"Have you heard anything from either of them?" Angel asked his cell phone.
"No, Angel, we haven't." Willow said on the other line. "I did a locator spell, but it went kapluey."
"What do you mean?"
"It set the map and part of the settee on fire. Sorry."
"No, it's ok."
"I don't know what happened. It's never set a fire that bad before."
"I think I know what's wrong. Willow, get everyone to look into that demon Buffy faced the other night. Ask Xander about it."
"Ok. What do you think is wrong?"
"She may be possessed."
"That would explain the spell going wrong."
"I'll keep my cell on so you can contact me if you find anything."
"Ok Angel."
Angel shut the phone and went the cemetery that Buffy had patrolled the night before. He hoped to catch her scent and follow it from there. Maybe he would find this Mr. Bigglesworth guy and get him to tell him what he had done to his wife.
Catirina walked across the Chinese theatre and snickered at the handprints of this worlds gods. Maybe one day soon she would wipe out these little handprints and she and Cato would be the only handprints worshiped here. As she walked with Cato's hands attached to her hips, the human males whistled at her and yelled obscenities. At one point, she had become so offended she had hissed at the male and scratched his face. He had called her a 'crazy bitch' and ran off.
"Buffy!? Is that you?" A female voice said behind her. That name seemed familiar to Catirina. "Buffy!" The woman, a blonde, skinny, tanned thins bounced in front of her. "I knew that was you. Wow, what's up with the look? Biker chic."
"Who are you?" Catirina scoffed.
"Who am I? You remember….. Nina." Catirina just blinked. "From Wolfram and Hart. Wolf-girl, that's me."
"Right." Catirina looked at Cato. He shrugged. "Nina."
"So, how've you been? I see that things with Wolfram and Hart fell through."
"Yes."
"Hey, are you ok?"
"I am fine. I have never been more powerful."
"First off: You sound like you have a cold. Your voice is all deeper and stuff. And second: Why are you with Spike?"
"Spike?"
"What happened with Angel? I thought you two were perfect and all that."
"This isn't Angelus?"
"Are you high?"
"High? I am a goddess little bug. You should bow and tremble before me."
"A goddess? Yeah, I really think you're high….. Or possibly drunk. You should go home to Angel and let him know so he can put you in bed. Tell him I said hey." With that, the human Nina trotted off.
Catirina looked at Cato. "You're not Angelus?"
"This is Angelus. He is the only vampire with a soul." Cato replied. "I could smell the soul on this one. And I could smell the stink of a vampire."
"Spike. Why does this name sound familiar?"
"Can you access the Slayer's memories? Have your powers started to rejuvenate in her?"
"They are well guarded. I can only catch glimpses."
"Try my beloved."
Catirina closed her eyes and concentrated. Wisps of memories floated to her of a tall, dark man with dark eyes and then a name came attached to them. Angel. She felt the great love this Slayer had for this dark haired vampire. "You are not him. You are the one they call Spike. William the Bloody." Catirina opened her eyes. "We must find the real Angelus. You cannot pass."
"We don't know where to find him."
"You don't. But I do."
"Then lead the way my queen."
Willow clicked rapidly on the mouse and watched the windows come and go. She was getting agitated. There was nothing on cat-people anywhere. "Xander?"
"Still nothing Will." Xander replied from his book.
"Dawn?"
"Sorry Willow. Nada here too." Dawn called from the office.
"Hey Illyria." Connor said, walking over to the Blue God. "Maybe this thing's from another dimension. Do you think you could find out if you and I went out searching for them?"
"I could try." Illyria said. "But I do not know what good it would do. I could not tell you what world this creature is from if it is from another plane of existence."
"We don't need to know. We'll force it to tell us."
"May I be of assistance in the torture of this creature?"
"As long as you don't hurt mom."
"Very well then." Illyria started to follow Connor out.
"Guys!" Willow said, getting up. "We're not going to torture Buffy."
"I just said that." Connor said.
"We don't even know how to find this thing. Angel said he can't pick up Buffy's scent past the alley where she was attacked."
"I have Illyria for that." With that, Connor and Illyria walked out.
"How does he know that's the right alley?" Xander asked.
"He followed Buffy's trail from the cemetery she went to." Willow sighed. "I know this is frustrating, I do, but we're not going to find Buffy until….."
"She walks through the door." Dawn said from the office. They all turned to see Buffy and Spike standing on the steps to the main entrance, both dressed in black suede.
