"Five by Five"
Based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Episode "Where the Wild Things Are" Written by Tracey Forbes and the Angel Episode "Five by Five" Written by Jim Kouf
The following story is copyright © 2023 by Mark Moore.
Buffy was fighting a vampire. She kicked him, they exchanged a few punches, and she threw him across the graveyard. Tara joined in and kicked the vampire. They exchanged punches as Buffy loaded her crossbow. She brought it to her face and aimed. Tara threw the vampire over her shoulder. Buffy lowered the crossbow to smile proudly. Tara lifted the vampire and held him in position. Buffy fired, but a demon arrived and shoved Tara out of the way, then helped the vampire up. Buffy dropped her crossbow and joined the fight. She kicked the vampire and then the demon, then moved aside to regroup.
Buffy looked at Tara. "Okay, you get Fang, I'll get Horny."
Tara looked at her and smiled.
"I mean-"
The vampire attacked. He threw Tara over his shoulder. Tara rolled and came up holding a stake. Buffy kicked the demon in the chest, then gave him a circular kick to knock him over. She kicked his knee and punched him several times in the back. Tara kneed the vampire in the back. Buffy had the demon by the neck and stabbed him in the back. Tara staked the vampire. Buffy threw down her weapon and sighed. Tara put her stake back in her jacket.
"Whoo! Vampire-demon tag team." Buffy brushed hair out of her face. "Who says we can't all get along?"
"Don't recall ever seeing that before." Tara stepped close to her.
"It never happened. Vamps...hate demons..."
Tara looked at the bodies. "I guess we should tell Jenny and Mr. Giles about this."
Faith waited as the Greyhound bus pulled up to the stop and stopped. The door opened, and the passengers stepped out. Faith picked up her duffel bag and got out of the bus. She stepped into the cone of the streetlight.
A guy lit a cigarette. "New in town, right?"
Faith ignored him and kept walking.
He fell in beside Faith. "You got that new-in-town look. This is a dangerous part of town this time of night for a young lady, you know? Lot of people down here try and take advantage of a situation like that." He paused. "Especially if you don't have any money,...place to stay." He paused again. "I might be able to help."
Faith stopped and turned to him. "Fuck off."
"Oh, yeah? Make me."
Faith hit him in the stomach, then in the face, knocking him to the pavement. Then she continued on her way.
Buffy and Tara were sitting on Giles' couch.
Giles was sitting in a chair, holding a rolled-up piece of paper. "There's always been great discord between them. And yet you say that the - the vampire went to the demon's aid. The two of them were working as a team?"
Buffy nodded. "Everything except giving each other little pats on the ass."
"Extraordinarily odd." Giles sat back, crossed his legs, and gestured with the paper. "As a rule, demons...have no empathy for any of the species other than their own. In fact, most think of vampires as...abominations. Mixing with human blood and all."
"So...what brought these two together?" Tara asked.
Jenny shook her head. "Not what. Who."
Giles realized. "Adam." He pulled off his glasses.
Jenny nodded. "Think about it. Who better to bring together a bunch of...demon types than someone who's made out of a...bunch of demon types?"
Tara looked at her. "So he's, um, bridging the gap between the races, like Martin Luther King."
Giles raised his eyebrows skeptically and cleared his throat. "Um, I suggest that, uh, over the next several nights, you two concentrate your patrol in that same area. If there's any other peculiar pairings or groupings, you let me know."
Buffy nodded. "I'll let Riley know, and he'll let the squad know as well. They're patrolling. They'll have a, uh, reserve unit out during the party."
Giles frowned. "Party?"
"Tomorrow night. They're having a thing."
"At a time like this? Who, well, whose idea was that?"
"Riley's. Boys are pretty ragged, need to let off steam."
Giles nodded. "Point taken."
"You're welcome to come."
"Well, much as I, uh, long for a good kegger, I have other plans. The Espresso Pump." Giles sat back, embarrassed.
"What are you doing there?" Tara asked him.
"I'm, um, uh, it's a - a meeting of, uh, grownups. It couldn't possibly be of any interest to you lot."
"Okay." Buffy stood up, not particularly caring. "Good night."
Cordelia listened by Angel's closed office door as Angel tried to convince a guy named Marquez to testify in a trial.
Angel slammed Marquez into a chair in his office. "The only way you're gonna keep from getting killed is to do the right thing."
"Right thing for who?"
"Next time they come after you, I'm not gonna be there. And your friends aren't gonna be there either. Not after being cut up and incinerated."
"This guy is never gonna do it. What a waste of a good vision." Cordelia walked over to where Wesley was laying curled up under his jacket on the couch, trying to sleep.
"It's going that badly?"
"I knew it when you brought him in here yesterday. Someone with that much body art is gonna have a different definition of civic duty."
