The Late General Hughes
Chapter 4: Dawning of an Encounter
By Claudius
I don't own FMA or Buffy or Angel.
Envy was not the only one watching Gracia Hughes and her child. Their presence at the café was also an interest to another. One as close to them and yet distant. Maes Hughes spied upon them from a dark alley across the street. He bundled up against the day, hiding in the shadows. On his luck was the sun being under a cloud at the moment. Still, he felt very hot. One would think immortality meant invulnerability! Guess not, he thought. He watched alone, ignoring the possibility of those girls finding him.
"Y'know, stalking's illegal," a voice broke this solitude. Hughes snapped back to see Dawn behind him. A rather grim-looking Dawn.
"Since I spotted Mrs. Hughes and Elysia," the girl calmly explained. "I kinda got this idea that you'd be around."
"And that this dark alley would be the only place for me." Hughes sighed. He would be completely complimentary to Dawn's talents if he didn't find the idea of a mere child outwitting a creature like him a little humiliating. Still, he felt mostly respectful.
"So," Dawn continued. "Escape artistry among your talents?"
Hughes tried to hide his indignity. "There's a lot I know."
"If you wanted to go, you could have asked."
Hughes grumbled. "Evidently, being tied-up convinced me of the opposite." Besides, he had to eat, which might have made his situation even worse (even if the food in question came from animals). He slowed his defense. "I would have come back."
Dawn said nothing, looking unsure.
Hughes then went to another point. "Enjoying the roach motel?"
"Pretty sleazy," Dawn's feeling looked damper.
"Well, it's home to me. I don't live in a cave or crypt, if wherever vampires from your town live in."
"Actually, a lot of 'em would be living better than you." Dawn snorted.
Hughes then considered the girl's home. "Must be a really weird place you come from."
"It's a regular town, except for the vampires and monsters." Dawn was deadpan. "The place was built under a Hellmouth." A moment of silence led to her giving information. "That's some portal to a demon dimension."
Hughes nodded with lessened confusion. "Well, this place wasn't built under anything, but it has its share of weirdos."
The two paced to the other side of the alley. The heat bothered Hughes a little, but he can manage as long as he avoided exposure. "And your family?" Hughes made a lie. Lorne had told him quite a lot (with reluctance, forcing Hughes to sing the whole Amestris anthem to show his intentions). The revelation played in his head like a record. Dawn's sister Buffy was a Slayer, a vampire demon killer...
Dawn just glared at his question.
Hughes noted her reluctance, remembering more. Her mother just died of a brain tumor…
"Skip the interrogation," Dawn snapped. "Lorne told me everything."
Hughes gritted his teeth. "Doesn't mean you can't talk about it." There was a mystical Key that can open every barrier between dimensions. To hide it, some Monks transformed it into a teenage girl named Dawn. They also mind raped Buffy into believing Dawn had this prior existence as her sister…The girl was someone Alphonse Elric feared he was. A sudden empathy for that kid and his brother surfaced. They were now considered Public Enemy No. 1. Dawn fared no better. A hell goddess named Glorificus went after Dawn, wanting a ticket back home. Along the way, she did some major brain-drains on a lot of people. Tara was a victim... What a nice chip the kid had on her shoulder! The size of a tank! Enough not to make her open to his words. Against this defense, why did he even bother? His consoling skills had gone to rust. No wonder, having not talked to anyone since he died.
Than Dawn screamed. "Sunshine!"
Hughes ran back to the middle of the alley, covering himself. Dawn transformed her words into a song: "On my shoulders makes me happy!"
Hughes bristled at this joke. This was no time for a song! Getting a dark smudge in his heart, he was about to confront her. A voice struck him motionless.
"Dawn," Garcia was heard at the corner, with Elysia in the background. "How are you?"
Dawn spoke. "I'm fine." She stepped forward into the street, causing her greeters to avoid what was inside the alley.
"Is Ms. Chase alright?"
"Yeah!" Dawn nodded. "No more headaches lately."
"That's good."
"If only our situation was," Dawn mentioned.
"Well, you're welcome to stay at our house."
Hughes could become the wall by the way he pressed himself against it. So many feelings danced in his head. They were so close. Stay away!
Garcia spoke more. "What's the matter Elysia?"
The child pointed to the alley. "I see s'body in there!"
Hughes cringed further at the discovery. He could imagine the girl's face…and her terror. He buried himself with his arms and legs.
"Oh, that's probably some old deadbeat bum looking for food," said Dawn.
Hughes rolled his eyes. Thanks, Dawn. There was no gratitude in that thought.
"Oh," Garcia understood. Hughes heard a bag rustling. "Let me see..."
Hughes tensed. Damn his wife's charity!
