Original of the Species 2B: The Mayor and the Saiyan: Wilkins Chapter Eleven, a Buffy: The Vampire Slayer + Dragon Ball Z Crossover fanfic

Chapter 11

'Midnight is where the day begins'

AN: Sorry for the delay in posting new chapters, but I had to dream a lot of it up as I went along, the story undergoing major changes and rewrites along the way. Including some stiff writers block. A big thanks to Shadow Master for exchanging ideas with me and helping me get back on the road. So I've managed to finish 3 chapters and an interlude. The downside is that most of them still need to be beta read (no pressure for you, DoWnEr). Now I had the choice to wait until he was finished and do what I've always down, publish them in series. Or satisfy some of you who have been pestering me for an update and publish this chapter and do the rest while poor DoWnEr finishes the remainder. I've chosen the latter.

I'm going to do something different for this chapter, and the next two ones. And that's excluding the fifth crossover I'm going to add. We've had DBZ, BtVS, SG-1, Eddingsverse and now I'm adding a little from Jack Vance's Lyonnesse trilogy, a long time favorite author of mine. As for what's different, you'll probably find out soon enough.

Lemon

U2 Album: Zooropa

Lyrics by Bono

Lemon, see through in the sunlight

She wore lemon, never in the daylight

She's gonna make you cry

She's gonna make you whisper and moan

But when you're dry, she draws water from the stone

I feel, like I'm slowly, slowly, slowly slippin' under

And I feel, like I'm holding on to nothing

She wore lemon, to color in the cold grey night

She had heaven, and she held on so tight

A man makes a picture, a moving picture

Through light projected he can see himself up close

A man captures color, a man likes to stare

He turns his money into light to look for her

And I feel, like I'm drifting, drifting, drifting from the shore

And I feel, like I'm swimming out to her

Midnight is where the day begins

Lemon, see through in the sublight

A man builds a city, with banks and cathedrals

A man melts the sand so he can see the world outside

Falsetto: You're gonna meet her there

A man makes a car

Falsetto: She's your destination

And builds a road to run them on

Falsetto: You gotta get to her

A man dreams of leaving

Falsetto: She's imagination

But he always stays behind

And these are the days, when our work has come asunder

And these are the days, when we look for something other

Midnight is where the day begins

A man makes a picture, a moving picture

Through light projected he can see himself up close

Falsetto: Gotta meet her there

A man captures color

Falsetto: She's your destination

A man likes to stare

Falsetto: There's no sleeping there

He turns his money into light

Falsetto: She's imagination

To look for her

Falsetto: Lemon

She is the dreamer

She's imagination

Falsetto: She had lemon

Through the light projected he can see himself up close

A chilling wind blew through the dimly lit New York streets as Menk'shenko ran for his life. The corpulent demon ran as fast as his short goat like legs allowed him for, like the devil itself was hot on his heels. And he should know, his wide girth aside he looked just like the spitting image of the fabled horned one of Christian and Judaic mythology. Down to his red skin and cloven feet

In what was essentially a human's world demons could measure their success in surviving by how they looked. With the more human they looked, the better their chances of adapting. Of course the reverse was also true. The more demon like their visage, the worse they tended to be off. Menk'shenko on the other hand had used this likeness to his advantage, for if he couldn't make a normal living he would rise to the top of the New York demon underworld instead. His word could make or break anybody in this town and aspiring politicians and businessmen literally sold their souls to him in exchange for his support.

And yet it was this same appearance which prevented him from ever setting foot in public places in plain sight of everybody. Even the lowliest demon who could pass for human could walk the streets in broad daylight. Or go out amongst the people at night for a good time. Go to Yankee Stadium to enjoy a hotdog and a baseball game, or go to Broadway to see a play. Menk'shenko could only leave his lair in a blinded car to a few select places where demons as conspicuous like him could go without questions being asked. And even there did he still raise a lot of eye brows.

Even though he basically controlled half of the city and parts of the state legislatures of New York and New Jersey, over time Menk'shenko had begun to loath how his appearance kept him secluded from the very world he felt was rightfully his. Why should he be the one that had to hide when he was the rightful master of half the city? Why should he be the one who was considered weird when it was all those ordinary humans who were lowlier then him?

At first he tried to use magic to change his guise. And for a while it worked and he felt great as he finally could finally walk the streets in broad daylight. Then to his horror the magic began to work less and less, until finally it stopped working altogether.

Menk'shenko then tried to use ever increasingly stronger magic, but that went the same way as every other magic spell or artifact he had used before. It was like he was genetically disposed to become immune against magic or something. In the end he gave up on magic all together and became a total recluse in his Bronx headquarters. If he wasn't going to be able to make it to the surface, then he was going to make the surface come to him. Other crime lords, businessmen, notables, politicians, they all had to make their pilgrimage to the Bronx and prostrate themselves before his throne to carry his favor.

One day, when yet another stupid human politician groveled before him to fulfill yet another stupid craving for power it suddenly dawned on him. If he couldn't go out because of all the people who would freak once they saw him, why not change it so there weren't any people?

That meant only one thing.

He had to bring forth the apocalypse.

Of course there were many ways to bring forth an apocalypse. And each brought forth a different kind with a different outcome. And while humanity drew the short straw in each case, it didn't automatically mean Menk'shenko would draw the largest one. The apocalypse had to be properly prepared for, to make sure it would be optimal. It had taken Menk'shenko a lot of research, a lot of money, a lot of favors in high places and a lot of care to make sure the apocalypse was going to be a good one. For him at least.

He was just days away when disaster struck. And it struck in the form of a hooded young man in a jogging suit, shooting blasts of deadly energy at his guards, mages and whatever else stood in his way. He cleaned out his Bronx headquarters and killed them all in less time then it took him to say 'holy shit!'.

Somehow during all the confusion Menk'shenko had made it outside. Or should he say, he was allowed to escape? Which led him to his current predicament. And also highly ironic in the sense that he now no longer feared going out in the streets, in being seen that is. Just of a certain someone.

As he ran for his life Menk'shenko occasionally glanced over his shoulder to see if the hooded man was still hot on his trail. He couldn't see him but he knew he was there. One of Menk'shenko's greatest talents was his keen instinct. He knew when a person was lying. Some demons or people could see this by spotting certain signs that lying people exhibited, he just knew. And his keen instinct just screamed that the hooded man was hot on his tail.

Like a the beacon of a shining lighthouse at sea the subway sign suddenly appeared out of nowhere and beckoned to him. Menk'shenko wasted no time making for the underground subway station. It was way past midnight so there would be few people, if any, but it was still a public place. There were also cameras there. And pay phones. At the moment he'd settle for anybody who could help him. Even the NYPD. Hell, he had enough friends in high places to cover up for him afterwards and they had plenty to lose if they let him die. It was common knowledge that Menk'shenko kept records on everybody to be released upon on his death. If he died him being seen in public was going to be the least of a lot of people's problems.

He ran up the stairs as fast as his goat like legs allowed for, then he made for the revolving doors that gave access to the platforms. Far more deftly then his corpulence seemingly allowed for he jumped over the revolving doors and ran onto the platforms. All the while he never encountered a living soul.

On the platform he saw a phone booth and ran for it. Opening the booth he stepped inside. But as he picked up the receiver he noticed the cord had been cut.

"God damn kids!" Menk'shenko muttered out loud in frustration. Bloody vandals! What the hell was this city coming through?

What was he going to do now? Then he noticed another phone booth on the other platform, across the tracks. Of all the rotten luck! He wanted to run back to the stairwell to make it to the other side, but for all he knew the hooded man was waiting there for him. He was about to do the unthinkable, jump onto the tracks, risk electrocution and climb his way to the other side when he couldn't believe his luck, a subway train suddenly arriving on his platform.

The subway train came to a screeching halt and its doors opened. Nobody stepped out but Menk'shenko wasted no time in getting aboard. Inside the cart he was in was empty. And as far as he could see in both directions the train was completely deserted as well. Standing in the door opening he eagerly waited for the doors to close while he kept a nervous eye on the stairwell.

To his horror the hooded man suddenly emerged from the stairwell, walking slowly onto the platform.

"Come on!" Menk'shenko said nervously as the hooded man, his face still covered by darkness, looked at him. Then the doors closed and the train began to move, taking him away from his hooded nemesis.

"Yes," Menk'shenko said elated as he felt relief come over him for the first time, "take that, you son-of-a-bitch!"

As the train left the station Menk'shenko, the red skinned demon, sat down in the empty cart and began to pant heavily. For now he felt safe enough to relax. Unless the hooded man knew how to fly.

A tremor suddenly rocked the back of the train, one that wasn't just a cart bumping on the tracks. one that set Menk'shenko back on edge. By the Dark Gods, please don't let that be the hooded man!

Menk'shenko got up and walked towards the back of his cart and looked through the window of the door that connected his cart to the last one. To his horror he saw the backdoor being ripped open and his nemesis enter.

By the Dark Gods! Was there nothing that could stop this guy?

Menk'shenko ran across his cart the other way to make it into the next cart. Once inside he looked backwards again. The hooded man slowly but steadily walked towards him, as he passed everything that was bolted inside the train cart was ripped loose and sent flying backwards in unseen vortices. Chairs were sent flying, rods were bent and windows broke wherever he passed, like his aura alone could rip apart the very fabric of existence.

"I don't want to die," Menk'shenko whimpered as he recoiled and turned around, making it to the next cart. And on the deadly chase went until Menk'shenko was in the final cart, or more exactly the first. Only the driver's cabin was still left and it was securely locked. It was the end of the line for him.

CRASH!

As Menk'shenko turned around he saw the hooded man standing at the other end of the cart, the cart's door behind him a twisted piece of metal.

"Whatever they are paying you, I'll pay double," Menk'shenko said in a desperate attempt to stave off certain death. The hooded man didn't respond. He just stood there. Then the train began to slow down, reaching the final stop on the line.

As it came to a screeching halt and the doors opened Menk'shenko again couldn't believe his luck. He looked at the hooded man and saw that he had disappeared. Cautiously he stepped out onto the empty platform. Where did he go? It could only mean he was still somewhere. All the more reason for him to get the hell out of Dodge City. He knew there lived a powerful mage close by that was on his payroll, the most powerful he had. Maybe he could protect him.

So Menk'shenko made for the exit of the subway station, running down the stairs through the small station hall and into the city again. Again there was no sign of the hooded man, and that worried Menk'shenko more then seeing him hot on his heels. Someone was playing a game with him. And being an expert at paying games with others he didn't relish being the object of a game himself.

But at least he was getting close to the mage. If only he could make it to Jake the Snake.

Jake the Snake could protect him. If anybody was going to stop the hooded man it had to be Jake the Snake, biggest and baddest chaos mage this side of the Hudson. Hell, of the whole Northeast!

He was only two blocks away when he ran into the hooded man again, standing there in the middle of the street, between him and the safety that Jake the Snake could provide.

"You!" Menk'shenko hissed as he stopped running. Damn, he was so close! He turned around and tried to run away but found the hooded man in his way again. And this time right in front of him.

"How…. How did you do…" Menk'shenko uttered.

Those were his last words as the hooded man raised his right arm and held his hand at a 90 degree angle in front of Menk'shenko's head. Then the world turned to black and his head exploded in a bright ball of blue fire

Another exciting day in the life of a pornstar, Madison thought once she slammed her front door behind her. Utterly exhausted after a hard days work she threw her keys on the counter of her kitchen, soon followed by her groceries. She took out her dinner for the evening, chicken pasta a la TV dinner, and put it into the microwave. Hitting the start button she let the thing nuke her meal and made for the living room.

Too tired to do anything else she fell down on the couch and grabbed the remote of her TV and switched it on.

"…and the governor of Texas managed to get most of the votes in this primary, further cementing his lead on his main Republican rivals. Senator Kane, despite extensive campaigning in the state came in second while Senator Kinsey only came in a distant third. Despite his candidate's poor showing the Kinsey campaign manager remained optimistic, saying it's still a long way to go to the Republican convention."

"In New York today the deputy mayor and several city councilors and officials have been brought into disrepute as a scandal erupted by revelations in today's New York Times. It turned out that several tapes and documents were delivered to the New York Times detailing extensive corruption, connections to organized crimes and other illicit affairs. In particular deputy-mayor Rollins is in trouble, as evidence links him to a sex slave ring, possibly even involving minors."

"To make matters worse for him the New York Times has announced it will publish further evidence tomorrow, with experts predicting that so far only the tip of the ice-berg has been revealed. Some rumors even go so far as to say the scandal could go all the way to the Mayor itself, or the state Senate in Albany."

"Local and state media are gearing up for what appears to be the biggest political scandal in living memory. So far the mayor has refused to comment on the accusations, except saying that he will not yet abandon support for his troubled deputy mayor, but that no stone will be left unturned to bring out the truth. "

"In other news…."

Madison reached for her remote again to switch channels. News just wasn't her thing. She switched channels until she hit a on a Seinfeld re-run.

"…so you could say she's a stickler for your tickler," Jerry said to George, then the both of them smiled and said jointly, "stickler tickler, stickler tickler, stickler tickler…."

As Jerry and George ducked it out on the screen Madison closed her eyes, let her head rest on the back of her sofa and sighed. God, it was a crazy day today. Some of these movies she shot were really weird. Some girls she knew loved them, and they got off on it. But she was always happy to get her pay check and go home afterwards. Probably why she wasn't one of the big names in porn. Just an average run-of-the-mill porn actress, who didn't even have her own internet site yet.