"After we saved his life?"
"When was the last time you wrote a thank-you card?"
Wesley sat up. "Well, I have faith in Angel. If anyone can convince him to testify-"
"Wesley, you don't change a guy like that. In fact, generally speaking, you don't change a guy. What you see is what you get. Scratch the surface, and what do you find? More surface."
Wesley put on his glasses and got up. "One could have said that about Angel."
"Oh, please! He was cursed by Gypsies. What's Angel gonna do? Drag a bunch of them in here to shove a soul down this guy's throat?"
"He may be a ruffian, but he's already got a soul - and therefore, deep down inside, an urge to do what's right."
Marquez burst into the outer office. "No way. I'm gone."
Angel grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back, slamming the door. "Shut up and sit down."
Cordelia looked at Wesley. "I guess you're right, Wesley. He's just like the Dalai Lama."
Faith walked up to the outside of a club and joined a small crowd on the steps. She paid the cover and walked inside.
There were people dancing inside. Faith scanned the room, trying to focus. Finally, Faith saw Sunday, dancing, drifting from guy to guy. She danced up to a girl, then took the arms of the guy that the girl was dancing with and wrapped them around her own waist. The girl stopped and stared while Sunday rubbed herself against the guy.
"Excuse me!" the girl yelled.
"Okay, you're excused."
"That's my boyfriend!"
"Really?" Sunday looked down inside the front of the guy's shirt. "You have your name on him? Because I don't see it...anywhere."
"Billy! Do something!"
"Yeah, Billy, do something - like this!" Sunday elbowed the girl in the face.
Billy tried to hit Sunday, but she deflected him, and he stumbled into a guy behind her. A fight ensued and slowly spread to others, during which Sunday kept dancing to the music while throwing the occasional punch or kick.
Faith joined the fray, suddenly knocking Sunday against a wall. She pinned Sunday against the wall. "Hey, Slayer."
"Don't call me that! It's uncouth or whatever!" Sunday headbutted Faith.
The two women fought for a while, but Sunday eventually knocked Faith to the floor and ran out of the club.
The next day, at Angel Investigations, Cordelia was on the phone. "Unfortunately, we...don't really do divorce cases."
"Is it about the money?" the man asked.
"No, it's not about the money."
"What about three-grand?"
"Oh, it's about that much money! How soon can we meet?"
Angel and Wesley came out of the elevator.
"Tomorrow, noon, Bonnie's BBQ at the Dearmont? You know it?"
"Yeah, I know where that is."
"Cool."
"Okay, we'll see you there tomorrow. Thanks for calling. Bye!" Cordelia hung up. "How'd it go?"
Wesley smiled. "We won."
"Gang guy testified?"
Angel nodded. "Stood up and told the truth."
"What did I tell you?" Cordelia asked Wesley.
"That he never would."
"Well, more good news. I may have landed a new client, and here is a twist: he can afford to pay!"
"What's the case?" Wesley asked.
"I'm still in...information-gathering phase. But, uh, we're meeting him for lunch tomorrow." She looked at Angel. "So...are you happy with the way things turned out?" She looked at Wesley. "You can always tell when he's happy. His scowl...is slightly less scowly."
Wesley looked at Angel. "That young man is very lucky he ran into you."
"He just needed a little guidance - a push in the right direction."
"I wonder how Wolfram & Hart are going to push back."
That night, in Lowell House, there was loud party music; people walked in and out, holding beers. Buffy, Amy, Harmony, Sandy, and Tara were standing together, drinking beer from red Solo cups.
Buffy looked at Sandy. "Sandy, you look kinda glum, chum."
Sandy looked at her, distracted. "Oh, it's just...the ring...and...I've been thinking about Veruca. I know she's doing well, but she hasn't called much, and she seems more occupied with her music. I'm not even sure we're still together."
"Maybe mingle a bit, see if you meet someone nice." Buffy caught herself. "Not that Veruca isn't nice, uh-"
"It's okay, Buffy." Sandy walked off, going through the crowds. She walked up to a girl with long, curly reddish-brown hair that was looking at a cabinet of trophies. "Hi."
The girl smiled. "Hi." She paused. "Who are you here with?"
Sandy shrugged. "Right now, I seem to be here with you."
The girl smiled. "I'm Julie."
Sandy smiled back. "I'm Sandy."
Buffy and Tara went and sat on the stairs. Buffy put her hand on Tara's knee.
Tara suddenly jumped back, filled with emotion. "Don't touch me!"
Buffy frowned in confusion.
"That's...just disgusting." Tara stood up.
Buffy stood up. "Tara...what's the matter?"
Tara panted. "I don't - I don't know."
"Are you feeling okay?" Buffy asked her.
