"I've Got You Under My Skin"

Based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Episode "Goodbye Iowa" Written by Marti Noxon and the Angel Episode "I've Got You Under My Skin" Written by David Greenwalt and Jeannine Renshaw

The following story is copyright © 2023 by Mark Moore.


In Giles' apartment, about a half-hour later, Buffy was pacing, Giles and Jenny were standing close by, Tara was sitting at his desk, Harmony was leaning back against it, Amy and Sandy were sitting on Giles' weapons trunk against the wall, and Spike was sitting on the bottom steps of the stairs.

Buffy was in the middle of telling them what just happened. "So Walsh sends me down into the sewers with one of those blasto-guns, and, the next thing I know, it's raining monsters. And then this gate slams down behind me, and I try to use the gun, but it goes 'Phitt!'"

"You're saying that Maggie Walsh set you up?" Giles asked.

"That's exactly what I'm saying. She sent me on a one-way recon."

Spike looked at her. "Gotta hand it to you, Goldilocks. I got a cousin married to a regurgitating Frovalox demon that's got better instincts than you."

Buffy glared at him. "Shut the fuck up or get the fuck out."

"It's daylight!"

"Not my problem."

"What about, uh, Riley?" Jenny asked.

Buffy looked at her. "You think Riley had something to do with this?"

Jenny shrugged. "Maybe."

Giles nodded. "We'd be remiss if we didn't think of all the possibilities."

Buffy nodded. "Right."

Tara stood up, walked over to Buffy, and hugged her with one arm. "What now?"

Buffy sighed. "All I know is that Walsh has it in for me. Which means the Initiative has it in for me."

Amy looked at her. "I'm guessing the mad scientist isn't too keen on the fact that all of the Slayerettes know that the Initiative is up to no good."

Buffy looked at her and nodded. "Which brings us back to the 'not safe for any of us' concept."

"What could have happened to make Professor Walsh want to kill you?" Giles asked.

Buffy was at a loss. "I don't know. Uh..." She paused in thought. "She wasn't keen on the fact that I was asking a lot of questions, that's for goddamn sure."

"So you were getting too close to something?" Sandy asked.

Giles nodded. "Clearly. Although, one can only imagine what she'd be so desperate to hide."

Buffy walked over to Giles' weapons trunk. Amy and Sandy stood up and gave her room.

Buffy opened Giles' trunk and started taking out weapons. "Okay, everybody grab a weapon. We gotta move." She handed Sandy a battle ax and gave Amy a bat with a fisherman's hook attached to the head.

"And storm the Initiative?" Amy asked.

Sandy grinned. "Yeah, let's take on those fuckers!"

"I was thinking more that we'd hide."

Amy was relieved. "Oh, thank Goddess."

Giles looked at Buffy. "Buffy, I think perhaps we should talk about this."

Buffy paced. "We need to relocate some place where we're less likely to be found. We need to come up with a plan."

Tara walked over to the trunk. "We could go to your place - your house, I mean." She took out a flail.

"The Initiative guys aren't dumb. They'll automatically check the places connected to me - and probably you as well. Sandy, what about your place? The guys haven't seen you, and there's enough room."

Sandy felt uneasy about that. "Buffy, those assholes capture vampires. If they storm the place while we're all there, my mother-"

"-will likely be arrested." Buffy put a hand on her shoulder. "I understand."

Harmony grinned. "Guys! My parents actually still have their house. We can totally hang out there!"

Tara looked at her. "Is there a particular reason that you went for a low blow against Cordelia? It's not like she's here to hear it."

Harmony thought about it for a moment, then shrugged and smiled pleasantly.

Giles sat down at his desk. "I-I don't see why we can't stay right where we are." He chuckled. "Because it's very unlikely those Initiative boys are gonna come around here looking for-"

The front door opened, and Riley stepped inside.

"Buffy!" Riley exclaimed.

Everybody looked at him in surprise. Sandy glared at him, then discreetly moved toward the back of the room.

Riley closed the door and walked over to Buffy. "God, Buffy. Are you okay? What happened?"

Buffy hesitated, wary. "You know?"

"I know something went down." Riley paused. "Tell me."

"Walsh tried to kill me."

No one said anything for a moment.

Harmony smiled. "It didn't work, but they're all upset, anyway."

"Okay, listen. I need you to go over everything. Step by step. There has - has to be some kind of mistake."

"There was no mistake! And how do you know something happened?" Jenny asked him accusingly.

"I was on a mission. But I came back, and...I'm not sure. Look, let's just keep our heads and not jump to any-" Riley looked over his shoulder and saw Spike sitting on the stairs.

Spike looked away. Riley took a step back in surprise as he faced the vampire.

"What?" Buffy asked.

"That's Hostile 17."

"Uh, no! I'm just a friend of Giles'..." Spike sighed and dropped his drawl. "Bugger it. I'm your guy."

"This is Spike. He's, uh..." Buffy paused. "It's a really long story. But he's not bad anymore."

"Hey!" Spike jumped up. "What am I, a bleeding broken record? I'm bad! It's just...I can't bite anymore. Thanks to you wankers." He indicated Riley with a head movement.

"We've been looking all over the place for him, but you've known where he's been all along?" Riley asked Buffy, exasperated.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "It's not like that."

"Then what is it like? What's he doing here?"

"Leaving you swabs to your dramatics, thanks." Spike walked over to the door and grabbed his leather duster. He put it on. "I've got my stories on the telly for that. By the by, if you're trying to kill her..." He leaned back with a big grin and gave Riley two very enthusiastic thumbs up.

Buffy and Amy rolled their eyes.

Spike turned and pulled his coat over his head. He opened the door and ran outside, into the sunlight, covering his head and arms.

"Buffy...what is this? You're hiding an HST?" Riley asked.

Harmony pointed at him angrily. "Why don't you just back off and let her ask the questions, Jack? Your boss just tried to make monster food out of her."

Riley saw everyone looking at him and calmed down. Giles crossed his arms.

