Adult-FanFiction.org : Buffy

Humanity	By : QueenB Category: AtS/BtVS Crossovers > Het - Male/Female > Angel(us)/Buffy > Angel(us)/Buffy Views: 4278 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS), nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
The next morning dawned with the deceptive mildness of weather and the mentality of the local citzenry to match. It was always that way in Sunnydale. No matter what horrors had been perpetrated the night before, the locals always greeted each new day with blissfully oblivious minds.
Willow had opened her laptop at every opportunity between classes, desperately hoping for a message from Melissa that indicated she was all right. Even if she got one, how would she know it was from her? Maybe Onegin or one of the other minions had caught her in the act. Maybe Onegin hadn’t believed her story about the Slayer accidentally finding last night’s vampire posse. Maybe he’d decided he didn’t need her services anymore and dusted her. Shaking off such negative thoughts, Willow continued to keep an eye out and hoped.
Finally, after her last class, she came upon a message. Melissa had told Onegin about the Slayer’s attack, describing how she’d watched in horror as vamp after vamp fell to her merciless onslaught. She’d pointed out that, as a mere fledgling, she hadn’t felt she stood a chance against such a ruthless being when so many more experienced vamps were being so easily slaughtered. So she ran for her unlife. She’d begged him not to send her out again. She hated being a vampire but now she was truly scared to die. While she was arguing with him, the paper about the Mohra demon had fallen out of her pocket. She’d tried to snatch it up but Yuri had been quicker.
When he’d handed it to Onegin, he’d asked why she was researching demon assassins. She’d told him how she’d heard they could be hired to take out warriors for good, like the Slayer. But she didn’t know how to hire one and since Onegin had been avoiding the Slayer anyway, telling him about it seemed a moot point. He’d studied the paper for a long time and then pocketed it himself. Nodding to Yuri, they’d retired into their study. She’d tried to listen in but they had been talking in Russian. That was all she knew about it.
“So that’s it, Buffy. She doesn’t know whether they’re hiring the Mohra or not. Only that they’ve got the paper and started talking about it.”
Buffy slouched at the kitchen table and sighed. “This is so frustrating. You know, I don’t really care for this plan of hers. She said it was simple. But to me simplicity is just finding the bad vamps, killing the bad vamps and going home afterwards. This is taking way too long. Something’s bound to go wrong.”
“What do you mean, it’s taking too long? Buffy, you only met this woman yesterday afternoon. Since when did you become so impatient about facing evil?”
Buffy shrugged her shoulders. She couldn’t tell Willow why she felt so irritable. The proximity of vampires gave her the cramps and she hadn’t like being around Melissa one moment more than she had to be.
The red-haired wiccan took another tack. “Besides, Buffy, this isn’t just about staking vamps. This is about saving a soul. This woman wants her humanity back. Think how you’d be acting if this were Angel’s humanity at stake.”
Buffy was silent for so long Willow was afraid she’d overstepped her bounds. Then she sighed, “I guess you’re right, Willow. I don’t know why I’m so…unsympathetic. I just can’t seem to help it. With Giles gone and Spike sniffing around my heels….”
“Like a puppy?” Willow threw in.
Buffy smiled, “Exactly. Just like a puppy. I just feel wound way too tightly and waiting was never my strong point and talking to Angel was really difficult and taking care of Dawn is such a chore…..”
“Whoa, Buffy. I’m the one who’s supposed to babble in this relationship, remember? Besides, you’re not alone in this. You still have all of us.”
“Yeah, but for how much longer? You guys are going on with your lives while I feel as if I’m standing still. You’ve got Tara. Xander’s going to marry Anya. Giles has gone back to England, leaving me without a Watcher. I’ve got Dawn but she seems to be slipping farther away from me every day. Soon I’ll be alone again and lone Slayers usually die. I’ve already cheated Death three times now. I get the terrible feeling I’m living on borrowed time.”