"I'm f-fine. I just wanna...go to the bathroom." Tara ran up the stairs.
Buffy watched her go, concerned.
Sandy and Julie heard a bunch of people cheering and laughing. They turned a corner and discovered some people sitting on the floor, playing spin the bottle. Julie looked at Sandy and smiled. She motioned with her head, indicating they should join them. Sandy grinned, and they sat down.
When it was Sandy's turn, she spun, and it landed pointing at Julie.
Julie grinned. "Hey, Sandy."
Sandy smiled.
Julie got on all fours and leaned toward her. Sandy moved forward and nervously kissed her on the lips. Suddenly, Julie grabbed her and planted a passionate kiss on her lips. The others laughed and cheered. Julie climbed on top of Sandy, still kissing her.
Julie suddenly pulled away, looking horrified. "I'm sorry. I didn't..." She paused. "I'm sorry!" She jumped up and ran off.
Sandy was confused, then jumped up and ran after her. She walked through the crowds, looking around.
"Oh, my God!" a girl yelled happily.
Sandy looked and found a group of people around a spot on a wall.
A girl was touching the wall. "Oh, oh, oh! Touch it!" She fell back against a guy.
He put his hand on the wall. The others chattered loudly. Sandy heard crying noises from behind a closed door.
"Hi, uh, you okay?" Sandy asked.
More crying.
"Julie?" Sandy tried the doorknob, but it was locked.
"I'm bad. I'm bad."
Upstairs, Buffy knocked on the bathroom door. "Tara? It's me."
Nothing.
Buffy knocked again. "Tara?" She opened the door. "Tara?"
She walked into the bathroom, looking around. It was empty. Buffy went to the sink, turned on the water, and splashed it on her face. She turned off the water and straightened up, drying her face with a towel. She heard a gurgling noise and turned around. She frowned and walked over to the bathtub. She heard dripping noises. Buffy pulled back the shower curtain and found a young boy in the bathtub, underwater, arms crossed over his chest, struggling. She reached down to grab him, but he disappeared, and there was just a tub full of water. Buffy straightened up and turned around. The boy was standing behind her, dripping wet, arms still crossed over his chest. She screamed.
Sandy returned to the spin the bottle game. Two girls kissed while the others cheered.
"Hey, that girl, Julie, she's freakin' out."
They ignored her, still playing the game.
"Is anyone friends with Julie?" Sandy asked.
They laughed, ignoring her.
Buffy ran down the stairs. "Tara? Sandy? Amy? Harmony?" She ran through the house and found Sandy. "Sandy. Ghost boy. Drowning in a tub. I-I tried to save him, but, being a ghost already, well, I was way too late."
"A ghost?"
Buffy nodded. Tara walked up and touched Buffy's arm.
"Tara, how are you?" Buffy asked.
"I'm okay, but...I-I don't like it here. This house...I-I think we should go."
Buffy nodded. Sandy looked over as there was more laughter from the spin the bottle game. Instead of slowing down, the bottle got faster and faster. The players looked puzzled. Suddenly, the bottle exploded. People yelled as broken glass sprayed at them. Amy and Harmony arrived at that moment.
Amy stared at the scene. "Holy shit."
"Where's Riley?" Buffy asked. "This is his damn house."
Harmony looked at her. "Oh! I overheard some of the Initiative guys say he's fucking a girl upstairs."
Buffy ran off. The others followed.
They ran upstairs, yelled Riley's name, and pounded on doors. No answer. Suddenly, sharp-looking spiny thorns with green leaves sprouted from the cracks around the edges of a door. Buffy and Sandy jumped back.
"Riley!" Buffy pounded on the door. "Riley!"
Tara turned and looked behind them.
Amy was worried. "We gotta get them outta there."
Tara started to walk away while Buffy and Sandy stared at the writhing thorns still growing from under the door. Tara walked to the balcony and looked down on the main floor. The people were looking around as the building started to shake. People screamed and ran around. Glass was rattling; everything was shaking. The people screamed and ran toward the door. Suddenly, there was a strong tremor, and everyone fell onto the floor, including Tara, Buffy, Amy, Harmony, and Sandy. The shaking stopped. Everyone got to their feet. Harmony looked around, panting. Suddenly, she saw a girl, screaming and waving her arms, running toward her. The girl ran right to Harmony and through her. Harmony gasped and put her hands on her stomach. She looked behind her, but the girl had disappeared. Harmony looked around. The shaking began again. Everyone ran downstairs.
"We gotta get out of here. Come on!" Buffy yelled.
Books started flying off the shelves and attacking them. They all ducked and ran away. They and a few others ran toward the door and outside. Sandy looked back and saw Julie staggering toward her. There were patchy clumps of hair still on her head, but she was mostly bald.