"Where is Angelus?" Buffy asked. Her voice was lower, her eyes were a different color, almost yellow, and her hair was streaked with black. This Buffy…. The evil was coming off of her in waves. Even regular humans noticed it.
"He went out looking for you and Spike." Willow said. "Maybe you should just stay here and….."
"You will find him for me. Now."
"Yeah. Ok." Willow reached for the phone and dialed Angel's cell. "Hey Angel, you need to get her ASAP."
"Why?" The vampire asked on the other line.
"You're wife's home."
"Be there in 10."
"You can't get anywhere in LA in ten minutes."
"I can." Angel hung up.
"He'll be here in ten." Willow said, placing the phone back in the cradle.
"That is too long." Buffy said. "I will go out and find him myself."
"No!" Buffy's glare shot towards Willow. "He'll be here. Maybe you could sit and have a cup of tea."
"I do not socialize with lesser beings."
"Maybe we should wait my love." Spike said. "After all, we won't be able to find Angelus any other way." Spike sounded different too. His voice was laced with a foreign accent that wasn't British….. Or any other accent that any of them had ever heard. He was a lot more suave and arrogant than the real Spike. This version of Spike….. He was just as evil as Angelus or William the Bloody, but he exuded every ounce of it without covering it up. His hair was also starting to streak with black and his eyes were tinted with yellow.
Buffy looked up at him. "Very well." She turned to Willow. "I take you to be the one in command."
"You could say that." Willow said.
"You will dismiss these infidels. They have no power."
"Hey, I'm not going anywhere." Xander protested.
"Xander, Dawn, just go." Willow said. "Go find Faith."
"But….."
"You heard your leader." Buffy said.
"I don't have a leader here. You took her over kitty-bitch."
Buffy started to advance on Xander, but Willow threw up a barrier between them. "Xander, go."
"Fine, but you'll be hearing from my lawyer."
"You don't have one." Dawn said. "We killed them all."
"Oh right." Then they were gone upstairs.
"Happy now?" Willow asked.
Buffy walked down the steps gracefully, almost walking on air, and she moved near Willow. "I sense great power within you." She closed her eyes. "You are the one they call Willow. You're a sorceress."
"That's right." Willow looked at Spike stalking around on the stairs. He watched them carefully. "You can access Buffy's memories?"
Buffy opened her eyes. "Yes. It's a very simple maneuver."
"I know."
"Yes….. The Slayer has memories of you invading her mind once."
"It was for her own good."
"It is quite unpleasant." Buffy's hand shot out and grabbed Willow's throat. "So please stop trying to invade my mind." Willow murmured in Latin, but nothing happened. "Please. I once ate sorcerers more powerful than you. What makes you think that you're any different?" Buffy shoved Willow back into the counter and moved over to the settee. She sat down and crossed her legs. "This place seems just perfect for a palace."
"There are bigger places than this." Spike said. "I think they call it Beverly Hills."
"Then we'll go there when this is finished."
"Whatever makes you happy."
"So, you guys are like, what? Husband and wife?" Willow asked, backing up to the reception desk.
Spike looked at her. "The only labels we carry are Emperor Cato and Empress Catirina. That is all you need to know."
"You humans with your questions." Buffy….. Catirina spat. "You ask one two many and it gets you into trouble. Do you not learn how to mind your own business?"
"We do, but there are times when we have to make someone else's business our business."
"Why?"
"Well, let's say for instance, something inhabits a friend of ours. We need to know what it is so we can get rid of it."
"You're prying again." Catirina stood and cornered Willow against the reception counter. "This is your last warning. Do it again and Angelus will find your skin peeled back and your organs spilling onto the floor when he returns."
Willow stared in horror at the words spilling out of Buffy's mouth. Sure it wasn't Buffy, but this thing inside her was just as bad as evil Buffy on a bad day. "Sorry."
Catirina walked around the lobby and glanced at a clock. "Time. It's an amazing thing. You humans don't have enough of it to fully enjoy it. You are all just flickers."
"You're immortal." Catirina spun on Willow. "It was a statement."
"Yes. We are immortal. Not our flesh and bone bodies, but our spirits. Of course, we only inhabit immortal beings."
"Buffy's not immortal."
Catirina laughed. "Of course she is. I wouldn't have chosen her if she hadn't been."
"Sorry, but I have to ask a question. How is Buffy immortal? She's just a human."
