"Ah," Ann said. "That explains a lot. Is this something from those chauvinist humano-centric powers that be of yours? Why are they interested in a vampire? And for that matter, why me? Why not Angel?"
"We aren't working with Angel anymore," Wesley said. "You have to find her before she kills a human," Cordelia said. "So far, she hasn't hurt any humans, and it's important that she doesn't." "And it has to be you. No one else can find her in time," Gunn said "Cordy says she's not in this town." Ann's reaction was not what the three expected. She was silent and still for a moment, her face buried in her hands. "I should probably call my lawyer," they heard her mutter. Then, she lifted her head. "Tell me about the vampire." "She's new, she's scared. You're already looking for her." "All right. Where do I start?" After a brief silence, Ann asked: "You can help me with that, can't you? Because otherwise, I'm just as stuck as you are." "The car," Cordelia said. "Find the car." "I'll pick up on that again. What's going on with you three and Angel?" "It's a long story." "I'll want to hear it all, just as soon as we all have a moment. Not now, however," Ann said, and ported to Alice's office in San Francisco. >>>||<<< "Alice, I need to know about the Z-3," Ann said without preamble. "I think I found it. Owned by Nicholas Lovel, stolen while he was in the infirmary." "Eric's fraternity brother?" "The anemic one," Alice confirmed. "License number?" "I don't know. This is where it gets interesting: It hasn't been reported stolen. I have an anecdotal report from one of the cleaning staff, that it was in the parking garage under the chapter house on Friday, and not there when Nicholas came back from the infirmary. He made a very brief fuss about it, then stopped and did not call the police." "He knows who has it," Ann realized. "Or thinks he does." "Where is he?" Ann asked. "Back at the house. The address is 750 Blackadder Lane." "I'll go there. Find the other two." "Ian Rawson and Charles Ash?" "Yes." "I've got what Spike asked for, or some of it," Alice said. "Yes?" Ann said. "He's good." "He's intelligent," Ann agreed. "On the down side, he's untrained, impatient and very definitely not a team player. On the personal down side, he's committed to the rebellious teenager image and he thinks he's in love with Buffy Summers." "Still, he's good looking and smart. Don't forget about that dinner." >>>||<<< "Where can I find Nicholas Lovel?" "Third floor, turn left, second door on the left." "Thanks." >>>|||<<< "Come in." "Nicholas Lovel?" "Yes?" "Call me Ann. I need to talk to you about Eric, Charles and Ian, and also your car." "No. There's no problem about the car. A friend borrowed it, as it turns out." "I am not a reporter, I am not with the police and I do not ask this idly. I think you were attacked by three vampires last Friday. They nearly killed you. I need to know what else happened, what happened to a girl." "How do you know about that?" "I think she killed Eric two nights ago, not far from where I live, and she may be trying to make a clean sweep of them. I need to find her." "She has reason to hate them," Nicholas said. "I can imagine." "No, you can't." "I've seen what vampires can do. I've built a pyre for a girl who had been killed by vampires, and healed a man who had been nearly drained. I am no friend of rapists or murderers, and I won't say a girl who kills those who have injured her is wrong. I promise you, she will be safe with me." Nicholas Lovel looked at her. "Why do you need to find her?" "So far, she has not hurt a human. It is important to some of the powers that be than she not kill a human. I don't know why." Nicholas nodded. "All right. I believe you. What do you need?" "Her name, your car license number, anything about the vampires she intends to kill." "Her name is Sarah Thompson. She was my date. I let it happen to her." "No," Ann said at once. "You nearly died trying to stop it. Can you show me a picture of her?" "Here." "She has short, dark, curly hair? I thought I was looking for someone with long silver hair." "She has a wig. We went to a costume party, before we came to the party here. She was one of the X-Men." "And your car's license?" "4XYA724." "I can find that. Thank you." Ann stood up. "Ian just doesn't think at all. Charles thinks money can solve every problem. His family always has a lot of helpers." "One of those," Ann said. "I can deal with him." "I believe you. The powers that be?" "So I'm