"Fine," Gracia said. "I'll leave it here." She laid an apple before the alley. And they were gone. If there was relief in Hughes, it fought with regret. They were so close…
Two minutes passed before Dawn came to him. Holding the apple in her hand, she didn't look happy.
"It's the light…too bright." Hughes whispered in the shadows.
"Bullshit." Dawn's whisper was venomous and condescending.
Hughes turned his eyes to her. "You'd want them to see me like this?" He shirked responsibility. "It wasn't my fault I became a vampyre."
"No, you'd be dead instead." Dawn now roared. "All because of your job, more important than your family." She stayed immobile as Hughes arose. "Yeah, Lorne told me that too."
"He should keep his mouth shut." Hughes towered before Dawn. Choose your weapons, girl! He claimed to himself. Hit me in the right way! Not very smart!
Dawn fumed her weaponry. "You knew your work was a ticket to becoming a tombstone. Why did you do it? Didn't your family mean anything? Guess not!"
"Now hold on!" Hughes grabbed Dawn by the arm. "Listen!"
But the girl threw the apple at him, shrugged her arm free. "Whatever! Your daughter blames herself for your death!"
A figurative bullet froze Hughes. All passivity died within him.
"See! That's what you get for being freakin' sacrificial. I hate you people!
And then Hughes remembered something else. Glory kidnapped her and activated a portal that would bring on Armageddon. Dawn's death could seal it. Buffy, sharing the same physiology as Dawn, closed the portal herself…at the cost of her life...
"You think you're protecting your loved ones, but instead you've left a hole in their lives."
Hughes honed his weapon. His face sank to an intense degree. Not vampiric, but very hostile nevertheless. A wounded animal can be very dangerous. His distance disappeared.
Dawn backed to the wall, brave to the last. Her distraught emotions peaked with a screech. "A big, ugly, fucking hole!"
Hughes grabbed her shoulders.
"Lemme go!" Dawn swung her arms to break free. She beat and beat upon Hughes' chest. What she didn't expect was Hughes' embrace. His grasps turned tender, palming her shoulder and back. Dawn continued her punches until her defiance shattered. Now all she had was tears.
"It's okay," Hughes hushed the girl's anguish.
Then came a pathetic whimper. "Why did she do it?"
"That's what older siblings do," Hughes spoke in a kind voice. "Protect the younger, even with their life. It's what your sister did. I did it."
Dawn stared blankly in surprise.
"I have a brother," Hughes revealed. "Figuratively speaking."
And then no other words were shared. Only their pain was communicated, faced and borne. Hughes wasn't plagued by any cruel feelings. What did plague him was this small burning on his chest. Dawn suddenly pulled back. Hughes' chest had a cross burn.
"Oops, sorry!" Dawn's attempt at casualness trembled in her emotionally flooded state. She covered her little cross-shaped medallion. Hughes awkwardly nodded. At least the hug worked. Guess he hasn't lost his touch.
The two sat in the alley side-by-side. Leaving will wait until Dawn felt better, Hughes decided. So twenty minutes passed by. Dawn regained some of her composure. "Um, Hughes, about what I said. Just a little mourning crazy."
Hughes understood very well. Dawn wasn't mad at him. She was mad at her sister and mother for dying, as if they hurt her on purpose. But she can't curse the dead. He was the next best thing. "Did you…" Hughes' paused with his words. "Did you...get to say goodbye?"
Dawn sighed. "Mom…no. My sister…" she slowed her words. "Gave me a big speech before taking a dive to save the world."
Hughes looked at Dawn with his usual amazement to her group. One can't say these kids led boring lives. The compliment was a defense to an issue inside him. Dawn's accusation opened up an old wound. It festered to the point he could ignore it no longer. Dawn wasn't the only girl who needed consoling. "I never really got to say goodbye to my little girl. I'm to blame for that one."
Dawn tried to be encouraging. "Elysia's as daddy-fetished as you're Elysia-fetished."
"Not making things better," Hughes was unmoved, growing darker in sadness. Elysia brought him a deeper guilt. Can't play the blame game this time. He remembered the factors of this problem. His final hours. Digging deeper into the Homunculus and their control of Amestris meant consequences. Deadly ones. He never was so scared in his life. Fear was hidden well...to a point.
"I was really mean to her...before I died." That's a pretty subtle way of saying it. He called her a spoiled brat. The little bitch couldn't stop asking him to get some stupid pink bear. She had her birthday a day ago. Enough was enough!
The brat's reply: I hate you!
Hughes proofread his self-labels. Bitch? That's the demon talking. Hughes swallowed that dark side with his human guilt. It wasn't Elysia's fault. He had no right dropping his frustrations on her. "She said she hated me. Those were her last words to me."
Dawn was stunned. "Why didn't you apologize?"
"I had some work to do."
Dawn rolled her eyes. "Surprise, surprise."
