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Chapter 28

“Faith, help me,” Riley muttered. His heart ached two-fold now. The chip that was buried deep inside his pounding organ fired and misfired over and over. Walsh had some kind of control device that controlled his body. The other ache was from the look of horror that crossed Faith’s face when she saw the vamp whores sucking on his body.

Walsh turned demon yellow eyes on Spike and the Specter. She pointed a finger at the dark-clad girl. “You! You’re supposed to be dead. I found a specific poison for a bitch like you… A turned S…”

The Specter and Spike both launched stakes at the ex-military scientist. She dusted before she had a chance to reveal Buffy’s secret. Spike and the Specter looked at each other as they both wondered how Walsh had figured it out.

Luckily for them, Faith was too engrossed with her boyfriend to hear Walsh’s words. Her expression turned from hurt to angry in two seconds flat. She was across the room with two stakes appearing as if she pulled them from thin air, and she had the two vampires sucking on Riley dusted. When she got closer, Faith could see the older bites that littered Finn’s body. She had wondered why he had started wanting to fuck in the dark.

“Baby, I don’t feel so good,” Riley gasped. His eyes rolled up in his head as he passed out.

“He’s lost a lot of blood, Faith,” Spike said. “And his heart’s acting erratic like.”

“Walsh put chips in our hearts to control us.” Graham in full game face entered the room. “When you dusted her, it broke the control.”

“What’s wrong with Riley?” Faith didn’t take her eyes off her boyfriend. Now his breathing was erratic also.

“Get him down to the street. Call 911, and tell him your boyfriend collapsed,” Spike commanded. He grabbed up Finn’s shirt and tossed it to Faith. He motioned for the Specter to help him move the tall ex-soldier.

“How do we explain the bites?” Faith asked dully.

“Tell them you were gonna meet him someplace, and when he didn’t show you went looking for him. He was attacked by a bunch of wild animals,” Graham replied. “I had the pleasant job of looking over the police reports for Walsh. I certainly know all the ‘code’ words now.” He wiggled his fingers in the air when he said the word ‘code’.

The Specter turned to look at the newcomer. There was something about him that was different from other vampires. He certainly didn’t have the bloodlust on him that other fledglings seemed to have. She wondered briefly if he knew her secret identity, but then it was time to move Riley outside.

After the ambulance came and took Riley, with Faith by his side, away, Clem arrived. As they stood watching the deserted building that had housed the vampire whorehouse burn to the ground, Spike glanced over at Graham.

“What happened to you, mate?” He knew that Graham hadn’t been a vampire when the Initiative had been destroyed.

“Walsh caught me coming out of a store downtown and turned me,” the soldier said in a quiet voice. “I don’t know why I didn’t feel much different after I died. It’s weird. Other than a need to drink blood, and stay out of the sun, I feel exactly the same as before.”

“I know the feelin’,“ Spike replied. “How’d she figure out that the Specter’s a Slayer?”

“I don’t know, but Riley was telling her all about your little girlfriend,” Graham replied. He tilted his head with a concerned look on his face. “I think she had some info on Slayers that she never told the rest of us.”

Spike and the Specter looked at each other for a moment before the bleached blond male spoke again, “You can stay in Sunnyhell as long as you don’t munch on the natives. The Specter doesn’t like it much, and she’ll dust you with a simple word.”

Graham nodded his agreement. “I ran into your friend the other day. Dalton, I think his name is. He wanted to hire me to help with the cat breeding business.” He shook his head. “Weird business, even for this town.”

“You have to admit, it makes us a lot of money.” Spike shrugged. He gave Graham the address to the mansion where Dalton lived. He figured they would make decent room mates. “The next Scooby meeting is Tuesday at the Magic Box. Dalton doesn’t usually come, but you might want to so we can let the others know not to stake your arse.”

“I’ll be there.” Graham shifted out of game face finally. “I hope Ri’s okay. He’s not a bad guy, just not too sure of himself these days.” He strolled off towards Crawford Street.

