The Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, or B.P.R.D. for short, sent their two best agents to do some field work in a suburban area of Los Angeles. Called Sunnydale.
And these two agents are Hellboy and Liz Sherman. What makes them the best are who they are and the astounding abilities they possess.
Hellboy is a demon summoned by Nazis during WWII, for the sole purpose of destroying the Allied powers. However, HB had other plans. The demon from hell turned on those who summoned him and fought with the Allies. Soon after, Hellboy was recruited into the Bureau. And has fought with them ever since.
Liz, on the other hand, looks very much human. That's because she is. The only thing that sets her apart from the rest is her fiery temper. And the powers to match(no pun intended). She is a pyrokinetic. Liz can create flames out of mid- air. Just by thinking about it.
So it is no suprise that these two work best together than apart. They are teammates. Friends. Ertz-while family members, even. But nothing more.
The undercover van is almost within reach of Los Angeles. HB turned his attention to his partner. Liz is sleeping soundly. *Like an angel on earth.* Satin's son thinks heartfully. His eyesight returns to the road. And staight into a billboard. Hellboy swerves, narrowingly misses the unintended target.
The violent shaking awoke his 'angel'. "What the hell were you doing, HB?!?" Liz shrieked. "You know, if you put the effort in destroying monsters as you would drive, we would probably be there now!" Her hair started smoking.
Hellboy was only scared in one scenario. This is it. "Liz. Please. You have to calm down. Before you burn us both to death." He pleaded. For some unkown reason, HB is the only one to calm Liz down.
Her hair stopped smoking. She sighed. "I'm sorry, Hellboy, I really am. It's just that I thought I would be able to get some vaction time. And then they throw this at me." Liz explained.
Within his vision, Hellboy caught the exit they were searching. "Well, well, well. 'Ask and ye shall recieve.'" He mentioned. "Looks like were almost there, Liz. We'll find a nice secluded motel and then get into a nice, comfy bed." He just realized what he just said. "What I meant was that you get the bed and I can sleep in the van." Hellboy babbled.
Liz chuckled. "I know what you meant, HB. Just shut up and drive, demon boy." The chuckling turned to laughter.
*Mental note: Liz is even more beautiful when laughing. Ergo, make her laugh more often.* Hellboy stored that info for future use. By now you can tell that Hellboy is in love with Liz. Two things stand in the way of that love.
B.P.R.D. would never allow it. There is a strick non-fraternization rule. No two members shall ever have relationships outside the Bureau.
And the second is that Liz doesn't share said feelings. And that one hurts the most.
They managed to find nearby motel. Where the clientel are not of the normal varitey. There were demons, werewolves, witches, warlocks and vampires everywhere. After paying, they went to their room. When some vampires showed up, with intention of making Liz a mid-nite snack.
"I don't if I want to drink her blood or have sex with her. What do you think, Lars?" The first vampire questioned.
"I don't know. How about we just turn her. Then the real party can begin, Sid." Lars replied. The two grinned just as their heads came off and their bodies turned to ash.
That action just seemed to piss Liz off even more. "Just what the hell do you think you were doing? I can take care of myself." She seathed.
Hellboy walked over the door, just as it was slammed in his face. He heard a muffle from the other side. "You get to sleep in the van. Remember?" Liz reminded him.
Shaking his head, HB walked over and climbed in the van. And once again had dreams of him and Liz doing things that only remained there.
The next morning. Sunnydale Memorial High School.
Xander Harris dropped Buffy Summers and her sister, Dawn, off. Buffy has a job as school councilor and Dawn attends school there. On the outside, they might seem normal. But, they are far from being normal.
For the last eight years, Buffy Summers has fought the forces of darkness. For she is the one girl, in all the world, chosen to be the Slayer.
Her sister, Dawn, isn't what she appears to be either. Dawn is The Key. Pure magic made into a corpreal form. Sent to The Slayer for protection. Although the threat is over, evil always rears it's ugly head in one form or another.