Hughes couldn't protest. When he got his act together, the first thing he did was go apologize. But he found Elysia asleep. It was their last time together. He was human when he hurt his daughter. A monster now. Big difference. "It's my fault. Nothing I can change."
"Well," Dawn jumped to an alternative, ignorant of practicality. "Maybe you could…"
"It's too late." Hughes interrupted the advice with rejection. "I'm different now. I'll only make things worse." Seeing Dawn's disappointed face moved him. "Look, I'm sorry. If I found a way to say goodbye without scaring her, I'd do it in a second. But what can I do?"
Dawn stared at him. "Well…"
Returning to the boarding house led to a near-violent confrontation, a cease-fire, an explanation, and an idea.
"No." said Tara to Dawn's idea. She spoke this word with defiance, apprehension about abusing her magical abilities, sympathy over Dawn and the reluctance to hurt her in any way.
"Oh, and just as a reminder: forget it!" Cordelia added, lacking all those factors in her refusal to Dawn's idea. She was glad to learn Hughes didn't go Mr. Killing Spree, thus giving points to her optimism. But did she really hear the girl's plan as she heard it? Much to her chagrin, it was exactly how she heard it.
"C'mon," Dawn demanded. She looked to Hughes standing nearby, drinking some…'V-8.' He said nothing about her plan, which was a plus. But he kept his distance, though the fact that two of these girls were bearing crosses and standing at the sunlit window didn't give him any points. "Elysia blames herself for what happened to her father. The death part. This is the only way to give her some peace of mind."
"And maybe give Hughes a piece of her too?" Cordelia had killer in her words, turning to the objective. "No offense." As usual, she got a glare from her undead roommate. This was not just because of her distrust or resemblance to Gracia. There was also the very fresh image of Cordelia and Tara attempting to pounce him (Lorne just stayed away).
"If he did," Dawn protested, "he'd do it earlier. Hughes still owns the house."
That truth brought up another point to the girls. Since the house was still owned by a vampire, wouldn't that make it open house to every vamp?
Dawn threw her best weapons. Doeful eyes, a whole bunch of Please, and psychological warfare. "All I want is for Elysia to say goodbye to her dad. I didn't get to say goodbye to my Mom. Did you, Tara?"
That did the trick. Tara's reluctance eroded. With a sigh, she touched Dawn's hair.
"Then you'll do it?"
Tara reluctantly nodded.
"Am I the only crazy one here?" screeched Cordelia. "Because I'm not!"
Dawn pulled the same weapon on her. "Don't you wish Angel said goodbye to Buffy?" She quickly went silent, believing she made the stupidest persuasion attempt ever. Which meant a lot of surprise when Cordelia went into frustration, "Oh, fine!"
Dawn smirked. Hughes' glares became less glaring.
"But if he gives one vamp face to Elysia," Cordelia added. "You get the dustpan!"
Why did she get talked into this? Cordelia did splits in her head with this question. First she had a stake at Vamp Hughes' heart. Now she was his hairdresser. His do was to be the way it was before his death: short, spiky hair with the front curl. That way, his daughter can better recognize him. Cordelia knew this look too. She saw it in her premonition, very-DVD-clarity- accurate.
But as ever, Cordelia wondered if she was really calling the kettle black. Dawn defended the guy, and he seemed very passive. She herself defended Harmony…who was also passive before she turned on her. But Harmony didn't have a soul, as Hughes supposedly did. Maybe it was some gene in the Summers female that gave off some 'vamps play nice' effect!
Cordelia summed up the evidence of her experiences with the undead. How can helping a vampire go wrong? On one corner: Becoming the first course at the Harvest. Vampires attacking her countless times before Angel, Buffy, Doyle, Wesley, etc. came to her rescue. In the other corner: She applied bandages on a wounded Angel after he saved her from a vampire client. She painted Harmony's toe nails (before, again, she tried to kill her). She helped Angel. To her advantage: She bit one vampire in the hand. See how you like it! Staked another. And she still had her trusty taser in her pocket.
And yet, the more Cordelia saw Hughes, the more sympathetic she got. That led to some reinterpretation on her vision. She saw Hughes going vampy in a fight. She once had a vision of Gunn fighting. That didn't mean Gunn was a demon. He was in trouble. Did her vision mean that Hughes was in trouble? If so, then by what? Those Ho-Monkeys he talked about?
Such thoughts she kept secret from her customer. After washing off the dye, Cordelia began to snap off Hughes' long hair. "Don't know about the goatee. Unless you have some sorta quick hair growth power."
"I can handle that." The man was short word, especially to her. Cordelia understood the silence, thanks to what Lorne told her. Imagine it, he died because some shape-shifting Ho-monkey (was she pronouncing it correctly?) shot him in the form of his wife. That was a nasty thing to see. The last thing is your lover killing you. What if she had Doyle or Xander holding a gun at her? Angel…okay, she was used to that (and he wasn't even her boyfriend!)!
