"Hush"
Based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Episode "Hush" Written by Joss Whedon and the Angel Episode "Parting Gifts" Written by David Fury and Jeannine Renshaw
The following story is copyright © 2023 by Mark Moore.
Buffy and Tara were walking down a hallway in their dorm building at night. Faintly, Buffy heard a little girl humming or chanting.
"Do you hear that?" Buffy walked towards the sound and eventually saw a little girl holding an ornate box in the hall.
"Can't even shout. Can't even cry. The Gentlemen are coming by, looking in windows, knocking on doors. They need to take seven, and they might take yours. Can't call to Mom. Can't say a word. You're gonna die screaming, but you won't be heard."
Tara touched Buffy from behind, and she turned to see a horrific face wearing a dark suit.
Buffy woke up in bed with a start. It was morning. Tara was sleeping to her left.
Buffy took a moment to get her bearings, and then she gently shook Tara. "Tara, sweetie?"
Tara woke up and opened her eyes. "Mmm?"
"I had a nightmare. I don't know what it means."
"What was it?"
Buffy got out of bed and walked over to the phone. "I'm gonna call Giles and recount it to him. Get on your laptop and type what I say in an e-mail to Jenny."
Tara got out of bed, walked over to her desk, opened her laptop, turned it on, and sat down.
Buffy picked up the handset and called Giles. The phone rang three times.
"Hello?"
"Giles, it's me. I just had a nightmare. Might mean something; might not; but I'd like you to look into it."
"All right."
"Tara and I were walking in a hallway in the dorm at night. I heard and saw a little girl holding an ornate box of some kind. She sang...uh...'Can't even shout. Can't even cry. The Gentlemen are coming by, looking in windows, knocking on doors. They need to take seven, and they might take yours. Can't call to Mom. Can't say a word. You're gonna die screaming, but you won't be heard.' Then Tara touched me, I turned around, and...there was this hideous...creature staring at me." Buffy grew sick recollecting it. "Bald, pale skin, wearing a tuxedo or something. And those teeth. Omigod."
"'Can't even shout. Can't even cry. The Gentlemen are coming by.' Um, it sounds vaguely familiar. You're sure it's nothing you heard when you were a child?"
"Doesn't ring any bells."
"Oh, all right. Nothing else?"
"No. So what do you think? Is it cause for concern?" Buffy asked him.
"Well, i-it could definitely be one of your prophetic dreams, or it could just be the eternal mystery that is your brain. But I-I'll check it out, and, um, I'll let you know if I find something."
"Thanks. Later."
"All right. Bye-bye."
Buffy put down the handset. Tara was getting dressed.
"So what are your plans for today?" Buffy asked her.
Tara brushed her hair. "Well, there's this Wicca group on campus. Amy and I are gonna check it out."
"Cool."
"You?"
Buffy shrugged. "I dunno. With everything except finals over, I figure I'll just stay in and listen to music, play video games, watch MTV, and, um, let's see..."
"Study?" Tara suggested.
Buffy frowned. "Knew I was forgetting something."
"So I'll see you after Wicca group." Tara kissed Buffy on the lips. "Bye."
"Bye."
Tara unlocked and opened the door. She walked outside, closing the door behind her. Buffy walked over to her desk, sat down, and opened a textbook. She turned on her boombox and played her Garbage CD. "Temptation Waits" started playing.
"Have you heard of a group called the Gentlemen?" Giles asked Spike.
Spike was walking in the kitchen, chewing and searching. "Group of what?"
"The Gentlemen."
"Dunno."
"You certain?"
"No. We're out of Weetabix."
"We are out of Weetabix, because you ate it all...again."
"Get some more."
"I thought vampires were supposed to eat blood."
"Yep. Well, sometimes, I like to crumble up the Weetabix in the blood, give it a little texture." Spike lay on the couch with a bag of crackers and a jar of peanut butter.
"Since the picture you just painted means I will never touch food of any kind again, you'll just have to pick it up yourself."
"Sissy."
There was a knock on the door. Giles went over, unlocked it, and opened it. Harmony was standing outside.
Harmony grinned cheerfully. "Hi, Giles! Amy said you wanted me to swing by."
"Oh, oh, yes, well, I meant, uh, after sunset." Giles walked over and leaned against his desk. "Um, I need you to take Spike for a few days."
"What?" Harmony asked.
"What?" Spike stood up. "I'm not staying with that bimbo!"
"Jenny's spending a few days, and I'd like us to be alone."
Harmony smiled at Giles. "Ooh!" Then she thought about it and gave a look of disgust. "Ew!"
Giles sighed. "Look, we're going to try living together for an extended period. Would you please do this for me?"
Harmony sighed. "Fine. Let's go."
"It's broad daylight, you blithering idiot!" Spike yelled.
"Hey! If you're gonna call me names, I'm gonna stake you!" Harmony threatened. "Besides, what has the daylight ever done to you?"
Spike stared at Harmony.
In the office of Angel Investigations, Cordelia was examining the coffee cups sitting by the coffee maker one by one.
"What are you looking for?" Angel asked her.
"Nothing." Cordelia paused. "Doyle's special coffee mug."
"Doyle didn't have a special mug."
"Don't you think he should have?" Cordelia went and sat down at her desk. "I don't know, I guess I thought it would make me feel better, if I could hold something tangible that he left behind. Some evidence he was here? But there is nothing. Almost like...like he never..."
"Cordelia, get out."
"What?" Cordelia asked, surprised.
"I-I mean...of the office. Take the day off. Go live your life a little bit. I can manage here."
Cordelia got up. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing, Angel."
"What am I doing?"
"You're trying to push me away, close yourself off."
"That's not what-"
"Well, I got news for you, broody boy. We're all we've got now. You may not like sharing your grief with others, but that's the normal, healthy way people deal with loss. I'm not going anywhere, so get used to it. I'm staying right here!"
The alarm on her watch went off.
"Oops! Got to go. Commercial audition. If it wasn't a national, I'd blow it off."
"Well, if you don't feel up to it, then don't go. Stay here."
"Reverse psychology, very cute. Don't worry, I'm going."
"I'm not-"
"But don't get any ideas. I'm coming back!"