She should get one, though. The girl she had been working with today, Misty Night, she absolutely raved on about it, how it helped her to maintain contact with her fans, shooting exclusive content for her site and above all, helped her make more money. And you didn't even have to do all computer work yourself, you could hire some Caltech geek to do all the coding and layout for you, and even maintain it. Yup, she should get one, but right now she didn't feel like doing much of anything. She looked to the corner of her room where a few of Xander's belongings still stood.

Funny how you could get used to somebody so quickly, only to lose them so just as sudden and quick thereafter. It was her fault of course. It always was. She was never good for anything. She should have known that taking Xander along to her shoots was a terrible mistake. It just was…. For all of her life she had found herself hooked up to guys who either took advantage of her or abused her. Often both. For once in her life she wanted to have a Xander instead of a Mike.

He had told her his story, how he had found the love of his life and then brutally lost her as she ran away into a different dimension. Most people would have frowned on hearing that but not she. In her short and hard life she had not only gotten her bachelor degree from the University of Life, she'd gotten her master degree as well. She did human-demon porn, a.k.a. inter-species, for God sakes. What's inter-dimensional travel compared to that?

She wanted to help him on his quest to either contact his lost love or crossover to her. But the temptation to have Xander for herself was too great. Especially after she let him take control of cleaning up her apartment when they got back to LA, he was like a dream come true. She had thought that Mike was a nice guy too at first, although he quickly cured her of that notion. But even he was nothing like Xander had been. She had hoped that maybe if he would see what her life was that maybe he would want to be a part of it. She hadn't counted on the fact that maybe her life was so out of the ordinary, so fucked up that no sane person ever wanted to be a part of it.

It took Mike less then a month to reveal his true face. Or maybe it was because her job did something to him as well that sent him over the edge. It took Xander less then two days to crack and he literally went over the edge. It still was different though as Mike wanted to dominate her afterwards, spending most of the money she earned. Xander, well, he just couldn't take seeing her do the stuff she did for a living.

PING!

The bell of her microwave woke Madison up from her thoughts and she went to the kitchen to retrieve her dinner, pasta with chicken. She took out a plate and some cutlery and dumped the contents of her TV dinner on her plate. Then she went back to the living room and was about to sit on the sofa again when she noticed there was a message on her answering machine.

"You have one message," the machine droned and Madison pressed the play button.

"Hello Angela," a voice said, "It's me. I'll be coming home tomorrow."

As her finger no longer touched the answering machine her free hand moved towards her mouth and clasped her mouth. She sat down on the sofa, her dinner forgotten. The moment she'd dreaded for a long while had finally come.

"Further revelations today by the New York Times have caused a major political earthquake to happen in New York. We now go over to our New York correspondent, Bill Curtis."

The camera view shifted from the news anchor to a reporter in front of the New York City Hall.

"Hello, Bernard. Here in New York, what has become known as the City Hall Meltdown has moved way beyond meltdown. In a moving press conference earlier this day the Mayor of New York, himself in tears, said he has sacked Deputy Mayor Arthur Rollins after further publications today in the New York Times revealed Rollins did regularly attend forced sex parties with underage girls. Besides Rollins, three city councilors have now also resigned their seats on the city council and more are expected to follow as the New York Times has already announced that even more revelations are to follow."

The camera view now shifted from the reporter to a shot of the NYPD headquarters, where images of an ambulance were seen driving away.

"In a bizarre twist the New York Chief of Police was found dead today in his office. The NYPD still hasn't released an official statement, but unofficial sources inside the NYPD say Chief O'Hara was found with a gun in his hand having committed suicide. It's also rumored that Internal Affairs will be quite busy for the coming months as the political scandal that grips New York continues to spill over into other sections of the city's governance."

The camera POV shifted to that of Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange.

"The scandal has even reached into Wall Street, as the New York Times named twelve companies involved as well, ranging from insider trading, fraud, illegal cartel agreements and cooking the books. As a result trading on Wall Street has been nervous all day, the index dropping twenty points so far today."

The view point now returned to that of the reporter speaking into the camera.

"So far no revelations have been made about the mayor itself and political analysts think that if this continues the mayor will probably survive the political storm. Their combined ticket was rumored to have been one of convenience, with the mayor having needed the support of his former rival to clinch the ticket. If the mayor handles the crisis with the same fortitude and decisiveness with which he handled the clean up of New York's streets earlier in his career he may even come out stronger from this crisis. Even though there are already many critics who blame the mayor for allowing the situation to get so much out of hand in the first place. Of course the mayor is no stranger to controversy and is said by many, including most of his opponents, to actually thrive on conflict. For CNN News, this is Bill Curtis."

Click!

The TV was switched off and Lilah de Morgan put down the remote of the TV in her office in glee. Yes, it was shaping up to be a bright day indeed today at Wolfram & Heart. And it wasn't even noon yet in LA.

Then her phone rang.

"Hello?" she said smugly as she sat down in her chair behind her desk and picked up her phone, "Linwood… what a surprise… yes, I've seen the news….. I might have something to do with it….. yes… yes…. Oh, why thank you, Linwood… yes…. Are you sure?... that is a great honor, Linwood….. yes…. Of course I will…. I'll be there. Thank you! See you this evening."

Then Lilah hung up and leaned back contently as she swiveled her chair around while grinning from ear to ear. No sooner had she done so as the door to her office opened and who would walk in but her rival, Lindsey.

"All right," Lindsey said as he walked up to her desk and planted his hands on her desk so he could lean over, "I don't know how you did it but how did you manage it? First, Medvedev in Seattle, then Shiv'kala in Miami, now Menk'shenko in New York. For years we've been trying to get rid of Menk'shenko's bunch. And you take over the case and within a month the bastard's dead and his mob's in disrepute."

"What can I say?" Lilah smirked at her rival, "Unlike some others I know how to take advantage of an opportunity?"

"Ha ha," Lindsey sneered at her unimpressed, "now what I like to know is what opportunity you did manage to take advantage of?"

"Lindsey, Lindsey," Lilah said ruefully as she shook her head, "don't you know by now? A gentleman doesn't ask a lady certain things. Weren't you raised properly on that Midwestern farm of yours?"

Lindsey leaned over even further.

"You're no lady, Lilah," he said softly.

"But I am in Linwood's inner circle now," she said gleefully, "haven't you heard? Marcus is out. They're vacating his office as we speak. I hear it has the most gorgeous view. I'm sure I will come to enjoy it."

Lindsey let go of her desk and stepped back.

"You're on the board now?" he said aghast.

"And you're not," Lilah smirked. Lindsey shook his head dejected. Then his resolve face returned.

"It doesn't matter, Lilah," he said pointing at her, "I will get there as well. Who knows? I might even be the one who pulls the rug from underneath you. As you've said, Marcus' office does have one of the best views in the building."

"Be seeing you, Lindsey," Lilah said as she waved him goodbye. Shooting a quick glance of annoyance at his rival Lindsay left her soon to be ex-office. God it was a good day indeed. If only Lindsey knew. But of course, one of the first things you learned at Wolfram & Hart was that it was pointless to ask, as nobody would tell you how they did anything. You either learned how to do it as well, or you failed. And to think she all owed it all to an exceptional set of circumstances. It really was too bad it now came to an end.

Sighing she leaned over to her buzzer and buzzed her secretary.

"Mary, when my appointment comes, could you please send him in. And send for some lunch as well. Make it sushi for two."

A little later Lilah found herself sitting opposite the man that had made her new found rise to power possible. A being so powerful he was able to ruthlessly take on the defenses of Andrei Medvedev, the Russian master vampire who had ruled Seattle as his personal fiefdom with an iron fist. Who had personally killed Kurt Cobain and then made it look like suicide just for even hinting towards him on Nirvana's never to be released last album. Or the notorious Shiv'kala, the notorious Drakh demon who ruled Florida as his own personal kingdom, for whom even the powerful Cuban and Colombian mafia shat their pants. And of course Menk'shenko, the real power inside New York and the Tri-state area.

All of these were powerful demons, powerful enough to resist the power of Wolfram & Hart. Or whichever client was desperate enough to hire Wolfram & Hart to get rid of them. Powerful demons who, if not through sheer power of their own, then through the sheer numbers of talented people they surrounded themselves with, were able to either resist the power Wolfram & Hart could bring to bear or just not make it worthwhile to do so.

When Linwood had given Lilah the cases of these demons to take care of, it was more to set her up for failure. Like the three previous employees, who even now were being taken care of in Wolfram & Hart's private punishment dimension. Most likely Lindsey had something to do with it at the time, the conniving bastard being in Linwood's good graces at that time. Not that she could blame the bastard, she'd do it to him in a heartbeat too if their positions had been reversed.

As she studied the three case files, trying to come up with an answer that didn't involve ending up in Wolfram Hart's punishment dimension as well, fate, luck, or possibly even the Senior Partners dealt her a lucky break in the form of the assassin that now sat before her. It didn't hurt either that before her re-assignment she had worked in the Sunnydale section.

Since Los Angeles was so close to Sunnydale and its Hellmouth, Wolfram & Hart kept an eye on whatever went on there. After all, it was almost Wolfram & Hart's prime directive that you were free to cause whatever mayhem you wanted to do, but you better reconsider twice if it was an apocalypse you were after. As the only apocalypse that was going to happen to this planet was going to be Wolfram & Hart's. That was why they let Mayor Wilkins run the place for over a century now. The man was out to do many unspeakable things, but causing an apocalypse wasn't part of them.

In his zeal to draw in the worst and the most evil of vampires and demons he had created a place where anarchy reigned supreme. But with the kinds of evil being lured to his Hellmouth it was exactly the very kind of anarchy that could produce an unwanted apocalypse. In the end Wolfram & Hart presented Wilkins with an ultimatum. Either curtail the anarchy and keep some form of order, or Wolfram & Hart would do it for him. And put somebody in charge afterwards who knew how to run a tight ship.

Unfortunately Wilkins was unable to act directly against the demons he so eagerly had brought to his town as he needed them for his own nefarious purposes.. But he didn't dare to stand up to Wolfram & Hart either. He almost made it to the persona non grata list when he came up with a radical solution. Why not nudge the Watcher's Council of Britain into sending a Slayer to Sunnydale and let them do the dirty work for them?

It was bold, it was innovative, and it got Wolfram & Hart off his case. And so it happened that the then current Slayer was nudged towards Sunnydale. The Council was tricked into sending a Watcher, while Wolfram & Hart let it be known to a certain Joyce Summers that a suitable art gallery just happened to be available in Sunnydale and that the place offered so much stimulating opportunities for the troublesome daughter she was raising.

As the Slayer proved both cunning and resourceful enough to put down the lid on the Sunnydale cauldron, Wolfram & Hart's Sunnydale section could wind down until only a small staff was left, the fast track to career oblivion. Then new stories began to filter down from the place. A new power was rising on the Hellmouth and the Slayer was part of it. A new power for good instead of evil. Stories about how the law had been laid down by the Slayer and stories of an alien of unspeakable power began to be told. And the order of Taraka was one of the first to feel the impact.

In its long history the mystical assassin's order had faced many opponents, and while they had suffered many setbacks they had never given up on anybody or anything. No matter how much or how many assassins it took, the order of Taraka always got its mark. But last year they had taken an order against the Sunnydale Slayer and for the first time they had failed. Not only that, they were absolutely terrified. Saying that no price on Earth was worth taking on the Golden One and that was all they were going to say on the matter.

After that the Sunnydale section grew again and the vast repository of company prophecies was consulted, searching for any mention of a Golden One. Not much was learned other then that the Gypsies were rumored to have legends about the Golden Ones. But they were a notoriously tight lipped bunch, not easy to persuade and infamously dangerous if you ever tried to double cross them. The Sunnydale section turned a few other prophecies regarding the Golden Ones, but little sense was made of them. There had been reports by the LAPD and SFPD of a serial killer called the Golden Angel, who had brutally murdered various street lowlife and crime bosses who were so heinous they made most demons look tame by comparison.

Plenty of work hitting the files as it were. Even Lilah spent an assignment there until it was determined that whatever was going on in there, while crazy enough to raise many a hair, it didn't really impact Wolfram & Hart's long-term plans. Nor was it interfering with its short term plans either. There were even some rumors in the section that the alien was in contact with senior management, as some of the section's staff were suddenly re-assigned to a taskforce devoted exclusively to finding some supposedly crazed evil scientist from Asia.

So when Lilah suddenly found herself re-assigned to her current dead end position and came in for work one day through the lobby, she couldn't believe her luck when one of the objects of her study was standing there right next to the reception. She wasted no time in making its acquaintance. After all, the vampiress Drusilla had spent nearly a year in Sunnydale and was even now making quite a name for herself in South America, showcasing many unique fighting abilities. Those were abilities Lilah could use. An engineer once said, 'Give me a lever big enough and I can move the world.' Same goes with leverage. The right kind of leverage could move the world and if she could provide their new client with the right leverage, there was a chance she could evade ending up in Wolfram & Harts punishment dimension.

And as it so happened she did have the right kind of leverage.

"Some more sushi?" Lilah said as she lifted the lid of the sushi tray and held it out towards the man who had killed three powerful demons and many of their retinue.

"No thank you," Xander said as he held up his hand, "I've had enough."

He hadn't really, but whenever he met his Wolfram & Hart contact she always gave him a major wigfest. Now most lawyers felt, well, slimy? But Wolfram & Hart's took the cake. Most demons he had met felt more human then they did and Lilah de Morgan in particular. She had pure naked ambition written all over her. Hell, he'd rather have naked cowboy dude shove his dick down his throat and pee all over him and that said something.