And for years, Xander Harris, was the only 'normal' human in the group. The one touchstone of humanity that the others always turned to. But he will soon find out that he is just as unique as the rest. "You two go on. Dawn, I'll pick you up at 3. Buffy? I'll be back to get you at 7." He paused a moment for the internal pain to subside. These pains had been happening alot lately. "I've got several things to do. First and foremost is that my parents wanted to speak with me. Don't know why. They just asked that I come and said it was important." Xander explained to best of his know-how.
Buffy knew that Xander didn't have the best of upbringings. She walked over to the driver's side window. "I know that you don't like going there. Becareful, Xander. Becareful." Buffy leaned over and gave Xander a peck on the cheek.
To no suprise, Xander blushed beet red. "Now you choose to kiss me. Maybe YOU better be the careful one. No telling what Anya might do if she finds out." He joked about it. The two started laughing. "Good bye, Buffy. Have fun at work." As he drove off, no one noticed that the 'blushing' continued to spread.
Hellboy opened an eyelid and noticed two things. One. It was daylight. And two. Liz Sherman was laying right next to him. With her right arm draped over his muscular chest. His first thought is that he must be dreaming. But his dreams were always NC-17. So this must be reality. "Liz? Liz? Wake up, Liz." He coaxed her out of her sleep.
Her head raised. "Hrmm? What's wrong?" She asked sleepily.
*Nothing on my end.* HB answered mentally. "Why are you in here? Shouldn't you be in your bed?" He inquired back.
Liz blushed a little. "I felt really bad about what I said to you last night. So I got up and came out here, all ready to apologize, when I saw you sleeping. You were sleeping like a baby. I just didn't have the heart to wake you. So, I just got under the blanket and fell asleep." She explained in not-so-full detail. What Liz left out was seeing lil' Hellboy at full attention. And the hot (again, please excuse the pun) orgasms that followed.
She then cleared her throat. "Well, I think it would be best to find this new addition to your 'family'." Liz suggested. "If the forces of darkness got their hands on him, there's no telling what might happen." She thought on that for a moment. "Actually, we do know what might happen. The end of the world will come a whole lot sooner than we want to even consider."
Hellboy nodded grimley. *Indeed. And if it is related to me, do I have the power to destroy my 'baby' brother?* HB hoped it wouldn't come to that.
It being a sunny day, Xander just put his red tint up to the rays. He walked into what he calls his personal Hellmouth. "The two of you wanted to see me?" Xander asked mundanly.
Anthony Harris nodded. "Yes, son. We did." He looking to his wife, Jennifer. "There are a few things that have to be said. First things first. We, your mother and I that is, know what you've been doing for the past seven years. Fighting the demons, vampires and who knows what else. And we are also very proud of you." His father said truthfully.
Xander was blown away. No one in his family ever said anything like this to him. "Thank you....dad." He said sincerely. "What other things are there?" Xander asked.
Xander's mother, Jennifer spoke up for the first time since he walked through. "Please understand Al....Xander, this next part will come to a blow for you. Anthony and I tried to love you as if you were our real son. You see, your father and I are witches. And as such, we are sterile. It has been that way for as long as we can remember." Her breathing started to go eratic some. "Your father and I decided that when you were wise enough, you would be told the truth." Mrs. Harris broke down and cried.
Xander enveloped his 'mother' in his arms. "It's alright, mom. It's alright." He whispered in her ear. Xander looked over to his 'father'. "Is there something else? Or is that it?"
Mr. Harris looked down in shame. "You didn't come out of childbirth, Xander. You came out of a portal." Anthony pulled out a small box. "In here are pictures of you. The real you. As you showed up from the portal. And as you can see," He pulled a photo of a small demon. Red skinned. Cut off horns. A tail. And a large metallic arm on the replacing what would pass as a normal arm. "you didn't look human." He continued. "You were summoned by Neo-Nazis to destroy the free world. However, fortune smiled on you that day. Our coven stopped them and saved the Allied powers. Your mother fell for you at first sight. We used our combined powers to cast an illusionary spell on you. Took both of our characterisitcs and endowed them onto you." He explained fully.