“Buffy, you’ve got us. We brought you back. Right or wrong, that’s what we did. So now, we’re not just your responsibility. In some weird way, you’re ours. And if there’s one thing you taught us, it’s to take care of our responsibilities.”
Buffy gave Willow a weary smile. The two girls sat and hugged each other in silence.
“Hey, can anyone join in or is this something Willow should be discussing with Tara?” The two girls looked up to see Dawn standing in the doorway. They eased apart and Willow filled Dawn in on the latest developments. The redhead knew that Dawn often felt excluded from Slayer business and told Buffy it was a good idea to include her, at least on some things. If Dawn thought she was actually contributing something, perhaps she would be easier to handle. Besides, she needed to know the dangers that lay out there in Sunnydale. Vampires weren’t the worst of it.
“So we don’t know if the Mohra is being hired or not.” Willow flashed a thought at Buffy. [TIME TO CONSULT THE SCRYING MIRROR.]
Giving no sign that she’d heard, Buffy slid off the kitchen stool and wandered over to the fridge. “I’m sure if a demon looking like that comes into Sunnydale, we’ll know about it. Creatures that ugly must have a hard time keeping a low profile. The one that came crashing through Angel’s window in broad daylight certainly lacked subtlety.”
Dawn jumped. “Can we expect something like that? I mean, is this thing suddenly going to come leaping on top of us when we’re not ready for it?”
Buffy turned around, having pulled some bread and jelly from the fridge. “No way, Dawn. We’ll keep a sharp lookout. If we have to, we’ll even ask Spike if he’s seen anything.” Noting Willow’s grimaces, she sighed. “Yeah, I know. It’s a bad situation, always having to rely on him for news, but he’ll have to do until something better comes along.”
__________
After downing sandwiches and talking about Dawn’s schoolday between bites, Buffy and Willow were glad to duck into her room. Being careful to wedge the door shut against prying sisters, Buffy pulled the scrying mirror from her drawer. After debating with Willow, they’d decided it would draw more attention to the mirror if she locked the drawer than if she didn’t, so she’d thrown in some makeup tools like brushes, lip gloss, nail polish and nail files to make it seem like an ordinary mirror. Willow had gotten the idea from some story she’d read by Edgar Allen Poe.
Buffy concentrated on the mirror and remembered Melissa.The blankness swirled to reveal the brunette vampiress sleeping in a narrow bed in a room devoid of anything but the barest necessities.
Well, at least she was safe. But how to find out about the Mohra? Buffy frowned and then tried again. This time she tried to focus on the face she’d seen on that paper, the demon she’d glimpsed for only a moment in Angel’s office.
The mirror fogged over but this time refused to cooperate. Maybe the thought she had was too vague. She was thinking of these demons in general not one demon in particular.
She could try to find Onegin. If he’d contacted the demon, that would be the surest path to it. She thought of Melissa again and was once more in that bare room. Concentrating, she pulled the view out of the room and found herself in a hallway.
Scanning brought her to the large room she’d been in when she had fought Dracula. Several more minutes brought little besides unrewarding views of vampires either sleeping off heavy meals or rutting like animals in the corners. A few seemed to match Melissa’s description of Onegin, but Buffy doubted he’d be keeping company with his minions.
Just when she was about to give up, she came to a room that was easily the most opulent that Buffy had seen. There were thick velvet hangings completely obscuring the windows and what looked like family crests and various weapons hanging on the walls. There were only two occupants in the room, both of them lying on the bed.
She couldn’t see much of the vampire on the bed--only that he was having sex with some dark-haired boy. As Buffy’s shock mounted, she watched as he sank his fangs into the boy’s neck. The boy gave only a gurgling moan as his hips pumped faster and then he screamed as his final orgasm hit.
Steeling herself against the horror of it, she watched as the naked vampire rose the bed, ignoring the boy as if he were of no further consequence. The body lay flung out on the bed in the final throes of death and orgasm and Buffy could see it was already turning blue from the blood loss. Willow made a strangled sound and Buffy started. In the shock of the moment, she’d forgotten the other girl was watching.
