Those that knew of its existence considered the Hellmouth to be the source of all evil in Sunnydale. Not an unreasonable feeling. But as would one day become clear to the Scooby Gang, there was another place in their town that could give the Hellmouth a run for its money. This place was called the mayor's office.
The interior of said office contained some bookshelves and a cabinet, shag carpeting, a few tasteful chairs and numerous plaques and awards on the walls. Two people were currently inside. One was a tall, wiry black man who wore a dark, hand-tailored suit just off the boat from Hong Kong. The other man sat behind the large oak desk that dominated the room. He was white, of average height, perhaps a bit overweight and wore a suit that had been on sale at JC Penny's the month before.
"…so to make a long story short, you won't have to worry about your neighbor blasting his stereo at 3 a.m. again. Ever," reported Mr. Trick.
The Mayor shook his head and gave a sigh. "Well, its not like Ted can't say I didn't ask him politely to stop first. But no, he just had to keep playing those John Denver albums at all hours of the night. He never returned that rake he borrowed either."
The Mayor's face then brightened. "Say, what with Ted being dead now I can finally go over there and get that back. Plus, I'll get to welcome some new neighbors in a few weeks. That's always fun."
"I'm glad my associates and I could be of assistance," said Mr. Trick. "If anyone else in your neighborhood is giving you a problem, nosy old ladies, meowing cats, paper boys who toss your paper in the bushes…"
The Mayor paused to consider this for a moment. "I think I'll give little Jimmy another week to shape up. What with him being twelve that's more than fair."
The sounds of someone clapping suddenly filled the room. The men turned to see Mara leaning against the door applauding, a faint smile on her face. "You go, Willie. Show that pre-pubescent print jockey who's boss."
"Mara," greeted the Mayor with a broad smile. "Gosh, I haven't seen you in ages. When were you here last? Back in 1975, wasn't it?"
"I've been busy," shrugged the demon as she casually dropped herself into a chair beside Mr. Trick. The vampire gave her a curious look but said nothing. "And it was '76. The affair with those goblins and the old folks home."
The Mayor gave a small laugh and nodded. "Yes, it was '76 after all. Just before the bicentennial. Such a dreadful affair, that whole goblin thing. Those old folks were some of my staunchest supporters. Before they were eaten anyway."
Mr. Trick cleared his throat. "That's a story to be told, I'm sure. But, your honor, may I inquire as to just who our lovely guest is?"
"You got pepper up your nose or somethin', Dead Boy?" snorted Mara. "You should be able to smell the brimstone on me like it was French perfume. I'm Mara, demon first class, unlimited and an old friend of Willie."
"'Dead Boy'?" repeated Mr. Trick. Although he kept a calm face, the vampire felt the rage begin to burn within. No one talked to him like that.
Mara seemed to sense what was going on inside the vampire's mind. "Just try something," she sneered. "Prove you're dumber than you look."
"Now, Mara, Mr. Trick, lets all play nice," interrupted the Mayor.
Mara ignored him. Instead she leaned forward in her chair until she was right in Mr. Trick's face. "That's the problem with you vampires," she continued. "Up here, compared to mortals, you're hot stuff. That makes your arrogant. Makes you forget how to treat your betters."
Mr. Trick's eyes swelled with rage. "My betters?!" he growled.
Mara snickered. "Cool your jets, slick. The skin color of your shell means nothing to me. What I don't like is what you are inside. Inside you're a demon. You were probably some pathetic second class, limited back in the Pit. I bet you came up here as a vampire because you couldn't cut it in Hell's rat race. You've probably been on Earth so long you only remember what it's like Downstairs on a subconscious level."
Somewhere in Mr. Trick's mind, a part his waking mind rarely ventured into, something stirred. For a moment he felt the sensation of heat all around him. Tormented screams echoed in his ears. The smell brimstone filled his nose. He'd noticed it faintly coming from Mara before but had dismissed it. Lots of things in Sunnydale smelled like that. But now that odor seemed to radiate from Mara. Some primal instinct within the vampire told him that she was indeed very dangerous. For the first time in decades, Mr. Trick felt fear.
Mara grinned a predator's smile. "Ah, so you haven't totally forgotten. Just remember who's top dog around here and we'll get along fine. I'm a demon, first class, unlimited. You're a corpse with an attitude."
Mr. Trick slowly nodded and tried to give a charming smile. "My most sincere apologies, dear lady," said the vamp as he gave a small bow. "Please forgive me."
Mara made a rude noise. "Whatever. Just don't sit to close to me, Dead Boy."
The Mayor gave his guests the same look a father would give two naughty children. "Now that you're both done playing king of the hill you could tell me what brings you back to our fair city, Mara."
"Just a little bit of hellraising," answered the demon merrily. "Since I respect you, Willie, I thought I'd clue you into my plans. Professional courtesy as one servant of evil to another and all that."
"I certainly appreciate your consideration," said the Mayor. "But there's more to this little visit then just telling me you're in town, isn't there?"
Mara gave a giggle and a smile played briefly across her face. "You always were a sharp one, Willie. For a mortal.
"Anyway, I need a favor. Urd and her sisters have probably figured out I'm here. You can bet your soul, if you still had it, that they're on their way to Sunnydale to try and ruin my fun. Them I can handle. What I need from you is a few local vamps to use as goons. To gather some supplies I'll need and to keep an eye on the Slayer for me. I don't want that little tramp butting in on my little project either."
"Darn it, Mara," cursed the Mayor as he shook his head. "I've worked very hard to keep divine beings out of Sunnydale. Now you're telling me that not one but three goddesses, the Norns no less, are coming here." The demonic politician paused for a second to massage his forehead. "This could turn into quite the sticky pickle. And right on the verge of my Asencion."
"Relax, Willie," sighed Mara. "The Norns don't know anything about your Asencion. I wanted them to follow me here for a reason. That being when I unleash my spell it'll be right under their noses. And as the world shudders from its affects it'll be the goddesses who take the blame."
"A nice plan," complimented the Mayor. "But that doesn't help me."
"Of course it does," exclaimed the demon. "When the spell is turned loose the Slayer and the Powers That Be will have their hands full dealing with the repercussions. Trust me, you and your plans will be the last thing on their minds."
"And just what is this spell exactly?" inquired Mr. Trick politely.
Mara gave the vampire another dirty look. "Mayor's ears only," she replied. The demon then left her chair and strolled to the Mayor's side. She then leaned down and whispered quickly in his ear. The Mayor listened intently.
Sunnydale's mayor hhhmmmed. "Quite an amusing plan. But its affects could endanger Sunnydale and thusly my Asencion. That would be bad for both of us."
Mara waved her hand dismissivly. "I know how many big shots downstairs have invested in you, Willie. With a few modifications the spell can be made to leave Sunnydale virtually undamaged. Some minor things may get a bit hectic, but you'll still be able to perform your Asencion with no problems."
The Mayor took a deep breath as he pondered the demon's words. "Very well, Mara, I'll help you," he said eventually. "Mr. Trick, I believe you can supply the operatives my associate needs."
"Easily," said the vampire as he flashed his most dazzling smile. "In fact, I'll round up those you need personally." Mr. Trick then stood, nodded at the Mayor and gave Mara a short bow. The demon made a disgusted face. Mr. Trick pretended not to notice before skittering out the door.
