Prologue

“I have bad news,” the demon known as Doc told his sect brothers. Each demon was as identical as the next. They were gathered in a room with a large round table where they usually convened to discuss the disasters happening across the dimensions. “Glorificus has been defeated or otherwise thwarted in several dimensions. We must stop this atrocity from happening in my dimension.”

“There is more bad news, I’m afraid.” Doc Two stepped forward. “My dimension has been locked. I feel the presence of the traitors there. They have vanquished Glorificus. Even now her brother Amon is searching for something. He has departed my dimension by himself, leaving his brother behind with the Slayer.”

“What does he expect to find?” the first Doc asked.

“I could not ascertain the purpose of his journey, I’m afraid,” Doc Two replied. “It can’t be helpful to cause though. We must try harder to help Glory.”

“The Watcher killed Ben in my dimension,” yet another version of Doc spoke up. “What if we eliminate the Watcher?”

“Didn’t you report that the troll hammer did too much damage to Glorificus and thusly her host?” Doc One asked Doc Three. “It wasn’t just the Watcher’s handiwork.”

“If we could just figure out who the Key is?”

“I know who it is.” Doc Three put a fist to his forehead. “If I could just remember who it was. There’s some kind of damned spell on the identity.”

“It is the Slayer’s child. That is the only explanation.” The Head Doc tapped a pile of papers sitting on the table in front of him while he spoke directly to Doc Three. “The only clue we have is a tiny spot of blood from your jacket.”

“The Slayer doesn’t have a child.” Doc One looked around at the other Docs with confusion on his face. “She has a mother and a sister but no children.”

“There’s more,” the head Doc continued. “From the blood sample I was able to extrapolate the identity of the father. However I don’t know how it is possible. Lord Chesterfield disappeared in 1880. He can’t be still alive. Of course, that might be the reason the monks picked him to provide the DNA for the father.” He opened the file, and he removed a picture.

When Doc Three took the picture into his hands, he hissed in anger. “I know him. He’s that blasted vampire that tried to rescue the Key. Of course, he doesn’t look the same. The hair and clothes are radically different, but I’d know him anywhere. He was working with the Slayer in my dimension.”

“Will eliminating the vampire help the cause?” Doc Two asked in a cautious voice.

The Head Doc tilted his head while he thought over the suggestion. “Let me consult with our Seers. I will return shortly.” He left the others whispering in his wake when he rose to his feet and swept out of the room.

Getting Glorificus home, and into the seat of power, had been the goal of the Sect of Cerberus. It still irked the sect as a whole that some damned Greek stole their name to represent a three headed dog . The original meaning of the name had been ‘Protectors of the Glorious One’, but there were no mortals that remembered that now.

After a tense thirty minutes, the Sect Head returned with several Seers behind him. He waved for the Seers to take seats before he started to speak. “While eliminating the vampire, as well as the Watcher, is sound in theory, the Seers tell me that it is impractical. There are just too many dimensions to deal with. The Seers took one dimension and tried to eliminate the vampire at different points in the timeline. Something thwarted us at every turn. We didn’t even attempt with the Watcher.”

The Seers all nodded in agreement. Whatever was helping the Slayer and the vampire remained hidden from their sight. This indicated to them that whoever they were dealing with was as powerful as Glorificus.

“My suggestion is that we try harder in the stopgap dimension.” The Head Doc handed Doc Three a folder. “Go there. Help your brethren with the opening of the walls. If we can succeed in that dimension to get Glorificus home, we can bring down the others.”

Doc Three took the file with a nod. He would do whatever it took to succeed. He would even give his own life. He left the meeting room ready to do his duty.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Anqet, also known as Kibene Keeper of the Well of Devotion, leaned over the basin of water where she watched the contents with great intent. She was so occupied that she didn’t notice her lover D’Hoffryn, leader of the vengeance demons enter the room.

“Kibene, my love,” the demon announced himself. “What has you so enthralled?”

Anqet looked up with a smile. Despite what she was studying, she was quite happy to see her lover. “I’m glad you’re here. I want you to watch something, and tell me what you think.” She waved her hand over the pool, and it reset the scene that had her so enraptured before.

As the tall, blue-skinned demon watched the scene with the Cerberus sect, Anqet whispered in his ear.

“I’ve done what I can.” The goddess bit her lip for a moment. “I was able to cloud the Seers’ minds and redirect their visions.”

“So, the vampire can be eliminated?” D’Hoffryn hitched up an eyebrow.

“Anyone can be eliminated if the desire is strong enough, my love.” Anqet put her hand on D'Hoffryn’s shoulder. “I have been waiting many lifetimes for the emergence of the Immoral Guardians. I will not let the Sect of Cerberus demolish the dimensions for one worthless Hell-God such as Glorificus.”

“This Amon the Sect mentioned. Can he be of help?” D’Hoffryn tapped his chin with one long, pointed fingernail.

“Amon has his own destiny to fulfill.” Anqet led her lover away from the pool of water. She sat him down at a table that in an instant became covered in the most succulent delicacies of his home dimension. “I am not worried. The Sultana can handle anything thrown at her. She’s Immortal after all, and she and her mate have all the time in the world.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“Spike, did you notice that something was off with Mom at dinner?” Buffy called out of the bathroom to her mate. “I saw her massaging her forehead several times.”

Yeah, so did I, Spike projected his answer back through his mind instead of yelling. I asked her about it, but she just brushed it off as too much work and not enough sleep.

She gave me the same excuse, Buffy replied. I asked Reggie about it, but he said she has been going to bed early the past few nights. I used my senses to look at her, but there was nothing there.

All we can do is keep an eye on her, pet. Spike rose from the bed, and he went to join Buffy in the bathroom. Once there he found her naked and ready to get in the tub. He curled his tongue behind his teeth. “You want to reenact cave Buffy, Slayer?”

“Spike smell nice.” Buffy giggled. “Let’s get the gang together and go to the beach tomorrow. I could use a day in sun. I won’t even make you wear a swimming suit.”

“You don’t think I’d look good in a Speedo?” Spike took off his shirt, and he tossed it at his mate.

“Yeah, that’s the problem,” Buffy growled. She flashed Sultana green-gold eyes at her mate. “No one but me gets to see you naked.”

Spike let out a bark of laughter. “All the important parts will be covered, pet, but, yeah, we can go to the beach. Call the others later.” His gaze changed from amused to carnal. “Right now, you need a good seein’ to.”

“Last one in is a dirty, dirty vampire.” Buffy vaulted into the water and bubble filled tub. She sank her body down under the heated liquid while she watched her mate prowl towards her with a predator’s grace.

Chapter 1, Dracula Meets the Sultana

“Blast it.” Xander struck another match along the side the box. “I’m not having any luck making fire today.”

“Come on, Harris. How hard can it be?” Spike grumbled. “Man’s been makin’ fire for thousands of years now.”

Xander glared at the vampire. “I’d like to see you do better.”

Spike shrugged. He pulled his ever handy Zippo lighter out of his pocket, and he tossed it to Xander. “Lose it and I’ll break you.”

“Did he just threaten me?” Xander asked Oz.

Oz grunted his answer without opening his eyes.

“Don’t bother dog-boy there,” Spike said with a smirk. “He was up most of the night pleasing the witches.”

“I thought we successfully blocked last night,” Willow replied when she and Tara joined the men. They had tried to respect everyone else’s privacy by blocking their thoughts from the rest of the ‘family’.

Spike laid a finger on his nose. He winked at Tara. “The nose knows, Red. You’ll never be able to hide from it.”

Buffy strolled up grumbling under her breath. Behind her was Anya who kept glancing over her shoulder. Buffy plopped down by Spike.

“What’s wrong, pet?”

Buffy pointed up the beach. “We have a stalker. That man needs get the clue that I don’t need or want to be rescued.”

Spike growled in a menacing manner, but Tara said gently, “Ignore him. The best lesson is to show him you’re having a good time.”

“Good idea!” Buffy turned to Spike. “Mom is going to have a special mask display next week.”

Willow, Oz, and Xander looked at Buffy with wild terror filled eyes.

Buffy let out a giggle. “Don’t worry, guys. She’s having Giles, Reggie, and Serina check them over very carefully.”

“There’s a story in that, isn’t there?” Tara asked. Unlike Spike, she hadn’t heard the zombie story. She was quickly learning that the unique group had a lot of planned, and no so planned, adventures.

“Let’s just say that we haven’t had the best of luck with African tribal masks.”

Oz gazed towards the ocean. He felt unsettled when he saw an approaching storm. His unease caused the others of his clan to look at the incoming squall with concern.

Buffy gathered her things. “Let’s take this home. It looks like it’s about to rain. Besides, I hate the prying eyes.”

The others grabbed their belongings too. When they were half way to their cars the clouds rolled over the beach, and the predicted rain soon followed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Later that evening a tarp-covered truck pulled up outside a castle. The storm still raged, and the two men who vacated the vehicle wore rain coats. They went to the back of the truck, removed the tarp, and then they started to remove the large wooden crate.

“Come on, hurry it up,” Joe muttered. “I’m getting soaked.”

“I’m trying,” Pete growled. “Geez, this thing weighs a ton.”

Joe and Pete pulled on the crate again. The plywood box was slippery from the rain, and it fell to the ground where it cracked one corner. The opening was just enough to let some of the contents leak out.

“Nice. Good job,” Joe said in an annoyed voice.

Pete knelt next to the crate to examine the break. “Look at this. Guy’s carting dirt around.”

“Leave it. We’ll turn the box so that corner is on top.” Joe grabbed the box on his side. “Help me.”

Pete stood up, shaking his head. “Dirt. Man, rich people are…” He trailed off when an arm burst out of the crate. The long sharp fingernails slashed his throat, and he screamed while he staggered away.

Joe stood staring at his partner in shock. The blood gushed out of Pete’s neck. A breaking sound made Joe look back at the crate just in time to see someone burst out of the box. Joe let out his own scream when he saw the piercing, hungry eyes of a killer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

THE NEXT DAY

“Thanks for the help, Reggie,” Giles said to his old friend.

Reggie grinned. “Well, it was a brilliant idea, Rupert. Archiving your library was inspired. I can’t believe everything that we found here.”

“Well after the incident with the Vahrall demons, I decided labeling my amulets and other artifacts was fortuitous.” Giles grinned. “It was Serina’s idea to index my diaries as well.”

Reggie threw his head back to laugh uproariously. “You’re bored, aren’t you? Admit it.”

“Possibly.” Giles plopped down in a chair. “But it’s always quiet after an apocalypse. Things will heat up soon enough.”

Reggie nodded. “That storm yesterday did have a sense of foreboding to it.”

“Hopefully it won’t rain during the coven’s grand opening. Serina and the girls have worked hard on it.”

Reggie leaned back to stretch his arms. “That wasn’t exactly the foreboding I had in mind. The change in temperature gave Joyce a hell of a headache.” He had a worried look on his face.

“Is everything okay?” Giles didn’t like the worried look on Reggie’s face.

“I don’t know.” Reggie shook his head. “When Spike and Buffy were over the other night, they noticed something was off.”

Giles raised an eyebrow. “Well, if they’re concerned, I say we should be too.”

Reggie nodded in agreement. “All we can do is keep an eye on her. I don’t think all of Buffy’s stubbornness is from the Slayer.”