“Is Angel at the mansion?” the Specter asked.

“No, I think the magnificent poof moved back into his apartment for now.” Spike shook his head.

“Can we go home now?”

“Sure thing, luv. Race you there.” Spike took off at vampire speed.

Buffy giggled behind her mask before she took off after her mate.

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

“You’re going to England for a week?” Anya asked softly. She sighed when Giles gave her a nod. “Well, I guess I’ll just get use to long distance teleporting then.”

“I’m sorry, my dear.” Giles cupped Anya’s cheek with one hand. “I was unable to get Reginald Bey on the phone. His colleague in the archives said he was here in the states at one of the medical centers. Scottsdale, Arizona, to be exact. I have to go to England to find out who that woman is.”

“I understand,” Anya agreed. “I just don’t like it.” She went to the counter where she shuffled through some papers. “I have a box of crystals to unpack. That’ll keep me busy for about an hour.”

The bell above the door jingled as the Scoobies entered the store, and Xander tripped over Giles’ suitcase.

“Are you going somewhere, G-man?” Xander asked as he picked himself up off the floor.

Cordelia rolled her eyes. “Well, of course, doofus. Why else would he need a suitcase?”

The Slayers and their boyfriends came in a few minutes later followed by Spike, Buffy, and Graham through the back. The meeting started after Graham’s vampire status had been introduced to the group.

“To get any information on our opponent I must go to the Council’s door step.” Giles took off his glasses. “As I told Anya, the man I wanted to talk to in the archives is away.”

“How long will you be away?” Willow asked.

“A week at the most,” Giles replied. He put his glasses back on.

Willow turned to Anya. “If you need any help, Tara or I can come over.”

Tara nodded in agreement.

Anya looked at the witches with a small smile. They were both very helpful, even if Willow sometimes wanted the more expensive ingredients. Of course now that Serina was there teaching both Willow and Tara about their magic, ingredients were being paid for.

“When this crisis is over, Angel and I are moving to Los Angeles,” Cassie announced. “I’d really like you to come with us, Giles.”

“So, you’ve decided to transfer to UCLA?” Willow asked.

Cassie nodded before she turned to Giles and Anya. “I’ve thought long and hard on this. With Spike, the Specter, and Faith here, it’s time to move on. Heck, I think Faith could go to some other hot spot too. The Hellmouth is protected enough.”

“Can you give Anya and myself time to talk about this?” Giles held his hand out to Anya.

Anya glanced at the other Scoobies in a covert way to look at Buffy. She knew she was supposed to help the turned Slayer, not Cassie. This could be a conflict of interest.

“I think that we might leave Sunnydale too,” Faith said. “I agree with Cassie. Spike and the Specter are more than enough to control what happens in Sunnydale. I’m feeling a little obsolete.”

“Woah, that’s a lot to take in,” Xander said. He looked around at the others. “I’m not sure how I feel about all of this. I’m pretty much a hometown boy.”

“Me either,” Cordelia replied. “I’ve always wanted out of Sunnydale, but I’ll go where ever Xander wants to.”

“I guess we all have a lot to think about while Giles is away.” Willow grabbed Tara’s hand.

“The spot Serina liked for the coven is closer to Los Angeles than Sunnydale,” Tara whispered. “We could transfer to the UCLA main campus too.”

Willow nodded her agreement. “Yeah, there are a few classes that we wanted to take that aren’t offered here in Sunnydale.”

“Are you okay with all this, Spike?” Cassie asked the bleached blond vampire. “I’ll only be a phone call away if you and the Specter needed help.”

Spike raised an eyebrow. “Most master vamps have empires that are much larger than good old Sunnyhell. It’s the Hellmouth that makes it so volatile.”

Giles nodded his agreement. “It looks like everyone has some decisions to discuss while I’m away in England.”

“The good old Motherland,” Spike chortled. “Bring me back some Wheatbix. It gives the blood texture.”

Buffy wrinkled her nose. “It’s disgusting if you ask me.”