The day he arrived at the reception desk at Wolfram & Hart, before they could refer him on, she stepped in and took him to her office. He didn't even have to wave his card Xichulub had signed in front of her, as she recognized him as one Alexander Lavelle Harris from Sunnyhell, California, high charged do-gooder.

Impressed at first he let himself be guided towards her office where she asked him what she could do for him. Wolfram & Hart wasn't his first point of investigation in Los Angeles but all the others had come up empty. While dimensional travel seemed more common then he realized, travel or contact to alternate realities was virtually unheard off. So it was with heaviness in his heart and some amount of trepidation that he finally went to Wolfram & Hart.

When the kid had told Lilah what he wanted of them she had to think hard and fast. Inter-dimensional travel for Wolfram & Hart was almost as common as hopping on an airplane. And generally safer as well. But realities and alternate realities in particular were extremely hard. Next to impossible really. There were rumors of the US Air Force having an alien artifact in its possession that could do it. But the same rumor also said it also killed whoever used it. In the end Lilah rejected the option as it meant risking confrontation between Wolfram & Hart and the US government. Something the firm didn't want and which would mean certain punishment dimension for her as well.

There was an alternative though.

One that meant more gain for Lilah as well. One that had led to their current little face off.

As Lilah faced Xander she had put on her most sexy outfit, high heels, short skirt and a top strategically unbuttoned in the right places. It probably wouldn't help, reports had it the kid was living with a porn actress, no way could you top that. Still, an attempt had to be made. If there was a chance she could keep this Xander for future use, however slim, then it was worth it. After all, he was powerful enough to whack three powerful demons.

Never let it be said afterwards that Lilah had no zeal for the company but eventually Xander grew tired of Lilah's stalling and attempts to smooch up to him.

"Look," he said resolutely as he sat up, "I did your dirty work. You wanted me to kill three demons. They're dead. Now I demand payment! To quote from the guy who's probably your patron saint, 'quid pro quo'!"

Lilah sighed. It was as she feared, she wasn't going to count on his services in the nearby future. Still, there was no sense in burning all her bridges. Satisfied customers were always likely to come back at some point.

Lilah reached into her desk and took out a file map which she gave to Xander.

"His name is Shimrod," she said as Xander opened the file, "barring certain Elder Gods, the Old Ones, possibly the Ancients or the supreme vengeance demon himself he's the only person on the planet who can do what you ask. He's the foremost expert on inter-dimensional and space/time travel. He lives a very secluded life and doesn't see much visitors, but I've contacted him and he's interested in your case. He will help you if you perform a little task for him."

Xander put down the file on the table and looked Lilah in the eyes.

"What? Again? What kind of trickery is this, Lilah?" he said angry, "First you make me do your dirty work, now I have to do it all over again?"

"It's not what you think," Lilah said quickly as she tried to allay his anger, "firstly, he doesn't want you to kill anyone. Well, not in a strict sense that is. And secondly, well, we can't be held responsible for what he wants you to do. The deal was for us to refer you onto him. We did that now, remember? He will see you. You now have a name and an appointment."

Xander leaned back in his chair and began to sulk.

"It never ends," he said dejected, "So, what does he want in return?"

"I'm not sure," Lilah said as she took a paper from the file map and gave it to Xander, "he says that in order to do what you want him to do he needs something. He needs you to find a magical artifact."

"It never ends," Xander said even more dejected, "now I have to find some guy's Holy Grail before I can see him."

"No," Lilah said shaking her head, "he'll see you right away. Just follow the instructions in there. He'll tell you what to do in person. It would seem he doesn't, um, quite trust us."

Xander let out a loud snort and gave Lilah a raised eyebrow.

"Gee! I wonder why?"

Ever since she'd gotten Xander's phone call Madison had been feeling messed up. That evening she had hardly slept, passing on the invitation of a few industry friends of her to go out with them. She didn't think she had a lot of them but over the past weeks it turned out she had more of them then she thought she had. The porn industry could be a pretty tight knit group. As a subculture more or less frowned upon by general society, it was to each other that many in the business turned for support, or love. And with the number of people with screwed up backgrounds more then above average many were attuned to signs of one of their own in trouble.

And what greater sign then her supposedly new boy friend taking a swan's dive near the Max Hardcore place?

After that her phone seemingly never stopped ringing for a while. That had been three weeks ago. She had spurned every invitation or concerned visitor and kept to herself for two weeks, after which she had begun working again. She hadn't said a word as to what had happened exactly, which again worried a lot of people. But what she lacked in explanations she made up for by doing a lot of work, doing two, sometimes three scenes a day. Which sort of put people at ease, thinking she was trying to bury herself in work to deal with it.

Little did they know…..

A key was suddenly inserted in her door and the lock was turned. Then it swung open and Xander walked in. As he did he saw she had been waiting for him, sitting on a chair with what remained of his stuff packed in front of her.

"Xander," she said as she acknowledged his arrival.

"Angela," Xander said as he acknowledged her presence.

"Did you get what you wanted?" she asked him as he closed the door behind him.

"Well I got something," Xander said shaking his head, "the guy who coined the phrase that 'he who eats with the devil should use a very long spoon' should have included Wolfram & Hart as well. I feel dirty. Every time I go there I feel like taking a shower with industrial grade soap."

"But did you get what you wanted?" she asked him again and Xander took out an envelope from his jacket.

"This is supposed to tell me how to get to the Wizard of Oz so that he can help me," he said and for the umpteenth time he examined the closed envelope.

"So, does this mean you won't come back?" she asked hesitantly.

"Probably not," Xander replied and pointed to his packed belongings, "are those the last of my stuff?"

"They are," she said sullenly. Xander nodded and bit his lip

"Then I guess this is our last goodbye, Angela," he said.

(Flashback to three weeks ago)

Naked Madison ran out of the house after Xander, followed by a guy of the camera crew.

"Xander, no!" she yelled but he just plowed on like he didn't hear her, going inevitably towards the railing that protected people from the 300 feet drop down below.

He had done the unthinkable, the one thing she had pegged him he would never, ever, do to her, unlike all her other boyfriends. He had hit her. In that one moment everything seemed to change as she fell back in her old role of the cowering woman while the men in her life beat her.

It only stayed with one blow though as Xander turned away from her with a strange look in his face and walked away. And it was at that moment she realized he knew he had gone too far.

She had run after him, shouting his name but he just went on like she wasn't there. As he climbed the railing she hoped he would fly away, like she had seen him do during his fight in Cleveland. Great was her horror when he let himself fall into the deep.

"XANDER!" she yelled horrified as she reached the railing and looked down. She had hoped to see nothing. That he had flown away at the last second. Instead, to her horror, she saw his crumpled body lying below on a street. An arm and a leg were completely bent out of shape and could only be broken. And even from up high she could see his blood begin to flow.

"Whoa, dude!" the camera crew guy exclaimed as he looked below beside her, "Not cool!"

Madison was the first to come out of her revelry as she turned towards camera crew guy and hit him on the shoulder.

"For God sakes," she yelled, "call an ambulance!"

Camera crew guy looked at her, not certain what to do.

"What for, lady?" he said pointing down the cliff, "There's no way that dude survived that kind of fall. He's like splattered in a bagillion pieces and stuff!"

That was the wrong thing to say as everything Madison felt now turned against the poor luckless guy in front of her.

"Call! A! Fuck! Ing! Am! Bu!-Lance! Stu! Pid!" she screamed as she began to pound him with everything she had with each syllable.

"Alright, alright," camera crew guy muttered aggrieved as he reached for his cell phone, "no need to hit me, you crazy chick!"

She didn't hear the last part as she was already racing back towards the house. If she had her keys with her right there and then she would have driven down naked to where Xander was, but now her car keys were inside with her clothes. As she went inside she met her male actor, the one Xander had knocked aside like he was nothing. And truth be told, there were a few girls she had talked too who secretly wished something like that would happen to him, the arrogant S.O.B. Star of his own line of movies where he liked to abuse and degrade women during sex.

"Where is he?" the asshole roared with anger, "I'm going to kick his ass! You better make sure I don't get my hands on him or he'll be sorry!"

"Oh, stuff it," she said unimpressed as she tried to pass him for the stairs. Angry at being snubbed he reached for her hand and grabbed her.

"Don't you walk away from me, you whore," he said angrily, "your boyfriend assaulted me! In my own house! I'll make sure you'll never work…."

KICK!

"…Uuughhh," the asshole uttered as he doubled up and cringed in pain as she kicked him with everything she had in his family jewels.

"I quit!" Madison said as she stomped up the stairs, "You can keep your money! Consider this my resignation!"

As the asshole cringed on the floor Madison raced to the dressing room and got dressed as quickly as possible before racing down the stars again. By the time she managed to get in her car and drive all the way down to where Xander had fallen, the police and an ambulance had already arrived on the scene and the paramedics were lifting him on a stretcher.

"Look miss, I can't let you pass, you'll have to stay with the other onlookers," a police officer said as he stopped her from getting to close to the scene.

""He's my boyfriend," she said, desperate to get near him, I've got to see him!"

"You can't, Miss," the police officer said shaking his head, "let the paramedics do their work."

Madison looked at the police officer's face.

"He's still alive?" she asked hopeful.

"The silly bugger should have been death by all accounts but he's still alive," the police officer said, still amazed by what he had heard, "they're doing what they can, miss."

Behind them the paramedics loaded the stretcher into the ambulance.

"Where're they taking him?" she asked.

"Sacred Heart hospital."

The wait in the waiting room was the longest wait of her life but eventually a doctor came through the doors into the waiting room, right towards her.

"Are you the girlfriend?" he asked.

"I am," she said. It was a lie of course. During the long wait in the hospital Madison had had plenty of time to think about things and realize that no matter what she may have liked, Xander wasn't going to be her boyfriend. Still, to say otherwise meant she might not be permitted to stay or even see Xander.

"How is he?"

"Let's sit," the doctor said and gestured for the both of them to sit, "we've been at him for hours and we've managed to stabilize his condition."

"So he's going to live?" she said relieved as she put her hands together in front of her mouth.

"That depends on how you define living," the curly haired doctor said cautionary, "Let's just say he has suffered so much trauma that by all accounts he should have been dead. It really is a miracle he's still not pushing up daisies. There's still a very high chance he may die in the next 24 hours. In fact I would be very much surprised if he made it through the night."

"No," she gasped and began to cry for a moment, then she looked up again, "can I see him?"

"Come," the doctor said as he stood up and gestured her to follow. He led her trough the doors of the intensive care to a special room where she found Xander lying in a bed, hooked up to various machines that kept him alive. His head was covered in a metal device that kept it immobile, both his left leg and his right arm were encased in a preliminary cast and a medical corset held his torso together.

"Poor Xander," she said mournfully as she moved by his side and gently began to stroke his cheek.

"We've yet to apply a final cast for his broken arm and leg," the doctor explained, "to be honest he suffered so much internal and head injuries we were forced to concentrate on those first."

The doctor began to list of the various injuries they had to fix but Madison just blocked it out as she gently stroked his face, tears rolling down her own.

"While he did suffer more head injury then I would like, in a sense he was lucky that he landed on his back," the doctor continued, "had he landed on the head we wouldn't be even standing here, we would be making funeral arrangements."

The doctor took a deep sigh and put his hands in his white coat.

"Of course luck is relative when your spine is shattered and at best the only thing you'll ever move again is your eyes,"

"Can I stay?" Madison asked as she turned towards the doctor, but he shook no.

"You can stay for a little longer but its better if you leave for the night. There could be complications and you'd only get in the way. But we have some excellent guest accommodations where you could stay for the night where we will call you if anything were to happen."

"That will be fine," Madison replied as she turned to Xander again.

"I'll send for a nurse so she can make arrangements," the doctor said and turned around so he could leave her, but at the last second he turned around for a moment, "Although it may not be a bad idea if you were to go home first. Pardon me for saying, miss, but you look like hell yourself."

"What do you mean?" Madison asked but the doctor looked uncomfortable, like he was biting down something better left unsaid.

"Hmmmmmmmmm, better I don't," he said as he walked backwards to the door, "I'm trying to cut down on my sarcasm and some things are just an open invitation."

Excusing himself the doctor left. Since there was a mirror and a sink at the other end of the room Madison walked over to it so she could check herself.

"Ooh," she muttered as she had her first look of herself in half a day. She still wore most of the make up of her shoot and it had badly smudged her face after what the asshole had done to her. Coupled to a bruise she had on her cheek from where Xander had hit her what the hell did people think of her when they saw her here? Hell, she even still wore the fishnet stockings she had worn on the shoot.

Leaving Xander she returned home to freshen up and then she went back to the hospital.

During the night Madison could hardly sleep as a mixture of guilt and worry went through her mind. Constantly dreading the moment the phone in the room the hospital had provided for her would ring. Yet by the time the sun rose on a new day his condition had somehow stabilized enough for Xander to be declared off the medical version of Defcon 1 down to Defcon 2. He still wasn't out of the clear though, far from it. As the physicians told Madison he was out of immediate danger, they told her a different horror story.

"Now that your friend has stabilized enough we finally have a chance to sit back and appraise his situation," a new doctor, an older doctor, said to Madison, who was sitting next to Xander again, "And while it's a miracle he has survived things do not look good. We think there's a very distinct chance he may never recover,"

"What do you mean?" she asked and the doctor went to a light box so he could illuminate a set of x-rays of Xander's head.