"Heh. Guess I showed him," chuckled Mara as she dropped back into her chair.
"Yes, you did," said the Mayor in a slightly annoyed voice. "In the future, Mara, I'd appreciate it if you didn't treat my underlings like that. Mr. Trick has been most helpful to me in fulfilling some final rituals for my Asencion."
"And I haven't?" balked Mara. "Have you forgotten who helped broker some of the deals that got you on this road?"
"Of course I haven't," assured the Mayor. "All of this would have been much more difficult without you. It's just that the stars are almost right and I can't have anything going wrong right now. This will be the most important moment of my life. Even bigger than that dinner I had with President Nixon."
"Yeah, ol' Tricky Dick was a fun guy," recalled Mara. "Helping out on his reelection campaign was one of the best times I had back in the 70's. It was almost as much fun as when I got to club all those hippies in Chicago back in '68."
"Of course, Nixon's problem was that he thought to small. And making those tapes. I warned him about that but he just wouldn't listen…Anyway, all Nixon wanted from me was another four years in office. But I can do better than that for you Willie."
The Mayor arched his eyebrows. "Really? I'm all ears."
Mara stood and began to pace in front of the politician's desk. "Your Asencion is a big deal to a lot of famous names down in the Pit. You'll be going from mortal to a pure demon. A demon just like me." Mara stopped her pacing and fixed the Mayor with her gaze. "Well, not exactly like me. You'll go from mortal to second class, unlimited."
The Mayor fished a bag of jellybeans from his pocket, popped a few in his mouth and sighed. "Yes, first class, limited. Still able to cause massive devastation but so far from the real fun of first class, unlimited. You know, when I found out about that I was depressed for a week. Not even reading Mary Worth in the paper every morning could make me feel better."
Mara hopped up on the Mayor's desk, her back to the man and began to kick her legs back and forth slightly. "Asencion or not, it takes centuries to earn first class, unlimited status. Trust me, I know. By Ragnarok, if it weren't for the fact that you built this little playground right on of the Hellmouth you would have only made second class limited. Well, that and a few good words in the right ears from yours truly."
"All right, Mara. We both know that I owe you. No need to keep bringing it up. No one likes a Bragging Berry." The Mayor took a moment to glance at his watch. "Now, my dear, I've got an early meeting with the PTA tomorrow. If you have something you want to say please say it."
Mara hopped down from the desk and faced the Mayor. "Simple fact is I like you, Willie," began the blonde demon. "For a mortal, you've got style. So as a thank you for helping me out on this one, I'll do what I can to get you moving though the ranks once your Ascension is complete."
"That sounds just swell," grinned the Mayor. "You see, isn't it amazing what people can do work together." The politician paused for a moment to scratch his chin. "Hhhmmm, working together. I might want to find some room for that in my Asencion speech. Maybe right before that bit on civic pride. Give the kids something positive to think about before they're eaten."
It was then that a tapping sound was heard at the window. Mara's videocamera creature sat on the sill waiting to be let in.
"Ah, my little servant is back," said Mara. "He must have found something important." Mara waved her hand in the direction of the window and it instantly burst open. The creature then quickly flew inside and landed on the Mayor's desk.
"Interesting little thing," mused the Mayor as he looked at the newcomer. "Does it come in coffer maker?"
"Free advice, Willie. Stick to the jokes you pay someone to write for you," advised Mara as she gave the creature a friendly stroke. Once it was done enjoying the attention of its mistress the creature got down to work. A ripple went though its body. As the ripple moved down the thing's tail said tail turned into a connection plug very similar to the ones people use to hook headphones up to stereos. Once the change was complete Mara casually took the connection and inserted it into the flesh just behind her ear.
Mara closed her eyes and was still for a several moments. When she opened them she wasn't smiling. "Damn it!"
"What's the matter, my dear?" asked the Mayor. "Someone perform a blessing on your favorite piece of unholy ground?"
"Worse," snapped Mara as she pulled the connection from her flesh. "The goddesses have hooked up with the Slayer and her little friends."
The Mayor frowned. "Now that could be a problem. For both of us."
"No, it won't be," vowed Mara, the anger growing on her face. "I had my own plans for dealing with the Slayer but those are no good anymore. Right now there's only one way to deal with this situation."
"And what's that?"
Mara grinned her nastiest grin. "There's no time to think up anything cleaver. So I'll just use good old-fashioned demonic violence. I'll show those goddesses and their little mortal friends just how nasty a first class, unlimited can be. Especially if they're named Mara!"
Mara then gave off a burst of her trademark laugh before disappearing. Once she was gone the camera monster looked around, puzzled for a moment. It then took to the air and zipped out the window, presumably in search of its mistress.
The Mayor, now alone, sat silent for a moment. "Well, things sure are getting interesting now," he chuckled after a moment. "It should be fun seeing what Mara has in store of the Slayer, her friends and the goddesses. Yes indeed, it's times like this when it's good to be the Mayor."
A grin just as nasty as any ever worn by Mara found its way to the Mayor's face. "Especially now since everything is going according to the plan."
~*~*~*~*~*~
He made almost no noise as he walked. Like a shadow clad in black, Angel moved quietly though the Sunnydale night. The vampire had been out patrolling since just after dusk, but an eerie calm had settled over the city. For whatever reason, it seemed that the forces of darkness had decided to stay at home tonight.
This, much to his dismay, had given Angel a lot of time to think. He'd spent much of tonight's lonely hunt reflecting on his brusque treatment of Buffy the night before. And his dream about Mara.
"What's happening to us?" murmured the vampire as walked down a quite suburban street near Sunnydale High. Things between him and Buffy had been less than stellar of late. Angel sensed, in the way that only someone who had lived as long as he had could, that his relationship with the Slayer was going to come to a head of some sort soon. And when that did happen it wasn't going to be pleasant for either of them.
Angel pushed those thoughts away and tried to focus on the task at hand. Earlier Buffy had gotten word to him about the meeting at the library. Dropping by would give Angel a chance to apologize to Buffy and find out if Giles had learned anything about Mara.
As he made his way though the back parking lot of Sunnydale High a strong gust of wind came up from nowhere. As the wind battered him Angel instinctively drew his coat close and raised a hand to shield his eyes. The gale abated moments later and Angel took a second to run a hand though his slightly mused hair. "By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes," recited the vampire as resumed his walk to the school.
He only managed a few steps before he slammed into the air. Angel stumbled back, cursing, as the air in front of him briefly flared bright blue and an electrical sound filled the night. Once he'd recovered Angel cautiously put out a hand in front of him and probed the air. In seconds it touched something where there seemed to be nothing. As he pressed the barrier, blue light again flared, showing the wall before him.
"A force field," assessed Angel. "That's a new one." The vampire then turned back the way he'd come hoping to find a quick way around. He made in all of two steps before he hit another barrier. A few seconds of angry, frantic searching confirmed what Angel had feared; he was trapped from all sides and above in a area of about ten feet square.
A burst of staccato laughter suddenly filled the night. Angel jerked his head toward the source of the laughter to see Mara floating calmly in the air near him. "You have no idea how right you were, Dead Boy," mocked Mara as she floated to the ground. "Something wicked this way does indeed come." As soon as her feet touched the pavement she struck a cheesecake pose meant to accent her body and the leather outfit that had become one of her trademarks. "Something wicked and dead sexy!"
"Let me out, Mara!" demanded Angel as he vamped out.
