Part Forty-eight
1630 Revello Drive, Sunnydale, California. August 3, 2001
"Buffy?" Willow called out, as she and Tara climbed up the stairs of the Summers home. The redhead then knocked on the door to the Slayer's bedroom.
"Come on in!" came Buffy's response from inside.
Willow opened the door. "I hope you don't mind us just dropping by like this, but your mom said it was all right-" She stopped a few feet into the door. "Buffy, what have you done!?"
"I've become a Rocket Booster," Buffy said with a certain amount of pride, as she looked at herself in the full-length mirror.
The image all three women saw was that of the blonde-haired college student modeling a cheerleader uniform, one that fitted all of Buffy's curves perfectly in all their glory. On the chest of the uniform was the slogan 'Rocket Booster' in bright purple letters.
"You've become a cheerleader?" Willow asked, her disbelief obvious to anyone with ears.
Buffy just smiled at that, still looking in the mirror. "Hey, Mom and Giles have been bugging me to get more involved with the whole college-y life thing. I've had some more free time recently, what with no Big Bad in months and Mom getting better, so I decided why not? Guess I just went back to what I know best: cheerleading."
"But, but back in high school! Witchcraft, and cheerleaders on fire, and Cordelia going blind, and, and-!" Willow managed to get out. She turned to explain to Tara, who the Wicca realized hadn't been there back then, and quickly noticed her girlfriend giving Buffy an appraising look. "Hey!" the young woman squeaked.
Tara promptly turned beet red. "S-s-sorry," she stammered out. "But even if I look and admire, my heart still belongs to you."
"Awww..."
That had the desired effect as Willow almost melted from that compliment. After a few seconds of sporting a goofy grin though, she turned back to Buffy. "But still, y'know, this isn't fair! Every time you put on a cheerleader uniform, whoever I have feelings for promptly goes all googly over you!"
Buffy almost chuckled at that. "Not entirely true, Will."
"Uh-huh, yes it is!" Willow said obstinately, as she sat down on Buffy's bed. "Back in high school during those auditions with you, Cordy, Amber and all the others, why do you think Xander secretly paid some guy to tape it all with a video camera? And I know for a fact he spent a huge amount of money on spare tapes after Amy's mom disappeared!" Willow smiled. "If he was still here now, well, we could definitely relive your glory days a little..."
Buffy smiled. "Huh. Well, I suppose I should kinda be creeped out by that, but for some reason I'm not." She moved over to the nightstand. "Anyway, I found out today that I made the team. I'm only cheering at the home games though, so I can still patrol and everything."
Tara moved over and sat down next to Willow. "You used to be a cheerleader?" she asked the Chosen One.
Buffy nodded. "Before I moved to Sunnydale and the whole Slayer gig started up again, I was all about the cheer at my old high school. 'Course, when I burned down the Hemery High gym while it was full of vampires, well...cheerleading just didn't figure as much in my life around then."
"Oh! Is Giles cool with this?" Willow asked out of the blue.
"Well, in his own British tweed-y way, yeah. 'Cause my first choice of extracurricular activity kinda caused him to go all red-faced and enter into 'I must insist' and 'this is an extraordinarily bad idea' mode! He actually suggested I try cheerleading! Giles said something about Merrick's diaries mentioning my joy of being a cheerleader," Buffy explained.
"What was your first choice?" Willow asked warily.
"Women's softball," Buffy responded innocently.
Willow raised her brows. "With aluminum bats?"
"You know, Giles said the exact same thing! I mean, so I hit a few more home runs than the other players, I don't see what the big deal is..." Buffy said in exasperation.
{Unfair Slayer advantage?} Willow and Tara exchanged a glance. "When's the first game?" Willow asked, changing the subject.
"End of the month," Buffy answered. "Before then, there are a couple of pep rallies and 'meet the team' sort of things."
"Well, I'm happy for you," Tara declared. "You'll do a great job shaking your pom-poms." Willow instantly burst out laughing. "What?"
"Well, Buffy shaking her pom-poms? I, I just heard Xander's voice in my head saying 'yippeeee!'" Willow chortled.
With that, all three of the girls started laughing.
Guantanamo Bay United States Naval Base, Cuba. August 4, 2001
"Come in!" Cleburne called out in response to the knocking on his (temporary) office door.
"You wanted to see me, Colonel?" Graham Miller said, as he entered the office.
"Yeah, Miller, have a seat," Joshua said, pointing at the seat on the other side of his desk.
Graham sat down and waited for Cleburne to start talking, like any junior officer would. He didn't have to wait long, though.
"So, you taking all this in stride or what?" the older guy asked.
Graham hesitated for a second. "It's...strange. We know we're about to get sucker-punched by the terrorists, all because of a man from the future who remembers it happening in about a month from now..."
Cleburne nodded. "Yeah, well, what can you do - Momma Cleburne never figured on her boy ever being involved in something like this, however, what about you, Captain Miller?"
"I signed up to defend my country and its people against any and all enemies, sir. From whatever may come, even the weirdness," Graham replied.
"Well, good. I have an assignment for you then, a command assignment." He waved aside Graham's half-formed objection. "We went through all this before, after Philadelphia! You're ready for command, and you're capable. I need good people in the air, and you're one of them."
Cleburne pushed over a clipboard with several papers attached to it. "Here's a list of operatives. Pick fifteen for your personal strike team."
"Fifteen?" Graham asked.
"Yeah, fifteen, there'll be about five bad guys aboard each flight - so I want to outnumber 'em three to one. I have no intention of playing fair when it comes to these ragheads," Cleburne explained. "We may have to let them throw the first punch, but we don't have to let them land it and then we get the second through tenth punches in return!"
Graham quickly scanned through the names, and then paused. He looked back up at the Marine colonel, "Uh, sir? Xander's name isn't down on this list?"
Cleburne scowled. "Yeah, don't remind me. Kid was starting to hassle me about that yesterday, before good luck intervened."
"Good luck, Colonel?"
"Well, depends on your point of view of course, but almost anything to stop his nagging was welcome at the time!" Cleburne saw Graham's questioning look. He said simply, "Mr. Howard and his friends will be back soon, they just had to take a short trip to the States to deal with a minor problem."
Cleveland, Ohio. Later that night
Xander Harris ducked under the demon's blow, cursing himself and the situation in general.
It had all started innocently enough. Kate Lockley had reported some strange activities to her associates back east with regard to her adopted city; some demons she'd never seen before had been sighted close to the physical location of the Hellmouth, not long after an earthquake. The news had been forwarded on to Esther, who had then decided to check with Xander...
And the former Scooby had instantly identified them as Vahrall demons, the same kind that had tried to bring about the end of the world with the California Hellmouth, so long ago. After all, you don't easily forget a demon pummeling you to death almost right beside a naked Hellmouth.
Once the unknowns had been ID'ed, Harris had convinced Cleburne and the others that this had to be checked out further, given these demons' past record. And while Kennedy could probably take care of the situation without even breaking a sweat, it couldn't hurt to have some backup within the shadows so to speak.
Well, given Xander's familiarity with the demons who were 'slick like gold and gird in moonlight, father of portents and brother to blight', not to mention had 'limbs with talons, eyes like knives', plus were 'the bane to the blameless and the thief of lives', he'd been the obvious choice to leave Gitmo to assess the Cleveland situation. So Fred, Oz, Gunny and Red had all just piled onto the plane with him, and away they went.
And after they'd arrived at Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport, well that was when Xander's troubles had started.
Lockley had informed them all that there had been a rash of murders since the previous night, and several graves robbed. And while Xander knew from Lemke's reports that the Word of Valios had been destroyed by now, it would be the height of folly to underestimate Evil's ingenuity to come up with something else to cover that loss.
And so, within the dance club that the Ohio Hellmouth was located at, Kennedy the vampire Slayer had started kicking demon ass tonight as soon as she'd arrived and all the screaming patrons had vacated the premises. These particular demons were tough, granted, but she was the Chosen One and very skilled at her art.
The problem though was that she and Sam Zabuto were pretty much on their own in this city, apart from the occasional help from their inside woman on the force. They lived alone and they fought alone, as there was no Scooby gang or its equivalent here - no witches, no ensouled vampires, no fashion mavens with hidden depths, and most importantly - no Zeppos.
That was why some of the demons had managed to get past the junior Slayer, and begin the ritual sacrifice of three to bring about the end of the world. But much to their annoyance, the Siberians had shown up in the dance club's basement - with Xander leading the charge.
