. . .

Paths of Hate

Chapter 4

Sunnydale, California

October 31st 1999

He hit the ground with a thud and a groan of pain. The hot Californian sun beat down on his skin, shining against the back of his eyelids. Taking a deep calming breath he let his senses out, strange smells assaulted his nostrils. The harsh tang of asphalt and car exhaust, the sweeter scent of newly mowed grass and brewing coffee. He could hear birds chirping from the trees above him, and the sound of children laughing from somewhere behind him.

He opened his eyes slowly and blinked against the harsh midday sun.

He raised an arm and used it to shield his eyes as he slowly looked around. He was lying on the side of a street, on a patch of grass next to a white path. A loud rumbling noise filled the air and he turned his head around in shock. A large, strange, shiny object came quickly down the street, and passed him. His eyes widened in horror and disbelief. "Mother of God," he whispered, "What have I gotten myself into?"

He got up and looked around. There were people coming in and out of the shops, kids on the playground behind him, and a small fluffy dog walking down the street ahead of its owner. Everyone was going about their lives as normal.

He took a step back, stumbling over a small wooden post and went sprawling on the grass of the small little park, across the road from the coffee shop. He sighed and rubbed his shoulder where he had landed on it, the birds in the trees above him had stopped chirping and the two children on the monkey bars stopped and stared at him with bright inquisitive eyes.

He groaned softly and rolled back onto his feet. He looked around again, and as another car past he paid more attention to it, noticing the person sitting inside. It must be how people get around now, he thought to himself as the car pulled into an empty parking bay, and a woman got out. She started walking towards him and for a moment he thought she was coming towards him, but she passed him with a smile and walked towards the children.

With a sigh he started walking down the street. A group of young women giggled as they walked past, ducking their heads and whispering to one another as they walked past. He ignored them, much more focused of the man and woman closer to his own age standing on the other side of the street.

The man was wearing a brightly coloured, almost gaudy short sleeved shirt and shorts. The woman beside him had strangely short, red hair, and was wearing bright red pants and a curve hugging yellow top. His eyes widened, suddenly conscious that his high riding boots, breeches and white tunic was now dangerously out of place.

Liam touched the scabbard at his hip, turning around and looking at the strange buildings around him. The surfaces were smooth, plaster, painted bright colours. Sighs were written in strange blocky scripts. There are so many sight and sounds, so many strange things that he was starting to feel overwhelmed.

More people walked past, all of them giving him strange looks, or amused smiles. Two kids, on flat board like objects with tiny wheels rolled past with a laugh and a few words he was fairly certain was an insult.

With a curse he hurried down the road, ducking down a side alley to get away from the crowds on the main street. Never in his life has he felt so alone, nothing here made sense, nothing here was as he remembered. Even the people had changed.

"The demon was right. Dammit", he muttered angrily under his breath as he kicked a trashcan out of his way. He was warned, but nothing had prepared him for just how much would have changed. He had expected a few minor things, but nothing like this. He took a deep breath. Guess this was just something he was going to have to deal with, he couldn't afford to flounder now when his goal was almost in his grasp.

He sighed to himself leaned back against the wall of the alley. This was going to be harder than he thought. How on earth did he expect to find Darla in a place he had no idea how to get around? He hadn't seen any horses, or a carriage.

With a sigh he pulled himself away from the wall and started to walk down the alley. He came out on another street, and headed in another direction. This street wasn't nearly as crowded as the other one, but people still continued to stop and stare at him. This time he ignored them, and tried to focus on what was around him.

There were so many sights and sounds that he hasn't experienced before. He wandered the streets for hours peering into shop windows and walking down quiet suburban streets, heading further away from the centre of town and out into the suburbs.

Late in the afternoon he stumbled across a church on a small hill. A large oak tree was planted in front on the grass and provided some shade. He paused on the path, looking up at the large church. He could feel the weight of the cross around his neck and found comfort in the fact that even in a future so far from his own his god was still around, and seemed to evoke the same level of respect and awe now as he did in his own time. He took a deep breath and headed up the path, walking up the stone steps and entering the church. He looked around, in the late afternoon it was quiet, only a few worshippers were in the pews. He walked down the central isle, and sat down in the first pew. He gazed up at the beautiful stained glassed windows, the sunlight filtering through the glass, warming the tiled floor and making the wood shine. He pulled the cross out from under his shirt and held it within his fingers, the metal was warm from nestling against his bare chest. He stroked the smooth surface slowly, lost in thought.