"Please help me."
Sandy ran over and grabbed her, then helped her toward the door.
Sandy helped Julie out. Tara, Buffy, Amy, and Harmony were there. Julie immediately ran off.
Amy looked at Buffy. "We have to go back in there."
"Why?" Harmony asked.
Buffy looked at her. "Because Riley and a poor girl are trapped. Now, who's with me?"
Tara and Amy raised their hands, followed by Sandy, followed finally by Harmony.
Buffy walked to the door, opened it, and peeked inside. She took a few steps in, then something invisible pushed her out. She flew backward and landed several yards down the path.
Buffy groaned and made a pained face. "Or...it...could be Watcher time. We'll - We'll go to Giles'."
Tara looked at her. "No, no, wait, he - he isn't there. He was going to the Espresso Pump."
Buffy looked at her. "Right, he - he told us not to come. He - He needed some personal time."
They hurried off.
Buffy, Tara, Amy, Sandy, and Harmony walked into the Espresso Pump. They were surprised to see Giles sitting there, playing an acoustic guitar and singing. He was wearing casual clothes and had an earring in his left ear. Lots of people were sitting and listening to him. Jenny was sitting closest to him.
"No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man,
To be the sad man,
Behind blue eyes.
"No one knows what it's like
To be hated,
To be fated
To telling only lies."
Giles noticed the gang watching and looked embarrassed but kept singing:
"But my dreams, they are as empty,
As my conscience seems to be.
I have hours, only lonely.
My love is vengeance.
That's never free-ee.
"No one knows what it's like
To feel these feelings
Like I do,
And I blame you.
"No one bites back as hard
On their anger.
None of my pain and woe
Can show through."
They went to the UC Sunnydale library. Giles paced while the others sat at a table.
"When you called to Riley, he didn't cry out or - or respond in any way?"
Tara shook her head. "No."
Harmony thought of something. "Maybe they're too busy fucking to answer."
Giles rolled his eyes. "In the midst of all that, do you really think they were keeping it up?"
Everyone looked at him.
"Oh, for a different phrasing."
Sandy looked at him. "Well, see, that's the thing. People all over the party were starting to get really horny."
"Well, it could be some form of, uh, succubi or a satyr's prank. It could even be energy coming from the - the lab underneath the Lowell fraternity."
"It wasn't always a fraternity! Look!" Jenny exclaimed.
They all crowded around to look at her laptop.
"'Between 1949 and 1960, the Lowell Home for Children housed upwards of 40 adolescents: runaways, juvenile delinquents, and emotionally disturbed teenagers from the Sunnydale area.'"
"Children? Did any of them, um, die in there?" Tara asked.
Giles considered. "If there were deaths, then, uh, perhaps we're dealing with a fairly...standard haunting."
Jenny shook her head. "It doesn't say. It's mostly about the old house director, Genevieve Holt. 'Sunnydale Children's Aid. 30 years of community service. Giving disadvantaged kids the love and care they deserve.'"
"When did she die?" Giles asked her.
Jenny checked the article, then looked at Giles. "She didn't."
Mrs. Holt opened a pair of French doors and ushered in Giles and Jenny. "No, no, I don't mind at all. I was up. Early morning prayer."
Giles nodded. "Of course."
"And I like talking about my kids." Mrs. Holt sat in a chair. "I still call them that. My kids."
"I-I suppose you were like a mother to them." Giles sat on the sofa. "You did everything for them?"
"Oh, yes. I fed them, clothed them, educated them in the way of the Lord. I was given a medal."
Jenny sat beside Giles on the sofa.
"Yes, wonderful. Uh, congratulations. Um, this'll sound a little strange, but, uh, did you notice any odd...disturbances in the house?" Giles asked.
Mrs. Holt frowned. "I don't understand."
"We-Well, um, like, uh, furniture moving of its own accord or, uh, objects appearing out of nowhere, or - or perhaps you saw someone appear one moment, and then they were gone the next, i-inexplicably."
"Why, that sounds like crazy talk."
"Yes, it does, doesn't it?" Giles looked at Jenny, then back at Mrs. Holt. "Yes. Um..." He paused. "Well, forgive me for - for asking this, but, um, the children in your care, were any of them ever ill, or did anything ever happen to any of them?"
"Well, some had the flu and such. No one died, if that's what you mean. The engraving on the medal says how good I was with the children." Mrs. Holt smiled.
Giles smiled. "Oh, yes."
"I treated them as I would my own flesh and blood. Gave them hugs and praise when they were good and...punished them when they were dirty."
"Well, uh, children will be children. They, you know, they do like to play in the, uh, the muck." Giles smiled.
Mrs. Holt looked disapproving.