"I-I didn't see much. I wasn't there. I..." Riley paused. "All I know is Professor Walsh told me you were dead. But then I saw you on the monitors..." He paused again. "Look this isn't Professor Walsh. There must be something making her act this way. Something I-I don't know. Controlling her."

"We think Buffy may have been becoming too inquisitive. That she was getting close to something that Professor Walsh was trying to hide. Any idea what that might be?" Giles asked him.

"What about 314? Maybe that's it?" Buffy added.

"Maybe she was trying to test you. What if it was only a drill?"

"Then why did she tell you I was dead? Riley, it wasn't a test."

Giles adjusted his glasses. "See, I've heard rumors that the Initiative wasn't all that we've been told. That, uh, secretly they're working towards some darker purpose, something that might harm us all-"

"No! That's...That's not what happens there."

Buffy stared at him. "Riley."

"I would know!"

"Look, no one is sure of anything, okay? We're just trying to sort it out."

"I can't be here. I'll sort it out on my own." Riley headed for the door.

Buffy went after him. "Riley."

"No! Just..." Riley paused. "I'm sorry." He opened the door and left.


Cordelia walked into the kitchen in Angel's apartment, where Angel and Wesley were sitting across from each other at the table.

"They're done! Nobody touch."

Angel looked at Wesley. "She's making brownies."

"Oh, is that what I smell? I thought I tracked something in."

Cordelia took the pan out of the oven. "The recipe was handed down to me by my mother, who got it from her housekeeper. Plus, I improvised a little." She looked at Wesley. "You're gonna love them."

"Me? Doesn't Angel have to - get to try any?"

Cordelia cut at the brownies. "They are brownies, full of nutty goodness, not red blood cells."

"Oh, I wasn't thinking." Wesley looked at Angel. "More of a drinker than an eater, I suppose."

Cordelia was having trouble cutting the brownies. "Maybe, if he'd branch out into the solids, he'd keep a decent knife around." She picked up a dagger laying on the table and started to cut the brownies with it.

Wesley jumped up. "That is not appropriate! It's for killing extinct demons! Angel, make her stop."

Angel smiled. "Cordelia-"

"That blade is very old. Who knows what kind of corrosive effect your cooking may have on it?!"

Cordelia waved the knife at Wesley. "Corrosive effect?"

Angel nodded. "Cordelia, just put down the very sharp knife."

Wesley looked at Cordelia. "Well, they don't smell right."

Cordelia put the knife on the table and looked at Wesley. "I think Mr. Too Much Cologne is the pot calling the kettle stinky."

"Cordelia, Doyle!" Angel yelled.

Cordelia and Wesley turned to look at him.

"I mean, um...Wesley." Angel paused for a long time. "Wesley."

Angel looked up, but the others wouldn't meet his eye.

Angel got up. "Let's just, um, no more fighting, all right?" He left the kitchen.

Cordelia sat down at the table with a sigh.


Harmony unlocked and opened the front door to her house and walked inside. Buffy, Tara, Amy, Sandy, Jenny, and Giles followed, each carrying a bag containing clothes, deodorant, toothbrushes, and tubes of toothpaste. Giles closed and locked the door.

Harmony grinned. "Welcome to La Casa de La Harmony, los muchachas."

All of them walked upstairs.

Harmony walked down the hall, entered her bedroom, and turned on the light. "We've got three spare bedrooms. Help yourselves."

Buffy and Tara took one guest room, Jenny and Giles took another, and Amy and Sandy took the third.

After searching for a while, Buffy walked into Harmony's bedroom. "Harmony, where's the linen closet? I need..." Her words died on her lips as she took in the extremely pink bedroom. "Holy shit, I'm in Barbie's Dreamhouse."

Harmony grinned. "You like it?"

"It's...busy."

The carpet, walls, ceiling, dresser, vanity, and bed were all pink. The only things breaking up the monotony were Harmony's various personal items and decorative touches, such as unicorn figurines, statues, and posters. There were framed photos of Harmony and Faith and Harmony and Cordelia on her dresser. Buffy went and sat on Harmony's bed. She picked up a small unicorn toy.

"You're looking for the linen closet?" Harmony asked.

"Yeah, Tara and I wanna shower, and we need towels." Buffy pressed a button.

The toy started vibrating - especially the horn.

"It's the door across from the bathroom." Harmony quickly walked over and snatched the toy out of Buffy's hands with a nervous smile. "You probably don't wanna touch that."

Buffy's eyes widened in horror, and she quickly stood up and left the bedroom.

"Uh, you're welcome!" Harmony yelled after her.


Cordelia slowly stepped into Angel's office. He was sitting behind his desk, reading.

"Pretend to read any good books lately?" Cordelia asked him.

"Cordelia. I thought you went home."

Cordelia walked slowly into the office and sat down across from Angel with a sigh. "You called him Doyle."

"It just...happened." Angel paused. "I hope Wesley is okay with it."

"Oh, who cares about him?! This is about Doyle. You - You never say his name!"

"I say it."

"No, you don't." Cordelia paused in thought. "Look, you don't have to be Joe Stoic about his dying. I mean...I know that you have this unflappable vibe working for you, but...you don't have to do that for me."

"I'm not unflappable."

"Great. So...flap."

Angel got up with a sigh and moved around for a while, Cordelia watched him silently.

"I miss him."

"Me, too."

"I've been around death before - a lot! I've lost people. I've killed people."

"And you are dead."

Angel looked at her.

"Sorry."

"It shouldn't have happened. I shouldn't have let it happen!" Angel yelled.

"Angel, it wasn't your fault." Cordelia paused. "It hurts."

"Yeah."

Cordelia put a hand up to her head. "No, it - it really...really..." She threw herself back in her chair. "...really!" She had a blurred vision of two kids - one boy and one girl - and their father - and their house number: 1256.

Angel came to hold her. "Easy, easy."

Cordelia came out of her vision with a gasp.

"What did you see?"


The next morning, Buffy and Tara were cuddling, naked, in the bed in a guest room in Harmony's house.

Suddenly, the door burst open.

Harmony ran into the bedroom. "Turn on the TV. ABC. Now!"