"Right. Like that's going to happen," mocked the demon. An inquisitive looked then filled Mara's eyes. "I see that you know my name. Looks like someone has gotten some of their memory back. Have you remembered the first time we met yet, my little fallen angel?"
Angel remained silent.
Mara shrugged. "Oh well, I'm sure it will come to you sooner or later. Right now I have business with your ex paramour and her little friends."
"Mara, if you hurt her I'll--" began Angel.
"Do nothing!" interrupted the blonde demon, icily. "Or have you not noticed that you're stuck in an invisible box like a lame street mine? And you're going to stay in there until I've taught those brats and the limey a lesson about what happens to people who stick their noses into my business."
A sick smile then spread over Mara's face. "I only wish I could see the look on your face when you see what I've done to your friends knowing that you were helpless to stop me. Think of it as a little taste of the fun you had back in Hell. Trust me, Dead Boy, ol' Mara has plenty more Hell in store for you and your pals."
"Damn you, Mara!" howled Angel as he futilely punched at the walls of his prison.
"Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt," snickered Mara. She then vanished.
"Buffy!" shouted Angel as he kept trying to escape. Sadly, unbeknownst to him, Mara's spell was keeping his voice trapped in the box as well.
As Angel continued to shout another strong gust of wind blew though the parking lot. In the shadows someone watched and smiled.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"…and that's where you came in," concluded Giles.
Oz nodded. "Gotcha. Goddesses, huh? Groovy."
"So now that we're all in the know, and may I just add that knowing is half the battle, what do we do now?" asked Xander.
"An excellent question," said Giles. "Given the rather extraordinary circumstances of our situation I'm open to suggestions."
"I've got one," chimed in Urd. "Someone get me a drink."
All the humans in the room gave the goddess a befuddled look.
"What?! What are you staring at?!" demanded Urd.
"I know things look kinda bad," began Buffy "but I don't think anyone getting drunk is going to help things."
"Buffy's right," nodded Xander. "We've already got a nasty new demon in town looking for trouble. The last thing we need is a goddess going around doing her impression of Ted Kennedy."
"Perhaps I should explain this as well," interrupted Belldandy. "While we exist on the mortal plane my sisters and I are open to certain human frailties. Fatigue being one of them. We each have a way unique to each of us for recovering our energy. I can regain power by sleeping. Skuld regains her energy by eating ice cream and Urd from drinking alcohol. It's been a very long day and the three of us are all rather tired. That's why Urd wanted something to drink. It was to regain her strength. Not to… to…"
"Get in touch with her inner Barney Gumble?" supplied Xander helpfully.
"And I get hassled for watching to much TV," muttered Urd. "Anyway, now that Belldandy's done playing Mr. Wizard will someone tell me where I can get a drink around here?"
Everyone just started at Urd and was silent.
"Oh come on!" groused the goddess as she stomped across the library to where Oz and Xander stood. She stopped in front of the two boys and gave them a once-over. "I've seen every movie John Hughes ever made. Now you mean to tell me that two teenage American males like yourselves don't know who's hiding booze in their locker? And I know there must be at least a couple of kids here doing that."
"Sorry," shrugged Xander. "Principle Snyder has been on a locker search rampage this month."
Oz nodded sagely in concurrence. "Yeah, now everyone has to hide their beer in the trunks of their cars. Talk about a drag."
"Dammit," cursed Urd. "There's got to be something to drink around this joint somewhere."
Xander looked at Oz. Oz looked at Xander. A brief, wordless conversation ensued. Where it was over the two boys turned and faced the goddess. "Teacher's lounge," they chorused.
"Of course!" exclaimed Urd, her face lighting up. "If you'll excuse me, I'm just going for a quick pick-me-up." Without another word Urd strolled out of the library in search of her prey.
"Now that Urd's, er, needs have been attended to perhaps a spot of research is in order," said Giles. "At this point the only thing we know for sure is that Mara is most likely in Sunnydale up to no good."
"You mentioned earlier that you regain energy by sleeping," said Buffy as she turned to Belldandy. "Since demon research is one of the most boring things known to man this side of a PBS pledge drive maybe you should take some time to charge up the old batteries."
"It's kind of you to offer, but I think having one of us here would greatly aid your search efforts," replied the goddess.
"I can do it!" exclaimed Skuld. "After that whole Lord of Terror thing I read everything I could find on Mara. And I was the one that figured out that she could be in Sunnydale. Trust me, I can be a help, sis!"
Belldandy had to concede to Skuld had behaved very capably of late. And she was so very tired. "Well, perhaps just a brief rest…"
"Follow me," said Buffy. "There's a bed in the nurse's office that you can use."
"All right," conceded the goddess. "But if you need me…"
"We'll wake you ASAP," vowed Skuld as she made the cross-your-heart sign.
Belldandy gave her little sister one last smile before following Buffy out of the library.
"I supposed we'd best get started," said Giles. "Xander, Oz, there's a book around here somewhere that may be of use to us but I'll need some help finding it."
"Yay, we're going to play 'Where's Waldo?' with some book written before the discovery of America," grumbled Xander. "The party just never ends here at Sunnydale High."
Oz said nothing as he followed after Xander and Giles.
"While they're looking for Giles' book why don't you help me look for information about Mara on-line," suggested Willow to Skuld.
Skuld gave the redhead one of her happiest smiles. "Did you say on-line?"
Soon the two were in that high-tech heaven only those born with a love of machines could ever know.
~*~*~*~*~*~
In the darkness of Principle Snyder's office Mara sat, her legs propped up on the surly man's desk, watching a hand-held TV. After leaving the Mayor she'd dispatched her video-camera minion back to spying though the window of the library. The images it had just shown her made the demon smile.
"Oh, you foolish little goddesses," sighed Mara. "You came here to stop me and all you're doing is making things easier for me. Now I don't have to go though the trouble of finding a way to separate you from the mortals. So without further adieu…"
Mara slowly raised one of her arms into the air and then snapped her fingers loudly.
"It's showtime!"
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Cheap stuff, off brand, expired, cooking sherry… Cripes, don't they have anything drinkable in here?!" muttered Urd as she looked though the fridge in the teacher's lounge. "Then again, I'm talking about booze bought by people on a public servant's salary. What else should I expect?"
A few more moments' search brought the goddess what she'd been searching for. "Ah ha! Sweet, sweet vodka! Come to Urd, you yummy little Russian delight."
Just as Urd brought the bottle to her lips she felt a sudden wave of nausea pass though her. The vodka fell from her hand and smashed on the floor. A chill when down the goddess's spine as she realized what was happening.
"Oh crap!"
As Urd teleported away the last thing on her mind was the wasted vodka.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
On the other side of the school Buffy and Belldandy were walking quietly toward the nurse's office.
"Belldandy?"
"Yes?"
"Can I ask you something?" said the Slayer with more than a hint of discomfort in her voice.
"Certainly. If I can I'll be happy to answer.'
The certainty of the goddess's words eased Buffy's worry. Just a little. "Okay, here goes. Is there a point to it all?"
Belldandy stopped dead in her tracks and gave the Slayer a quizzical look. "I'm afraid I don't follow. A point to what?"
"Well, to life, the universe and everything," began Buffy. "I mean, look at me. I'm the Chosen One. But chosen by whom? And why? I know I'm supposed to kill vampires and demons and stuff but what's the point? As soon as I dust one two more pop up to take its place. I just want to know if there's a point all of this. You're a goddess. I figure if anyone would know it's you."