"Just a human? I swear, you mortals do not ratify anything larger than what is contained within your limited knowledge. I have studied Slayers for millennias. The only reason they do not survive is because they fight for a cause that is far too powerful for them. The Slayer does not age, she becomes."
"Becomes. Never looked at it that way."
"How long have you known your Slayer?"
"Almost nine years."
"Have you never looked at her? Truly looked at her? I've watched this one grow, but not age. She has BECOME a Slayer. She has BECOME her powers. None have achieved this before. If you were to give her twenty more years of life, she would not age. She would stay this way forever while you mere mortals wither and fade. Her energy does not die until she does."
"But you said she's immortal."
"Yes. She can die a mortal's death. That is the only limitation a Slayer has." A sudden shiver went through Catirina's body. She didn't understand it. A quick search of the Slayer's memories told her that this shiver happened every time Angelus walked into a room. Angelus was here.
"Willow, are you ok?" Angel asked, walking up from the basement.
"I'm fine." Willow said.
"Where are the others?"
"Upstairs. Connor and Illyria went out."
Angel turned to look at Buffy and Spike. Buffy stared at him. "You are a magnificent creature. So much evil is being contained behind that soul. One small slip and it all comes pouring out."
"That slip won't ever happen again." Angel said.
"No, it won't will it? Someone bound your soul to you, you poor thing."
"Give me my wife back." Angel started to advance, but a powerful force shoved him back and pinned him up against a column.
Buffy laughed. "You cannot touch me. Not unless I will it." Angel growled. "Oh, don't be jealous young one. You can have powers equal to mine." Angel's shirt ripped open and exposed his chest. "Soon enough." Spike walked up behind her and opened his shirt. Buffy raked her nails down his chest and drew blood. A purple essence spilled out of him and Buffy started to rake her nails down Angel's chest, but Dawn yelled out four words in Latin and the essence was sucked away into a crystal. Buffy hissed, Angel was released, and Spike collapsed.
"Willow!" Dawn threw a book down to the witch. "Quick."
Willow began to chant something and Buffy started to glow crimson. The more she chanted, the brighter the glow became. "Angel, cut her."
"What?" Angel asked.
"Do it!"
Angel grabbed a knife from the weapons cabinet and Buffy began to struggle against the glow, which had become almost gelatinous around her. Willow threw out her hand and held it there. Buffy was pinned to the floor. Angel reached through the crimson glow and slashed Buffy's forearm. A purple mist floated out of the cut and Dawn held up the crystal. The mist was sucked into it.
Dawn threw the crystal to Angel. "Destroy it, quick."
Angel stomped his foot on the crystal and it smashed. The crimson glow died and Buffy laid unconscious on the floor. "What happened?" Angel asked.
"Dawn was eavesdropping and heard the thing's name. Don't you just love it when the bad guys give up their info along with their diabolical plans?" Xander said. "She looked it up and found out how they were originally cast out."
"This time it's permanent though." Dawn said. "I added that whole crystal thing in from another spell."
Angel helped Spike to his feet. "You ok?"
"Yeah. What the hell happened?" Spike asked.
"I'll explain it to you later." Angel went over to Buffy and picked her up. "I'll let you guys know when she wakes up." With that, Angel carried her up to their room.
The next day, Buffy sat in the living room staring out the window. Angel walked in and sat next to her. "How're you feeling?"
"A little nauseous and I have a headache that I can't get rid of." Buffy said, not looking at him.
"That's usually what happens after you get really possessed like that and then it takes a big spell to release you. What do you remember?"
"All of it, actually."
"All of it?"
"Well, there are some parts that are big blanks. But mostly I remember the part where I threatened Willow."
"She's over it." Buffy snorted. "Hey, that wasn't you."
"I know, but it was still coming out of my mouth." After a minute, Buffy looked over at Angel. "Is it true what she said?"
"About what?"
"About me being immortal?"
"I don't know. I've never heard that before."
"It might actually be. I remember where the power of the Slayer came from. It came from a demon, a black mist that tried to rape me and Faith, and I got the sense that it never died."
"Of course not. It was passed down from generation to generation. Technically….."
"No. It was in that box all this time. Whatever powers it contained and passed to the Slayer, immortality must have been one of them. It mixed with the girl's mortality. It makes sense."
"Huh." Angel looked at her. "I think you look older."
"So do you, but you haven't aged a day for 250 years." Angel stared at her. "So, if I really am immortal, what now? Where does that leave me and countless other Slayers?"