Amy, Sandy, Jenny, and Giles followed her into the room. Buffy and Tara considered hiding under the sheet, but then they remembered most of them had already seen each other naked. Tara picked up the remote control and turned the TV on. The news was on.

"Sunnydale is still reeling from news of the crime. A source in the coroner's office tells us that the boy was stabbed with what looks like some kind of large skewer, and his body was then mutilated. Police have not named a suspect, and the killer is still at large."

Realization filled Buffy's mind as she listened. "The Polgara demon had a skewer in its arm. That's the one Walsh insisted we bring back alive."

Giles looked at her. "She must have sent it after you."

"And it got distracted." Buffy looked away. "God."

Tara put a comforting hand on Buffy's shoulder. "Buffy, it's not your fault. How could you know?"

Giles nodded. "She's right. You mustn't blame yourself."

Buffy paused for a moment. "I'm not going to." She got out of bed and faced them with a determined expression. "I'm going to the crime scene to see what I can find out. You guys research the Polgara demon. I want to know where it is. When I find it, I am going to make him pay for taking that kid's life. I'll make him die in ways he can't even imagine."


Buffy was walking down a dirt road surrounded by dry hills on the outskirts of Sunnydale. Behind her, up the road, a police car was parked. Below and ahead of her, she saw the crime scene. Another police car was parked there, and a detective was talking with a uniformed cop as two coroner's people carried a gurney with a small zipped body bag on it under the crime scene tape.

"Buffy."

She turned and saw Riley walking down the road towards her. He was in full commando attire.

Riley scratched the back of his right hand. "Hey."

"Hey. Look, I'm sorry about earlier. I know everyone came on pretty strong. And the Spike thing isn't as fucked as it looked. Okay, maybe it is. But there's an explanation that almost makes sense." Buffy saw him looking off to the hills. "Hello? I'm apologizing here. And I-I think that's pretty big of me, considering I'm the one who was almost made a demon sandwich."

He didn't say anything.

"This is the part where you throw me a bone."

"Maggie's dead."

Buffy absorbed this news, shocked.

"Happy now?"

Buffy's eyes narrowed. "How can you ask me that? Of course, I'm not happy. What happened?"

"That's classified."

"Classifi-" Buffy suddenly realized. "The Polgara. It got her and escaped. Didn't it?"

Riley just nodded.

Buffy stared directly into his eyes, angry. "I'm gonna find it. I'm gonna find it and kill it. And then you can stop asking me how happy all this death makes me!" She stepped around him and marched quickly back up the road.


Later, in the office, Wesley was closing the blinds as Angel walked in.

Cordelia was on the phone. "Thanks for your help." She hung up. "Well, Mama is telling the truth about Akron - and, before that, Miami and Baton Rouge, all within the last three years."

Angel held up the glowing vial. "Let me guess: couldn't lose the black cloud." He set the vial on Cordelia's desk and folded his arms.

Cordelia looked at the vial. "Like it was fitted with chin straps. Everywhere they go, there've been reports of disturbances and - yuck! - animal death. In Akron, a friend of the family went missing. He's still missing!"

They all looked at each other.

Cordelia picked up the vial. "What is this stuff, anyway? Kind of pretty!"

Wesley looked at her. "Uh, it's the bodily excretion of an Ethros demon."

Cordelia put the vial down and folded her arms. "No one could have said 'demon shit' before I touched it?"

"Oh, it can't hurt you. Only the demon itself is dangerous."

"How dangerous?"

"Tends to go in for mass murder. You've heard of Lizzie Borden? She killed her parents with an ax?"

"I remember the children's rhyme. And how come they're all full of death and cradles falling and mice getting tails cut off?"

Angel chuckled.

"Anyway, the whole thing needs a ratings system, don't you think?" Cordelia asked.

"Yes, well, what the rhyme doesn't say is that she was possessed by an Ethros."

"An adolescent Ethros." Angel picked up the vial. "With this amount of Plakticine, we've got ourselves a grown-up demon."

"So someone in that family has got a squatter in their head. What do we do about it?" Cordelia asked.

Angel threw the vial at Wesley. "Evict him."

Wesley caught it. "Exorcism."

Angel nodded.

"I'll look into finding someone who can perform one. Not too many priests go in for it much these days."

"But who do we exorcise? Which one is the demon?" Cordelia asked.

"The father seemed kind of off. They were afraid of him."

"A father doesn't have to be possessed to terrorize his children. He just has to..." Wesley took a deep breath. "We'll find out soon enough. The first step in confronting the demon is getting him to show himself. A little psylis eucalipsis powder ingested by the host-"

"And what? Dad goes 'Grrr'? Head spins around?" Cordelia asked.

"Essentially."

"Okay, so how do I get someone to eat...eucalipsis powder?" Angel asked.

Cordelia had an idea and grinned. "I'll whip up a batch of brownies for you to take to the family. You can add it in the batter."

Angel stared at her skeptically. "We don't wanna kill them."

Cordelia stared at him in annoyance.


Buffy made her entrance into Willy's Bar by pushing aside the beaded string curtains and quickly spotted Willy behind the bar. Willy saw her, cringed, and sighed. He tilted his head to tell Buffy to move down to the other end of the bar. Buffy followed and leaned on the bar. Demons were drinking and hanging out.

"You're killing me here."

"Oh, I missed you, too. The joint's jumping."

"Yeah. You know."

The vampire sitting nearby saw Buffy looking at him and took his leave, forgetting his beer.

"Making some changes with my life. I'm getting away from my old image."

"You mean as a double-dealing snitch?" Buffy asked.

"Uh-huh. I know you gonna think I'm blowing smoke, but, after those apocalypse demons nearly did me in, I had an experience of the spiritual variety."

Buffy didn't care. "That's swell, really. But I need to know if you've heard anything about a Polgara demon doing some killings in the last few days."

"See, uh, that's the thing. I don't talk behind people's backs no more. And I'm bringing some class to the joint. You know? It's 'Willy's Place' now. See?" Willy indicated the neon sign on the wall. "Brings in a better clientele. I got one of those deep friers. These demons just go crazy for chicken fingers."