As Harris fought the Vahrall demon that had failed to knock him out or tear his face off with its claws, Oz suddenly became a lot hairier. And with an animalistic roar, the wolf threw itself at the demonic enemy, mouth foaming and claws extended.
"Don't let them get near the Hellmouth!" Xander screamed over Oz's growls to the other Siberians, and pointing at the hole in the floor.
Gunny and Red brought out their guns, and started to shoot. Unfortunately though these things were bulletproof, and began to tear into the two soldiers both with their natural weapons and whatever else they had on hand.
Luckily Xander had his axe and Oz had his own enhancements, and so Gunny and Red weren't killed. But they were sure as hell out of it for the rest of this fight.
Werewolf Oz roared again as the majority of the Vahralls clustered around him, trying to keep the wolf too busy to interrupt the ritual. Xander had blood dripping down his face from a lucky cut, when he suddenly spied Fred near the basement stairs - just as one of the demons managed to jump into the Hellmouth, and another earthquake started.
"DUCK!" Ms. Burkle shouted, as the ground shook.
Reacting on instinct, Xander hit the deck. A moment later, a deluge of flames blasted through where he'd been standing a moment before, and the two Vahrall demons screamed as they were burned alive.
Spying the flaming corpses, Xander could only mutter, "Wow..." as he quickly noticed Fred had some kind of flamethrower unit on her back. "Oz! Hit the dirt!"
As the werewolf flung one of his opponents away and the quake subsided, he instantly obeyed his friend's orders - and once again, the Texan woman started making demon flambé of all the bad guys in the basement. There were shrieks and hollers and screams of pain, as the Vahrall demons got hit directly in the face with a firestorm.
One of them looked ready to jump into the Hellmouth, before Fred singed him with the flamethrower. Which made it easy for Xander to pierce its back with three inches of solid steel, and the corpse quickly slithered to the floor.
Standing over the dead thing's remains Xander looked around at the rest of the demons, and they stared right back at the Siberian 'exile'. And Harris, it must be said, appeared bloody, mean and more than a little pissed. So without hesitation, the few remaining Vahralls instantly started scrambling for the exit.
After they disappeared upstairs for Kate, Sam and Kennedy to dispatch their asses, Xander just wiped the blood from his face and threw the axe to the floor, checking to make sure Gunny and Red were gonna make it.
Noticing Oz revert back to naked human form and Fred switch off the flamethrower, Harris made his feelings about the situation perfectly clear to his companions.
"Goddamn Hellmouths, they're all the same..."
Guantanamo Bay United States Naval Base, Cuba. August 5, 2001
"She had what?" Cleburne said into the phone. He listened for a few seconds. "But how the heck did the woman even get one? Don't tell me she managed to grab one of ours!" he said in exasperation.
The reply was longer this time. "What do you mean, she made her own flamethrower? No, on second thought, don't tell me. I think it's pretty obvious that I *don't* want to know...damn," Cleburne muttered. He shook his head and spoke again. "What about you and Red?"
The Marine colonel took some notes as he listened. "Okay, well, bulletproof demons, we knew we would butt up against some of them one day. I just wish it hadn't been barely a month out from the big day, though! What do the quacks say? You're sure it's not too serious? Good, then I want you back down here by tomorrow morning, you and Red will need to make team selections. Yes, I talked to both Finn and Miller, they're both looking over the list. No, Gunny, I won't let them make their selections until you get back..."
Cleburne looked at the office window. "The kid said what? No, I *don't* want him on one of the teams. Well, tell him I don't want to risk his neck on something like that, not when Howard's still got all those secrets locked away in his head for the next two years. Yeah. Fine, I'm willing to consider Raiden - but the kid, no. What next? The werewolf? Come on, Gunny, we're going to have enough trouble with operational security as it is!"
Joshua sighed, "All right, we'll talk when you get here, but you're not changing my mind. See you in a couple of days," he said as the secret agent hung up the phone.
"She's from Texas, attractive, intelligent and knows how to make a flamethrower. God, if only I was twenty years younger."
UC Sunnydale campus, Sunnydale, California. A few hours later
"Okay, remember people, we have practice tomorrow night as well. The pep rally is on Friday, so see you all tomorrow at four-thirty," Robyn, the cheerleader captain, said to the other cheerleaders. The cheerleading squad started to disperse.
"Buffy, hey, Buffy! Wait up."
The blonde Slayer turned around and saw Robyn and two other college cheerleaders walking towards her. "Hey, just wanted to say you're doing great for someone who joined the team at the last minute," the redheaded Robyn said. "You have prior cheerleader experience, right?"
"Back in high school, yeah. But I only cheered for about a year," Buffy responded vaguely.
"Only that long? What have you done since then to keep your shape up like that?" the brunette with Robyn said, Buffy finally remembering her name was Brenda.
"Oh, uh, a little bit of this and a little bit of that," Buffy replied, again being vague so as to avoid mentioning the whole fighting the undead thing.
The blonde of the trio facing her, the girl named Vicky spoke next. "So, we're going to a club later. Want to come with?"
Buffy hesitated. Tonight was patrol time, after all. "Well, I don't know."
Robyn leaned in and gripped Buffy by the arm. "Come on, you have to. All the other cheerleaders on the squad, they're like kids. College freshmen and whatnot! You just have to hang out with us. We don't need to study, it's still summer vacation!"
Buffy thought for a second. Joyce was with Dawn and she knew Giles would be close by. Willow and Tara were doing their thing. Also, patrolling wasn't that much of a concern. Things had been quiet the last few weeks, what with the long summer lull and all.
"All right, let me change real quick and I'll meet you back here in about half an hour."
The Bronze, Sunnydale, California. Later that evening
"How about him, he's all that!" Vicky said, as she pointed to a young man on the dance floor of the club.
Robyn leaned forward to inspect the subject of Vicky's declaration. "That's Anthony Vinser! He's the boyfriend of that skank, Helen Caldien. He'll do!"
"For what?" Buffy said.
"Tonight's entertainment," Brenda, the brunette said.
Buffy was confused. "What do you mean? That's his girlfriend right there with him..."
Robyn grinned as she reached into her purse. "Watch and learn, Buffy, and you'll see why we're the Queens on campus here..." She pulled out a necklace with a purple pendant attached to it. She put the necklace around her neck, "I call three minutes."
Brenda and Vicky looked at Robyn. "Please, girl, you're not that good. I mean, his girlfriend is standing right there!" Vicky said in exasperation.
"Oh, come on, why would he settle for that frump when he thinks he can have this?" Robyn indicated her body.
Sashaying slightly, the UC Sunnydale cheerleader started walking onto the dance floor. With the same gliding motion that women all over the world used, whenever they wanted men to do whatever they asked. And she was hot enough in her clubbing outfit that more than a few of the men within the Bronze nearly drooled over the cheerleader captain.
She walked up next to Anthony. He suddenly turned from dancing with his girlfriend and stared at Robyn. Robyn said a few words. Anthony responded, and Robyn smiled. And standing nearby, completely ignored and clearly angry, was the coed named Helen.
Buffy watched the events play out on the floor. After about two minutes, Robyn smiled broadly, motioned at Anthony and started walking away. The entranced male instantly started to follow.
But at that point, the furious Helen stepped forward. She grabbed Robyn's arm and turned her around. Robyn just smiled viciously, and backhanded her across the dance floor. Poor old Helen then crashed into a table full of patrons, alcohol spilling all over her dress and ruining it.
Robyn just smiled in satisfaction, and left the club with Anthony in tow.
"Come on!" Brenda said as the she, Buffy and Vicky went out of the club to follow Robyn and her new friend.
{I really don't like what I'm seeing,} Buffy thought to herself, as she hurried. {On account of this little incident reminds me way too much of Xander's stupid love spell fiasco, back in junior year!}
Sunnydale, California. Ten minutes later
Buffy was definitely having a major wiggins now. She had run to catch up with Robyn, but the redhead had already started driving away with Anthony in her sports car. Buffy had thus been forced to climb in with Brenda and Vicky into their vehicle, and after a few minutes they had arrived at Robyn's apartment.
Buffy had stormed in to find Robyn clearly getting...busy with Anthony on the couch. The blonde Slayer could not help noting that Helen's boyfriend (or maybe it was ex-boyfriend, now?) seemed to be a little slack-jawed and unfocused. Well, more so than was normal for a man around a good-looking woman.