This was it. He had done what had to be done, a lesser evil to prevent a greater one. It was in the past now and he would deal with the consequences when the time came. Right now he had a vampire to find and dust, after that he would deal with this new strange world and the people in it, and the consequences of making a deal with a demon.

He looked around the old church and saw an older lady sitting at the other end of the pew he was sitting on. He stood up and slowly walked over to her, sitting down a few feet from her so as not to scare her. "Excuse me Ma'am," he said quietly. The lady opened her eyes and stared at him expectantly. "Sorry to bother you. But, I was just wondering what this village is called?"

"Are you ok dear?" she asked with a puzzled frown.

He nodded, a smile on his face. "I'm fine," he assured her, "I'm just a little lost."

"Oh you poor lad, this is Sunnydale. In California."

He blinked. "California?" he frowned, he had no idea where that was.

He thanked the lady and stood up, walking back outside the church. The sun was beginning to set now, the shadows were long. People hurried to and fro, trying to get home before darkness fell. Children ran inside from playing outside all day. He saw more of the strange metal boxes on wheels drive past.

Soon the streets were almost deserted as the sun finally dipped below the horizon and Sunnydale was plunged into darkness. But it wasn't a darkness he was used to seeing. Streetlights burned on every corner, their glow steady and bright. Shops signings glowed, this world was a blaze of colour even at night. The moon and the starts, the light he was used to seeing were dim lights high in the night sky.

The darkness only absolute in the deepest of shadows.

As he turned another corner the street was suddenly full of people again, and all manner of other things. He saw witches and demons, vampires with long black capes, ghosts, strange shirts and hats, a tall man encased in black armour, even a woman in gold undergarments and a flowing red skirt.

His eyes were wide, as he walked through the crowds. His hand resting on the hilt of his sword, alert for any form of attack.

But none of the demons paid him any mind, in fact many of them were childlike in their actions, laughing and running back to the human man or women who accompanied them.

It was all very strange.

Slowly the crowd of demons and other monsters thinned out as he walked further from the center of town and headed towards the factories and businesses. As he continued to walk around, he knew he would have to find a place to spend the night, but at the moment he was content to just walk around. Get to know the town he had ended up in, maybe try to piece together just why he was here, in this place.

Suddenly there was a shout from ahead of him. He stopped and listened. "Quick," one of the men yelled. "She won't find us down here." Two men came running down the alley towards him, when they spotted him they slowed, and then stopped a couple of feet from him. He stared at their deformed faces and bright yellow eyes. With a smile he pulled the stake from his pocket and stood his ground.

(v)

Meanwhile on the other side of town, Buffy was sitting on the couch in Giles living room, her hands tucked under her knees as she watched Willow anxiously. The witch was sitting at the table, magic implements scattered around her. Giles, Xander, Anya and Doyle were on the couch next to her reading through a pile of books. They hadn't seen Darla for a few days.

She had tried researching with them, she really did, but she got restless, her skin itched to be up and out of the house patrolling.

Hours earlier a magical backlash had sent Willow falling to the floor as all the magic in the air, in the entire town was pulled inwards to a central point. It only lasted a few seconds but it was enough for Willow to turn green and scramble for the bathroom, as the magic she relied upon was pulled away from her.

Theories were everywhere, demons, black witches, warlocks. Giles had never heard of this before, which meant research.

Doyle frowned. "Could this have anything ta do with tha vision I had a few days ago?"

Giles rubbed his tired eyes. "You know your visions better then anyone, what did you think? Is it possible that this man caused all this?" he asked.

Doyle sat for a moment, thinking about everything he had seen and felt in the vision. "I think so," he said finally, "But at the same time I don't think this man is the cause of the magic, I think…I think someone else is calling the shots."

"It would have been easier if you managed to get a glimpse of his face." Buffy said.

Doyle sighed. "I told you, I only saw his clothes, you're looking for a pirate."

"On Halloween?" Anya snorted, "that should go well."

"Tonight was meant to be my day off." Buffy said with a sigh as she stood up. "In that case, looks like I'm going out again. "I will call you if I find anything," she said before she collected her stake from the table and walked out.

She didn't really expect to find anything tonight – Halloween was typically her slowest night of the year, the Supernatural took the night off. But she had had enough of research, a slayer wasn't made for research. A Slayer was made for action.