Buffy stared at him, quickly getting bored.

"Look, if they see me dealing with you, then I'm just the same old Willy, working both sides of the street."

"I'm gonna have to punch you, aren't I?" Buffy asked him.

"Just once, and it don't have to hurt. Just make it look good."

Buffy straightened and raised her fist.

Willy instantly clutched his nose. "Oww! Oh!"

"Not yet, I haven't touched you!" Buffy whispered.

"Oh, sorry. Right. Right. G-Go ahead. Wait. No! I can't talk to you!"

Buffy straight-jabbed him in the nose, and now he was really hurting.

Willy grabbed his nose. "Ohhhh! Owwww!"

"What have you heard about the Polgara?" Buffy asked him.

"Heard there was one recently. Word was you got him. You and those Army guys."

"And that was the last you heard?"

"Yeah. As far as I know, he's off the streets."

"What about those Army guys? What do you know? You heard anything about 314?"

Riley walked through the stringed curtains. Beads rattled as Riley entered. Buffy faced him. He looked the place over. As he approached Buffy, she noticed there was a thin sheen of sweat on his face. He didn't look happy at what he was seeing.

"What are you doing here? Following me?" Buffy asked him.

"You told me you were tracking the Polgara demon. I thought I'd help. But now I see you're not hunting demons; you're socializing with them. Again. I thought you were supposed to be killing these things, not buying them drinks."

"Oh, that's smooth, Officer Riley. They teach you those undercover moves in Special Forces?"

"I'm serious, Buffy. What are you doing here?"

"Just cooling her dogs like the rest of us. Why don't you sit down, relax?" Willy suggested.

"I want you to tell me. Who are you? Really?" Riley seethed.

Buffy glared at him, becoming a little pissed herself.

"No kidding. How about I get you some chicken fingers - on the house?" Willy offered.

Riley looked at Willy. "Hey, you think you could shut up?"

"Look, I'm just saying-"

"I said shut up! Or maybe you would like to go back to the lab with me. I'm sure the coats would love to classify a...whatever you are."

Buffy stared at him. "Leave him alone, Riley. He's human."

"So he's human."

Buffy looked at his trembling arms. "You're shaking."

Riley looked at Buffy. "He just harbors demons. Which makes him a good guy like you?" He grabbed her roughly by the shoulders. "The truth, Buffy. Now!"

"You have the truth. You are just too fucked up because of what happened to Professor Walsh to see it. Now, let go of me!" Buffy knocked his hands off her shoulders.

A middle-age-looking woman got up from the bar and walked quickly towards the door.

Riley spotted her over his shoulder. "Hold it! You!"

She stopped in her tracks as he drew his Beretta and aimed it at her. His hand was trembling.

"No leaving until I say so. Got it?"

"Hey!" Willy yelled. "We got new rules here. No killing."

Riley looked over his shoulder. "Right! Except the rules don't seem to apply much these days. Do they?"

The woman was now facing Riley and looked terrified. Riley's breathing was becoming heavier, and his shaking was getting worse.

Riley looked at the woman. "Like, if I shot you right now, I don't know if I'd have a corpse on my hands or one pissed-off vampire."

"Riley-"

Riley looked at Buffy. "I mean...who do you believe? First, it sounds like lies, then it sounds like truth." He looked at the woman.

She was starting to whimper.

"Riley..."

He glanced at Buffy and seemed to realize what he was doing. The woman started crying. Riley's hand continued to shake. He suddenly turned to the bar, sweeping his gun across the surface, smashing several glasses. The woman fled. Riley trembled, and Buffy slowly approached him, concerned but also frightened.

Riley had his hands pressed to the bar as he leaned against it, shaking uncontrollably. "What's happening to me?"


Buffy got Riley to return to his dorm room. She followed him. Riley was sitting on the bed with his head in his hands. He was no longer wearing his commando vest, gun belt, nor his boots. Buffy brought him a blanket and draped it around his shoulders as she sat down next to him. He looked up and pushed the blanket off. He was still sweating and shaking.

"Riley, why don't you lie down? You'll be more comfortable."

She saw him furiously scratching the back of his right hand. He'd broken the surface, and there was a patch of red on his skin.

Buffy grabbed his hands. "Stop it."

"I can't. It's like...something's growing inside of me." Riley started scratching.

Buffy took his hand again. "No. You're hurting yourself."

"I thought I knew...but I don't. I don't know anything."

Buffy let go of his hand. "You're sick. Once you get some rest-"

"No. Buffy. I don't know...anything. I don't know which team I'm on. Who the bad guys are. Maybe I'm the bad guy. Maybe I'm the thing you should kill."

Buffy was silent for a moment, pushing dark thoughts away. "Okay, listen to me. You're sick. You just need to get some sleep." She stood up. "Please. Lie down. Come on."

Riley pushed himself onto the bed and lay his head on the pillow. He curled his arms and legs in close as if cold and continued to shiver.

"You're gonna be okay."

His eyes closed, and he seemed to calm down a little. Buffy turned and left the dorm.


Wesley slid the grate of the elevator open. He took Ryan from Angel and carried him over to Angel's bed.

Angel gestured at Cordelia and Wesley. "Paige and Seth Anderson, these are my assistants."

"Hi, I'm Cordelia." Cordelia shook Paige's hand. "Sorry about the possession and everything."

Seth nodded. "Uh...hello."

Wesley covered Ryan with a blanket.

Cordelia picked up a big glass bottle and started to draw a circle around the bed with the yellow sand that was in it. "Oh, I wonder if I should put plastic down. Angel, are you expecting any big vomiting here? Because...I saw the movie."

Seth and Paige looked at Angel, who just raised his eyebrows at her. Cordelia made a face and got back to drawing the circle.

Wesley looked at the parents. "The binding powder will keep the demon under control while Angel and I go to find the priest."

Paige looked at him. "He doesn't need a priest."