"Right."
Cordelia opened the door just as a demon from the alley was about to knock, and she let out a scream.
"You scared the heck out of me!" he yelled.
"I scared you? Look in the mirror lately?" Cordelia asked him.
"Every chance I get!" He pointed at Angel as he walked past Cordelia. "You're him, right? You're the guy, the - the - the vampire with a soul?"
"I'm Angel."
"Yeah. You got to help me! Please. I-I mean that's what you do, right? You help the helpless? You protect the...what do you call them? The - The...helpless?"
"Something like that."
"Yeah."
"You want me to stay?" Cordelia asked Angel.
"It's okay."
The demon looked at her. "Break a leg."
"Excuse me?"
"I'm sensing a little performance anxiety here. Little trick, picture everybody-"
"Naked."
"I was going to say dead, but, hey, if that naked thing works for you-"
Cordelia left the office, closing the door behind her.
The Wicca group met in a classroom on campus. A group of fourteen girls sat on couches and chairs. Tara and Amy sat on the floor. Students wandered by, and others sat, studying.
Cheryl Townsend, a girl with long red hair, was sitting in the lotus position and had her eyes closed. "We come together, Daughters of Gaia, sisters to the Moon. We walk with the darkness, the wolf at our side, through the waterfall of power to the blackest heart of eternity." She opened her eyes. "I think we should have a bake sale."
Nicole Bloom, a girl with long brown hair, looked at her. "I don't know."
Cheryl looked at everyone. "You guys like a bake sale, right? I mean we need money for the dance recital, and you know I do an empowering lemon Bundt."
Nicole looked at everyone. "The most important thing is the Gaian newsletter. We need to get the message of blessing out to the sisters. Also, who left their scented candles dripping all over my women power shrine?"
Amy was bored. "Well, this is good. I mean...this is all fun, ya know, but there's also other stuff that we might show an interest in as a Wicca group."
"Like what?" Cheryl asked hesitantly.
"Spells."
"Well, you missed last week. We did a healing chant for Chloe's ankle. She said the swelling went right down."
"What's she doing on a mountain bike, anyway?" Nicole asked Cheryl.
"She was trying to impress Justin."
Amy resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I was actually talking more about stuff like...levitation."
Nicole nodded. "Oh, yeah, then we could all get on our broomsticks and fly around on our broomsticks." She giggled.
Cheryl stared at Amy with a look of disapproval. "You know, Amy, certain stereotypes are not very empowering."
Tara looked at Cheryl. "I think that-"
"One person's energy can suck the power from an entire circle." Nicole looked at Amy. "No offense."
"Well, maybe we could, uh-"
"Yeah, Tara?" Nicole held her hand up for quiet. "Guys...quiet." She looked at Tara. "So you have a suggestion?"
Tara suddenly felt everyone focused on her and just shook her head and looked down, but then she looked at Amy, embarrassed. Amy smiled at her in sympathy.
Nicole smiled. "Okay, let's talk about the theme for the bacchanal."
Cordelia was standing in front of two men and a woman, who were seated at a table. She was holding a white, stained shirt in one hand and a bottle in the other hand. She was very nervous.
"Okay. Let's try this whenever you're ready."
"Action."
"Just look at the wine stain on my shirt! I can't meet your folks looking like this!"
Cordelia held up the shirt. "Don't worry, honey, it's no problem with Extra Strength Stain-Be-Gone."
"Extra Strength Stain-Be-Gone?"
"Yup. Now, Stain-Be-Gone is more effective at melting away..." Cordelia took a deep breath. "...stubborn..." She forced a smile. "...blood...wine...even grass stains. See, just spray it on...and rub it in..." She started to sob. "...and, in minutes, the stain is gone!" She started crying. "It's completely gone."
The three people at the table looked at each other.
"Okay, that was..."
"Good. That was good. Good."
"Very nice."
"But I think what we're going for here is more of a..."
"Happy."
"Yeah, happy. More of an up feeling that the stain is gone."
"Yeah, because obviously stains are, you know..."
"Not good."
"Exactly."
"Yeah. Right."
Cordelia frowned. "I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry."
"It's an interesting choice."
Cordelia wiped her tears away.
"Let's try it again. Let's go from..."
"Stain-Be-Gone is more effective."
"Yeah."
They stared in amazement as Cordelia hopped up and down in front of the camera.
Cordelia smiled. "Now, Stain-Be-Go-ugh!" She got hit with a vision but tried desperately to continue with the commercial besides the intense pain and disorientation. "...is...more...effective..." She stamped her foot. "Grass stains!"
There was a stunned silence for a moment.
"Okay. Nice adjustment."
"Nice."
"Thank you."
Tara and Amy left the Wicca group, disappointed.
Sandy walked over to them. "Hey, girls."
Tara and Amy looked at her. "Hey, Sandy."
"What's up?" Sandy asked.
Amy sighed. "We just attended a meeting of the campus' Wicca group."
"Oh, Daughters of Gaia?" Sandy asked. "Pfft! Lame!"
"I know, right?" Amy agreed. "'Let's have a bake sale! I make a kickass Bundt!' Please! Everyone knows the real money is in brownies."
Tara hesitated. "I don't know. I feel strangely...fulfilled."
Amy and Sandy looked at her.
"I can't really explain it." Tara paused, gathering her thoughts. "I feel...whole. Complete. Like...I'm on the right path."
Amy looked at Sandy. "Might be worth sticking with it."
Sandy nodded.
Cordelia inched her way through the doorway into Angel's office.
Angel looked up from what he was writing. "Hi."
Cordelia walked towards him with a strange look on her face, mentally steeling herself for what she was about to do.
"Everything okay?"
Cordelia put one arm around his neck and kissed him on the lips.
"Mmm-mmp..." Angel pushed her away. "Okay, um, Cordelia, that was, uh..." He paused. "You know, I think that you're acting out of grief, and you're-"
"I didn't feel anything." Cordelia paused. "Did you feel anything?"
Angel hesitated. "No! You see, that's what I'm trying to-"
"Urgh! That means I still have it! Fuck, I can't believe he did this to me!" Cordelia yelled.