How wrong she was.

No sooner had she thought those words that a niggling feeling settled in her stomach, and she looked around feeling a vampire nearby.

She was walking down the street full of office buildings, when Darla rounded the corner ahead of her. The blond vampire froze before she smiled and relaxed. Buffy rolled her eyes and continued walking, putting the stake back into the waistband of her jeans.

"You had me excited for a second there, I thought I was going to have a real fight on Halloween, for once."

Darla shrugged, "I could fight you if you wanted, but don't expect me to let you win."

Buffy laughed and shook her head, "You couldn't win even if you tried," she said jokingly, before changing the subject. "I just had to get out of the house, the research party was not going well."

"Anything new?"

"Something magical happened this afternoon, Willow had a freak out but she's fine now. We think it's something to do with Doyle's vision. So now I'm out here looking for a Pirate. Wanna help look?"

"Fine by me," Darla said with a shrug.

Suddenly two vampires ran out of a side street, rounded the corner and bowled right into them. Both woman stumbled, turning around to look at the intruders.

The two vampires took one look at Buffy and took off running in the opposite direction. Cursing, the Slayer followed, breaking into a run, pulling her stake out of the waistband of her pants as her feet pounded the pavement as she raced after them. Darla followed, she was quick, but not quite as quick as Buffy, especially when she was wearing heels. They turned into a side street and she put on a burst of speed, skidding to a stop at the entrance to the alley as Buffy followed the vampires.

Standing in the shadows Darla had a clear view of the vampires, they were facing a tall man, he was broad shoulders with dark hair and eyes, and he held a stake in his hand.

"Aw, man." One of them muttered, gesturing to the stake in his hand. "Just our luck, now theirs two of them."

"Don't be stupid, Slayers are always girls, this one's just a poser."

"Not a good night for you is it?" Buffy said walking forward. She was shocked to see another person here. He had obviously been walking down the alley when the Vampires had come down the other end.

The man glanced at Buffy over the vampires head. "Miss, you better get out of here!" he yelled in concern.

Buffy smiled. "Sweet," she said curtly, "but not a chance."

From the shadows where she couldn't be seen, Darla stared at the young man, "No, it can't be," she muttered under her breath. Staring at Liam in shock. The last time she had seen that face had been over 200 years ago, what the hell was he doing here? More importantly, he should be long dead.

As Darla was lost in her thoughts, Buffy rushed forward and jumped up in the air, snapped her leg out and kicking the closest vampire in the head before she landed lightly on her feet, pivoted and sent the other flying into the wall with a spinning kick.

The man's eyes opened wide and his mouth dropped open in shock at the display of strength and skill as the vampires got to their feet and Buffy turned to face them.

The vampires growled angrily and rushed forward. One attacking Buffy, and the other attacking Liam, who was standing a few feet away, the stake still in his hand.

What followed was a quick scuffle, Buffy made short work of her vampire, kicking him again before darting forward and plunging her stake into his chest. At that point she turned and watched the stranger, crossing her arms over her chest as she watched the fight with interest.

The man was good, but he was human, and the vampire's speed was enough to tip the scale.

The man punched the vampire in the nose, causing it to fall to the floor and backed up a step and glanced towards her. "Why aren't you running?" he asked.

Buffy smiled, "That's not what I do."

"You'll pay for that," the vampire snarled around his bloody nose, as he grabbed at a piece of broken glass on the floor and stood up. Liam grinned, and crouched waiting for the vampire to rush towards him. The vampire obliged, growling angrily it quickly crossed the distance between them. Liam kicked out, but missed. The vampire dodged and came at him, the glass held in his hand, he slashed at Liam's arm's and chest savagely before Liam managed to get a punch in, catching the vampire in its stomach and winding it, before he struck the vampire around the head. Causing it to fall to the floor, he wasted no time in leaning forward and dusting the vampire as it lay dazed on the ground. It screamed and exploded into dust.

Liam straightened up, and pocketed the stake as he turned around as faced Buffy.

"You fight good," she admitted.

"Aye, I could say the same thing about you," he said. His Irish accent was strong.

She looked at him closely noticing his height, his broad shoulders and strong jaw. His dark eyes and strong nose. Then she noticed his clothes. The black boots and brown breeches, the white tunic and scabbard.

Her eyes widened, the only thing missing was a hat and eye patch. "You're a pirate," she gasped.

