Part 5,
Charles Gunn was somewhat in rough shape but considering that Illyria wouldn't have rested until she felt like he was in a safe place for his recovery. He felt like being tended for by a group of Initiative Doctors and a Slayer EMT in a house full of Teen and College Aged Amazon Warriors wasn't all that bad. But was how human Illyria was becoming that had Gunn concerned, she was at times acting like Post-Pylea Fred, a little skittish about the world as she tried to fit in. Heck Illyria was wearing Fred's clothing in her native form, but it was how Illyria was acting, it was more than Wes's recent death that had shaken her, it was something more. Like She and Fred or what was left of Fred were attempting to meld together. Illyria seemed less arrogant around people but she looked like she was going, Native. Slayer Native to be more precise as he saw her not in her warrior vestments but in sweats and a tank top in the backyard in the middle not in the front of a group of young Slayers exercising and training.
"Hey Blue. Mind that I talk with you?" Gunn said as he hobbled forward on a pair of crutches in the doorway.
"Gunn, you need your rest..." Illyria said as she moved from training and walked over to him, the semi-wet grass sticking to the bottom and sides of her feet.
"I know, but I'm getting a little stir crazy in there. I know between reading up on the Law on the Internet and watching the news, I need to do something different." Gunn said as Illyria tilted her head to the side in the bird-like style that was her way of examining a question.
"What do you wish to do?" Illyria said as she studied him.
"I don't know, mostly I just want to talk." Gunn said as he moved back inside.
"What do you wish to talk about?" Illyria said without insult as they moved into the living room. Gun took notice of the weapon's mounts in the living room that were behind glass panels taking particular interest in a crossbow that had a pair of blades tied to the ends of it.
"Well I want to know the truth about you." Gunn said as Illyria and him sat on the couch.
"What truth do you wish to know about me?" Illyria said as she sat in a style that Spike called Sittin' like a Proper English woman.
"How much of Fred, I mean her soul, her mind, well just plain her is inside of you? Are you attempting to be like her so we are not threatened by you are is it something more?" Gunn said as Illyria shifted where she sat. It wasn't until he saw her curl her toes and bite her lip that she started to speak.
"As My essence infected her body, her essence infected my mind." Illyria said as she shifted more into human speech. "Charles... I'm inside of Illyria." Fred's voice came out of Illyria's mouth. "We are sort of mixed together in here. Our minds have become one, I'm exploring her memories and she is scared." Fred said as Illyria started to speak again.
"I have moments Human when the part of me that is Fred comes forth, It is my thoughts and her ways of handling the interaction that takes over, other times, I speak like I am doing now. The feelings I have floating about me... I do not which part of me had desired it, maybe both when we are concerned for you." Illyria's voice started to say with Fred's Texas twang. "Charles... Later, I need to come to your room an speak to you some more... There is something I need to... Must... " Illyria was getting confused and scared. "Charles, I must go now..." Illyria said as she got up and moved away almost tripping in the process and rushed outside into the backyard.
"Okay, for a moment there I thought that old Blue was Blushing... Between her attempting to be Fred or that she is trying to be human." Gunn said as one of the Docs was coming in.
"Well considering what that young woman has been through. I think that she is just scared about being intimate so soon after losing her last boyfriend." Doc Miller said as she brushed trough his short cut Anthony Edwards-est hairline with his hand.
"So you think Blue Thunder has the hots for me?" Gunn said as he looked out the backdoor.
"Hey, she is a woman... They tend to go for guys that either the rebel or nice." Doc said looking out the window as one of the Slayers, about his own daughter's age proceeded to do another set of Katas with lethal precision.
This body warms... My own body warms... these thoughts so familiar, yet so strange. Winifred... I am scared... "Should I have told Gunn about how much of both of us exists in the other?" Illyria said to herself but being so into her thoughts Illyria hadn't noticed several of the younger Slayers hearing her.
"Illyria if you have the hot's for the guy go ask him." One of the Potentials said as she grasped the towel around her shoulders.
"I wasn't speaking to you." Illyria said as anger started to develop in her voice.