Angel put a hand on her shoulder. "Paige...listen to me. The only way through this is to let us help. Look, your son is possessed. Deep down, you know this is true. You know it."

"Cordelia will stay with you. We'll be back as soon as we can."

"Do not break the circle. It's important. He'll try and get you to come to him. Don't do it. Don't touch him. He's been exposed, and he's angry. He'll kill you if he gets a chance, you got that?" Angel asked.

Cordelia frowned, annoyed. "Jesus, we got it! Circle, angry, kill, kill, kill. Go to church already."

Angel and Wesley left.

Seth put a hand on Paige's shoulder, and she covered it with one of her own as they both looked at Ryan lying unconscious on the bed.


Buffy returned to Harmony's house and informed the others. Jenny, Tara, Sandy, and Harmony were researching at the kitchen table. Amy brought a plate full of freshly-baked brownies to the table, much to everyone's delight. Buffy quickly grabbed one.

Giles was bringing a box of old books that they hadn't looked through to the others. "How is he?"

Buffy bit of a piece of her brownie. "This isn't just grief making him act this way. Something's affecting him physically, and it's getting worse."

"You think Professor Walsh did something to him?" Amy asked her.

"I don't know, but I'm ready to find out."

"How are you gonna do that?" Sandy asked her.

"She must have kept records somewhere. About Riley, about 314, about all of it. And I'm sure she wasn't the only person that knew what she was up to."

"So what's the plan?" Jenny asked.

"Everyone else, keep researching. Amy, you and I are going undercover."

"Me?" Amy asked, confused.

"You're the only one with military experience."

Harmony was amused. "It's not like she was in Desert Storm. She was G.I. Jane for one night."

Tara was concerned. "Buffy..."

"It's okay, Tara. I'll be careful." Buffy put her hands on Tara's shoulders and crouched down. "Promise."

Tara conceded by nodding but was not happy about it. Buffy kissed Tara on the lips and stood back up. Amy went to get ready.

Giles stood up from the box of books that he was going through and faced Buffy. "It's a minor point, but how do you plan to get into the Initiative? I'm sure their, uh, security system's almost impenetrable."

"I have my clearance. I'm hoping she didn't have time to revoke it."

"Okay. Well, as for the whereabouts of this Polgara demon, I'm afraid we've...we've not turned up much. There've been no reports since its original capture."

"Then we'll just have to keep looking."


Cordelia was pouring some tea for herself, Paige, and Seth in the kitchen. Paige was sitting at the kitchen table with Seth.

"Mommy? Where are you? Mommy, I'm scared. I need you. Are you there?"

"Couldn't I just take him his toys, please?" Paige asked Seth.

"You heard what Angel said, Paige. We have to wait."

"But why do we have to wait? Things were going really well this time, weren't they? Couldn't we just keep on like it was?"

"Paige, no. Not after Ohio."

"Ohio?" Cordelia asked.

Seth hesitated. "A friend of ours - the kids used to call him Uncle Frank - died in a fire."

Paige sobbed. "That was an accident. It wasn't Ryan!"

"Mommy, I'm scared. It's so cold in here. Mommy?"

Paige tried to get up.

Seth grabbed her arm. "And that isn't Ryan either." He paused. "Paige?"

Paige settled back down. "I'm not going to him, okay? I'm playing by the stupid rules."

Cordelia grinned. "Good! We can watch TV or play cards. You'll get caught up; you won't even hear your son's pain."

"Mommy, I need you. I'm so scared. Come here."

Paige looked at Seth. "This is just too cruel."

Cordelia looked at Paige. "It's almost over. And Angel is good at this kind of thing, and Wesley..." She reconsidered. "Well, I'm sure they'll be right back with the priest."


Buffy and Amy were quietly walking through the deserted lobby of Lowell House. Amy was wearing military garb similar to that of the Initiative commandos. She even had a gun belt with a sidearm in the holster, but it was the toy rifle from her Halloween costume. Buffy was wearing a turtleneck sweater and wire-rimmed glasses borrowed from Giles and had her hair pulled back in a small bun. She was carrying a white lab coat wrapped around a clipboard.

Amy looked around. "Seems pretty quiet."

"It usually is this time of-"

A young man suddenly brushed past Buffy but didn't even seem as if he noticed them and continued on.

Buffy and Amy continued into the central hallway of the building, and Buffy pushed the hidden switch in the wall next to the floor-to-ceiling mirror and stood in front of it.

"Well, we'll know in a few seconds if my clearance is still good."

A horizontal green light emitted from the mirror and slid down over her body.

Amy stood to the side, nervous. "Or if we're about to die at the hands of fifty grief-filled military goons."

"Retinal scan recorded. Summers, Buffy."

The mirror slid to the side, and Buffy stepped into the elevator. Amy followed her.

The door closed, and the elevator descended. Buffy put on the lab coat. The ladies waited in anticipation.

The elevator came to a stop, and the door slid open.

Buffy and Amy stepped out onto the catwalk overlooking the huge hangar of the Initiative complex.

Amy's eyes widened as she gasped in awe. "Holy shit!"

"I know."

They walked towards the stairs. When they descended to the first landing, they saw a couple of commandos climbing the stairs towards them. They pretended to be looking at her clipboard as the commandos passed them and continued up the stairs. When the commandos were gone, they continued down the stairs.


Paige was standing in the doorway to Angel's bedroom with Seth, looking in on their son.

"See, honey? Mommy's right here. I'm not going anywhere. Nobody is going to hurt you, sweetie. It's going to be okay."

Cordelia looked at her. "Paige, come away."

"You wanted to see him; there he is, and he's gonna be fine."

"He's not fine! Look at him, Seth. Look at him. He needs me."

Ryan was lying huddled on his side under the blanket. "Mama? I can't see. Something is wrong with my eyes, and it hurts."

Paige looked at her husband, then back at Ryan.

"Why won't you help me?"

"I'm here, baby. I'm right here."

Ryan began to growl and tossed on the bed. Paige strained to go to him, but Cordelia and Seth managed to restrain her.

Cordelia turned from Paige as she heard the elevator. "They're here. They're coming."

