I considered having Fred and Illyria get into it last chapter, but that didn't really fit the plan so there was no Old One fighting Old One sorry. There will, however, be fighting in this chapter. I promise.

If you're reading this then you've probably already seen the chapter's title.

Don't you hate me:)

Sorry this update took so long, the plot fairies were forcing me to write Stargate fics.

Chapter 4

Recruiting an Army

Well, Fred thought, Waiting isn't gonna make it any easier. First, Faith.

The only problem being that Fred has no idea where Faith is. "Come on, think!" She says aloud. Where? Where? Where? She'll be the most useful. She has allies, but where is she? She slams her fist against the wall beside her and jumps at the explosive crunching sound produced. Damn it where could Faith be?

Suddenly Fred feels like she's been punched in the stomach. All the air seems to go out of the lungs she no longer has. When her vision clears she sees something totally unexpected.

In front of her is the shimmering distortion of an open portal.

Suddenly struck by the humor and irony of the situation she says, "I wonder where this leads?"

And steps through.

And out into a backyard.

A backyard full of startled Slayers.

What fun.

XXXXX

"I still think that we should go help him!" Faith says, leaning across the table towards the woman on the far side.

"And I still say it's a ploy! He's working for the enemy!" Buffy says hotly, accentuating her words by stabbing her finger at the tabletop.

Willow leans back in her chair at the foot of the table and frowns. Well they've only been at it for twenty minutes so far, so that means we have . . . thirty-two minutes to go if they stick to the averages. Her sigh goes unnoticed by the others. I wish they'd just decide already and get it over with. she thinks as she gets up from her chair by the window and walks toward the balcony overlooking the streets of London, more tempted than either of the others will ever know to turn both of them into something icky for a couple of days as an object lesson. I jus-

XXXXX

Faith was in mid argument when it happened.

She had just opened her mouth to continue the "discussion" when the window behind the seat Willow had just vacated burst inwards. Faith immediately launched herself into a backwards roll and came up to face- "Oh shit!" She said as she ran over and knelt beside the young woman on the ground. She immediately feels for a pulse . . . there! Strong and steady. Just as she's about to open her mouth Buffy interjects.

"What the hell were they doing out there? More importantly, how'd they do it? We're on the third floor!"

"Let's find out. They had better hope there are three of four demons out there that they can blame. Otherwise I am so gonna kick their asses for this"

XXXXX

Fred found that she was actually enjoying the challenge of taking on twenty-eight slayers at once. Though she did feel kinda bad for the first one that had come within range. She wasn't able to control how strong she was yet and flying through that window had to have hurt. One of her Mind-Threads wondered if this was the way slayers usually greeted visitors. She sorta doubted it, but then even slayers have to get edgy when someone steps out of a hole in the air. Oh well, she thinks, I'll just ask them where Faith is after I'm done . . . pacifying them. A blow comes in aimed at her head, and she avoids it almost contemptuously before striking three rapid-fire blows to the young slayer's head. As her eyes cross and she falls over backwards another of Fred's Mind-Threads wonders if maybe she shouldn't switch from catsuit to more casual dress before she uses another portal. Great now I tell me.

XXXXX

Faith passes Buffy on the stairs by the simple expedient of jumping from the third floor landing to the first floor.

She hit the ground running and got to the door leading to the backyard right as Buffy hit the ground behind her. She jerked the door open and froze in surprise. Twenty-six slayers were on the ground in varying states of consciousness and the only slayer still on her feet was in the process of being knocked off of them.

The . . . thing they had been fighting had just given her a palm strike to the face and was in the process of picking her up when Buffy yelled from behind Faith, "Alright, you can stop picking on them. You are so about to have bigger problems." The figure turned and Faith stopped in stunned surprise.

"Fred?"

XXXXX

"Oh hi Faith." Fred says with a smile. She turn her head back to the slayer in her hand and, with a shrug, drops her. "How've ya been?"

"Fred you just beat the shit out of like thirty slayers!" Faith said with total disbelief. The Fred she had known wouldn't have even known where to start on such a proposition.

"They started it!" Fred pointed out feeling put upon.

"Not questioning that one" Faith said. Apparently if Fred had meant to kill them she could have done so with disturbing ease. "But the last time that I saw you, you couldn't have even lifted one of the girls much less thrown her through a third story window!"

"So," Buffy interjected, abruptly ending Faith's tirade. "I take it that this means I don't get to beat the holy hell out of a demon then?"

Before Faith could put together a coherent response, Willow, who had followed the slayers at a somewhat more sedate pace stepped out of the house.

And abruptly wigged.

Because Willow didn't see Winifred Burkle, She saw an Old One. The waves of power coming off of her were so intense that the very air around her seemed to burn with it.

Fred noticed the change instantly. It took Willow's hair .00027 seconds to change from red to white and another 1.068 seconds for the lightning bolt to form in the air. Fred's Mind-Threads immediately began to submit ideas on how to respond.

