AUTHOR'S NOTE Again, I'm sorry that I didn't update sooner! I just moved back east from LA and it took awhile to get my laptop up and connected and everything. The story's nearing the end!

DISCLAIMER I DO own Holden. He's my own creation and he becomes very important later on in the story. Don't own anyone else though.

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Chapter Twenty-One: In Which Buffy and Max Reach an Understanding

Willow and OC found a very quiet and sullen group awaiting them. "What's going on?" Willow asked.

"Buffy just had a little talk with our new friends," Spike explained. "Gave them the life story of Sunnydale."

"Oh." Willow looked around. The transgenics sat silently, staring anywhere but each other. "How'd they take it?"

"Well," Spike mused, "I think they're pretty much scared of you, me, and Angel now."

Willow paled. "She told them everything?"

"Everything, Red."

Shame radiated from the witch as she looked at everyone. "I wish they didn't hear about that."

Spike put a hand on her shoulder and forced her to look at him. "We've all done things we're not proud of."

She nodded. "Where is Buffy now?"

"She left," Max said. Standing up, she added, "I'm going to find her."

"Are you sure that's the best idea?" Logan asked.

Max shrugged. "We'll see."

As soon as she left, Willow perked up. "Oh! Logan, I have to talk to you! I have an idea."

Max wandered around Terminal City, searching the upper levels. Her super-soldier intuition told her she'd find the Slayer up there. Sure enough, Buffy was sitting by a window on the fourth floor, curled up and gazing over Seattle. "Hey," Max said as she approached.

Buffy turned toward her. "Oh, hi."

Without waiting to be invited, Max sat down across from her. She too stared out the window as she said, "We're more alike than you think."

"What are you talking about?" Buffy asked, not looking at her.

"Well I had a Wanted poster made up of me once. Horrible likeness." She laughed joylessly, but got no response from the Slayer. She sighed. "I've killed people I love too, just like you killed Angel." Max looked at Buffy. "I snapped the neck of my own brother." She was quiet before continuing. "And I know what it feels like, you know."

"What what feels like?"

"To not want to be alive."

Buffy looked at the transgenic. "What?"

Max put a hand to her chest. "This. My heart beat. It makes me sick every time I hear it. I was shot when Zack, Krit, Syl, and I tried to destroy Manticore the first time. For a while, I was clinically dead. The only thing that could save me was a heart transplant, but an X5 can only get a heart from another X5. Zack shot himself in the head to donate his heart to me."

"Oh God," Buffy whispered.

"They used him as an organ donor and eventually turned him into some kind of half man, half robot thing that went after Logan. We had to send him away with a new memory and no knowledge of any of us." Max kept her hand over her heart. "Every time I hear my heart beat, I know that he's out there somewhere and I'll never see him again."

"He sacrificed himself to save you," Buffy said.

"Just like you sacrificed yourself to save Dawn?" Max turned back to the window. "Part of me wishes I were dead."

"Me too."

Max looked at Buffy and Buffy looked at her. The X5 and Slayer understood each other then. "Look, we need your help," Max said, swiftly changing the subject. "There are bad guys out there and you and your buddies may just be the ones to help."

"What kind of bad guys?"

"They're hard to explain. Logan's been doing research on them; he could tell you a lot more than I could."

Buffy stood up. "Well, let's go then." Together, they started back downstairs. "What's up with you and Logan, anyway?"

Laughing scornfully, Max just replied, "You know how you can't sleep with Angel or he'll lose his soul?"

"Yeah."

"Well, if I touch Logan, he'll die. One of Manticore's fun little tortures."

"Oh." Buffy grimaced. "That sucks."

The two were quite surprised to see Willow and Logan huddled around a laptop in a corner of the room when they returned. Logan was shaking his head. "Willow, I'm amazed. Where did you learn hacking skills like this?"

Willow grinned. "You ain't seen nothing yet," she said teasingly. "I was decrypting city council security systems when I was 16."

"It must be a magic thing then."

Willow turned from the screen to stare at Logan in mock offense. "I haven't been a witch since I was 16. That came much later." Logan just laughed. Max and Buffy glanced at each other and simultaneously cleared their throats. Willow's eyes lit up and she jumped to her feet. "Max, I'm glad you're back!" she cried.

"Why?"

Logan too looked up and grinned at her from ear to ear. "Willow thinks she's found a way to destroy the virus."

Los Angeles

"I'm glad you've come."

Ames White nodded obediently. "We have a problem in Seattle."

"Something you are unable to deal with yourself?"

He sat up a little straighter. "We are handling ourselves fine, sir. I have been sent only to confirm that this change in events is no threat to us."

"A noble mission. What is the problem in Seattle that you had to be sent all the way down here to deal with?"

"There is news from Terminal City."

"The transgenics?"

White gulped silently. "They have help, sir. Our surveillance has shown that five new creatures have entered Terminal City and are aiding the transgenics."

Holden, Wolfram and Hart's current liaison to the Senior Partners, leaned back in the shadows. "Five creatures. An interesting choice of words. They are not from Manticore?"

White shook his head. "No sir. They are, as you would put it, otherworldly."

Holden sat up straight in his chair. "What do you mean, White?" he asked sharply.

"Otherworldly, sir. There is a girl, but also an Old One, two vampires, and a Slayer."

It couldn't be. Holden narrowed his eyes. "Do you have proof?"

White removed an envelope from his coat pocket and laid four black and white photographs on the table. "Here is their first meeting with X5-452. The girl is a sorceress and can conjure containment fields and well as protective barriers. The demon woman has power to easily match an X5." He pointed to a blonde girl. "This is the Slayer." He removed the final photograph. "And these are the two vampires."

It was. Holden hissed angrily through clenched teeth. "Sir?" White asked nervously. Holden could be extremely dangerous when provoked and White had no interest in upsetting him.

But the man only glared coldly at the photograph White held. Menacingly, he growled, "Angelus."

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The Answer to the Last Trivia Question

Spike wanted to help Buffy stop Angelus because he was jealous of Angelus's relationship with Drusilla and thought he was taking Dru away from him. To which Buffy's response was to call Dru a big ho. Classic Buffy in my opinion ..grin.. Everyone got it right!

Today's Trivia Question Is:
Willow's been decrypting computer systems since she was 16…when does she first mention it?

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Review Responses

Anna The action's coming soon, don't worry!

Gylzgurl I'm not telling who else is coming in, but hopefully it will be a surprise. You'll just have to wait and see!

LittleDrusilla That's true, some of the nomalies are really weird. And don't worry…Lorne and Max only have that one tense moment, then they get to be friends too.

Big mak Doyle was only in the first nine episodes of the show. Then they killed him off cuz the producers thought his character was too much like Angel himself.

Fan Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far.