(Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the Buffyverse, I am just a fan)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Season 8, episode 4
The Reunion: part 2
[-] Chapter 1
Angels' office was silent, still. The walls were masked with red and black paint and the doors leading to the lobby were closed. He could make out shadows of people as they passed through the translucent glass in the door. Weapons like daggers and swords hung on the wall behind his desk where he sat with his feet up looking through a case file. He had all of his curtains closed during the day even though his office and the entire building was fitted with necro tempered glass which protected the vampires in Wolfram & Hart from bursting into flames and then dusting. He didn't want to kid himself.
The sounds of Wesley and Gun chattering loudly outside his door alerted him. They walked in and continued their conversation. "Suing us! That's a tad extreme," Wesley exclaimed holding a similar file to Angels'.
Gun began, "apparently not Wes, according to the clan it's supposed to be common knowledge that the eastern Krolaks don't associate with western Krolaks and by putting the two leaders in the same conference room was an insult and..."-
"Don't you knock?" Angel asked without lifting his head to look at them. Wesley paused and looked at Angel.
"Uh, sorry we got kind of um...caught up." Angel took his feet off the desk and sat properly in his chair.
"So we're being sued...again. What's that now like three times in just over a month?" He asked.
"Five...actually," Gun replied, Wesley shot him a look that seemed like 'Dumbass', "Or y'know, three works, if it gets you to sleep at night."
"What gets me to sleep at night, Gun is peace and quiet. Something this room is seriously lacking. Did you come here just to rant to each other at the front of my desk or what?" Angel was in a bad mood.
'Rude' Wesley thought. "Actually I have something for you," he placed the file onto Angels' desk. He picked up in one hand and read the label. 'Werewolf attacks.' "There have been a string of attacks for the duration of this month's lunar cycle, thought you might like to take a look."
"Good Wes, I'll get right on it." Gun and Wesley exchanged a look and turned towards the door to leave. Fred burst in with a smile on her face. She had her dark brown her flowing down onto a white lab coat.
"Fred," Wesley said with a smile that seemed to continue to grow. God she's beautiful he thought. Seconds later Knox followed Fred into Angels' office wearing the same smile as she was. "And...Knox," Wesley announced as his smile depleted into an invisible frown.
"Doesn't anybody knock?" Angel mumbled.
Fred began, "oh, sorry I didn't think...well you know me," Fred struggled for words, she also noticed Angels' bad mood. "I just thought that you might want to know how things are going with..."-
"Not right now Fred," Angel said cutting her off. She simply nodded and her smile faded like Wesleys'. They all turned to leave when Angels' phone began ringing. He exhaled and picked the phone up. "Angel. Harmony calm down. What? Where?" Angel threw the phone back into its slot and went for the door. They all followed him except for Knox who seemed to slip into the shadows somewhere. Harmony met Angel outside his office door which led to the lobby. There was a hustle of demons in the centre of the wooden platform in the lobby. Some were being thrown across the room while others flailed about their arms like they were fighting. "Harmony what's going on?" Harmony Kendall was a petite blonde woman who looked like she should be in her senior year of High School. Of course that's because that was the year she was made into a vampire. She was now working for Angel as his assistant and secretary.
"I don't know boss. I was booking an appointment with one of your demony clients and then every demon seemed to y'know," she made a lunging gesture with her arms, "as soon as the front doors opened," Harmony said. Angel fought his way through the crowd of demons. He assumed they were all fighting each other until he got to the centre. He could scarcely believe what he was seeing.
That's not possible. How could she be here? Why would she be here? He thought. A beautiful blonde woman, a petite yet bitchy and younger brunette girl and a man with an eye patch seemed to be the centre of attention. "Buffy?" he whispered. She looked at him just after finishing a sideways high kick to a member of the Kunari demon clan. The surrounding demons actually weren't fighting. They were watching the battle between Buffy and the Leader of the Kunaris'. He watched the spectacle for a moment, watching his Buffy doge almost every one of the demons attacks until she plunged her famous Mr. Pointy into the demons heart. He dropped dead onto the floor and blood spilled into every crack in the wooden panels. The surrounding demons stopped cheering and scattered, some out the door and others towards random offices. Buffy looked around. She met Angels' gaze.
"Woops?" she winced.
"Buffy what do you think you're doing?" his loving feelings changed to angry ones which didn't help his attitude that day. He came right up to her face.
"It's nice to see you too," she replied into his eyes as she straightened out her jacket and stowed the stake away into the back pocket in her pants. They gazed at each other, their eyes showed anger and longing.
"This is a little too dramatic for me... I'll just be y'know...elsewhere," Kennedy said as she helped Xander to his feet and they joined a pompous Nicholas with his chest out admiring the buildings' lobby and a cowering Willow who didn't understand a thing and didn't even know what demons looked like until now.
"Do you know what you just did? You've probably lost Wolfram & Hart the respect and business of some of its most influential clients!" Gun exclaimed. He was wearing a grey suit with a blue tie and holding a briefcase.
"That guy attacked me; you want to just take it as he pummels me on your precious Wolfram & Harts lobby floor? I don't think so," Buffy replied in a voice just hirer than a whisper. Angel and Buffy never took their gaze off each other even as she argued with Gun.
"It's always a pleasure Buffy but um... why are you here?" Wesley asked with his red shirts sleeves tucked away into his trousers.
"Nice to see you too Wes," she replied.
"My office. Now," Angel spat.
"Lead the way," Buffy retaliated. Fred waved to Willow who was standing next to Xander. Willow just gave a weak smile. She'd never seen Fred before in her life, or so she thought. They all followed Angel into his office where he stood behind his desk and leaned on the wall behind him. Buffy stood in front of his desk with her arms folded and everybody else fanned out across the room. Xander never left poor Willows' side. She felt like she was in a room full of strangers.
Gotta' get me an office Xander thought as he looked around the room and whistled. They stood in silence for a while. Angel spoke first,
"Why are you here?" he asked intensively. Buffy looked up from the floor.
"I came to see if you needed a bathroom attendant at Evil 'R' Us which still seems still pretty evil to me," she replied scornfully.
"I didn't mean for it to sound that way," he replied.
"No I think it sounded just as you wanted it to."
"Buffy what I think Angel meant was that you should have called ahead," Wesley added. She spun around and looked at him.
"I tried, didn't get too far." She turned back to Angel, "turns out your secretary, when she hears my name, has a nasty habit of hanging up on me."
"Harmony!" Angel bellowed. Harmony entered Angels' office and stood right by the door. Her bleach blonde hair hung over a bright pink dress.
"Sorry bossy, I was told not to let the Slayer through to you," she said.
"Harmony's your secretary?" Xander laughed. "You mean she can actually understand how a computer works?" Harmony shot Xander a look.
"Told...by who?" Angel was furious. Buffy knew that something else was worrying him or angering him that couldn't possibly just be her arrival. The elevator behind Angel dinged and the wooden doors slid open. They revealed an attractive brunette woman wearing a sleek maroon dress and heels.
"By me," she said as she stepped out of Angels' elevator.
"Who the hell are you?" Buffy asked loudly looking the woman up and down.
"Eve?" Nicholas said from behind the couch that Fred was sitting on.