"What the hell's going on here?" Buffy demanded, as Brenda and Vicky came through the door, short of breath from trying to catch up.
Robyn smiled, as Anthony started kissing her neck. "Just tonight's entertainment. By the way, girls, two minutes. I set a new record!"
"Girl friend, he must have been drunk. I say we give him a test or something," Vicky said, shaking her head.
Robyn smiled again. "Oh, I intend to test him tonight, that's for sure!" Her hands started moving again, removing Anthony's shirt. "You guys, take a seat and enjoy the show..."
Buffy was all of a sudden angry. {Okay, if this is some kinda witch-y love spell, it ends now! Making a guy cheat on his girlfriend against his will is definitely not just 'tonight's entertainment'!} "Look, I want to know what's going on. This guy is clearly not thinking straight-"
Anthony moaned, and he suddenly kissed Robyn deeply with a lot of tongue. The action continued for a few moments as the cheerleader captain completely went with it, and then the shirtless guy started unbuckling his pants as he climbed on top of the almost-naked redhead...
Before Buffy hauled him off with her Slayer strength. "Okay, Anthony, chill!"
Robyn got an irritated look on her face, now wearing nothing but her white cotton bra and panties. "Hey, Buffy, knock it off! Don't worry, you'll get your turn with him. We don't throw them away until everyone gets a ride, you know."
Buffy just knocked Anthony out to avoid having to deal with a struggling horny male not in his right mind, and he fell like a stone to the floor. She then stepped back, her Slayer radar going off like crazy. Her right hand felt the stake in her waistband as Buffy said, "You guys have got some kind of mojo deal going on here, huh? 'Cause the way you slapped that Helen girl around in the Bronze, that wasn't normal..."
Brenda answered this time. "Of course we're not normal! We're above the poor huddled masses, Buffy. Whatever we want, whenever we see it, we just take it. See, want, take, have," she finished up, unknowingly echoing Faith from the original history.
Buffy maneuvered herself so that she could see all three of her fellow cheerleaders at the same time. "Okay, you guys were standing in daylight just a few hours ago, so I know you're not vampires. Mind telling what are you, then? Some kind of succubus demons?"
The three girls looked at Buffy. "Succubus demons?" Brenda asked in confusion.
"Look, Buffy, we're offering you the keys to the campus here. Become one of the Queens, and you'll end up ruling over all the little people, the sheep," Robyn said, shifting from her position on the couch and briefly staring at the unconscious Anthony. "Here's the deal. We can make people do whatever we want, we have special privileges-"
"Oh my God, but this is like dealing with a bunch of Cordelia clones from her Queen C days! Granted she got better, as she grew up. But you guys have just gotten *worse* as you got older!" Buffy advanced towards Anthony and grabbed his arm. "I'm taking him out of here. Don't try to follow us-"
Robyn stood up, ignoring her semi-nudity. "Summers, you're being an ungrateful little bitch! Don't make me regret inviting you to be a Queen..."
"Sorry. But I guess I just don't enjoy treating people like objects," Buffy snapped back.
"Oh, please!" Brenda harrumphed. "That's what they're there for, to entertain us whenever we want it!"
Buffy frowned, as she had an epiphany. "Gimme the magic necklace, and I'll let you all walk. Best deal you're gonna get," she said firmly.
Robyn rolled her eyes. "You're really starting to bore me..." She suddenly lashed out with her right hand and punched Buffy hard in the face. The Slayer slammed back into the wall with a loud thump. "Huh! You're stronger than you look, that should have knocked you all the way clear through..."
Buffy jumped up and immediately counterattacked with a flurry of punches. Robyn blocked all the blows, however. Nearby, Brenda and Vicky were hurrying out of the way, being impotent observers for the moment.
"You're good," Buffy complimented her opponent.
"And you've been holding back," Robyn said in the same vein. "You can do all that even without the necklace? With skills like those, you'll make a great cheerleader! Last chance if you want to become a Queen..."
"Sorry, but I already have a job. Taking care of demons like you," Buffy retorted.
"What, you think I'm one of those ugly pinhead things that tried to rape me once? Puh-lease!" Robyn said, right before she got a punch through Buffy's defenses.
This one had more power than the earlier blow, and the Chosen One went sailing out of the apartment through a nearby window, the glass shattering all over the floor.
"Now, Anthony, where were we?" Robyn said.
Apartment B, 523 Oak Park Street, Sunnydale. August 6, 2001
"Hold on, hold on!" Giles shouted, as he stumbled towards the front door. In response to the annoying yet persistent pounding that was coming from it, not long after midnight. "What is it?" the former Watcher then said as he opened up.
Buffy rushed in, looking clearly the worse for wear. "Giles, we got ourselves a good old fashioned demon-y thing going on! Time to rustle up the Scooby gang," she declared.
Rupert instantly groaned on the inside. {Bloody hell, I just knew things were going a little too well around here.}
Indeed, his life had been looking up a lot lately. Joyce's therapy was coming along nicely, plus Jonathan had finally returned to town after spending some weeks with his relatives in Washington state and he had been able to distract Andrew with some tale regarding cults and demon worshippers. Which was of the good, even if Anya's boyfriend had recently managed to locate Proserpexa's temple with that ground radar of his.
Luckily the former vengeance demon had blabbed to everyone what that underground building he'd discovered had to be, being very familiar with the she-demon in question, so Giles had been spared trying to come up with a cover story as he'd contacted Sam Zabuto. In order to get a Council team over to Kingman's Bluff to destroy the damned thing, somehow and so potential catastrophe averted.
Granted, he'd had no luck getting anywhere with that Slayer dream having Xander saying "What would Buffy do?" or what kind of demon it was that had recently tried to get Willow to kill herself, but still - all in all, the balance had been in the plus column. Until now.
Focusing, Giles quickly shut the door. "Buffy, what happened?" he asked in concern, taking in her appearance.
"Cheerleaders and a demon-y necklace," Buffy explained with spartan brevity.
"Excuse me?" Giles managed to get out. "I, I think you said something about cheerleaders?"
"I did!" Buffy responded, and she quickly explained the events of the evening.
With a sigh, Giles picked up the telephone. "You know what? I-I-I knew, I just *knew* that nothing good would come of you taking up cheerleading again! Right, I'll call the others," the British man said as he dialed.
The Magic Box, Sunnydale, California. A couple of hours later
"Uh, how about this one?" Jonathan asked, holding up a book for Buffy's inspection.
Buffy came over and peered at the drawing of a necklace. "Nope, the stone's all wrong for one. It was kinda dangling down from the main part of the necklace, and this one's attached directly to the chain," she explained.
Scattered all around the Magic Box were the various Scoobies, all looking through the various books that Giles had. Like troopers, apart from Dawn and Joyce they had all answered the call Giles had sent out, and a research party was now in full swing.
"Anything else you can remember which might help us?" Willow asked from the table where she and Tara had a dozen or so books in front of them.
"I'm thinking," Buffy said pensively. "Okay, it was like a really expensive-looking necklace. I mean, not only does it give you some kind of power over men's minds and also Slayer-type abilities, but that pendant was also like something out of Tiffany's - or Van Cleef & Arpels! Say, Giles, why don't I have something like that?"
Giles didn't look up from the book he was looking through. "Because I've never heard of such a thing, for a start. Generally, a-a charmed or enspelled item only has one attribute. Anything more, and the power will soon overload or destroy the talisman."
"Not more than one special thing?" Tara asked.
"Well, it's been tried a few times, but it never ends well for the spellcaster," Giles responded. He suddenly stood up and walked over to Buffy. "Is this it?" Rupert asked as he showed her the page he'd just looked at.
Buffy nodded her head. "Yeah! It's purple in real life color, but from the shape and everything I'd say that's definitely the thing they had. What is it?"
Giles took the book back and read from it. "Good Lord..."
"What?" everyone asked at once. As when Giles said that, it was always important.
"It's, it's the Amulet of Sharppei. It, um, it gives the wearer, who is supposed to be a young woman, the power of suggestibility and control over young men. It was supposedly created for a young princess in the early Middle Ages, who was apparently rather plain in appearance. She then used it for several years until the Catholic Church heard rumors of what she was up to, and, uh, sent their agents to destroy it..."
"Let me see that!" Anya demanded suddenly, and wrenched the book away. Her eyes went wide, "OH! Wait a minute, I know what this is! I heard Hallie ranting about it more than once over the centuries..."