"No offense Blue but you don't have to be so mean? I mean you obviously have feeling for Gunn. I can see that everyone here sees that. Why can't you?" The Potential said walking by her. "Illyria, march in their put something comfortable on and just be yourself." The Potential said as she went through the door. Illyria never knew her name but would have to learn all the Slayer's names in the future. With that Illyria headed back inside and up to the room she shared with Chloe, Aisha, Suz and herself.
Sitting down on the bed, Illyria started to sort through the luggage she had brought with her. She knew that there was going to be a line after the training session with the other Slayers so she decided to wait until they were done with the five showers that were in the house. Illyria felt and found a red dress that Fred had worn a few weeks after she had gotten back from Pylea.
"This Garment, Fred wore it around Gunn... It felt soft." Illyria said as she sat on the bed and Sparked memories of Fred to the Surface and did what the other Slayers had started to call, Her electric VR room.
Fred stood on a Balcony watching Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn eating Chinese food. The dress she had one felt like it was made by Angels as it moved against her bare skin. Fred was still getting used to the concept of soft against her flesh once again, but feeling how the garment clung to the curves of her naked flesh made her fell like she was alive. It had been hours since Angel had defeated the body swapping sorcerer that had taken his body and gone on a blood-sucking rampage throughout the city. Fred felt that she had gotten some of her own will back. She would be a fighter and not a victim. That was when she journeyed downstairs slowly still wearing the foot wraps she had from Pylea. She slowly snuck by them and moved under one of the tables and reached up and took a box of Chinese food.
"Hey has anyone seen the chicken Lomin?" Gunn said as he looked around.
"I don't know, I think Wes had it last?" Cordy said as she moved from where she was standing. Fred could see the circular tattoo she had on the base of her back.
"Well I don't' have it?" Wesley said as he looked around. "I placed it here." Wes said as he pointed to the edge of the counter.
"Well, I'll see if it fell on the floor English?" Gunn said as he moved over to the edge and saw a slender ankled foot under the counter.
"Cordy. I think we have a guest." Gunn said as he knelt down on the floor slowly.
"Really, who is it?" Cordy said as she moved over in her Jimmy Shlues.
"Fred." Wesley said as they all kept their distance from Fred just letting her eat as Gunn leaned down and watched her eat the noodles with her hand.
"You could have asked for the box." Gunn said sitting down on the floor.
"I'm used to taking things when I need them." Fred said as she bit at her lip and shifting back some more so that she was against the rear of the reception desk.
"So, mind that we sit down with you?" Cordy said as she took her shoes off and sat down on the floor with her box of Chinese food.
"Okay. Just you stay over there." Fred said as she proceeded to eat. "It has been a long time since I have had noodles." Fred said as she munched at the food some more.
"You know Fred, you handled yourself pretty good." Gunn said as Fred looked at him as she was still munching on her food.
"I did?" Fred said as she attempted to figure out what to do next.
"Yeah, if it wasn't for you catching onto Angel or... Well the guy pretending to be him, we wouldn't have been able to stop this guy from having a full blown munchyfest on the city." Cordy said as Fred looked at her grinning.
"Well it was sure nothing." Fred said as her Texas drawl blended through, as she looked at Gunn, Cordy and Wes as being her true friends in this world she was getting used to again. That was when Illyria was thrust back to reality as Chloe came in and disrupted the energy.
"Illyria, listen..." Chloe said as she was wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her small frame. "I'm sorry about how Maria behaved. But hey she is part Gypsy and from what I have learned they tend to be very empathic about things." Chloe said as Illyria looked up at her.
"You are apologizing for someone who stated the obvious to me." Illyria said as she started to let some of the disjointed sparks merge into her flesh.
"So what were you doing... when I... you know...?" Chloe said as she touched Illyria's arm.
"I was reliving my memories, every sense, every smell, every taste." Illyria said as she started to lick at the side of her lip with her tongue in an attempt to drag in some of the non-existent noodle sauce. "I was having a memory of having Chinese food with my friends after I got back from Pylea." Illyria said as she started to wipe at her mouth.
"Oh, so it is like being plugged into the Matrix with the Frosty Wheat's idea." Chloe said as she sat down as the knot of the towel around her top started to give.
"Chloe, you are about to loose your garment." Illyria said as the knot lost its last amount of cling and collapsed open exposing Chloe's small breasts which embarrassingly attempted to cover with her arms showing several of the scars she had gained from the battle with the First.