"Who did what?"
"Doyle! I thought our kiss meant something, and instead he - he used that moment to pass it on to me!"
Angel wiped his lips and looked at his fingers.
"Why couldn't it have been mono or herpes?!"
"C-Cordelia-"
"I didn't ask for this responsibility, unlike some people, who shall remain lifeless! I don't have anything to atone for. If they know what's good for them, the PTB better just stay out of my head."
"The Powers That Be. You had a vision."
Cordelia nodded. "And guess what. You know how they look painful? Well, they feel a whole lot worse!"
Angel sat down in his chair. "Another door opens. You're my link to...the Powers now."
"I'm nobody's link to anybody. I lost control of my entire nervous system getting that stupid vision, and I'm not certain, but I think I may have...drooled a little...at the first audition I've had in weeks."
Angel got up. "What was it?"
"Uh, Stain-Be-Gone; it was a national, no less. They'll probably never call me again."
Angel hit the desk and snapped his fingers. "The vision! What was the vision?"
"Oh. Pfft! Who knows? It was a thing!"
"A thing?"
"An ugly, gray, blobby thing. What difference does it make?"
"The difference is, if you saw it in a vision, it could be an ugly, gray, blobby, dangerous thing!"
"I don't care, I want it out of me! And if kissing is the only way to get rid of it, I will smooch every damn frog in this kingdom!" Cordelia declared.
The demon came into the office, buttoning his sleeves. "Oh, sorry. I thought I heard voices."
"Uh, Barney, you remember my associate, Cor-"
Cordelia walked up and kissed Barney on the lips.
"-delia?"
Cordelia reconsidered. "Maybe not every frog."
"Boy! I got to say I like the way you people treat your clients!" Barney exclaimed, then went into the outer office.
"Excuse me..." Cordelia started spitting, then got close to Angel. "He's a client?"
"Apparently, someone or something is after him."
"That ugly, gray blobby thing?"
"You tell me." Angel handed her a sketchbook and a pen. "Try sketching it. In the meantime, Barney would probably feel safer downstairs. Babysit him until I get back."
"Where are you going?"
"To check out his apartment. He thinks whatever is chasing him knows where he lives." Angel turned around on his way out. "Hey, and behave yourself. I don't want to find you two necking on the couch when I get back."
Cordelia smiled. "Jealous?"
Angel turned and left the office without answering.
Later, in Angel's apartment, Cordelia was sitting on the couch and sketching the thing that she saw.
"I hear that drawing can be very therapeutic during the grieving period."
Cordelia looked up at Barney. "What?"
"I'm - I'm sorry. I couldn't help sensing your pain. You lost someone close to you, didn't you?"
"Angel told you?"
Barney shook his head. "I'm empathic. I feel your feelings when you feel them. It's a gift my kind is blessed with."
"Really. Well, my kind thinks that some things are private. So maybe you shouldn't be nosing around other people's feelings without asking them."
"You're right. I'm sorry. I'm just trying to make conversation."
"Wait. Barney, I'm sorry. I'm just going through a difficult time right now. I'm just...um..."
"Missing your friend."
Cordelia nodded.
"Why don't you tell me about him?"
"Doyle? Well, he drank too much, and his taste in clothing was like a Greek tragedy."
Barney chuckled.
"And he could be really sweet sometimes." Cordelia swallowed hard. "You'll like this: he was half-demon - a secret he kept from me for, like, ever. I guess that's the reason he sometimes smelled weird? You know, you remind me a little of him."
Barney laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment." He saw someone approaching. "That's him!"
Cordelia looked and saw Angel and someone else.
"Look, Barney-"
Barney got ready to run. "That's the guy that's after me!"
Angel went after Barney. "It's okay!" He looked at the other guy. "The books are over there."
"Good Lord. Cordelia?" the guy asked.
Cordelia got up and walked up to him.
"Angel never mentioned..." He paused. "Well, this is nice-"
Cordelia kissed him on the lips. After a moment, Cordelia pulled away.
"-surprise."
Cordelia shook herself. "It didn't work!"
He stared at her in confusion.
"It was just a kind of experiment. I was trying to..." Cordelia really looked at him for the first time. "Wesley? What are you doing here? Are you working with Angel?"
"A lone wolf, such as myself, never works with anyone. I'm merely allowing Angel to assist me. I'm a rogue demon hunter now."
"Oh, wow." Cordelia paused. "What's a rogue demon?"
Angel and Barney came back into the apartment, and Wesley went over to look at the books.
"So what you're telling me is that, all this time, your friend wasn't hunting me; he was hunting something else that was hunting me?"
"That's about the size of it."
"And that something else was after me because..."
"It wants to steal your empathic ability."
"The feeling feelings thing? What kind of demon would do that to another demon?" Cordelia asked.
Wesley came back, carrying an open book. "A Kungai."
"A Kungai?" Barney asked.
"The description matches. It's of Asian origin, very deadly. A powerful race of demons, the Kungai possess a Tak horn capable of consuming its opponent's life force. We're lucky to have escaped with our lives."
"I know these Kungais. They-They're killers. They're relentless." Barney looked at Angel. "You got to take this thing out before it finds me."
"I'm working on it. I have to find it first."
Angel tried to take the book from Wesley, who didn't want to let go of it. They had a little tug of war - with Angel as the victor.
"Hang on. It's of Asian origin. Earlier today, I tracked it through an Asian district just north of here."
Cordelia looked at Wesley. "That's Koreatown."
"It's very likely it's hiding there."
Angel closed the book. "Then that's where I start looking."
"Don't you mean we?" Wesley asked.
Angel got his coat. "I work alone, Wesley."
"The hell you say. This demon is mine!"
Angel walked past him.
"Angel, I know how to track him. You'll not catch him without me by your side."
Angel turned to look at him. "I had someone by my side. He's dead now. I won't let that happen again. I work alone."
"You don't even know where to begin to look."
Angel started going up the stairs. "I have a pretty good idea."
Wesley put the book down on the stairs. "Yes...well..." He got ready to sit down but changed his mind with a grimace of pain. "Ahh."
"Are you all right, Wesley?" Cordelia asked.