"Even though the patient suffered less severe trauma to the head then to his back there were some injuries that now appear to be threatening, especially in the long term. We now think that even if the patient were to come out of the coma he's currently in there might not be much of him left to take notice. He could end up living in a vegetative state for the remainder of his life."

For a moment the world spun around for Madison and the sound of the doctor droning on became a blur to her.

"…Miss? Miss?" the doctor asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"I… I'm sorry," Madison replied absentmindedly, "it suddenly became too much."

"Do you need some time?" a second doctor, the frizzy haired one asked concerned, but she waved dismissively.

"It's okay," she said dismissively, "please go on."

The two doctors looked at each other for a moment before turning their heads to her again.

"We're sorry to have to ask this of you, Miss Lane," the older one said, "but we have to know, how well do you know your boyfriend? Does he have a will or has he ever told you what has to be done in case of an emergency? And do you happen to know where we might contact his family?"

It suddenly dawned on her. They were asking her what to do with Xander in case of an emergency. Or better said, they were asking her how to get into contact with the people who legally could. Even if she were his real girlfriend she'd still have no legal rights to decide to keep Xander alive or not. His parents on the other hand….

Xander had told her about his parents. During their first nights at her place they talked about a lot of things. He wouldn't talk much about the girl he was after, but he did talk about how crappy his parents had been. And considering what he had told her they could very well decide to pull the plug on him to save on the medical bill.

"His parents are dead," she said deadpan, "he's got no other relatives. I was the only person he had in his life."

"I see," the older doctor nodded, "you must understand then, the law requires that when a patient has a condition like his we have to ask what we have to do in case of an emergency. Should we struggle to save his life or allow him to die?"

"Save him," she said without hesitation, "I want you to keep him alive!"

SLAM!

With a loud bang Madison slammed the door to her apartment shut. She dumped her bag on the couch where Xander had spent the previous nights and went to her bedroom. Inside she closed the door behind her and knelt in front of her dresser. Next she opened the bottom drawer of her dresser and took out a small booklet covered in dried blood.

Her hands trembled as she slowly opened it. It was the last reminder she had of a life she'd sworn she'd never look back too. Inside there were names. And phone numbers. Chances were most of them were dead. Or long gone. But what the hell, what did she have to lose?

As she drove her car through the old neighborhood it struck her how much the place was still the same. Oh, most of the faces lining the street were different but the place was still the same. The sidewalks were still lined with women dressed in sexy clothing but looking anything but sexy.

She drove a little until she slammed the brakes and halted the car. Of all the people….

The girl she had seen walked up to her as she rolled down her passenger side window.

"Hey there stranger, looking for a …" the hooker said, then she stopped in surprise as she saw that the driver wasn't a man but a woman instead, "Now there's something you don't see everyday. Are you looking for a date for your boyfriend, honey, or are you looking for a good time yourself?"

The hooker looked really bad. She was probably not much older then Madison yet she looked almost twelve years older. And she hadn't aged like a fine wine either.

"Doris, do you recognize me?" Madison asked, her voice trembling as her heart was pounding in her chest.

"No, can't say I do," the prostitute said, then she began to look suspicious, "you're not some cop are ya?"

Madison leaned forward until she almost stuck out of the window.

"Doris, it's me, Angela. Don't you remember me?"

The prostitute shook her head in confusion.

"I don't know any Angela," she said wearily as she recoiled from the car.

"Doris," Madison said imploringly as she pointed towards herself, "don't you remember? I used to work here with you. Don't you remember? We used to be friends! I used to sing you to sleep, remember?"

"Look lady, with your fancy car and your fancy clothes," the prostitute said as she took another step backwards, "I don't know you, and I don't know what the hell you're talking about. If you're not looking for a good time, then you're wasting my time."

The hooker walked away but Madison wasn't giving up so quickly as she stuck her head from the car window. Then she sang.

"It's cold outside, it gets so hot in here

And the boys and girls collide

To the music in their ears

I hear the children crying

And I know its time to go

I hear the children crying

Take me home

A painted face, and I know we haven't long

We thought that we had the answers

It was the questions we had wrong

I hear the children crying

And I know its time to go

I hear the children crying

Take me home."

The prostitute stopped cold and began to tremble as she slowly turned around.

"Ange?" she said softly, her voice trembling, "Is that really you?"

"Doris, come here," Madison said, a tear running down her eye as she held out her arms. Then Doris ran back and embraced the part of Madison that was sticking out of the car window.

"God, Doris, look at you," Madison said after the two girls had embraced and let go again, "What the hell happened to you?"

"The streets happened, Ange," Doris replied, sounding resigned to her fate, then she caressed Madison's cheek, "I didn't make it, Ange. I'm not like you. I never was like you. You got out, I didn't."

Seeing her former friend, still a street prostitute hooked on drugs, Madison suddenly felt like she hadn't escaped much either. Oh, maybe she had escaped the streets. But she basically just went up a level of the sex industry. Instead of having sex with anonymous guys in their cars she now did it on video. And maybe she had it a little better then her old friend Doris, she was still a slave to making money the only way she knew. She had no qualifications, no diplomas, nothing. Hell, if the studios were to stop hiring her once she got older she stood a real chance of ending up a whore again.

"How's life?" she asked, not feeling much of the success story her friend now thought she was.

"Oh, it's not bad," Doris smiled as she reached out to straighten her hair, "while some things never change, they're at least nowhere near as bad as they used to be. It's certainly way better then when Carlos was still around."

Madison looked downcast as she remembered Carlos. She hadn't thought about him in months, nor the gruesome way he had died. Then she looked upwards and took Doris' hand.

"Doris, I need your help," she said, "I need to find Jimmy."

Doris almost recoiled.

"Why do you need Jimmy for, Ange?" she asked in a mixture of surprise and revulsion, "you made it out of here. Nobody goes to see Jimmy, not unless they have too."

"Well, I need him," Madison said resolutely, "a friend of mine has had a terrible accident. And Jimmy's the only one who can help."

Doris gave her friend a pitiful look, then she sighed and leaned forward.

"Jimmy now lives at the old factory on Thorogood drive," Doris said, then she smiled gently, "Godspeed Angela. It was good to see you again. Or hear you sing again. Now get the hell outta here and for the love of God, never come back here again. Ever!"

Then Doris turned around and walked away on her clear 6" stripper heels.

"Wait," Madison called out, "Doris, don't you want to get away from here as well? Come! Just get in my car and we'll drive away!"

Doris stopped, turned her head around and smiled. Then she briefly glanced across the street where a guy leaning in a porch looked at the two women with keen interest.

"Carlos may be gone Ange, but things don't change much around here. And so far the Golden Angel hasn't returned."

And with that Doris walked away, to another car that slowed down towards her.

"Hello?" Madison called as she walked anxiously through the old factory building on Thorogood Drive, "Jimmy? Are you here?"

At first there was no reply, which gave her even more the creeps as the place was nearly pitch dark. Then a voice spoke almost directly in her ear.

"Hello Angela, long time no see."

She nearly shit her pants.

"Christ, Jimmy, why the theatrics," she said as she clutched between her bosom, "can't you do anything normal?"

Behind her she could see the faint outline of a man-shaped person.

"Nobody ever comes to see me for fun," the voice said in a bitter tone, "it can get quite boring."

"I wonder why," Madison snorted, but Jimmy wasn't impressed.

"Quit the bitching, Angela, you didn't come here for fun. Word on the street had it you left after Carlos got killed. You've moved up town. There's no way you'd drop by just for old times sake. You need the help of your old pal Jimmy. Are you sick or something? Please don't tell me you got AIDS or HIV? That shit tastes horrible."

"No, no disease," Madison said, "it's not for me. A friend of mine has had an accident."

"You're coming all the way here to help a friend?" Jimmy said, sounding very touched, "I have to say, I'm moved, Angela. Or should I say, Madison Lane?"

Madison gasped and put her hand on her mouth.

"How…., did you know?" she asked wearily.

"Geez, Ange," Jimmy sighed in disgust, "you make porn flicks these days. People do tend to watch them, you know. Or did you really think you could get away with it and have nobody ever recognize you?"

"I, uh, um," Madison stuttered. It did seem silly in hindsight.

"Especially since you're one of the few girls that does interspecies," Jimmy continued, sounding quite pleased with himself, "probably half of all the demons in the greater LA basin are fapping themselves silly to your DVD's, Ange. Myself included. So what's your friend's problem?"

"He's in a coma," she said, finding it hard to talk to Jimmy in this complete darkness. Which he preferred for understandable reasons, "he fell of a cliff. The doctors say he's lucky to be alive but that he's going to be… "

"….a vegetable?" Jimmy grinned in the dark, "I can see where that might be a problem. Not for him though, I'm fairly certain the comatose don't notice it. Sucks to be a relative though. Or a friend. Or a lover….."

Somehow Jimmy managed to make the word lover sound vile and repulsive.

"I'm all he's got, Jimmy," Madison said vehemently, "I told them I was his girlfriend and that his parents are dead. But once they find out I'm lying they're going to call his parents. And they're bastards. They'll pull the plug on him and let him die."

"So you need your old sugerdaddy Jimmy to give him a visit, huh," Jimmy said positively smug, "he's not that asshole Mike, is he?"

"No," Madison said as she rolled her eyes, as long as she lived nobody was ever going to let her forget that she once made her Mike shaped mistake, "Mike's in some hospital in the East. And as far as I'm concerned he can rot there for all I care."

"Good for you," Jimmy said approvingly, "wait a sec, falling of a cliff, is he the guy that kicked Max Hardcore in the nuts?"

"How on earth do you know all these things?" Madison exclaimed. In response Jimmy let out a loud sigh.

"Angela, oh Angela, this is the 21st century we live in. How can you work in the business that revolutionized the internet long before the rise and fall of the and not pick up that it's also the greatest rumor mill on the planet?"

"Well?" Madison said.

"Well what?" Jimmy said in return.

"Well, can you help him?"

"Of course I can," Jimmy said smugly, "my kind can fix almost anything as long as it's not mental. But you know what I want in return, right?"

A slimy hand suddenly stroked Madison's face and moved down to her boobs.

"I must say, Angela, the first time I saw your new chest I nearly sprayed all over my laptop," Jimmy said lecherously.

"I'll do whatever you want," Madison said resolutely as Jimmy continued to feel her boobs up. Jimmy was, well, nobody knew what kind of demon he really was. All that they really knew was that he could eat disease or injuries and make people better. You could go to him and he would take away whatever troubled you. It should have meant his services were in high demand. He could have been rich.

Unfortunately for Jimmy there was one person Jimmy couldn't heal, himself. They said he suffered from a strange skin disease that made lepers look like miss universe contenders. His skin oozed pus from many open sores and he flaked skin like a cat or dog shed hair. Rumor had it was some kind of punishment for bothering a female wizard or a witch. It didn't kill him, no bits fell off or something like that. He just stank to high heaven, flaked skin and oozed pus. This meant you had to be pretty desperate to seek Jimmy's help. Criminals often used him because it meant not showing up in all sorts of pesky hospital records. And pimps used him to heal their girls from various STD's and other injuries. Since he was also horny as hell it meant the girls had to pay him in kind. Doris wasn't kidding that nobody went to see Jimmy if they couldn't help it.

"Do what you want with me," Madison said as she felt Jimmy's disgusting tongue in her neck and she moved her head to give him better access, "I'll do anything if you heal him."

"Anything?" Jimmy said in a tone like he was a kid who had just been given the keys to the candy store and told to pig out.

"Anything!" Madison repeated as she closed her eyes and shuddered..

"Hmm," Jimmy said appreciatively as Madison felt another slimy hand on her boobs, "there was this scene from Demon in the Ass 5 that's my favorite….."

The first thing Xander noticed when he opened his eye was that he wasn't dead. Unless being dead meant lying in some hospital bed hooked up to all sorts of medical machinery. And while it was tempting to think that his own personal hell may look like the video clip of Metallica's One, chances were more that he was still alive.

Xander tried to move his right hand but to his surprise he found it was encased in plaster.

"Okay, this is now officially wigfest 2000," he tried to say but nothing but a gargling noise came out, as his mouth struggled to talk with several tubes going down the hatch. Almost instinctively Xander moved his left hand and found it was tangled in wires, from a buzzer strapped around his left index finger to sensors around his wrist and an IV drip going into his arms.

"What the…, Xander tried to mutter, if it weren't for the damn tube down his throat.

Okay, relax, Xander, so you're in a hospital, hooked up to stuff, yet you feel fine. Another cheap shot dealt to you by your pesky neighborly fate. You've had stranger shit happen to you, remember? You grew up on a Hellmouth for God sakes. After that, what's waking up in a strange hospital to the likes of you? Just think! First things first. Unhook yourself.

Since it was a bit hard to unhook yourself with only one hand Xander flexed his right hand and balled it into a fist. The plaster shattered, showering the room with pieces of plaster and dust. Next he flexed his right elbow and shattered the remainder of his cast. With his arm finally free he reached for the tubes in his mouth and began to yank them out. God it felt good to move his jaw about, or just have a swallow without a foreign object in his mouth.

Next on the agenda were the things on his left arm. Out came the IV, off came the buzzer and last came the sensors. Which naturally caused the alarm to go off. Then Xander tried to sit up right and found he had a metal device holding his head rigid and he was laced up in bandages and a medical corset.