Xander started to shake his head and move away from his 'parents'. "No. No way. I've seen alot of weird shit in Sunnydale. But this is unbelieveable. I don't accept it."
He turned around when Jennifer's voice stopped him cold. "Our magics are running out Xander. We're dieing. And when our magics are spent, and us gone, the transformation will be complete. Can you not see the connection? Your increased physique over the past few years. Your natural ability to attract demons? Your healing factor? Even now your red skin has returned." She said mournfully.
Xander turned to a mirror and saw the truth for the first time. And accepted it. "If what you say is true, than I would like it if we could spend these last few moments as a family." He requested, reasonably.
Anthony and Jennifer turned to one another and smiled. "We'd like that very much, too, Xander." The time spent together was worth it, for Xander was over an hour late for work. When he did arrive, Xander knew that his boss would chew him out for it. And he did.
"Harris! Get your ass in here! NOW!" Bill shouted.
Xander rolled his eyes upward. *Here it comes. I can hear those two oh-so wonderful words I've come to love. 'You're fired.'* He thought sarcastically. Xander walked into the trailer. Braving the firing squad.
Bill sighed. "Harris. You're the best foreman I've ever had. And I mean that. But when you come in an hour late, I don't know what to say. If you can't get your priorities straight, then I will have no option but to fire you."
Xander is truly touched. He didn't know that Bill thought so much of him. "My parents are dieing. And there is nothing that can be done." He blurted out honestly.
"Damn it. Harris, I'm so sorry. Here I'm talking priorities and you've obviously gotten yours sorted out. Tell you what, Xander. Take the rest of the day off. Spend it with your folks. They need you more than we do." Bill replied in full kindness.
He spoke up before Xander did. "And I mean it. It'll do you some good as well. Looks like you've spent way too many hours in the sun. You look like you walked through a waterfall of red paint." Bill mentioned.
Xander did a double take in the mirror. *Mom and Dad were right after all. I am a demon from hell.* His thoughts turned to somone very close to him. *I wonder how Buffy will react. Will she run for her weapons chest or for the hills.* That train of thought shocked Xander. *Why am I worried about what Buffy will think? I'm engaged to Anya. It's her I want to marry. But do I truly love her?* His internal monolouge was interrupted by his boss.
"While you're at it, Harris. Take that blonde-headed girlfriend of yours out to dinner. What's her name? Muffy? Fluffy?" He snapped his fingers. "Buffy! That's her name. Go on. Make it a night on the town." He made a 'shooing' motion.
Xander walked off the site and headed to his parents house. His mind still realing from the fact that his soul is still in love with Buffy. "Mom, Dad? Are you still here? I got the rest of day off. That means we're free...to...." His voice trailed off at seeing his parents. Dead. Blood laying everywhere. "Who ever did this, will pay with their lives." But before he could enact that vengence, a seizure overtook him. Xander let out an animalistic howl. That howl echoed the now empty house. He hit the floor with such a force, it shattered. Then Xander passed out.
When Xander had awakened, night had already fallen. And his transformation had finally come to a pass. And with it came enchanced senses. He picked up the scent of those who are responsible. Xander shot out the front door, heading for the murderers of his parents.
The scent led him to the old Crawford Street mansion. "Fuck. I hate this place." He muttered. Xander walked up front and kicked the wall down. Debris and smoke covered the room. As he walked in, the young demon came face-to-face with the guilty party. The Watcher's Council. "I've come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass. And I'm all out of bubble gum." Xander was surrounded by WC mercenaries in a matter of seconds.
They unleashed everything in thier arsenal. And Xander just kept coming. Using the memories from soldier-guy, who trained with Bruce Lee, he obliterated them without breaking a demonic sweat. And the only one left was the man Xander knew was responsible for the travesty. "Why? Why kill my parents? What is the point?" He seathed.