“You could be right.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Buffy tossed the vampire fledgling across the cemetery. It didn’t seem to matter that Spike was the Master of Sunnydale. There was always some idiot vamp showing up to turn more vamps. Buffy was patrolling alone. Spike was off playing poker with the minions and a few others. He had plans to join her later, but for now she was content fighting by herself. The other clan members were off at various functions, including the preparation of the coven opening.

Buffy was intent on the hunt. She didn’t notice the smoky fog with the face watching her every move. When Buffy staked the fledgling, she realized there was another unfamiliar vamp signature in the area. She whirled around to find a man gliding out of the darkness towards her.

“Very impressive hunt,” The man’s accented voice wafted through the air. “Such power.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “You so need a new look, mister. The thin, pale look is lame, and the long hair went out with Fabio. Don’t even get me started on the cape thing.”

“You’re not impressed.” There was disappointment in the man’s voice.

“Takes a lot to impress me.” Buffy pulled a stake from a hiding spot. “Care to step up for some overtime?”

“We’re not going to fight.”

The creature’s confidence irked Buffy. “Do you know what a Slayer is?”

“Do you?” The vampire smirked.

“I asked first, hot shot.”

The man opened his arms wide. “I am Dracula. I assume you’ve heard of me?”

“You don’t look like Gary Oldman to me.” Buffy chuckled at her own joke.

“I am Dracula. Why are you not impressed?”

“I’m mated to the Master of Sunnydale. Kinda makes me hard to impress.” Buffy twirled her stake. “Besides if you’ve seen one Lestat wannabe you’ve seen them all.”

“Who is this Master of Sunnydale? Who must I eliminate to make you mine?” Dracula howled in anger. This was not going the way he had envisioned.

“That would be me, old pal.” Spike stepped out from behind a nearby mausoleum with Lawson and Brian.

William, what are you doing here?” Dracula couldn’t hide his surprise and dismay.

“Live here, you ponce, with m’girl.” Spike moved to Buffy’s side.

Lawson and Brian flanked the Slayer and Spike. Both were on the alert for possible tricks. They were on a beer run when Spike growled in a furious manner. The next thing they knew the three of them were stalking through a graveyard in search of the Slayer.

Dracula gestured towards Spike even though his words were directed at Buffy. “Why would you mate with such an unworthy specimen?”

“Oi,” Spike shouted. “If there’s anyone unworthy around here it’s you. Still owe me eleven pounds, you do.”

Riley swept through the cemetery. He knew he needed to find a way to show Buffy the error of her ways. Riley needed to save her from herself.

When Riley rounded the mausoleum, he found Buffy standing with four HSTs. He recognized three of them, but the fourth was a stranger. Riley leveled his weapon at the vamps.

“What the hell is going on?” Riley demanded. If any of the vamps gave him an excuse, he’d dust them in an instant.

“Who let you out of your cage, Captain Stalker?” Spike growled. He never took his eyes off Dracula.

“Who is this?” Dracula studied the newcomer for any weaknesses. He narrowed his eyes when he realized this human wanted the Slayer too. At least this one would be easy to eliminate.

“Unscheduled Scooby meeting?” Oz ambled up.

“Dracula’s here,” Buffy said in a bright voice.

“Oh hey, Riley.” The short redhead turned to the taller man. “I forgot you came as Dracula.”

“Oh, we need to make Halloween plans soon,” Buffy replied. She sent Oz a private message that he had meant the stranger not the stalker.

“Ah, I see.” Oz turned to give the newcomer the once over. “Just missing a Frankenstein monster, are we?”

Spike let out a snort of laughter. “We killed that monster already, Wolfman.”

“Huh?” Riley’s hand jerked on his weapon causing it to misfire. Dracula disappeared in a puffy of smoke before the projectile could reach his body.

“Darned gypsy tricks,” Spike grumbled. “Still didn’t get my eleven pounds.”

“How the heck do we fight a vamp that can turn to smoke before he can be dusted?” Buffy stared at the spot where Dracula just stood.

“Don’t know about him, but I know how to kill the old fashioned kind.” Riley turned his weapon on Spike, and he fired. He gave a feral grin when the projectile hit its target.

“Bloody buggering fuck that hurts.” Spike reached up to cover the spreading blood stain. “You stupid pillock. You’ve seen me in the sun. Didn’t it cross that pea brain of yours that I might be immune to wood too?”

Buffy turned on Riley, and she flashed her Sultana features while she snarled, “Get away from us, Finn. The last person to hurt my lover spent months in a wheelchair, and he had far superior healing.”

Oz knew how mad Buffy was through the clan link. He wasn’t very pleased himself, but he grabbed Riley’s arm to drag the man away from Spike and Buffy.

“We’re gonna have to get that wooden bullet out before you can heal,” Buffy grumbled. Everyone who can, meet at our house, she called through the link. Except you guys, Doyle and Cordy.

Thanks, Buffy, Cordelia said in return with just a touch of sarcasm. Couldn’t come anyway. We’re on our way to the funeral of the woman we found living in the Hyperion when we spirit-fumigated it.

“Go back to the mansion, and lie low, mates,” Spike told Lawson and Brian. “With that idiot shootin’ wooden bullets, you’re in danger.”

“Right, chief.” Lawson and Brian knew better than to argue with Spike. The two vampires headed off to the safety of the mansion.

After a few minutes, Oz turned back up alone. “Graham,” he said as a simple explanation of where Riley ended up.

The three clan members made their way to Spike and Buffy’s house. Tthey removed the wooden bullet while they waited for the others.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“What were you thinking, Riley?” Graham shook his head.

“Buffy needs some normal friends. Not those weirdos she hangs out with,” Riley protested.

Graham shook his head. “You’re an idiot,” he muttered under his breath.

Neither man noticed that their steps were shadowed by a wolf. After a few minutes Graham left Riley at his apartment door with an admonishment to stay home and out of Buffy’s way.

Riley fiddled with the key for a few seconds. Then, he felt a presence behind him. Riley whirled around to find the tall, pale cloaked man from the cemetery behind him.


“Here for a second round, are you?” Riley looked the vampire over. “You’re not so big.”

“Silence.”

“Yes, master.” A glazed looked crossed Riley’s face.

Dracula lifted one hand. “You will be my emissary. You’ll be my eyes and ears in the daylight.”

“Your emissary. Yes, master.”

“Serve me well. You will be rewarded.” Dracula raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t above lying to get what he wanted. “I can give you what you’ve always wanted.”

A look of pleasure crossed Riley’s face. “Buffy.”

Dracula had no plan on sharing his prize, but he wasn’t going to tell the human that. “Go now and serve me.”

“Sure.” Riley brushed past Dracula. He turned to ask what was needed to do, only to find the vampire gone. “What an exit.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“Poncy bugger owes me eleven pounds,” Spike scoffed. “Old rivals till he got famous, and he forgot all his foes.”

“Is there anything pertinent you can tell us though?” Giles asked. His pen posed above his paper.

“He’s all about the gypsy tricks.” Spike paused while he gathered his thoughts. “He’ll have his luxury estate. So, check any castle type buildings.”

“Castles aren’t the norm here in Sunnydale,” Xander replied. “Closest we have is Skald Hill Manor. Did you know that it was originally called Skald Mannish Manor?” He shrugged. “Fifth grade written reports strikes again.”

“He’ll have his bug-eating servants and his special dirt.”

“Special dirt?” Giles looked up from his notes. “I thought that was a myth.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “It is, but Drac’s into the mythos, and it focuses his mojo.”

“We hung out a few times,” Anya spoke up. “Maybe I can get him to talk to me.”

Buffy sighed. “Honestly, I could care less. Tall and dark doesn’t stand a chance with me, but he wasn’t happy with Spike being my mate.”

“He can’t hurt me, pet.” Spike sounded offended. “I have the gem as white bread so aptly demonstrated.”

Giles pointed at Willow. “Check the Internet for Vlad the Impaler. Find out what you can. We need to separate fact from fiction.”

“What about the dirt?” Oz asked.

The others looked at the werewolf with expectant eyes.

Oz shrugged. “Maybe Anya could steal it. No dirt. No mojo.”

“Hmm, I wonder if Drac brought his brides? They’ll be hard to get past.” Anya clicked her tongue.

“Brides?” Buffy looked at Spike. “He’s married?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Later than night, Buffy rested in her bed next to Spike. She was still awake, and surprisingly restless considering the sexathon she and Spike had just participated in.

Buffy jumped when a startled scream sounded from outside the house. Buffy sat up. A quick search through the clan link told the Slayer that whatever she’d heard wasn’t any of them.

Buffy rose to her feet, and she crossed the room to the window. She stifled a laugh when she saw Dracula laying on the ground below.

“What have you done?” the downed vamp yelled. “I need no invite, yet your house rejected me.”

“Apparently you need one when blood magic is used.” Buffy shook her head with a smirk.

Dracula’s eyes flashed. “I have searched the world over for you. I have yearned for you ... For a creature whose darkness rivals my own.”

“God, where do you get you lines? That one is so trite.”

Dracula growled. He again saw that this wasn’t going the way he had planned. “You will be mine.” He pointed at Buffy. Then, Dracula turned into a puff of smoke and disappeared once more.

“Anything wrong, Slayer?” Spike’s sleepy voice sounded from the bed.

“Nothing I couldn’t handle.” Buffy turned back to the bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Riley spent the day rolling around with Dracula’s female minions, otherwise known as the brides. His body was littered with bites from where the brides enjoyed his succulent blood. Riley’s cock was raw and limp after being fucked many times over. It hadn’t hurt this bad since the female Fyral demon had gotten loose in the frat house. At least these demons looked human.

Riley reluctantly pulled himself away from the vampiresses. He managed to dress before he stumbled from the stone mansion that was magically superimposed on an abandoned hotel. Riley had the task of bringing the Slayer to the master.

Riley went to his apartment for a few supplies, including a tazer. Then, he went to lay in wait for Buffy. His patience paid off when Buffy crossed Restfield Cemetery without any of her friends. He made his move, and within seconds Buffy was tazered unconscious.

Riley spirited the Slayer away to Dracula’s castle where he left her with the master. Then he returned to the seductive embrace of the brides.

Dracula waited for the Slayer to awaken. Now that he had her away from William, he was sure he’d be able to tame her. When she groggily opened her eyes, he said, “You’re awake, my love.”

“When I find Riley, he’s dead meat,” Buffy grumbled. She put a hand to her throbbing head.

“Soon you will not care about such mundane things.”

Buffy would have rolled her eyes if she thought it wouldn’t make her head hurt more. “No, it’s you who won’t care. Spike and the others are on their way.”

Dracula rose to his feet. “Their efforts are futile. You will embrace your darkness now.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Buffy turned to face Dracula. She let her Sultana features slide forward. “The clan Sultana-Aurelius knew where I was the second I woke up. I’ve already embraced the darkness. Now it’s tiime for you to embrace the light.”

Dracula’s jaw dropped in astonishment when he saw Buffy’s iridescent green eyes and fangs.
“A Sultana? It can’t be. Sultana’s are a myth.”

Buffy raised her hands into the air. With one word, a bright light emanated from her body.

Dracula scrambled away from the light, but it passed through him. He fell over screaming even as the wave continued to flow away from the Slayer.