His eyes narrowed. "I think you've mistaken me for somebody else lass, I'm no pirate."

"Well, you sure don't look like you're from around here," she said dryly, raising her eyebrow at him.

He set his jaw, saying nothing.

Buffy frowned. "Who are you?" she asked.

"Liam O'Rourke" he said finally. Realising she wouldn't leave him alone until he started explaining himself. "And you?"

She smiled. "Buffy Summers,"

"And how do you know about vampires, Miss Summers?" He raised an eyebrow as he indicated the stake in her hand.

"I slay them, you?" She asked playfully. She knew she was flirting, but she couldn't help it. He was a hottie, and knew how to handle a stake. She didn't know many men who could do that.

He smirked, "I do about the same," he admitted.

Buffy laughed and turned her head, searching for Darla, she had all but forgotten she was with her in the excitement. But the other vampire had vanished from her spot at the mouth of the alley. Buffy frowned, it was unlike her to miss a fight.

Liam looked at her strangely "Are you ok?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, fine, I was just looking for my friend, but she must have gone."

She noticed Liam glance around quickly and couldn't help but notice how handsome he was. "So," she said briskly, swinging her arms nervously. "I have a few friends who would like to meet you, you wanna come with?"

Liam frowned again, this young woman's speech was strange. He wasn't entirely sure what she was talking about, but she seemed nice enough, and she was very pretty. He nodded. "Sure, lass," he said, "lead the way."

Buffy smiled, "Good, Giles is gonna go nuts when he sees you."

Buffy led the way out of the alley, chatting animatedly the whole time. Overwhelmed at the bubbly blonde, Liam just raised his eyebrows and listened attentively, or tried to. He still didn't know what she was talking about, but her smile and laughter was infections and he found himself smiling along with her.

High above them, crouched on top of the roof, Darla peered down at them, watching them carefully until they were out of sight.

With a heavy sigh she leaned back and closed her eyes. This can't be happening, she thought to herself. What did I do to deserve this, haven't I suffered enough?

(v)

Earlier that evening, on the other side of town far below the Sunnydale University Campus. Riley Finn and his Alpha team sat and listened attentively as Professor Walsh outlined their mission. That afternoon their instruments had gone haywire. Magic, and a lot of it too. Magic was not the Initiatives main objective, witches – humans – were not their target. But they knew what to look for, and new its worth.

But the use of magic so powerful that their instruments went haywire – that was another matter entirely.

After listening to Professor Walsh's orders Riley and his men suited up, strapping on the Kevlar bulletproof vests underneath their civilian clothes. Connecting com units and checking pistol magazines and Taser guns. This was a daylight mission, and they couldn't afford to attract any undue notice. If this lasted into the night then they would suit up for combat in military fatigues.

They quickly filed out of the initiative. Into the elevator and out into the frat house that doubled as an entrance to the Initiative, as well as where Riley and the rest of his men really lived as Frat Boys…minus the party's, for the most part at least.

They patrolled as usual, trying not to draw attention to themselves as they split into two groups, Alpha team moving into the centre of town and Beta team heading into the hills.

Hours past and nether team were able to find the source of the magical power. Beta team came across a dusted nest of vampires, and called it in, but apart from that Sunnydale was silent.

Night fell and the teams returned to base to change and refuel grabbing a quick meal before heading out again. Riley was getting bored. Sunnydale hadn't proved this boring for his line of work in a long time, there was always something out there, something his men could bag and tag.

Graham patrolled on his right, he's rifle covering him as they walked slowly down the dark streets. "You know what I just realised Riley," he said, turning his head and looking at the taller soldier.

"Yeah?" Riley muttered, distracted as the team walked around a bend in the street and headed down another. This one was a bit wider, a bit more brightly lit with a street light on every corner. But it was still quiet, all the businesses closed and boarded up for the night. "What's that?"

"It's Halloween."

Riley sighed loudly. "Of course," he muttered.

"What does that have to do with anything?" another of his men asked.

"Halloween," Forrest his second in command said, "its the one night of the year the nasties take a night off."

"So why are we still doing this?" his men asked.

Riley opened his mouth to reply when a loud growl, the unmistakable sound of an angry vampire echoed through the deserted block.

"That's our cue boy's" Riley said, unable to help the grin that spread across his face. Finally, something to do.

He unshouldered his rifle, breaking into a run towards the sound of the growl.

. . .