Despite having a 7-foot demon infront of him, Quiten Trevors didn't flinch. "That is what we are after." He motioned to the device that replaced Xander's right fore arm. "Your 'parents', were uncooperative. They were also a liability. So two birds were killed with one stone. That device is called 'The Hand of Doom'. Once you are dead, the Watcher's Council will posses it and recreate the world in our image." He started to laugh, manically.
This only pissed Xander off even further. "Oh. Is that what you think? Well, tell me. How would you accomplish this without a head?" He asked.
Before he could respond, Xander popped his head like a zit. Sending blood, skin, hair, bone shards and brain matter everywhere.
Upon leaving the gruesome sight, Xander was left to wonder if his parents' souls are at rest. And if he still retained his. The only person Xander could think of that could help is Buffy. And he headed toward the one place he knew she would be.
Meanwhile, HB and Liz were listening to police scans, hoping to get a lead on the demon. "Got it! Neighbors reported witnessing a 7-foot tall creature exiting The Harris houshold. Heading towards a mansion located on Crawford Street." Hellboy got off of the scanner.
Liz got some information, too. "That mansion, you just mentioned, HB? There's even more bloodshed there." For once in her life, Liz Sherman, is at a loss. "I'm going to check the intell, again." 'Subject : Alexander Lavelle Harris | Age : 23 | Hair/Eye color : Black/Hazel | Occupation : Construction foreman | Current residence : Sunnydale Apartment Complex | Marital status : Engaged | Parents : Father - Anthony Harris, Mother - Jennifer Harris' "Hellboy, what were the names of the Harris couple?" She asked.
Hellboy looked down on the sheet. "Anthony and Jennifer. Why?" He was truly perplexed by the question.
She looked intently at her partner. "I think I finally figured out what's going on." Liz got up and headed to the door. "Come on, HB. If he's going, where I think he's going, then we haven't got much time." They got into the van and headed for the local high school.
*Sunnydale High. It was the worst and best years of my life. Buck up Harris. Time to brave the slayer.* Xander walked up and reached for the door.
Just as Buffy and Dawn were walking out. Upon seeing this new demon, Buffy went into full slayer mode. She pushed Dawn back inside and shut the door. "Hi! I'm Buffy!" She kicked the demon off the steps and onto the pavement. "I don't have any weapons on me, but that won't stop me from slaying you!" The demon blocked her kick. Then dodged her punch. *In fact, he's evading all of my attacks. But not attacking me. What is this? A sympathetic demon? That's a first. And last.* She thought venomously.
When she was about to deliver the final blow, something knocked her off her feet. Buffy looked up to see a larger version of the demon she was battling. "What is this?! Tag team?! This isn't the WWE!" A raspy, broken voice called to her.
"Buffy."
The slayer turned around to her target. Something about him seemed familiar. But she put aside. He spoke again. "Making a habit of beating up your friends, are you?" He asked.
Buffy had an ashen look on her face. "Xander?" He nodded. Tears started to stream down her face. She ran to him and hugged him fiercly.
The other one walked up to them. "Buffy. Your friend has been gravely injured. He needs medical services. Is there any place we can take him?" He asked out of necessity.
She wiped her tears with the back of palm. "Yes. My watcher's home. I'll tell you, if you can get us there." Buffy answered, sobbing.
"Agreed." His attention turned to his blonde associate. "Liz. Get the van ready. My 'brother's' life is in the balance." He picked up the smaller demon with a certian degree of grace, dignity and carefullness.
"Who are you?" She asked. Never had Buffy ever met a demon like this one.
He loaded Xander into the back end of the van. "Perhaps explanations would be better told after Xander is fully healed." Hellboy responded.
Buffy nodded. "All right. But I have to get my sister, first. Tell her the 411." The Slayer walked off to the doors. After a few seconds, the Summers sisters ran to the van.
Buffy and Dawn got in and strapped down. Buffy's attention was drawn to Xander. "Dawn? Could please give them directions to Giles' house? I'm gonna keep an eye on Xander." Buffy pleaded with her younger sister.
Dawn was a little perplexed. "Sure sis. No sweat." She turned and gave the directions needed.