"I see that you have scars too Chloe." Illyria said as she got up and headed for the door. "I will give you an ointment later, if you want me to heal those." Illyria said as she started to close the door. "I guess I should give you some privacy, as you dress."
"Yeah... Illyria..." Chloe said as she pulled the towel up around her front. "About the ointment... I'll think about it, but um, thanks for the offer."
"I thank you for you and the other saying what needed to be said." Illyria said as she left and closed the door caring her towel and washcloth with her. "Oh, I heard that there was another Slayer named Chloe... Did you know her?" Illyria said speaking from the other side of the door.
"Yes I did... I hope that if I ever run into a demon that plays with people's minds, I can fight it better than she did." The young Slayer said as she heard Illyria scratch at the door with her nails as she left.
"Strength of Character takes time to build young one. I am still there myself." Illyria said as she walked down the hallway.
Illyria was standing before the mirror looking at her reflection. The simple red garment she was wearing over her naked form felt a little different than how it felt when she accessed Fred's memories. Illyria thought that the sensory data of her Shell, no... Fred's skin. The concept that she and Fred were one and to degrade this being that had become her inner guide was something that she would have never allowed to happen in her court of old.
"Fred, if you want this body back, I will it to be..." Illyria said to herself. That was when the refection spoke back.
"Illyria, I know we share the same body now and you had no choice in me being you vessel. But since the powers have decided to meld us into one being we have to deal with the fact that I also have access to your memories as well." The refection said back to Illyria. "Trust me, I know how truly scared you are. But hey I have the feeling that we are the shades of the other. My bitch, I
I'm going to cut someone's balls off side just happens to be you and your caring intellectual side happens to be me." The Blue Fred said as Illyria moved forward to the mirror and touched it.
"What magic is this?" Illyria said as the Fred reflection started to take a deep breath.
"Nothing, you asked if I wanted my body back... Well here is the thing... we are one being now. I am Fred or more or less her ensouled Essence that lives inside of you. You attempted to eat me, well I think as your essence was taking hold I started to mix into on a cellular level as well as a Spiritual one." The Fred reflection said to Illyria as Illyria tilted her head to the side wondering what would happen next. "Illyria just relax some, the dress isn't sitting right because you are so stiff with your body. The garment is supposed to flow onto your frame." Fred said as she took control of Illyria's arms and pulled on the straps of the dress, adjusting them so that the garment started to find the curves of Illyria's body and settle into place.
"The Garment seems to fit better now." Illyria said as Fred grinned back at her from the mirror. "Thank you."
"I'm glad that you told Charles the Truth." Fred said to Illyria as Illyria brought her head down in shame.
"I do not believe that he trusts what I said." Illyria said not wanting to see Fred's reaction.
"Well give him time... You are trying to find yourself as well. Go and sit down with him in his room." Fred said as Illyria looked up to her.
"I am not sure about what to do next. This body Lusts and warms for him, yet this shell has a history with him." Illyria said as Fred looked at her.
"Yeah well me and Gunn were intimate and lovers for a time. You are picking up on some of that. That and your feelings of loss over Wesley have something to do with this sudden desire to be with Gunn." Fred said as Illyria spread her arms to look at them.
"You are not angry for me calling your... our body the Shell." Illyria said looking at how her flesh had softened some in the last few minutes.
"Well here is the deal, I'll make you feel normal in this world by letting you keep your stripes, in exchange I'll tweak your senses so that you can not be so overwhelmed by what is around you. Plus there is something of Fred's that you have in your care, I won't tell you what it is but... Joy, Happiness, sorrow and anger will be a result of it." Fred said as Illyria's body started to feel like it was alive.
"Winifred..." Illyria said as she looked in the mirror only to see herself speaking to herself.
"Go to Charles...." Fred said from inside of Illyria's head. Illyria stood there for a moment looking at herself in the mirror. Her movements had changed some, becoming more fluid and elegant and softer. The Garment and her body felt like she was able to move with it. Then Illyria headed out the door and entered Charles Gunn's room. Charles was not there but Illyria moved and sat on the bed. She felt more relaxed as she leaned back with her blue and brown hair cascading down her bareback. The sensation was strange yet calming to her as she reached over and picked up one of Gunn's legal texts and started to read it or attempting to read it. Her eyes were not functioning right, no matter how close Illyria brought the book up to her face the text kept blurring.