"Who the hell is this guy?" Angel asked referring to Nicholas and trying not to sound as jealous as he thought Buffy did.
"Nicky? Nicky Reynolds?" Eve asked. The two walked up to each other and double kissed each other on the cheek. "My god I haven't seen you since..."-
"Marcus' sacrifice 1992," Nicholas finished her sentence for her. "You look smashing."
"You don't look so bad yourself. I heard a rumour you got the Slayer gig," she said.
Nicholas began, "Well yes I..."-
"Uh hello!" Angel said clearing his throat. Eve turned around and looked Angel up and down.
"Sorry big guy, just catching up with an old friend," Eve said as she perched herself on Angels' desk in front of Buffy. She studied Buffy from her shoes to the tallest strand of hair on her head. "Hmm," she said and she turned her head towards Angel. Buffy raised her eyes in annoyance and she nearly flung for the little bitch.
"What's this about you not letting Buffy talk to me?" Angel asked.
"I guess she wouldn't stay away for long. Here's the skinny hotshot, Senor Partners didn't want their new CEO fraternising with the enemy. They thought it would be in the best interest of both the Slayers and you if you kept your distance."
"Wait, uh... the enemy?" Fred chirped from behind. Buffy turned around and smiled a wide smile at Fred. Fred replied with a smile just as big.
"Well not this Wolfram & Harts enemy, but she is in every other Wolfram & Hart in almost every other dimension," Eve replied.
"Oh goodie, I'm famous," Buffy said with a childish and sarcastic smile.
"That's it, you can go now," Angel said.
"You never cease to amaze me with your manners," Eve replied as she got off the desk. She turned to Nicholas, "we'll catch up soon."
"Love to," Nicholas replied as Eve went out the glass doors that led to the lobby.
"Somebody clean up the demon carcass in the lobby!" she exclaimed just before the doors came to a close. Angel exhaled heavily and sat down in his chair. Buffy swished her honey blonde her out of her eyes and looked at Angel.
"Sorry to be such an inconvenience, but I won't stay long." She turned to Fred, "Fred will you go see if you can find Lorne?" Fred nodded and headed for the door.
"What do you need Lorne for?" Angel asked. The tension in the room died down when Buffy started telling Angel what had happened to her since she left the Hyperion Hotel. From Rona leading six girls to their deaths in the graveyard and Faiths' new tattoo, to Willow trying to resurrect somebody from Sunnydale.
"When we found her by the edge of the crater she had no idea who we were or who anybody was," Buffy concluded. Angel looked over at Willow who was sitting beside Xander and Kennedy listening contently to his and Buffy's conversation because they mentioned her name. She didn't have a clue who Rona was, who Faith was and that she lived in Ohio on something called a Hellmouth.
"And you think if she sings for Lorne he'll be able to tell you what happened?" he asked sceptically.
"Well Giles thinks, but pretty much yeah." Buffy spotted the werewolf file on Angels' desk. "Werewolves huh?"
"Yeah, there's been a few attacks downtown," Angel looked grim, like he hadn't slept for days and he had a good reason.
"Angel is there something you're not telling me?" Buffy asked. She knew something was bothering him and she'd had enough of his secrecy. But before he could answer Fred and Lorne burst through Angels' office door. The tall green demon was dressed in a bright orange suit and a black hat that stood on the end of his bright red small horns. He looked at Buffy, Willow, Xander and Kennedy and smiled.
"Well when Fredikins said that you all came back looking for me I can't say I weren't bursting with pride," he held his arms out to Buffy. "Come here!" he said with a laugh. Buffy liked Lorne, he made the days she spent at the Hyperion a little easier and so she laughed also and gave him a hug.
"It's good to see you!" Buffy said into his orange suit jacket.
"You two pumpkin," he replied. He released Buffy and she sat down on the small sofa next to Fred and Lorne sat beside her. He looked into the faces of everyone in the room. "Well you could cut the tension in this room with a nail file."
Angel retold Buffys' story to Lorne and he listened contently and occasionally shot glances over to Willow who looked back at him wearing an uneasy expression.
"Well I'll give it my best shot but I uh, can't promise anything," he said after Angel finished the story.
"I know, that's all we ask," Buffy replied.
"Well first I think we need to give the girl some room. Wes, Gun and Fredikins, take Kennedy and the weird guy with the sunglasses to go and get some coffee while we try to sort things out over here," Lorne proposed. At first Kennedy protested but Wesley lured her away with talk of Wolfram & Harts weapon collection. Fred was about to follow her friends out of the room when she stopped by the door and turned to Angel.
"Angel, can we talk?"
"Sure Fred," Angel replied.
"Over here," Fred urged. Angel got up from his desk and moved out of earshot from everybody else.
"What is it Fred?" he asked.
"What are gonna tell Buffy about..."-
Angel cut her off, "Buffy doesn't need to know about that. She's got enough on her plate right now. Do me a favour and keep tabs on your new project?" Fred exhaled and frowned.
"Angel, you know I don't like lying to people and Buffy has been nothing but nice to me..."-
"You won't have to lie if she doesn't find out. Please Fred, I'm asking you to do this for me," he pleaded. She wasn't happy about what he was asking her to do but even despite Angels' bad attitude this morning she still trusted him with her life.
"You're the boss," she breathed. She didn't wait for Angel to reply in case he said something that might make her change her mind. She glided across the room and out of the doors.
"Everything okay?" Buffy asked.
"Everything's fine," Angel lied. Angel and Buffy were standing right behind Lorne who was kneeling down in front of Willow who was sitting on a tiny sofa chair.
"So you don't remember your big green karaoke machine pal Lorne Willow tree?" Lorne asked saddened.
"Uh...sorry, no" she replied.
"Well let's see what we can do about that. I'm going to try to see what happened to that noggin' of yours but I need you to sing for me, or you could hum a tune whatever your preference."
"Nobody said anything about me having to sing!" Willow exclaimed. Xander suddenly began beaming.
Thank god some pieces of Willow are still there, she never did like to sing. Or perform of any kind what so ever he thought.
"That's just how I read people doll, that's the way it is I'm afraid," Lorne attempted to reassure her.
"I don't even think I know any songs to sing," Willow said whilst nervously toying with her fingers.
"Hmm, how about..." Lorne began to sing beautifully:
"For all those times you stood by me,
for all the truth that you made me see...
You were my strength when I was weak,
You were my voice when I couldn't speak,
You were my eyes when couldn't see,
You saw the best there was in me!"
Willow shook her head from side to side as if to tell Lorne that she didn't know the words. "What? That was Celine Dion, oh peanut how badly did you hurt that head of yours." Willow began wracking her brains for a song or tune that she could perform for the green demon in front of her and she found a song buried somewhere in her brain. She didn't know how she knew it, but it was familiar and warm.
"Christmas time is here,
Happiness and cheer,
Fun for all that children call,
their favourite time of the year..." Xander had begun to allow tears to fall from the eye that wasn't covered by an eye patch.
"What is that?" Lorne asked.
"That's Christmas Time is Here from Charlie Brown," the gang noticed Xander's' tears "Every Christmas Will and me would catch the Christmas special. I can't believe she remembers the song." Xander grasped Willow by the hand and she didn't pull away. She continued singing and Lorne now began to concentrate.