“Ye of undiscerning taste.” Spike grinned at his girl. “I guess we’re done today?”

Giles looked at his watch. “Yes, I need to go. My plane takes off from LAX in five hours.” He turned to Anya again. “Drive me to the airport to catch the shuttle?”

“Of course.” Anya hurried to get her purse and coat. “Willow, can you and Tara look after the shop while I’m gone?”

“Absolutely,” Willow said as Tara nodded. She shooed Anya and Giles out of the store.

The other Scoobies filed out of the Magic Box with many things on their minds. They couldn’t believe it was time to break up their team. They all knew that there needed to be a meeting to discuss the kitten breeding business that they were all invested in. Only Spike and Buffy were thinking about what kind of information Giles would find in England.

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

Joyce looked up when the nurse entered the waiting room. There were only two other people in the room, both men. One was an older white-haired man, and the other was closer to Joyce’s age.

“Mr. Pitt, you’re up next,” the nurse told the white-haired man. “Mr. Bey. Ms. Summers, the doctor is running a little behind. I apologize for the delay.” She ushered Mr. Pitt out of the room.

Joyce went back to her magazine.

“It’s always hurry up and wait with these doctors, isn’t it?” A pleasant voice with a British accent broke through Joyce’s reading.

“Seems that way.” Joyce glanced at the man. He had long dark hair, dark eyes, and full lips surrounded by a dark mustache and goatee.

“Reginald Bey, at your service.”

Joyce looked for a moment at the long fingered hand held in her direction. She cautiously put her own hand out, and she gasped in surprise when Reginald leaned over to brush his lips against her knuckles. “J-Joyce S-Summers,” she stuttered.

“A pleasure to meet you, Joyce,” Reginald drawled. She blushed so prettily, he wondered what else he could do to make her blush. “Are you from Scottsdale?”

Joyce shook her head. “Sunnydale, California.”

Reginald’s eyes widened in surprise at the information imparted by his new acquaintance. This lovely lady was from the Hellmouth? His friend Rupert Giles lived in Sunnydale. It was a small world. “I have a friend currently in Sunnydale, a Mr. Rupert Giles.”

Joyce gave Reginald a calculated stare. She wondered how this man knew Giles. She avoided Giles as much as possible; not wanting to have him connect her and Buffy in any way. “Yes, we’ve met a few times. He owns the magic shop with Ms. Jenkins. In fact a friend of a friend mentioned that Mr. Giles is going to England this week for research purposes, from what I understand.”

“Really? A friend of a friend, you say?” Reginald looked interested.

“Actually my daughter, but he doesn’t know she’s my daughter.” Joyce dropped her magazine, and she put a hand over her mouth. “Oh, I probably shouldn’t have said anything to you about Buffy.”

Reginald swallowed the lump out of his throat. Summers? Buffy and Summers together reminded him of his old friend Merrick who had died at the hands of Lothos several years before. His Slayer’s name was Buffy Summers. How was it possible for her to be still alive? A terrible thought dawned on Reginald, and it must have shown on his face because Joyce started to speak again.

“She still the same, you know? She’s still Buffy.” Joyce’s hands twisted in her lap. “If you don’t know she’s not… you know… living, you can’t tell.”

“Joyce, turned Slayer’s are not the same as other vampires.” Reginald’s voice dropped to a whisper. “There’s only been a few in the history of the Council. They are unable to reconcile their separate parts and usually dust within the first few months of being turned.”

“Oh, that’s terrible. I’m so glad Buffy has Spike then,” Joyce said happily. “I’m pretty sure she has accepted all her parts. I’d hate to lose her.”

Reginald cleared his throat. “If I promise nothing will ever get back to the Council, can we go out to dinner and speak about your daughter? I’m ever so interested.”

Joyce eyed the dark-haired Brit. “I suppose, but just remember if I’m unhappy, Buffy’s unhappy. If Buffy’s unhappy, Spike’s unhappy, and you don’t want to make him unhappy.”

“You have yourself a deal.” Reginald smiled brightly.