"The fun never stops," Xander muttered annoyed as he began to rip at his latest medical discovery. He was almost finished when a pink dressed Hispanic nurse stormed in the room.

"What's going on?" the nurse said flabbergasted as she saw the patient everybody had pegged as the next vegetable for the hospital's collection sit up straight and trying to unhook himself.

"You can't do that!" she gasped as Xander tore loose his medical corset and looked at her.

"Lady, wild horses couldn't keep me here even if I wanted too," he said determined.

"I'm getting the doctor," the nurse said and turned around to get the attending physician.

"You do that," Xander said as he hammered the cast on his left leg. Now completely free Xander hopped off the bed and stood on his two legs and looked into a mirror. He still wore bandages on his head, but they could wait. It was time for him to get out of this damn hospital gown. Xander reached behind him to untie his gown. When he did he suddenly felt something.

"Aw crap," Xander muttered aghast.

Outside in the corridor the nurse was practically screaming and kicking trying to convince the attending doctor to come with her to the room where the cliff diver patient was being kept.

"I told you, he's really up!" she said, a bit desperate that the doctor refused to believe her.

"Look," the frizzy haired doctor said, not really believing one word of what the nurse was saying, "I know, we've all seen the move Awakenings and, yes, it is tempting to think that people can wake up from a coma. But even you should know that when a patient tries to break the Olympic record for diving into concrete the chances of him even raising an eyelid to communicate with are so infinitesimal they make the likelihood of me and my progeny bearing harpy ever getting together again look…."

Doctor Cox's mouth hit the floor as he and nurse Espinoza walked into the patient's room and found it empty. He could have chalked it up to somebody moving the patient if it weren't for the glaring life support alarm, the ripped off medical corset and bandages, broken cast plaster and a thrown away hospital gown lying on the floor.

Even after having taken three showers upon coming home, another one after returning from the hospital and one more before going to bed Madison still felt dirty when she woke up. She skipped breakfast and went straight for the shower again, scrubbing extra hard wherever Jimmy had touched her. Going even so far as to take another enema as well.

Feeling not much cleaner afterwards Madison left the bathroom and went into the living room. There she suddenly found Xander sitting naked on the couch as he rummaged through his carrier bag.

"Xander!" she gasped surprised as the teen looked up at her, wearing his awkward face.

"Oops," Xander said sheepishly as he yanked his bag on top of his lap, "talk about being awkward."

"XANDER!" Madison shrieked, her voice going up an octave as she threw herself around his neck, "you're alive! And well again! I was so worried! I…."

"Uh, Madison," Xander said awkwardly as her boobs pressed into his face, "could you, um, please….?"

"What, am I smothering you?" she asked as she let go.

"Uh, um, no," Xander replied as his face began to redden, "it's just that I have a slight case of the nakedness here and with you in your undies it does feel like I'm suddenly in one of your movies and stuff."

"Are you alright?" Madison asked as she stepped back and turned around to face the wall, her surprise and gladness over seeing Xander again giving way to worry again, "I mean, you were pretty banged up. The doctors said you there was a chance you'd never recover."

"It would seem the rumors of my demise have been grossly overstated," Xander said as he quickly slipped on a new pair of shorts. Then he reached for a shirt. He was about to pull it on when he stopped and looked away for a moment.

"Oddest thing though, I was strapped in like I had been run over by a bus yet I felt fine. How come?"

"I, uh, might have something to do with that," Madison said, "I knew this guy from way back before and he, um, well, let's just say he eats disease and trauma."

"I was like a snack to him?" Xander exclaimed in surprise.

"If I'm to take his word you were more like a full blown five course meal to be exact."

Xander sniffed underneath his arm pits.

"Somehow I feel violated," he said as he pulled his shirt on.

You have no idea, she thought and almost shuddered.

"I had to do something," Madison said as she turned around, "you were in a coma and you could die. The doctors were asking me about your parents as they wanted to know what to do in case something happened. You told me your parents were horrible. I couldn't risk your father telling them to switch the machines off and let you die."

Xander looked up and thought for a moment, then he grinned.

"My father probably would, the bastard," then Xander's grin disappeared, "then again, why didn't you let me die? I deserved it. I hit you! I've never hit a woman before in my entire life. Outside sparring with Faith and the two Buffy's of course. But that don't count."

Madison reached out to Xander and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, it's my fault."

Xander yanked his shoulder free.

"Now you're making it worse," he said sullenly, "don't excuse bad behavior, Madison. That's how Mike got out of hand, remember?"

He had a point there. Mike may have been an asshole, but it was only because she always let him get away with his behavior did it get out of control. Just like Carlos. Still, both men were rotten apples from the start. She refused to give up on Xander yet.

"You're nothing like him," she said gently, "you did something bad. But we all do something bad, something we regret in our lives. I shouldn't have taken you to those shoots, Xander. You weren't ready for that, maybe you never will. It's just… , um, I just, uh, well, I just wanted you in my life. I see other people and they have these great relationships. Their boyfriends don't beat the crap out of them then take their money to go drinking. I have the worst record when it comes to men and all I wanted was a nice guy for myself. One who'd treat me maybe not like a princess, I know better then that now, but I'd settle for someone who treats me like a human being. It's just…., I tried to get a guy to like me who was already in love with somebody else. I shouldn't have kept you from what you wanted to do. I should have been a friend. Cause that's what you need right now."

She began to cry and Xander got up to comfort her.

"Shush," he said as he wrapped his arms around her, "don't cry. Or cry as much as you want to. Let it all out."

"You should go," she sobbed.

"What, now?" Xander said surprised as he looked at the sobbing girl.

"Go find somebody that can help you find your girl," she said, "if you still want too you can stay for as long as you like, until you find what you're looking for. And I'll help you any way I can."

Xander rested his head on hers and gently rubbed her shoulders

"If only I met you earlier," he said softly.

"I don't think you would have liked me much then," she said, still sobbing softly.

"Don't be silly, Madison."

"Angela."

"Angela?" Xander said surprised and she looked up to him, brushing away a tear.

"Madison is my stage name, but my real name's Angela. Angela Henderson"

Xander smiled and his smile almost broke Angela's heart.

"Well, Angela Henderson, since we're beginning anew, pleased to meet you. My name's still Xander though."

She put on her brave face and smiled back. Then she rested her head on his chest again and both said nothing for a while.

"Xander?" she suddenly asked.

"Yes, Angela?"

"Am I correct in thinking you left the hospital and came here naked?"

"Yes."

"Now I know this is LA, but didn't anybody see you and say something?"

Xander chuckled and spoke with a fake Asian accent.

"You have to run very, very fast, my son."

(Flashback to the present)

"Then I guess this is our last goodbye, Angela," Xander said as the both of them faced each other in her living room.

"Shouldn't you check first where your new magical friend is?" Angela asked, pointing to the envelope, "for all you know he lives right around the corner. Wouldn't be much of a last goodbye now, would it?"

"Somehow I doubt that," Xander said but he opened the envelope anyway. Out fell a feather and a slip of paper.

"What the…." Xander said surprised as he picked up the paper.

"It looks a like an owl's feather," Angela said curiously as she stepped over, picked up the feather and examined it, "what does the note say?"

"Burn the feather and you will be transported," Xander read out loud.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Angela said and before Xander knew what happened she took out a lighter and set the feather on fire.

"Are you crazy," Xander yelled as he reached out and grabbed her arm in an attempt to stop her, "you're not going! Who knows how dangerous that guy is?"

Suddenly the world swirled around them in an ever increasing speed until it became all a blur. Then the light show slowed down until it was clear they were no longer standing in Angela's living room. Instead they stood in what looked like a picture perfect postcard of an Irish meadow, with gentle rolling hills and the sun shining brightly in the sky.

Only this sun was blue and not yellow. The grass still looked green though, but the light of the blue sun made it a little harder to tell.

"Where are we?" Angela said as she took a step back.

"Not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy, that's for sure," Xander said dumbstruck, "although maybe I should say 'where no man has gone before' instead?"

For a moment Xander couldn't say anything anymore. The closest that came to preparing him for this was Goku's instant transmission. It was less flashy but it also wasn't this spectacular, going only from person to person. This was, well, who knew where they were? Certainly not on Earth any more.

"What is this place?" Angela said as she looked around.

"Who knows," Xander replied absent-minded, "could be anywhere. A different world, a different dimension, a pocket dimension, another galaxy, all of the above. I knew I should have paid more attention when Giles was explaining the nature of the universe."

"Xander."

"Damn you, Buff, for doing your exercises at the same time while wearing skimpy spandex clothes!" Xander droned on.

"Xander!"

"I mean, it wasn't like I was that dumb not to learn stuff," Xander continued to speak oblivious to Angela's calls, "or that Giles was that particularly boring. It's just that, how on Earth can a healthy young boy pay any attention when there is a sweaty half naked girl jumping around and…"

"XANDER!"

Xander turned his head around to look at Angela.

"What?"

"We have company," she said and pointed towards her left and Xander's right. Xander turned his head and saw the strangest creature he'd ever seen. It looked like a cross between Big Bird from Sesame Street and an ostrich. It had Big Bird's beak and his yellow color. But the head was impossibly small, just a squat ball with that big beak on it with no visible eyes or ears. The body was equally small and round, not much bigger then the head. There was no visible neck, nor were there any signs of wings or arms. It did have three impossible long and thin stilt like legs, each ending in clawed feet. What made it really weird was that somehow the creature wore a black butler's jacket, with a pair of lapels hanging down from its behind.

"There's something you don't see everyday," Xander muttered under his breath as he looked at the creature from top to bottom.

"Xander, I'm scared," Angela said as she moved behind him, putting her hands on his shoulders, "do you think this is….?"

"Nothing surprises me anymore," Xander said as he patted her right hand, then he looked at the creature, "Shimrod I presume?"

"IIIIIIIIIIIIIIHHHHH!" the creature roared, then it turned around and slowly walked away. It moved like a tripod that was being moved away by always keeping one leg on the ground and then rotating the other two legs around in a rolling motion.

"Okay, now I'm officially wigged out," Xander said back as he watched the strange walking motion.

"What are we going to do?" Angela asked as she wearily eyed the creature. Before Xander could answer the creature stopped and roared again.

"IIIIIIIIIIIIIIHHHHH!"

"I guess… we should follow?" Xander suggested and gestured towards Big Bird as he began to follow the thing. Angela was still hesitant, then she followed as well, although more out fear of being be left behind.

"Xander, do you think it's wise?" she whimpered, "that thing looks dangerous."

.Xander let out a loud snort.

"Now you're talking to me about wise, Angela?" he said somewhat chiding, "You're the one who got us both here, remember? I just wanted to go by myself. What were you thinking, girl?"

"It seemed like a good idea," she said softly. Any feeling of courage she had at the time seemed now like a lifetime ago.

"Famous last words," Xander replied unimpressed.

"I was only trying to help!" Angela protested. Xander looked over his shoulder and gave her a smile.

"You've gone above and beyond, Angela," he said, "but this one belonged in my ball park."

He just couldn't stay mad at the girl. He still thought she was in love with him and probably didn't want to get left behind. But he didn't doubt her sincerity in wanting to help him. Even if it meant she would eventually lose him to Buffy.

One thing was clear though, Big Bird was leading them on to somewhere and it appeared to be the house on the hill. Only it wasn't just a house, it was a large mansion surrounded by a large white wall. Once they finally got near to it a gate swung open and they walked into the courtyard. And there the strange creature stopped before the entrance of what looked like the living quarters.

"IIIIIIIIIIIIIIHHHHH!" the creature cried one last time. Then it moved off.

Xander and Angela stood in front of a low flight of stairs that led up to a large wooden door.

"This is it," Xander sighed. Then he felt a hand taking his hand followed by another hand holding his upper arm. It would seem that in her anxiety Angela clung on to him.

"Don't worry, Angela," Xander said as he gave her an encouraging look, "I won't let anything happen to you."

The next part he muttered silently.

"I hope."

They both walked up the flight of stairs until they reached the door. Xander raised his free hand like he was about to knock.

"Let's go see the Wizard of Oz."

Before he could knock the door opened of its own accord and gave way to a large hallway, with countless doors on either side. Torches lighted the place as Xander and Angela cautiously stepped inside.

They had barely set a few steps in the place when the door closed behind them with an ominous thud.

THUD!

Angela nearly jumped onto Xander.

"Xander, I'm scared," she said, and really sounding scared as well.

"Relax," Xander said as he petted her hand on his arm, "just think of it as one of those sliding doors at a mall. Like that supermarket where we bought groceries, remember."

He'd like to think he'd put her at ease when she jumped onto him as from the shadows behind them a very humanlike creature emerged. It looked like a cross between the size of a hobbit and the delicate gracefulness of an elf. The grey creature was dressed in grey clothes, like a see through burqa that flowed around it. It beckoned Xander and Angela to follow as it passed them and walked into the hallway.

Xander put down Angela and gestured that they should follow it.

"Shall we?"

"Do you think it's the wizard?" she asked as they followed the creature.

"If it is then George Lucas is going to send in an army of lawyers demanding he desists from copying Yoda," Xander couldn't help but joke.

For a minute they followed the creature until it halted before a door and with some effort opened it. Then it extended a delicate arm signaling the couple to go inside.

Inside the room was a welcome break from the oppressing formality of the hall. It looked like a woman had decorated the room with all kinds of frills. A coffee table was dressed in the finest frilly silk. On the table was a damping pot of tea and a tray of fresh fruits and cakes.