Belldandy was silent and after a long moment she looked away from the Slayer. Buffy suddenly felt a sinking feeling it the pit of her stomach.
After a few more moments the goddess finally spoke. "When I told you I'd answer question if I could I was telling you the truth. And the truth is I don't know, Buffy."
"But you're goddess. How could you not know?"
"I'm a goddess but I'm not God," answered Belldandy. "Why the Almighty does what he does is a mystery even to beings like myself. Even a goddess has to learn to just have faith."
Now it was Buffy's turn to be silent while she thought those words over. "I guess…it's just that since I became the Slayer I've seen a lot of people I know suffer or get hurt. Some of them have even died. And I've never gotten the slightest hint as to why. Why me? Why did Buffy Summers have to be the Chosen One? And why does me being the Slayer always seem to hurt the people I care about? That's I've wondered about for years now but never thought I'd get an answer for."
Buffy took a moment to let out a long breath. "And then today I met not one but three goddesses. Sorry to dump all that philosophical stuff and emotional stuff on you all at once. But I thought this might be my one chance to finally get some answers and I guess it just got to me."
Belldandy laid a comforting hand on Buffy's shoulder and gave her a warm smile. "I wish I had the answers you were looking for, Buffy. Pain is a part of life. But it is often through pain's trials that we change, grow and become stronger people. The willingness to take pain for yourself in order to spare others is one of the ways we show love. And in the end love and faith are all we really need. I have the love of my sisters and my friends. And I have faith that what I do is meaningful and that whatever pains I endure are part of the path I must walk in order to achieve my purpose in life."
"Which is?" asked the Slayer.
"To simply be Belldandy," answered the goddess.
To that Buffy gave a small chuckle. "Heady stuff. Usually my idea of philosophy doesn't extent beyond reading a fortune cookie. Thanks, Belldandy. I'll think about what you said."
The goddess was about to reply when a wave of nausea hit here. Belldandy stumbled forward and clutched her chest with one hand.
"Belldandy! Are you all right?" exclaimed the blonde girl as grabbed the goddess just in time to stop here from falling to floor.
"It's Mara. She's here. She's in the school and she's just cast a very powerful spell. She's…" Belldandy stopped short for a moment to catch her breath. Suddenly her eyes when wide and the goddess gasped. "She's in the library! Skuld!"
Buffy had just began to turn to run back to the library when she felt Belldandy's hand clamp down on her arm. The next instant the Slayer and the Goddess teleported away.
~*~*~*~
"Hhhmmm, it doesn't look like there's anything about Mara on this site," noted Skuld as she peered over Willow's shoulder at the computer screen.
"I think maybe we should try the Helsinki Institute of Occult Research next," suggested Willow. "Their section on Norse legends is pretty extensive."
"Sounds good," said Skuld. She then glanced at the checkout desk where Giles, Oz and Xander where rummaging though four boxes, one of which supposedly held the book Giles was so keen on finding. "Hey, how are you guys coming?"
"Do the words needle and haystack mean anything to you?" replied Xander as he dug around in one of the boxes.
"Keep trying," encouraged the little goddess. "Willow and I haven't found anythi—Argh!"
Skuld's cry caught everyone's attention. Willow was able to move just fast enough to keep the younger girl from falling to the floor. "Skuld, are you okay?!" demanded the redhead.
Skuld's face had a slight tinge of green to it but the goddess managed to answer. "Somethin' just happened. Powerful magic, I think."
Over by the checkout desk Oz suddenly felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. His whole body seemed to prickle and he thought he caught the faint smell of brimstone. "Guys, uh, the old werewolf-sense seems to be picking up some really bad mojo."
As Willow helped Skuld steady herself she cast a cautious glance around the library. "Yeah, I think I sense something too. My magic skills aren't the greatest, but I'm pretty sure someone just cast a really powerful spell close by."
"I'll give you three guess as to who did it and the first two don't count," called a voice.
The Scooby Gang members and the goddess looked toward the far side of the library where Mara stood leaning casually against the railing of the second level. The demon had traded her jacket and pants in for some new togs. Mara's current outfit consisted of black boots with multiple straps and a black leather bodysuit that ran from her boots to her chest. On her chest Mara wore a vest of black leather held together by buckles and straps. The vest also featured two plates of blue metal that served as breastguards. A flowing cape that was black as pitch outside, but was blood red on the interior, set off the whole outfit.
"Mara!" chorused Oz and Skuld.
Mara grinned maliciously. "Hiya, kids. Who wants to have some fun? I know I do."
~*~*~*~
As soon as Buffy felt Belldandy's hand grab her arm the world around her simply vanished. For a moment she felt an incredible sense of motion that reminded her of what happened when Han Solo took the Millennium Falcon to hyperspeed.
And then she hit a wall.
When the world returned to normal Buffy found herself lying on the floor outside the library, Urd and Belldandy each only a few away. The Slayer also quickly realized that her head *really* hurt.
"Damn Mara!" growled Urd as she scrambled to her feet. "She's set up a level-ten Hex Field."
Belldandy said nothing but nodded grimly as she to got to her feet.
"Okay, I'm not goddess but I'm guessing that this Hex Field dealie is bad," said Buffy.
"It's a very powerful spell of protection that demons are fond of," replied Belldandy. "As long as it's up we can't teleport in to help Skuld and your friends."
Buffy glared at the door of the library with a look that could melt steel. "Uh uh. No way. Not acceptable. I'm getting in there if I have to tear though this Hex Field with my bare hands."
With that Buffy got a running start and launched a flying toward the library door. As soon as her foot came within three feet of the door a wall of red energy crackled to life. In an instant the Slayer was knocked roughly back to the floor.
Instantly Belldandy was by the blonde girl's side. "Buffy, are you all right!?"
"My butt's going to be sore for awhile but I'll live," assured the Slayer as she stood. "So brute force didn't work. Now what?"
"A Hex Field may be powerful enough to keep even us out but it burns magick energy fast," began Urd. "This field will last five, maybe seven minutes tops."
"Still to long," said Buffy. "Who knows what Mara could do to Skuld and the others in that time. Isn't there anything else you can do?"
Belldandy and Urd looked at each other. In the instant that there gazes met Buffy could somehow feel the energy welling up within the Norn sisters. The two goddesses then nodded at each other.
The two sisters then stepped forward and stood next to each other. Quietly they began to chant something in a language Buffy knew couldn't possibly be human. Quickly the goddesses' chant grew louder and more intense. As the chant moved forward Buffy could see an aura of blue energy slowly surrounding the pair. When the chant began to reach its crescendo Urd and Belldandy stretched out their right arms, palms up, toward the door. As the chant reached its climactic end a pulse of blue energy raced from each goddesses' hand and impacted on the Hex Field. An area of crackling purple energy instantly formed where the two met.
"We're channeling as much of our power as we can to try and break though the field," answered Urd in a strained voice before the question had even formed on Buffy's tongue. "All this energy we're putting out will make the Hex Field use up its power more quickly. But it will still take a few minutes to break though. And by then neither of us will have much juice left to deal with Mara."
"Leave Mara to me," said Buffy icily as she pulled a stake from her coat. "Slaying demons is literally what I was born for."