"What do you mean?" Andrew asked at once.
"Well, you have to understand - I was just a silly young thing then, barely 300 years old or so. And that stupid little girl inadvertently summoned me, just 'cause she couldn't get a date within the sighted community! I explained the rules to her, she's gotta wish it and I gotta dish it. But all she wanted was to get laid, not for me to kill or eviscerate anybody!"
"So what happened after that?" Willow asked, looking a little ill from the mention of Anyanka time.
"Oh, well, my friend Halfrek dropped in, there was a big gathering scheduled soon not far from there - and somehow, Hallie must have lost the Amulet while she was there. That simpering moron must have found it, and used it for her own desires! Yeah, I later heard something about her being burned at the stake, so I guess being royalty didn't protect her, but there was no mention of what happened to the pendant afterwards. Still, I guess now we know!" Anya finished up.
"Right. But hey, when did it get all the Slayer-level power put into it?" Buffy wanted to know. "'Cause something like that's muscling in on my territory! I mean, okay, if we were talkin' good guys, I'd welcome the help. But it looks like those three aren't all that much into helping anyone apart from themselves, and more interested in pounding on me," she announced.
"With great power comes great responsibility. I mean, everyone knows that," Andrew intoned solemnly.
The others ignored him. "To be honest, all this makes me rather worried. I mean, what's to stop this from happening again en masse, and we'd suddenly have an army of college girls with Slayer strength out there? The consequences could be...well, I'd prefer not to even think about that, I have to say," Giles said.
"Where do you suppose Robyn and the others got it from?" Jonathan asked.
"No idea. And they don't strike me as someone who could make a huge splash in the world of magic with their level of smarts, or any other world for that matter," Buffy replied. "They probably just stole it and had someone else amp up the power level for them."
"Well, we need to find out who as soon as possible. Any ideas on how we get the information from them?" Giles asked.
"I've been thinking about that," Buffy stated.
"Buffy, they're human. You can't just beat it out of them," Willow said suddenly.
"Yeah, as much as I'd like to do that, I know I can't. But I do have another plan," was Buffy's response.
Sunnydale, California. Very early in the morning
Anthony Vinser woke up feeling groggy and confused. And the first thing he noticed was the smell.
It was the smell of dried sweat, and that distinct aroma arising after human bodies have repeatedly had sexual intercourse. They were very thick in the air, but underneath he could smell women's perfume as well. So the man started to look around, when he suddenly noticed that he was laying on the floor of a strange apartment.
Completely nude.
And there were three other naked women on the carpet with him, a thin blanket covering them but not himself.
{Christ almighty} the college boy thought, his mind in a daze. {What the hell happened last night?}
The memories began to come back, slowly. Being with his girlfriend in the Bronze, dancing with Helen and having a great time - when suddenly...
Well, that was where it started getting confusing. A red-haired woman had come up to them and said something, he couldn't remember what - and yet he hadn't been able to look away. Anthony *had* noticed Helen getting pissed, but still he hadn't been able to take his eyes off the redheaded goddess who had beckoned him to come with her.
{Oh my God, Helen. Anthony thought to himself in a panic. {How the hell do I explain all that to her?}
More memories came back then, as Anthony instantly began to get even more freaked. The car ride, entering the apartment, the undeniable feelings of lust and desire, and then...and then.
"Good morning, lover."
Anthony jerked upright, noticing one of the women - the redhead - had woken up, and was staring at him. "Uh."
Red just smiled at him, and got out from under the blanket. Anthony's eyes were instantly diverted to the other two women, the sleeping brunette and the blonde, in an effort to retain some semblance of modesty at the sight of her nakedness.
"Oh, don't worry about them for now. I swear, Vicky and Brenda won't wake up for hours yet! You really wore them out last night, stud. That's quite a motor you've got under the hood there," the cheerleader smirked.
Anthony was somehow both flattered and horrified, as even though this was apparently a real-life version of a letter to Penthouse - if he'd been wondering how the hell to explain himself to Helen before, it was obviously going to be impossible to come out of that discussion now with his nuts intact. "Um, thanks. Uh, last night...w-wasn't there a fourth girl in here-?"
"You mean Buffy? She was just a crasher who we kicked out, after she knocked you out. Hey, Anthony, where are you going?" Robyn asked, as the man got up and looked for his clothes.
"Look, I'm sorry - but I, I have no idea what happened last night, why I...I'm sorry, I don't remember your name?" the poor guy stammered.
"It's Robyn St. Clair!" the woman looked annoyed, as Anthony gulped.
"Yeah, um...look, Robyn? I'm - well, I have a girlfriend-" he started to stammer.
"So what are you saying? That last night was just a one night stand?" Robyn started hamming it up, privately enjoying her performance as the injured party in this little drama.
"No, I..." Anthony looked lost for words. "Well, actually..."
Suddenly, Robyn got bored with the game. She picked the Amulet of Sharppei up off the floor where it had been discarded after they'd all fallen asleep, and put it around her neck. And staring at it, Mr. Vinser was instantly in her thrall once again.
Thus, it wasn't long before the screams of ecstasy and passion were heard coming from Robyn's bedroom...
UC Sunnydale, Sunnydale, California. The same time
"This was your plan, breaking into their dorm room?" Willow said to the Chosen One in disbelief, as she opened the door to Brenda's quarters.
"Well, I didn't say it was an original plan," Buffy replied. "Besides - Jonathan, where did you learn to pick locks?"
The short nerd looked embarrassed, as he quickly closed the door behind him. "Well, promise you won't get mad?" he asked in that distinct nasal voice.
"Look around for something about spellcasting. And Jonathan, I promise not to shout at you," Buffy said. The trio started quietly going through the room, looking for leads or evidence. "So?"
"Well, back in our last year of high school, I spent some time with Faith."
"Jonathan!"
"You said you wouldn't yell!" Levinson protested.
"I didn't, that was Willow," Buffy replied as she opened the desk drawer. "And I'm not shouting, but you and Faith?"
Jonathan was looking on the dresser. "Like I've said before, I kinda spent some time with her and Xander the early part of the year. Ah, Buffy, would ya mind if I looked in the desk? I'm kinda uncomfortable going through..." He motioned at the drawers with Brenda's clothes in them.
Buffy rolled her eyes. "I *would* have to get stuck with the one college guy who doesn't want to rifle through the underwear drawers of a cheerleader!" Quickly, she and Jonathan switched their respective targets.
"Sorry, it just feels like something I shouldn't do," the geek explained. He then pulled out a photo album from the desk drawer. "Hang on, I think I found something!"
"What?" Willow asked from where she was looking through the closet.
"Looks like that Brenda girl kept mementos of their, uh, entertainment," Jonathan explained as he flipped through the pages and looked at the photos. They were pictures of Brenda having sex with various men, and Levinson's eyes widened at some of the images he saw. "Girls can actually do that?" the male virgin asked in disbelief.
Buffy came over and looked over his shoulder. "Damn," she muttered.
"What?" Willow asked again, as she finally joined the duo.
"Parker. He was one of their victims," Buffy said with a strange look on her face.
Willow almost laughed out loud, but stopped herself in time. "Just desserts, if you ask me."
"Got to admit, I'm feeling kinda torn about it," Buffy said, thinking about the Xander semi-lookalike she'd once slept with. {Hmm, wonder what he's up to these days? And Jeff as well, it's been ages since I've thought about either of them!}
"Well, from what I heard? Abrams deserved whatever those girls did to him," Jonathan made his opinion clear.
"And the other guys whose photos are in there?" Buffy remarked.
"Guess they didn't," Jonathan shrugged. "You know, they can't be all that bright...Brenda and the others, I mean, since she kept incriminating pictures of what they did. And leaving them right out here in the open like this? It's almost too easy," he finished up.
"So what do we do now?" Willow wanted to know.
Suddenly, Buffy began to get the glimmerings of a plan. "Jonathan, just how much time did you spend around Faith?"
Guantanamo Bay United States Naval Base, Cuba. August 7, 2001
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Irving, happy birthday to you!" the crowd sang, as the young boy blushed upon the occasion of this, his 13th birthday.
"Three cheers for the Wizard. Hip, hip?" Xander called out.
"Hooray!" the partygoers called out.
"Come on, people, louder! Hip, hip?"
"HooRAY!" the voices were louder this time.
"Come *on*, this is a very special occasion. One last time! Hip, hip?"