Jenny stared angrily at her. "She meant sexual, Rupert."
"My kids didn't think I knew, but I did."
Giles started to understand. "Very, uh, perceptive of you."
"Without me, they would have been shut out of the Kingdom. Lost to lust."
"But you...helped them."
"The girls felt the vanity more than the boys. I'd see them preening like Jezebel. Doting over their pretty hair."
Jenny grew angrier by the second. "So you'd hack it off."
"I'd remove the temptation to admire themselves."
Giles removed his glasses.
"They were better for it."
"What about the bathtub?" Jenny asked her. "Something happened there."
"I performed baptisms on the most unclean. Those who were tainted with impure thought and deed."
"You held them under?" Giles asked in horror.
"They needed to be reborn." Mrs. Holt rose. "You choose to pass judgment on me?"
Giles rose. "Well, someone ought to! You traumatized and - and abused these children, children who - who have no doubt become extremely disturbed adults!"
She waved her hand dismissively and started to walk away.
Giles pursued her. "You have ruined lives, Mrs. Holt. Furthermore, what you did has now manifested itself as a-a malevolent presence which threatens still more lives! You have a great deal to answer for."
"I refuse to listen to this when I can smell the sin on each of you."
Jenny stared daggers at her as she walked past her. "Fuck off, you old cunt."
Mrs. Holt stared at her in shock.
Jenny opened the door, and she and Giles left the apartment.
Jenny thought for a moment. "I don't get it. I mean...those kids were tortured, but they weren't killed, so where are those ghosts coming from?"
"I don't believe there are any ghosts."
"Harmony said one ran right through her."
"Not a ghost. An apparition. I believe we're dealing with a kind of poltergeist. A whole cluster of them, in fact, born out of intense adolescent emotion and sexual energy."
"Both of which were totally pent up during Mrs. Holt's reign of repression." Jenny paused in thought. "Maybe Riley and his girlfriend, you know, maybe they set something free."
"Yes. And now the poltergeists are drawing more and more energy out of them. Feeding on them, in fact. They are - are powering this whole thing."
"Okay, so what happens when the battery's drained?"
"They die."
In Amy and Harmony's dorm room, Tara spread a red cloth on a table, then sat in a chair. Amy brought candles and set them on the table, then sat down opposite Tara.
Jenny was sitting on the floor. She got up, holding her laptop. "All of you should just stay outside."
Amy nodded at the others. "We'll bind the spirits long enough for you to get Riley and the girl out."
"How much time will you buy us?" Buffy asked.
Tara shrugged. "Could be tricky; we're calling upon the communal spirit of a certain time and place."
Amy lit the candles.
Buffy looked at the others. "Let's go."
Harmony, Sandy, and Giles followed Buffy out of the dorm room.
Jenny set her laptop on the table and sat between Tara and Amy.
Tara looked at Amy and Jenny. "Give me your hands. Form a circle."
She and Amy and Jenny held hands, eyes closed.
"Children of the past, spirits of Lowell, be guided by our light. Come forth and be known to us."
All three women sensed something. They all opened their eyes and saw a bunch of ghostly children standing around them. They looked around nervously.
Buffy pushed open the front door of Lowell House and looked in nervously. She stepped forward and looked in. "House is clean."
Harmony nodded. "Let's go. You first."
Buffy took a breath and walked in. Giles, Sandy, and Harmony followed. They looked up. The entire staircase was covered in the leafy, spiny vines.
Buffy looked at the others. "We need to work fast. Never know how long before the munchkins get homesick."
Harmony shrugged. "Or the human battery conks out."
They started walking up the stairs, through the vines.
"Watch your fingers." Buffy started hacking at the vines with her machete.
Tara looked at the ghost children. "We implore you...be still."
The ghost children watched silently.
Jenny looked at them. "Find it in your hearts to leave our friends passage."
Amy looked at them. "Transform your pain. Release your past. And...uh ...get over it."
Jenny looked at her, nervous. Amy shrugged.
Buffy hacked at vines. "You guys okay?"
Sandy nodded. "Yeah."
"I'm not!" Harmony complained. She pricked her arm on a vine. "Owwee!"
Buffy made it to Riley's door and tried to reach for the knob. A sudden wind came up.
The wind blew Amy's hair around. The children looked up. Their hair was blowing, too. The wind howled loudly. Screeching noises came from the children.
Tara stared at them. "Find here the serenity you seek, the peace you-"
The red-covered table flew out from under their hands and crashed against the door. The wind stopped. They looked around.
"What's happened?" Jenny asked.
Amy sighed. "We lost them."
The howling and wind continued. Buffy was suddenly thrown back from the door, landing on her back.
"Buffy!" Harmony yelled.