Riley looked around in confusion when three things happened at once. Dracula’s mind control over him disappeared as did the castle disguise, and the three brides started to scream in agony. “Where the hell am I?”

Riley stumbled to his feet to find his way away from the weirdness he found himself amidst. It was too bad that he couldn’t as easily distance himself from the memory of the pleasure he had received at the hands of the three female vampires.

Buffy lowered her hands. She watched Dracula for a few moments before she stood up. She went to him, touched his shoulder, and uttered another word.

“What did you do to me?” Vlad whispered. “I have not felt so free since I was a very young child, before my father sent me to the enemy as a hostage.”

“Heck if I know. Just felt right.” Buffy raised her eyes to the door. “Guess I should go check on your minions.” She left the room.

Vlad continued to lay on the floor in a daze. He was free from the evil and cruelty that had ruled his life for centuries. He felt a reasonable helping of guilt for his actions, but there was a stronger urge to start repaying society for said actions.

The brides crept into the room. The red haired one crawled closer. “What do we do now, master?” she asked cautiously. She knew that her Sire had always been easily angered when questioned, but she felt the changed come over her link to Dracula. She was confused.

Vlad looked at the three women. “First of all my name is Vlad, not master.” Then, he shrugged. “I guess we follow in Angelus’ footsteps and help those in need.”

“Not here, surely.”

“No, my dear, let’s go home. There is plenty for us to do there.” Vlad held out his arms, and the three vampiress’ flocked to him. In a puff of smoke, they disappeared.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Joyce grabbed her purse. “I’m going out, Buffy. Reggie and I are going to the movies.”

“Okay! Have a good time.” Buffy waved at her mom.

“Could you keep an eye on your sister for me?” Joyce checked her makeup in the mirror.

“Mom, I’m eighteen! I don’t need Buffy to babysit me!” A tall, dark haired girl stepped into the room.

Interesting, Buffy thought. This is the sister I’ve heard about.

I remember her, Spike’s reply came.

Yet, I remember life without her, Willow piped up.

But where did she come from? Buffy finished.

“Don’t think of it as babysitting,” Joyce said. “Think of it as sisterly bonding, Dawn.”

Dawn rolled her eyes. “Whatever, mom.”

“Why don’t we go to my house?” Buffy suggested. “The gang’s coming over for a cookout to make up for the rain out at the beach.”

“How fun,” Dawn said sarcastically.

Buffy gave Joyce a sly wink before she said, “Lawson’s invited.”

Joyce shook her head. “At this rate, I’m never getting any grandchildren.”

Chapter 2, It’s Really Me



Brian, Spike’s head minion, and Lawson looked up from their card game when Harmony marched into the living room. Brian rolled his eyes before he went back to his cards. He thought the blond vampiress was cute, but she was too much of a flake for his tastes.



Lawson on the other hand found himself reminded of his beloved airhead sister whenever he talked to Harmony. “Where are you off to, Harm?” he asked.



Harmony was glad someone showed interest in her, and she replied, “I’m off to see Mr. Bogarty at the magic shop. He ordered me a magical unicorn. It came in today.”



“That ass Finn is out there with wooden bullets,” Lawson said. “You shouldn’t go out. You can’t defend yourself against him.”



Brian looked up at the mention of the ex-soldier. He’d forgotten about the idiot human. “Spike told us to stay put.”



“Daddy paid good money for that unicorn. He will be mad if Mr. Bogarty sells it to someone else because I didn’t pick it up.” Harmony pouted.



Brian rolled his eyes again. “You can’t go out there alone.”



Harmony continued to pout until an awesome idea crossed her mind. “I know,” she pouted. “You guys go with me!”



“I don’t think so, Harm.” Lawson shook his head.



“Well, I’m going, and you can’t stop me.” Harmony picked up her pink fur jacket. She turned to leave the room.



Lawson threw his cards down. There was no way he was going to let the ditzy blond walk to the magic shop. He rose to his feet, and he said, “I’ll drive you.”



Brian heaved a sigh. “The more the merrier I guess.” He too threw down his cards and rose to his feet. If Lawson was leaving, their card game was over anyway. Going along would be less boring then sitting at the mansion and staring at the walls.



Harmony smiled to herself. Now if she could just get Brian to look at her as more than an airhead she’d be in seventh heaven.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*



“The Slayer has the Key,” Doc Two announced to his companion. “All we need is some leverage to make her give it to us.”



“Too bad you can’t remember its form,” Doc One’s voice was filled with sarcasm. He wasn’t at all pleased when another member of his clan showed up in Sunnydale. He stepped over the dead body of the magic shop owner. “Just keep looking for that clue.”



Doc Two glared at Doc One. “Yes, it is too bad, brother. Otherwise we could take control of the Key now and win much favor with Glorificus. If we fail here, in this dimension, our brethren are sure to fail elsewhere.”



Doc One pulled the store’s lockbox off of the shelf below the cash register. He easily pried it open. “The Slayer’s sister and mother are the most vulnerable of her companions."



“That’ll only work if you can get one of them alone, and they are never alone. There is always someone hovering around them.” Doc Two pulled another book off the shelf. He glanced through it with disgust before depositing it onto a teetering pile of other books on the table.



Doc One tossed the lockbox aside. “It’s better than looking through all this junk. All we need to do is decide on a target.”



“Fine. Let’s grab the sister.” Doc Two watched the pile of books fall over.



“Sounds like a plan.” Doc One grabbed the two books that caught his interest during his search, and he tucked them under his arm.



The two Docs nodded in agreement. They went out the back of the store, just as the front door opened.



Harmony, accompanied by Lawson and Brian, skipped into the magic shop. “Mr. Bogarty?” she called out.



Lawson sniffed the air with caution. “Something’s wrong.”



“Mr. Bogarty?” Harmony went over to the counter. She let out a gasp of air when she saw the dead body behind the counter. She reached over to snatch up her unicorn. “Hide this in the car!”



“You do that, Harm.” Lawson moved to stand next to the young vampiress. “I’m going to have to call Spike and Buffy.”



Fifteen minutes later Spike and Buffy showed up with Tara and Dawn in tow. Spike sent Brian, Lawson, and Harmony back to the mansion while Tara called the police. Lawson gave Dawn a sly smirk when he left the store. In return the young woman blushed profusely before she turned to find her sister and Spike giving her a knowing look.



“I don’t want to see a dead body,” Dawn said to cover her embarrassment. Then, she wrinkled her nose. I’m going to stand outside.”



“It’s dark,” Buffy protested. “Stay inside, Dawn.”



“I’m not a child, and there’s plenty of light,” Dawn said in her defense. She left the shop to stand outside the bookstore next door where she studied the display in the window.



When Tara hung up the phone, she turned to Buffy. “The police will be here in a few minutes.” She gestured towards the front of the store. “I’ll go stand outside with Dawn.”



“Thanks, Tara,” Buffy said softly. She smiled at the soft-spoken witch.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*



“You’re gonna regret this,” Dawn informed her kidnappers. “My sister and her boyfriend are gonna kick your ass.” She had no idea who her lookalike captors were, but in her mind she called them One and Two.



“If the Slayer gives us the Key, nobody will be harmed,” One replied. “It’s entirely up to her.”



Two handed One a note. “Go deliver this. Then, keep an eye on her. Make sure she follows the instructions.”



One did as he was told all the while grumbling that it was his idea, and that he should be the one staying to confront the Slayer.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*



Well, I had no idea the profit margins on a shop like this were so high, Giles voice drifted along the clan’s communication system.



Buffy glanced over at Spike who was looking at the inventory list. “What do you have there?”



“There’s a book missing.” Spike handed Buffy the list. “A Treatise on the Mythology and Methodology of the Vampire Slayer.”



Tara barreled back into the shop. “Dawn’s gone. She’s not anywhere on the street. I looked a block in both directions before I came back.”



“It’s Tuesday. I knew I should have left her at home,” Buffy muttered. Police sirens sounded in the distance. She rubbed her forehead. “Okay, Tara, you’re here with me. Spike, go out and see if you can catch her scent.”



“Sure thing, luv.” Spike slipped out of the front door just before the police car turned onto the street. He was able to make it look like he was just passing by to keep from bringing attention to himself. Sniffing the air, he was able to ascertain that Dawn stood in front of the bookstore next to the dark alley. Her scent disappeared into the darkness of the alleyway. She was grabbed by the alley, Spike sent back Buffy.



The police car screeched to a stop in front of the magic shop. One lone officer got out of the vehicle to go inside. After a few minutes an unmarked police car showed up. Another policeman went into the magic shop.



Anya and I will be there in a few minutes, Xander replied. He and his girlfriend rounded the corner to find Spike lounging against the wall. “Let’s see how far the trail leads then.”



Spike nodded, and the three Scoobies headed off down the dark alley. Dawn’s scent came to an abrupt end at the other side of the short passage. “Threw her in a car, I suspect,” Spike grumbled. He was about to head back the way he had come when a short man in a suit stepped out of the shadows. He handed Spike a folded piece of paper.



“Give this to the Slayer. Tell her to come alone.” Doc One melted back into the darkness before the vampire had a chance to speak. His species’ ability to blend in was right handy at that moment.



“What is it?” Xander asked.



Spike opened the letter, and he read the contents aloud even as he passed the information along to Buffy and the others. “It says ‘Slayer, Your sister won’t be harmed as long as you give us the Key. Come alone to a cave in the north woods about forty meters past the overpass construction site’.”



“Better not let Lawson know about this,” Anya said. “He’s got a crush on Dawn.”



“He does?” Xander the oblivious asked. “I thought she had a crush on me.”



I knew about hers, not his, Buffy replied in an absentminded manner. Her attention was split between Spike and the policeman questioning Tara. Every second that passed, she became antsier. She was ready to go find whoever took her little sister. Another part of her mind contemplated the identity of the Key.



“Why were you and Miss Summers in the store, Miss Maclay?” Detective Wilkins asked his witness.



“M-Mr. Bogarty ordered the b-best c-candles,” Tara told the detective.



“Bogarty lasted the longest at this shop,” Wilkins muttered. “We had high hopes for him down at the station. Wonder who won the betting pool?”



“Are we free to go yet?” Buffy asked. She worked hard to suppress her impatience. Some idiot kidnapped her sister, and she was eager to go kick some butt.



Wilkins gave a negligent wave of his hand. “Of course. There’s no way two sweet girls like you would have the strength to twist the victim’s head like that.” He repressed a shudder at the violence of the crime. Even for Sunnydale it was brutal.



Buffy hurried Tara out of the shop where they met up with Spike, Anya, and Xander.



We’re being watched, Anya told Buffy. Aloud, she asked, “What’s up with the policemen?”



Gotcha, Buffy replied. “The shop owner was killed.”



“Another one?” Xander raised an eyebrow. “Let’s see. The last one died around the time Spike here came to town crying about his lost love.” He pointed at the vampire. “I still owe you for the microscope upside the head, buster.”



If the Key is who I think it is, we can’t let them know they have it already, Buffy growled to the clan. I have a plan. Just go with what I say.



The others quickly agreed.



“Xander, why don’t you and Anya take Tara home?” Buffy grabbed Spike’s arm. “I’ll take the Key here to exchange for Dawnie.”



From his hiding spot Doc One wondered what was going on. A vampire couldn’t be the Key. He was sure Doc Two would have said something if that had been the case. The Key’s host needed to be a pure host.