Snowflakes in the air
Carols everywhere
Olden times and ancient rhymes
Of love and dreams to share
Sleigh bells in the air
Beauty everywhere
Yuletide by the fireside
And joyful memories there
Christmas time is here
We'll be drawing near
Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year
Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year..." Willow finished singing and tried to read Lorne's' expression. He was like a blank canvas...but a green one.
"Anything?" Buffy asked.
"Nada my perky friend. Whatever happened to Willow tree at that crater," he turned around and looked up into Buffys' and Angels' worried expression, "it's buried deep. But I did manage to get something. It's not her that's buried it, something else is making sure she doesn't tell you something doll," he was addressing Buffy.
"But Lorne you usually get an image of a person's future when they sing for you, you got nothing?" Angel asked.
"Well just a big bright white," Angel and Buffy looked at each other, "but that's not uncommon when I can't read a person."
Wesley entered the room then and shut the door behind him.
"I left Ms. Kennedy with Gun. They seem to have a lot in common," Wesley began.
"Kennedy's gay Wes," Buffy corrected him while trying to hide an amused smile.
"Ah, well no matter," Wesley joined the group around Willow. "Lorne, you said all you saw was a 'big bright white' correct?"
"Hand on heart, well actually my heart is in my butt so hand on liver," Lorne corrected himself.
"Well I have one more thing you could try," he said addressing Buffy, "but it could be dangerous."
"I'll try anything Wes," Buffy said. He turned to Angel.
"A big bright white...ringing any bells?" he asked Angel.
"Um...Wesley no, we haven't even been up there since we got here, it's way too dangerous."
"What better reason than to go up now?" Wesley argued.
"Whoa, wait a minute, what's to dangerous? What bells have been rung?" Buffy tried to understand. Angel turned to look at her, his expression was vague but she could make out he was worried.
"Wesley wants you to go to The White Room."
[-] Chapter 2
Buffy looked to Angel in utter confusion. The white room sounded to her like a Childs' Saturday morning T.V show. But Angel was worried so Buffy tried to take him seriously. "The white room?" she asked.
"Yes," Wesley replied. Buffy waited for him to give an explanation but Wesley only remembered to do so when Buffy shot him a 'well?' look. "Oh, right. The white room is and inter-dimensional space that we at Wolfram & Hart have access to."
"Okay, so what does this do-hicky thing do?" she asked.
"This 'do-hicky' is the home of a conduit, an entity that has direct knowledge and access to the Senor Partners and other mystical influences in this reality and others. Since Angel and I have become employed here, we haven't gone up. The last conduit was a little girl; her name was Mesektet and she belonged to an order called the Ra-Tet. I'm sure you re-call last years' incident with the Los Angeles sunlight?" Wesley seemed over excited as he was speaking. He was so eager to go up into the White Room he could barely contain himself.
"Just what I read in the news, rain of fire, eternal darkness, you guys must have had your hands full," Buffy said addressing Angel, Lorne and Wesley.
"Well the demon responsible, The Beast, killed Mesektet in order to perform said ritual on the sun. I think Angel fears that the new conduit, if there is one, may not be as innocent as the little girl...for lack of a better word." Buffy turned to Angel.
"I appreciate that you're looking out for me Angel, but...it's Willow. I have to try," she persuaded.
Angel began stuttering, "B-Buffy I..."-
"Angel," was all she needed to say as she cut him off mid-sentence. That simple five letter word said everything she wanted it to.
"Well I guess I'll make myself scarce, Lorney no likey the big guy upstairs. If it all works out though you come say goodbye okay pumpkin?" Lorne said getting up from his crouched position and smiling at Willow. Buffy nodded as Lorne left the room leaving an orange glow in the window.
"Wesley will you find Xander?" Buffy asked while helping Willow to her feet.
"What about Ms. Kennedy?" He asked puzzled.
"Willow just needs people familiar around her," Buffy said hiding her face. Wesley furrowed his brows at Buffy and glanced at Angel before exiting the room. Buffy turned to Angel.
"So how do we get to the White Room?" Buffy asked. Angel led Buffy to the elevator in the lobby and they stood in silence waiting for Wesley to return with Xander. He was holding a coffee cup and was in polite conversation with Wesley.
"Look Buff," he held his coffee up into Buffys' line of vision, "they have moca's," he smiled. Buffy didn't smile or even reply, she just looked at him. "I'm guessing things didn't go well?"
Buffy filled Xander in on what had happened since he and Kennedy left. She told him about Lorne seeing just a bright white expanse of light and that Wesley suggested they take a trip to the White Room. Wesley took over then to explain to Xander just what the White Room was. He didn't ask why Buffy hadn't called Kennedy back when she had called him. Xander himself knew that when it came to Willow, Kennedy was unpredictable, a liability and she could get them all killed. "Let's get this over with," Xander said in conclusion. Wesley pressed the elevator door and they watched as the arrow above the doorway counted down and pointed to a label that read LOBBY. The doors opened and they stepped aside when as many as five or six well dressed lawyers exited the elevator.
"Afternoon Mr. Angel!"
"It's good to see you Mr. Angel!"
"Looking sharp Mr. Angel!" They all gave their greeting to Angel as they left the elevator and dispersed across the lobby.
The group got into the elevator...barely and Wesley turned to face the wall. He pressed a sequence of buttons and the elevator began to ascend. They reached the top floor when a button, vastly bigger than any of the others, shimmered onto the wall.
"Willow, if you would," he gestured Willow to press the button.
"That's me right?" Willow asked Xander. Xander nodded and Willow reached over and pressed the button. It flashed and disappeared. Willow pulled her hand back like lightning when she saw it disappear and turned to Buffy for reassurance.
"Now what?" Buffy asked.
"Three," Wesley said.
"Two," Angel continued. Before any of them could say one, the wooden floor beneath their feet disappeared. It seemed like they were standing on fresh air, or floating depending on how you looked at it. Buffy covered her eyes from the light when the walls of the elevator disintegrated. The white went on for miles, or it looked like it could but you would never get anywhere. There was no smell, nothing to touch and it was silent. You couldn't really rely on your eyes either Buffy thought, this looked like the kind of place that would play tricks on you. "Stay alert," Angel said breaking the silence.
"The White room huh?" Buffy asked, "wonder where they got the name..." she mumbled. It all happened at once, she was there the next just looking around and then she fell to her knees Buffy thought as though she was telling herself the story. It's true; Willow simply fell to the ground. Without warning. She just dropped. "Wesley! I told you this was a bad idea," Angel said as he dropped to Willows side like everyone else.
"Will?" Xander said shaking her by the shoulders.
"She's just unconscious I think," Wesley said reassuringly.
"You make that sound like it's a good thing Wes!" Xander said in anger.
"Better than dead or wounded wouldn't you agree?" Wesley retaliated. Xander shot him an angry glance.
"What's happening?" Buffy said as Willow slowly started to fade.
"I'm not sure," Angel replied.
