed as he ran, his lack of physical conditioning a real problem when running from Slayers, but at least he knew the convention centre like the back of his hand, having been there for the past few conventions. He hoped that would be enough to give him the edge.
He broke into a smile as he saw the maintenance hatch he'd been searching for. Quickly flipping it open, he climbed inside, pulling the hatch over him before climbing down into the sewer. He grimaced at the stench from his dank surroundings, he started through the sewer, his feet sloshing through the garbage strewn water. Already his razor-sharp mind was making plans. He'd have to contact his boss and tell him the agents of evil were in San -.
"Hello Andrew."
His mouth dropped as the dark avenger himself stepped out of the shadows in front of him. Immediately he began to back away. "A…angel," he stuttered out a greeting.
The vampire nodded. "Andrew." He never saw the fist that smashed into his jaw.
Angel wrinkled his nose in disgust. He'd ended up being put on sewer duty by Xander, while the others were inside the convention centre. Given his sunlight condition, it made sense, but he couldn't help but wonder if this was Xander's way of getting revenge for sending him into the nightclub with Faith. What sort of man protests about being sent into a nightclub with Faith, anyhow? "Stick the vampire with the ultra-sensitive nose in a sewer, typical Harris. Although," Angel looked down at the crumpled body lying at his feet in the sewer water. He'd wanted to do that ever since the self-important prick had kidnapped Dana from him. "I enjoyed that. Gave me a strange sense of closure."