And then her customer gave some important short words. "Cordelia…I'm sorry." There was real conviction in those words. Very Angel-like.
Cordelia sighed. "It's okay. Still, just because you have a lot of angst, not to mention being evil demonic, doesn't mean you can't be a little courteous."
Hughes was slow on that reply. "I'll take that in mind."
The chance given, Cordelia tried to strike up a conversation. "So, demon conspiracy inside the government?"
Hughes made an icy warning. "Can we stay away from that?"
"Okay," Cordelia snapped in annoyance. "I thought since I've helped kill a demon mayor and overthrow some demon lords in another dimension, I'd give you some advice. Fine, have it your own way!"
"Fine!" Hughes growled. It took a few snips passed before any words were spoken again. The new one came from Hughes. "So, premonitions?"
"Yeah," Cordelia grumbled. "Nasuea-coma-inducing visions from higher powers."
"God hasn't made much contact these days." Hughes bled some pessimism. "So when it does, it hurts like a motherfucker? Figures."
"Hey, don't knock it." Cordelia spoke with pride. "I got these visions from someone."
"Without protection?" A grin enlarged on Hughes' lips.
Cordelia's eyes enlarged with irritation. "Do you want to cut your hair by yourself?"
Hughes sighed, removing smile and subject. A few cuts led to another point. "So, what is this Angel like?"
"A good dead guy. Handsome, noble, painfully shy, doesn't have any business sense, and you're pumping me for information, aren't you?" Cordelia instantly turned exposition into accusation. "Tone down on the demon empathy."
But still Hughes was curious. "So you're friends with him?"
"Yeah, and shoot down any other idea. I don't date dead people with liquid diets. Besides, he has a problem."
"Immortality, drinking blood?"
"Oh, I can handle that stuff," Cordelia shirked those nasty facts with an uncomfortable air. "It's just...he's a eunech." She jumped to those words with exaggerated conviction. "Vampires are eunechs."
She felt Hughes tense. The vampire looked down on himself.
"Not in that way!" Cordelia corrected herself. "I meant impotent!" The woman went silent, knowing she mentioned the most dreaded word to a man. On the other hand, if this vampire had a soul, does that mean he has the same escape clause as Angel? In that case, a little white lie won't hurt.
"Well, it's not like I can do that anymore." Hughes accepted this 'truth.'
Nearby, Tara plopped some plants and stones on the table. She sat before the window, its bright light upon her. Despite the brightness, Hughes noted her work. "Is that a spell you're cooking or are you just cooking?"
"A spell," Tara was serious.
Hughes understood. "So this magic really works?"
"Y-yes," Tara's words were hesitant. "We're lucky to have the right ingredients for this." Her luck did not show a forward willingness to be open. "My mom taught me."
"And Willow too?"
"Tell me about it," Cordelia interrupted. "That witch always gets people under her spell."
"Witch?" Hughes paused. "So, Willow's not a he?" Silence meant confirmation. "Oh."
"What do you mean by that!" Cordelia got all self-righteous. "You think you can be high and mighty! You're not exactly Mr. Decency, soul or not!"
Hughes frowned, making a very good Angel impression. "I meant Oh. Just Oh."
"Oh," Cordelia apologized with a little embarrassment.
"Thanks for the confirmation, Cordelia." Tara thanked her. "Anyway, I think it might work."
A lack of satisfaction on her face was not missed by Hughes' eye (considering that all he saw from the mirror were two women). "I take it you're not happy with your work."
"It's okay." Tara gave a little admission. "I just don't like abusing magic this way."
Hughes rolled his eyes, as if he heard the story before. "So there's been some experience?"
"Case in point, the spell that got us here," blabbed Cordelia.
Tara agreed with hesitance. "We were trying to bring back someone."
"From the dead?" Hughes gave a cynical smirk. Discomfort lined that smile as well. "I knew some people who considered doing that. Bad idea."
Tara looked like she was having trouble being on the opposite side. "Well, Willow really wanted to do this."
"But is it right?" Hughes predicted her ill ease.
"O-of course not," Tara agreed, then fell silent. She had problems being unanimous in that support.
"Did you ever tell this to Willow?" Hughes asked.
Tara struck an uneasy face. No more words escaped from her mouth. Leave that to Cordelia. "Oh, trouble in paradise?" She gleamed with curiosity.
"It's not like that at all," Tara protested. "We try never having an argument."
"Meaning you had one?" Cordelia pounced. "Details!"
Tara instead turned back to fixing the ingredients. Leaving Cordelia to resume cutting. Hughes wasn't finished, though. "Take it from a dead guy who knows," He spun some advice. "A lack of arguments can hurt a relationship too."
Still Tara gave no reply. Then came the last snip.