"No. These pants, they tend to chafe one's..." Wesley looked at Cordelia. "...legs."
Later, Cordelia finished her drawing.
"Hey, that's kind of nice. What is it?" Barney asked.
"I don't know. I don't know!" Cordelia ripped the page off, crumpled it up, and threw it on the floor. "I don't know."
"You're frustrated."
"That's one spooky talent you got there. You can just look at me grinding my teeth, sighing, grunting, and sense that I'm frustrated? Amazing!"
"It's pretty good at sensing sarcasm, too. Can I help?"
"Not unless you can explain to me why I have to suffer head-splitting migraines and getting visions so vague that they require closed captioning."
"What do you mean, um, visions?"
"That friend of mine, Doyle? He used to get these brain flashes. Messages from the PTB."
Barney shook his head in question.
"The Powers That Be. Visions of all sorts of stuff: people in trouble, things about to cause trouble, places trouble is happening in."
"And your friend left you with that little inheritance?"
"I'm never going to forgive him for doing this to me."
"What? Choosing you? Trusting you with an enormous responsibility? Believing that you were the only one worthy of such a rare and important gift?"
"Did I mention the drooling?"
"I get the impression that Doyle didn't have much by way of possessions?"
"No. No, he didn't."
"Seems like he gave you the most valuable thing he had."
Cordelia considered that.
Later, Cordelia made coffee for herself and Barney. She looked in Angel's fridge. "I hope you like your coffee black, because the only lightener the boss has in his refrigerator is O positive."
"Black is great."
Cordelia closed the fridge, poured the coffee into cups, and took the cups over to the table. "It's kind of strong and a little clumpy. Never could brew the old-fashioned way. I'm more the auto-drip girl. Sorry."
Barney grinned. "Yes, you are."
"What?"
"Sorry. Pathetic, really."
"Well, thanks for that insight, Mr. Emotional Radar."
"How old are you?"
"That is none of your-"
"Twenty-something? Hmm? With your head all up in the clouds and your feet in - hmm - shoes you can't afford? All self-absorbed, full of regret. Poor, poor you. Poor little Cordelia with her delusions of an acting career."
"Delusions?"
"You don't possibly think you'll succeed, do you? You're a terrible actress."
"You have never seen me. How could you possibly know?"
"Because you know. You feel it. Your entire being is whispering it to me right now. Me, on the other hand, you got to admit I'm a pretty fine actor. Fooled you!"
Cordelia tried to run.
Barney cut her off. "You don't like to hear the truth. No wonder your friend never told you about his demon half."
"You don't know anything about me or Doyle."
"I know you let him die."
"That is not true."
"No. But it feels true, doesn't it? Mixed in with all the pain and the grief, oh, and a healthy dollop of guilt. A nagging thought that - that maybe, somehow, you could have saved him. If only you'd have been nicer to him. If only you'd let your walls down. If only for one fucking second you gave a damn about anyone besides yourself." Barney grabbed Cordelia by her arms.
"Let me-"
Barney shook her. "Oh, shut up! So you hate your gift, the visions? You probably would love to rip those pretty little eyes right out of your head. I know I would."
He threw her against the table, and she blacked out when she hit the floor.
When Cordelia regained consciousness, she found herself lying face down on the table as Barney tied her hands.
"Good, terror! I'm feeling it. You have no idea what a rush it is!"
"Wait! Ahh! A vision! I'm having a vision."
Barney pulled her up from the table.
"A demon, a creepy, little - you! It's definitely you! In great, great..."
"Danger?" Barney guessed.
Cordelia kneed him in the balls. "Pain!"
She ran, but Barney caught her before she could get as far as the stairs.
"I really don't want to hurt you. Bruises bring down the price."
"Help!" Cordelia screamed.
Barney hit her, and she fell down and lost consciousness again.
When Cordelia regained consciousness, she found herself lying, bound and gagged, in some storage room. She opened her eyes and saw the gray blob, a sculpture, that she had been trying to draw. There were all kinds of labeled body parts, including a still-beating heart under a glass cover.
"That's too much trouble! How about we just pop out the eyes, and we'll dump the body?" someone suggested.
"We get at least an extra thousand if the seer's eyes are intact, so drop it. Shouldn't you be cataloging Gypsy flesh?" Barney asked.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever."
Cordelia soon learned she was at an auction. A guy led Cordelia onto the stage. Another guy took off her gag. Barney was the auctioneer. There were all kinds of demons and humans on the floor.
"Next up: lot 32. We're very lucky to have this here today. It's a rare and beautiful find."
Cordelia looked out at the audience. "I'm really not a seer. I only had a vision once, and I'm pretty sure it was just something I ate!"
The guy put his hand over her mouth.
"The magnificent eyes of a seer. Your very own pipeline to the Powers That Be, folks. The possibilities are endless. Keep the girl as a slave, remove the head as a trophy, or simply harvest the eyes; in any case, a unique party icebreaker. It doesn't get any better than this. Let's start the bidding at $2,000. Do I hear $2,000? Ah, $2,000. Do I hear $2,005? $2,005. Do I hear three? $8,000. Do I hear nine? Come on, I don't have to tell some of you what a rare find this is. $9,000. Nine gets me ten. $10,000. $10,000. Do I hear ten? Ah, ten! Do I have eleven? $11,000. $11,000 from the gentleman in the back! Do we have twelve? Seer's eyes going at $11,000. Do I hear twelve? $11,000 it is. $11,000 once, twice-"
"Hey, you know you pay twice that for cataracts. These eyes are flawless even without the stupid visions! That's the best you can do?" Cordelia asked.
"$12,000. I have $12,000 from the gentleman. $13,000? $13,000? Going for $12,000-"
"You know what these eyes can do? They can see stuff...like danger and - and evil and locations of buried treasure!" Cordelia claimed.
"$13,000. Do I hear thirteen?"
"Come on, have some huevos, guy! Whitey here is stepping all over you. You're going to take that shit from his kind?" Cordelia asked.
The white-faced guy looked at the white-haired guy sitting next to him and lifted his paddle.
"Thirteen."
The white-haired guy lifted his paddle.
"Uh, fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen."