"Hey there, Blue..." Gunn said as he moved in on his crutches. "You know you'll ruin your eyes doing that." Illyria moved away from the text as she looked at him.
"Gunn, My eyes cannot focus. Is this what all human sight is like?" Illyria said looking at him as she got up and moved over by Gunn.
"No not really, Fred wore Glasses to correct her vision. She was Far Sighted. I guess since you are in her body, you gained some of her baggage." Gunn said as he moved over and opened a drawer and took out a pair of eyes glasses.
"Can you correct this?" Illyria said worried of how much of Fred was bleeding into her life.
"Yes I can, in a way." Gunn said as he opened up the Glasses and handed them to Illyria. Illyria felt them in her hands.
"These will correct my vision." Illyria said unsure about how to proceed next. Gunn sensing how unsettled she was moved and took the glasses out of her hands and placed them on her face. The brown oval lenses and Illyria's blue striped forehead and hair brought some of Fred's high cheeks out and for a moment Illyria looked like the geeky-shy Fred of old. Illyria looked at Gunn through these lenses and felt her body warm with memories of Fred and Gunn making love after she had written a paper about trans-dimensional transport. Illyria quickly turned her head to look at the texts that were sitting on Gunn's bed. "These are books about the Laws of this land." Illyria said as she moved to pick up the text again and studied some of the text that Gunn had book marked.
"Yeah with everything that has happened. I want to make sure that I learn the law and not depend on some implant to do it for me." Gunn said as he sat down on the bed.
"You do this in the memory of Fred?" Illyria said as she sat down next to him.
"Yes." Gunn said as Illyria warmed again.
"So given what I said earlier about Fred or Aspects of her that are still alive inside of me. That part is True..." Illyria said as she started to cry.
"Blue... you weren't making that up?" Gunn said as he leaned on Illyria as she let out her emotions.
"Yes, but I am trying to understand. This body warms. Not yours, mine... Fred's memories are so rich. At times I am overwhelmed by them. I miss my Mother Edina... My Brother's and Sisters... Even my rebellious sister Chimera..." Illyria was in tears as she said this.
"Illyria you are talking like you are human." Gunn said as he took her face in her hands and looked into her eyes as Speckles of brown showed through her now human blue eyes.
"I dread it, yet I feel that I need to be this." Illyria said as Gunn Kissed her on her blue forehead. Illyria moved slowly back from him and looked at him. "Did you do that because I look like Fred or because of me?" Illyria said turning her head to its side.
"Blue, you are learning to understand your feelings." Gunn said as he adjusted himself some more. "Don't worry, I think you are overwhelmed by the fact that you are trying to adjust to Wesley's death. It will take time." Gunn said as Illyria started to look at him some with the feelings of being scared and angry.
"I see this body I am in and I notice how much I have changed it, I feel Fred inside of me telling me that I need to let some of who she was… is... and some of what I need to become through." Illyria said as she felt her arms.
"Blue, There is something I need to tell you... Your markings? I think I wound up with some of them from when you did your little Flesh magic thing to me." Gun said as he reached down and pulled up his sweatshirt to reveal a section of blue and off brown flesh from where he had been injured that was now marked with stitches. Illyria stopped for a moment and moved closer to him and felt at them with her fingers
"You bare some of my markings?" Illyria said as she moved her arms up and pulled the straps of her red dress down. Gunn was surprised by her flashing her boobs at him but it wasn't until Illyria fully stepped out of the dress revealing her complete nude frame and sat down next to him that he was a bit uncomfortable with the sudden turn of event before him.
"Um, Illyria... you're not trying to seduce me are you?" Gunn said in his own take on the Dustan Hoffman Graduate line. That was when Illyria took his hand and placed it on her belly.
"Gunn, I bare the same markings as you..." Illyria said as she started to Cry as she fell forward on his arm. Illyria could feel her flesh starting to warm and expand more. She was fearful that if it continued she would explode.