Buffy looked up at Spike. “I’m sorry. Dawnie’s the most important person in my life right behind my mother. I can’t lose her.”



Spike managed to look sad. “I understand.” Silently, he said, Good plan, pet.



“Bye, guys.” Buffy waved at the Scoobies.



They went their separate ways. Doc One followed the Slayer and the vampire until he was stopped by two of Glory’s minions. He missed the showdown between his brother and the Slayer.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*



Doc Two looked up when the Slayer entered the cave followed by the vampire. “I told you to come alone,” he growled.



“You told me to bring the Key.” Buffy tilted her head, and she tried to look as innocent as possible. “So, I brought it.”



“That’s a vampire, stupid.” Doc Two shook his head. “There is no way he’s the Key. Key has to be pure.”



“Aw shucks.” Buffy snapped her fingers. “Here I thought I could fool you. Problem is I don’t have your Key. Sorry, Charlie.”



“You have the Key.” Doc Two pulled out a weapon, and he pointed it at Dawn. “You’re going to give it to me, or I’ll kill your sister.”



“Looks like we’ll have to do this the hard way.” Buffy raised her hands in the air while she shifted into Sultana face. Her glowing eyes flared with anger.



Behind her Spike shifted into his own game face, his blue eyes flaring bright before they turned demon-yellow. He moved forward to put his hands on Buffy’s hips to lend her his support. Brightness blazed through the cave making Dawn close her eyes. Like Doc Two’s counterpart, she too missed what happened to her kidnapper.




“No, it can’t be!” Doc Two screamed. “Sultanas don’t exist.” He threw his arms up in front of his face when the brightness grew in intensity. The combined power of the Sultana and her chosen mate caused the evil demon to wink out of existence.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*



Buffy leaned against the counter. “Giles, are you sure about this?”



Giles stood up from behind the magic shop counter. “Why shouldn’t I be?”



“Well, aside from the fact that most magic shop owners in Sunnydale have the life expectancy of a Spinal Tap drummer…” She broke off when Giles gave her a surprised look. “Spike made me watch it. Have you ever run a store before?”



“I was a librarian for years. Before that I was the curator at the British museum.” Giles shrugged. “How hard can it be? Only difference is people pay for things they don’t have to return.”



Buffy looked around the shop again. “Well, I guess it’ll keep you off the streets and out of trouble, eh, Ripper?”



Giles blushed. “I’m never going to live that down, am I?”



“Not really.” Buffy grinned. “I wonder if Reggie knows about Ripper and Joycie.”



Giles let out a groan.

Chapter 3, There’s No Replacement Here

“Pass the popcorn,” Anya said. She held out her hand towards Buffy who was studying the book on her lap. “This kicking movie is really good.” The two girls sat at their boyfriends’ feet.







Without looking up from her book, Buffy handed the snack bowl to the ex-vengeance demon. “Too bad there’s no good movies about the Crusades.”







Anya took the bowl from Buffy. “I was at the Crusades. They lasted for 200 hundred years. There was much vengeance to be had.”







Spike rubbed Buffy’s shoulders from his spot on the couch behind her. “We can study history later, pet. Why don’t you watch the movie?”







“I guess it has been a long day with history. I can take a little break from the violence to watch… some violence.” Buffy laughed when she realized that they were watching a kung fu movie where the voices didn’t match the mouth movements.







“Incompetently-dubbed kung fu,” Xander chuckled. “Our most valuable Chinese import.”







The four watched the movie for a few minutes before Buffy scrunched her nose in disgust and shook her head.







“Oh, give me a break. This is all wrong.” Buffy gestured towards the television screen. “See, first you would get the big guy with a flying kick. Then, you would take out all the little ones.”







“Little ones are cannon fodder,” Spike replied. “They’re there to wear you out.”







“Besides all that fighting looks good in the movies,” Xander replied.







“But it’s just not right,” Buffy protested. “Besides, you can’t blame me for being critical. Willow’s the same way when we watch a movie about witches.”







“Oh yeah,” Xander agreed. “She’s all like, ‘What’s that? A cauldron? Who uses a cauldron anymore?”







~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*







Inside the dark cave, Toth stood over a steaming cauldron. Steam curled out of the glowing liquid inside the boiling pot. Toth pulled off the hood of his robe to uncover his ugly face. Yellow-lit cracks crisscrossed across his brownish skin, and his eyes were red.







Toth spoke in his deep voice. “The last step in thy forging is my pain. This is the price with which I purchase the death of the Slayer.” He held his weapon of choice aloft before he plunged it and his hand into the boiling cauldron. His screams of pain echoed off the dirt walls of his lair.







~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*







Riley strolled along behind Graham, his mind not on the patrol but instead on the remembered pleasurable feeling of fangs buried within his flesh. In fact he was so preoccupied he failed to notice when Buffy and Xander joined Miller.







“This demon, Toth, attacked Giles earlier,” Buffy said. She glanced at the spacey Finn with a bit of displeasure. She still didn’t like being around the ex-soldier. “It was looking for me. He also told us it had a specific old-factory presence.”







“Yes, we’re off to patrol the city dump where smells go to relax and be themselves,” Xander commented. “Wanna come with?”







“Haven’t seen any other action,” Graham replied. “Sounds good to me. Whatcha think, Ri?”







Riley looked up startled. He realized that Buffy and Xander were giving him odd looks. He cleared his throat, and he said, “Yeah, sure. Whatever you say. You’re the boss.”







~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*







“People say they’re recycling.” Riley shook his head. He knew Buffy and Xander were ignoring him, but he felt that he needed to break the silence. “They’re not recycling.”







Graham patted his old army buddy on the shoulder. “People are just busy, Ri.”







“Maybe I should do something about it.” Riley peered around him at the trash.







“Sounds like a plan,” Xander muttered. “Now, if I was a tall, robed, and skin kinda hanging off demon where would I be hiding?”







Buffy wrinkled her nose. “Gah, it’s nasty here. Willow found a spell so you can’t smell anything.”







“Didn’t it take off your nose?” Xander asked. He glanced around to keep an eye out for the demon they were searching for.







“Yeah, so, well, you know, no,” Buffy giggled.







“Hey pet, got here as soon as I could.” Spike ambled around a pile of garbage.







“What are you doing here, Spike?” Riley growled. He pointed his crossbow at the vampire.







Spike smirked, and then said with a fair amount of sarcasm. “Oh, there’s a nice lady vampire who set up a charming tea room over the next pile of crap. What do you think I’m doing here? I’m here to kick demon arse.”







“Have you seen any hanging around here?” Graham asked.







“You mean like that one?” Spike pointed behind the others. “Giles was nice enough to supply me with a picture of what attacked him.”







Buffy slapped her forehead. “Why didn’t I think of that?” Then she whirled around to see Toth standing next to a pile of garbage.







Toth raised his hand, and he pointed his stick at the Slayer. Fire flashed out the end of the weapon, but to his disappointment Buffy ducked out of the way.







“Take cover,” Riley shouted.







Toth fired his weapon again, but his prey jumped out of the way of the flame again. He fired again, but this time Riley stepped into the line of fire. Toth grunted to himself. That wasn’t supposed to happen. Now he’d have to recharge his weapon. While the humans ran to the downed man, Toth made his escape.







“Hey, Ri, you okay?” Graham hurried to his buddy’s side.







Riley nodded. “I’m okay. I’m fine.”







“Take it easy, man.” Graham helped Riley to his feet. When Riley let out a groan, Graham turned to Buffy. “I’m gonna make sure Riley gets home okay.”







“Sure, no problem,” Buffy said with a nod. “We’ll go back to the Magic Box and figure out our next avenue of attack.”







“Sounds good. See ya later.” Graham helped Riley hobble off.







Buffy glanced around again. “He’s gone. Let’s get.” She put her arm through Spike’s as they strolled out of the dump.







Nobody looked back, or they might have seen the second Riley knocked out cold in a pile of garbage sacks.







~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*







Riley sat up, and he wrinkled his nose. The last thing he remembered was being blasted by some damned demonic weapon, but why did the Slayer and her idiot friends leave him lying in pile of trash. “Disgusting,” he grumbled while he climbed to his feet.







Riley stretched his arms above his head, and he let out a groan of pleasure when his back popped. With a smirk he strode off towards the section of town where he knew the vamp whorehouses flourished. Tonight would be the night where, instead of just letting the whores feed on him, he’d take his sexual pleasures with the undead bitches too.







~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*







Riley twitched when he heard someone walk down the hallway outside his apartment. Ever since he’d been hit by that magical blast a few hours before, he’d felt out of sorts a bit. A bit more paranoid than usual he thought. Of course, it was Sunnydale. He had every reason to feel paranoid. There were demons everywhere, and any one of them could be plotting to kill him.







With that thought firmly in mind, Riley decided to clean and load all of his weapons. He unloaded his arsenal from his foot locker, and he went to work with the solvents and rags.

Chapter 4, Out of My Mind

“Colonel McNamara, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you,” Graham said when he heard the Colonel’s voice.

“We have a problem,” the Colonel said. “Finn has popped up on our radar. His implant is acting up.”

Graham grunted, “Fuck.”

Anya’s memory charm had played with the Initiative’s memories enough that they didn’t realize that the implants that Walsh had implanted in some of her soldiers were supposed to be a secret from the rest of the squads.

“I’ll have a surgeon there by this evening. Find him, and have him at Sunnydale Memorial.” McNamara hung up the phone without saying good bye.

Graham sighed. “Fuck,” he grunted again while he dropped the receiver back in its cradle. He gathered his thoughts for a few moments before he grabbed his car keys off the nearby table.

Graham had to admit that Riley had been acting a bit off ever since the attack in the city dump a few days before. The other ex-soldier was boning up on his recycling and weapons facts. Graham decided that his old friend was weird even by Sunnydale standards, and he hoped he wasn’t shot on sight for what he was going to suggest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Graham knocked on Riley’s door. “Hey, Ri, you in there? I have some news from the Colonel.”

“What kind of news?” The door opened about an inch, and Riley peered through the crack. He had no idea why the military would be contacting him after his discharge.

“Nothing that can be discussed out here in the hallway.”

“You alone?”

“Sure, man.” Graham mentally shook his head. He was pretty sure that Riley was even more paranoid than before. He heard the locks being undone on the other side of the door.

“Hurry up and get in here.” Riley stuck his head out the door, and he looked both ways. “You never know when the recycling police might show up or the demons.”

“Whatever, man,” Graham muttered. He slipped into the apartment past Riley. “Never heard of the recycling police personally.”

Riley slammed the door shut, and he did up all the locks. “They’re everywhere, buddy. I think Mr. Crawley down the hall is one of them. He might be a demon though. They’re out to get me too. Revenge, I tell you. That man is always checking out the trash cans.”

Graham groaned silently. Riley was really losing it. “Colonel McNamara called. He said your implant is acting up.”

“Implant? What implant?” Riley looked confused.

“The one that Adam used to control you,” Graham spoke slowly and clearly. There was something definitely wrong with Riley. “Remember?”

“Oh yeah, I remember that.” Riley got a wild look in his eye. “Do you think the recycling police will use it to control me?”

Graham realized that this might be the way to get Riley out of his apartment and to the hospital for the surgery. “They might. The Colonel is sending in a surgeon. If we go see him, the recycling police won’t have a chance to use it against you.”