"Ah, that's more like it," Xander said as he and Angela walked inside. Behind them the grey creature closed the door but this time the both of them didn't mind. Anyone providing tea and cakes in a girly tea room couldn't be that evil.

Don't say things like that, a little voice said in his brain, that's tempting fate, remember? Maybe he's a mad hatter who likes to play tea parties with imaginary people because he kills the real ones. Or….

Can it! Xander thought as his eyes lit up as he saw there were some Twinkies between the cakes, he has Twinkies! There will be no blaspheming the good provider!

But…

Now what did I say?

As Xander silenced his inner doubt he held out a chair for Angela to sit on, then he seated himself as well.

"Some tea, dear?" Xander grinned in a bad impression of Giles as he picked up the tea pot.

"Thank you," Angela smiled and Xander began pouring a cup for her. Once finished he gave it to her.

"Here you go, milady," he said and poured a cup for him next. Angela picked up her cup and took a sip, still nervously moving her eyes around the room.

"You want some cake, dear," Xander said in his mock Giles accent as he held up the tray of pastries towards her but she shook her head.

"More for me then," Xander grinned and took a Twinkie, sighing deeply as he admired the pastry, "oh, sugary goodness, long have I missed thy sweet embrace."

Then he shoved it in one go into his mouth and looked absolutely dreamy as he began to chew.

"Mmmmmm, Twinkies," he moaned to the utter amazement of Angela.

"How can you do that?" she asked flabbergasted.

"Easy," Xander replied after he had swallowed down most, "Practice. I grew up on these."

"There's hardly anything nutritional in them," Angela objected.

"And that from the girl who only eats take away and TV dinners," Xander snorted as he reached for a second Twinkie. He was about to eat it when a voice spoke.

"So, what brings you to may little abode?" an amused voice said.

Xander and Madison turned their heads to the other side of the table where a man now sat. He was old, very old, but not so old as to look decrepit, more like Gandalf old. Still old and grey, but also still vigorous enough to still kick ass for the Valar. He looked completely human, but then again, that wasn't always a guarantee. Angel looked completely human and he was a bloodsucking cradle robbing pedophiling fiend from the grave. He seemed harmless though, as a sly grin adorned his face. Which probably made him ten times more dangerous as well.

"You Shimrod?" Xander said as he bit in his Twinkie.

"I am he," the old man nodded.

"Good Twinkies, Doc" Xander nodded appreciatively, "how did you know?"

"I didn't," Shimrod smiled, "the tray is magical. It sensed your favorite pastry and it provided accordingly."

"Nifty," Xander grinned before taking another bite, "Can I get one?"

"It's a one of a kind," Shimrod replied wistfully, "it used to be my daughter's."

"I see," Xander sighed, "Too bad, these are good Twinkies."

Next the wizard looked at Angela.

"So, Xander, I was expecting you but I didn't think you would bring a celebrity along. Hello, Miss Lane."

"What the…." Xander exclaimed while Angela clasped her mouth as she gasped in horror.

"How…., how did you know?" she asked the grinning wizard.

"Oh, please Miss Lane, I may have my own realm but it doesn't mean I'm isolated. I get stuff. I have to say it's quite an honor. You may not have been in the business that long but you've been quite busy shall we say. When I see a new DVD with your name on it I usually order it. Except the demon sex. I could do without that."

"You're not the only one," Xander muttered as he reached for another Twinkie. Meanwhile Angela looked upward and rolled her eyes.

"It just pays well. I'm just trying to make a living!"

"Aren't we all?" Shimrod smiled and turned to Xander again as out of nowhere he took out a file and held it before him while he put on a pair of reading glasses, "so, you wish for me to connect you to an alternate reality, and if possible get you through, right?"

"Yes," Xander nodded, "I've been searching half the world for somebody who can. So can you, Doc?"

Shimrod looked upwards for a moment as he thought about it.

"It depends. Alternate realities are tricky things. Other realms and dimensions are easy. Often portals occur naturally. Alternate realities on the other hand are harder to reach. The universe in many ways is a like a picky eater. It doesn't like to mix its alternate realities. It makes the boundaries as strong as possible as to prevent spillage."

"But you can do it, right?" Xander asked hopeful. Shimrod peered at him over his reading glasses.

"Everything can be done if you have the right means, Xander. There used to be a civilization on a world that is now dead. They were very interested in alternate realities. They paid handsomely for my consultancy. With the help of my input they created a device that allowed passage between alternate realities."

"Could we use it?" Xander asked hopeful.

"If you want to die horribly that is," Shimrod snorted, "that thing works but it's lethal. Step through it and if you remain in another reality long enough you'll fall apart."

"Crap," Xander muttered dejected.

"Like I said, the universe doesn't like spillage between realities," Shimrod continued as he reached for a lemon cake and took a big bite from it, "but you are in luck. As a consultant I had full access to their data. Over the years I've tinkered with it a little and I think it now can be done. And safely as well. But for that I need something."

"Ah, the artifact," Xander nodded as he finally understood, "so that's what that woman from Wolfram & Hart meant."

"Indeed," Shimrod said as he handed Xander a sketch of a small figurine, "meet the Axis of Pythia"

"It looks pretty," Angela said as she looked over Xander's shoulder at the sketch.

"So you want me to go back and get this for you, Doc," Xander asked as he thumbed the sketch but Shimrod shook his head.

"If it were that easy I would have gotten it myself," he said as he finished his lemon cake, "the Axis is not on Earth, my young apprentice. Come, follow me."

Shimrod got up and walked towards the door. Xander and Angela followed suit. Shimrod opened the door and walked through. As they did they found that they weren't in the large corridor but instead they found themselves in a large library. There were literally rows and rows and rows of bookshelves. All containing what looked like the greatest collection of ancient books and scrolls ever. Xander was no expert but he was more then certainly certain that if Giles were to walk in, not even he, Buffy and the combined power of Goku, Vegeta and Belmovekk would ever get him out of here.

Shimrod walked on as he looked for a certain bookshelf. Xander was impressed as he followed, but since he had absolutely no idea what all these books meant, they therefore meant little to him. They just looked cool. Angela on the other hand walked with her mouth nearly on the floor.

"Ah, found it," Shimrod said as he halted before a particular bookshelf. How he could recognize which was which was a mystery in itself, as there didn't appear to be any numbering system on the shelves. Reaching out Shimrod took out an old book and blew on it to get rid of the dust.

"Long time no read, old friend," Shimrod smiled as he opened the book, then he turned towards Xander and Angela and thumbed the book, "There was once a wizard called Twitten. I shall spare you most of his details but nowadays he's mostly remembered for this almanac. He discovered a string of ten worlds that were superimposed through space, time and dimensions. Earth is one of these worlds. There are Hidmarth and Skurre, which are demon-worlds; Underwood is empty save for a moaning sound; Pthopus is a single torpid soul; additionally there are Paador, Cheng, Nith and Pylea. And finally there is Tanjecterly. Of these ten worlds only Earth, Pylea and Tanjecterly can sustain human life. And it is on Tanjecterly that the Axis of Pythia is hidden."

"So you want me to go there and get it for you?" Xander asked as he cupped his right elbow with his left hand and rested his chin on his right hand, "what's the catch, Doc?"

Shimrod began to chuckle.

"How very astute, my young friend," he grinned, "there's always a catch."

"What do you mean, Xander?" Angela asked worried.

"Simple," Xander explained as he nodded towards Shimrod, "he said if the Axis was on Earth he could get it. But he needs me to get it from Tanjecterly. So therefore there has to be a catch or Gandalf here could get it himself."

"Xander here is correct," Shimrod said as he leaned against the bookshelf, "while Tanjecterly can sustain human life, the passage to it is not without danger. Special precaution has to be taken to make sure it does not become a one way journey. Also Tanjecterly is not without its dangers. If I were a few centuries younger I probably could do it myself. I might still be able to do it. But it would take a lot of time. And time is something I don't have much in abundance. I can't leave. I'm like one of those Chinese acrobats, who can keep a dozen spinning plates going by occasionally giving each plate in danger of slowing down some extra momentum. Only difference is I keep more plates going. And when one falls more things go wrong then just broken porcelain."

Angela turned to Xander looking terribly frightened.

"Don't go, Xander," she said worriedly, "don't go. I have this terrible feeling. We'll find another way! I know we will! We don't ….."

"I'll do it," Xander said, to her horror ignoring her outburst.

"No, Xander, no," she said horrified.

"Come," Shimrod said and he beckoned them to follow him again. They walked through the door again and this time they came out exactly where Xander and Angela had arrived in Shimrod's world, out in the Irish meadow underneath the blue sunlight. While in the distance his mansion could be seen, behind them a wooden door stood up straight in the field without any visible support.

"How…?" Angela asked flabbergasted but Shimrod ignored her as he turned to Xander.

"Now, the people from Wolfram & Hart told me that you exhibit strength and abilities above and beyond those of normal humans. They are very impressed with you but I prefer to see them myself. Could you give me a little demonstration?"

"What," Xander said surprised, "you want me to do some of my kung fu?"

To illustrate his point Xander did a few martial arts like movements.

"No," Shimrod said as he shook his head, "in order to best prepare you for your journey and to get an idea of what you can do I need to see your full powers. I need you to show me your full power."

While still very much apprehensive Angela turned to Xander and caught herself thinking that she wanted to see Xander's full power herself as well. She had seen the fight in Cleveland but Xander had told her he still hadn't used his full power there.

Xander scratched the back of his head.

"Would you mind if I, um, showed you from, um, over there?" he said as he pointed to a different low lying hill top in the distance.

"Be my guest."

"Okay," Xander said as he took of and flew to the hill top he had pointed to, about a mile away.

Once arrived he did a few stretching exercises, followed by some short meditation. Then he leaned forward to touch the ground and then his head in a ritual greeting to the Saiyan goddess of War. Then he began.

Raising one's full power was not always that easy. Especially if you hadn't done it in a long time. Going to 50% was the easy part, you could do that fairly quickly. Going from 50 to 90% took more effort. You had to reach inside and really bring it out. This was where what Buffy liked to call the 'I need to take a shit but I'm constipated' look came into play. Where you had push your body to bring forth the extra power. Screaming oddly enough helped. It was the final 10% where the constipated look turned really serious and you felt like you were delivering a baby. A big brown chocolate baby of pure stink. Where you had to really push your body to bring forth every additional ounce of chi. This took the longest and became harder the closer you got to the much coveted 100%.

By the time Xander reached 60% dirt began rising into the air and the ground began to tremble. As the tremors increased Angela began to feel fear again, as she relived the Cleveland fight in her mind and she realized that Xander had spoken the truth.

"Oh my god!" she gasped horrified as strong winds began to blast her and Shimrod, rapidly increasing in strength as well. Shimrod on the other hand was absolutely fascinated.

"Incredible," he said awed, "just like a Saiyan."

"What's a Saiyan?" Angela asked.

"Incredibly strong warriors from a different planet," the wizard explained calmly, "they can train their bodies to generate extra-ordinary power. But he's not a Saiyan. Their world doesn't even exist any more. Besides, he doesn't even have a tail."

"Xander has a tail," Angela said dead serious.

"What?" Shimrod exclaimed wide eyed as he eyed the girl.

"It's not a big one," Angela replied holding her hands 3 inches apart, "and it only really emerged after he had his accident. He doesn't like it either. I've caught him staring at it while carrying a big knife."

Before Shimrod could respond a shockwave of chi blasted from Xander's hilltop, signaling he had reached his full power. If it weren't for Shimrod erecting a small barrier the shockwave would have blasted the two of them off their socks. In fact it still almost blasted Angela of hers. Despite Shimrod's barrier.

Meanwhile Xander lifted himself off his hilltop and flew back towards Shimrod and Angela, landing in front of them.

"So? What do you think, Doc?" he asked anxiously as white ethereal flames surrounded him, causing a stiff breeze to come from him.

"Interesting," Shimrod said as he tried to poke the ghostly flames, "there were some Saiyans who were more powerful then you are now, but not many."

"You know of Saiyans?" Xander tried to say but the wizard cut him off.

"Xander," he said as he held his hands upwards, "I'm the scion of Murgen, whom myth has turned into Merlin. When I was young there were many powerful mages and wizards, now I'm but the last of my kind. As each one died, got killed, passed beyond or ascended I took possession of their belongings. There are greater repositories of knowledge then mine, but not many. Trust me, I have heard of Saiyans."

Shimrod held up a small see through mirror and looked trough it at Xander. He then recoiled, like what he saw wasn't what he was supposed to see.

"What's that," Angela asked as curiosity got the better of her and Shimrod held the see through mirror in front of her.

"The mirror shows if a person is who he says who he is and shows his true guise," the mage replied as Angela looked through the device. To her surprise Xander looked different. The changes were slight but they were there. When you didn't look through the mirror Xander was his goofy self, his hair a bit disheveled, but it had a habit of looking that no matter what. Through the mirror however Xander looked different. There was still some of the goofiness, but there was also fierceness, an underlying danger.

It reminded Angela of when she had been a little girl and her parents had taken her to the circus on one of their better days. Together with her mother she had gone to see the tigers in their cages. The huge beasts lay in their cages and to a small child they looked like cute, be it large, cats. And while a minder was present to see that nobody tried to reach inside the cages, there were always far more curious children then there were careful eyes. So there was always a chance some kid managed to reach inside. And this it did. And suddenly the big cute cat turned into an angry predator capable of tearing the child's arm off. Luckily the minder stepped in quickly enough before any harm befell that child but that ambivalence, that capability for dormant brutal violence had made a lasting impression on Angela. And it was that which she saw in the see through mirror.