The blonde vampire opened the door and a big burly vampire stepped in. He had to tower over the other vampire by at least a foot and a half but his attitude was one of complete deference. The other gestured at the body and said something in Russian. Buffy didn’t understand a word except “Yuri.” So this was the four-hundred-year-old vampire. That meant the blonde had to be Onegin.
Without hesitation, Yuri slung the body over one massive shoulder and moved from the room. Onegin threw on a silk robe and moved to a phone. He picked it up and punched in a number that Buffy couldn’t see. He spoke heatedly on the phone for several minutes in Russian.
Buffy silently cursed her inability to understand foreign languages. Not for the first time since he left, she wished heartily for Giles’ knowledge and expertise. Damn it, she needed her Watcher!
Onegin finished his phone call and slammed down the receiver. Evidently, not everything had gone to his liking. He called out sharply for Yuri again. When the huge vampire reappeared, sans body, Onegin chattered to him and this time Buffy clearly heard the word “Mohra.” Onegin picked up the phone again and this time pressed two numbers. When Melissa came running in, Onegin gazed at her blandly.
“My dear, I’d like you to have $500,000 in cash transferred from my Swiss bank account.”
“Yes, Onegin.” Melissa kept her eyes firmly on the floor.
“Don’t you want to know what the money is for?”
“No, Onegin.”
“Very good of you. You’re turning into a fine little minion. But I’ll tell you anyway since you gave me the idea. It’s payment for the Mohra. Demons are getting quite mercenary these days and since I’m well known and have the reputation of being a wealthy man, this one thinks he can milk me for all I’m worth. But if it rids me of the Slayer, I’ll consider it money well spent. I’d have it kill the Slayer and then have Yuri dispatch it but the creature is wily. It insists on having all the money up front. It won’t even agree to the deal unless I agree to meet it near dawn. It probably feels it will be easier to escape from us if we choose to strike.”
He paused, tapping one long fingernail on the desk. Goodness, Melissa’s right. This guy definitely needs to get those things cut down to size.
Leaning forward suddenly, he pinned Melissa with a steely stare. “Now tell me again what happened last night. Why did the Slayer take it into her head to show up in a neighborhood where she rarely patrols?” When Melissa hesitated, Yuri grabbed her by the back of the neck and squeezed hard, forcing her to her knees. She cried out from the pain while Onegin’s gaze bored into her own.
“I s-swear, Onegin, I don’t know. I told you, I saw two pretty humans on a bench, a blonde and a brunette. They were female and I don’t care for them. But you’d told me that I had to get over such s-s-stupid human inhibitions. They looked young and small so I thought I could take them. I told them they shouldn’t be doing their business in public if they didn’t want to be disturbed; the blonde complained how they should have stayed at the Bronze. J-just as I was moving in for the kill, the Slayer came out of nowhere. There was nothing I could do!” She ended this confession practically on a scream and the two watching girls thought they could hear bones grinding under Yuri’s hand.
Onegin held up one small hand and Yuri instantly released his grip. “I believe you, my little programmer. One fledgling is no match against a powerful Slayer. And you didn’t even get to feed.”
Melissa blinked away tears as she staggered upright. “I really liked the brunette, too. She smelled sweet, like strawberries.”
Onegin cocked his head in an almost playful manner. “Perhaps you’ll get a second chance at her.”
Melissa once again stared at the floor but Buffy could sense a new tension about her. What was Onegin up to?
“You say they mentioned a place called The Bronze?” Melissa nodded. Onegin quirked an eyebrow at Yuri but the huge vampire shrugged his shoulders; he’d obviously never heard of the place. “Call one of the younger minions.”
While the vampires in the room waited, Buffy glanced at Willow. “Buffy, why’d she mention a brunette? And Tara and I never said anything about The Bronze.”
“I think she’s trying to mislead him. If he’s had people following us, then he might have recognized a description of you and Tara. Maybe talking about The Bronze is meant to pull some more vamps into another trap. After all, we do go there a lot.”