informed. My interest, my sympathy, is entirely with Sarah." "I'd like to know..." "If I can," Ann promised. "Thank you." >>>|||<<< "Mrs. Sternwood is a very good customer at her bank, and has been for a very long time. No one there wanted to talk. I hacked in, not easily, and found some of what you wanted, Spike," Alice said "No one named Sternwood bought the credit cards. On the other hand, she withdrew the money. Here's a copy of the records. The bank noted the serial numbers, since each bill was reportable, apparently she's never done this sort of thing before. I can't offer this to a court, and I'll deny it if I'm asked, but at least you know." "Thanks, Alice," Spike said. "We think we can resolve this," Giles said. "With any luck, it won't come to a court at all." "I'll be just as glad," Alice said. She smiled at Spike, said: "See you," to everyone; and was gone. "I'll copy this and put it with the video," Spike said. He went over to the scanner. Giles was frowning. "How are we going to approach Mrs. Sternwood?" "A direct frontal attack with molotov cocktails and mortars is out, I suppose," Xander said. "So is writing for an appointment," Buffy said. "A non-incendiary frontal attack sounds like a nice compromise." "Ann or Alice could put us there," Willow said. "We can't ask Alice for help in this, we could get her license pulled. Gang Long might do it," Spike said. He folded the copy of the bank records and placed it in the brown envelope that already held the copy of the video. "Yes, I was thinking that would work," Buffy said.,/P> "Hey, Gang Long," Spike said. "Would you be willing to take us some place? Some place you haven't been?"
"I can do that," the boy said. "How many of you?" "Me, Giles, and Willow," Buffy said. "Tara can't leave here and Xander gets sick." "And me," Spike said. "You can't get in," Buffy pointed out. "Gang Long says his magic is stronger than traditional vampire reflexes. He got Harmony in here, didn't he?" "Even so, you can't help," Buffy said. "There's a least one vampire at the Sternwoods," Spike pointed out. "I can deal with him, if we need to." Buffy considered. "All right," she conceded "And Harmony," Spike said. "Why Harmony?" "Identification. Confirmation. We're still not completely sure Harmony is the target--mostly sure, yes; completely sure, no. If our theory is wrong, we should know that as soon as possible." "When did you become such a perfectionist?" Buffy asked. "While I was diving for cover instead of getting a beer--which is an experience I can do without repeating. If we return from the Sternwoods thinking we're safe and we were wrong, we can go to the Bronze tonight, and get shot at again." "An accurate, but pessimistic, summation, Spike," Giles said. "All right," Buffy said. She paced a little. "We may as well take the prisoners, too. Ann may want her house back." "A very nice gesture," Giles agreed. "Gang Long," Spike said, "can you handle the five prisoners, in addition to us?" "I think so." "Then, if we're ready, let's do this," Buffy said. "Willow, wait," Tara said. "Wear this." She handed the other Witch the headset camera. "I used the interface spell--the one that didn't work so well with Ann's crystals and the VCR? It works fine with the mundane cameras, after you enchant them a little, that is. "Good idea," Willow said. "Tara can keep track of us from here," she explained to the rest. "On the big crystal in the library." "And I can make a DVD off the crystal, and you can tell Mrs. Sternwood that you all are being watched and recorded, so you'll be safer." "Clever girl," Spike approved. "That seems very tech-y for you two," Buffy said. "Some tech stuff, but mostly it's magic. The hard part was the interface spell, and we'd worked that out already. The main difference between the plain camera and the enchanted camera, is that the disk and the power pack stay here and are totally safe, and the camera is camouflaged and mostly unnoticeable." "Sounds like wireless magic to me," Spike said. "It sort of goes tech-magic-tech," Tara said. "The camera's tech, the interface that brings the picture here and displays it is magic, and the DVD is tech." "Sort of symmetrical?" Willow wondered. "Is that important?" "You can ask Ann later," Buffy said. "Gang Long, are you ready?" >>>|||<<<,/P> "Are you supposed to do this?" Tara asked, suddenly worried. "Because if you were, that wouldn't stop you, you could just go."
,/P> "You know that stupid thing they say in the military?"