"There! All done, pretty as a picture." Cordelia praised herself.
Hughes rubbed his haircut. "Really?"
"Yeah, just look at the…sorry."
A reporter's draft for the Central Tribune…
Two hours ago, a high-speed chase through the city ended tragically. A stolen limousine, belonging to General Hakuro, had plunged into the Hine River. No one else was harmed in the chase, save for several vendor stands and cars that got in the thief's way. The driver, reported to be a blond-haired man in a leather coat, is believed to have drowned. His body remains uncovered...
Spike felt the waters filling inside him. He submerged deep within the Hine River. Immobile, only his brain moved. He meditated with such thoughts as: How was he supposed to know a river lied before that blind corner? Buffy's dead. His favorite jacket soaked. Didn't even run over a single person. Buffy's dead. Life continued to suck! Buffy's dead…
At least he had protection. The water above him kept the sun away. It also hid him from those sightseers. No present desire to come out right now. Just stay drowned until nightfall. It was a kinda romantic situation here. Like a lover's suicide to join his lady love. Only he has no air to suffocate.
But Spike's water-filled mouth tasted a little blood. Oaky blood. Oaky-tasting demon blood. Could be from Fancy Boy's green demon friend (not to mention Sex Pistols hater). He supposed this was a clue of sorts. Fine. As soon as he gets out, he'll track that scent and find Dawn. Unless something better comes up...
That came in the form of a little light. Spike?
Get out of my mind, Willow. Spike hated this communication from witch-girl. He should ignore her, but suppose she found Dawn?
I think I found Dawn and Tara.
See, at least one good thing happened today!
They're at Maes Hughes' house.
Despite the water pressure, Spike attempted a smile. Uncle Scooby's house? So he didn't go Medea on his family yet! There goes that plan Fancy Boy promised (from, what, eight decades ago?)! Well, talk about killing two humans with one stone!
I'm getting there myself.
Spike capped the rapport. I'll join you later. Tell 'em I said Hi.
Envy followed Mrs. Hughes and her daughter. Many forms were made in his pursuit. As a constable, he watched the mother and child entered their house. He encircled the neighborhood several times in many shapes. In a boy's form, Envy saw the house gain some guests. That made the job a bit more difficult. A lot of suspicions were being raised to the Lieutenant Colonel's still unsolved death. More deaths meant more questions. But these doubts were trivial. Anger usually overwhelmed his better judgment. It gave no alternative in the Homunculus' mind. His primary thought was retribution for that snotty little girl. Rage not so much on the girl's attitude (though it helped) but on her defense for daddy.
Envy hated that. Boy, did Elysia need some learning! Fatherly love did not exist. That's why he took Mrs. Hughes' form when he killed her husband. Taking the daughter's shape meant another knife in the throat. Hughes' dotting daddy act was precisely that. An act. They say they love you, but if there was a choice between their life and yours, they'll dump you. Like he dumped him…those brothers…
Ah yes, those bastards of that bastard. At present, Envy was not to harm the Brothers Elric. Stupid orders (though recent events in Liore might change that)! Fortunately, there was now a promising outlet for his fury. What a coincidence that this child was associated with the brothers! So they helped in her birth? Did they think of little Elysia as one of their achievements?
Envy thought of such evil for this 'achievement.' Everything those boys loved and accomplished…
Hughes waited for the sunlight to fade from his window. Soon night's fall would call him home.
A little poetic, wasn't he? Hughes remembered old pieces he learned from the academy. He used to like such things as a human. Should he still like them now? He should not, though truth be told, he still found such words touching.
But he thought those words to himself. No use letting greenie learn more of his life story.
Not that Lorne wanted to engage in any advising, considering the consequences.
Like the girls, he too was reluctant about Dawn's plan. It was like asking Elizabeth Taylor to croak "Send in the Clowns" again. And it meant standing around a guy who threatened him and knocked him out (and this happened after Hughes cut his head off!). Why did the girls leave him here? Sure, going with the girls back to Casa Hughes would give the Mrs. Hughes a clue about his real gender. But did he have to remain here with Angel's more touchy twin? It wasn't easy being green.
"Look, it's not that I enjoy being around you, which I don't." Lorne chanced the fates. "But can't we do something else besides wait here?"
"I did have a car," Hughes coldly replied, "before someone went opera on it."
"Vampires in dark, glass houses shouldn't throw bricks." Lorne sulked.
Without a song, Lorne could not know the vamp's thoughts. In truth, Hughes also suffered a doubt of confidence for what Dawn planned. Her idea was crazy and lacking in human sense. That he was doing it was testimony that he lacked such sense. One more proof of what he is now. It was either the best plan or the stupidest he ever followed (and he certainly had his share of dumb acts; thanks, Roy!). In this new perspective of his, did 'best' or 'stupid' carry the same meaning anymore?