Urd gave the Slayer an approving look.
Hang on, guys, thought Buffy. Just please hang on for a few more minutes.
~*~*~*~
Mara was happy. Belldandy, Urd, the Slayer and Angel were out of the way and the four mortals and Skuld where trapped in the library with her. But that wasn't what was making Mara truly happy. What made her happy was what she saw in the eyes of the people before her: fear. Sweet, sweet fear.
"What do you want, Mara?" demanded Skuld, her trusty mallet now in one hand and a metal sphere with bright orange tubing running in and out of it in the other. "You better answer quick or I'll jam this Skuld Bomb right up your nasty ol' demon butt!"
Mara snickered. She'd give the little goddess point for courage if not for common sense. "It's going to take a lot more than some of your cheap tinker toys to stop me, brat," said the demon. With that, a metal sphere with nasty looking spikes appeared in Mara's hand. "But knowing you I thought you might try using your little toys on me. That's why I whipped up this Mara Bomb just for you."
Skuld scowled. Mara Bomb indeed! She'd teach Mara a lesson about stealing ideas from her. "Skuld Attack!" howled the young goddess as she charged the blonde demon. With a quick, fluid motion Mara hurled her bomb at Skuld. That was when Skuld made a critical mistake.
She tried to whack the Mara Bomb with her mallet.
As soon as the mallet touched the metal sphere an electrical crackle filled the air and blue energy surged though the mallet and right into Skuld's body. The little goddess shrieked in pain and dropped her mallet and bomb. Skuld then collapsed to the floor and didn't move.
Mara took a moment to let loose a dark cackle. "Now that I think about it, calling it a Mara Bomb might have been a bit misleading. The term Tazer Sphere is really much more accurate."
While the altercation between Mara and Skuld had been going on Giles had been thinking battle strategy. As soon as the demon had appeared he'd given the teens a quick look. Oz, Willow and Xander had all been in the Scooby Gang long enough to know that look meant 'hold back for the moment'. He'd been hoping they'd find some way to take a measure of Mara's power and come up with some plan to deal with her. Or at least delay her long enough for Buffy and the other goddesses to return. But with Skuld now out of action and possibly injured that was no longer an option. Now was the time for action.
"Get her!" shouted Giles.
Instantly Giles and Oz charged Mara. The demon only took a moment to look annoyed before sending two crackling bursts of energy from her hands. They hit the Englishman and the teenager dead center in their chests. The force of the blasts propelled the two into the wall beside the check-in desk. They then crumpled to the ground unconscious
Xander, meanwhile, had not been idle. As Oz and Giles had went for Mara he'd made a break for the bookcage. The earthquake had made the storage lockers where Buffy kept many of her weapons a mess and he'd been putting them back in order until he'd been distracted by Willow's arrival. Luckily, that distraction meant the bookcage was still open and unlocked.
As he ran Xander gave a quick glance in Willow's direction and saw that the witch had taken cover under a table and was currently speaking very quickly and making strange gestures with her hands. Whatever kind of spell she was weaving, Xander hoping it would kick in soon.
Once he reached the bookcage the teen grabbed the first weapon he saw. By luck of the draw in was a crossbow. A *loaded* crossbow. While he'd never be able to use the weapon as well as Buffy did, life in the Scooby Gang had given Xander enough experience with the crossbow to the point that he was actually a decent shot. He just hoped decent would cut it right now.
As Xander turned and brought the crossbow to bear on Mara he was surprised to see that the demon had her back completely turned to him. At the moment Mara was taking a second to gloat over the fallen forms of Giles and Oz.
Not only had this rotten demon hurt Skuld and his friends, but also she didn't even consider Xander enough of a threat to keep an eye on. The dark-haired boy wasn't sure if he should be relieved or insulted. Xander then quickly pushed those thoughts aside and took aim.
"Eat this, demon she-bitch!" yelled Xander as he pulled the crossbow's trigger. With a metallic snap the arrow flew across the library and imbedded itself in Mara's back.
Mara turned from Oz and Giles and looked at the arrow in her back with an expression of mild annoyance. She then pulled the arrow out, broke it in two and casually tossed it aside.
Mara then looked at Xander.
Mara was decidedly pissed.
"So you think I'm a 'demon she-bitch'?" said Mara as she glared at Xander.
Not good! Not good! Xander was in trouble and he knew it. He could only hope to try and stall Mara long enough for whatever spell Willow was still working on from her hiding place to kick in. Or for Skuld's sisters and Buffy to ride to the rescue. Preferably with the entire California National Guard right behind them. But for any of that to happen Xander needed to stall. And Xander Harris knew of only one way to stall.
He babbled.
"I think you misunderstood me. I meant demon she-bitch in the nicest possible way," said Xander. "Why, I hear in France these days 'demon she-bitch' is actually considered quite the compliment. Hey, I bet you get compliments all the time. I mean, a big, powerful demon like yourself--"
"Cut the crap, punk!" snarled Mara. She then took a deep breath to calm herself. The cool and clam way the demon then looked at him scared Xander even more. "So you think I'm a bitch, huh? Well, I've certainly been called worse in my day." Mara's trademark nasty smile then returned to her face. "Why don't I show you how much of a bitch I can be. Better yet, how much of a bitch *you* can be!"
Xander didn't even have time to open his mouth before being nailed with one of the demon's energy blasts and tossed back into the bookcage. He impacted on two of the lockers, which tumbled over onto the teen's prone form once it hit the floor.
Mara was about to go take a look at her latest piece of handiwork when she noticed that her feet were suddenly stuck to the floor. Mara strained a bit but her feet remained in place.
It was then that Willow popped up from her hiding place. "Oh, wow! I can't believe it worked!" gasped the young witch. Satisfied that Mara not a danger for the moment Willow rushed to check on Xander.
She only made it three steps before an unearthly tearing sound reached her ears. Willow turned to see the air around Mara pulsating with a nasty purple color. Before Willow even had time for an 'Uh oh!' the energy dissipated with a flash. Mara slowly took a step toward the redhead.
"Nice binding spell, kid," complimented the blonde demon. "Very impressive for someone with your current level of magick power, actually. But it's still nowhere near powerful enough to bind a demon first class, unlimited like yours truly."
A burst of crimson energy suddenly flared to life around Mara's right hand. The demon again grinned evilly. "But the sort of stuff you're doing now is just parlor tricks. How about it, Willow? Would you like ol' Mara to show you what REAL magick can do?"
The crimson glow that covered her hand had now found its way to the demon's eyes. Eyes burning with malevolence, Mara reached for Willow.
Willow screamed.
~*~*~*~
In the hall outside the library Buffy watched as Urd and Belldandy continued to pour power against Mara's barrier. The Slayer fingered the stake in her hand and tried to steady herself. Who knew what Mara might have done to the others in the time they'd been trapped in the library with her. Buffy silently swore that if the demon had harmed her friends she'd hunt Mara to the ends of the Earth if that's what it took to destroy her.
"Yo, Slayer, get your head in the game!" shouted Urd. "It's giving way!"
No sooner had those words left the goddess's mouth than a wave of red energy flashed in front of the library doors. The air was suddenly filled with red light and a unearthly ripping sound. The light and sound quickly faded taking the barrier with them.
Buffy instantly charged for the door. Behind her a severely weakened Belldandy moved to follow. She only managed half a step before she stumbled. Urd, herself almost spent, managed to catch her younger sister before she hit the ground.