The white-haired guy hit the other guy over the head and lifted his paddle with a smile.
"$20,000 from the gentleman in the center aisle, going once, going twice-"
"$30,000."
Cordelia looked at the young black woman in the audience.
"Huh, sold for $30,000 to the lovely lawyer from Wolfram & Hart."
Later, Barney and the lawyer from Wolfram & Hart were meeting in the storage room, where people were picking up their stuff. Cordelia was once again gagged and tied to a chair.
"I'm sure your people will be happy with their purchase."
"We won't be needing the body. My employers have requested that the eyes be extracted."
"Well, an extraction is a very delicate process. We run the risk of damaging the gift. It's going to cost you an extra thou."
"Please! Extraction is always included in the price."
"Not with seer's eyes."
"Never heard of such a thing."
"There's never been such a thing like this on the market. An extra thousand, or you take it as is."
"Go ahead."
"Alrighty then." Barney rubbed his hands together and looked at a guy. "Give me the extractor."
"But...I want to do it. You know that. I've been begging you-"
"Hank! You're embarrassing yourself. Hand it over."
Hank reluctantly handed him what looked like a pair of salad tongs.
Cordelia whimpered. "No!"
Barney hit her while the lawyer watched impassively.
"Now, be a good girl and hold still. This will only hurt a lot."
A guy came sailing in through the door, distracting Barney. Angel and Wesley burst in.
"Hank. Stakes."
Angel started to beat up on the security people there while Wesley hopped on one foot, trying to free the knife that he taped to his leg. He fell down, and a guy headed for Angel fell over him. Angel, being held by two guys while kicking the stake out of the hand of a third, saw Wesley lying on the floor, still trying to get his knife.
"Get Cordelia!" Angel told him.
Wesley crawled over to where she was. "Are you all right?"
"Mmmmm!" Cordelia moaned through her gag.
"Oh." Wesley pulled the gag from her mouth.
"I'm so far not!"
"Right. Wrists!"
"Wesley, come on!"
Wesley tried one more time to get the knife free, then picked up a claw off the floor and sawed through the ropes with it.
Cordelia stood up. "Okay. Let's get out of here." She started running.
Wesley ran after Cordelia. "Follow me!"
Barney hit Wesley with a right hook.
Wesley fought back. "You! Butcher an innocent girl, will you?" He pushed his glasses up on his nose. "I'm going to thrash you to within a inch of your life - and then I'm going to take that inch!"
Angel was fighting the security guys, Wesley was pounding Barney against the floor. Barney rolled over and got on top of Wesley.
Cordelia picked up a horn off the table and stabbed him in the back with it. "Feel this feeling, fucking creepo!"
Barney got off Wesley and tried to grab Cordelia but collapsed face down on the floor. His body turned gray and crackled, then turned black and slowly deflated. Angel ran up to her.
Cordelia gave him a quick hug. "I never doubted for a minute that you'd find me."
"Well, I was lucky." Angel looked at Wesley. "I had a rogue demon hunter on my side."
Wesley smiled. "Glad I could be of service."
In Amy and Harmony's bathroom, the girls were tying Spike to a chair.
"I don't see why I have to be tied up."
Amy made one final knot. "It's just while we're sleeping."
"Like I'd bite you, anyway."
Harmony nodded. "Oh, you would."
"Not bloody likely."
Harmony was offended. "I happen to be very biteable, pal. I'm moist and delicious."
"All right, yeah, fine, you're a nummy treat."
Harmony smiled. "And don't you forget it."
Amy rolled her eyes.
In Giles' apartment, Giles was sitting at his desk. "They need to take seven..." He paused. "Take seven what?"
There was a knock at the door. Giles got up, walked over to the door, unlocked it, and opened it. Jenny was standing outside, wearing a trench coat and holding a suitcase.
Giles smiled. "Jenny!" He stepped aside.
Jenny walked inside and set the suitcase down. "Sorry I'm so late, Rupert. I was trying to pick out something sexy to wear."
Giles closed and locked the door, giddy. "Oh."
"Yeah. Then I figured...why bother?" Jenny undid the belt and took the trench coat off, leaving herself naked except for her shoes. "That's enough small talk, don't you think?"
They kissed, and Giles took off his glasses and put them on the notes.
Very early the next morning, in Angel's apartment, Cordelia was ironing her wrinkled drawing at the kitchen table. "Not that he didn't have it coming. He was a horrible, evil monster."
Angel was cooking at the stove. "Hmm, he did kill a lot of people."
Wesley packed his bag. "Viciously mutilated their corpses."
Cordelia put the picture in a frame. "Plus he started the bidding on me at a paltry $2,000." She looked at Angel. "This, I frame for saving my life and as a reminder that something of Doyle's is in our office."
"Well, I'll be off then. Angel. Who knows when our paths will cross again?"
Angel shook his hand, then reached into the fridge. "Wesley."
Wesley put his jacket on.
"Do you even know where you're headed?" Cordelia asked him.
"Us rogue demon hunters rarely do. Wherever evil lurks, wherever the forces of darkness threaten humanity, that's where I'll be."
Angel set the table and poured a glass of orange juice for Cordelia.
"Well, okay. Keep in touch." Cordelia picked up the glass and took a sip.
"Yes. Yes, I will." Wesley picked up his bag. "But now the evil lurking everywhere bids me onwards." He looked back at Angel cooking and Cordelia drinking her juice. "So...I go."
Cordelia turned around. "Take care."
"Yes." Wesley slowly walked around the corner to go up the steps but, after a moment, strolled back into the room. "No rest for the wicked fighters. Through storm and rain...heat...famine..."
Angel put some scrambled eggs on a plate.
"...deep, painful, gnawing hunger...I go."
Angel looked over at him. "Breakfast?"
Wesley quickly put down his bag and took off his jacket. "Ooh..." He eagerly hurried to the table. "I suppose so."
Cordelia looked at Wesley. "One of the perks of the job: after an all-nighter of fighting the lurking evil...we get eggs."
Angel set a plate of eggs down in front of Wesley. "Toast?"
"Please!"
Cordelia smiled. "I'm famished. He's a good cook for someone on a liquid diet."