Riley’s eyes opened wide, and the wild look settled down a bit. “Really? You’ll protect me on the way there?”

“Sure, Ri. You can hide in the back of my car under a blanket. They’ll never know you’re there.”

“You’re a lifesaver, Graham,” Riley sighed. “We have to be careful leaving the building though. Everyone is out to get me.”

“Rrrright.” Graham nodded. This is going to be a long ride. he thought to himself. Aloud he said, “Gotcha. Let me look outside first then.” He went to the door, unlocked it, and stuck his head out into the hallway.

“Anyone out there?” Riley hissed.

“Looks clear.” Graham stepped out into the hall. He turned around to find Riley holding an assault rifle. “You really think we need that kind of thing?”

Riley’s eyes narrowed. He stepped into the hallway himself, eyeing the corridor while he talked. “Have you been turned, Graham? Are you a demonic recycling policeman?”

“Uh, not the last time I checked, Ri.” Graham threw his hands up in surrender.

A look of relief crossed Riley’s face. “Of course you’re not. How silly of me.” He turned, and he locked the apartment door. “Let’s go.”

Graham and Riley made it out of the building and into Graham’s car without seeing anyone. Once Riley was settled under a blanket in the back seat, Graham drove to the hospital where the surgeon was supposed to be waiting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“We have a problem, Mr. Miller.” Peter Overheiser came out of the surgery room. “There is no chip in Mr. Finn.”

“He’s the only Mr. Finn there is,” Graham said.

“That might be true, but he’s still without the chip.”

“That’s really weird.” Graham scratched his head. “I better call the Colonel.”

Overheiser gestured towards the surgery room. “What should I do with Mr. Finn?”

Graham had no idea what to say. “Can you keep him sedated for a while?”

“I suppose,” Overheiser said with a shrug. “But not for too long, mind you.”

“Give me a few minutes.” Graham moved away from the surgeon to make his call to Colonel McNamara. Something just didn’t sound right to the young man. When the Colonel answered, he asked, “Are you sure about this, sir? The surgeon says that Finn doesn’t have a chip in him.”

“That can’t be,” McNamara barked. “I have the GPS right here in front of me.”

Graham heard a tapping noise from across the telephone line. “Sir?”

“You’re at Sunnydale Memorial, correct?” McNamara asked.

“Yes, sir.” Graham nodded. He had no idea where the colonel was going with his line of questioning.

“The chip is not at Sunnydale Memorial,” Colonel McNamara informed Graham.

“But sir, this is Finn. Sure, he’s a bit paranoid about the demons and recycling police, but other than that he seems like the same old Riley.”

“My intel tells me that the chip is in the south section of town on the 1500 block of Sheridan Street,” the colonel said in an informative voice.

“I’ll check it out and get back to you, Colonel McNamara.” Graham hung up without saying a farewell. He returned to Overheiser’s side. “Keep Finn under sedation until I call or return.”

Overheiser nodded his head in acceptance of Graham’s order. “Yes, sir.”

Graham turned on his heel, and he had his phone to his ear while he marched out of the hospital. When Spike answered the phone, he explained Colonel McNamara’s initial phone call, Riley’s odd behavior, the surgeon’s discovery, and his return call to the Colonel. Within a few minutes, Graham had plans to meet up with Spike and Reginald Bey on the south side of town.

Graham parked a couple of blocks down from the 1500 block of Sheridan. When he slipped out of his car, Spike and Reggie appeared out of the shadows. Reggie carried a loaded crossbow in his hands. Seeing the weapon in the man’s hands, Graham went to the trunk of his car where his own weapon was stored.

“Reg and I scoped it out while we were waiting for you, Miller,” Spike said in lieu of a greeting. “Finn is down the street in that abandoned house.”

“Are you sure it’s him?” Graham looked down the street. “Because I’m pretty sure that I have Riley at the hospital.”

Reggie spoke up for the first time, “Didn’t you and Buffy report that Riley was hit by Toth’s weapon, Spike?”

Graham and Spike stared at Reggie in speculation. They had both forgotten about the Toth incident at the city dump.

“The dump is just a block or two over.” Spike peered in the direction of the garbage heap. He was glad the wind was blowing in the opposite direction. Did you hear that, pet? he asked his mate.

Yeah, I did. I’ll check in with Giles while you find Riley. I sure wish he’d stay out of trouble, Buffy grumbled. She was glad she was done with her classes for the day, because she hated to skip.

“Let’s get the show on the road,” Spike announced to his companions. He swaggered off down the street. The Master of Sunnydale was out in full force.

Graham shook his head. “I never thought I’d be in league with the hostiles,” he muttered.

Reggie let out a laugh, and he patted the ex-soldier on the back. “Neither did I, mate. Neither did I.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“Hey Giles,” Buffy called out as she burst into the Magic Box. “Something weird is going on with Riley.”

“Yes, I heard.” Giles looked up from his book. “I’ve finally found some information on Toth. Mr. Finn was hit by a ferula-gemina. It splits one person in half, distilling personality traits into two separate bodies. Since Toth was aiming at you, it would be fair to say he was trying to split the Slayer in two.”

Buffy shook her head. “Two of me? Why?”

Giles took off his glasses to polish them with his handkerchief. “Yes. He probably wanted one being with all the qualities inherent in Buffy Summers, and the other would hold everything that belongs to the Slayer alone. Therefore when it hit Mr. Finn it separated him into his strongest and weakest parts.”

“So is paranoid Riley or vamp whorehouse Riley his strongest part?”

Giles had no answer for the young Slayer, because he didn’t have a clue. To himself, he speculated that paranoid Riley was the stronger of the two because a little bit of paranoia tended to keep you alive around demons.

Buffy raised a hand. “Okay, better question, how do we find Toth?”

“We let him find you,” Giles replied.

“It’s been a couple of days since we ran into him at the dump. I haven’t seen neither hide nor hair of him,” Buffy commented. She thought about the last encounter with the demon, and she wrinkled her nose. “Guess it’s back to the dump for me.”

“You should take someone with you, Buffy,” Giles replied.

“Yeah, but everyone’s busy or can’t right now.” Buffy shrugged. She walked towards the back room where the weapons were now stored in the workout room. “I’ll be okay.”

What the fuck! Cordelia’s voice came through loud and clear to the Clan members. All of them but Spike who was approaching the vamp whorehouse stopped what they were doing.

Cordelia? Buffy said in a tentative voice.

Angel just told us he saw Darla last night. Cordelia said. The stupid vamp is losing it or something.

Thought you all staked the old whore years ago, Spike commented.

Angel did. Buffy replied. Angel must be having delusions or something.

Doyle gave a mental shake of his head. No, Angel is quite adamant that it’s her.
Do you need help? Buffy asked. I could see if Lawson and Brian would be willing.

Doyle thought about the Slayer’s offer for a bit before he replied, No, but if we do, I’ll get back to you.

Spike pulled away from the mental conversation, but he intended to discuss the implications of Darla’s return with Buffy later. Graham, Reggie and he had stepped up onto the porch of the abandoned house at that point, and Spike needed all his attention on the vamps inside.

“How are we going to do this?” Reggie asked.

“In and out, grabbing Finn when we find him,” Spike replied. He kicked the door in, and he sauntered inside. “All right, listen up, where’s the soldier boy?”

Graham followed behind Spike, and he could hear bodies scrambling out of their way.

“Who the hell are you to break in here?” one brave vamp asked.

Spike’s vamp face slid forward with a flash of brilliant blue before his eyes yellowed. “The Master of Sunnydale, you wanker, that’s who. Now answer the question!”

The now frightened vampire pointed a shaky finger towards the stairs. “He’s up there.”

Spike didn’t acknowledge the vamp’s at all while he mounted the stairs. Behind him, he heard the thump of a crossbow arrow hitting flesh and the telltale sound of dust falling to the floor. He knew one of his companions had dusted the other vampire. He climbed the stairs, moved down the hallway, and sniffed the air as he went.

“Any ideas which room he’s in?” Graham said softly.

Spike pointed to the room at the end of the hall with a pale forefinger. “That one.”

The three men moved as quietly as they could towards the room. Spike pushed against door, and it silently swung open to reveal a half-naked Riley being feasted on by two skanky looking female vampires.

Riley sneered at the intruders. “Get lost. I’m busy.”

“Not anymore, you’re not.” Graham stepped up beside Spike. He pointed his weapon at one of the vampires, and he pulled the trigger. She let out a small screech before she turned into dust.

Reggie followed Graham’s example, shooting the other female vampire. Then, he quickly reloaded the crossbow with an arrow from his supply.

“Let’s go, Ri.” Graham went to Finn’s side. “The colonel called. Your chip is acting up.”

“What’s he doing here?” Riley glared at Spike.

“If you think I’m walking into one of these places without back up you’re an idiot,” Graham said. He grabbed Riley’s arm, and he dragged the other man to his feet.


“I can walk on my own.” However, Riley hadn’t realized how weak he was until his knees refused to hold him and buckled as soon as he got to his feet. He fell forward, but Reggie pushed his crossbow into Spike’s hands.

Reggie grabbed Riley’s other arm to drag the man to his feet. “We should get out of here,” he muttered.

Spike nodded while he led the way back down stairs.

A cowering vamp fell at Spike’s felt. “Master, we didn’t know he was a friend of yours. Please forgive us.”

Riley’s sarcastic sounding snort echoed through the quiet room. “Idiot hostile.”

“What’s your name?” Spike ignored Finn while he looked down his nose at the simpering minion. Finn was the idiot in Spike’s opinion. Coming to vamp whorehouses where bites were a bigger draw than the sex was monumentally stupid.

“C-Chad, Master.”

“The Slayer and I don’t tolerate turnings, Chad. I expect you to spread the word.” Spike’s voice was fierce and cold.

“Yes, Master,” Chad sniveled.

Once outside Reggie pinned Spike with a pointed glance. “I thought Buffy and you made a practice of torching vamp whorehouses.”

Spike returned Reggie’s glance with an evil smirk. “You know that and I know that, but those morons don’t have a clue.” He paused to tilt his head for a moment. “Can you guys get Finn here to the hospital on your own? I’m off to meet up with the Slayer. It seems we have a demon to capture.”

Graham and Reggie looked at each other. “No problem,” they said as one.

“If Riley gives us any problems, we’ll just knock him out.” Graham hefted Riley a little higher.

“You will not,” Riley protested. He turned his head back to look at the abandoned house. He hoped that the time at the hospital wouldn’t take too long. He already wanted to get back to the bites.

Spike rolled his eyes before he led Graham and Reggie to Graham’s car. He threw Reggie’s crossbow into the trunk, and he set off towards the city dump and Buffy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” Buffy called out. Then, she made a kissy noise with her mouth like she was calling a puppy. She kept her hand inside her long jacket where she had a sword hidden.

“Fe, fi, fo, fum,” a mocking voice called out. “I smell the blood of a nice ripe girl.”

Buffy burst out laughing. Through her giggles she managed to say, “Do we really need weapons for this? Are we doing that scenario again? We’re in the wrong place for it.”

“I’d be happy to, luv, but I think we should beat up the demon and steal his stick.” Spike pointed behind Buffy.

Buffy whirled around. “He’d be the one.”

“I will not miss again, Slayer,” Toth announced. He pointed his rod towards Buffy.