After a short while, they arrived at their destination. "Listen, guys. I'm gonna have to go in there myself. Giles is a little demon-phobic when it comes to new monsters on the block." Buffy remembered what she just said. "I am so sorry. From now on, I'll try to see you as a friend." She directed to Hellboy.
Buffy walked in to see Giles on the phone. He put the reciever down to talk to her. "Buffy. I heard about Xander. How is he?" Giles asked in an almost monotone voice.
She took a breath. "Xander is al-" For some reason she couldn't say the word 'alive'. "-ready dead." Buffy was the best actress in her elementary plays. So it no suprise that she made it seem believable.
Giles nodded. He picked it back up. "If you could excuse me Buffy. This is a rather urgent call."
Buffy walked out, but eavesdropped on the conversation. "Yes, sir. The Harris boy is dead. The Hand of Doom is now ours for retrieval. All that is left is to harness the power of The Key's magic." *No. It's not possible. Giles is in on this? * "Yes, it is a loss at the mansion. What? You want me to replace Trevors? Very good sir." *That decieving bastard! I'll make him wish he were never born!* Buffy ran to the van. And got in just as fast. "We have to get to LA. I know someone there that we might able to trust. I hope." She said breathlessly.
Along the way, Buffy filled the rest on what she overheard. Each had their own way of showing their feelings. Hellboy strung out a line of expletives. The slayer hadn't caught all of it, but she did hear something about 'giving that traitor a few new assholes'. Liz was just sympathic towards her. Like she went through it herself. Xander was still out of it. But Buffy had the feeling that Xander would finish his 'buisness' he started at the mansion. And poor Dawn. She was crying her eyes out. The one man who'd been like a father to her, had been lying the whole time.
Liz turned to Buffy. "Look, Buffy. No offense, but are you sure we can trust this person? Because you thought you could trust your Watcher, and he sold Xander up the river." Liz mentioned of what happened in Sunnydale.
Buffy was carresing Xander's left hand. "At this point, I'm not sure who I can trust. But my ex-boyfriend wrote the book on not trusting. And he's the one that can help Xander. I hope." She took a breath of air. "You see, it all started about seven years ago. I was the new girl in town. And the first person I met was Xander." Buffy chuckled. "The first thing he said to me was, 'Can I have you?'. I was actually tempted to say yes." She noticed the humor in Liz's eyes. "Then I made friends with Willow. Xander's childhood friend." Buffy clarified. "I was ready to ask Xander out, when Willow went on this whole spiel about her loving him since kindergarten. That was roadblock number one." She then noticed the city limit sign of Los Angeles.
"I'll tell you the rest later. Okay, Hellboy, I've never been here but I do know the way. Willow told me the directions." She gave them and to her credit, got there in record speed. The van pulled infront of The Hyperion Hotel.
Buffy hopped out to greet the welcoming commitee. "Time is of the essence. We need your help. Can you do it?" She asked frantically.
Angel nodded. "Come inside and I'll see what I can do." The back doors of the van opened up and the ensouled vampire saw someone he had first met 60 years ago. "Hellboy? Is that really you?"
HB saw who was standing before him. "Angel? How the hell are you old man?" Angel noticed a smaller version of Satin's son being carried up the steps. "But reunions will have to wait. Xander's life is in the balance."
Angel had an inkling of what's going on, but he wanted the whole story. "We'll carry him to one of the guest rooms. This way, follow me." He helped out holding Xander's lower portion to help steady him.
When Buffy caught sight of Wesley, she went ballistic. "Why should Xander get all the fun? He killed a Watcher tonight, why shouldn't I?" She seathed.
Cordy ran into full battle mode. She was already prepared for this, from the vision she had 60 seconds ago. "Buffy! What's gotten in to you? Wes isn't a Watcher anymore! You know that!" The seer tried to reason with her.
Buffy turned to her former high school rival. "I don't give a fuck! I thought I could trust Giles and he was responsible for the murder of Xander's parents! That conniving asshole!" This had shocked Angel, Cordy and Wes. They had never heard Buffy cuss like this. They had never heard Buffy cuss at all!