"HOOOORAAAY!" the loud cacophony of voices echoed through the converted mess hall, as the Siberians vented their good wishes and Irving Hollins again blushed, totally unused to such an occurrence.
The thing was that Xander, knowing how this was the orphan boy's entry into the world of being a teenager, had become determined to make it a memorable event for him. And as the former Scooby watched Irving cutting the cake and getting birthday kisses from all the female Siberians, Harris briefly marveled at how quickly the time had passed; from when he had first met the child genius in Urbana, last year.
Not long after he had wished the boy a personal happy birthday and moved aside for the next person in line to do so, Xander was joined by Fred. The Texan woman smiled at her crush, "This was a good idea, I have to say! Lots of good feelings all around, and it's probably doing everyone's morale a whole world of good too..."
"Well, I kinda figured that since the Whiz isn't someone named Buffy Summers, it couldn't hurt to have a party like this. And hey, if I'm still around in three years time? Irving's 16th birthday party is gonna completely leave this one behind in its dust! I'm thinking for starters, a pair of strippers..."
"You wouldn't!" Fred gaped at Harris in surprise and dismay.
Xander smirked. "Hey, what do you think *I* wished for after I turned fifteen?"
The physicist just smacked the Timetripper on the arm. "Sometimes, you can be such a...a goof!"
"I am ze ultimate proof of goof, leetle miss cat on a hot tin roof," Xander drawled in a lousy French accent.
Fred laughed, before she started chasing Xander around the hall. "Don't get me mad, I *do* have a flamethrower now y'know!"
Oz just watched their little display calmly, wondering what was eventually going to happen with those two. As far as the werewolf knew, Xander harbored no romantic intentions towards the Burkle woman despite her obvious feelings for him - but then again, he'd never even been able to pick up on the fact that Willow was secretly gay, so maybe his judgment wasn't the best in these matters.
Suddenly, Oz was joined by Cleburne. "Been a while since we've had this sort of shindig," the Marine commented acerbically.
"Fred was right though, it's good for morale," the younger man commented.
"Yeah, I know. Hey, you want some cake? I'm gonna just grab some for myself," Joshua offered as he started to move off.
"Hang on a sec. Thinkin' we need to talk."
Now this intrigued Cleburne, as Daniel almost defined the term 'stoic silent type'. "About what, Wolfie?"
"The Wizard," Oz inclined his head over towards Irving, who was currently talking with Bethany Chaulk.
The colonel's guard instantly went up. "What about him?"
Oz took a deep breath. He always did that these days, before he spoke more than a sentence or two at a time. "He's not a child anymore, you know. Thirteen's a special age, which I gather is why things like the bar mitzvah were ever invented in the first place. This is the point where you need to start thinking long-term about what's best for Irving as a human being. Which isn't necessarily the same as what's best for Siberian Trip Wire, unfortunately."
Cleburne raised an eyebrow at the comments. "Mind explaining that to me again?"
Oz paused. "Look at him. I mean, *really* look at him. Because in case you haven't realized it - Irving's hit puberty nowadays, Cleburne, I can smell it. I can also smell how interested he is at the moment in Miss Chaulk over there, not to mention the fact that he's also started sniffing around Fred as well. Bottom line, Irving needs to learn how to deal with that sort of thing."
Cleburne was flabbergasted as Oz went on, "Otherwise, it's gonna be...bad. Think in terms of a wild animal raised alone in captivity, and then released into the jungle. It doesn't know what to do, how to act. Irving's life could be like that, if you're not careful. The years will pass quicker than you think - and how's he supposed to grow up one day, get married and have children and all that, if he's always stuck in the same sort of cage he's in now?"
Joshua honestly wasn't sure how to respond. "I think that's *got* to be the longest speech I've ever heard you make," he finally replied.
Oz rubbed his throat, which felt rather sore. "Not planning to make a habit out of it."
Cleburne adjusted his stance a little, both mentally and physically. "Look, I get what you're saying. Really, I do! But there are other factors at stake here, pal. And sometimes, sacrifices have to be made-"
"When someone knows the score and volunteers for them. Not when someone never even gets given the option," Oz interrupted firmly.
Joshua sighed. This was one extra headache he did *not* need right now. "Look, maybe after September 11 we can discuss this again, but not now, okay?"
"Problem with that is there's always going to be one crisis or another to deal with, that's just the way STW's wired together. So I guess it all comes down to what kind of a man you really are, Colonel Cleburne. Whether or not you believe utilizing someone's services for the state outweighs the personal needs of the individual in question," Oz remarked a little too calmly.
That one hit home and rankled deeply, reminding Joshua of the lessons imparted from his Marine instructors - during the era decades ago when communism and the Red Peril had been the fixation of those in the West. "And just how did you come to all these conclusions?" he growled out.
Oz just shrugged. "Even the Wizard needs to talk to someone on occasion. You're over forty, Fred and Xander are in their mid-twenties, and Bethany isn't an option - given Irving's feelings. Basically I'm the closest thing Hollins has to a guy his own age, I was just a teenager myself till a few years ago. So, I hear things in between official business, and I can put two and two together."
The werewolf just shrugged. "Anyway, I hope you think about what I said. Otherwise, things could get kinda dicey in the future. Especially what with the way Irving has started thinking about girls, while he's in the shower."
"Okay, ya know what? TOO MUCH INFORMATION!" Cleburne growled out, really wishing he hadn't just received that particular visual.
"Why else do you think he plays so much tennis with her?" Oz said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I know she's a good player, but I think how she looks in a tennis dress is the main attraction for Irving."
Cleburne's office. Later that night
Joshua Cleburne leaned back in his chair, with the phone wedged against his ear. He waited patiently for the other end to pick up.
"Dad, it's Josh here. No, everything's all right. I just need to ask you something." Cleburne paused before going on. "Look, I know that I and the brothers were a handful, and I don't know how you managed to cope sometimes."
Cleburne listened for a few seconds. "Yeah, Dad, I know I really tried your patience that time I ran off to Tennessee with the gridiron team! That's why I suspect you're going to love this, and think of it as your best revenge possible."
Cleburne took a deep breath. "Well, I need your advice. Namely, how to handle a boy who's just hit puberty. What do I do with a 13-year-old kid who's just discovering girls?"
Cleburne held the phone away from his ear at once, as the sound of raucous laughter echoed in the office.
UC Sunnydale, Sunnydale, California. August 8, 2001
Buffy looked out over the campus common area. Students milled about, doing all the things college students did while on summer vacation. Buffy's attention though was focused on the table with Robyn's gang sitting at it.
The 'cheer trio', as Andrew had taken to calling them, were holding court. They were a painful yet nostalgic reminder of how things had been in high school, the only difference being nowadays they could all drink legally. Buffy shook her head, {I can't believe now I used to be exactly like that, back at Hemery. And God, if I hadn't ever been called to be the Slayer, I don't like to wonder if I'd be one of Robyn's minions right now.}
Buffy focused and looked for the other Scoobies. She had gone over the plan with them more than once. It was of necessity a different plan from the normal Slayer 'me see, me quip, me hit on head till dead' plan. And Buffy suspected that Joyce would be happy about that, when she learned the score, as her mother had been urging her to try different methods in her fight against evil.
Worrying that her baby girl was going to get killed in the line of duty one of these days, as the oldest Summers woman was wont to do. Of course, the current strategy may have also had something to do with Buffy watching the Mission Impossible movies during the summer...
Buffy, once satisfied that everyone was in place, started down from the library balcony to the common area. She mentally prepared herself as she approached the table.
"What do you want, you ungrateful bitch?" Robyn snapped as she watched Buffy walk up to the group.
"You've got to stop," Buffy declared simply.
Brenda laughed out loud at that. "You have *got* to be kidding. We kicked your skanky ass all over the room the other night!"
Buffy raised her right eyebrow at as she folded her arms. "We? We? There was no 'we' about it, as I recall. Robyn had the necklace. You and Vicky were just wall decorations in bad clothes, and lousy hair."
"Hey!" Vicky complained. "I paid top dollar for that outfit! And Antonio gives a girl a great 'do!"
Buffy ignored her and spoke again. "And by the way, I think without the fancy necklace Robyn isn't exactly all that special either."
The St. Clair woman smiled at Buffy in a feral way, as her hand made its way to her purse on the table. "Care to try again? I don't mind bruising your bony ass a second time."