Both girls’s attentions returned to the mirror as a minion of about twenty-two swaggered into the room. He halted at the sight of Onegin who kept his eyes fastened on Melissa like a cobra watching a bird. “You there--Thomas, is it?”
“It’s Crusher, now.”
“Of course. Crusher, have you ever heard of a place called The Bronze?”
Crusher gave a feral grin. “Sure! It’s a club, a real hotspot for the kids in this town. There’s lots of prime pickings there. At least that’s what I’ve heard.”
Onegin at last looked at him. “You’ve never been there?”
Crusher faltered, “No, of course not, boss. Everybody knows that’s where the Slayer frequently hangs out and you told us to stay clear of her stomping grounds.”
“Very good, Crusher. Tell me the address of this club and you may go.” As the minion slunk out of the room, Onegin turned another thoughtful look on Melissa.
“Well, since you missed your chance to feed last night, you shall try again tonight. You’ll go to this club and try to find your sweet-smelling brunette.”
Melissa appeared to grow even paler, if that was possible. “No, Onegin, I can’t. You told us…I mean, I heard what Crusher said. The Slayer hangs out there!”
“Precisely. What better way to prove your mettle and your loyalty than to snatch prey right from under her nose as it were?” Onegin bestowed a smile that might have seemed kind if not for the fangs that suddenly sprouted from his gums. “You’d better return with human blood in your belly and the smell of human blood on your breath. If not, I’ll start to think you’ve been feigning your commitment to our group.” He paused for emphasis and his voice came out in a low growl. “Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, Onegin.” He sent her from his presence with a casual wave of his hand. Melissa hurried out as if a stake had been aimed at her back. He stared at Yuri and they gabbled together again in Russian. Realizing they’d learned all they could, the two girls moved back from the mirror.
“She’s going to be at The Bronze tonight. We have to meet her.”
“And then what, Willow? You heard him. He wants her to kill somebody.”
“No, he wants her to smell of human blood. It’s possible for her to feed and not drain a human completely, isn’t it? I mean, that’s the whole point of having thralls around, isn’t it?”
Buffy frowned. What was Willow getting at? Willow tripped over her words in her hurry to explain. “Look, remember that vampire den you burned down last year? What if we found one of those and took her to it instead? Then she wouldn’t have to kill anyone.”
Willow faltered as she saw Buffy’s lips tighten a fraction. It was apparent that she still had bad memories of that night. Then Buffy curtly nodded. “All right. Anya knew about these things when I mentioned it. Let’s see if she can tell us of a place. I really don’t want to explain to Spike why we’d need to know about it.”
__________
Melissa stood uncertainly at the bar. All around her she could smell live young human flesh, hear strong heartbeats and the rush of human blood in their veins. She hadn’t been in such a sea of humanity since she’d been turned. The sensory overload made her feel almost nauseated.
[MELISSA, CAN YOU STILL HEAR ME?]
[WILLOW!] Melissa felt overjoyed at hearing the redhead’s mental voice.
[OUCH. NO NEED TO SHOUT. I CAN HEAR YOU JUST FINE.] Melissa looked around and saw Willow sitting alone at a table. The redhead waved in her direction.
[I’M SO GLAD TO SEE YOU. I’M IN ANOTHER TERRIBLE MESS, I’M AFRAID.]
[YEAH, WE KNOW.]
[WE? ARE YOU HERE WITH TARA? AND HOW DID YOU KNOW?]
[I HAVE MY WAYS.] Melissa could almost hear the soft smile in Willow’s thoughts. [TARA’S NOT HERE. SHE’S HOME BABYSITTING DAWN AND KEEPING HER OUT OF TROUBLE. I’M HERE WITH BUFFY, ANYA AND XANDER. HE FEELS BAD BECAUSE HE MISSED COMING TO YOUR RESCUE LAST NIGHT AND WANTS TO MAKE UP FOR IT.]
[WILLS, HOW ABOUT LETTING ME SPEAK FOR MYSELF?]
[XANDER, IS THAT YOU?]