"Mommy!"

Cordelia and Seth watched the elevator come down while Paige took advantage of their distraction to run to Ryan.

Angel saw her. "No!"

"Paige!" Seth yelled.

He and Cordelia ran after her, but the doors slammed shut in their faces and wouldn't open. Angel tried to get out of the elevator, but the outside door wouldn't slide aside.

"Angel!" Cordelia yelled.

Cordelia and Seth managed to get the doors open and ran into the bedroom.

Seth tried to break Ryan's hold on his mom. "Ryan, no! Ryan, stop it!"

Cordelia ran back out. "Angel!

The elevator was back upstairs, and she banged on the button a couple of times.

"Hurry!" Cordelia yelled.

Angel and Wesley ran down the stairs.

"Ryan, no. Let her go. Ryan, stop it! Stop it! Let her go!" Seth yelled.

Wesley ran in and held a cross in Ryan's face while Angel helped Seth to pull Paige away.

"Omnis spiritus in munde. In nomine dei!" Wesley yelled.

Ryan screamed and fell back on the bed. Seth cradled his wife in his arms.

"It's retreated back into the boy."

"It's gone deeper."

"That's likely."

Angel looked at Paige. "Look, from now on, you do exactly as I'm telling you, understood?"

Paige nodded, her hands wrapped around her throat.


Back at Harmony's, the research continued. Tara was pacing. Harmony, Sandy, and Jenny were sitting at the kitchen table, looking through books. Giles was fixing tea at the stove.

"Tara, pacing is not going to help Buffy." Giles handed her a cup of Earl Grey tea.

Tara took the cup. "I know, but I can't help it."

"The, uh, research is troubling. I mean...this - this demon we're after seems highly atypical for a Polgara. This child that it killed...was mutilated. There's no recorded cases of a Polgara ever having done such a thing."

Jenny nodded. "Also, the Polgara have to eat every two hours. Factor in the low I.Q., and you have a demon who's not exactly low profile."

"So how has he been hiding out in Sunnydale without anyone seeing him?" Sandy asked.

Giles nodded. "Exactly."

Harmony stood up and walked to the refrigerator. She opened the freezer. "Do we have any Hot Pockets? Ooh! Pizza rolls!"


Cordelia was sitting on the sofa, looking through a book. Seth was sitting on the edge of the daybed, where his wife was drinking a cup of tea.

Angel walked up behind Cordelia. "Anything?"

Cordelia handed him the open book. "Ethros demon, Ethros box."

Angel looked at the picture of a box in the book. "Hmm, this is what's used to trap it."

Cordelia got up and pointed out a passage to him. "It says right here the demon goes all dingy when it's forced out. Bad sense of direction or something. If you have one of these boxes, it'll go right into it."

"'There to be confined for a thousand years.'"

"Which ought to do it, right? Of course, without one of these-"

"The demon will try to make the jump to the nearest warm body."

"Right." Cordelia paused. "So you're safe, anyway."

Angel looked at her.

Cordelia smiled sweetly at him. "Maybe we can build one of these."

Angel looked back at the book. "Uh, an authentic Ethros box is made of six-hundred species of virgin woods and handcrafted by blind Tibetan monks."

Cordelia thought for a moment. "Nope. Don't know any."

Angel wrote an address on a piece of paper and handed it to Cordelia. "Melrose and Robertson, between the yogurt shop and the Doggy Dunk."

"Blind virgin monks?"

"No, Rick's Majick 'n' Stuff. If anyone in L.A. will have an Ethros box, it'll be Rick."

They looked around as the light began to flicker.

"Better hurry."

"Okay." Cordelia left.


In the Initiative, Buffy and Amy were rounding a corner when they heard someone coming from down the corridor.

"How many of the men are still out?"

They returned to the corner and tried to look inconspicuous as Dr. Engleman entered the corridor with another scientist. They eavesdropped.

"The longer they go without their meds-"

"Everyone's off their schedules because of the professor's death."

"It's dangerous. I don't want to think about the damage our guys could do under the stress of withdrawal, especially since they won't understand what's happening to them. These guys don't know they've been getting meds in their food, so we better get them in here stat."

"We've located all but a few. The last ones were in pretty bad shape, but we stabilized them."

"But Finn wasn't one of them, right?"

"No."

"Find him. He's the one I care about. He's too important to the work to lose now."

"Indeed."

"Keep me posted. I'll be in Records."

Engleman walked away, and the other scientist headed in the other direction. Buffy kept her back turned as Engleman passed behind her to a door at the end of the hall. He slipped a keycard through an electronic lock and stepped through the door. It started swinging closed behind him, but Buffy shoved the clipboard inside before it could and walked in.

She handed the clipboard to Amy, who walked in after her, and marched up behind Engleman, who was unaware until she spun him around to face her and shoved him against a counter, grabbing a fistful of his shirt.

Buffy stared into his eyes. "Now, I don't generally like to kill humans, but I've learned that it pays to be flexible in life."

"I was wondering when you'd turn up."

"Oh, darn!" Buffy mocked, taking off her glasses. "So this isn't a surprise?" She set the glasses down. "Now, you can tell me what you did to Riley, and, after that, we can take a tour of room 314."

"Somebody's coming, you know. I'm sure they've already seen you on the security monitors."

Riley stepped from around a corner. "Monitors are non-functional at this time, sir. Went down about ten minutes ago."

Buffy looked to Amy. "What? I didn't do that."

"Thank Goddess for small favors, and we'll worry about details later, huh, Buff?" Amy suggested.

"Finn, take this girl to the stockade immediately."

Buffy looked at Riley. "Riley, he can tell us what we need to know." She looked at Engleman. "Walsh wanted me dead, didn't she?"

Engleman hesitated. "She did." He looked at Riley. "But understand, the Initiative has no interest in eliminating the Slayer." He looked back at Buffy. "It was her own vendetta."

"Why?" Buffy asked him. "Spell it out for me. I feel an attack of 'dumb blonde' coming on."

"I don't know."

Buffy jerked him closer. "Well. Think. Harder."