"Illyria..." Gunn said looking at her body. Though Fred had a small frame Illyria was changing it to fit her needs. The first thing Gunn noticed was that Illyria had given Fred Boobs. A good freaking handful for each one turning Fred's once flat chest into a W.O.M.A.N.'s. "Um, How much did you change Fred's body?" Gunn said uncomfortably as Illyria took notice of this and started to move away so that he would stop seeing her as a threat.
"You do not like my appearance?" Illyria said tilting her head to the side again. "I thought it would please you?"
"Illyria, I just... Blue… So are so direct... I know that you like how ... I look.... but is that part of you that it reading into Fred's past a little to much." Gunn said as Illyria shifted her gaze some and down to the dress she had been wearing and picked it up and brought it up to her body so she was covered in the front.
"You and Fred fornicated many a time." Illyria said as she looked to Gunn on how to proceed. "I wish to experience that, but my memories of Fred state that you two broke up. Do you wish me to change my form so that you are not reminded of her?" Illyria said as she started to change her hair from blue to full brown.
"Illyria..." Gunn said as he reached over and touched the bare flesh of her shoulder. "... I'll be your friend, but lets take this slowly, maybe love can develop later, but right now I feel like I'm sleeping with Fred's sister." Gunn said as Illyria moved forward to lay by him.
"Then for now, may I have permission to rest here by you?" Illyria said as she looked up at him.
"Okay Blue... But mind that I cover you up so that you won't get cold?" Gunn said as he took the comforter that was sitting at the foot of the bed and draped it over Illyria's nude form. Illyria moved so that one of her arms was outside of the cloth as she lay on Gunn's pillow.
"Charles, in my society if a being like myself gave someone their markings. It was seen as a sign of honor, in a term that you could call friendship... Possibility in a more complex term... Love... yet the exact word doesn't translate to your language." Illyria said as she took her free hand and started to touch the blue mark on his chest.
"I can live with that Blue." Charles said as he started to stroke Illyria's hair. "You know, I like you with a bit more blue in your hair." Gunn said as Illyria closed her eyes and brought some of the blue in her hair back. "You know... If we are going to be friends. Tell me a bit about your self. You said you had bothers and Sisters. Tell me about the one's you were closest to. You said you had a annoying little sister named Chimera. Tell me some of the stuff she did to you while you two were growing up." Charles said as Illyria grinned, not a Fred Grin but a Grin that was all he own that wasn't evil, or fake or mocking, but a grin of friend ship.
"Well Chimera was always rebellious, getting into everyone's affairs..." Illyria started as her eyes started to grow heavy, as Charles found the sweet spot on her neck that turned the once hard Demon goddess to putty in his hands as she spoke about her annoying little sister and how her mother had to separate them as they fought over a meal of a garwar beast as she drifted off to sleep next to Gunn as he slowly stroked his fingers through her blue and brown hair.
Illyria was sleeping next to her husband Charles Gunn. It has been several years since that night she had let her guard down and spoke to this dark skinned human as an equal. Illyria had slowly fallen in love with him on terms they could both understand as she came to terms with her human and demon sides. The mirror was right, she and Fred were mirror images of the other, and she just needed to find the middle ground. The blue lines on her body were just that, blue lines and memories of a long ago people whom she had helped to bring back and integrate into society. This society... how many of her people were their running around with the essences of the Old One's melded into them now... She didn't mind... Prices had been paid... Lessons learned... Sometimes painfully... She wouldn't have given it up even for her kingdom of old. Edina, her mother had been right... Empires mean nothing... Family is everything... as she looked at Charles Gunn's bearded face. The goatee looked great on him, as she traced a finger playfully down his bare chest.
Though her telepathic link to him had faded as the blue flesh magic spell had cast on him to save his life when she thought her would was ending again... It had given her something more... The strength to go on after Wesley had died. She wasn't alone; she could still remember that first time they had made love, how all of her senses were overloading as she learned every nitch and curve of his body and of her's as their bare flesh touched each other as she cried as she felt filled with an inner warmth she had not felt when Edina held her during that storm of raining fire when she was a child.
But it was when she was with their first child she felt like she was truly part of the world, between having at least twelve to fifteen aunts and uncles from Gunn's old Crew and Illyria's adopted Slayer Sisterhood, she knew her child would find her place in the world whether she choose to be a warrior, a healer, a protector of the law, or a student of the laws of this realm's Magic. She would always be happy for her.