Let's think: Here he was, entrusting in magic's existence so he can see Elysia again. Every part of him fought against this idea. Well, not the parts that wanted to turn his daughter into a midnight snack. Problem was, that desire was mixed with the up side of this plan: A chance to meet her one more time, to talk to her, to hold her. Was that a bad thing?
But complexity ever ruled these thoughts. What if he saw Gracia too? Hughes' dark feelings turned a resolve. Last night's nightmare was not far from his thoughts. Nor did he forget his behavior to Lorne, who looked like he didn't forget either. And after that, what? Resume this present nonlife, or follow a different nature?
Wait and see.
Gracia answered the ringing phone. "Hello?"
She received a voice. Somewhat muffled. "Hi, is a Darla there?"
"No, you have a wrong number."
"Oh, whose house is this?"
"This is the Hughes."
"Oh. Sorry."
"It's okay." The call ended, Gracia hung up the phone. She went back to the living room with her new guests. Cordelia, Dawn, and Tara had decided to take her offer of staying for the night. This made Gracia wonder if she was being taken advantage of. Still, they needed her help. And they held their own weight. Right now the girls were entertaining Elysia in a tea party. They invited themselves, partaking in the lemonade 'tea' and cookies. Dawn and Tara were especially festive to Elysia. They all had lost a parent.
Gracia thought this party was worth a picture. Her late husband would agree. The girls complied to be taken by the camera. Cordelia tended to hog the picture from Dawn and Tara, not Elysia.
There came a knocking. "I'll get that," Gracia went to answer. It was a young woman. At first, she thought she saw Schiezska, but Gracia was mistaken. This girl was more assured and calm.
"Hello, I'm wondering if…" The caller's sentence was cut short by the entrance of Tara. "Nevermind!" She dashed into the house.
Gracia saw the two girls instantly lock eyes upon each other, drawing together with an excited embrace. "Tara…" The visitor brushed the girl's face, bearing tears in her eyes. Tara was in full reciprocation.
Gracia was touched…and then she saw the two girls kiss each other in the lips.
The two now faced her, looking embarrassed over their emotional reunion. "Um, Mrs. Hughes, this is Willow."
"Pleased to meet you." Willow joyously greeted.
"Let me guess," Gracia kept her surprise hidden by a kind face. "You're gay."
Both girls went unashamed, but with understanding. "Look," Tara was nice. "It's okay if you don't want us here anymore."
"No," Gracia doused their fears. "That's all right."
"Willow!" Dawn joined the duo, getting between them arm to arm. Much was said.
"I thought I'd never find you." Willow spoke her fears. Tara was awed by such deep emotion. Gracia just smiled and stared.
"So who else is with you?" Cordelia asked.
"Xander, Spike, Angel."
"Spike?" Cried Dawn.
"Angel?" Cordelia took special emphasis on the last person. "So where are they?"
"We got separated. Long story."
Everyone gathered to the living room. Willow and Tara sat on a couch before Gracia and Elysia. Gracia noted every body language the two girls performed. It said a lot. She didn't subscribe to lesbianism, but she wasn't against it either. Besides, these girls fit so well together. It was cute.
"We're witches." Willow described herself.
Gracia felt ill. "Alchemists?"
"Witches. Big difference." Willow couldn't help snickering in front of Tara.
Gracia did her best to adjust to this more unusual fact. "So where do you come from?"
"Sunnydale," Willow spoke for the two of them. "Where we…handle a lot of puppies."
"Puppies?" Elysia spoke up.
Willow shook her head. "Oh you wouldn't want these puppies. They're very bad. They bite."
Gracia served some tea. "So you were friends with Dawn's late sister?"
And then the chipper light on Willow vanished.
"I-It's okay, Willow," Tara explained. "Gracia knows about Buffy."
Which part? Willow wondered. The Slayer or being dead?
Tara was very protective. "We like to keep Buffy's death a secret, Mrs. Hughes. If anyone knew, Dawn would be taken away to a foster home."
Dawn pulled the sad puppy look, though it was overshadowed by Willow's equally sad face.
"I understand…" A confused Gracia made the best of this situation. "Guess we'll have one more chair at the table." She got up and went into the kitchen.
"We're having a tea party with Elysia," cried Dawn "Wanna come?"
"Oh goody!" Willow went back to her infectiously adorable smile.
At the dinner table, Willow praised the cooking. Mentally, she spoke to the others. That is, they all had a conversation through thinking. Only the residents were excluded. Willow further explained that at present she knew nothing of where Spike, Xander, and Angel were around. But she each sent them a message to come to this place.
It's like the whole gang's here! Cordelia chortled in her mental capacity. Except for Wesley…and Gunn…and Giles…
Nice place you're staying at. Calm at first, Willow became chipper with the real point. Say, did you know Mr. Hughes is still around, in the only way he can still be around?