It was then that the library doors burst open of their own accord. Buffy was barely able to jump back in time to avoid being clobbered. Just beyond the door, her cape flowing in the motion of a phantom wind, stood Mara. "Hello, ladies. It's nice that you could join us, but as you can see the party is pretty much over."
Buffy took a quick second to scan the library. She could see Giles and Oz crumpled against the wall by the checkout desk. Skuld lay on the floor by some tables on the far side of the room. Willow and Xander where nowhere in sight.
Behind the Slayer Urd and Belldandy, now supporting each other, also took in the scene. "Damn you, Mara!" snarled Urd. "If you've hurt Skuld I'll--"
Buffy didn't hear the rest of Urd's threat. She was tuning out all distractions to focus on one thing: the stake in her hand. By Buffy's assessment Mara was focusing her attention on the goddesses and not on the Slayer herself. Big mistake.
With a movement as fast and graceful as quicksilver, Buffy hurled her stake at the demon and smiled as it hit Mara dead in the heart.
Mara blinked and looked down at the stake protruding from her chest.
Urd and Belldandy gasped.
Buffy opened her mouth to utter a cleaver one-liner.
Mara sighed and calmly pulled the stake from her chest. She then casually tossed it over her shoulder and didn't even blink when the stake suddenly burst into flames. The weapon was ash before it hit the ground.
"Demon first class, unlimited, kid," smirked Mara. "It's going to take a hell of a lot more than a toothpick like that to kill me."
Buffy felt a chill run down her spine. The feeling was identical to how she'd felt just before the Master had plunged his fangs into her neck almost two years ago.
Behind the Slayer Urd muttered a curse. Though she'd never use such language, Belldandy certainly agreed with the sentiment. They both knew that neither of them had the power to deal with Mara and that there was little the Slayer could do to hurt the demon.
Buffy, momentarily shaken by the loss of her stake, now charged now in the hopes of wiping that smile off the demon's face personally. But quicker than Buffy could have ever expected, Mara lashed out with a vicious backhand that caught the Slayer right in the face. The blonde girl sailed backwards and crashed directly into Urd and Belldandy who'd been rushing to assist her. The trio tumbled to the floor in an embarrassing tangle of arms and legs.
In front of the three Mara levitated into the air, her arms spread wide in victory and her cape twirling as if alive. "I can scarcely believe it," said the demon. "The Norns and the Slayer laying defeated before me. And so easily! How you pathetic goddesses keep me down all those years I'll never know.
"But those days are over forever now! Come tomorrow night the world will tremble from my power and every being in Heaven and Hell will know the name of Mara! Nyahahahaha!"
Mara then vanished.
"Overly dramatic much?" muttered Buffy as she and the goddesses began to disentangle themselves.
As it happened it was Belldandy who freed herself first. She instantly sprinted across the library to Skuld's side. She quickly looked her younger sister over and was relived to she that she was unharmed.
"She okay?" asked Urd as she ran up.
"Yes, Skuld's okay. It looks as though she may have gotten a nasty shock. I'm sure she'll come to in a minute."
As if on cue Skuld suddenly opened her eyes. They fluttered in and out of focus before settling on Belldandy's face. "Oooowww, now I know how Wily Coyote must feel sometimes," moaned the little goddess.
The two elder goddesses just smiled in relief.
Only a few feet away Buffy was occupied trying to rouse her friends. "Giles? Oz? Come on, you two!"
"You stay with Skuld," said Urd as she moved from Belldandy's side. She then moved over the Slayer's side, knelt down and gave Giles and Oz a once-over.
" Looks like a good, old-fashioned bump on the noggin is all they got," diagnosed the Slayer as she gently shook Giles by the shoulder in an effort to wake him. "I just noticed that Willow and Xander are missing. If we're going to find them we'll need Giles and Oz's help."
Urd looked at the fallen men and nodded. "Let me try something." Buffy blinked a few times and moved back. Urd then placed a hand a few inches from the foreheads of the two, closed her eyes and spoke a few words under her breath. As she spoke waves over green energy radiated from Urd's hands and flowed over the two Scooby Gang members.
Moments later Giles and Oz opened their eyes.
"Heh, still a little juice left after all," said Urd with a self-satisfied grin.
"I take it from the jackhammer currently pounding on my brain and the fact that I awoke on the floor as signs that we did not trounce Mara in single combat," said Giles as he wobbled to his feet.
"Good guess," concurred Oz as he shakily stood. Once on his feet the teen musician gave Giles a quizzical look. "'Get her'? You do know how well that plan worked when they tried it in Ghostbusters, right?"
Giles looked mildly embarrassed. "I admit the plan was somewhat lacking in subtly but, well, it was all I could think of at the moment."
Oz gave Giles one of his patented inscrutable looks but said nothing.
It was then that Angel charged into the library. "Buffy!" he yelled.
The Slayer ran over to her former boyfriend to put him at ease. "Angel, it's okay. I'm all right. But Xander and Willow are gone and we have to find them."
"Damn Mara!" growled Angel. "I was coming to see you when she trapped me in some kind of magical forcefield out in the parking lot. Maybe if I'd been here--"
"You could have gotten your ass handed to you just like the rest of us," interrupted Urd.
Having been so focused on Buffy's safety he hadn't even noticed the newcomers. He mentally chided himself for being so careless. Angel wasn't sure what these women were he was sure it wasn't human. Now that he'd noticed them his vampire senses were prickling in ways he'd never felt before. That was unsettling to be sure, but for some reason he didn't feel threatened by them.
"Sis, is my power on the fritz or am I looking at a vampire with a soul?" asked Urd.
Belldandy looked long and hard at Angel before shacking her head. "No, he really is a vampire with a soul. Amazing. I've never heard of such a thing."
Beside her sister Skuld, who was still a bit woozy, gave Angel a bleary-eyed glance. "Yep, that's a vampire with a soul all right!" Skuld took a moment to congratulate herself on her brilliant deductive capabilities.
Buffy's mind suddenly flashed back to the ease with which Belldandy and Skuld had dusted the vampires in the park. Better put this potential fire out before it starts she thought.
"Okay, the Cliff Notes version is that Angel got his soul back," began the Slayer. "And…and that's about it."
Urd opened her mouth to say something but Angel cut her off. "Back when I was without a soul I feed on a gypsy girl. Her clan vowed revenge so they placed a curse on me that gave back my soul so I could be tormented over the lives I'd taken. It worked *very* well." Angel then gave the three sisters a quick look. "So, if I may, who or what are you three?"
"They're goddesses," supplied Oz, casually.
Angel took a moment to process that information. He then shrugged. "Goddess, huh? I've seen stranger things in my time."
"Their names are Urd, Skuld and Belldandy," said Buffy as she pointed to each of the goddesses in turn.
Introductions were cut short by a moan from the bookcage.
"Oh my! Someone's trapped under those lockers!" exclaimed Belldandy. Urd somehow managed to contain a remark about stating the obvious.
By then Angel and Buffy were in the bookcase and had just located the victim. With a mild grunt the two lifted the cabinets that were pining the person.
That was when things got weird.
The person laying on the floor of the library was indeed wearing Xander's clothes. The person even looked something like Xander. There was just one problem.
The person in question was female.
