Chapter Nine

Balance of Power

Anya felt fear steadily growing inside her as she gazed into Buffy's oddly glittering green eyes, harder and colder than she remembered. "It's – it's good to have you back, Buffy," she replied in a shaky voice. "I'm sure – Dawn will be glad to know you're home…have you seen her yet?"

Buffy smirked. "I've seen her," she replied in an odd tone. "But now I've come to see you."

Anya took an unconscious step back, and Buffy suddenly placed one hand on the counter and swung herself over it in a move that should have been impossible, so that she was standing directly in front of Anya, who was now backed into a corner.

"Oh!" Anya replied with forced cheerfulness, desperately ignoring the not at all subtle threat in Buffy's actions. "Okay! What can I – can I help you with, Buffy?"

"You have something I need."

Something in her tone chilled Anya's blood, and she took another step back, so that her back hit the wall.

Suddenly, the door to the Magic Box burst open and Xander rushed in. "Anya…" he began, stopping short at the sight of Buffy menacing his fiancé, while Angelus looked on in smug amusement. He had come with the intention of warning Anya of Buffy's turning. In spite of the slim hope that she might be not-completely-evil, redeemable in some way, he was not so foolish as to think that she was not dangerous.

Now, faced with the sight of his former best friend, now a dangerous vampire, obviously threatening the woman he loved, he lost it.

"Get away from her!" he raged, starting across the room toward Buffy, heedless of the fact that she was immeasurably more powerful than he was, and physically he could do nothing to stop her. She could overpower him without even trying.

Smoothly Angelus stepped in behind him, gripping his arms with controlled, but incredible power. He struggled against him helplessly, still trying to get to Anya. Buffy looked up at him with a smile.

"Hey, Xander," she said brightly. "I didn't get to say hi to you earlier. How've you been?"

Still trying to pull away from Angelus, he cried out, "Buffy! Please! Don't hurt her!"

"Xander!" Anya's voice was high and frightened.

"Careful, Ahn, she's a vampire!" he warned his fiancé, though there wasn't much Anya could do to defend herself, trapped as she was behind the counter.

"Come on, guys," Buffy laughed softly, taking a step back away from Anya, her hands raised in a disarming gesture of truce. "Don't freak out on me here. This doesn't have to be a bad thing. Okay? Nobody has to get hurt here. You know. Unless I get bored," she shrugged. Her eyes suddenly narrowed in anger as she watched Xander's useless fighting against Angelus iron hands. He was still desperate to get between her and Anya.

She walked slowly around the counter, her hard green eyes never leaving him as she went on in a soft, deadly tone, "And this little hero act you've got going here? Very boring. Annoying, even." Xander's heart did a funny, sick little flip at the way she was looking at him.

"What is it that you need, Buffy?" Anya broke in suddenly, her voice surprisingly strong as she came around the counter in an attempt to distract her. "You said I have something you need."

She was so eager to get Buffy's attention off her boyfriend that she didn't even consider the potential dangers of Buffy's answer – of the type of "needs" she now had – until the former Slayer turned back toward her with a predatory smile.

"There are several things you have that I need, Anya," she said in that same soft, chilling tone as she approached her. She paused to let her menacing words sink in before her smile softened a little, and she said in a lighter tone, "But only one I'm actually here for at the moment." She glanced up toward the upper level of the store before smiling back at Anya. "I need to check out a book."

Momentarily perturbed in spite of the danger, Anya replied, "This isn't a library, Buffy. These books cost money…"

Buffy laughed in her face. "I don't think I'll be paying for much of anything anymore, Anya," she smirked, her eyes growing cold again as she went on. "Ever. You see, when you've got the kind of power I do…" She paused long enough to grab the girl by the arms and throw her back, slamming her with impossible force against the counter. Her back hit it hard, and she crumpled to the ground.

Buffy nodded in a satisfied way at the fallen shopkeeper, struggling to get up as she moaned in pain. "You pretty much take what you want," she concluded.

"Anya!" Xander cried out, pulling against his captor, who was now frowning in annoyance.

Buffy turned away from Anya, who had managed to pull herself to her knees, and directed her attention toward Xander. His heart skipped a beat at the cruel smile on her pretty lips. His struggles ceased instantly, and he froze, watching her slow approach with rising terror. If there had been any remaining doubt, he now knew: this was no longer his friend.

"I think you're starting to annoy my friend," she said softly when she reached him, indicating Angelus with a flicker of her eyes toward the vampire behind him. "I already told you – the big brave hero thing is annoying. You don't even do it well."

Suddenly she gripped his thick, dark hair in her small but powerful hand and jerked his head back hard, exposing his throat as she morphed into her natural vampiric features.