"Bony? Please, if that's the best insult you can toss my way, you need to take lessons from Cordelia Chase!" Buffy replied.
"Cordelia Chase? Oh yeah, I asked around about that wannabe after you mentioned her name before. And apparently that little tramp quickly ran out of town with her tail between her legs, after she got all poor and everything," Robyn said as she slowly put her hand in her purse.
"Look," Buffy said, annoyed at the insults to a friend. Or sort of a friend, anyway. "You three need to stop, and this is your final warning," Buffy said. "I'll be watching you." Suddenly the Slayer turned around and walked away.
Robyn looked at her two flunkies. "Well, maybe she isn't as blonde as she looks after all."
"Hey!" Vicky complained.
"Oh please, you know what I mean," Robyn said. "Dye blonde. And you're a natural blonde, aren't you?"
"Yes, and proud of it!" Vicky hurriedly agreed.
"Well, now that the freak is taken care of…hey, your purse!" Brenda blurted out.
Robyn turned and looked that her purse was now on the ground and moving away, as if under its own power. It was picking up speed and getting further and further away from the table.
"Hey! Stop!" Robyn shouted as she took off in pursuit, with Brenda and Vicky close behind.
The various students in the commons watched the scene of the three cheerleaders chasing a purse as it whirled along the ground. Several of them laughed openly at the trio, and were rewarded with a scowl from Robyn before she turned her attention back to the purse.
The purse then went through a cluster of students. The three cheerleaders barreled through it, knocking the students down.
"Hey, watch where you're going!" a male student yelled.
"Loser!" Robyn said semi-absently to Jonathan Levinson, as she hurried on.
The purse continued on its way, actually leaping over a table as it did so. The students eating lunch there all leaned back in shock. And Robyn only just managed to stop herself before she ran into the table.
Brenda suddenly leaped forward and grabbed the purse. "Got it!" she shouted in triumph.
Robyn rushed forward and took the purse from her. "Give it here. That horse's ass Buffy must have done something." she said as she rifled through the purse. "It's gone! Where did it go?"
The three cheerleaders looked around wide-eyed for the necklace. "There!" Vicky shouted out. "The dwarf!" She pointed at Jonathan as he fled from the commons.
The three beauties took off in pursuit, heedlessly pushing people out of their way as they did so. Jonathan looked over his shoulder, and upon seeing his pursuers his eyes widened and he picked up the pace.
"You are *so* dead!" Robyn cried out viciously, as she got closer to Jonathan. The target of their hatred made his way through a doorway into a classroom building.
"Where did he go?" Brenda asked, as they rushed through the door a few seconds later.
"There!" Vicky said, as the male Scooby ran into a classroom.
The three ran in after him. But then they stopped when they saw Anya sitting on the floor in the middle of a chalk circle with herbs sprinkled around, chanting loudly. The former vengeance demon threw down some dust, and then a small explosion resulted.
Followed almost immediately by a boom with a loud cloud of smoke. "Behold Halfrek of Arash ma'har, the righter of wrongs and bringer of justice! I have been called, and vengeance shall I wreak!" a mottled and vein-y faced demon woman said in a deep voice as she appeared from the smoke, wearing a long cape over a purple blouse and grey pants.
"Hallie!" Anya said as she stood up.
The subject of her greeting looked at the source of it. "Anyanka!" she said joyfully, her voice becoming human. "Oh my God, it's been forever. How have you been?" She rushed to hug Anya.
"Very profitable, of course," the human woman replied as she hugged her friend. "My business and capital venture is most rewarding."
"Oh! I'm so sorry I couldn't make it to your party a while back, but I heard that Monique got pissed off enough to leave that kind of thing early for once?" Halfrek inquired.
"Yeah," Anya grinned for a moment, before she frowned. "God, I miss not having my powers! If I could just liquefy her entrails..."
"What the hell?" Robyn said in disbelief. And that drew Halfrek's attention.
"Anyanka, what's going on here?" Hallie asked. "Why'd you summon me?"
"Well, Hallie, it's like this. Remember the Amulet of Sharppei? Oh, do you mind-? Someone might walk in."
"What? Oh, yes," Hallie said absently, as her face turned human. "Now, what's this about the Amulet?"
"We found it. Jonathan, give it to her," And the geek instantly did as she ordered.
"Hey, that's mine!" Robyn yelled, coming forward as Halfrek finally got her property back.
The vengeance demon turned and glared at the cheerleader. "Yours? Yours? I don't think so, little girl. I made it, and it was stolen from me a long time ago. Finders keepers does not apply here!"
"Are you going to let her talk to you that way?" Brenda whispered to Robyn.
Ms. St. Clair seemingly found her courage now that Halfrek appeared to be human. "Stolen from you? Please. I got it fair and square from that pinhead would-be rapist. I earned it after what happened that night, so hand it over before I call the cops!"
Halfrek looked at the redhead. "Just who are you?"
Anya moved next to Halfrek. "She's the one who's been using the amulet lately. And you want to know how she's been using the Amulet?"
"Oh please, don't tell me she's been using it because she thinks she's really that ugly?" Halfrek asked in an exasperated tone.
"Hey!" Robyn shouted.
"Worse than that. She's been stealing men from their girlfriends using its influence, making them cheat," Anya explained.
"Wronged women?" Halfrek asked, intrigued. Even if her specialty was wronged children, given all of Hallie's 'Daddy issues'.
"Yeah. And like I said, I really miss my powers sometimes!" Anya spat out.
"There they are," Buffy said, as she entered the room followed by Helen Caldien. "Yeah, these three, they did something to Anthony during the weekend..."
"Bitches," Helen instantly snarled at the trio, remembering Robyn's face intimately.
"So do something about it, you social reject! Maybe he wanted to be with a real woman for once?" Vicky snarled back.
"Hallie, since I can't, if you wouldn't mind...?" Anya started.
The demoness thought about it for a second. And in the end, she doubted D'hoffryn would mind all that much. "Okay! For old times sake," Hallie agreed.
"Good! Now, I suggest let's try for something subtle," Anya responded.
Helen started talking again, not understanding the context of the conversation but not caring much either. "Buffy's right, I wish you three *harlots* would get what's coming to you. Let the punishment fit the crime and all that!"
"Done!" Halfrek said, as she morphed into demon face and snapped her fingers.
"What?" Helen said in shock, not sure if she was seeing things as Halfrek resumed human form. "What just?"
"Don't worry," Buffy said rapidly. "I'll explain later."
"What, are we supposed to be scared of your little makeup job?" Robyn then asked in a catty tone.
Hallie just smiled. "Wait for it."
Suddenly the door opened and a girl ran in. "There you are! Brenda, the police are searching your room, they're looking for some blackmail pictures or something. They said they've got statements from guys you drugged at nightclubs, or whatever! What the hell's going on?"
Brenda looked horrified. "Oh no, the photo album!" She then ran out, joining the messenger.
"Don't tell me you just left that thing in your room?" Vicky yelled in disgust. "Idiot."
"You're the idiot, little girl," Halfrek shot back. "Best of luck on getting the doctors to be able to treat that syphilis you seem to have suddenly developed!"
The blonde cheerleader gasped, and checked herself out for the telltale rash before screaming and heading for the campus infirmary.
Robyn appeared to be much less sure of herself than she'd been ten seconds ago. "What?" Then she gave up and entered the real world, facing Halfrek head-on. "All right, let's hear it. What did your evil ass decide to do to me? Because I'm a lot tougher than those two morons, trust me! I'm not gonna run off screaming."
"I know," Halfrek decided to get into character. "And for the record, I did nothing to you."
"WHAT?" everyone else demanded, Anya's voice being the loudest.
"Okay, technically that may not be entirely true, but I did nothing to her she hadn't already done to herself," the female demon qualified her earlier statement.
"What do you mean?" Buffy demanded. As all this wasn't exactly turning out like she'd hoped.
Like Xander had written in one of his letters to Giles, wisdom only comes from time or learning from your mistakes. And in this world, the Scooby gang had never encountered a vampire version of Willow Rosenberg from an alternate timeline; as Anya's last Wish had left no traces of it ever having existed, save for a mortal Ms. Jenkins. And she of course had a somewhat biased view of what that had been like, losing her demon-hood that way.
And if Xander had been there, he could have told the blonde Slayer that vengeance demons talked a good game about making things better, but the fact was that they were evil creatures whose powers were a gift from the hellish lower beings. Thus, using those powers poisoned everything they touched, to a greater or lesser degree.