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

Anya returned to the Magic Box intent on unpacking the crystals just as she had told Giles she would. When she got to the store, Willow, Tara, Serina, Spike, and Buffy were still there chatting about the Slayers’ decisions to leave Sunnydale.

“I think we’re going with Cassie,” Willow said. “She’s been my best friend for a long time now.”

“I’ve never been there, but somehow I ended up owning a hotel in Los Angeles.” Buffy glanced out of the side of her eye at Spike. She had mentioned that they owned other buildings besides the house there in Sunnydale, but she didn’t know how he’d react to letting Angel stay in one of them. “Doyle says it’s not in the best of shape, but it’s plenty big. I’m sure he’ll be more than happy for the company.”

“That would certainly help on the rent.” Willow nodded.

“I don’t want to leave Sunnydale,” Anya said with a pout.

“W-with your p-powers it’ll be easy f-for you to r-return to Sunnydale,” Tara observed in a quiet voice.

“That’s true,” Buffy agreed.

“But what about my store?” Anya wailed.

“Why not open another branch in Los Angeles?” Spike suggested. “The witches here will need supplies.”

“Oh, excellent idea,” Serina replied. She smiled at Anya. “Look at it this way, whatever Rupert wants to do, you’ll have an answer for him.”

Anya sniffled a little. “Yeah, I do. Thanks.” She went over to put her purse away. “I need to unpack that box of crystals.”

“Do you need help?” Willow stood up. “I’ve been meaning to ask you about crystals. I saw a spell for a sunshine ball that required a crystal.”

“Let’s take a look,” Anya replied. She didn’t mind Willow asking questions about the stock, as long as it got paid for when it was used. The two women went to the storeroom to work.

Ten minutes later, Spike and Buffy heard a crash in the storeroom. They both jumped to their feet to rush into the room in question. Once they got there, they realized that something … or rather someone… was in the store room with Anya and Willow.

“He was trapped inside one of the crystals,” Willow gasped when she saw the vampires. “He’s really strong.”

“I want ale and babies to eat,” the troll roared. “Aud, provide me with these things.”

“Odd? Who the heck is he to call us odd?” Willow looked exasperated.

“I am no longer your servant, you worthless pile of ogre excrement,” Anya shouted. She turned to look directly at Buffy. “His power is in his hammer.”

“Right.” Buffy looked at Spike. With a nod, the two vampires leapt at the troll.

“Get ready, Willow,” Anya cried out. “As soon as they have the hammer, send him away.”

“Any particular place?” Willow backed up to the wall. She scooted over to the door where Tara and Serina had just appeared. She knew together that the three of them could banish the troll.

“No, just get rid of him.”

“Grab the hammer, luv,” Spike yelled. The troll hit him in the chest with one meaty paw, and Spike went flying across the room.

“Nobody touches my boyfriend,” Buffy snarled. It took all of her energy not to shift into Slayer mode. So, she settled for vampire mode. She leapt at the troll, grabbing the hammer as she went past him.

“Now!” Anya yelled.

The three witches raised their clasped hands and together they said, “Be gone.”

“Aud.” The troll pointed at Anya. “You’ll regret this, I promise.”

The troll vanished from the storeroom, leaving Buffy holding the hammer in her hands.

“You know him?” Buffy lifted one eyebrow.

“That was Olaf. He’s how I got started in the vengeance demon business.” Anya gave a shrug. “I have no idea how he got stuck in a crystal. Last I heard he was terrorizing a small town in Siberia.”

“Any other exs we need to worry about, demon-girl?” Spike drawled. He had picked himself up off the floor by then. “Some warnin’ would be great.” He stretched, making the cartilage all over his body pop.

“I may have upset a few people over the years.” Anya looked unconcerned. “I am over 1100 years old you know.”

“Well, we have this nifty hammer.” Buffy smiled brightly. She turned to set the weapon on a shelf. The shelf broke under the weight of the hammer, and it fell to the ground. “Wow, that’s heavy.” She picked the hammer up, and she leaned it in a corner.





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