The string of curses had awakened a teenage boy about Dawn's age. "What's going on?" He asked sleepily.
Angel turned his attention to him. "Nothing to worry about Conner. Go back to bed." He ordered his son.
Conner snorted. "You're not the boss of me." He retorted.
If he were human, Angel would have gotten red in the face. "As long as you're under my roof, you will obey my rules."
Conner rolled his eyes. "And since we're on the subject. How come she," He pointed to Buffy. "can cuss and I can't?"
Angel counted to 10 mentally. "Two things, Conner. One. Buffy is an adult. She can scream bloody murder and still get away with it. And two." He sucked in some unneeded air. "GO TO BED!!!"
Conner clenched his fists. "Yes!" He turned around when Angel said something.
"Yes, what?" He asked.
Conner closed his eyes. "Yes, DAD!" He stomped back upstairs to his room and went back to sleep.
The others looked at for an explanation. "I'll tell you all later. For now, we must save Xander's life." He helped Hellboy carry Xander to the nearest room.
The two, carefully, laid the demon on the bed. "Tell me something, Angel. Can you really heal him?" HB asked.
Angel rubbed his eyes. "I'm not sure." Just then someone else poked his head in.
"Hey, Angelcakes. How's it going?" The green demon asked.
He moaned. "Not now Lorne." Angel groaned.
Hellboy picked up on the connection. "Lorne. Green. Lorne Green! Bonanza!" He went off doing the theme from the long running western. And his favorite show. "Duhn, duhn, duhn, duhn, duhn, duhn! Duhn, duhn, duhn, duhn, duhn! Duhn, duhn, duhn, duhn, duhn, duhn! Duhn, duhn, duhn, duhn, duhn!" Angel smiled at the discomfort on the anagogic demon's face.
"What's the matter Lorne? I thought you liked hearing people sing?" Angel asked out of humor.
For the first time, Lorne gave Angel a look that could kill. "I do. But not that damn song. Anything but that damn song." He gave the Power's warrior a pleading look. "Please make him stop. Please." Lorne begged.
Angel laughed. "That's enough Hellboy. Besides we have more pressing matters at hand." He motioned where their 'paitent' was. "Lorne, can you do anything? There are four women down there, scared out of their minds. Do something."
Lorne sighed. "I'll see what I can do." He looked over the new arrival. "Hmm, hm. Okay. The bullets have to be removed and he'll do the rest." Lorne surmized.
Angel went to retrieve the scalpals and vice-grips. He grinned sheepishly. "I get my fair share of bullet wounds. Cordy always does the honors."
Hellboy shared the same grin. "I know what you mean. Liz is always whipping out the gauze and bandages when I get in a scuffle. There is nothing better than having a beautiful woman playing 'doctor'."
Angel nodded. "Amen to that, brother." The three went about to retrieve the bullets and cover the wounds.
A half an hour later, the bullets were out and the wounds were dressed. All that was left was to wait for Xander to wake up. As the three warriors walked back down, Angel noticed that Conner was out of bed, again. "Conner, when I tell you to do something, you do it. Now I've told you to go to bed twice already, do I have make it three times?" He seethed.
Conner held his hands up in defense. "You're always telling me that as long as I live in your house, I have to obey your rules. Right?" He asked.
Angel wasn't sure what his son was up to, but he went along. "Right." He said dryly.
Conner continued with his train of thought. "And one of those rules is that if I'm disrespectful, I should apologize. And that's exactly what I'm doing. Apologizing." He motioned to the 'guests'. "To the Sunnydale crew and to you." Angel was shocked by this turn around. "I mean, it's not my fault my entire life is a lie." Conner mentioned of the fact that Holtz brainwashed him.
"No. Not all of it was a lie. You lived here when you were a baby. And you, me and Cordy were a real family." He started to woolgather again.
Conner walked back upstairs with a hobble. His eyes turned to Faith. "What did you do Faith?" Asking with his temper losing restraints.