One suggested slowing time enough to step aside, and then quickly strangling the insignificant worm who dared try to harm her. The violence kinda bothered her, but the first part would be fun. Another suggested simply shifting her body out of phase with the matter of this physical reality so that the bolt of electrical current would pass straight through her. This voice was also very opinionated about how the witch should be punished for her attempt to harm the God-King's personage. Fred, however, settled for a much less . . . magical alternative. Seeming almost casual in her movement, she leaned over backwards Matrix style and allowed the lightning bolt to pass over top of her with a fluidity that would have made Neo jealous.

Even before Fred managed to right herself, Willow was beginning her apology, "Oh God, Fred, I'm so sorry I saw your aura and I thought tha-" Willow cut off suddenly with a concerned look at Fred.

Fred had smoke pouring out of her ears, almost literally. She was quite obviously pissed. Her hazel eyes were smoldering in rage and there were very faint hazel colored lines on her forehead. She presented so menacing a picture that Buffy and Faith both took a step back in unaccustomed nervousness. Fred quickly closed her eyes and forced down the part of her that desired to tear the redheaded witch limb from limb. This process took approximately 7.982 seconds and left Fred almost shaking from the effort.

Willow, not truly realizing how close she had just come to an unpleasant death, stepped closer to the group, ignoring the palpable aura of menace surrounding Fred. Fred's response is to step quickly away from her, struggling to re-find her center in the wake of the very Illyria-like thoughts and impulses that had almost condemned a powerful ally and friend of her friends to a particularly gruesome death. "I'm sorry for the mess," she says, trying to get back on track, "but they weren't in the mood to talk, and I really need to get finished here and move on," she continues trying to decide what to say to the Slayers to secure their help without convincing them that she's totally loopy. After a momentary pause she decides on the complete truth, at least as much as she can tell quickly.

"I'll give y'all as much information as I can, but I've got to move on quickly. To make a long story short, Angel is gonna take down this super-evil called the Circle of the Black Thorn tonight. They are the Senior Partner's most powerful minions on this planet. He'll succeed in his objectives, but-"

"Wait a minute! How do you know what he'll be able to do? It hasn't happened yet!" Buffy asks accusingly.

Fred frowns quellingly at the intrepid blond Slayer before backtracking a bit. "I was there when it happened."

"Happened? As in past tense happened?" Faith asks, confused.

"I'm getting there!" Fred shouts, losing her somewhat shortened patience. "For me, this has already happened. I was there in a manner of speaking." There were confused looks exchanged by the three friends. Fred's nostrils flare in annoyance. She is not going to get through with half-truths. "Illyria was there. I was her shell and a part of her subconscious. We got . . . divided somehow. We're each a part of the other while being ourselves . . . its . . . weird. We were the only ones that survived. I turned time backwards. Here we are," She said with a note of finality.

The other three were staring at her openmouthed. Willow was the first one to speak "Illyria? Was she a demon? Cuz that would really explain the aura you've got,"

Fred nodded, "She is an Old One," At this announcement Willow's jaw very nearly bounced off the ground. Before anyone could ask any questions, Fred continued. "If you decide to help me you will have only twelve hours to make your way to Los Angeles," She looked at them to make sure they understood when Buffy interrupted.

"And how do we know that you're telling the truth?" she asked accusingly. "For all we know you're evil and you're lying to us to get us to L.A. so that this big bad can kill us all!" Fred's eyes grew cold at the Slayer's accusations, but it was Willow who answered them.

"Buffy! I was trying to explain earlier, what with the rambling," she says. "Her aura is like a gray fog, she's neither inherently bad or good, just like any other person on the planet, she has both good and bad sides, but she isn't inherently evil like demons are."

"Okay so she's not evil, but how do we know that she's telling the truth about the fight" Buffy responds sharply.

This time Fred does answer. "Call the L.A. branch of Wolfram and Hart and ask to talk to Spike," again the other the women are shocked into silence. "If you do, do not mention my name, and do not give your own. Now you must make your own decision. I assume the witch can open a portal to L.A. at need?" she pauses, and Willow nods her head. "Very well then. I must move on."

Faith shocked by the abruptness of the statement, and everything else that she's heard in the past few minutes finally manages to speak. "Wait, Fred! Take me with you!" At Fred's look she adds, "I assume there will be people you don't know whose help you'll need? Well, I may not be the best character reference, but I know a lot of more of our clique than you do."

Fred takes 1.375 seconds to consider the offer before deciding that Faith is quite correct. Having a familiar face there when she steps through the portal will most likely help matters immensely. "Very well," she says before concentrating on her image. The Slayers and the witch blink in surprise as the leather catsuit changes into a very pretty, flowery sundress. "Let's go." Fred says calmly before opening a portal and drawing Faith through.

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Sorry this chapter took so damned long. My muse was on vacation, and I can't work without her, but she's back now! Hopefully I'll get another chapter next week, but with 15 credit hours at school and a full time job there are no guarantees.

Also before you say anything I know Fred is out of character. This is because she is no longer Fred, but she isn't Illyria either. She is a totally different person.