The Slayer’s eyes glowed green for a moment. “That’s exactly the wrong thing to say, buster.” She pulled out her sword, and she started to slowly circle Toth to put Spike behind him.

Toth raised his arm, rod in hand. He was about to release the power of his weapon when Spike jumped on him from behind. Toth’s knees buckled beneath him. A powerful grip on his arm made him drop the rod. Toth threw off the offending weight, but before he could regain his balance the Slayer surged forward to sever his head from his body.

“Well, that’s interesting.” Spike kicked Toth’s head to the side while Buffy and he watched the body dissolve into the ground. “Not something you see every day, even in Sunnyhell.”

Buffy picked up the rod, and she tossed it to Spike. “Here, round up Willow and Serina. Get Riley back to normal.”

“That git isn’t anywhere near normal,” Spike replied. He swaggered over to Buffy, and he caught her around the waist. “Have I mentioned lately how hot you make me when you’re fightin’, pet?”

Buffy looked up into Spike’s face. “Yeah, but tell me again.”

Spike chuckled before he pulled Buffy in for a knee-buckling, panty-wetting snog.

Chapter 5, No Place Like Home,



SEVERAL MONTHS BEFORE



“Abbot Popeo, the Beast! It is here!” Brother Levi screamed. He pressed his body against the door that swelled around him. He didn’t know how much longer his magic would hold against the creature on the other side.



“Finish the ritual,” the Abbot commanded the two monks in front of him.



“We did, Abbot,” Brother Malachi said. “It was of no use. The other Hell-gods are unavailable to help us against the Beast.”



Abbot Popeo hissed his displeasure. The Key had disappeared from the monastery just days before. “Find the Key!”



“Yes, Abbot Popeo,” Brother Malachi replied. He looked across the smoke at Brother Zeev. “Start the search.”



Brother Zeev nodded. He bent over the incense, and he inhaled deeply while Malachi and Popeo chanted another ritual. The smoke would help open up his mind to allow him to see things that were unobservable by the naked human eye. Zeev allowed his spirit to leave his body, where it meandered around the room assessing everything. Finally, he said, “The Key is where it is meant to be.”



“With them? The ones that will guard it?” Popeo asked in a slow whisper.



“Yes, sir,” Zeev replied with a nod.



Behind Zeev the door burst open around Brother Levi, flinging the now injured monk across the room into the stone wall.



“Where is my Key?” Glory bellowed as she marched into the room.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*



REGULAR TIME, SUNNYDALE



Buffy’s body slammed against the fence where the ‘Private Property, No Trespassing, Violators Will Be Prosecuted’ sign hung. She ducked just before the huge biker vamp’s fist could connect with her jaw.



“I’ve always wanted to kill the Slayer.”



“I’ve always wanted piano lessons. So really, who’s surprised we have all this unexpressed rage?” Buffy slammed her fists into the vampire’s face until he stumbled away from her.



A nearby chuckle echoed off the surrounding vacant buildings. “If you really want piano lessons, just say the word, pet.”



The biker vamp whirled around to confront the voice. “Who are you?”



Buffy shook her head with a laugh. “Eh,” she said while she pulled a stake out of her sleeve. “I’m just expressing my anger a bit better than this idiot.” Buffy plunged the stake into the vamp’s back. “We’ll just sign him up for a good anger management class.”



Spike watched the vampire turn into dust. “Or not.”



“Hey, what are you two doing here?”



A bright light flashed into Buffy’s face, and she turned to see a night watchman approach from behind the fence.



“If you’re looking for one of those rave parties, I’m afraid you’re too late.” The watchman swung his light towards the factory. “I chased a bunch of kids out of here last night.”



“Ah honey, I told you it was last night,” Spike chortled.



Buffy glared at her mate before she stepped away from the watchman. “Yeah, darn. My fellow ravers will be so disappointed too. It was our turn to bring the Bundt cake.”



Spike gave the watchman a confidential look. “Which is probably why they told us two different times. My girl here can cook a mean pancake, bacon and eggs, but baking is beyond her.”



The watchman chuckled. “You know, if it was my call, I’d let you do whatever you want. It’s not like anyone’s using this place or anything. They don’t pay me to argue with the boss though.”



Buffy moved to Spike’s side where she laced her arm through his. “Already gone.” She started to pull the vampire away from the fence, but the watchman held up his hand.



“Hey. Hold it, miss. Take your…” The watchman bent over to pick up a glowing yellow orb that he handed to Buffy. “… whatever this is with you.”



Buffy looked at the orb, rolling it around in her hand before she handed it to Spike. “Thanks.”



“Glow balls, huh?” the night watchman laughed. “I swear I don’t get your generation. What is that thing?”



Spike shifted the orb in his hand. “Guess we’ll find out.” He tucked the ball into his duster pocket before he escorted Buffy down the street.



The Slayer gave the watchman a jaunty wave over her shoulder. “Sorry, we bothered you,” she said.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*



Dawn strolled into the kitchen where she found Buffy preparing a breakfast tray under the watchful eye of Reginald Bey. “What’s going on?” she asked.



Buffy looked up from her task. “Mom’s sick, and I made her a nice non-instant breakfast for a change.”



“You cooked?”



“Oh, ha-ha,” Buffy fake laughed. “I can cook just fine. It’s the driving I’m having a hard time getting the hang of.”



Joyce entered the room still dressed in her robe and pajamas. She crossed to Reggie who she kissed on the cheek before she smiled at her daughters. Noticing the tray in front of Buffy, she said, “Oh, check out the ‘Pamper Mom’ platter.” She glanced at Dawn. “The two of you do this?”



Dawn knew better than to take credit when Buffy had a witness. “Nope, just got here myself.”



Joyce glanced at the others. “So, everything’s okay, right? No pregnancies, no failing grades, and no indictments, I assume.”



“I knew you were feeling less than great, Mom.” Buffy gestured towards the tray. “I was just hoping to make you feel better.”



Joyce nodded while she sat down at the table next to Reggie. “Yeah. The headaches they said would go away came back and brought some friends along with them.”



“Oh, ouch,” Buffy grimaced. “What did the doctor say?”



“Oh, you know. Take four of some pills a day and come back for tests.”



“I’m not so sure the pills are working,” Reggie spoke up. “Joyce has been having nightmares.”



“So, they have no clue what’s wrong?” Buffy shook her head. She picked up the plate, and she placed it in front of Joyce. “Dawn, grab the juice please.”



“Not yet they don’t,” Joyce said.



“Well, that’s unacceptable. I think we should get a second opinion,” Buffy grumbled.



Joyce laughed. She picked up her fork. “We need to get a first opinion first, honey. I have an appointment next week. Reggie insisted.”



“I’ll be keeping an eye on her,” Reggie replied. “I want you two to go about your lives like normal. Now, Dawn, you need to get to your morning class while you, Buffy, need to get down to help Giles. It’s his grand opening day.”



“Oh, I forgot that was today,” Joyce said. “Make sure you bring me back … oh I don’t know … a flying broomstick or something.”



Dawn scoffed. “Those never really work.”



“Now, pumpkin belly, don’t be a spoilsport,” Joyce teased.



“Mom, that’s a baby name,” Dawn protested. “Why don’t you come up with something embarrassing for Buffy for a change?”



Joyce considered the request before she shook her head. “Nope, she’s always just been Buffy.”



Dawn rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Are we going to the book club tonight?”



“Depends on how she feels,” Reggie said in a protective voice. “In the meantime, we’ll be sticking around the house today. The ladies down at the gallery can handle a day without supervision.”



Joyce turned to Dawn. “Don’t you have a rain forest report due today?”




“Don’t remind me,” Dawn moaned. “I suppose I should go.” She kissed Joyce on the cheek before she scurried into the living room to find her backpack.



“I better get going too,” Buffy replied.



“Have fun, honey.”



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*



Buffy strolled into the Magic Box. She glanced up at the quaint bell above the door when it jingled. “That wasn’t here before,” she muttered. Then, she noticed Giles standing in the middle of the room in a sparkly purple wizard’s robe with a matching wizard hat. She burst out laughing. “Oh, God, Giles. It’s not Halloween.”



“I know that,” Giles answered in a haughty manner. “I was just trying for some ambience.”



“Okay, if you say so.” Buffy looked around at the lack of customers. “How long have you been open?”



“Since nine this morning, actually.” Giles looked around too. “Still, not to worry. I have a feeling about this place. Magic’s a small niche market, but think about it. Sunnydale … monsters… supply and demand. They’ll be lining up around the block in no time, especially if I don’t die anytime soon guaranteeing the supply.”



“Yeah. You’ll be making money hand over fist.” Buffy looked at her hands for a moment before she held her hand over her fist. “I don’t understand that one, but I guess it’s a good thing, right?”



Giles gave Buffy a puzzled look. “Quickly and continuously actually. You seem kind of distracted.”



“Mom’s still sick, and we have no idea what’s going on.” Buffy shook her head. “She’s going to the doctor next week.”



“I’m sure they know what they’re doing,” Giles tried to reassure Buffy.



“I hope so. Anyway, before I forget, Spike and I found something on patrol last night.” Buffy reached into her purse to pull out the glowing ball that the security guard had given Spike and her. “What the hell is it?”



Willow burst into the store with Riley behind her. She didn’t miss the Slayer’s grimace at the sight of the ex-soldier. Sorry, Buffy. He caught me down the street and followed me, Willow thought.



Giles kept his attention on the sphere in Buffy’s hand. “It appears to be paranormal in origin.”



“Really, how can you tell?”



Giles was unsure how to answer the question. He took the ball from Buffy, and he rolled it around in his hands. “Well, it’s so shiny,” he said in a lame voice.



“May be more where that came from,” Riley spoke up. “I say we go back out again tonight.”



A snort sounded from the doorway to the backroom. “What’s this ‘we’ shite, Finn?” Spike strolled up to Buffy, and he kissed her on the cheek.



“You’re not patrolling, Riley,” Buffy said. “Not only are you recovering from a major surgery, but you’re recovering from that magical whammy Toth hit you with.”



Riley pulled himself up to his full height in the hopes of intimidating the shorter woman and vampire. “I’m an adult. If I want to patrol, I am more than able.”



“Don’t be stupid, Riley,” Buffy protested. “Honestly, it’s best if it’s just Spike and me. You’ll just get hurt again.”



Riley looked hurt and a bit miffed. How am I going to prove to her that I’m worthy of her attention? He turned to Giles. “You got that danger room set up in the back? I’m feeling the need for a little physical rehab right now.”



Giles handed the sphere to Willow. “Of course, yes, Riley.”



Riley stormed past Spike and Buffy, slamming the door to the back room behind him.



“Oops, I think I hurt someone’s feelings,” Buffy said in a sheepish voice. “Today’s just not my day.”



The shop phone rang, and Willow went to answer it. “The Magic Box, how may I help you? Oh, hey Reggie. Well, hold on. Let me ask.” Willow held the phone away from her face. “Buffy, can you go pick up your mom’s prescription at the hospital pharmacy?”



Buffy glanced at the clock. “Uh, yeah. I think Spike and I can swing by the hospital.”



“Tell the sheik we’ll be there in a few.”



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*



Buffy took the bottles of pills from the pharmacy tech, and she thanked him with a smile. Then, she turned to Spike who took the bottles from her to study the labels. While he was looking at the bottles, two orderlies and a nurse passed by with a patient.