"No," Tara said. "Don't ask, don't tell?" Xander asked. "That's the one," Ann agreed. "Oh. OK," Tara said. "Thank you." >>>|||<<< "The car is here, but it's moving." "Yes," Ann said, then thought for a moment. "I'm going out and I'm taking the Jaguar. I'll call you once I get there," her pale, short nailed finger indicated the spot on the map, "and you can tell me where the car's moved." "Yes," Tara said. Ann smiled at her, at everyone else, and left, running out in a calm and unhurried way. >>>|||<<< In the Jaguar, Ann entered her destination in the navigation computer and approved its displayed route. She pulled out of the garage and headed for the freeway. There was a hemisphere of crystal set in the center of the steering wheel. Ann touched it. "Kearny Agency." "Ann, hi." "I'm headed for San Diego. What's in San Diego?" "Ian Rawson's guardian's home. His uncle." Alice was apparently reading as she spoke. "His mother's half brother, by their mother's second marriage." "Address?" Ann demanded. "Just a second. I've got two computers here, one with a split screen. OK Phone number, reaches a human secretary, who takes messages of any length," Alice said. "A post office box, downtown San Diego; Email address; city address, here, no one home; corporate address, Maryland; no home address in San Diego." "Keep on that. Charles Ash, where is he?" "Not at his parents home, my agent was told, and there is no male that age in that house." "He's no longer completely human." "Please," Alice said. "The man I sent can tell the difference." "Sorry. I'm near a phone. Call me with whatever you find out." Ann touched the phone off. Fifteen minutes she exited the freeway. Touching the crystal, she said, "Home." "Ann, hi. OK, it stopped, the car. At 2964 Laurel Place, over by some golf course, sort of east of center of the map," Tara said, in her typical rush when she was excited. "Very good, thank you," Ann touched the phone off. She turned off onto a side street, parked and ported to Laurel Place. Walking up to the front door, she rang the bell. The woman who answered the door was inclined to be annoyed. Looking at Ann's clothes, she made an effort to be patient. "Yes?" "I'm looking for Ian Rawson," Ann said. "He's supposed to be resting." "May I see him?" "He should be here somewhere." The woman stepped back from the door and motioned Ann in. The first thing that caught Ann's eye was the pile of dust on the floor. "I don't think I can wait," Ann said. "Tell me, did a young woman in a blonde wig arrive just before I did?" "I don't know," the woman said. "The bell rang, Ian said he would get it." "It seems he did. Do you know Charles Ash?" "The boy from Stanford? Ian was going over there later, maybe they left early." "Over where?" Ann said. "Tell me." "West Jamul." "The address," Ann ordered softly. "75 Warwick Lane." Ann ported back to the Jaguar. The crystal phone was blinking. Ann touched it. "Hi." "No luck on Ian, but Charles Ash's mother has remarried and has a place in Jamul." "75 Warwick Lane?" "That's the place. How'd you get it?" "From a woman I assume to be the late Ian's aunt by marriage." "Oh?" "Unless she's just a messy housekeeper and the pile of dust isn't Ian after all." "I see. Well, are we done?" "Very possibly. I'll call you back if I don't find him or another little pile of dust there. Thanks, Alice." >>>|||<<< Spike glanced around. The Sternwood mansion was bigger than Ann's place, but not as inviting. The group had arrived in the dining room, where there were three people: A woman; a young man, who promptly shifted into full vampire display, and a gravely serious butler serving lunch. Luncheon, Spike amended. "Mrs. Sternwood?" Giles asked politely. "Harmony!" the young vampire said. "Mrs. Sternwood, we have certain demands to place before you," Giles said. "We expect them to be accepted." "Jake, how are you?" "How am I? Didn't you come here to be with me?" "Uh, no, not really." "Certainly not," Mrs. Sternwood said. "You are not being a thrall to some silly outsider, James." "Oh, come on. She's not that kind of girl," Spike declared "I am too," Harmony insisted. "Harmony, you couldn't enthrall a budgerigar." "What about our destiny?" James demanded. "Well, you know," Harmony said. "I mean, we were together a whole week." Buffy, glancing back at Harmony, caught the two credit card mercenaries, just beyond her, exchange a quick glance. She followed their gaze to the butler. "I don't believe this: The butler did it?!!? Willow, truth spell that butler." "Let me try this first," Willow said. She pulled the credit card out of her belt pouch, whispered to it and opened her hand, letting the card rest on her palm. She spoke one more word, and