"Well get sure!" Buffy exclaimed. Willow became transparent until she ultimately faded into the ground that they were stepping on. Buffy placed her hands on the area were Willow was just lying when she abruptly stood up and reached for her stake from her back pocket. She heard something in the vast nothingness. The pitter-patter of expensive shoes echoed throughout the abyss. Angel heard it too and was on his feet waiting for the silhouette to come properly into view. Wesley and Xander soon followed when they heard it. Their senses were not as quick as Buffys' and Angels'.
A middle aged man with a grey tint to his hair entered the white void.
"Well, well, well, you just don't stay dead do you?" Angel said.
"I try my best Mr. Angel," the man replied.
Wesley gasped, "Good lord...that's..."-
"Holland Manners," Angel said interrupting Wesley.
"Um, hi, little lost here, who are you?" Buffy asked in a curious tone.
"Oh do forgive me Ms. Summers, my name is Holland Manners. Former CEO for the Los Angeles branch of Wolfram & Hart," Holland announced proudly.
"And you're the conduit?" Angel asked inquisitively. Holland laughed.
"Never let your eyes deceive you Mr. Angel," Holland winked.
"So are you or aren't you?" Wesley asked. Holland laughed again.
"Your guess is as good as mine Mr. Wyndam-Pryce. I believe I know why you are here," Holland Manners stepped to the left to reveal a long wooden conference table with seven chairs. Holland gestured them to take a seat.
"Where is Willow?" Xander said loudly to grab everybody's attention. It was the first thing he'd said since arriving in the white room.
"Mr. Harris if you'll just take a seat..."- Holland started but Buffy cut him off.
"No Xander's right, how do you know his name? Or my name for that matter? We don't know anything about you and you seem to have read the Sunnydale Encyclopaedia. So unless you give us Willow we aren't going anywhere with you," she asserted. The conference desk and chairs all disappeared as Holland waved his hand and took on a blank yet furious expression.
"Little girl you don't know what you're dealing with," Holland spat.
"Yeah well why don't we find out," Buffy retaliated. She was willing to do anything for Willow.
"Buffy!" Angel warned. A black mist shot from Holland's' hand and engulfed Angel as he rushed to Buffys' aid. He was paralysed but was still standing up and was able to speak but not move. Holland came within nose touching distance of Buffy and she didn't even flinch. She remained in constant eye contact with the conduit. You had to admire her bravery...or foolishness depending on what happened next.
"Here, in this space? You're nothing. Down there you may be some big hotshot with your Slayer army but up here you're just a cockroach under the feet of Gods young lady. Do I make myself clear?"
"Where. Is. Willow?" Buffy spat in his face. Holland's eyes widened and Buffy saw the twinge in his jaw. He was so fast, faster than any Slayer reflex she had. He gripped her by the fibres of her jacket and tossed her about a hundred feet from where they were standing like she was a ragdoll and he was an Undertaker. She adapted a braced position in the air and prepared herself for the moment her body would crash to the floor. It didn't help much though, it still stung like hell all over and she skidded for another twenty feet on her back with her arms covering her face. Xander lunged for Holland and Wesley pulled a small blade from his back pocket.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you fella's," Wesley and Xander stopped when Holland spoke and in the distance they saw Buffy get to her feet. The impact had torn her jacket and she had a small graze on her forehead, Holland continued, "If she's the almighty Slayer and I could accomplish that then just imagine what I could do to you." Wesley and Xander looked at each other and Wes put his weapon away. Holland waited for Buffy to walk back into the centre.
"Okay point taken, your Mr. In charge guy. But where is Willow?" She asked sternly. Holland just smiled tauntingly. He waved his hand and suddenly Angel could move again and the conference desk and chairs reappeared. Holland's smile faded.
"Take a seat." The gang abided and sat down in a chair with Holland at the head of the table. By the time everybody had sat down Wesley noticed two unoccupied seats at the opposite end of the table from Holland. He assumed one seat was for Willow. He turned to Holland.
"Um, there is one empty seat?" Wesley stated.
"Two empty seats," Holland corrected.
"But um... Willow is..."-
"Ms. Rosenberg will not be joining us," Holland stated. "We're ready for you now!" he called out. Xander looked to Buffy and spotted she was just as confused as he was.
"I think it's just us..."- Angel said before Holland raised his hand to cut him off. Angel glanced back at the empty chairs and saw a static black mist hovering around the chairs. The mist parted into two separate clouds and the static in the black mist turned electric red. The mist took the form of a human person sitting in the chair, one a woman and one a man. The mist took form then, little features came into full view and the whole group, except the conduit, was speechless.
Buffy first saw the woman's mist come into form and she grasped her mouth for fear of crying out. It was her mother, sitting five ft away. Joyce Summers. Buffy's heart and stomach churned at the sight of her mother. But she became distracted though at the sight of somebody long dead too. Billy Fordom. Ford.
"Mom? Ford?" Buffy asked under her breath. But Joyce never moved, or budged except to get up from her chair and start pacing around the table, Ford followed soon after. Buffy turned to Angel who was in complete confusion too. You see when Angel found that the static mist was taking form, the woman become his beloved Cordelia. The man took the shape of Doyle. They just sat staring blankly at Holland until they got up from their seats and began pacing around the table in an exact oval.
"Cordie? Doyle?" he said. Buffy shot Angel a look when she heard him say that. They were seeing different people, why? Holland seemed amused. Xander looked at the two figures and seemed in pain, he wanted to look at them but didn't at the same time. His beloved Anya occupied the woman's seat, her blonde shoulder length her was mesmerising. The man shape took the form of one of Xanders' oldest friends, their first soldier down, Jesse. Xander didn't have the strength to speak to them; he just held his breath and stared as they paced around the table. Wesley was in a similar state to Xander, in complete awe feeling love and fear itself. Wesley too saw Cordelia as the woman but in the man he saw his father, Roger Wyndam-Price. He tried not to stare as they paced the table. His education as a watcher told him that this was all just a trick and that he should not indulge.
"Why have you called us here?" they asked Holland in unison, "we do not take kindly to being summoned."
"Buffy, can you hear me?" the sound of Willows' voice in Buffys' head took her by surprise and made her take her gaze off of her mother and Ford.
"Willow? Where are you?" Buffy asked, "You faded away."
"That doesn't matter and I never faded Buffy, they took me," Willow said.
"Who took you?"
"Buffy, if I'm right you're in a huge space that is nothing but white?"
"Yeah Will, Angel and Wesley call it the White Room. As soon as we came here you fell unconscious."
"The white room? They told me it was Purgatory," Willow said more to herself than Buffy. "Buffy. Who is in the room with you?" Willow asked sternly. This was obviously a business call.
"Purgatory? Uh...Angel, Wesley, Xander, a guy called Holland Manners and my Mom and Ford," Buffy answered telepathically trying not to make her mental voice croak as she mentioned her mother.
Willow began, "Buffy your Mom and Ford are not who you think they are..."-
"Wait, you know who my Mom and Ford are, you have your memory?" Buffy said cutting Willow off mid-sentence.
"Yes, Buffy there's no time for that, you have to listen to me!" Willow was serious and assertive.
"Okay," Buffy replied.As Holland tried to charm whatever it was that was taking the form of Buffys' mom and Ford, Willow gave Buffy the cliff-notes version of what happened to her when she left the mansion to go to the Sunnydale crater. She told her about hearing the footsteps behind her before she started the ritual, thinking she saw Oz and Tara in purgatory, being taken on a life journey and everything after that.