Wesley tasted his eggs. "Astonishing, really. Mm-mm." He looked at Angel. "Did you say something about toast?"
Angel set a plate of toasted bread on the table, and both Cordelia and Wesley grabbed a slice.
Buffy woke up, got out of bed, and went into the bathroom. She turned on the light, lifted the toilet lid, sat down, and took a piss. She stood up and flushed the toilet. She yawned and brushed her teeth, then she returned to the main room and got dressed.
She unlocked and opened the door and walked out into the hall. A girl, who was crying silently, sniffled and passed her by. Buffy wondered what was up with her.
Behind Buffy, Tara woke up, yawned, and got out of bed.
Buffy turned around, smiled, and tried to say "Good morning." However, no sound came from her throat. She stopped in surprise.
Tara smiled and tried to say "Hey." Same result.
Buffy felt her throat and tried twice more to talk. Then she tried "Can you hear me?"
Tara tried "No, I've gone - gone deaf."
Buffy mouthed "No, I don't think so. We can't speak."
Tara tried yelling. Buffy went out into the hall. Students were out there and silently mouthing. Not a voice was heard. Tara walked over to her desk, opened her laptop, turned it on, and sat down.
Harmony was freaking out. She looked at Amy and mouthed "What's going on? Why can't I talk?"
Amy shrugged.
Harmony walked into the bathroom, where Spike was still tied down, and pointed at him accusingly. Spike held his hands wide apart as if to ask "How?" Harmony tried screaming. Spike gave her a two-fingered salute and then looked away. Amy brought Harmony's cell phone to her. Harmony grinned, took it, and called Buffy. The phone rang twice, but then there was no voice on the other end, and Harmony realized she couldn't talk either. Spike looked at the girls like they were idiots.
Tara was walking on the first floor near the dorm entrance. Everyone was depressed. A girl was crying in a guy's arms. A guy dropped a tray and a glass, and it sounded like a gunshot. Tara jumped back. He was embarrassed and bent to clean it up.
Later, Tara and Buffy were walking through town. They heard cars honking and dogs barking. The bank was closed, but the liquor store was open and doing brisk business. A siren was heard. A man sat in the middle on the street, his head on his briefcase. A prayer meeting had a chalkboard reading "Revelation 15:1". Everyone read from their own Bibles silently. Buffy walked over out of curiosity and gestured at a woman's Bible. The woman pointed out the verse to her: "And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God." Buffy nodded and went back to Tara. A guy was selling message boards and had a sign on his stand and around his neck that read "MESS AGE BOARDS $10.00". They were white boards with dry-erase black markers. Tara and Buffy looked at each other.
Per Tara's e-mail exchange with Jenny, Tara and Buffy arrived at Giles' apartment with boards hanging from their necks. Amy, Harmony, and Sandy were sitting on the couch, and Jenny and Giles were sitting on opposite arms of the couch. Giles got up. Buffy and Tara waved at all of them. Harmony was depressed. Jenny was drinking a shot of bourbon. Giles clasped Buffy's arm reassuringly.
Buffy saw all of the books open and mouthed "Anything?"
Giles looked down and shook his head slightly. Buffy and Tara set down their boards. Buffy picked up the notebook where Giles wrote part of her rhyme. She showed it to Giles and pointed, and he shook his head. Sandy snapped her fingers repeatedly and turned up the sound on the TV, which was showing a special report.
"Big news item from Sunnydale, California. Apparently, the entire town has been quarantined due to an epidemic of, as strange as this may sound, laryngitis. It seems the town has been rendered unable to speak. There's no word yet what might have caused this or what other effects might be seen from this epidemic. Local authorities have issued a statement - a written statement, I should say - blaming recent flu vaccinations. A few skeptics call it a city-wide hoax. In the meanwhile, Sunnydale has effectively shut down all schools, and businesses will be closed for the time being, and residents are advised to stay home and rest up. Centers for Disease Control have ordered the entire town quarantined. No one can go in or out until the syndrome is identified or the symptoms disappear. We'll bring you more on that as it develops."
Buffy picked up her board and wrote "Keep researching. I should be in town tonight." She showed it to Giles.
Giles mouthed "Why?"
Buffy wrote "Because there will be chaos."
Buffy walked through the streets in the evening. A car had crashed into a fire hydrant, which was spraying water. Silent people wandered the streets. Buffy saw Riley, who was breaking up an impending fight between a black man in a business suit and a white man. He had to push the white man back authoritatively. He turned to straighten the black man's jacket almost like a tailor. The white man picked up a pipe to attack Riley from behind, but Buffy had been approaching from behind and casually turned his wrist hard, and the pipe dropped. His bones crackled. The guy collapsed in pain. Buffy and Riley nodded at each other. Riley rolled his head back and forth. Crashing was heard. Riley indicated he had to go. Buffy pointed in the other direction. They each went on. A siren sounded.
At 1:50 AM, Jenny was still awake, lying on a sleeping Giles' chest. She got up and went downstairs to the living room. She was drawn to the window and saw one of the Gentlemen floating across the street. Another floated right by her window with its face inches away from the window, looking right at her, and she jumped back in fright, gasping as she tried to scream.
The next morning, Buffy was walking in a hallway in her dorm building. A man in a green jacket was blocking students from getting into a room. Buffy flashed her police identification, darted in, and saw the victim: a male student with his chest ripped open. She examined the body and discovered his heart had been removed.
Giles got his morning newspaper and closed his front door. Jenny was drawing. Giles saw two newspaper articles about a "brutal slaying" and another titled "Fifteen-Year-Old Stabbed, Heart Missing". Jenny had sketched a picture and showed it to Giles. The pictures struck a memory, and Giles went to grab a book titled Fairy Tales.
Later, they all gathered in a lecture hall. Buffy, Tara, Amy, Harmony, Sandy, and Jenny sat in the front row. Giles performed an overhead projector presentation for them while a tape of a performance of "Danse macabre, Op. 40", a tone poem for orchestra by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns, played on a boombox.