"It was...the project."

"Project?" Buffy realized what that meant. "314."

"It..." Engleman glanced at Riley, who was paying close attention. He looked back at Buffy. "It escaped."

Riley stepped closer. "That's enough! You're making her sound like some psychopath. She wasn't like that! She was a brilliant woman!"

"She was. I-It's not-"

"All she was doing was trying to help people...and this is the way you want them to remember her?!"

Buffy looked at Riley. "Engleman said Walsh was feeding you drugs."

Riley moved within arm's reach and pointed at Buffy. "You're doing this to me, aren't you?"

He advanced on her, and Buffy let go of Engleman to face him. Engleman started slinking away towards a nearby door.

Riley glared at Buffy. "This all started because of you!"

"Look, if you will just listen to me, okay? I am trying to help you get to the truth."

"You want truth?" Riley grabbed her arm. "Then tell me: what did you do to her, Buffy?"

Buffy broke the hold. "Stop it! I didn't do anything!"

Riley tried to grab her again, and she had to push him back.

"Riley, stop! Everything that we need to know is here. We just need to find out what was in 314."

A commando's body suddenly dropped to the floor behind them. They all turned and looked up. On a catwalk, a young man was looking down at them. But he didn't look like a normal man. His brown hair was neatly trimmed, the most normal feature, while more than half of his face was covered in dark green skin, the rest of his face a human pale. There was also metal plating on the green left side of his face, from jaw to temple. Most of his chest was also green as well as his right shoulder, but there were also patches of other different types of skin. Wherever skins met, there was a line of sutured or welded-on scars like a grotesque demonic jigsaw. There seemed to be numerous IV lines and monitoring connections disappearing under the blanket.

"Me." He started to pace across the catwalk. "I've been thinking about the world. I wanted to see it, learn it. I saw the inside of that boy, and it was beautiful, but it didn't tell me about the world. It just made me feel. So now...I want to learn about me. Why I feel. What I am." He stopped pacing and turned to face them. He took a step forward and dropped to the floor, landing on his feet, looking at Riley. He started pacing again. "I'm a kinematically redundant, biomechanical demonoid designed by Maggie Walsh. She called me Adam, and I called her Mother."

"Adam. Maggie would want you to stand down."

Adam looked at Engleman. "Yes. But I seem to have a design flaw."

Engleman looked as if he was ready to bolt. Buffy was deeply worried.

Adam resumed pacing. "In addition to organic material, I'm equipped with GP-2/D-11 Infrared Detectors, a Harmonic Decelerator, plus D.C. Servo."

Buffy stared at him. "She pieced you together from parts of other demons."

Adam looked down at his green Polgara arm and his dark tan demon right arm, which was plated with metal on the forearm and shoulder. "And man. And machine. Which tells me what I am...but not who I am. Mother wrote things down. Hard data - but also her feelings. That's how I learned that I have a job here. And that she loved me."

"She wasn't your mother! And she didn't love you!" Riley yelled.

Amy did not take her eyes off Adam. "Is that really the issue?"

"She made you, because she was a scientist!" Riley yelled.

Amy was getting irritated with him. "Rileeey."

Adam stared at him. "Riley Finn. Oh! Mother created you, too."

"Maggie is not my mother! I have a mother! A real-"

"A birth mother. Yes. But after you met Maggie, she was the one who shaped your basic operating system. She taught you how to think. How to feel. She fed you chemicals to make you stronger - your mind and body. She said that you and I were her favorite children. Her art. That makes us brothers. Family."

"No!" Riley took a step forward. "I'm not like you!"

"That's pain, isn't it? Why? Because your feeding schedule - the chemicals - have been interrupted? Or do you miss her? Tell me."

"I'll kill you!" Riley threatened.

"You won't. You haven't been programmed to."

"I cannot be programmed! I'm a man!"

"It's here. The plan she had for us. What happens. How it ends."

"No."

"Do you want to hear?"

"No!" Riley drew his Beretta and aimed it at Adam.

Before he could pull the trigger, Adam grabbed his arm and forced him to drop it. Buffy rushed forward, and Adam backhanded her in the face, sending her to the floor. Riley freed himself and punched Adam across the metal side of his face. Adam, unfazed, hit him with an uppercut that sent him flying high across the room, over a middle work table. He hit the floor in a tumble, stunned. Amy rushed forward and stretched out her arms to psychically hold Adam in place, but Adam just shoved her back against the wall, and she went down. Buffy got to her feet and sent a powerful roundhouse kick to Adam's chest. Adam just looked at her and smashed a fist across her face. She retaliated with a punch to his midsection. Adam responded by slamming the same fist down on her shoulder, this time driving her to the floor. Engleman ran past Adam, heading for the door.

Adam saw him, and his Polgara skewer jutted out of his arm. "Doctor."

Adam stepped forward and plunged the skewer into Engleman's back. He gasped and shuddered in pain for a few seconds, then fell to the floor, sliding off the spear, dead. Riley ran up behind Adam and jumped on his back, wrapping an arm around his neck. Adam just turned on him and stabbed him in the left side of his abdomen. Riley fell back, hitting the metal railing of the stairs, and dropped to the floor, clutching his side. Buffy got to her feet and slammed a side kick into Adam's back, this time making him stumble. He quickly turned, and she ducked a slash aimed at her head. He grabbed her around the neck with his other hand and shoved her to the floor. Adam grabbed Buffy again, lifting her off the floor, and threw her against the wall. She hit hard and fell, unmoving. There were now commandos outside the door, trying to break through.

Adam just stood and looked down at his fallen opponents. "Thank you. This has been...very interesting." He walked to the stairs and headed back up to the catwalk.

Riley was lying against the wall, in pain, and Buffy, nearby, was starting to move again.

"Back away from the door!" a commando yelled.

He fired a circle of shots through the metal door, around the handle. Adam walked under an air vent and reached for the grated cover.

Buffy moved to Riley's side. "Riley. Are you okay?"

The door gave way, and two commandos rushed in, guns ready. Forrest and Graham were right behind them, and another half-dozen commandos followed. They saw Engleman's body as they walked inside.