The girl was a bit shorter than Xander, her hair was same color as Xander's and was cut in a short but stylish manner. Her body was proportionate to that of any normal girl in her late teens. Her features where soft and pleasing to the eye. Truly, if Xander Harris had ever had a sister this was what she would have looked like.
"Whoa," said Oz.
That summed up everyone's feelings pretty well.
While Oz was delivering that brilliant soliloquy, the now female Xander had regained her senses enough to push herself up on her elbows. "Man, did anyone get the license number of that demon? I think I'm gonna sue."
"Xander?" croaked Buffy.
Xander blinked and gave the others a confused look. "Yeah, that's my name, Buffy. Care to tell me why…why…uh, why does my voice sound so funny all of a sudden?"
Before anyone could reply Xander began to look herself over for damage. In true teenage boy fashion the two new additions to her chest were the first things she noticed.
"Aaaaaahhhhhh!"
"Well, he seems to be taking it well," assessed Urd. She knew it was a very inappropriate thing to say all thing being what they were, but humor of the situation had overwhelmed her.
"Urd!" snapped Skuld.
"Aaaaaahhhhhh! Aaaaaahhhhhh!"
"Oh, guess he just realized what's missing now that he's a she."
Skuld gave her sister the Look of Death.
"Xander, please calm down," implored Buffy. "I know you have ever right to be freaked but you can't flip out now. Willow is missing and it looks like Mara may have taken her."
The Slayer's words were a bucket of cold water for the agitated Xander. The former male nodded, took a deep breath and then, slowly and unsteadily, got to her feet. "Right, right. Gotta focus," said Xander more to herself than anyone. "Worry about saving Will first, then figure out how to get genitals back. Gotta make priorities."
"I know we're all dealing with some pretty heavy weird right now," spoke up Oz "but is it just me or was this thing not here before?" The others turned to see Oz examining a small potted bonsai tree that was now sitting on one of the library tables.
Once again Belldandy let forth an "Oh my!"
"What? Is it a clue about where Mara took Willow?" said Angel.
"I know I shall soon regret this, but 'Oh my!' what?" asked Giles.
Urd looked at the plant and then back at the Scooby Gang. "Uh, I don't know exactly how to tell you guys this but…"
"That plant isn't some clue as to where Willow is," took over Belldandy. "That plant is Willow! She's been transformed by one of Mara's curses just like Xander."
For a long moment the room was dead silent. Oz felt the color drain from his face and his stomach suddenly turned to knots. He then focused all his attention on the plant in front of him. "Willow?" he croaked.
Belldandy's heart went out to Oz, but she knew that right now she had to focus on the girl. He divine birthright as a goddess gave Belldandy the ability to sense and see many things that normal humans couldn't. What she saw disturbed her greatly. Secured in the limbs of the bonsai tree, held by bonds of branches, was the spirit of Willow Rosenburg. The spirit had been shrunk to fit within the confines of the tree but other than that it looked just as Willow did. At the moment Willow's spirit was crying and struggling against her bonds.
"Willow, can you hear me?" asked Belldandy as she knelt by the plant.
Willow whipped he head around to look at the goddess, relief flooding her face. "Oh, Belldandy, thank god! I've been shouting and shouting but no one could hear me. I thought I was going to trapped in this tree forever. Can you please get me out?"
Belldandy swallowed. This news wasn't going to be easy to break. "I'm sorry, Willow, but I'm afraid I can't change you back right now."
"Say what?!" boomed Xander. "You're freakin' goddesses! If you guys can pop out of TVs and fly why the hell can't you turn Willow back!?"
"Calm down, kid!" snapped Urd. "I know all of you are freaked about this and you have every right to be. But if you want to help Willow you're going to have to calm down a listen to us."
Skuld blinked. Urd acting as the voice of reason? She hadn't seen her eldest sister do that since…ever. Just what was going on?
"Urd's right," said Angel. "Loosing our tempers and going at each other only helps Mara in whatever she's up to." He then fixed his gaze on Belldandy. "But, like the others, I would like to know why a being with as much power as you surely have can't help her."
"Think of the spells Mara cast on Willow and Xander as being similar to an encryption program on a computer," began the goddess. "An encrypted file can't be read unless you have the password. Similarly, we can't reverse the spells these two are under if we don't know the password."
"And there are an infinite number of possible password combinations," added Skuld.
"Let me guess, Mara's the only one who knows the password," said Buffy.
"Bingo," nodded Urd. "But if it's any consolation, Willow can see and hear you while she's like that."
Silence again returned to the library as the latest round of revelations sank in. The silence was shattered moments later by the sound of Xander giving an unlucky chair a brutal kick. The others turned to look at Xander only to see hot tears running down her face. Buffy moved to comfort her friend only to see Belldandy beat her to the punch.
"Xander?" said the goddess quietly. Xander turned her back to Belldandy and said nothing.
"Xander, look at me."
Xander didn't move.
"Please?"
Slowly Xander did turn to face the goddess but refused to meet her gaze. Belldandy put a hand on the girl's shoulder, gave a comforting squeeze and offered her most caring smile. "I know you're upset about what's happened to Willow. More upset about that then what Mara's done to you. You want more than anything to help her but feel powerless to do so."
Xander's head rose to met Belldandy's eyes. She tried to speak but no words come from her mouth.
Belldandy only continued to smile. "I promise it'll all be okay." She then hugged Xander. The teen froze for a moment, stunned by the gesture of kindness. Xander then hugged Belldandy back tightly.
Wanting follow her sister's kind act Skuld went over to Oz's side, took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry, we'll get Willow back to normal. I promise."
Oz turned and looked at the littlest goddess. Since the revelation that Willow had been turned into a tree Oz had felt only numbness. It was as if his heart had been ripped out and this empty feeling was all that was left. But now, somehow, Skuld's small act of kindness had touched him, reassuring him that his heart, at least part of it, was still there. The numbness had eased ever so slightly. And what's more he found he somehow had the faith to believe in Skuld's words.
Oz somehow managed a small smile. "Thanks, Skuld. Thanks a lot."
Just steps away Xander finally let go of Belldandy. She sniffled once, wiped her eyes and smiled at the goddess in gratitude. "Thanks, Belldandy. Damned if I don't feel a little better."
"We will get both of you back to normal," assured the goddess once more.
Xander smiled and gave a little laugh. "Yeah, I know. I don't know how, but I know you will."
"So…now what?" asked Buffy.
"Go home," said Giles.
"What?!" gasped Buffy as she turned to face her Watcher. "Giles, did that whack to the head do more damage than we thought or did you just forget that Willow has been turned into a tree and that Xander's now a girl?"
"Not for a moment. But as of right now we are in a very poor position to do much of anything. Though I'm sure you'd all deny it, the emotional trauma of what's happened has clearly taken a toll on all of us. What we need right now is clear thinking and I don't think any of you are up to that right at this moment."
"Giles!" protested Buffy.
It was then that Oz spoke up. "I hate to say it, but Giles is right. I want to help Willow more than anything but right now…now I'm just kinda numb. I think I'd just be in the way."
Still bound to the tree Willow felt her heart go out to the man she loved. "Oh, Oz."
"I'm gonna have to go with the G-Man on this one too," said Xander. "Right now curling up into a fetal position is sounding disturbingly tempting. I don't think I'm in any shape to help Will either."