The LA Slayer merely shrugged. "What? He needed a long over-due spanking. I'm just sorry that you weren't the one to do it." Faith went back to her kata sessions. With a smug look on her face.
Buffy walked up to her ex. "How is Xander? Will he make it?" She asked extremely worried.
Angel and Hellboy exchanged looks. "The bullets have been removed, his wounds dressed and he should heal on his own. However, we're not sure if he'll wake up soon. That kind of damage alone, would have sent me for a permament dirt nap." Angel answered.
Hellboy continued. "And the transformation process already took alot out of him. Xander wasn't at his best when he took out those mercenaries. The bullets removed are not issued by the Allied powers. In fact, I've never seen anything like them before. Some of them exploded upon impact, others on the inside. This is cutting edge. Who ever thought of this must have resources beyond all imagination." He lowered his head and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry to say this, but, you might lose Xander before you get him back."
Buffy broke down and cried. Much like when she found her mother, motionless and dead, on her couch. Angel went to his seer/true love. "Cordelia. See if you can get a room ready for Buffy. Wesley, do the same for Dawn. And make sure it's not any where near Conner's room. I trust my son to battle demons, but I don't trust him around girls." Cordelia went about setting a room up for Buffy.
Wesley walked over to Dawn. "Come now, Dawn. I suspect that the others have much to discuss." A humourous anecdote come to mind. "Did I ever tell you the time I posed as Angel?" The former Watcher asked out of jest.
A small smile crept on The Key's young face. Knowing she was in for one hell of a ride, Dawn gave her full attention. "You see, it all started when Angel went to see this sammi..." Wesley began. The echoes of Dawn's laughter could be heard downstairs.
Angel knelt down to Buffy. "Buffy. Buffy!" That time he got her attention. "You have to tell us what happened at Giles'. Only you know what he said. You have to be the one to tell us exactly what was said." Her eyes said nothing. "Buffy?"
In a monotone voice, she stated everything. "He said something about using the Hand of Doom and The Key to reshape the world in their image." Buffy recalled from her eavesdropping.
If it was possible, Hellboy went pale. "You see this device?" He lifted his right arm up. "This is called the Hand of Doom. The most destructive force on the planet. If I were to be killed, and it removed, whoever has it can destroy the world. And if Xander is anywhere near powerful, as I think he is, then we're all in deep shit. We can not let that happen!" He roared.
Angel was always ready to side with Hellboy. "So. What do we do about it, Hellboy?" He asked.
Satin's son shook his head. "At the moment? Nothing. We have to formulate a plan. We also need to wait for Xander to heal. And we also need help. Tons of it. You know of anyone who can fill the bill?" He asked out of shear desperation.
Angel thought on it for a minute. "Fred and Gunn are always ready, no matter what. If we tell Gunn's old crew and explain what's at stake, they might help. There's also a former cop I know. Kate Lockley. There's also a good chance she'll help as well. Willow can most certianly be trusted. She's known Xander the longest. Cordy and Fred are good at computer hacking, but she's the best. We'll need that if we're to hack into the WC database. Then that leaves Anya. Her I'm not so sure about." Angel went on to explain Anya's 1100 year old past. "She caught the attention of D'Hoffryn. After turning her boyfriend, Olaf, into a troll. After that, she became Anyanka. A vengence demon. Despensing her 'justice' to every wronged and scorned woman. It all started when Cordy caught Xander kissing Willow. She ran off and fell through a weak floor. Impaling herself on a rebar. She almost didn't make it, but she did. When Cordy retrurned to school, she went through all of Giles books.
"Searching for anything that might help. Cordy then came across a summoning spell for a vengeace demon named Anyanka. She made a wish that Buffy never came to Sunnydale. When she woke back up, the world she knew was turned on it's ear. It wasn't even safe to walk out in daylight. The Master was never destroyed. Xander and Willow were vampires and only two people stood in their way. Angel and Buffy. Cordy quickly found the error of her ways. She summoned Anyanka once more, and threatened to break the amulet she wore around her neck. If everything was put back to it's proper place. She did and the timeline was reverted back to itself. For good measure, Cordy broke the amulet anyway. Stripping Anyanka of her immortality and her power, leaving her as plain old Anya." Angel sat down, rubbing his temples. He knew that Shanshu wouldn't come for some time, yet he kept getting migraines.