"What do I mean?" Halfrek said in response to Buffy's question. "She's pregnant."
"WHAT?!" everyone again demanded, this time Robyn's voice being the loudest.
"It's true. Conceptus took place less than 48 hours ago, I can smell it," Halfrek said with an evil smile. "The man you made cheat on his girlfriend, you let him sire a child on you."
"That's impossible! We used a condom..." Robyn said indignantly as Helen looked at her in disbelief.
"Oh, for Yekk's sake, what is wrong with the women like you today? Everyone knows how ordinary condoms are not completely reliable!" Anya suddenly exploded. "Why else do you think I use a specially enchanted one? Women who aren't ready to create life with whatever idiot male they choose to have sex with, they *have* to have one of that kind!"
Robyn started to back away as Halfrek called out, "Which brings us to the Wish, of course. If your own personal lust was your reward for using my Amulet, then I decided that your lust should also be your punishment! In other words, you won't be able to get an abortion; trust me, no matter where you go or what you try, you'll have to carry that unborn child to term."
"No..." Robyn began to look sick.
"Oh, yes. I imagine you're already feeling a little bit of morning sickness right now? And I also imagine your busy social calendar is about to clear up for the next nine months or so. You'll be all bloated before too long," Halfrek promised the reluctant mother-to-be.
"What?" Buffy said in shock. {Okay, hold on now, *this* wasn't part of the plan!}
"I don't understand," Helen said in confusion. {Wishes? Enchanted condoms? And she can *smell* someone having fallen pregnant?} "What's really going on here? Who, who are you people?"
"That doesn't matter right now," Anya responded vigorously. "Look, all you need to know is as a wronged woman, you've gotten one *doozy* of a vengeance on the three females who stole your boyfriend that night!"
Helen shook her head, trying to focus. "Right. Uh, so...what do I do now?"
"What do you want to do?" Jonathan asked, speaking up for the first time.
"I..." Helen hesitated. "I'm not sure. Anthony...where is he at the moment?"
"About to enter the realm of fatherhood," Halfrek chortled with glee, anticipating some quality vengeance from the fruit of his loins in about five or ten years time.
Helen's eyes went wide, as the implications of that notion fully sunk into her brain. Anya noticed and said in a reasonable voice, "Whether you take him back or not, that's up to you. But let's be honest - you'll never be able to fully trust him again after what's happened, will you? Not to mention the fact that if he's even a halfway decent specimen of the breed, your boyfriend's now going to be involved in raising an illegitimate child with the woman who seduced him away from you. So, you really want to constantly keep running into this...this wanton hussy for the next 18 years? I wouldn't if I were you!"
Again Helen hesitated. {She's got a point. Maybe, maybe it'd be better just to make a clean break of it now and find someone else. I still care about him a lot, but Anthony sounds like he's going to have his hands full for a very long time to come.} Thus, Ms. Caldien just silently filed out of the classroom.
"Hey! Wait up." Buffy said. However, Halfrek and Anya ignored her.
"Leave," Halfrek then commanded the now-freaked redheaded woman, who was sure she was trapped in a nightmare. "And keep this in mind; I *will* be watching you. My specialty is wronged children. You do anything bad to your child, I'll show up again - and the next time, I won't be as soft on you as I'm being now."
The soon-to-be former cheerleader just turned around and ran out as well, as Halfrek watched her go in great self-satisfaction. Then she frowned; the vengeance demon knew that a baby often created a powerful bond between two people, and there was a chance that Robyn would sink her claws into Anthony now to try to bring about that 'happily ever after' thing that just about every mortal craved.
{But what are the odds of that happening in *this* situation? Besides, this is the Hellmouth I'm standing on. And that always brings out the worst in *everyone*.}
Buffy just looked concerned and annoyed. {Okay, that's it. This is the last time I ever do something like this! From now on, if I have a problem - I'll solve it by sticking to good old-fashioned Slayer methods that I know work. Namely, beating 'em up or hitting 'em with very sharp objects! }
All of a sudden, Andrew walked into the room. "Hi. Uh, sorry I'm late - what'd I miss?"
Halfrek looked to her old friend. "Who's this?"
"Oh, this is my mortal boyfriend, Andrew Wells. Andy, this is my oldest friend named Halfrek," Anya introduced them a bit too casually.
"Um, hello," Andrew said somewhat awkwardly, briefly looking aside at Anya in annoyance for using that hated nickname.
"Hi," Hallie replied. She looked him over carefully, {Hmm, now this doesn't feel right. The prophecy said the 'one who sees' would be cursed with the love for Anyanka, and he doesn't appear to be anything like that at all! } "So, have you been dating my friend long?"
"Yeah, uh, I guess. Ever since last year," Andrew was obviously getting a very wiggy vibe from the demoness, and wondering why he'd never met her before.
"Right. Actually, I mustn't dawdle; there are plenty of abused children in this world who need my services! Anyanka, thanks again for returning my Amulet. We'll have to meet up again for lunch one day! Well, goodbye all!" With that, Halfrek snapped her fingers and vanished in a burst of light.
Jonathan frowned, as he turned to look at Buffy. "So...we won, right? Those three cheerleaders are, are kinda neutralized, a-and the Amulet's gone. Everything worked out okay in the end?"
"Yeah. I guess," Buffy frowned, wishing she could sound more certain of that. But deep down she suspected that somehow, someday, her recent decisions and actions would eventually come back to haunt them all.
Inglewood, California. A while later
Monsignor Randall Bentallo waited as calmly as he could, as the hour of the meeting approached.
He had been a busy man in recent months. The special representative of the Holy See had been searching for the Spear of Destiny, but had had no success ever since Vienna and all the subsequent places he'd looked had turned out to be a bust. But two days ago, Bentallo had been informed by one of his contacts that there was a private collector here in California who potentially had the real deal. Or information that would lead to where the true Spear of Destiny was hidden, anyway.
The Catholic official had thus rushed over here as fast as he could, of course. In fact, he'd even arrived with a bit of extra time to kill, so Randall had spent most of it getting a brief personal glimpse of the people Mr. Howard knew in Los Angeles.
It had been rather enlightening, to say the least. He had observed them all from a distance: Cordelia, Gwen, Wesley, and Gunn had all proven interesting in what they did and how they lived their lives. After all - an actress, a thief, a Watcher (by any other name) and a street fighter could not help but *be* interesting under any circumstances.
Bentallo's fascination though was with the ensouled vampire, Angel.
As far as he knew, only one other demon had ever been cursed with a soul this way, but that female specimen had disappeared months ago and was still adapting to its new status. Angel however - or Angelus, if you wanted to call him that - had had a human soul for well over a century, and was the original subject of such a gypsy curse.
It troubled the holy man greatly to think of what had been carried out in that regard, however. Both recently, and over 100 years ago. { The original spellcasters, why didn't those people consider all the possible consequences of their actions back then despite their mad frenzy for vengeance? Punishing a vampire by restoring its human soul...you cannot simply requisition the property of God that way without paying a heavy price for it! I suppose it's not exactly surprising that later, the Lord allowed their enemies to smite them all down that way. I can only hope that history does not repeat itself with these people, in the days to come! }
Bentallo checked his watch, and looked around at the other occupants of the car. "It's time," he announced, as the special agent of the Vatican unbuckled his seat belt and started to make his way out of the vehicle.
"Monsignor, I really don't like this. For your own safety, I must again ask you to reconsider going in there alone," one of the others present insisted.
"You already know the answer to that, my son. The terms of the meeting were quite specific; only I am permitted to meet with the collector, if anyone else attempts to join us the interview will be immediately cancelled. And all details regarding the Spear withheld forever afterwards. The risks are, I think, justified. So thank you for your concern, but I must insist that this be the end of the matter."
"Yes, Messér." The chief aide who had voiced concern lowered his head in reluctant acceptance. Brother Francis still didn't like it, as the meeting place and its occupants were a virtual unknown and he was charged with the sacred duty of keeping his boss safe at all times.
But the man's hands were tied, as Bentallo got out of the limousine and made his way to the residence in question.
Fortunately, the seer known only as Thomas Aquinas was under no such restrictions.
As a young monk he had been given that identity by the pope of the time, and it had truly been a great honor to be named after the visionary and saint from so long ago. In essence, Thomas's psychic abilities had been recognized by the prelates and cardinals back then and he had been introduced to His Holiness. His vocation had subsequently prospered, and he had eventually even been allowed access to the Vatican library, when *it* had happened.