Far more then the goofy stand up straight hairdo which Xander now suddenly had.

"What?" Xander asked curiously as all he could see in the mirror was just his own face.

"Xander, you look… completely different," Angela replied, "not certain how to describe it, "you look like…."

"… a Saiyan?" Shimrod said as he finished her sentence.

"No way!" Xander exclaimed in shock. The shock of which caused his flames to die down and disappear.

"Yes way," Shimrod said as he put away the mirror, "and not really a surprise considering what your girlfriend told me earlier."

"Considering what?" Xander asked as he turned towards Angela.

"I, uh, um, told him, um, about your, uh….," Angela stammered uncomfortably when Xander got the gist.

"Aw crap!" he said as he rolled his eyes, "you told him about my tail?"

"It wasn't my fault," Angela said apologetic and pointed towards Shimrod, "he said something about those Seances and that they had a tail and before I knew it, it came out."

"Look, there is no real harm done here," Shimrod said as he held up his hands to allay Xander, "I am the very model of discretion. What happens here, stays here."

"I hate the damn thing!" Xander muttered as he looked over his shoulder, "it suddenly came out when that stupid android nearly killed me. And now it's gotten even bigger after that 'accident' in LA. I'm turning into a bloody Saiyan, aren't I, Doc?"

"What makes you think that?" Shimrod asked curiously.

"I was possessed by a Saiyan once," Xander said as he told the mage and Angela of his Halloween possession, "afterwards I found out stuff remained. At first it was just memories, techniques, skills, experiences. The odd nightmare. Mostly it was useful though. But then after the android trashed me I felt a tiny lump where there shouldn't be one. And now it's this."

"Can I see?" Shimrod asked and Xander obliged by lowering his pants a little, thus exposing a short stubby tail.

"If I weren't so damn afraid it would grow back I'd cut it off," Xander said in disgust while Shimrod examined the tail.

"I don't think you're in any risk of turning into a Saiyan," he said as he signaled Xander to pull his jeans up, "that would have created an overlay image in the mirror. The same would have happened if magic was still working on you. We only saw a single visage. It's clear that whatever is going on is something that's happening from within you. I think that you're just turning into what you should have been."

"What?" Xander exclaimed loudly, then the mage explained.

"While it is clear that the possession triggered something, chaos magic is just not that powerful to achieve a full transformation. I think it awoke a dormant gene in your body. Saiyan genes are incredibly dominant and the offspring of a Saiyan with a human can still exhibit strong Saiyan traits even after many generations have passed."

Xander's jaw nearly hit the floor.

"How….. but….. I….. it…. it makes no sense," Xander muttered absentmindedly, "There has…. Look, there just has to be another explanation, Doc. While I don't know who my family is beyond gramps, I'm fairly certain neither he, nor my father ever had a tail, nor glowed in the dark."

"I did say it was a dormant gene," Shimrod grinned impishly, "you're probably a distant relative. But if you really want to know, I know of a way you could find out. It's based on fairy magic, I learned it from my daughter. I'd just need a pint of your blood."

"I'll pass, Doc," Xander said as he waved his hands standoffish, "maybe ignorance really is bliss. Maybe we should get on with what we were here for in the first place."

"Suit yourself," Shimrod said and he gestured towards the door standing in the field behind them, "if you would be so kind as to lower your power again?"

Shaking his head in dejection Xander did as he asked.

"I feel like I gained a thousand or something," he said offhand, "since the 'accident' it feels like it takes a little longer to power down or something."

Shimrod's grin grew into a smirk.

"Did you by any chance suffer from life threatening injury and were you healed faster then you should?" he smirked.

"Yeah," Xander nodded as he suddenly had a good idea where the mage was going.

"There you have it," Shimrod smirked, "if recovery is fast enough Saiyans can gain a power boost from life threatening injury. And some tail increase as well as it would seem."

Xander looked his eyes upwards.

"You guys have way too much fun at my expense," he said gloomy.

Angela awoke in her bed. As she woke up it registered in her that it wasn't her own. Yawning she sat up straight and looked around. She didn't remember going to bed, so most likely Shimrod had put her to bed. He also had undressed her and put her into a sleeping gown. So most likely he had gotten something out of it as well.

The bedroom she was in appeared unfamiliar and looked like it had come straight from a Laura Ashley collection, its style very much small English cottage like and very girly. As she got out she noticed various other girly touches, like a boudoir with various women's implements still on display. Curious Angela hopped out of bed and began to inspect the things. They looked kinda old, all handcrafted. There was not single piece of plastic among them. Angela held up a comb that by today's standards looked sort of uncomfortable to use. There was still hair in it, a coppery color.

Angela put down the comb and left the boudoir for what it was. What she really needed right now were her own clothes. There were no sign of them and she didn't fancy having to spend the rest of the day in a sleeping gown. She looked everywhere for her clothes to no avail, until on an impulse she checked the large cupboard that was in the room. And there they were. Freshly washed, ironed and with a slight lemony smell.

Feeling at ease now her clothes were there she then proceeded to wash herself using a large china bowl. A large jug with cold water was next to it. Having refreshed and dressed herself she then left the bedroom and stepped into a large living room. The smell of freshly backed pancakes and fried bacon and eggs awaited her as Shimrod sat at the dinner table reading a newspaper.

"Ah, Miss Lane," he greeted her as he put down the newspaper, "did you sleep well?"

"I guess," Angela sighed, "I must have fallen asleep at some point."

"Have a seat," Shimrod said as he stood up and went into the kitchen, "I'll get you something to eat, Miss Lane."

"Please, it's Angela," Angela said, stressing her own name, "like I said before, Madison Lane is just a stage name."

"But it feels so weird calling you not Madison Lane," Shimrod called from the kitchen, "I mean, that's the name I gotten to know you by."

"Did you have fun undressing me?" Angela said slyly, causing Shimrod's head to appear from the kitchen.

"As a matter of fact," he said, grinning at first, then his face turned solemnly, "I didn't look. Much. Honestly! Unfortunately I couldn't help but inadvertently touch your, um, bosoms."

Angela looked at her breasts and took hold of them.

"What's wrong with Cash and Cow?" she asked curiously.

"Uh, nothing," the mage said nervously, "it's just that, um, I noticed that they, um, felt a little, uh, unnatural?"

"Well, duh," Angela said as she put her hands in her sides, "That's what you get with implants!"

"I could change them into real ones if you'd like?" Shimrod offered with a big grin.

"You can do that?" she asked with big eyes. Shimrod didn't immediately reply, he just looked her over like he was appraising a statue he was working on. Even going so far as to extend an arm while holding up his thumb.

"Hmm," he finally said, "of course, going natural means they will hang a little more, you'll lose the round full look that looks so great on you. Of course, I could fix that also."

Angela looked at her chest again. Being double D nowadays she mainly got them for her work as it helped her get more of it. That's why she nicked them Cash and Cow. And while having a natural double D would probably get her even more work she didn't plan on being a double D forever. There were times when they were killing her back already, let alone if she got older. The beauty of silicone was that you knew it was temporary.

"Never mind," she finally said, "they're for work, not for me. Once I retire they'll come out."

"What a crime," Shimrod sighed regretfully as he put a plate full of food in front of her, "it seems a shame to destroy such works of art."

"Well, then you carry them around on your chest day and night for a few years and then see if you still think that way," Angela said before taking her first bite.

"Touché," Shimrod chuckled as he seated himself again. Then he let out a loud sigh.

"Hah, it feels good to hear the sound of a woman pick on me again," he said contently, "I missed that sound."

"I know a few girls who can help you with that," Angela smiled, "they know how to give you, the um, female point of view?"

"I'll bet they do," Shimrod chuckled again. But he didn't take her up on her offer.

It was after breakfast that they went outside. Shimrod's place turned out to be a small cottage that upon the utterance of a key phrase could dwindle in size until it fit on the end of his key chain. Which he did.

Then the two of them walked over the hill to where a small shack stood. From the entrance a faint glow shimmered. And there they waited as Shimrod took out a pair of magical chairs from his wallet, which somehow also could defy the laws of conservation of mass as they expanded from tiny toy house size to real life size. And then they set down and waited.

It had been several days since Xander had stepped through the shed door into Tanjecterly. The shed's door being the portal. They were no longer in wherever the hell Shimrod's place was. They had to take the magician's word for it that they were back on Earth. At least the sky and the sun looked familiar again even if the place wasn't.

After the mage had worked a little magic on Xander to prepare him for the crossover, he explained to him what he needed to know for his journey in Tanjecterly. Angela hated to see him go alone, but after what little she'd heard of Tanjecterly it took little convincing by Xander that this was one place she'd better not visit. Yet now she wished she had since there was only one thing worse then visiting a dangerous place. And that was waiting for a friend to return from one.

The greatest shock for Xander came when Shimrod explained to him one of one of Tanjecterly's unique properties. Thanks to that universe unique law of physics it was extremely hard to use chi there. Whether it was akin to the dampening spell the sisterhood of Jhe had used or because there was too much energy in that universe, Xander would not be able to call upon most of the pyrotechnics he had grown accustomed too. He would just be an exceptionally strong man. But so where the guys he was going up against, the fabled Berserkers of the city of Mang on Tanjecterly. And unlike Xander they weren't handicapped by suddenly losing a major part of their fighting bag of tricks.

This was why Shimrod equipped him with a few things that would aid his journey. First was a custom made suit of flexible armor, which fitted Xander perfectly. He even pretended to pose for a couple of imaginary photos from Angela cell phone. Then came a choice of weapons from the mage's extensive collection. Shimrod offered him a fine black blade but Xander chose a battle axe instead.

"This is more my thing," he said as he swung the axe around, "before Belmovekk came along Buffy may have favored the sword but I always liked the axe. Like I told her, it's brutal and messy, just like me."

"And what did she reply?" Angela asked curiously, causing Xander to grin sheepishly and scratch the back of his head

"She said clumsy and messy was more like it. And then she yanked the axe from me before I could hurt myself," Xander said, then he sighed and his eyes began to look dreamy, "ah, happy days."

Next were some magical artifacts, like a pair of boots that would allow Xander to run all day without tiring or losing breath.

"What? No seven leagues boots," Xander said half disappointed as he took hold of the magic boots.

"Are you crazy?" Shimrod said as he thumped Xander on the forehead, "What do you think happens to your body when there is suddenly seven leagues distance between your two feet?"

"Oops!" Xander said as he inadvertently reached for his groin.

"Oops indeed," Shimrod said disapprovingly, then he shook his head dejected, "they always ask for those stupid boots. Damn Grimm brothers! And be careful, those are my only remaining pair."

After the boots came a smaller version of Shimrod's variable sized keychain cottage. Last was an earring.

"What the hell do I need an earring for?" Xander said holding up the offending ear jewelry, "Is it Pirates of the Caribbean night down there or something?"

Shimrod frowned again and took the earring from Xander and put it on his left ear.

"Firstly," he said chidingly, "always remember that in the city of Mang earrings are always worn on the left side. As it is considered a mortal insult to the prophet to wear one on the right. Secondly, it's not just an earring, it's an hither projection of an efferent."

"A what?" Xander exclaimed, then his eyes grew big, "it talks to me!"

"Of course it does," Shimrod said, "just instruct it to be quiet. The efferent will guide you through Tanjecterly. See it as your personal tour guide."

Thus equipped Shimrod had opened the portal and Xander had stepped through. That had been five days ago.

"How long do you think it will be before Xander comes back?" Angela asked worriedly as she paced outside the shed. They had been waiting there since yesterday afternoon, apparently slept in Shimrod's cottage for the night and for this day's whole morning. It was already passed lunch time and a four feet long spindly humanoid creature was setting up a lunch table nearby with freshly made lemonade and chicken tikka sandwiches.

"He'll come when he comes," Shimrod said confidently as he looked up from reading his newspaper. To be honest the mage was getting somewhat worried himself but he didn't want to show it in front of the girl. She was already wound up tighter then a guitar string.

"Let's have some lunch," Shimrod said as he noticed the falloy servant was ready with the food.

"I'm not hungry," Angela said pacing.

"But I am," Shimrod grinned, "please be a dear, Angela, could you get me some sandwiches?"

Angela stopped and looked at the mage.

"Can't your creature….." she said, then to her surprise she saw the thing was already gone, "how can it disappear so fast?"

"It's in their nature," Shimrod said casually and gestured towards the table, "Could you, Angela? Please?"

Angela took a deep sigh and then walked to the lunch table. No sooner had she turned her back as Shimrod froze time. Next he got up and opened a portal back to his mansion. He stepped through and emerged in his personal study. A dozen cords hung from the ceiling next to a wall and Shimrod pulled one of them.

Next thing a short creature, one that closely resembled a gargoyle but less then a foot in height appeared almost out of nowhere on a table.

"You rang?" it rasped in a voice that sounded like stone being grated.

"Polikarpio," Shimrod said as he pulled forth a map and spread it on the table, the creature hopping on the map, "I need your help. I sent a man into Tanjecterly and he hasn't returned yet. I need you to go into Tanjecterly, find him and report back to me about his whereabouts. If something has happened to him bring me the efferent he was carrying so I may question it. Do not share what you have learned with anybody else but me, do not lose the efferent nor give or lent it to any third parties, do not dawdle along the way, do not take the scenic route, or feel free to interpret my orders in any other creative way. I repeat, this is a strictly information gathering only mission, to be done in the fastest amount of time. Are we clear on this?"

