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Betaed by Tasha.
Chapter 22 Birthdays Are Better if Buffy's A Sultana

Graham knocked on the door of Spike and Buffy's house. He gripped a present for the Slayer in his other hand. He admitted that he was a bit nervous about seeing the couple again after the meeting with Walsh. They probably had some tough questions to ask him. He had nosed around as discretely as possible about Room 314. He didn't want Walsh to suspect him and lessen his chances of helping the Slayer and her friends.

Buffy opened the door, and she smiled when she saw Graham. "Hey, glad you could make it," she said. "Come in and meet everyone."

Graham followed the cheerful Slayer into the living room. He recognized most of the people already present, but he was surprised to see Ronald Jones and his wife Betty at the party. Graham hadn't realized the newly discharged soldier knew Buffy or her friends. When Willow came to take Buffy's present, he willingly gave the gift up to the red haired woman.

"Come meet my mom and Reggie." Buffy put her arm through Graham's arm. "They've wanted to meet you."

"Okay." Graham gave Spike a desperate look. He had never been comfortable meeting a girl's mom, even of girls he wasn't dating.

"Don't worry, mate." Spike smirked. "I'm reasonably sure Joyce left her axe at home."

Graham gulped. "Axe?" He turned to stare at the older woman.

"Don't listen to him." Joyce came forward with her hand held out to shake Graham's. "That's only for future son-in-law vampires."

"Ma'am," Graham said. He shook Joyce's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise." Joyce took Graham's arm away from Buffy. "Why don't you come talk to Reggie and I while Buffy does the birthday thing."

"Thanks, Mom." Buffy grinned. "I need to go make sure Spike didn't give me another blue arm."

Spike rolled his eyes at his mate. "I don't know if I can get a refund for that blue arm, pet." He bit his lip while he wiggled his eyebrows at Buffy.

Graham listened in amazement as the two blonds continued to banter back and forth. Finally, Joyce pulled him towards a man who looked like desert nomad, right down to the long flowing black hair.

"This is Reggie Bey," Joyce introduced her boyfriend. "Giles will be joining us in a few moments."

"I really don't know much about Professor Walsh's secret project," Graham protested.

"We've discovered that she's making a demon-human cyborg," Reggie said quietly. Most of the guests at the party knew about the creature, but the ex-Watcher didn't want to interrupt Buffy's opening of her presents with business. "We'd love to know the purpose for the chipped vampires, as we feel it would help us know the cyborg's purpose."

"Well," Graham felt a bit out of his element spilling the Initiative's secrets, "We had hoped to use the chipped vampires as weapons. The chip can be turned off when we need them to eliminate an enemy target."

"Vampires are a bit too unpredictable, I would think," Giles said as he came up to the group. "Not many have the control that Spike has."

"Not many care about anyone besides themselves like Spike," Joyce replied.

"We need to know more about Room 314 and the cyborg." Giles gave the others a concerned look. "We know from experience that playing God, especially on a Hellmouth, can result in disaster."

"I'll do what I can, but I need to be careful." Graham shifted nervously. "Finn's acting odd, and Professor Walsh is more on the alert now that she's met with you." Little did the soldier realize that Maggie Walsh would have too many of her own worries soon to worry about him.

"Be careful and do your best," Giles cautioned.

Hours later, Graham stumbled towards the college campus with the knowledge that his ex-team mate Ronald Jones, along with his wife, was a demon. The Jones' both looked so human. Then, he met the Hassib's. There was nothing at all demonic about that family at first glance, Graham decided. They weren't undead like vampires, yet they shared their bodies with angels. There was also Clem. He was quite wrinkled and had a taste for kittens, but Graham didn't get an evil vibe from him.

Maybe it was time to rethink the whole military thing like Ronald had. It wasn't like he'd signed up to fight demons after all. The stories that Graham had heard that night at the party about the Slayer's group told him that maybe the army's ideas might be a whole bunch of badness. He knew he needed to make a decision soon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Giles and Serina left the birthday party together. They decided to go get a drink together and to become better acquainted. They discovered quite by accident a quaint little watering spot with cheap drinks and a cheaper atmosphere.

After a few drinks, Serina excused herself to use the bathroom. When she returned to the table she found Giles deep in conversation with a fellow countryman.
Giles looked up when Serina approached the table. "Serina, this is Ethan Rayne. I was just telling him about Buffy's changes."

"Ethan Rayne. Now where have I heard that name before?"