The vines grabbed Harmony, threw her into the bathroom, and shut the door.
"Harmony!" Sandy ran to the door and grabbed the knob.
She was thrown back, through the balcony railing, and down to the floor below. She landed half on the floor, half on a sofa.
Harmony was in the bathtub, being held underwater by unseen hands, struggling. Through the water, she could see the children standing over him, watching. She couldn't breathe.
Sandy got painfully to her feet, determined. She started up the stairs. Howling and screeching noises continued.
"Shut up!" Sandy yelled.
A huge thorn suddenly sprouted from the vine that her hand was resting on. The thorn went right through the middle of her hand. She screamed.
"Ow! Motherfucker!" Sandy pulled the thorn out, even madder. She continued up the stairs.
Sandy opened the bathroom door and saw Harmony in the tub, still struggling. Sandy reached for her and pulled her out of the water and helped her up. They burst out of the bathroom, into the hall. There were more vines everywhere.
Sandy looked at Harmony. "Come on, we just gotta-"
Suddenly, Buffy made it back to the door, twisted the knob, and pushed the door open. Riley and a girl were in bed, naked. Riley was on top of the girl and fucking her in the ass. The light from the doorway illuminated them. They sat up, clutching the sheets against themselves.
"Buffy! Don't you knock?" Riley asked.
Buffy, Giles, Harmony, and Sandy, looking disheveled, looked at each other, turned, and walked away in annoyance.
The next day, in the cafeteria, Buffy, Tara, Amy, Harmony, and Sandy were sitting at a table, eating lunch. Sandy noticed Julie, wearing a baseball cap, nervously walking by with her lunch tray.
Buffy looked at Julie and then at Sandy. "Go to her. See if she's okay."
Sandy stood up, picked up her tray, and followed Julie to a table. Julie set her tray down and sat down.
"May I join you?" Sandy asked her.
Julie looked up at her. She hesitated for a moment. "Sure."
Sandy set her tray down and sat to Julie's right.
"The frat house was haunted. We took care of it."
Julie laughed nervously. "I heard Sunnydale was weird, but-"
"It's on a Hellmouth. The town is a magnet for all things weird."
"Oh. Great. Well, thank you."
"I didn't do much. How are you feeling?"
"I don't know. The things that I felt-"
"That wasn't you. It was a poltergeist."
"Still-"
Sandy put her left hand on top of Julie's right hand. "I know a thing or two about evil entities influencing thoughts, and that wasn't you. You're a good, beautiful person."
"Thanks. You, too."
"That's nice of you to say." Sandy got lost in thought. "Sometimes, I wonder."
"Don't." Julie gave her a small smile.
Sandy smiled at her. "Do you wanna start over?"
"Sure."
Sandy offered her right hand. "I'm Sandy Gray."
Julie shook her hand. "Julie McCarthy."
The two women started eating lunch.
"So, for me, it's the haircut. What's your excuse?" Julie asked.
Sandy stared at her in confusion. Julie nodded toward Sandy's hoodie.
Sandy was a bit nervous. "That's part of the weirdness that I was talking about. You sure you wanna hear it?"
"After last night, nothing can surprise me. Hit me."
Sandy took a breath. "How do you feel about vampires?"
Julie raised her eyebrows in surprise.
Cordelia, Angel, and Wesley stepped out of an elevator.
"And he is kind of a busy man, so lunch was the only time he had. It's not the kind of case I'd normally go after, but we've got to consider the bottom line."
"What kind of demons are we dealing with." Angel asked her.
"Well, it's not exactly a demon thing."
"What kind of...thing is it?" Wesley asked her.
"It's a kind of...husband-and-wife break-up thing."
"A divorce case?" Wesley asked in surprise.
"You're kidding."
"What's wrong with a divorce case?" Cordelia asked Angel.
"That's not what we do."
"According to the husband, the wife is a real witch."
Wesley considered. "Seems a bit on the seedy side."
"This is not seedy! He's in government." Cordelia realized the irony and looked at Angel. "Just talk to him. Oh, and we should pick up the tab for lunch. Nothing says success less than splitting the bill."
"I didn't bring any money with me."
"Okay, Elvis. When you are a big star, you can get away with not carrying any cash. And while we're on the subject, I think one of us should apply for a small business loan. Just to get us through the rough spots. I mean what's a thirty-year loan to you?"
Angel turned as Sunday shot and caught the quarrel just in front of his chest.
Sunday grinned. "That was so cool! This is gonna be fun!" She turned and ran out through a door and into the sunshine.
"Who the hell was that?" Cordelia asked.
Faith ran down the escalator. "That would be Sunday."
Cordelia understood. "Oh, so that's Sunday."
"Which way did she go?" Faith asked.