The Fourth of July, 1980. A mindless drunken celebration on another continent. And for an instant, in those hallowed halls Thomas Aquinas had felt the full fury of the First Evil's savage howl from 2003, echoing throughout the space-time continuum. The same moment during which the conception of Alexander Lavelle Harris had occurred in the undeserving womb of his mother, Jessica.
That moment had changed Thomas's life forever. He hadn't truly understood what the message had meant, granted; only the mad vampiress known as Drusilla had the ability to do that, 18 years hence. But less than a year later, when Willow Rosenberg had likewise been conceived amongst the Hebrew people, the psychic had known what path his life would eventually take.
That was why he was here today. And just as Monsignor Bentallo was about to go through the front gates, he was hurled to the ground by the middle-aged seer in a running tackle.
Just before the apartment building exploded.
Reminiscent of the many explosions that had recently taken out the Order of Taraka, the heat and flames of the fireball were overwhelming. They nearly scorched the Catholic official, but fortunately Bentallo was protected from both them and the lethal shrapnel by Thomas's body. Eyes bulging out at being drenched by the other man's blood, Randall twisted madly to remove the dead weight of the seer. He briefly stopped in dismayed horror when he saw the corpse's clerical collar, { Who-? What, what in the name of God just... }
But there was no more time for semi-incoherent thought. With incredible speed, two of Bentallo's aides arrived on the scene, yanking their superior up and away. Without waiting for permission, they quickly half-dragged half-carried Randall back to the limousine. The two men subsequently threw the Monsignor inside and Brother Francis barked to the driver, "Get us out of here, *now*!"
The limo took off as ordered but relatively slowly, traveling beneath the speed limit so as not to arouse notice from the cops and fire brigade, who even now were being dispatched to the scene. And not far away, the sight made one man in particular really mad.
A man tainted of and by the First Evil, the enemy of Xander Harris known as Caleb.
Enraged at the failure of his little trap, the chief minion of the First was currently having a bit of a temper tantrum. Actually, the room he was in was getting completely trashed: furniture and appliances wrecked and smashed, the works.
"Knock it off, will ya? This is getting...well, 'embarrassing' is one word that comes to mind."
Instantly the former priest ceased his activities, looking around to look at his companion. "Watch what y'all say now," Caleb said in his Southern accent. "Because I think I have a right to my anger, don't you? I mean that was a heckuva lot of planning and work, which in the end was all for nothing!"
Buffy/the First rolled her eyes. "So your old friend the Monsignor is still alive. Isn't that just like a guy, though? Things don't go your way, you all develop that 'kick the dog' mindset!"
Caleb looked mad again. "Well, begging your pardon for takin' some pride in my work. But you said it yourself, we can't allow that meddling insect to find that weapon he's lookin' for, right?"
The First morphed into Faith's form. "True. True. But relax, there's still plenty of opportunities left to accomplish that part of it, so calm down already."
Caleb shook his head. "I am calmed down. You should see me when I'm ornery!"
Faith/the First morphed into the features of Rachael Weitz. "Oy vey, are we gonna have to have that discussion again? Speaking of which, it has been some time since we last..." She/it looked at him seductively, "...merged. I'm guessing, your strength isn't what it could be?"
Caleb looked out the window at the raging fire not far away, and eventually nodded. "You're right. Okay, let's do it."
Rachael/the First instantly assumed the features of Joyce Summers. "Really, Caleb. You need to work on your social skills! 'Let's do it.' No flowers, dinner or even the offer of a movie?" She/it rolled her/its eyes again. "You really know how to romance a girl!"
Caleb's features turned ugly at the sight of the middle-aged woman. "Never seen no need to romance any girl. On account of they're all dirty; goes all the way back to Eve, she was foulness itself on being made from Adam's dirty rib that way. All men and women, in fact, they're filled with filth and despair, and why? Because they've yet to meet you. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen!"
The First Evil smiled behind its false face at the praise from its human right arm. And suddenly it changed into its true, deformed, transparent form; a huge demonic creature, with two horns on its head and glowing red eyes. Not to mention carnivorous teeth...just like Willow had glimpsed, not so long ago.
"I am thy humble servant," the ex-minister said, preparing himself for the experience.
The First's energy contracted into a ball of light and quickly entered Caleb, blasting through his physical form and causing him to fall to the ground. When the man finally got up again, his eyes were black and he said in a deep and inhuman voice, "And now, I'm ready to serve thee."
Guantanamo Bay United States Naval Base, Cuba. August 9, 2001
Joshua Cleburne leaned back in his chair, thinking for a second. He glanced at the calendar on his desk. Satisfied with what he saw, he leaned forward and picked up the phone. He dialed and waited for a response.
"Jackson, it's Josh. Yeah, everything's all right. Just wanted to call."
Cleburne looked out the window at the setting sun. "How's Mom and Dad? The old man still complaining about the dairy prices he's getting?"
Cleburne frowned as he listened. "So Dad told you about my call the other day. No, I haven't adopted a kid. Yes, I would tell you all if I did! Oh come on, Jackson, what adoption agency is going to place a child with an unmarried military officer, who's constantly going off overseas to serve his country?"
"Yeah, you know him, it's Irving. You know, the kid you meet every year during the holidays. Well, he's getting to the age where he's noticing the girls. You know, Dad said the same thing..." Cleburne replied testily. "No, Jackson, you have all girls. Speaking of which, does Lily still have her heart set on Annapolis? How are her grades? That good, huh - not bad at all. Yes, I plan to be home for Thanksgiving, assuming something insane doesn't happen before then..."
Joshua made small talk with his brother for a few minutes before saying, "Jackson, I was wondering if you could help me out. The Gamecocks are playing Georgia on September 8th. I know it's an away game, but I was wondering if you could rustle up some tickets? Good ones, I mean."
Cleburne listened for a few seconds. "Sideline, really? You can swing that? Just how big a contributor to USC are you?" There was a pause for a few seconds. "Listen Jackson, I'm thinking about buying some rental property in Roanoke, you interested?" Cleburne smiled.
"Good, good, I'll get the information for you and I'll give you a call next week about the tickets. What? How many? I'd say four."
UC Sunnydale campus, Sunnydale, California. August 10, 2001
Anthony opened the door. "Helen," he said in surprise. By this point he knew that she knew, and had been sure that she would never speak to him again.
"Hello, Anthony," she replied uncertainly. "Look, I've talked to that Buffy Summers girl, and she's filled me in on what really happened last weekend. And with everything I've learned...well, we need to talk."
Anthony held the door open as Helen entered his dorm room. But the poor man had no *idea* what sort of bombshell this woman was about to throw his way, regarding their recent experiences.
Hopkinsville, Kentucky. August 14, 2001
The clerk smiled at the soldier. "Thank you. I hope it sells quickly," she said as she took the piece of paper from him. The soldier thanked her and walked out of the newspaper office.
"That's the fifth one this week."
"What?" the clerk said in response to the declaration of the other clerk behind the counter.
"That's the fifth soldier this week from Fort Campbell wanting to place an ad in the paper to sell their car. It's only Tuesday, and we've already had five people wanting to sell their vehicle?" She sighed. "They only do that when they're being shipped overseas. They don't need a Honda there, they need tanks."
She looked at the window as the soldier drove away back towards the base, that was the home of the 101st Airmobile Division. "Something's brewing. A deployment overseas. And someone's about to have a whole bunch of paratroopers show up in their front yard."
Outside the Hyperion Hotel, Los Angeles, California. August 15, 2001
Darla was doing something odd for a vampire. She was waddling like a pregnant woman. Of course, that was because she was pregnant.
Nearly six months to the night after *it* had happened, Darla had finally arrived back in the City of Angels. That damned ocean voyage had dragged on interminably, delays coming from seemingly every direction after the ship had departed from Hong Kong; but now it was over. She was...home, for want of a better word.
She mentally prepared herself, she knew she had to do this. Still, the blonde woman was a little scared. Darla steeled herself and slowly went to the front doors, opening them and subsequently walking into the lobby.
Cordelia Chase was the first to spot the new arrival. Her jaw nearly dropped to the floor, "Wha..." she managed to splutter.
"Hello all. So, did you miss me?" Darla calmly asked the astonished Fang Gang now staring at her pregnant belly.
TBC...