"Buffy mentioned him earlier." Giles grimaced. "He likes to cause havoc." The ex-librarian remembered the last few times his old 'friend' came to town.

"Ah yes. Reggie's mentioned him too." Serina gave the chaos mage the once over. "Not a very good reputation it seems."

"Old Ripper never mentioned you though." Ethan winked at Serina as he tried to lay on the charm.

"As if I'd mention a classy lady like Serina to an old reprobate like you." Giles rolled his eyes when Ethan tried to kiss Serina's hand.

"You don't trust me." Ethan covered his heart with one hand and tried to look hurt.

"Not any further than we can throw you." Giles rose to his feet, and he helped Serina into her chair. "Buffy and her mate, William the Bloody... you do know who William the Bloody is, don't you, old man?"

"One quarter of the Scourge of Europe." Ethan nodded with a touch of trepidation. Anyone who ran in the magical circles he did heard of famous vampires.

"They know you're here. Anything happens that seems odd or out of place, they'll know it was you." Giles gave Ethan a sly smirk.

"You taking all my fun away," Ethan muttered with a pout.

"Your idea of fun is not normal, Ethan," Giles replied. "Buffy says no hard feelings, and you're welcome to stay in Sunnydale as long as you're a good boy."

"I don't think so," Ethan grumbled. "You goodie two shoes are boring."

Serina leaned in to whisper to Giles, "Isn't that woman at the door that Walsh person?"

Giles turned just enough to see that Maggie Walsh had indeed entered the bar. He gave Ethan a sly grin. "Now her? You can cause as much chaos in her life as you like."

"Watch a master at work." Ethan returned Giles' grin with a sly one of his own. He rose from the table to make his way over to Walsh.

"Is he really that good?" Serina asked, her eyes on the charming chaos mage.

"Oh yes. Don Juan Rayne, we used to call him." Giles shook his head. "He might be evil, but he charmed the knickers off even the most reluctant of women. I've seen it with my own eyes." He remembered the time that Ethan had charmed the friend of his maiden aunt's into his bed. Ethan always did like a challenge, Giles thought to himself.

"Does he use magic?" Serina gasped. She didn't approve of using magic to coerce actions in others. It was unethical.

"No, unless he himself is magical like that." Giles smiled at Serina. "Ethan's family used to be in the Council, but as you can see Ethan isn't interested. He's the last of the Raynes, and I seriously doubt he'll ever reproduce."

Giles and Serina fell silent while they watched Ethan sweet talk his way into the college professor's good graces. After several drinks, Walsh's pager went off, and she hurriedly said good-bye as she left.

Ethan strolled over to Giles and Serina's table with a grin on his face. "When she wakes up later, she'll be that which she hunts." The evil Brit actually shivered while he made his next statement. "I could see inside her mind. She actually believes that creature she's creating loves her. That as its 'mother', it will never harm her."

"What do you think?" Giles asked. He was honestly interested in Ethan's opinion.

"I think I want to be as far away from this hick town as possible when it wakes up." Ethan shivered again. "It's almost indestructible with a uranium power core. Uranium! What is that woman thinking?"

"Chaos?" Giles grinned as he ribbed his old friend.

"World Domination?" Serina announced both words with capitol letters.

"Really. Some people." Ethan grinned in return. "So, Ripper, remember that time we put slime in old man Wilson's mail box."

"That wasn't my idea!" Giles protested.

"Yeah, right, old man."

Serina giggled at the men's antics. When they weren't at each other's throats they acted like little boys. She could almost see the carefree youngsters they used to be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maggie Walsh woke up slowly. Between the drinks she'd had with the charming British man, and the wreck Finn had made of his latest mission, she finally fell into bed in the wee hours of the morning. Walsh was glad she didn't have a class to teach that day. She was just too tired to deal with a bunch of whiny college students.

Walsh sat up, stretched, and yawned. She noticed that her voice sounded odd. She let out a scream when she saw that her arms were muscular and scaly. Walsh let out another scream when her bed collapsed beneath her. When she climbed to her feet, she realized that her center of gravity had shifted. Walsh rushed to check herself in the bathroom mirror.

"Ahhh," Walsh moaned when she saw her reflection. She rubbed her face with her hands, but nothing changed. She was still a monster.

Outside her room, Maggie could hear her soldier/students get ready for class. Most of them had extra-long Thursday classes. Thank God! All she had to do was wait until the coast was clear. Then, she'd go find someone to help her. Maybe the Slayer.
Maggie tried to sit still in her room until the activity died down elsewhere in the house. However she didn't count on her new body's urges.