Cordelia pointed at the door. Faith ran outside.
Angel looked at Cordelia in confusion. "Who's Sunday?"
"Former Slayer turned vampire. Buffy filled me in."
"She's a vampire?" Wesley asked in surprise. "How was she able to-"
"She stole the Gem of Amarra from Sandy. Faith's trying to get it back for her."
Angel stared at Cordelia in annoyance. "See?!"
"Hey, I didn't know this would happen!" Cordelia retorted.
Angel hung up the phone in his office. "Buffy said she left Sunnydale a little over a week ago. She described her mental state as borderline psychotic."
Cordelia nodded. "That explains her outfit."
"This isn't right."
Cordelia looked at Wesley. "When a whacked-out Slayer tries to kill your boss, it's very wrong."
"I meant a turned Slayer being a daywalker."
"So...does Buffy or anyone in Sunnydale know why Sunday's targeting you?" Cordelia asked Angel.
"She didn't know she was coming after me. She was worried about you."
Cordelia smiled, touched. "Awww. Is she okay?"
"Yeah."
"What can we do?" Cordelia asked him.
"Help me track her down. I want you two to check police reports - beatings, killings - anything within the last week, possibly near bus stations and bars. And then you make yourselves scarce. I don't want to give her any free targets."
"You've been targeted by a psychotic!" Wesley exclaimed. "I'm certainly not going to run and hide."
Cordelia smiled. "I like the plan where I'm scarce."
"We've got to band together. Strength in numbers."
Cordelia looked at him. "Two is a number."
Angel stood up. "She coming for me. I've got a fight coming up. I don't want you to get in the way."
Wesley stared at him. "I thought we were a team."
"We're not a team. I'm your boss. You go where I tell you, and I tell you to lay low."
"Seems you're taking this personally."
"Well, you know, she tried to shoot my own personal back, so yeah."
"I'm sorry. But if you let emotion control you right now, one of you will certainly end up dead."
"Then it'll be me. Buffy said she's not to be killed. Tara had a vision. Sunday's needed for some big battle."
Wesley sighed. "She's a demon, Angel."
Cordelia looked at him. "So's Sandy...maybe." She sighed and looked at Angel. "Sunday is a sick, sick girl. If there is even a chance she can be reasoned with-"
"Agreed. Let's just get to work."
That evening, Cordelia and Wesley walked up to her apartment.
Wesley was reading from a report. "There is another assault just two blocks away. A fight in a bar, several arrests made, and a woman fitting Sunday's description was involved, however not arrested."
"She charm her way out?" Cordelia asked.
"Apparently, she managed to break a policeman's jaw with his own handcuffs before she disappeared into the night."
Cordelia took out her house key. "Hmm. For Sunday, that is charm."
She unlocked the door and opened it, but it slammed back shut. She looked at Wesley. She tried again, and the same thing happened.
"Phantom Dennis, let us in. It's all right. It's only Wesley."
She tried again; this time, the door stayed open. They entered, and Cordelia turned on the light.
"Dennis, your ghost, I presume?" Wesley asked.
"Yes. He's jealous." Cordelia looked into the room. "Don't worry. Hell will freeze over before I fuck him."
"Thank goodness for small favors. I'm going to try calling Angel again."
"Okay. I'm going to pack a bag."
Wesley picked up the handset and started dialing. "Cordelia, please, just a few things. We're not going on safari."
"I've got a little problem. I don't feel Angel's in the game. But, somehow, I feel you guys are the key."
Wesley hung up the phone. He and Cordelia stared at Sunday.
"Now, what can I do to really make him hate me?"
Cordelia stared at her. "It doesn't have to be this way. We want to help you."
Sunday elbowed Cordelia in the face, dropping her. She lost consciousness.
Faith and Angel entered Cordelia's apartment. They heard moaning and ran over to where Cordelia was just coming to. Faith searched the apartment.
Angel helped Cordelia to her feet. "Cordelia."
"She was already here. I didn't know. I made...Wesley come with me,...just to get a couple of things. She was like an animal. She said that you weren't in the game. There was nothing...we could do."
"Take it easy."
"I'm sorry." Cordelia took a deep breath. "What about Wesley; is he okay?"
"He's not here."
Faith returned to them. "Neither is she."
Cordelia, Faith, and Angel were sitting in her apartment, looking at a map of LA.
Cordelia pointed at various locations. "On Monday, a guy was beaten up here; his wallet and car were stolen. He's still in the hospital. Four blocks over...is a restaurant where they had a major knock-down drag-out on Tuesday. Then here another guy ran into something he referred to as 'the bitch from Hell', who sent him home with paramedics. That was on Wednesday."
Angel pointed. "This was the first. Took his wallet and keys. Is he still in the hospital?"