"When you guys found me, it was like I was there, but I wasn't y'know? My memory was there, I was just buried with it," Willow said in conclusion to her story.
"Will, I'm so sorry I should've been there," Buffy said silently and drooping her head down.
"It's my fault this happened Buffy, don't blame yourself," Willow reassured. "Hecate and Osiris, as far as I can tell, take the form of whoever you feel you've failed in life. In your case your mom and Ford."
From what Buffy could gather as she spoke to Willow Holland Manners had managed to get Hecate and Osiris to take a seat at the table to discuss negotiations. Buffy hadn't noticed it was her mom, Hecate, who had been doing all the talking. She looked up at her friends, who were still looking like they'd seen a ghost, and then noticed that Ford had been staring at Buffy luridly during hers and Willows' telepathic conversation.
"She's communing with the witch sister," Osiris announced. Hecate turned her head to Buffy. Her mother was so beautiful. Buffy noticed a red tint to her eyes.
"Well the witch is stronger than we thought brother, she must have contacted the Slayer," Hecate announced.
"Cordie, what 'goin on?" Angel asked.
"That's not Cordelia," Buffy spat.
"Smart girl," Osiris announced with an eerie devilish wink and grin.
"Doyle? What's happening?" Angel was so confused and Wesley and Xander were still silent. They hadn't breathed a word.
"Angel, the people sitting at the end of the table, the people you see, the people you all see," she said to get Wesleys' and Xanders' attention, "are not who they really are." Buffy got up from her seat but stood in place. The conduit, Holland, got up as if to put Buffy back in her place but Osiris gestured him to sit back down. Buffy cautiously explained to them all what was happening.
"That's it, we're leaving, now" Angel said but Holland grabbed him by the shoulders of his coat and put him back in his chair.
"Anybody moves and you'll witness what I can truly do!" he exclaimed. Everybody reclaimed their position. Wesley spoke first, he turned to his father.
"Father," he began but noticed his mistake and said, "or whomever you may be, why do you look like my father?"
"I am who you perceive me to be child. I have no quarrel with you, your mystical energies are small and so I will do onto you no harm," Osiris said politely.
"Why did you take Willow?" Xander asked Hecate. Hecate turned around. His Anya was so beautiful. Her hair moved just as it used to and it took all his strength not to ravish her there and then. He knew, though somewhere deep down, that it wasn't Anya. Something had stolen her skin in order to trick him and he would not be fooled.
"The boy is brave brother; he also loves and lusts for me. I will answer your question if you answer mine," Hecate announced proudly. Xander nodded.
"Then I shall go first. Whom do you perceive me to be?" Xander paused, Buffy was positive his version of Hecate was Anya and it ate her up inside that she couldn't end his suffering.
"You look like her," Xander replied.
"Her?" He'd peaked Hecate's curiosity.
"That's two questions, it's my turn," Xander asserted.
"The boy is smart," Osiris added. Hecate nodded angrily. She didn't like being outsmarted.
"Why did you take Willow?" Xander asked for the second and final time. Hecate and Osiris got out of their chairs and started to pace around the table again.
"Your little witch upset the balance for the last time. The first was when she took a powerful player for the apocalypse back to the side of the powers that be," Hecate looked over to Angel. Buffy realised then that her mother, Hecate, meant the time Willow gave Angel his soul back. Hecate continued, "Mr. Angel was supposed to remain as his former self and play for the opposing team in the apocalypse...before the witch intervened." It seemed like Hecate had told her story and now it was Fords', Osiris', turn.
"The witches' mystical energy probed our curiosity so we allowed her to continue her practice. Then came the day the Slayer gave her life to pick up Glorificus's mess around three years ago. That was the day the Slayer was destined to die and the new Slayer, Justine, was called..."- Angel cut him off.
"Justine was a fool." The conduit sent him a large warning look but never lay a finger on him. Angel noticed this.
"Sunnydale California was in turmoil without its Slayer, as it was destined to be, until the witch intervened for a second time and used my resurrection spell. Her powers were strong and intimidating, it seemed a waste to destroy them and so I granted her wish and returned the Slayer to Sunnydale. I was incredibly angered when she summoned me on the day of the death of her lover who died by natural forces, I refused and I'm ashamed to say, she injured me, badly. My dear sister had to pick up the pieces after her attempt to destroy the planet. But at her level even I wasn't a match for her then. When we heard of the first evils' plan we decided taking on the witch was useless, the first evil would destroy her and her precious Slayer. Until she pulled, as you all say, 'the big wammy of spells' on the potential Slayers. And the balance tipped off the scale. And then when she tried to resurrect yet another soldier for the powers that be, we had to intervene before the world itself spun into chaos. We reset the balance to a significant extent."
"How? You've unleashed the devil himself onto the planet? Plagues?" Wesley asked.
"We stripped the witch's memory when we returned her to your reality so she would not be able to inform you of our plan before we got to properly execute it," Hecate added smugly. By now they had finished their tale and returned to the table.
"How did you reset the balance?" Angel asked. He received the same glare from Holland.
"The Slayer and the boy already know how," the two said in unison. Xander and Buffy both looked at each other for a moment before it hit them. The look of realisation washed over their face and Buffy said,
"The vampire." Hecate and Osiris both laughed. Xander told Angel and Wesley the story about the vampire in Golden Pines' church and how he wasn't affected by sunlight. Angel tried to hide his smile. The thought that he now might be able to walk around in the day seemed like a blessing until her remembered the damage the vampires of L.A could do now not to mention the vampires of the world.
"So that's it? Vampires are now immune from sunlight?" Angel said trying to hide a smile. Buffy caught the smile and thought of the advantages that it could have on her and Angels' possible relationship.
"No," Wesley said before they could answer, he continued, "there are ancient laws of this dimension that even Gods have to follow. For example when the shadow men made the Slayer rule, until Willows magic changed it of course." Osiris seemed furious that Wesley had managed to see right through them immediately but didn't really react on it. Instead he said,
"Correct. For every Slayer there is one of these vampires, one that is not affected by sunlight. They are stronger and faster..." Buffy knew perfectly fine how strong they were, "...and it doesn't matter how many you kill. Another one will be called. One blessed with additional skill to take on the Slayer army," Osiris concluded.
"Wait, how do we know the difference between the vamps?" Xander asked.
"Usually the special vampire called is in the same area as a Slayer. For example there are a lot of them in the city around your manor because of the amount of Slayers you have," Hecate added.
"So that means that there is a Slayer in Golden Pines?" Buffy asked the room but it was obvious, they knew it too.
"Your witch will be returned to you as soon as you leave this place and her memory will be restored after her first slumber. We'll be seeing you," Hecate and Osiris said in unison. The shapes of Joyce and Ford, Anya and Jesse, Roger Wyndam- price and Cordelia and Doyle and Cordelia turned back into their previous state of dark static mist until it disappeared in the white nothingness. So many thoughts and questions were running through everybody's mind.
The sound of the conduits loud clapping echoed throughout the entire White Room.