Kill. Hunt. Fuck.

"Huh?" Walsh grunted. That last urge caught her by surprise even as she shook her head in denial. That wasn't a priority at the moment. Little did the professor realize that female Fyral demons were the sexual dominant of the species. They had to be since the males were only interested in fighting.

Knock. Knock

"Professor Walsh?" Riley Finn's contrite voice sounded through the bedroom door. "I want to apologize for my failure last night. I'll do better next time. Please give me another chance."

Walsh grunted in response. The boy had better confidence in his abilities than she did.

"Professor?" Finn's voice changed to being concerned. "Are you okay?"

Maggie rolled her eyes again. Go away, she growled. To her it sounded like English, but it didn't to the soldier standing outside her door.

Riley grew even more worried. Whatever made the noise inside of the Professor's room didn't sound like the Professor. He withdrew his sidearm, and with one hand he reached for the knob.

Walsh watched as the doorknob started to turn. She couldn't remember if she had locked it the night before. Finn couldn't see her like this! Walsh leapt to her feet, but before she could reach the door, it opened.

Riley gasped when he saw the huge demon in Professor Walsh's room. A quick glance told him that there was no one else in room. He raised his gun to fire at the creature.

Kill. Hunt. Fuck!

Walsh pushed down the primal urges running through her body. She would NOT have a sexual encounter with a subordinate. Bad things happed to superior officers who did.

Maggie stepped towards Finn. She reached out to grab him, hoping she could knock him out before he shot her or something worse. Walsh looked into his beautiful brown eyes, and she felt her control slip.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Finn didn't show up for class or tutoring today." Forrest complained. "If he doesn't shape up, he'll be discharged."

"Yeah." Graham nodded his head. "If his obsession with Buffy Summers doesn't piss her boyfriend off first."

"He's still bothering that woman?" Forrest reached the front door of Lowell house before Graham. "What's so special about her?"

Graham shrugged, not wanting to reveal what he knew about the blond girl. The other members of the platoon knew she was the Slayer involved with a sub terrestrial, but that was about all.

"She's cute and all, but nothing special that I could see," Forrest continued.

"I think those demonic steroids messed with his brain." Graham made the universal sign for crazy around one ear.

"Maybe," Forrest chuckled.

The two soldiers started up the stairs. That's when they noticed things were out of place. Several pictures were crooked, and a couple of tables were knocked over. Graham and Forrest dropped their books, and they unholstered their weapons. They moved with great caution down the hall until they heard a moan from Professor Walsh's room.

Graham gave Forrest a nod, and together they entered the room ready to shoot. What they found was a bruised, half-naked Riley Finn laying half off the broken bed.

"Finn, what's going on?"

"Sub terrestrial Hostile," the young man muttered. "Kidnapped Professor Walsh. Attacked me."

"Attacked you?" Forrest eyed the love bites that littered the other soldier's lean body.

"That's what I said." There was no way Riley was going to reveal exactly what had happened with the hostile. Something were just too horrifying to share.

"Whatever you say, man." Forrest put his weapon away. "Why don't you tell us exactly what we're looking for?"

Riley described the monster that had attacked him. He neglected to say anything about the sex of the hostile. He tried to be as brief as possible, but he was sure the other two men were laughing at him.

Which, of course they were. Oh, not because Riley had been attacked and molested like he thought. He kept fondling himself unconsciously every few minutes as if to check if his penis was still there. It was an action too obvious to be missed.

"Well, get yourself cleaned up, Finn," Graham ordered. "Then, we'll go in search of your hostile."
"Not my hostile," Riley muttered, but he nodded his head anyway. He stumbled off towards his own room.

"Why are we taking him with us?" Forrest asked.

Graham smirked. "Bait."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maggie Walsh awoke to find herself a prisoner in her own private zoo. No matter what she said no one seemed to understand her. However, she was proud to see that Project 314 wasn't being abandoned by her team. Although for some reason, Graham didn't seem too happy about the project. Even in her current state, Maggie wouldn't have been surprised if the soldier went AWOL. Maggie Walsh remained a 'guest' of the Initiative for a long time. Within a few weeks of being captured, she was shipped off to the Belize compound. There she remained a Fyral demon until she had another encounter with Ethan Rayne. However... that's different story, dear readers.





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