"I don't know what you're worried about, Angel. From what you said, Anya would be very sympathetic towards Xander." Hellboy mentioned most naive.
He chuckled darkly. "You don't know Anya." Angel replied.
Cordelia then showed up to take Buffy to her room. "Come on, Buffy. I think that a shower and a good night's rest is what you need. I, um, took the liberty of setting your room next to Xander's. And Dawn is right next to you." She motioned, gently.
Buffy managed a weak smile. "Thank you, Cordelia. I know that our past was never the best. But we always cared about the same people. And we always put our differences aside when something was more important." She shook her head. "And now look at you. You've changed so much. Guess being sent to heaven will do that to a person." Buffy sighed. She can never fault her friends for bringing her back. How could they have known that she was in Heaven and not some Hell dimension, like they thought. Plus, it was nice to see her mom again.
Cordy nodded her head. "I hear that, sister. But, heaven isn't all that it's cracked up to be. It was so boring up there. Nothing to do, but sit and think. But it was that thinking that made me realize how much I truly love Angel." They stopped in front of a door. "Here it is, Buffy. Your room. You might want to check on Dawn and Xander. Just to make sure they're gonna be alright." The seer suggested. As she turned around, Cordy stopped to say something else. "By the way, Buffy. Your mother wanted me to give you a message."
That caught Buffy's attention faster than the 'speedo' incident. "My mom?!? What did she say?" She asked frantically.
Cordy took a breath. "She said that's she's very proud of you. And she's always looking after you and Dawn. She also said that the best lovers always spring from friendship." She started to tear up. "Well, good night Buffy. I hope that you'll be feeling better in the morning."
Buffy's attention was drawn to the door next to her room. "You know what, Cordy? I think I'm going to stay in Xander's room. Just in case he wakes up." Buffy said off-hand. The Sunnydale Slayer walked in and shut the door.
Leaving a somewhat perplexed Cordelia Chase in the hallway. She shook it off and went to the lobby. She found Angel on his cell phone. A gift from herself. And Wesley on the main phoneline. Angel shut his cell off. "Alright. I got in touch with Willow. I explained everything. She's on her way. Alone." He sighed. "I just hope she'll be okay." After Willow restored Angel's soul the first time, he was grateful. The second time, he realized that he should protect her to the best of his abilities.
Wesley put the reciever down. "I got in contact with Kate, Fred and Gunn. Gunn said he'd try to explain everything. 'Good luck to them getting past their demon hatred.' Gunn said that himself." Wes rubbed his face. "Maybe we should do a prayer." His head popped up. "Oh, Angel. I'm sorry."
Angel shook his head. "It's alright, Wes. I know what you mean. And for the record, prayers don't affect me. Probably because I have my soul." He mentioned.
Lorne looked at Angel uncomfortably. "Listen, kiddo. I know there's one person who we might consider bringing in. And I know you don't like him. I think we should contact the Groosulug." Just the name sets Angel's vampiric face loose. "Look, Angel, you will have to put your hatred aside. We need power and he's just as powerful as you are. Can you do it? Can you, Angel?" He asked sincerely.
Angel looked over to Cordy. "For her sake, Lorne, I'll try. I'll try and be civil." *But if he try's to muscle his way in, I will kill him. And to hell with setting an example to the younger generation.* He thought menacingly.
Cordy walked up to her best friend. "I know you better than that, Angel." She whispered. "You don't have to feel threatened. It's you I love, you I chose and you that I want." The Seer almost carressed his hand, but stopped and moved away to across the floor. After Angelus' second appearence, Cordy and Angel's relationship ended. "I think I'm going to head to my apartment. Phantom Dennis must be missing me alot. See everyone in the morning." She left with an ache in her soul. And Angel has one to match.