Buffy watched them wheel past. She gave the patient a confused look before she tugged on Spike’s sleeve. I wonder what’s wrong. That’s the night watchman from the warehouse.



Why don’t you ask?



“Excuse me.” Buffy put her hand out. “I know this guy. He’s a night watchman at a warehouse. What’s wrong with him?”



“I can’t really tell you that,” the nurse said. “You have to be family. I’m Ben, by the way.”



“Buffy. This is my boyfriend Spike.”



Spike grunted. He didn’t like how the git was looking at his girl. So, he slipped Joyce’s medicine into his pocket, and he put his arm around Buffy’s shoulders.



The watchman suddenly sat up to struggle against the orderlies. “I don’t belong here. I have important instructions, you fascists.”



Ben turned to the watchman. “Now you’re hurting the nice orderly who’s here to help you. I need nine cc’s of Phenobarbital in this guy now.”



“I’d say he’s slightly crazier than that last time we saw him, pet,” Spike said quietly. He studied the man on the table.



“Doesn’t even help,” the watchman muttered. “Doesn’t even make a damn bit of difference.”



Buffy nodded. “Yeah, I think you’re right.”



The watchman lunged away from the orderlies to clutch at Buffy’s arm. “They’re coming at you. Don’t think you’re above it, missy. They come through the family. They get to your family.”



“My family. What do you mean?”



“It’s okay, Buffy.” Spike stepped forward, and he pressed the night watchman back onto the gurney. “Hurry up and strap him down, you gits.”



The orderlies hurried to comply with Spike’s command. When the watchman was finally strapped down to the gurney, the bleached blond man stepped away. He shook his head. “Seemed perfectly fine last night.”



“Let’s get him to Exam One,” Ben said. “Now would be nice.”



Spike and Buffy watched the night watchman be wheeled away. They had a silent conversation going on in their heads about going back to check out the warehouse again.



“Sorry about that.” Ben gave Spike and Buffy an embarrassed smile.



“Not your fault.” Buffy waved her hand. “No big deal.” She pulled Spike away from the other man.



So, you think we should check out the warehouse again, Buffy asked.



Spike threw a look over his shoulder before he said, “Yeah, might be a good idea, Slayer. Something happened to the man between the time we saw him and this afternoon.”



I’ll step up the research on the sphere just as soon as I can, Giles intervened on the conversation. Just as soon as I find the time. Oh, customers.



“We need to get these to mom,” Buffy said softly. “Then, we’ll go do a better search of that warehouse where we found the glow ball.”



“Sounds good, Slayer,” Spike replied. He put his hand on the small of her back while he guided her out of the hospital.

Chapter 6, No Place Like Home Part 2

Malachi had barely escaped with his life when the Beast entered the Czech monastery. Abbott Popeo, Brother Levi, and Brother Zeev had all given their lives so that he might be able to flee with the knowledge that the Key was safe with her protectors. He carefully arranged the lit candles and religious icons around his location. Just a little more magic, and the protectors would be strong enough to defeat the Beast. Malachi was upset about losing the Dagon sphere, but he couldn’t think about that now. He just needed to find the darned thing.

Malachi marked different locations on a map of Sunnydale before he was interrupted by a boom that resonated through the factory. He looked towards the steel door. “I hope that holds,” he muttered under his breath. “The Beast is here.”

The booming came closer until it was a pounding on the door. Malachi watched as the steel buckled under the pressure until it flew across the room, taking out the far wall. The dust settled to show a beautiful blond woman with a maniacal look in her eyes. She stepped into the room smoothing down her tight red dress while she walked.

“There you are,” she said to Malachi. “I have been looking all over for you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“Thank you for choosing to shop at the Magic Box, and please do come again,” Giles said to a pair of departing customers. “Real customers. It’s brilliant.”

Willow looked up from the book she was skimming. “Congratulations,” she said with a laugh. “You’re an official capitalist running dog. I have to tell you though, on the orbular front, we’re batting zeros.”

“Not good. We’ll just have to keep trying.” Giles looked up when another group of customers entered the store to browse. “If there’s anything you need help with, let me know.”

Anya was in the throng of new customers, but before she could approach Giles another older woman broke away from the others to approach the Watcher.

“Hi, I’m Nora. I was wondering if you could help me with a couple of things.”

“I would be happy to, my dear, if I’m able,” Giles said while he put on his best shopkeeper face.

Nora looked around nervously. “I was wondering how you were going to guarantee that you’ll stay open. Mr. Bogarty was a really nice guy, and I’m gonna miss him. We’ve lost the last three shop owners.”

Giles’ facial expression sported a small smirk. “This shop falls under the protection of the Master of Sunnydale now.”

“Oh, my, that is good news.” Nora gave a silent sigh of relief. Everyone who was anyone connected to the supernatural in Sunnydale knew that the Slayer and the Master of Sunnydale were romantically linked. “No worries then. I was also wondering if you knew of any covens in the area.”

Giles turned to Willow. “I think this one falls under your area of expertise.”

When Willow took Nora aside to tell her about Serina, and the newly formed coven, Anya stepped up beside Giles. “Your conjuring powder is grotesquely overpriced.”

“I know, but that stuff doesn’t come cheap. I tried to find a cheaper distributer but soon discovered there are a lot of frauds out there,” Giles explained.

“I could hook you up with a troll that sheds the stuff.” Anya looked around the store. “I see other things I can help you with.” She paused. “For a finder’s fee, of course. I’m nearly out of money you know. It’s been over 1100 years since I had to buy things, and people just don’t know how to barter anymore.”

Spike and I are going back to the factory where we found the orb thingy now. I just wanted to let you guys know just in case anything happens, Buffy’s thoughts came through to the other Sunnydale clan members. We ran into the security guard we met last night at the hospital. Something he said has me worried about Mom and Dawn.

Poor bloke is missing a few cards from his deck now, Spike interjected. That’s not normal, even for Sunnydale.

What did the man say, Buffy? Giles asked.

They’ll be coming through my family. Buffy’s voice came through soft and unhappy.

Buffy, I want you to be careful at the warehouse, Doyle said from Los Angeles. I have a bad feeling about whatever you’re going to find there.

Thanks for the heads up, Doyle, Buffy replied. How goes your situation?

It’s being dealt with as we speak, Doyle answered. Then, he withdrew from the conversation.

It has to be Dawn, Buffy said. Something with Dawn. That toady little man already kidnapped her wanting the Key.

Buffy? Giles started in a rueful voice. Is Dawn the Key?

I think so.

Be careful out there, Buffy, Giles said. “Please be careful,” he repeated aloud.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Malachi tugged at the ropes that held him to the chair. He was terrified, and rightly so. The Beast had beaten him in the hopes of learning where the Key was, but he’d been steadfast in his silence. Not that he’d been able to talk anyway. Duct tape had a way of shutting up even the most avid of gossipers.

“You know, when you think about it, I’m the victim here,” the Beast announced. She paced around the monk like a crazed lunatic. “First off, I don’t even want to be here. I’m not talking about this room or this city. Hell, not even this state or planet. I’m talking about the whole mortal coil, you know. It’s disgusting.” She ripped the duct tape from his face.

Malachi moaned with the sudden pain. He knew that there was a pretty good chance he wouldn’t be able to withstand any torture that the Beast might decide to partake in.

“Of course it is, your Glorificusness,” a voice said from the doorway.

Glory whirled around. “Who are you?”

Doc tilted his head in a show of reverent greeting. “I am a Cerebusite. I am here to help you in any way possible.”

“Really?” Glory advanced towards the small manlike demon. She completely forgot about the monk for the moment. In fact, she didn’t even notice the whimpering security guard chained to a nearby pipe. “A Cerebusite? It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen one of your kind.”

“We have been working hard to ensure your success,” Doc replied. “We know that the Slayer has your Key. We just don’t know what form it has taken.”

“The Slayer, you say?” Glory smirked. She circled Doc much like she had circled Malachi earlier. “The Slayer has my Key.”

“Yes, but there are complications.” Doc bowed his head a little.

Glory let out a shriek. “I do not like complications.” She grabbed Doc around the neck, and she shook him like a small animal.

Doc gagged, but it would take more than a mere choking to actually kill him. “Your Glorificusness, it is nothing we can’t handle. Together,” he gasped.

“Tell me more.” Glory released Doc.

“Success has to be made here. The Slayer and her vampire are the key to the Key,” Doc said with a dry little chortle. “We have to be careful, your Gloryness. She’s a Sultana.”

Malachi watched in horror while the insidious little humanoid told the Beast of other dimensions, of other Glorys, and even of other Keys. His English wasn’t the best, but he understood enough to know that the Beast must be stopped at any cost in this dimension.

Malachi let out a sigh of relief when the Beast left with the humanoid, her mind easily distracted by what the creature had to say. He just hoped the Slayer was strong enough to withstand the Beast’s torture.

“Pssst, Mr. Monk,” the guard hissed at Malachi. Now that the threat was gone, he had lost some of his fright but not all. “Can you get loose from the ropes?”

Malachi shook his head. “I don’t think so,” he replied in halting English.

The guard turned frightened eyes towards where Glory had disappeared with Doc. “What was she? What was she on?”

“An abomination,” Malachi whispered. “A pestilence from the depths of Hell.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“Don’t let them see you,” Spike hissed. He pulled Buffy behind a dumpster. Together, they watched the little freak that had kidnapped Dawn in search of the Key and a tall, blond woman leave the warehouse.

“That doesn’t bode well,” Buffy said. “What is that little toad up to now?”

“Who’s the blond bitch with the bad perm and lopsided arse?”

“Follow them, or explore the warehouse?” Buffy asked her mate. She was torn between doing both. They could split up, of course, but that would leave them vulnerable. She didn’t like that feeling at all.

“Your call.” Spike sniffed the air before he tilted his head for a listen. “There’s a coupla heartbeats inside the building though. Might be just as informative as followin’ those two.”

“Warehouse search it is then,” Buffy said. She made sure that Doc and the blond were out of sight before she darted across the parking lot with Spike close behind her. Buffy broke the chain before they slipped through the fence. Then, they were to the door in a matter of seconds.

Buffy slipped inside the broken door first. Spike took a quick look back to make sure no one was watching them before he was inside the building right behind Buffy. He pointed towards the back of the warehouse to where he was sure the heartbeats were coming from. They crept down the dusty hallway till they came to a huge hole in door. Beyond the hole stood a crumpled steel door. Then, they heard voices.

“I assume no one is going to come looking for you,” a male voice said.

“No, I am the last,” an accented voice replied.

“Yeah, my partner was found kinda out of it this morning. He’s at the hospital,” said the first voice. “My name is Elias Burns. I’m married to Jennifer, and we have two daughters Megan and June.”

“I am Bother Malachi.”

“Who was that woman? What was she on?” Elias asked. “She was so strong.”

“That wasn’t a woman. That was the Beast,” Brother Malachi said.

“Knock, knock,” Spike called out loudly to announce himself and Buffy. He stepped past the steel door into the room. His eyebrows rose when he realized that the monk was tied to a chair and the other man, Burns, was handcuffed to a steam pipe. “Well, well, well, what do we have here? This will be like taking candy from a baby.” He rubbed his hands together as if he was anticipating something good.