Buffy again opened her mouth to protest but stopped as she felt Angel's hand on her should. "Giles is right," proclaimed the vampire. "If you don't tackle this with a clear head Mara will win. The best thing you can do is go home and try and get some sleep."
"I agree with Mr. Giles too," said Belldandy. "A little time to recover would do all of you some good."
"I think some rest would also be beneficial to you three as well," said Giles. "While much of your nature is unknown to me, it does seem rather clear that the three of you are rather worn as well."
"It galls me to say this, but he's right," muttered Urd. "Mara made all of us exhaust our powers. I don't even have the juice for a simple teleportation spell. If we're going to stop whatever Mara's up to, we're going to have to recharge our batteries first."
"And when did you become Ms. Reasonable?" asked Skuld.
"Zip it, brat!"
"Hey, if you three need a place to crash you can bunk at my house," informed Xander.
"It's nice of you to offer them a place like that, Xander," began Buffy, "but wouldn't those people you live with, the one's called mom and dad, maybe object?"
Xander shook her head. "They're not there to object. Mom and dad had a major blow up last night and mom went to stay with my uncle Roary for a while. And since he has a satellite dish, I don't think I'll be seeing her for at least two weeks."
"And your dad?"
"When I got up this morning he was heading out the door with a suitcase in one hand and a Spanish-English dictionary in the other. I guess he decided to take advantage of mom being gone for a while to head down to Tijuana for a few days of mucho tequila."
Buffy mentally shook her head. How such a good guy as Xander could be the product of two such negligent parents just amazed her.
"Thank you for your kind offer, Xander," said Belldandy. "If you're sure it won't be a bother we'll accept."
Xander shook her head. "Nah, no bother. Besides, it'll give me someone to talk to if the power company cuts off the lights again. Nothing worse than being in the dark and alone."
"What about Willow's folks?" asked Angel. "We can't exactly call them and tell them their daughter's going to be a tree for a while."
"Fortunately, Willow informed me that her parents will be out of town until Monday," replied Giles. "Thank God for small favors, I suppose."
"Uh, guys?" said Oz. "I don't think I'm going to be able to help on this one even tomorrow." He glanced to the tree that was now his girlfriend. "I think I should spend this time looking after Willow. Like Xander said, being alone sucks. And you can't get more alone than being stuck as a tree."
Willow was now crying. "Oz, thank you. I love you."
Belldandy looked from the bonsai tree to Oz. "She said that--"
"I know," interrupted Oz. "On that one I don't need to hear her to know how she feels."
"Now that everything has been settled I suggest all of you head home," said Giles. "I'll just tidy up here a bit and then I'll head home as well. An icepack and a cup of Earl Gray sounds like heaven right now."
"I'll stay and lend a hand," added Angel. "At least that way I can be of some help here."
Who do they think they're fooling? wondered Buffy. She knew that once they were gone Giles and Angel would dive right into investigating Mara. Angel and Giles wanted to even the score with the demon just as much as she did. Plus, Angel had some previous connection to Mara and who knew what that was about. Buffy momentarily considered pressing the issue of at least herself staying to help. But after a moment's thought decided against it. She felt pretty spent herself and Angel and Giles would likely have better luck finding out more about Mara and whatever her plan was if they weren't worrying about her. Home it was.
"Okay, let's go. But let's try and get back here bright and early tomorrow," said the Slayer. "Oz, can I grab a ride in your van? I don't feel much like walking."
"Sure," nodded Oz as he gingerly picked up Plant Willow. "Xander, you want a ride too?"
"Yeah, thanks." Xander then gave a little bow toward the goddesses and gestured toward the library's doors. "Ladies, your carriage awaits."
With that, Buffy, Oz, Plant Willow in arms, Xander and the goddesses headed for the parking lot.
Giles gave off a sigh of relief. "I suppose we'd best get to work."
Angel nodded. "Right. We've got curses to break and a demon to kill."
To Be Continued…
Author's Notes: I don't really have much to say this time around. Just that this was the part of the story where I finally got to let Mara cut loose. Going into this story, one thing I wanted to do was ratchet Mara up to where she was the equal of any Buffy villain in terms of the amount of havoc and emotional pain she could cause the Scoobie Gang. I'm biased, but I personally think she did pretty well. ;)
"Yeah, ol' Tricky Dick was a fun guy," recalled Mara. "Helping out on his reelection campaign was one of the best times I had back in the 70's.
Funny thing about Nixon, in the Angel episode "Fredless" Angel remarks that Nixon's Vice President, Spiro Agnew, was a demon of some sort. That's a huge coincidence since I wrote the above line months before that episode aired.
It was almost as much fun as when I got to club all those hippies in Chicago back in '68."
Mara is referring to the riots that erupted between demonstrators and police at the 1968 Democratic Convention. I've always found that to be an interesting historic event so I decided to toss Mara into the mix. Cops beat the tar out of journalist Hunter S. Thompson and a security guy punched Dan Rather in the stomach while he was on the air live. Just the sort of trouble Mara loves to cause. ;)
"By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes," recited the vampire as resumed his walk to the school.
That was a quote from my favorite Shakespearean play, Macbeth.
"Anyway, now that Belldandy's done playing Mr. Wizard will someone tell me where I can get a drink around here?"
Mr. Wizard was the host of Mr. Wizard's World, an educational program that aired on the Nickelodeon network during much of the 1980s. Mr. Wizard, with the assistance of some teen helpers, was always doing cool experiments designed to teach young minds some of the basic principles of science. Just about everyone my age watched and loved Mr. Wizard when we were kids.
"I've seen every movie John Hughes ever made."
John Hugh was the writer and director of such classic 80's fare as Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Weird Science, The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles among other movies.
"Yay, we're going to play 'Where's Waldo?' with some book written before the discovery of America," grumbled Xander.
Where's Waldo? is a series of kid's books where readers tried to find the oddly dressed Waldo somewhere in a large and dizzying crowd.
The demon had traded her jacket and pants in for some new togs. Mara's current outfit consisted of black boots with multiple straps and a black leather bodysuit that ran from her boots to her chest. On her chest Mara wore a vest of black leather held together by buckles and straps. The vest also featured two plates of blue metal that served as breastguards. A flowing cape that was black as pitch outside, but was blood red on the interior, set off the whole outfit.
This is the outfit worn by Mara in the "Ninja Master" arc of Oh My Goddess!.
"Skuld Attack!" howled the young goddess as she charged the blonde demon.
Skuld yells this out in the OMG story "Meet Me by the Seashore". I thought it was really cute so I decided to use it here.
Urd then placed a hand a few inches from the foreheads of the two, closed her eyes and spoke a few words under her breath. As she spoke waves over green energy radiated from Urd's hands and flowed over the two Scooby Gang members.
Urd did the same thing for Keiichi in an episode of the OMG OVAs.
Truly, if Xander Harris had ever had a sister this was what she would have looked like.
The idea for Xander-chan came when I happen to be musing about what might happen if you mixed Buffy with Ranma ½. The idea of Xander falling into the Spring of the Drowned Girl, while clearly impractical, stuck in my head. When I was outlining this story it occurred to me that one of Mara's curses could do the exact same thing. Thus, we now have Xander-chan. J
Secured in the limbs of the bonsai tree, held by bonds of branches, was the spirit of Willow Rosenburg.
The same thing happened to Keiichi's sister, Megumi, when Mara turned her into a car.
That's all, folks.