Giles cracked his knuckles. The first transparency was upside down and backwards. Tara and Buffy, sitting next to each other, pointed. Amy held up her index finger and rotated it to mean turn around the transparency. Giles saw the overhead screen and corrected it. The first transparency read "Who are the Gentlemen?" Giles switched to the second transparency, which read "They are fairy tale monsters" and included his drawing of one. Giles nodded. The next transparency read "What do they want?" Giles held up his index finger. Tara held up her hand and pointed to her chest.
Harmony cupped her breasts and mouthed "Boobies?"
Giles gave Harmony a look. Tara looked at Harmony and pointed as Giles changed the transparency. This one read "hearts" and included a drawing of three hearts. Giles waved back at the hearts. Harmony got it and nodded. The next transparency read "They come to a town" and included a drawing of two Gentlemen on a hill overlooking buildings. The next transparency read "They steal all the voices; no one can scream" and included a drawing of two Gentlemen on a hill and four people losing their voices. Giles mimed speaking by moving his hand out from his mouth. The next transparency read "then" and included a drawing of one Gentleman. Giles held up his index finger. He changed the transparency. This one included a drawing of a Gentleman standing over a person sleeping in bed. The Gentleman held a knife that was blood-stained red, the person's chest was red with blood, and red blood was dripping onto the floor. The next transparency included a drawing of the Gentleman holding the red heart over the person in bed. Enormous amounts of red blood were on the chest and bed and floor. Tara and Buffy exchanged disturbed looks. Sandy started to write on her white board.
The next transparency read "They need seven; they have at least two." It included a drawing of seven hearts. Sandy snapped her fingers and held up her board, on which she had written "How do we kill them?!" Buffy made a fist and pumped it toward herself, near her legs. Tara and Jenny gave her disturbed looks. Amy silently laughed. Giles struggled to maintain a poker face. Buffy realized how her gesture came across, grabbed a stake from her bag, and pumped it towards herself, again near her legs. Jenny got what she meant, Giles was relieved, and Tara pretended nothing was amiss.
Harmony gave Buffy a shocked look and mouthed "Ow!"
The next transparency read "In the tales, no sword can kill them" and included a drawing of a Gentleman with three swords in him. The next transparency read "But the princess screamed once...and they all died." It included a drawing of a princess screaming and two Gentlemen lying dead. Harmony held up a CD's jewel case and then held her hands over her ears and pantomimed dying. She smiled. Giles held his index finger up and changed the transparency. This one read "Only a real human voice" and included a drawing of a Gentleman dancing to an old-style record player. Giles pointed to his throat. Harmony threw her hand up and pouted. Buffy wrote "How do I get my voice back?" and showed it to Giles. Giles threw his hands out to his sides and changed the transparency. This one read "Buffy will patrol tonight" and included a drawing of Buffy, wearing a dress, holding a bow and arrow. Buffy held her hands at her sides, indicating the picture was too fat. Giles made some gestures, pointed to the rest of them, and held up a book. Everyone got up. Buffy looked at the second transparency with the picture of the Gentleman.
At 2:35 AM, Buffy patrolled a residential street.
In Tara and Buffy's dorm room, Tara had books open on her bed. She gathered them up, walked out of the dorm room, closed her door, and left, carrying some books and notepads.
Tara was walking in a hallway with her books. She looked back and walked into a wall. As she was picking up her books, she heard something, looked, and saw two of the Gentlemen and two lackeys coming up behind her. She ran, and she was chased.
Buffy saw a Gentleman gliding on the other side of the street but was tackled by a lackey springing from behind a bush before she could act.
Tara was running down the hall, and she banged on a door. No answer. Tara banged on another door. No answer. Tara saw two Gentlemen floating towards her. Tara tried to yell for help. The lackeys arrived behind the approaching Gentlemen. She banged on another door. No answer. She ran from the Gentlemen, who started to get close, followed by their two lackeys. She got to a stairway.
Buffy flipped a lackey to the ground. Another grabbed her from behind, and she elbowed and backhanded it. She kicked the first, ducked a roundhouse kick from the second, kicked it in the leg to bring it down, and snapped its neck. It went down. The first lackey ran. Buffy looked around, then chased it.
Tara ran up the stairs and banged on doors.
Amy heard the banging and woke up. She got out of bed, grabbed a robe, and put it on, afraid. She went toward her door. Harmony woke up and got out of bed. Amy looked at her and pointed toward the bathroom, indicating for her to check on Spike.
The door that Tara was banging on opened, and a Gentleman holding a heart looked at her. Two more floated near the stairs that she just came up. Tara ran around the corner.
Amy opened her door and was looking the other way when Tara ran into her, and they both fell. Amy grabbed at her leg and yelped silently. She saw two of the Gentlemen followed by two lackeys. They both got up and ran to another stairway mere steps away. Amy was limping.
Buffy crashed through boards sealing an opening in the town's clock tower and knocked a lackey down from the side with a shoulder block and a shove. Buffy kicked a lackey back. Another, she simply threw into a wall. Buffy aimed her crossbow and was surprised to see Riley aiming a weapon at her. He was surprised to see her as well. One of the lackeys got up, and Riley ducked, and Buffy ducked, spun, and kicked it in the head. Riley blasted another with an electrical blast. It dropped. Buffy shot at one with an arrow. A third knocked her bow down, and Riley grabbed it from behind. The one that she shot grabbed Buffy and threw her towards the wall. She stumbled and fell but was on her feet to meet it. She pushed its side into the wall. She kicked it in the side and in the head and gave it a left punch. Riley flipped his to the ground. Buffy gave hers a left punch and then a right punch and then grabbed it and flipped it down. Riley was holding his with an arm-bar hold. He looked up. The one that was blasted was getting up, and Buffy ran and grabbed a rope. Buffy swung on the rope and kicked it hard. It flew across the room, breaking right through a post and into a shelf. Riley was shocked.