The creature looked not pleased. But that was to be expected. Polikarpio could be the perfect spy, as he was incredibly fast and exceptionally gifted at infiltration. He was also extremely fickle, easily distracted and not to be trusted. Were he not so and at least eight times bigger Shimrod might have sent him instead of Xander out into Tanjecterly to steal the Axis. And even then probably not, as Polikarpio wasn't the best of thieves. Retrieving the efferent was probably already taxing his limits.

"Aw Shimrod, why do you have to be so literal all the time?" the creature complained, "where is the fun? Where is the panache? Where is the pride that comes with doing a perfect job?"

"I'm not interested in pulling the perfect prank or the perfect of anything, Polikarpio," Shimrod said imploringly, "I need to know what happened. Find the kid, or bring me his efferent if something has happened to him. Now come."

Shimrod and the creature stepped through the portal back to Earth where time was still frozen.

"Hmm, hot babe," Polikarpio said appreciatively as he saw Angela, frozen in her stride.

"Quit admiring her and get on with your mission," Shimrod said as he pointed to the shed's entrance and gateway through Tanjecterly.

"I never get to have any fun," Polikarpio harped dejected as it moved rather slowly towards the portal, "I'm totally unapprecia…"

And then it was gone. Having sent his spy into Tanjecterly Shimrod unfroze time and walked over to Angela. Giving her a playful pat on her shapely ass Shimrod pulled up a chair and sat down by the table.

"I thought you wanted me to get you something?" Angela asked surprised.

"I changed my mind," Shimrod smiled and gestured her to sit by the table as well, "since you're here, you might as well join me for lunch anyway."

Angela shrugged, then she sat down. Saying that the guy was eccentric was taxing it. Shimrod poured her some lemonade and they had lunch. Shimrod thoroughly enjoyed his chicken tikka sandwiches. Even Angela had to admit they tasted great, even if she could only eat a few bites from hers.

"Well, if you're not going to eat those?" Shimrod asked pointing towards her sandwiches and she pushed her plate towards him.

"Go ahead," she said, "they're yours any…."

To her surprise a small monkeylike gargoyle was suddenly sitting on the table leering at her breasts.

"Shimrod?" she said, "why is there a small monkeylike gargoyle on the table looking at my tits?"

Shimrod put down his sandwich and shook his head.

"Dammit, Polikarpio, where are your manners?"

"I can't help it," the little gargoyle said, staring mesmerized at Angela's bosom, "they're so big and juicy and…."

Snap snap snap snap.

Shimrod snapped his fingers in front of the creature.

"Focus, Polikarpio, focus! Do you have anything to report?"

"I have," Polikarpio said, still staring at Angela's fun pillows.

"And?" Shimrod said impatiently.

"Your friend failed and was captured by the Berserkers of Mang," the little gargoyle said without looking away from what he was looking at, "they're going to execute him come next lunar cycle."

Angela was back in Shimrod's mansion, wherever it was. She was sitting in his library, with the mage sitting behind a desk studying four books at once. They had been here for who knows how long ever since that annoying monkey/gargoyle had delivered the bad news.

As soon as she had heard of Xander's misfortune she implored the mage to undertake a rescue operation.

"It's not that easy," Shimrod said, trying both to defend himself from her accusations and to put her at ease, "if I could go there myself I would have done so many years ago."

"You're supposed to be the greatest magician in the universe," she said accusingly, "you go from one world to another like you're flippin' TV channels. Surely you can do something!"

Shimrod folded his hands together in front of his face for a moment, trying to come up with a suitable reply. He was about to give her a reply when at the last moment he decided not to. Instead he turned around and with his finger he drew a doorway.

"I must return to my library," he said as he opened the doorway, "If I am to do anything I must study my options."

"But Xander? The portal is here," Angela objected but Shimrod took her hand and stepped through the doorway he'd created.

"The portal will remain open for a few more days," he said as they emerged in his library, "and the next lunar cycle in Tanjecterly is still some time away. We still have time to come up with an answer."

And that was when the mage settled down for some hardcore studying. And the longer it took without any eureka moments, or even any other sign of tangible result, the more worried Angela became.

And then came the moment Shimrod closed all of his books and put down his face on the table in defeat.

"If only I was younger!" he sighed dejected, "if only my burden wasn't this great!"

"But you are Shimrod," Angela said as she knelt in front of his desk, "you're the greatest magician of the universe. Why don't you just go and save him?"

The mage smiled weakly at her.

"I'm touched you think so highly of me," he said, "but I am but a shadow of my creator and mentor Murgen. Nor could I leave and set foot into Tanjecterly. There is a great game afoot, sweet Angela. My prolonged absence would set things into motion that could mean the unraveling of things you cannot comprehend. But they could spell the end for millions of worlds, including Earth."

"Then that's it?" Angela exclaimed angrily, "Xander gets written off like that? Too bad, so sorry?"

"I wish I could do more," Shimrod said as he shook his head, "but I can't. Even I must abide by certain rules."

"You're the supposed master of time and space," Angela countered, "why don't you go back in time and stop Xander from going?"

Shimrod rolled his eyes in exasperation, cursing the evil influence of modern pop culture like Star Trek.

"It doesn't work like that," he sighed tiredly, "the multiverse doesn't allow people tinkering with the timeline. If you're lucky you will create an alternate timeline while nothing changes in your original universe. At worst the multiverse will erase you instead."

Defeated Angela looked down. Was this the end of Xander? If so, she might as well have let him lay in that hospital back in LA. At least he would have stood a better chance then he did now. She might as well have spared herself the horror of letting Jimmy do her. That gave her an idea.

"If you can't go, then let me!" she implored the mage in a last ditch effort, "Send me to that place!"

Shimrod looked horrified at her.

"Are you crazy?" he exclaimed, "You wouldn't last ten minutes in Tanjecterly. I admire your courage, Angela, but let's be honest. Even if through some kind of miracle you were to make it to Mang, silicone isn't going to impress the Berserkers. They're misogynists."

Her eyes narrowed as she leaned over the Mage's reading desk.

"It doesn't matter," she said resolutely, "they're still men. And I speak from experience when I say that it's the most uptight religious freaks who like it the most. If need be I will sleep with every last one of them to get Xander free,"

"You may just do that, brave girl," Shimrod smiled, then his smile faded and he reclined in his seat and sighed, "I just wish I could do something to help you. If only I were as capable as Murgen. Unlike me he did manage to rescue somebody from Tanjecterly once."

She walked past his desk and knelt down in front of him so she could look him in the eyes.

"How?" she asked as she took his hands, "How did he do it?"

Shimrod opened one of the books and pointed to a small hand written passage. Then he explained

"A dear friend of mine was lured into Tanjecterly. I wanted to go but Murgen stopped me. Instead he created a new being. A being created out of the body of a monster from Tanjecterly, the mind and spirit of a dead murderer and which was finally given life and purpose by infusing it with the blood of the person that loved her. It took a lot of blood and it nearly drained that person, but it went into Tanjecterly and saved her."

"Then what are we waiting for," Angela cried out, pointing towards the door, "you need blood? I will give you blood!"

"The reasons are twofold, Angela," Shimrod applied sullenly, "firstly I'm not sure how Murgen did it. This is one of the many secrets Murgen took with him into the grave. And secondly what we sent into Tanjecterly didn't have to face the Berserkers of Mang. It wouldn't stand a chance. We need something bigger and stronger. Something requiring even more blood."

"I'll still do it," she offered without hesitation.

"You could die," Shimrod said, still hesitant himself, "why risk your life for somebody who does not love you back? At least not in that way?"

Angela gave Shimrod a disapproving frown.

"If you still need to ask that question then you'll never know the answer, Shimrod."

"I know," Shimrod said as he gave her a smile, "go have a rest. I will study Murgen's notes and see what I can do.

Angela didn't have much of a rest as she could hardly sleep, constantly turning on her bed in Shimrod's guestroom, constantly worrying about Xander. Finally she fell asleep when somebody awoke her.

It was one of Shimrod's ethereal and spindly servants and it beckoned her to come with it. She quickly dressed herself and went with the creature which brought her to Shimrod's workroom.

"Ah, Angela," the mage said as he greeted her. He looked very much tired, like he had pulled an all-nighter. There were two glass cabinets within each of them two women. Shimrod beckoned Angela to come closer to the cabinet he was standing with. Inside a woman stood with her eyes closed surrounded by a faith green-yellow light. She reminded Angela of a predator, able to strike at any minute even from the stasis she was currently in.

"She's a Saiyan," Shimrod explained as Angela looked her over, seeing a brown furry band surrounding her waist, "it has taken me great effort but I managed to look through space and time for a suitable female Saiyan warrior. She was in a spaceship about to explode so the universe won't miss her. She will serve as the base for our project. She is surrounded by the stuff of Tanjecterly which is even now preparing her for the crossing."

"And the other girl?" Angela asked as she walked over to the other cabinet holding a different women. She looked more frail, but then again, compared to the highly toned and slightly bulky Saiyan female warrior anybody looked frail.

"She's not physically here," Shimrod said as he joined Angela and tapped the glass, "she only appears to be here because our brains interpret her that way. What you see before you is just a simulacrum, a representation of her spirit."

"Who is she?" Angela asked.

"She is a Pakatchikal warrior," Shimrod explained, "The Pakatchikal are a fierce matriarchal warrior culture. Unlike most warrior cultures they have no qualms at using underhand tactics and stealth. To put it into terms you may understand, they're probably more like ninjas. They're also experts at hand to hand combat and armed combat. They're deadly with swords. A skill which unfortunately most Saiyans lack. They're also not so good with pirates though."

"And what is her story?" Angela said.

"The Pakatchikal have the misfortune that they live on a world that is deep within Goa'uld territory. And the Goa'uld love to use their best warriors as hosts."

"Who're the Goold?" Angela asked looking at Shimrod.

"Alien sentient snakes who like to nestle themselves around the base of human brains and take their bodies over," Shimrod replied offhand.

"Ew, gross," Angela said, her face turning into a grimace.

"True," Shimrod agreed, "luckily there aren't many of them. The vile thing about them is that when they take over a host they completely take over that host. Since the Goa'uld that inhabited her body was killed two months later I reached for this woman's essence through space and time just before the Goa'uld nestled around her brain stem and forever suppressed it. Thus, again preserving the balance of the universe."

Shimrod next reached for a lever and the two glass cabinets turned opaque.

"And now?" Angela asked.

"This is where it falls apart," the magician said wistfully, "I tried to copy Murgen's spell, try and blend the Saiyan body with the Pakatchikal spirit, create the best of both. But no matter how much I tried I couldn't replicate the spell."

"Then how will it rescue Xander," Angela asked worried.

"It won't," the mage said tired.

"Then you failed," Angela said aghast, clasping her mouth.

"Not entirely," Shimrod said as he went to the table where there lay a complicated blueprint, riddled with diagrams and notes in languages Angela couldn't even begin to decipher.

"I came across a different spell," the mage said as he pointed to a diagram, "it involves transferring someone's consciousness, their essence, into a host body. Unlike Murgen's spell it would be temporary. After a given period the union would cease to be. Theoretically I could use it send our Saiyan girl to rescue Xander."

"Then what are we waiting for," Angela exclaimed, "just do it!"

Shimrod looked down for a moment and bit his lip.

"Besides your blood it would also have to be your consciousness," he finally said.

"I see," Angela said as she sat down flabbergasted in a chair, then she looked up, "but I don't know next to nothing about fighting."

"I know," Shimrod smiled weakly, "I can make it so that you would have access to the Saiyan girl's memories and experiences. You could then draw on them to fight."

Angela said nothing so Shimrod continued.

"Unfortunately the downside is that in order to do so I would have to unlock parts of her personality as well. And she can be overwhelming. She'll most likely be a pain in the ass to deal with."

"I'll do it," Angela said, "just do whatever you need to do and I'll do it."

Shimrod smiled at her.

"I thought you would," he said tenderly, "have no fear though. Your uncle Shimrod's on the case. You won't have to deal with the Saiyan girl by yourself. Remember the other girl, the Pakatchikal? I'll put her in there as well. It will be a bit crowded but she'll help you. The Pakatchikal are also fiercely protective of the weaker members of their culture. She'll help you and keep the Saiyan girl in check. Plus that way you can draw on her skills as well.

"It's a weird spell, you've created, Doc," Angela smiled, in an attempt to sound like Xander.

"I know," the Magician said looking at the two cabinets, sounding a bit guilty as well, "it's a shambles. But it's the best I can come up with. Especially on such short notice. Murgen's probably spinning in his grave. I wish I could do more but our time is short. We have wasted enough time already.

"So when do we start?" Angela asked, putting on her brave face.

"Simple," Shimrod said, "I will put you to sleep and when you wake up you will inhabit its body. You will have complete control while your own body remains here under my care. But there is a downside, sweet Angela, it is a complete transfer. Nothing will remain in your own body. So if you die in Tanjecterly, that which makes you you will be lost forever. Your personality, your memories, your desires…., maybe even your soul. So, Angela, are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Angela didn't even have to think about the answer.

"Again, when do we start?"

AN: The song 11 O'clock Tick Tock belongs to U2, lyrics by Bono

AN 2017: How come the whole architecture of the internet and technology changes over the course of 10 years, and yet places like and TtH still have the same atrocious formatting systems they had in 2007 when you upload a story? Why do most enter breaks still disappear and I have to add x's and lines for scene breaks? Am I doing something wrong in that regard? Is there a simpler way?