Buffy stepped into the room behind Spike. She smacked him on the arm. “Stop it, Spike. We’re to find out about that glowy ball thing, not scare people.” Then, she realized that the two men were restrained.

Buffy, Giles’ voice rang out in Buffy and Spike’s heads. We’ve uncovered more than expected about the orb. It’s called the Dagon Sphere, and it has a history going back many centuries.

What’s it do? Buffy asked.

It’s a protective device used to ward off ancient primordial evil, Giles answered.

Any word on what this evil looks like?

Unfortunately no. The accounts are very vague. All we managed to uncover so far is it was created to repel That Which Cannot Be Named, Giles informed the Slayer.

“So, either of you two blokes know what a Dagon Sphere is?” Spike watched the two bound men for a reaction.

“It was the monk dude, dear,” Buffy laughed. “Well, I’m fairly certain it was him.”

“Are you the Slayer?” Malachi whispered.

Buffy nodded. “We need to get out of here before those two come back. Spike, get the guard. I’ll work on monk man.” She hurried over to Malachi, and she pulled the ropes away from his wrists.

“The Beast wants what you have, Slayer,” Malachi gasped. “You have to protect the Key.”

“Yeah, we kinda got that figured out when that little toady man kidnapped my sister in exchange for the Key,” Buffy growled. Her eyes flashed.

Malachi gasped in horror. “The Key! The Key is human now. It had no form, but we molded it into flesh and gave it form. We sent it to you.”

“Dawn,” Buffy said with certainty. “Yes, we kinda figured that out already. Between the dreams, and the memories, we figured it out.”

“You must protect her,” Malachi begged. “The Key is energy. It’s a portal that opens the doors to Hell.”

Buffy’s eyes flashed again. “Don’t worry. We’ll do what it takes to protect her. She belongs to the clan of Sultana-Aurelius. We protect our own.”

Across the room, Elias cringed when Spike’s eyes flared iridescent blue, but the bleached blond man wasn’t interested in him.

The clan link flared while the other clan members acknowledged the claim on the Key.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Anya laid down the stack of money she was counting. “You’re out of crystal balls, Giles. Those babies are really popular with the amateurs. Better restock and raise the price ten percent. No, better make it fifteen. Sometimes it is just a fad thing.” She gathered another bunch of cash from the register. “Your cash register looks like squirrels nest in it, and the Hand of Glory packs some serious power. Better institute a seven day background check for any customers wanting to purchase one.”

Giles let out a tired sigh. “Anya, would you like a job?” Who knew how many intricate details came with being a store owner to such supernatural items?

“Okay,” Anya said promptly. Her spirits brightened considerably.

“Good. Then, we can talk about it tomorrow.”

Both Anya and Giles gasped when the clan link flared. It had been awhile since that had happened, and they had forgotten how intense it could be.

Willow and Xander looked up from the books they were studying when they too felt the burst of energy flood their minds.

Oz acknowledged the link without even breaking a note as he practiced with the Dingoes. Nothing fazed him anyway.

In Los Angeles, Cordelia and Doyle glanced at each other, and they ducked their eyes to hide the flash of light in their eyes that was a sign of the clan claiming another soul for its own.

Chapter 7 Sometimes Family is a PITA, Part 1

Tara snuggled into Willow’s side. Oz was out with Lawson on patrol to give Spike and Buffy an evening alone for a change. The entire clan had been caught up in Sultana-Aurelian business lately. Even Tara and Willow had been out at the coven site helping Serina with some protection spells. Tara looked up at Willow, and she smiled happily. She wasn’t sure she could tell Willow her biggest secret yet.

“Tell me a story,” Willow whispered. She noted the look in her girlfriend’s eyes. Something was on Tara’s mind, and it was sometimes easier for the young woman to open up in other ways than outright saying what was on her mind.

“Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess.” Tara buried her face in Willow’s shoulder.

“Named Tara, right?”

“Yeah, her name was Tara. After her mother died, Princess Tara moved to a kingdom far way where she met another beautiful princess named Willow and a prince named Daniel. However, Princess Tara had a terrible secret that she was scared her new friends would find out about.”

“Terrible?” Willow asked with a quivery voice. “Terrible how?” She sent a frantic message to Oz via the clan link.

Tara ducked her head. “Princess Tara didn’t know how to tell her new friends that on her very next birthday she would turn into a demon like her mother before her.”

“Is that all?” Willow gave a shaky laugh of relief. “Why would Princess Tara think her new friends cared about that? I mean, isn’t Princess Willow a kick ass witch? Doesn’t Prince Daniel get a little furry once a month?”

“M-my father s-says that I’ll b-be evil,” Tara whispered. She switched from her story mode to talking normally about the situation.

“Your dad’s an idiot,” Willow grumbled. She sent a message of relief to Oz. Even if Tara did somehow turn into a demon, there was no way they’d be abandoning her.

“He’s going to show up to try and make me go back with him,” Tara whispered.

“Well, he can’t have you. You belong here with us.”

Tara ducked her head. “I’m not sure anyone else thinks that.”

“You’re very, very wrong.” Willow put her arm around Tara’s shoulders. “I bet the next time the gang sees you, they’ll prove it too.” She didn’t tell the other young woman about the messages she was receiving via the clan link from Buffy and Giles. Tara was going to be in for a big surprise.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

THE NEXT MORNING

“Petra, send Mr. McDonald in,” RoseSeri said into her intercom.

“Yes, Ms. Hassib,” Petra’s voice floated back through the speakers.

Lindsey McDonald stepped into RoseSeri Hassib’s inner sanctum. “You wanted to see me, Ms. Hassib?” he said politely.

“Yes, I did. Come sit down.” RoseSeri waved towards the chair across from her.

Lindsey took the seat, and he looked at RoseSeri with an expectant look on his handsome features. He had no idea what his boss wanted to talk about, but he was ready for anything.

“So, what are my old buddies, the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart, up to these days?” RoseSeri asked. Her eyes glowed in reaction when she stated the dreaded names.

Lindsey rubbed the back of his neck while he wondered exactly how much he should spill about his ex-employer’s plans. He wasn’t loyal to them anymore, but breaking WRH contracts wasn’t easy. He wasn’t quite sure how the CC managed it, and he was worried that some lingering clause would strike him if he said too much. “They’re not interested in anyone in Sunnydale, if that’s your worry. They’re after Angel exclusively.”

“Hmmm, do you think we need to warn him?”

“I’m fairly certain he’s already found out that his Sire has been returned to her mortal life.”

RoseSeri sighed. “That’s what I was afraid of. Sometimes, they can be so damned predictable.”

“Do I even want to know?” Lindsey asked in a tentative voice.

“Probably not,” RoseSeri reassured Lindsey. “Needless to say, we probably should just let it play out. It’s not like we can change their minds. At least we lured you away.”

Lindsey folded his hands in his lap. “So, you did. There is something I wanted to talk to you about. I’m thinking about buying a house here in Sunnydale. Who do you recommend?”

“Well, we bought our house from Leticia Dobson at Coldwell Banker.” RoseSeri shuffled through her business cards. When she found the right one, she handed it to Lindsey.

Lindsey looked down at the picture on the card. He noted that Leticia was a very beautiful woman. “Sounds good to me. Thanks, boss.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

AT THE MAGIC BOX

“Everyone, I’d like you to meet Brother Malachi,” Buffy said as introduction. “He was being held prisoner at the factory. We rescued him, along with Mr. Burns here.”

“Hello.” Malachi smiled a little when all eyes turned on him.

“Yeah, I just stopped by to let you know I went to visit Henry this morning,” Elias Burns commented. He shuddered while he remembered the blank-eyed ramblings of the woman he’d seen at the hospital earlier that day. Her words were so eerily similar to Henry’s that it very much creeped him out. “He’s not the only one who’s had some kind of mental breakdown. I heard a couple of interns talking, and one of them said there have been five this month.”

Buffy shook her head. “We need to keep an eye out at the hospital. Sunnydale is known for it’s strangeness not usually of the mental whacko kind. If we can figure out where the people are being… what on earth would it be called? Brain sucked? We could figure out where this Beast’s lair is at.”

“Ronald is at loose ends,” Willow replied. She crossed the room to look at the rolodex that contained the phone numbers of everyone associated with the clan. “Ever since he quit the army after the Initiative left town he’s been trying to decide what to do with himself. Perhaps this job could help him with that?”

“Sounds good,” Buffy replied. She directed her question towards Willow. “Can you talk to him when we’re done here?”

Willow nodded. “Sure thing.”

Malachi cleared his throat. “I haven’t told you about what the Beast is looking for.”

Spike and Buffy glanced at each other before they turned to Malachi. Buffy grabbed Spike’s hand before she opened her mouth to speak. “We’ve already had a run in with that Doc dude. He wanted the Key.”

Malachi opened his mouth to speak.

“We know where the Key is, mate,” Spike replied. “We’ll protect it with our bloody lives. You have the promise of the Sultana-Aurelius clan.” His eyes glowed blue.

Buffy’s glowed in response to Spike’s. “Absolutely.”

“So mote it be,” Anya whispered, and the other clan members present echoed her.

Tara looked down at her clenched hands. Despite Willow’s reassurances the night before, she was still quite sure that the clan would abandon her once they discovered her demonic nature. Tara trembled when Oz placed his hands over hers in her lap. It was just like the werewolf to know when either of his mates was in distress. He was pretty sensitive especially for someone that normally seemed so stoic.

Willow moved to Tara’s side where she dropped her hand to the other woman’s shoulder. It’s time, Buffy, she whispered across the bond. Tara needs to know she belongs here with us.

Of course Buffy thought in response. She turned to Malachi and Elias, and she said aloud, “I need some private time with some of my clan members. I will leave you here in Giles’ capable hands.” She took Spike’s hand, and she led him towards the back room.

Oz and Willow pulled Tara to her feet, and they followed Spike and Buffy. Behind them, they could hear Giles speaking to Malachi and Elias while Anya returned to her place at the counter.

Once they were in the back room, Buffy sat down on a small couch, and she patted the cushion beside her. “Come sit, Tara.”

Tara reluctantly left Willow and Oz to sit beside Buffy. She stared down at her hands.

Buffy took one of Tara’s hands. “Willow told me what you told her. About being a demon. Tara, what am I?”

“T-the S-slayer,” Tara stammered.

“What is Spike?”

“A v-vampire.”

“And Oz?”

“Werewolf.”

“Willow uses magic like you.” Buffy pulled Tara’s hair to the side, and she lifted the other woman’s chin. “Anya is a vengeance demon. Doyle is a half demon. I bet you didn’t know that when Giles was our age, he and some of his friends summoned a demon. Really, the only ones of us that could be considered normal would be Xander and Cordelia.”

“R-really?” Tara stuttered. Her eyes darted to Willow and Oz who were both smiling at her.

“Really.” Spike sat down on Tara’s other side where he took her other hand. He peered around Tara, and he nodded his head at Buffy.

With a smile Buffy let her Slayer Sultana bleed through. “I claim thee, Tara Louise Maclay, as one of my own, belonging to the clan of Sultana-Aurelius. My Wicca.”

Welcome, Tara. The joyful words echoed through Tara’s mind. Tears flowed down her face when her clan members embraced her physically and mentally. She truly felt loved by her ‘new family’ now which was something she never felt with her biological family.