"Well I think that went quite well don't you?" Holland asked, "Meeting adjourned." The group became overwhelmed with the white light. It was blinding and deafening somehow. Wesley soon felt the familiar feeling of claustrophobia. They were all back in the elevator...including Willow. Xander and Buffy lunged at her with arms as wide as the elevator itself.
"What happened?" Willow asked holding her head. They all remembered that Willow would only regain her memory after she'd slept. The group laughed and for a moment things felt okay. It didn't last for long. Buffy and Angel were worried and nervous about the coming task of dealing with these new super vamps. He couldn't hide it though; Angel was dying to thrust his hand out in the sunlight to see if he was one of these new vampires. Buffy caught the look.
"I hope so too," she said under her breath at him. It was only after a moment that they noticed the elevator weren't moving. Wesley turned to the wall that had the buttons for each level of Wolfram & Hart and noticed a new flashing red sign in the place of the White Room button. It read CODE 7. Xander spotted it.
"What's a code seven?" he asked.
"A code seven is mass evacuation and lock down, something's in the building," Wesley replied wearing a worried yet ready expression.
"Then we get the hell out right?" Xander replied.
"No, Fred was in lab working on..."- before Wesley could finish Angel shot him a look and Wesley changed the end of his sentence, "... her new project. She won't have heard the alarm." Wesley began tinkering with the controls and the elevator suddenly began descending to the lobby.
"Okay so we get Fred and get out," Buffy suggested. Angel turned to Buffy.
"No, I get Fred, you all get out," he asserted. Angel already knew that Wesley was coming with him anyway but he would not let Buffy go no matter what.
"Angel what aren't you telling me?" she asked angrily. She thought he had no right to keep things from her... not with their history. Before he could reply the elevator bell dinged and the doors slid open revealing a dark lobby lit by one single huge light on the ceiling that was for emergencies only. The building seemed empty, quiet and still. You could hear a pin drop if you listened hard enough. They stepped out of the elevator and Buffy reached for her stake. She could hear growling from the upper levels. Suddenly a door labelled LAB ACCESS, TECHNITIONS ONLY swung open though the corridor that also led to Angels' office.
"I really don't think we should have come this way, there are emergency exits in the lab," Fred said addressing somebody Buffy couldn't yet see nor hear. Then she heard that familiar voice and she almost dropped her stake in shock. Xander noticed it too.
"Pet, we have to make sure your ninny boss Angel heard the..."- the voice of a British man replying to Fred's sentence stopped as he turned the corner into the Lobby. His long sleeve muscular black shirt and tight leather jeans radiated from the emergency light above. He laid eyes on Buffy.
"Buffy?" he asked.
"Spike?" Buffy replied with a shocked smile.
"Oh crap," Fred mumbled.
[-] Chapter 3
Fred dropped her head into her hands and shot Angel an apologetic look. He didn't react. Willow didn't have a clue what was happening, as far as she knew Spike was just another Lawyer. Xander was eyeing Spike up and down; possibly looking for any sign of smoke and mirrors or wires. Spike just looked at Buffy, marvelling at her and she did the same. The last thing she had said to him was 'I love you' and then he was either crushed or dusted as far as she knew. She ripped her eyes away from Spike to turn to Angel who was standing behind her with his hands on his sides. He refused to make eye contact. "This is it isn't?" Buffy asked angrily.
"What, I don't-..." Buffy cut him off before he could reply.
"The thing you wouldn't tell me about, the reason you were so angry when I showed up this morning? This is it isn't it. You brought him back," Buffy said into his eyes. He still refused to meet her gaze which told her that she was right.
"I never brought him back, he just kinda showed up," Angel argued at the lobby floor.
"Why didn't you call me?" she asked. She turned to Spike, "why didn't you call me?"
"Hey, don't look at me love the ninny told me you were in Rome," Spike said raising his hands in a sign of surrender.
"You lied to me," Buffy said turning back to Angel. The hurt in her voice was unmistakable. He'd heard it before, caused it a lot of the time. She sounded just as she did when they broke up five years ago in the Sunnydale sewers just before prom.
He briefly flashed back.
"You-you should be with someone who can take you into the light... someone who can make love to you," he said to Buffy whilst fighting the sting of tears behind his eyes. She came towards him.
"I don't care about that," she said.
"You will," he replied bluntly. "And children-..."
"Children? Can you say 'jumping the gun', I killed my goldfish," she argued.
"Today, but you have n-no idea how fast it goes Buffy, before you know it you'll want it all. A normal life." He was beginning to lose his battle with his tears.
"I'll never have a normal life," she argued again.
"Right, because you'll always be the Slayer, but that's all the more reason you should have a normal relationship instead of this, this freak show." He saw the pain his words had caused her after he concluded his last sentence. "I didn't mean that." Buffy turned away from.
"I gotta go," she said walking away. He grabbed her by her upper arm and forced her to look at him.
"I'm sorry, Buffy...you know how much I love you...it kills me to say this."
"Then don't. Who're you to tell me what's right for me? You think I haven't thought about this?" she pleaded.
"Have you? Rationally?"
"No," she turned away from him, causing her blonde her to whisk through the sewer air, "No of course not I'm just some corny little school girl right?"
"I'm trying to do what's right here, okay I'm trying to think with my head instead of my heart."
"Heart?" Buffy stepped towards him, "you have a heart? It isn't even beating."
"Don't" he pleaded.
"Don't what? Don't love you? I'm sorry you know what; I didn't know I got a choice in that. I'm never gonna change, I'll never change. I can't change. I want my life to be with you..." They stared at each other for a brief moment, lost in each other's eyes.
"I don't." Buffy wished she was dreaming after she heard what Angel said. It had to be a dream, she loved the boy in front of her, and she would give her life, mind, body and soul for him. She felt emotionally ill.
"You d-don't wanna b-be with me?" she stammered croakily.
Angel came back to reality and was overwhelmed at Buffys' expression; it was exactly the same as it was then. Filled with pain, despair, anger and betrayal. He couldn't stand it. He held his hand out to Buffys' shoulder and she backed away from him as though his touch was deadly. Buffy feared that if she allowed him to touch her, he would melt away all her anger.
"You touch me and I'll kill you," she said without making eye contact. They both allowed their tears to flow, unconscious to the audience that was watching their quarrel. The sound of heavily booted footsteps echoed from up onto Wolfram & Harts' first floor balcony that overlooked the lobby. As many as fifteen demons had been watching them. Their skin was scaled and red. Marble white horns stretched from the foreheads, over their bald head and two the back of their ears. Their three inch long tusks growled at them. Each demon was heavily armed with large metallic axes and swords.
"Not if I kill 'im first," a demon in the middle growled. Buffy recognised the species of demon. She was slightly embarrassed that the demons had watched hers and Angels' little tiff. Spike and Fred stalked quickly across the lobby to join everybody else.
"Hey um, didn't I kill you somewhere before?" Buffy asked the fray of demons.
"This is not good," Angel mumbled under his breath.
"Not good?" Xander said tearing his gaze from the demon horde to Angel. "Ya think?"
"You don't understand, this morning Buffy killed the leader of a powerful clan of demons called the Kunari's. I'm guessing they weren't too pleased." Wesley added in a whisper.