That was over five years ago. Illyria could still feel how her human side had taken her demon essence and her shell's stored up eggs and created a hybrid child, part Gunn, part Fred and possessing the markings of Illyria's demon essence, Blue hair and blue stripe from both hands that crossed over her forehead. Cordy's dark skin and brown-red eyes made her feel like she was home in this realm as she cried after she was born. Then came their second child Fredkin, from the same womb and like her namesake was intellectual and wore a pair of glasses with the same markings and a slightly lighter skin coloring. Illyria would give her life to protect them; she would slaughter armies to make sure they were safe. That was when Illyria heard a knock on her and Charles's bedroom door.
"Mommy, my skin is itching...allover" Cordy said in the doorway holding her pajamas in front of her bare body as she attempted to scratch at curling orange peel sized flaps of skin coming off of her body.
"Cordy..." How long has your skin been itching?" Illyria said as she grabbed a bathrobe and pulled it around her own nude body covering a well-rounded belly and several orange stretch marks.
"Ever since I woke up... Mommy... my clothes felt like they were eating at my skin." Cordy said as she tried her best to prevent from scratching with her fingers her pink flesh.
"Stay there, I'll take a look." Illyria said getting out of bed and heading to her daughter. Illyria looked at were the skin was flaking off and saw the blue pattern of her people starting to come through.
"Cordy, you are about to shed... You're going to have the same marking as me." Illyria said as she guided her daughter down the hall occasionally stopping the dab the tears out of her daughter's eyes. "I'm going to get your sister Fred, now go into the bathroom and get in the tub so I can help peel your old skin off without you hurting yourself. I'll teach the both you about the shedding your going to have happen off and on for the rest of your lives." Illyria said going to wake Fredkin and bring her into the bathroom. Fredkin was starting to shed too, but she slept like a rock and hadn't noticed the peeling from her sun burnt shoulders.
"Now Cordy, Fred. I need you to watch, someday you will teaching this to your kids too." With that Illyria moved and slowly took a wet Lufa and started to rub it to peel the sickly white flesh off her daughter Cordy's body to reveal the peach and blue markings underneath as she dragged the "Orange Peel" sized scruff of skin off of her daughter's body. Fredkin watched intently as she sat on the edge of the Toilet looking at her own skin where it had peeled too on her arms with the occasional picking at it to put it back in place.
"Mommy I don't want to look blue like you." Fredkin said as Illyria worked at some of Cordy's back with the wet Lufa.
"Don't worry I'll teach you how to change your flesh tones so that you can look as human as you want after this. I molted a few times before having you two and trust me the first few were the hardest, that and the Body odor. I Stank." Illyria said as little Cordy moved to hug her mom as she put on some magically enhanced lotion on her skin to make the rawness go away.
"Blue what are you doing up so late. Oh..." Charles said as he came in to see what his wife was doing and seeing the shed skin the bathtub. "You weren't joking about the girls molting."
"Charles go to bed, you have a case in court tomorrow." Illyria said getting up and heading over to run her fingers through Gunn's graying beard.
"Well, thanks for the cuddling lov'n we did earlier." Gunn said trying to keep the more lurid details from his two children as he moved and pinched her on the butt some which made sexily eye him with, 'you want to do it again... you know you have work tomorrow.'
"You needed to loosen up, and it was very pleasant given by body lusting for your touch with me carrying our third larva inside of me." Illyria said as Fredkin tugged at her dad's pajama leg.
"Daddy what does lusting mean?" Fredkin said as both Gunn and Illyria blushed. The things kids will say.
"I'll tell you and your sister when you are older." Gunn said as Illyria moved and took Cordy out of the tub and wrapped an extra large towel around her before turning and undressing Fredkin and placing her in the tub to repeat the molting procedure on her youngest daughter. Cordy looked at the lighter blue lines that were now under her arm as she looked at the new grown blue triangle be revealed on her sister.
"This is so going to clash with my wardrobe..." Cordy said as Illyria grinned remembering Cordy's namesake.