Tara and Amy ran down the stairs. Amy was limping, and Tara was holding her up, trying to help her. The lackeys were close behind. They entered a laundry room and locked the door. Banging was heard on the door. At first, they tried to brace the door, then Amy limped to a soda machine. Tara followed, and they both tried to push it, but it barely budged, and then it stopped. Amy sat down, clutching her leg. Tara kneeled beside her and looked at her. Amy stared intently at the soda machine. Tara was continually looking back and forth between Amy and the soda machine. Amy saw the soda machine shudder, but it didn't move. Amy felt defeated. The banging continued. Tara looked at the machine once more and then at Amy. Tara slowly touched and then clasped Amy's hand with their fingers interlocking. Amy clasped it back and looked at Tara. Tara nodded slowly. They clasped harder and looked into each other's eyes and, as one, turned quickly towards the soda machine. It spun to barricade the door in under a second. The banging on the door stopped. They both were relieved. They looked at each other and released each other's hand.
In the clock tower, on the lower level, a lackey jumped over the fallen lackey and grabbed a barrel. Riley kicked the one that he was holding, and it fell. The one with the barrel knocked Buffy down from behind. She fell in front of another, who was lying down. The one that hit Buffy ran up the stairs. Riley was tackled by one, knocking him off the one that he was holding, who was down again. Buffy looked back and left Riley with one standing. She went up the stairs.
Arriving at the upper level, Buffy saw ropes hanging, clockwork, and a large bell. Buffy saw there were only two empty jars. She was kicked from behind and fell. Three lackeys grabbed and held her, and a Gentleman - one of three - floated toward her with a scalpel. The scalpel got near, and a blast of electricity threw the Gentleman back. Riley shot a lackey next. Buffy, held by only two lackeys now, flipped over and kicked a fourth approaching lackey. She broke free and hit one away. Riley's weapon seemed to have run out of juice, and he jumped forward. A lackey tackled Buffy. Two were going after Buffy. Riley used his rod to hit one, and another grabbed him and threw him back. He wrapped a rope around its arm and neck. Buffy ducked a roundhouse kick and kicked one in the back. She ducked away from another roundhouse kick, kicked a stool forward into the lackey, and delivered a powerful uppercut. Riley gave the one in the ropes an elbow to the head, and the other recovered and grabbed at him. Buffy took one and pushed it, and its head hit some hanging metal cylinders. A Gentleman moved forward with a scalpel. Riley turned the one grabbing him and banged its head into the huge tower bell hard. The bell gonged. Buffy punched one and kicked it away. A Gentleman stabbed her from behind with a scalpel. The Gentleman backed away. A lackey grabbed Buffy and threw her into a giant spool of rope. Then it held her around the shoulders and neck from behind. Weakened, she couldn't break loose. Riley grabbed something and hit the lackey from the ropes in the head with it as it got loose. It went down. Buffy saw the box from her dreams next to the jars of hearts. She flashed back to the little girl holding the box. She waved and then banged her hands on the giant spool to get Riley's attention as she was being held. Riley smashed a blue jar next to the box and looked at her for approval. She rolled her eyes and pantomimed opening. Riley got it, mouthed "Oh", and smashed the box. Mist came out of it. The lackey holding Buffy threw her down. Two of the streams of mist went into Buffy's and Riley's throats. Buffy screamed and screamed and screamed, and the Gentlemen's heads exploded, gooey green blood splatting out as the exploded head parts fell to the floor. Buffy and Riley looked at each other.
"What are you?" Riley asked her.
Buffy was offended. "Capricorn on the cusp of Aquarius. You?"
"Sorry. That came out a little blunter than I intended. It's just...you are amazing! Your speed, your strength-"
"Also passionate, artistic, and inquisitive. Who are you?" Buffy asked him.
"You know who I am. The rest...what I do..." Riley shook his head. "I can't tell you."
"Well, then let me. You're part of some military monster squad that captures...demons, vampires; probably have some official sounding euphemisms for them, like unfriendlies or...non-sapiens."
Riley nodded. "Hostile Sub-Terrestrials."
"So you deliver these...HSTs to a bunch of lab coats, who perform experiments on them, which, among other things, turn some into harmless little bunnies. How am I doing so far?" Buffy asked.
"A little too well."
"Meanwhile, by day, you pretend to be Riley Finn, corn-fed Iowa boy."
Riley looked down.
"Ever been to Iowa, Riley? God, if that's even your name."
Riley looked at her. "It is, born and raised. And hey! Bulletin: I'm not the only one who's been a little less than honest here."
"I thought a professional demon chaser like yourself would have figured it out by now. I'm the Slayer."
Riley just looked at her.
"Slay-er?" Buffy repeated. "Chosen One."
Riley still looked lost.
"She who hangs out a lot in cemeteries?" Buffy paused, trying not to roll her eyes. "You're kidding. Ask around. Look it up: Slayer comma the."
"And you fight demons. I mean...you waled on those guys."
"You did pretty well yourself."
"But I'm a walking bruise. You see me with my clothes off, I look like..."
Buffy raised her eyebrows at him.
"I mean...I have...bruises." Riley paused. "I don't see a scratch on you."
"Slayer healing powers."
Riley looked at her in amazement. Buffy just shrugged. They started to leave.
Riley looked at her. "Oh,...I don't think I need to tell you...don't say a word. It'll be safer for all-"
Buffy shot him a sharp look. "We've been trying to figure out who the fuck you guys are-"
"This is a secret military operation!"
"Well, you're not doing a good job on that first part." Buffy paused and sighed. "I'll keep your secret...for now."
"Good. I'll do the same for you."
Buffy laughed. "Oh, I'm out, corn boy. Out and proud."
Amy and Tara were making their way back to Amy and Harmony's dorm room.
"You were there looking for me?" Amy asked.
"I thought maybe we could do a spell, make people talk again."
They arrived at the dorm room.
Amy knocked on the door. "Harm, it's me. Are you all right?"
There was no response. Amy and Tara looked at each other, then Amy slowly opened the door. She walked into the room, followed by Tara. The room was empty. They walked to the bathroom and stopped in their tracks.
Harmony was standing in front of Spike with her right foot pressed against his chest. He was still tied up and sitting in a chair. Harmony held a stake in her right hand and a mug filled with blood in her left hand. She was carefully feeding Spike.
Amy cleared her throat. "Hey, Harm."
Harmony looked at Amy and Tara and smiled. "Oh, hey, girls." She slowly realized something and grinned. "Oh, hey! Problem solved, huh?"