Xander let out a gasp of fear, his eyes wide and panicked, too terrified to speak. Her lips mere inches from his throat, her eyes holding his with an intense, almost hypnotic stare, she said softly, "Now you're just going to go have a seat over there with Anya and stay out of our way like a good little boy – aren'tcha, Xander?" Her smile was patronizing, mocking his terror.

He nodded desperately, trembling. She was right about one thing, he realized with shame. He was no hero. He didn't have any special powers or skills or anything that would prepare him for a situation like this – at the mercy of a terribly powerful, obviously evil vampire.

But this is Buffy! His mind rebelled. Surely she wouldn't actually-- But he could not deny the truth that was right before his eyes – the vicious fangs now inches from his throat.

Buffy was dead. And in her place was this cruel, vicious creature wearing her body as a disguise.

His paralyzing fear must have been obvious in his eyes, because Buffy looked up at Angelus with a satisfied nod, changing her grip on Xander's hair to a brief caress before moving her hand away.

"He's gonna behave," she assured him. "You can let him go."

With a rough shove that sent him staggering, Angelus complied, propelling him in the general direction of the counter where Anya still knelt, her back against it.

Xander tried to think of some way out of this situation for him and Anya. He was very much afraid that Buffy did not intend for them to leave the Magic Box alive.

Buffy must have caught his sidelong glance toward the door, because she said in a soft voice, "One step toward that door – and I'll tear her throat out."

Xander force, an icy sensation running down his spine at her menacing words. "I – I wasn't! Please!" he whispered, shaking his head. He was ashamed to be pleading like this in front of Anya, but he knew that they were both helpless against the two very powerful vampires now holding them captive.

"Didn't say you were," Buffy shrugged. "Just don't." She walked toward them with a predator's slow grace, and Xander felt his heart pounding against his chest.

Buffy reached down to grip Anya's arm and hauled her to her feet with ease. Anya let out a startled, frightened yelp, and Xander nearly shouted, "No!"

Buffy laughed. "Easy, guys. All I want – at the moment – is some decent customer service. This place still offers that, right, Anya?"

Subdued, her eyes wide, Anya nodded quickly.

"Now are you gonna help me find that book or what?" Buffy smiled in a way that was almost friendly.

Anya nodded again, looking terribly uncomfortable as Buffy led her by the arm to the ladder leading to the upper level, and ascended it casually, completely at home as always in the Magic Box. The two of them disappeared among the many shelves of books upstairs, and Xander fought off panic. What if Buffy had just taken her up there to…? He couldn't even stand to finish the thought. He almost followed them up there, but Angelus seemed to sense what he was thinking, and took a slow step toward him. He stopped where he was; there was nothing he could do.

But only moments later, the two girls reappeared, Anya trembling in mingled fear and relief as Buffy slung her carelessly back toward the counter, where Xander caught her in his arms, and pulled her down to sit on the floor with him by the counter. Somehow it felt like a good idea to try to become as small and inconspicuous as possible to this new and very dangerous Buffy. Anya broke down crying, on the edge of hysterics, against his chest as he ran his fingers through her hair in an absently comforting gesture. His attention was still focused on Buffy.

The fledgling vampiress was frowning in frustration at the three intimidatingly thick volumes in her hands. "We need to find some brainy minions," she said to Angelus in a pouty voice. "I am so not going through all these myself!"

"Well, she's not any smarter as a vampire," Anya muttered resentfully under her breath, pulling away from Xander slightly, tears streaking her face.

"Ahn!" Xander hissed, alarmed.

"No," Buffy responded to the word Anya had not thought she would hear, smiling as she came to stand directly in front of the very frightened girl. "But I hear a lot better." And without warning she kicked her viciously in the stomach.

Anya doubled over in pain, gasping, and Xander put his arms around her again, giving Buffy a stricken look of betrayal.

"Buffy," he whispered, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Oh, please," she sneered. "That was nothing. Just a warning. I held back," she insisted, a mock-defensive note in her voice. "A lot, actually." Her expression became a smug, self-satisfied smile, that quickly faded to a hard, triumphant look. "You have no idea what I'm capable of. And unless you want to, you'd do well to show a little respect for once." She paused before saying, "And by the way…it's not Buffy anymore. My given name is Elizabeth, and that is what I prefer to be called now. Buffy is dead."

The words chilled Xander's heart. He had already known them to be true, but somehow to hear them from her lips was a devastating blow.

With a nod of her head toward the door, Buffy indicated to Angelus that she was ready to leave.

She gave Anya a falsely bright smile as she headed for the door, saying as she did, "The service here is great. You know we'll be back!" At the door, she stopped suddenly, glancing back over her shoulder with a sly smile.

"Oh and one more thing," she said in softly cruel voice. "Xander, I want you to pass on a message for me. Tell that hot little ex of mine I miss him – and I'll be by to see him soon."