Willow suddenly saw calm faces. Very knowingly calm faces.
We know. Mind-said Dawn. We met him. He's visiting the house tonight.
Willow made a surprised face. From that, Gracia wondered if she added too much flour.
He has a soul, Dawn explained.
Willow tensed (much to Gracia's disappointment). Hughes has a soul? Didn't know that could happen. He didn't say how he got ensouled? Getting no answer, she was hesitant to give one. Angel vamped him.
Dawn, Cordelia, and Tara moved their heads united. Angel? They thought in union.
Willow nodded. Yeah, that's one of the reasons he came. I guess since vampires make vampires, ensouled vamps make ensouled vamps. So why are you helping him?
Dawn explained. My idea. We wanted to give his daughter some peace of mind.
Despite the dangers, Willow emitted a comforted face. Awww.
So who's going to be the one to tell Hughes about this? She got silence. Dawn and Tara did stare at Cordelia.
Someone better, because Angel doesn't know he's ensouled. He's out to fix things, namely him.
Cordelia thought about this. My bet's on Angel.
Cordelia! Smarted Dawn.
Okay, okay, Cordelia thought apology.
So, Willow continued, Anyone else notice a lot of 'other me's' here?
Yep!
Gracia saw a lot of expressions going around at the table. It made her feel a little confused. "Is the food alright?"
At the end of the dinner, Dawn walked with Elysia. "So how are you?" She got silence and a sad face. "Stupid question." Instead she tried a more physical approach. She knelt to the girl. "I know. You want the happy times to come back, right? They'll come. I'm still waiting for mine."
Elysia looked at her with desperate hope.
"I lost my mom and sister. But I can't blame myself."
"Weally?" Elysia's due-bubbled eyes looked at Dawn.
"Yep. It's ridiculous to think so." Dawn mouthed her words. It was true that blaming oneself for another's death for no real reason was ridiculous. Then again, a girl composed from a magical ball belonged in that category too. Dawn hid this in her smile. "What you need is an older sister."
"I haf sisters," Elysia corrected Dawn. "Winwy and Schieza. They're gone."
Spirit arose on Dawn's face. "Well, count me in too!" She patted the child's shoulder. "So, I heard your birthday was a few months ago. What did you get?"
Elysia politely took Dawn to her room, showing off all the stuffed animals and toys her father gave her. With the child's back turned, Dawn snatched a ribbon from a dresser. She was becoming a pro at this.
A while passed as the sun dropped into the horizon. Show time for this vampire. Getting out of that carbon copy Reichstag, and evading the Gestapo was tough, but he liked tough. He received a message from Willow. The gang was at the Hughes house. A phone call to that house proved the family was still alive. Good.
The fall of night saw him at this lonely park. Where it began. There sat an old man on a bench. Both their eye caught each other.
"This walk used to be filled with people," said the old man. "But a man was murdered here months ago. Ever since then it's been avoided like the plague. The city is even putting up a petition to remove that phone booth over there."
An enlightened glance grew on the 'audience.'
The old man sighed. "Pity for that man to die so young. One should die very old. Take me for instance. I don't fear death. I'm ready."
"Really?"
The old man saw a monster smiling before him. The fright overwhelmed every motion within him. His heart stilled. That pause went longer and longer. Old man Mahell collapsed and fell dead. His witness just stood there. Surprised. Cheated. Angry.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
After dinner, Gracia went to her room. Another guest, she sighed. She might as well turn the home into a boarding house. Not a very bad idea. A better thought than Willow and Tara. She was uneasy about them. Not against what they did as a couple, but what they practiced. True, her late husband's many friends were Alchemists. Roy, Alex, Ed and Al. But there was also one bad Alchemist: Shou Tucker's betrayal of his daughter four years ago was not far forgotten.
Suddenly, these sad feelings fed into the darkness held under Gracia. She waited for certain times to embrace it. Right now, for instance. Maes…
And than Cordelia entered the bedroom. "Mind if I barge in?"
"Oh no," Gracia wiped her tears, metamorphosing from 'grieving-I can't-live-without-him' widow to 'strong-I will-survive' widow. "Please come in." It didn't cease to amaze her how much this guest looked like her. Not to mention, in a sad way, her better looks.
Cordelia spied around the room. "Sure got a pretty house here." In passing thought she wondered if this world had the IRS.
"Thank you," said Gracia. "So, Willow and Tara?"
"Yep." Cordelia shared the awkwardness, another similarity.
"You don't think right now they're…"
"Don't think, okay? I just ate."
"So you knew recently?"
"Yep. Before that, I was still placing Willow as boyfriend-thief. I still have the scar." Cordelia pulled her shirt up.
Gracia was astounded to see a scar on her abdomen. "Willow did that?"