the card flew across the room and stuck to the butler's forehead. Quickly, Willow set the truth spell, and nodded to Buffy. "Now," Buffy said. "Did you hire these two men to kill Harmony?" "Yes," the butler said. "Nash," James Sternwood said. "Why?" "I disapproved of what she has done to you, sir." "Really, Nash," Mrs. Sternwood said. "Thank you, Nash," the vampire said. "It is, after all, only what Norris would have done for your grandfather." "Nash, we will discuss your uncle later. Throw these people out." Giles and Buffy looked at Nash, who was approaching retirement age. Buffy walked over to him, pulled out a side chair, pushed him down in it and said: "Don't try anything. I break furniture." Nash looked over at Mrs. Sternwood, then at James Sternwood, who shrugged. Nash relaxed. "I will not be intimidated by uncouth children," Mrs. Sternwood said. "Hey! This is not a bluff," Spike said, entering full display in his irritation. Take us seriously. We have your bank records about the withdrawal of the money we found on them, we have their taped confessions and we just recorded your butler's confession of attempted murder. Get real here." "Smooth," Buffy muttered. "You do it, then," Spike growled, shifting back to human and handing her the evidence. "Mrs. Sternwood, the original items are with a friend. We suggest a truce. You keep your hired killers out of Sunnydale and stop trying to kill--" and I can't believe I'm saying this, Buffy thought "--Harmony, and our friend just keeps them. Bother us again, and we go public. We won't stop with a criminal trial, either, we'll also go straight to The National Mirror and out your son as a closet vampire and you and your butler as mass murderers by hire." She placed the envelope on the table and stepped back. "That's it?" James said. "Go away and don't bother you? You turned me into a vampire, Harm, then you left me. What am I supposed to do now?" "Deal with it," Spike said. "Your family's supporting you, you haven't got it bad in the least." "She's not even sorry we broke up!" "You're kidding!" Spike said. "She didn't even ask!" "That's true," Buffy said. "That is true," Spike admitted. "Harmony, apologize." "Spike! What about poor Denny? What about what his mother had them do to him?" "This is about what you did. Apologize," Spike said. "I'm sorry I made you immortal." "Oh, grow up, Harm. The prospect of eternity with people like you in it can be pretty damn terrifying." "Especially when you haven't been laid in three weeks, and don't see how you're going to manage ever again!" "Oh, bloody hell. Is that all you're actually griping about?" Spike grabbed James and pulled him aside. Buffy, Giles, Willow, Gang Long, Harmony, the five mercenary prisoners, Mrs. Sternwood, and Nash the butler, watched as Spike, speaking steadily, but very softly, handed James a card from his wallet. Spike's gestures grew expansive, James's face went from sulky to mildly interested to avidly interested. "Really?" the watchers heard James ask.. "Really," Spike averred, at normal volume. "And best of all, if you find yourself at a loose end in the middle of the day, they have underground parking, so all you do is drive in and take the private lift. They accept credit cards, too." "OK, thanks," James said, examining the card more carefully. "And the food is good." "I can still eat? I thought all I could eat was blood and I was getting damn tired of it." "Blood feeds you. Food tastes good, just don't eat too much. You don't need to stop tasting, although I like Cambells better than blood straight from the human. The adrenaline the humans pump into their blood imparts a harsh metallic tang." "I don't like the AB negative at all." "There are seven other flavors to choose from and if you get the non-flavored generic, you can always add anything you want. I like clam juice or Tabasco, but I've been told some vampires like wheat grass or even banana. De gustibus non est disputandum." "Thanks," James's eyes shifted uneasily at the Latin, then came back to the older vampire: "Spike, isn't it?" "Yeah." "You're sort of my grandfather, right?" Spike looked startled for a moment, then took advantage of James's obvious need for friends and supporters: "In a way; which entitles me to kick your butt if I catch you doing something stupid. Remember, you're immortal now, you can outlive everyone here, if you're smart and you don't panic the humans. Start taking a long view. Just stay out of Sunnydale, or Buffy will stake you." "Sunnydale," Buffy said, "is off-limits to any mercenary. Remember that, please, all of you." >>>|||<<< Go on to Chapters 13-14 Go back to Lynn's Archive Go back to the Author's Archvie Send the Author Feedback