Illyria awoke several hours later next to Gunn with his legal texts laying open on his bare chest; was it a dream or was it something more? She cared and didn't at the same time, she just snuggled closer to Gunn and grinned before falling asleep again as an unseen and forgotten fragment of Fred's body started to grow inside of her. The fragment no larger than a single cell moved and reached out and snagged a one-one millionth of a fragment of Illyria's demon essence from her unnoticed and devoured it before it divided into two, then four, then by eight.
"Thanks's Fred..." Illyria said in her sleep as the dream continued on as two red bladed antennae touched the window from outside as they transmitted what they sensed in the room to the head they were attached to.
"Who is Fred?" The voice said as it faded into the night.
Illyria was sitting at the living room table with the table she had brought back with her from the Hellmouth. The simple clothing of jeans and a red t-shirt made her look somewhat normal with the more human flesh tones she had started to use on her body. Though the glasses were screaming, intellectual her try not to disturb. Illyria had started to become more comfortable with this form and appearance as she took the white Elmer's glue and started to piece the fragments of the section of the text she had obliterated with her hand. This simple intellectual challenge felt comfortable, it was like she was bonding with her host Winifred's body. The dream she had, had last night hadn't shaken her up, just made her think of the last line of the prophecy she had before her. "To be a Protector." Illyria stretched her arms, the action was not to loosen tense and sleep limbs, but as an echo of her human self. She knew that she had to let these little urges out but these little unconscious things she did seemed to make her appear not as threatening as she did as she wondered the Halls of Wolfram and Hart. This intellectual exercise was peaceful with its monotony as she looked at where one of the hidden cameras was placed. She wondered what the personnel watching last night made of her sleeping next to Charles Gunn in the nude. For her it was emotional, a bonding experience, an exploration of her human side. The body warmth was still on her flesh, but for now, it was under control. How did Gloria deal with being human flesh now? Maybe she coped in different ways, but knowing that some of her people or at least their decedents were here at least made her think about this tablet. Illyria slowly moved and took a pair of pliers and picked another fragment out of her glove and placed it on the glue-laden tablet.
"Hey Illyria do you want to go on a patrol tonight?" Chloe said as she came and moved over by the couch.
"To do battle, take out enemies, those who wish to devour the flesh of innocents." Illyria said as she stopped working for a moment and turned to look at Chloe. "I need to have some violence now, my mind is clouded. I need clarity. My mind is racing... I have to need clarity. I will go with you. What time is the battle? And who are we going to kill?" Illyria said as she pulled out a roll of clear packing tape and placed the strip over the glued stone she had been working on.
"Illyria... What are you working on?" Chloe said moving down and sat on the floor next to Illyria.
"A tablet I found at the Hellmouth." Illyria said as she pulled out a tablet of paper and started to write on it. "It pertains to me and my people. As much as I hate the Half-breed Angel... This tablet states I have to ... as you humans must say... Work with him." Illyria said as she transcribed the wording on the tablet to the sheet of paper.
"Oh, Well... I've been thinking... Have you noticed how much Spike and Agent Finn Speak so much alike? I mean with Spike being a Vampire and all and Finn being human." Chloe said as Illyria tilted her head to one side like an insect.
"They were in the same situation after facing a enemy that used them to fight against their friends." Illyria said remembering the conversation that Spike and Finn had, had during their trip up to Sunnydale.
"Wow... So talk about a bad guy that could get into your head." Chloe said as Illyria adjusted how she sat.
"You find learning of the history of other's interesting?" Illyria said as she started to run her fingers through her hair.
"Yes, I do." Chloe said as Doc came into the room and started to watch the conversation. "So what is your history?"
"I have essence of Demon in my body, I have since attempted to balance my human side with my demon self." Illyria said, "I believe my demon warrior pride caused my defeat and embarrassment at the hands of Hamilton..." Illyria said as she lowered her head in shame. "If I had been stronger I would have been able to defeat him."
"Illyria tell me of the battle with Hamilton." Chloe said as she proceeded to listen to every word of Illyria being thrown around like a rag doll and beaten within an inch of her life.
"Illyria, I think you need to throw out your old playbook and learn some of our battle strategies." Chloe said as she proceeded to take Illyria outside after Blue put the tablet she had into her tote sack and placed it in her room. The Rules for them were about to all change.
TBC