"Bugger," was all Spike had to say. They all noticed that they had no hope in hells chance of winning this without weapons. Wesley remembered that he left Kennedy on the top floor weapon department.
"Ms. Kennedy may not have heard the alarm all the way up on the top floor. And she was in the weapons and training department. If we can just get to her than we should be able to make it out of this." Wesley advised.
"We do not wish to harm you Angel," announced one of the demons.
"Wait, huh? How come he gets the get-out-of-jail-free card?" Buffy asked.
"Wolfram & Hart supply and care for our needs, we cannot lose their business now that the Slayer killed our leader. If Mr. Angel will hand the Slayer over to us we will begin our sacrifice elsewhere and let the rest of you get on with your business, do we have a deal?" the new demon leader asked.
It probably wouldn't shock me if Angel agreed to this; he's such a different person now. One thing he never was was a liar Buffy thought.
"Or here's another option, you guys leave empty handed and we won't pummel you to death," Xander bragged.
"You stand on the ground where our leader was slain and yet you deem yourselves superior? I will make your death slow and painful, boy." The demon said whilst making a slicing gesture by running his fingernails across his meaty throat. Xander gulped.
"Xander!" Wesley warned. Xander obviously hadn't noticed that they didn't have weapons.
"I can't let you do that," Angel chimed in.
"Then you will all die!" exclaimed the main demon. The demons raised the Axes and within one single bound, leaped over the balcony and landed on two feet onto the lobby floor. Angel signalled the group to make a break for it in the direction of his office. The demons didn't react fast enough and Xander and Spike leaned on the door barring it. The demons pounded on the door trying to get in whilst some hacked away at the walls of the office.
"Bloody hell! Me and pop eye can't hold this door forever!" Spike warned.
"Spike, shut up," Angel replied.
"We don't have the time or the man power to make it back to the elevator, we'll have to take the stairs," Fred announced.
"Fred's right, a Kunari's strength could easily match a Slayer but their hearing is less than that of a human. If we spread out, one team takes Angels' private elevator up to the second floor and makes their way up the stairs to the weapons department whilst another stays down here to try and distract the demons," Wesley suggested.
"Why can't we all just take the elevator?" Fred asked frantically.
"Because as soon as Spike and Xander take their weight off that door, there is no guarantee that we will make it to the elevator before they get in." Buffy silently agreed with Wesleys' plan and took Willow by the shoulders.
"Willow I need you to go with Wesley, Xander and Fred and get Kennedy and weapons okay? You'll be safe," Buffy advised. Angel heard Buffys' plan and swapped positions with Xander so Xander could get to the elevator.
"What're you gonna do?" Willow asked. Buffy felt like Willows' mother, she actually contemplated knocking Willow out just so that when she came to she would be herself again.
"Angel, Spike and I are going to try and hold 'em off, but you have to hurry," Buffy said whilst stroking Willows' hair. Willow nodded and Xander grasped her hand and pulled her over to the elevator. Fred and Wesley began tinkering with the controls and a moment later the elevator doors slid open. They climbed in and pressed the button that would take them to the stairs.
"Ooh, Angel," Wesley said whilst outstretching his hands so the door wouldn't close. He tossed Angel his blade and let the doors shut. Angel caught it in his hand and got up from the door. The banging grew louder. Buffy reached for her stake and took on a defensive stance. Angel did the same.
"Don't I get a knife? A tooth-pick, something?" Spike said as he too got off the door and stood on the opposite side of Buffy from Angel. "Guess not." Spike and Angel put on their vampire face and waited for the doors to swing open and a flood of demons to come pouring in. Spike turned to Buffy. "Slayer, it's good to see you."
"Spike? Now really isn't a good time," she replied. A moment later, a large axe broke the glass and the doors were ripped of the hinges.
"Why can't anybody ever knock?" Angel mumbled.
SECOND FLOOR: STAIRWAY ACCESS said the voice coming from the speaker on the ceiling of the elevator. Xander stepped out first and looked around the corners of the elevator. The coast was clear and so Willow grabbed his hand in hers and followed him out. Wesley felt a twinge of jealousy as he wish Fred would do something similar with him but he admired her bravery and he allowed her to step out before him. The cream carpet that was all over Wolfram & Hart was still. Fred was so used to seeing it full of demon clients and human lawyers. She realised as they slowly made their way to the staircase that would take them to the third floor that she had never been past the second floor. She spent most of her time in the lab and recently she had barely left it as curing Spike of his ghost-like talents was a time consuming job. And then she had to follow Angels' order to keep Spike and Buffy out of each other's way...which she failed at in the end.
Wesley led the group through all the little nooks and crannies of Wolfram & Hart until they reached a large staircase, Xander noticed it was just a bit smaller than the one he was used to in the manor. They made their way, silently, up the stairs until they reached a landing littered with about five bodies of well dressed people.
"Ahh, Victor," Wesley whispered to Fred as he looked down onto the bloody face of a well dressed man, "he was in distribution and marketing, good fellow. Ah well." Fred obviously didn't know Victor but the pile of bodies still seemed to shock her. The Kunari's must have entered the building from this floor. How? She didn't know. Wesley stopped abruptly and turned to the group.
"What is it Wes?" Xander asked.
"I may have let something slip my mind. You see when Wolfram & Hart has mass evacuation and lockdown there is no way in and no way out. So the bodies of the unfortunates become...rather like that." Wesley pointed to Victors stirring body on the floor. He was spazzing and it seemed contagious. The other four Lawyers began doing the same.
"Wesley, what's goin' on?" Xander asked as he and Willow back away from the shaking bodies.
"The Zombies," Fred whispered.
"Whoa, pull the brakes and get back in the parking lot, did you just say Zombies?" Xander asked. Fred aimlessly looked around for some unknown force that might offer assistance. Then she spotted it. She took off her lab coat and wrapped it around her fist. Meanwhile Victor had sat up. His eyes were blood shot and his mouth hung open as if gravity affected it more than anything else. Fred had spotted a fire emergency axe on the wall and had smashed the glass. She pulled the red axe out of its, now broken, container and threw it to Wesley. Wesley grabbed it and charged over to Victor.
"What's that guy doing?" Willow asked referring to Wesley. As Victor was getting to his feet Wesley used the side of the axe to make him get back on all fours and then plunged the sharp end right through his neck. The blood spattered up at his face but Victor fell down like a sack of heavy potatoes.
Thank heavens Zombies are docile creatures Wesley thought as he hacked away at the other four. When he had finished Fred handed him her lab coat which he used to wipe the blood from his face.
"Y'know Wes, that was kinda hot, in a...none homosexual way but still hot all the same," Xander said with a smile.
"Yes...Well, shall we proceed? I believe the next staircase is just down that corridor," he replied. He led the way now with his axe as though it were his lover. He turned around every corner just in case they came across any other people as unfortunate as Victor. By the time they got up onto the fourth floor there was only one left. Kennedys' loud rock music could be heard from this floor and Wesley rolled his eyes like an old man would to his grandchild. As it seemed, Victor and his associates, were the most unfortunate. Everybody else must have gotten themselves out because Wesley, Fred, Xander and Willow were the only ones around.
Hopefully Gun and Lorne are outside and safe Fred thought. The sound of female grunts echoed down the fourth floor stairs.