"Secure the room! Go! Go!" one of them ordered.

Amy was still on the floor. "We got a demon in here. It escaped through that vent."

Buffy nodded. "It's not the Polgara. It looks sort of half-man."

"Right!" Forrest exclaimed sarcastically. "And you just happened to be in the neighborhood."

"She's telling the truth. I saw it. It killed Engleman. Go. Now!" Riley ordered, full of pain.

Several commandos rushed up the stairs to the vent. Forrest stepped closer to Riley.

Buffy looked at Forrest. "He needs to go to a hospital."

Forrest looked at her. "We'll take it from here."

Amy stood up, moved closer to her, and reached a hand down to her. Buffy took her hand, and Amy helped Buffy stand up. Forrest motioned Graham forward, and Buffy had to move as he and Forrest lifted Riley to his feet.

Forrest looked at the commandos. "Escort them out."


At Rick's Majick 'n' Stuff, Cordelia was looking over some wooden boxes sitting on shelves around the store.

Rick crossed his hands and bowed. "Blessed be."

"Uh-huh. I need an Ethros box."

"A lady who knows what she wants. Commendable."

"Yes, I'm great. Just pop it in a bag, and I'm out of here."

"I don't have one."

"You don't have one."

Rick shook his head.

Cordelia looked around, then pointed at a box on a shelf behind Rick. "Well, what's that?"

"Good eye. That's a Shorshack box."

"What's the diff?"

Rick took the box down. "About twenty dollars, and it's not available in a mahogany finish."

"Looks the same. Handcrafted by blind Tibetan monks?"

Rick opened the box. "Pieced together by mute Chinese nuns. Now, that's craftsmanship."

"Look, I have an Ethros demon, and I need a place to put it. Will this work?"

"Hmm, probably. Shorshack demon is a little smaller than your average Ethros; might be tight across the shoulders."

"Well, how big could the demon be? I mean...it's in a little bitty boy!" Cordelia paused and came to a decision. "I'll take it."

"A wise choice. I think you are going to enjoy this item. It's a quality item. Shall I have it gift-wrapped?"


Buffy and Amy returned to Harmony's, and they all sat in the living room, watching TV and eating a large supreme pizza. During the commercial breaks, Buffy filled them in.

"He's really that big of a threat?" Tara asked her.

Buffy sighed. "I could barely fight him. I-It was like Walsh designed him to be the ultimate warrior. He's smart and fast. He gave the commando guys the slip with no problem."

"There's gotta be a flaw."

"I think the part where he's pure evil and kills randomly was an oversight."


Cordelia walked into the apartment, holding the box. "They only had-"

Angel had a strip of cloth wrapped around his hand and was holding a cross. "Get it ready."

Angel stalked through the bedroom doorway with Seth right behind him while Cordelia and Wesley held the box open between them.

Ryan looked at Angel. "You let him die. Just like he's gonna let me die." He looked at Seth. "Aren't you, Daddy?"

Seth looked down and saw some smoke rising from Angel's hand despite the insulation of the towel.

"Two great protectors."

Angel looked at Seth. "Get back."

Seth backed away as Angel stepped up to the bed and lay the cross on Ryan's chest. Cordelia and Wesley stood in the doorway with the open box.

"Abrenuntias Satanae? Et omnibus operibus eus? Et omnibus pompis eus?" Angel's hand was smoking pretty good by now, but he didn't budge. "Exorcie te. Omnis spiritus immunde. Adaperiae! Now, get the hell out!"

Angel stepped back as Ryan writhed on the bed. Ryan began to glow; the light hit the open box and shattered it. Cordelia and Wesley turned as a wind raced up the stairs. Ryan was lying on the bed, back in his human face.

Paige ran in and hugged her son. "Ryan?"

Seth ran after and hugged both his wife and Ryan at the same time. Angel, Cordelia, and Wesley stared down at the broken box on the floor.

Cordelia looked at Angel. "Uh-oh."


Wesley scraped up some yellow slime with a tongue depressor upstairs in the office. "Plakticine! Clearly, it came up the elevator shaft."

"So it's up here somewhere?" Cordelia asked.

Angel looked at her. "No. Long gone by now."

"And good riddance to it."

"No, not good riddance. It'll possess again."

Wesley looked at Angel. "Maybe we shouldn't have been so quick to send the Andersons back home. It might attempt to repossess the boy."

"I don't think so. Not right away."

"What are you thinking?"

"Well, it had to expel a lot of energy to escape like this. It'll need time to recharge."

"You're thinking the demon has taken on corporeal form."

Angel picked up some weapons. "That's my guess. It can only absorb the elements it needs if it manifests itself physically. Which means, if we can find it in time, we can kill it." He threw Wesley one of the weapons. "He'll be looking for a hostile environment - somewhere damp. Probably returning to primordial volcanic basalt for his regeneration."

"Huh?" Cordelia asked.

"Sea caves!" Wesley told her.

"Why didn't he just say that?" Cordelia asked.

Angel and Wesley left.


Kate was sitting at her desk in the police station, doing paperwork. Her telephone rang.

Kate picked up the handset. "Lockley."

"Kate, it's Angel."

"What do you want?"

"There's a boy that set fire to his house. His parents and I thought he was possessed by a demon, but it turns out that he has no soul, and he kept the demon imprisoned within him."

Kate was silent for a moment. "What's the address?"


Outside the Andersons' house, there were firefighters on the roof and an ambulance and a couple police cars in the driveway. Kate shut the back door of a police car. Ryan was sitting in the back seat.

Kate walked over to where Angel and Seth were standing. "Social Services will take over from here. They'll want to speak to your son alone first."

"When will we get to see him?"

"Not until tomorrow."

"Well, what's gonna happen to him?"

"We won't know until after the evaluation."

Angel looked at Kate. "Thanks for coming by, Kate."

She just looked at him for a moment, then nodded and walked away.

After talking to Seth for a while, Angel walked over to where Cordelia and Wesley were waiting next to his car.