Cordelia nodded. "Yeah. We were just gonna go down and talk to him."
Faith looked at her. "We'll handle that."
"Where does he live?" Angel asked Cordelia.
Faith kicked in the door of an apartment, and she and Angel slowly walked in. Wesley sat gagged and bound to a chair in the middle of the fairly nice apartment, but he was beaten and bloody.
Sunday dropped the can and lighter that she had been holding, pulled a knife, and held it against Wesley's throat. "About time, soul boy. Ready to play now?"
"I'm ready."
"Okay, you showed. But how do I know you are really in this? I mean...if I kill him, would that help...or just be really funny?" Sunday asked.
"Why are you doing this, Sunday?" Angel asked her.
"You, I have to kill. Wesley is just for the hell of it."
"Who put you up to this?" Faith asked her.
Sunday didn't say anything.
Angel was slowly walking, so Sunday had to turn to keep facing him, which put her beside Wesley instead of behind him. Faith slowly walked in the opposite direction, trying to hide behind Sunday. She dared not make a move with the knife pressed to Wesley's throat, though.
"Tell me how much I'm worth dead, just out of curiosity."
"$15,000 plus expenses."
"You're kidding."
"Hey, I'm young, willing to work my way up."
"You feel young, do you, Sunday? You're looking pretty worn out to me."
Wesley threw himself back, toppling his chair, and Angel instantly kicked Sunday away from him. Faith picked up a piece of wood and attacked Sunday. They slammed each other around, and Sunday managed to get the impromptu stake away from Faith, tossing her onto the sofa, and broke it over her knee.
"Is that all you got, Slayer?" Sunday asked. "Get in the game."
Sunday kicked the glass-topped sofa table at her face, and broken glass flew everywhere. Angel ran at Sunday. She jumped him, wrapping her legs around his waist and slamming him against the wall. She kept hitting him, and they both fell to the floor with Sunday sitting on top. He took a hold of one of her wrists and tossed her off him. Faith tried to hit her with a floor lamp, but she avoided the hit, so she instead swept the feet out from under her, then catapulted her over the sofa and across the room. Sunday jumped over the sofa after Angel, smashed a vase over his back, then slammed him into the ceiling. Faith swung at Sunday, but she kept ducking her punches, so instead she kicked her in the gut. Angel came back and hit Sunday; she hit back, then tossed him back over the sofa.
"You can't take me! No one can take me!" Sunday declared.
Sunday jumped to kick him again as he got up, but Angel intercepted her kick with a piece of furniture. Sunday sent him flying across the room again, then smashed up a glass-shelving unit when Angel ducked her next kick. Angel slammed Sunday down on the floor, then slid her head-first across the room, into a wall.
Faith ran up with another piece of wood in her hand. "Come on!"
Angel tackled Sunday, and they both burst through the window, falling two stories to land on a trash-container lid. They rolled off it, and Sunday again threw Angel around.
"You're gonna die!" Sunday declared.
Sunday kept hitting and kicking Angel. Halfway through this, it started to first rain, then pour.
Faith looked away from the scene. "Hey, Wes, are you-"
Wesley wasn't there. Faith ran out of the apartment and down the stairs. She ran outside. Wesley was standing there, holding a butcher knife, then headed toward Sunday and Angel. Faith blocked his path with her hand. He looked at her. She shook her head in warning. The two of them watched Sunday beating up on Angel.
"You hear me? You don't know what evil is! I'm bad! Fight back!" Sunday yelled.
Sunday kept whaling on Angel, sometimes, he ducked; sometimes, the hits connected.
Angel grabbed a hold of her. "Nice try, Sunday." He tossed her away from him, then walked after her.
She hit him, and he hit back, dropping her. She came back up, hitting and screaming but not making much of a dent.
Angel dodged another hit. "I'm not gonna make it easy for you."
Sunday threw herself against Angel, screaming.
Faith sighed. "Okay, enough of this shit."
Faith ran over, pulled Sunday backwards by the jacket, lifted her above her head with both hands, bent backward, and body-slammed Sunday into the pavement. To her surprise, Sunday didn't lose consciousness, but Faith seized the moment, grabbing her left hand and pulling the Gem of Amarra off her finger.
Sunday began to sob, grabbing a hold of Faith's shirt and shaking her. "You win, Slayer. I'm ba-ad. Do you hear me? I'm bad! I'm bad! I'm bad. Please. Slayer, please, just do it. Just kill me. Just kill me."
Faith wrapped her arms around her shoulders and pulled her against her. "Shh. It's all right. It's okay. I'm here. I'm right here. Shh."
The knife dropped from Wesley's hand as he and Angel stood in the pouring rain, staring at them, while Sunday cried and thunder rumbled overhead.