"Kennedy," Xander announced. He and Willow over took Wesley and Fred and found Kennedy fighting for her life with one of the Kunari demons who must have gotten lost when they broke in. She was looking pretty beat up but if she wasn't in the training and weapons department then she most probably did hear the alarm. Kennedy had just grabbed the demon by the small cloth it was dressed with and launched him through one of the windows of an office. The demon crash landed onto a desk before pulling shard of glass out of his arm. Kennedy found Wesley, Fred, Willow and Xander staring at her from across the small landing.
"Wesley!" Kennedy announced signalling him to toss her the axe before the demon could get up. Wesley, instead of aiming for Kennedy, aimed for the demon. It flipped though the air several times before plunging through the demons skull with an almighty crunch. "Or...not," she said as she watched it collide with the demon.
"You heard the alarm?" Wesley asked after Kennedy received the axe and joined them across the way.
"You kidding, that thing scared the life out of me. When I got out of the training room I heard screams a few floors down and found tall dark and red over there beating on a few lawyers. I lured him back up here and that's when you showed." Kennedy turned to Willow and stroked a strand of her out of her face. "Baby are you okay?" she asked. Kennedys' touch soothed Willow and made her knees tremble.
"I'm fine," Willow said as Kennedy pulled her arm away. She noticed it was covered in blood.
"She'll be fine after a goodnight's sleep...ironically. I'll explain later but right now we need weapons. Buffy, Angel and Spike are-..."
"Whoa, did you just say Spike!" Kennedy asked shocked. While Xander and Willow stood filling Kennedy in on everything, Wesley and Fred took the fire axe and ventured into the weapons cloister. When they came back Kennedy was stuck for words.
Fred had a small dagger in her jeans pocket and a sword in her right hand.
Wesley went for a large battle axe and he brought Xander the same.
Willow was given a sword a bit smaller than Fred's' and she looked at it the same way she would if it was a really hard math problem that she couldn't figure out.
Kennedy was happy keeping the fire axe. Wesley also had a large black bag hanging over his shoulder that contained various weaponry for the others. They all set off for the second floor elevator that led to Angels' office. When it was just the four of them without weapons it was still a tight squeeze and now with all the weapons and an extra body there was no chance. Wesley and Kennedy offered to go down through the lobby. He gave Fred the weapon bag and Xander wished them luck. Xander, Willow and Fred got ready to face the demon horde and as the bell of the elevator dinged, they couldn't have been more terrified with what they saw.
"SHUT THE DOORS!" Buffy exclaimed to her friends as the elevator doors opened. It was too late though; three of the twenty-one Kunari's grabbed the small group and hauled them out of the elevator and onto their knees. Their weapons were ripped away from their hands and thrown into a pile on Angels' desk. Xander got the chance to glimpse the room before being thrown onto the floor.
Buffy was being pinned down onto her knees with an axe to her throat. She was bleeding from her mouth and had large gashes on her arms and legs.
Angel was being restrained in his chair. His shirt had been torn off in the battle and he was covered in wounds and bruises.
Spike seemed to have gotten it the worst though, he was unconscious and Xander could have sworn he had shards of the glass from the door stabbing in his leg and neck.
"Took ya long enough," said a woman casually as a demon took Fred's' dagger and held it to her neck.
Damn it, what was her name? Uh Ellie? No. Emily? Nope that's not it either. Eve? That's it! Xander thought with his chin on Angels' cream carpet.
"Well y'know I like to make an entrance for my escort," Xander replied to Eve. The demon restraining Xander clapped him across the back of his head. As Eve slowly walked towards him he spotted Nicholas was standing behind her, he wasn't restrained or even beaten up. "Nick, man...help us out here!" Xander exclaimed. Nicholas looked upset but he was always hard to read because of his ridiculous habit of wearing sunglasses around the clock.
"I'm sorry...I have no authority here. I work for the senor partners so I must obey. There's nothing I can do," he said dropping his head. Eve walked over to Buffy and kneeled down.
"You were warned not to come here," she began. Buffy tried to wriggle out of the three demons' clutches but couldn't budge. They had only lasted about five minutes fighting the Kunari's before they managed to pin them down. Then Eve and Nicholas walked in and made them an offer they couldn't refuse. Buffys' and her friends' life. "Except Angel of course," she'd told them earlier. Eve continued, "What? You didn't think the Partners would miss out on the opportunity to take out the almighty Buffy Summers did you? It's good for business cutie."
"I'm going to enjoy kicking that that sagging ass of yours," she replied before suffering a back-hand and blow to the face. Before anybody knew it, a red and bloodied fire emergency axe was thrown through the gap in the wall where the door should have been and collided with the head of one of the demons who was restraining Buffy. The other demons holding Buffy down were distracted and she seized the opportunity to wriggle free. She managed to roll onto her back and kick the two demons in the opposite direction. Kennedy and Wesley ran into the small and now crowded office. The other demons let go of their charges to battle Buffy.
Angel freed himself from his chair and snapped the neck of a demon about to head for Xander. Xander was busy supplying everybody with a weapon.
Willow cowered in the corner near the elevator doors.
Kennedy was helping Buffy take on three of the demons. Fred was pulling the glass out of spikes leg and helping him up, Wesley and Angel were completely overwhelmed. Wesley plunged his blade into the stomach of a demon about to grasp Fred by the throat and as he pulled it back it collided with the legs of a demon behind him and knocked it to the floor. Fred seized her small dagger and heavily rammed it into the demons forehead.
Xander had been sent toppling into Angels' desk but everybody else was too pre-occupied to notice. The demon caught Xanders sword as he was about to swing it and kicked him to the chest knocking Xander over again. The demon picked up Xanders' fallen sword and was about to divulge it into Xander chest.
"NO!" Willow exclaimed. She had watched the whole thing. She felt a sudden surge of energy course through her and the demon was sent off his feet towards the window. It screamed as it collided with the glass and dropped to the L.A pavement below. Willow looked down at her hands in shock and Xander gave her a reassuring smile as he got back into the fray.
The afternoon sunlight was exposed directly now into Angels' office and spread out in a rectangular shape on the bloodied carpet. Angel and Spike were both taking on the main demon while Buffy and Kennedy took on the last two. Wesley, Fred and Xander had backed away to let 'the supers' take care of the last three demons. Xander was hurt the worst. The demon caught Spikes' and Angels' fist as they both attempted to punch the demon. It growled and launched the pair
across the room. They landed onto the body of a dead Kunari and bounced over it into the exposed sunlight.
Angel felt that familiar white hot sting on the exposed skin of his bare chest as he was basked in the sunlight. He covered his eyes and shot out of the patch as fast as he could. He had already begun smoking.
"Oh, bloody hell!" Spike cried as he collided with the patch of sunlit carpet. He was about to bound out of the exposure when he remembered that he should be burning up right now. He stayed there a moment longer, just waiting. Angel spotted this as he watched Kennedy axe a demon at the end of the room.
Spike is one of them he thought as Spike toyed with his hands curiously in the sunlight waiting for flames to explode there. But there were no flames, no sting, and no hot smoky death awaiting him. He had no clue what was happening.
Spike began, "what the-..."