"Actually, I fell off a stairway and into a metal bar, after seeing Willow making out with my boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend. Same thing."
Gracia sighed. Time to change the subject! "Thanks very much for being Elysia's tea guests."
Cordelia showed the pleasure was hers. "I take it her dad did that a lot, right?"
Gracia nodded. "Maes even invited some officers several times to the parties. They didn't have as much fun as he did."
"And he must have had a lotta fun with you."
Gracia blushed despite its sad consequence. "I like to think so."
"Sure, he had to have seen your hotness." Cordelia and Gracia looked to the mirror. Despite the difference of a decade, their resemblance was strongly noted. "I know mine. I bet he saw me in you!" Cordelia kept her straight face. "And that didn't come out right."
"I know what you're saying." Gracia came under a vision of nostalgia. "Back then, though, I looked like quite the frump."
"I had a nightmare about that once," Cordelia also waxed in nostalgia.
Gracia turned to the picture on her dresser. It was of her wedding day. "I was just a nurse, and Maes kept bugging me for a date. I kept turning him down, not believing his intentions. But he converted me." She smiled with sadness.
This sadness scratched on Cordelia. Gracia really loved her husband. And Hughes…It was so unfair he held that Ho-monkey's trick against her. She didn't hold Angel's attempts to kill her against him…eventually. She leaned over, her wallet popping out of her pocket. The opening revealed a photo. The look of it made Gracia transfixed. She got some major explaining to do! "That's my friend, Angel. Major warning on any idea. I've known him for four years and there is no way your hubby had a double life."
"And who's the other man?"
"Wesley Wyndham Pryce. Another friend. See, two friends. Just friends. Did I mention the friends part?"
Gracia appeared to have lost her hearing, very fascinated. "He looks just like Maes, before we married."
"Minus the depression lip right? Angel is the shy king of scowls."
"Well, Maes was no skinflint in the angst department either. Many of his smiles were fake. He suffered a lot...But I could tell when he smiled for real. And those were our happiest times." This resolution enriched Gracia. Fate may have taken the man she loved, but it couldn't steal what they had. Or what they have. Her spirits risen, she looked to the future. "Are you and Angel...?"
"We're friends," Cordelia defended herself. "I had a crush on him, but he had eyes on another." As well as being a vampire.
"Friendship is usually the best start." Gracia smiled.
Knowledge uneasily opened in Cordelia's brain. Yes, she and Angel did look like Hughes and Gracia. But…
"Don't hold back on love." Gracia graciously put some advice. "Life's too short."
"Enough with the matchmaking!" Cordelia gaped a smiling protest.
Gracia smugly nodded to the discretion. "Worked for me. And I got a beautiful girl. Elysia's so much like him." Her eyes became lost in thought.
"Yeah," Cordelia suddenly shared the memory of a lost one. "Parting gifts are nice."
Near midnight had come to the neighborhood. At the Hughes house, a window from the back opened. A flower was stuck on the sill.
In the home's front, Envy made his move. His steps were quick and discreet. At the doorstep, the Homunculus' slender form changed. Blue military garb now covered his scantily clad body. His round face grew long and chiseled, with whiskers lining his jaw. His long mop of black hair shortened, save for the spit curl over his new hanging forehead.
Only the sinister smile gave clue of his true identity. Hughes' daughter shall learn the terrible price of loving her father...
Elysia Hughes awoke in her bed. Her thoughts danced so much she couldn't sleep for long. Now awake, she thought a lot. The house had a lot of girls now. That one who looked like mommy, the two girls who held hands a lot, and Dawn. Why did she feel lonely with so many in the house? Company couldn't overwhelm a hurt heart. Would the pain ever go away?
The girl's young mind was bright, but sadly misguided. It was her fault daddy went away. She cried that she hated him, and daddy never said goodbye. Such thoughts troubled her every night. She wanted to sleep and dream of the wonderful man and tell him how sorry she was.
"Elysia…"
The child's small eyes slowly opened. She saw the shadows of her toys making black things. Dark, full of scary things. She wished her mommy stayed with her tonight. She might go to mommy's bed right now.
"Elysia…"
The girl saw the voice coming from the dark. There was a new shadow, bigger and giant. A strike of fear threw the girl back into her bed. She covered herself in protection from the evil things outside.
"Don't be afraid."
Elysia heard that voice before. Fear was conquered by curiosity. The blanket came off her face. The light through the window showed part of a man. The darkness could not keep him from her recognition.
"Daddy?"
To be continued
Envy wants to harm Elysia...
No Alchemist is going to stand in his way...
Instead, it's up to vampires, lesbian witches, a Pylean cafe host, a human manifestation of a mystical key, and Cordelia Chase to face the first Homunculus. Oh boy, someone's ass is going to be kicked!