[IN THE FLESH, SO TO SPEAK. LISTEN, WE KNOW ALL ABOUT ONEGIN’S PLAN FOR YOU. WE FOUND OUT ABOUT A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN FEED. HUMANS GO THERE TO PAY VAMPIRES TO FEED ON THEM.]
[REALLY? WHY WOULD ANY HUMAN SUBJECT THEMSELVES TO THAT WHEN THEY DON’T HAVE TO? ONEGIN’S THRALLS WERE ALWAYS TAKEN IN CAPTURE OR GIVEN UP AS PRIZES.]
[THESE HUMANS LIKE THE RUSH, THE PHYSICAL THRILL OF LETTING VAMPIRES FEED FROM THEM. IT’S LIKE AN ADDICTION.]
[YOU MEAN, IT’S A VAMPIRE CRACK DEN? WEIRD. BUT I’M GAME IF I DON’T HAVE TO KILL ANYBODY.]
[GREAT. GO WAIT THERE AT THE ENTRANCE.] Melissa sighed in relief then felt a frisson of fear come over her. There was someone close, someone….
[WILLOW, WAIT!] The stark terror of that call stopped all of them short.
[MELISSA, WHAT IS IT? WHAT’S WRONG?]
[IT’S ONEGIN. HE’S NEAR, I CAN FEEL HIM.]
[ARE YOU SURE?] That hard thought came from Buffy. Melissa was beginning to distinguish between their thought patterns. They were as distinctive as speech. She could even sense the emotions behind each thought.
[HE’S MY SIRE. I CAN ALWAYS FEEL WHEN HE’S IN THE VICINITY. HE’S FOLLOWED ME.]
They almost staggered under the wave of despair that came from her. [GET TO THE NEAREST EXIT.]
The vampire looked frantically around her and saw a door leading to the alley. Rushing towards it, she collided with Xander. “Uhhfff! Hey, slow down! I’m right with you. Come on.”
“Where’s Buffy?”
“She’s probably scouting through the club. Don’t worry. If she sees Onegin, she’ll dust him so fast he won’t know it until he’s looking up from the floor.”
They exited through the door. Melissa turned towards Xander. “Thank you. You’re a real lifesaver, you know that?”
“And what, exactly, is he saving you from, my dear?” Melissa eyes widened and she slowly turned to face the still figure lurking in the shadows of the alleyway.
__________
This had to be Onegin. Even if Melissa had never described him, Xander would have known. He exuded the air of leashed cruelty and coiled power of every Master vampire he’d ever met. The vampire shifted a little and was suddenly standing close to Melissa. Xander blinked in bewilderment; he hadn’t even seen the creature move.
Melissa’s face was eloquent in its despair. Then Xander witnessed an amazing transformation. She leaned against the wall and gave a breezy laugh. “Hi, Dad. Are you following me?”
Onegin’s eyes narrowed at the word “Dad” but he gave an empty smile. “I just want to know what my daughter is doing out so late at night.”
She blinked in feigned annoyance. “Late? It’s only 11:30 p.m.”
“That’s late enough for you, young lady. Now, what danger did this young man save you from?”
“Well, I was going to pay the bartender for my drinks but then I realized that I’d left my wallet at home. This man came up to me and gallantly paid for my drinks. It was so sweet. Who says chivalry is dead?”
Xander fell into his role and decided to play the goof for all he was worth. He grinned cheekily at the blonde vampire. “Don’t hurt me, Pops. The lady was in need of some assistance. I just thought I’d help. I never could resist a damsel in distress.”
“Charming. He’s not the ‘sweet-smelling brunette’ you mentioned to me earlier, though.”
“No, of course not. But I thought he’d do for the job.”
Xander blinked, still playing the idiot. “Sweet-smelling brunette? Job? What job? What are you two talking about?” Trying to rein in his fear, he peered towards the alleyway entrance. Where were the girls?
He jumped as he felt Onegin stroking the side of his face. “Oh, yes, he’ll definitely do. I wonder if I could try him for myself?”
Melissa pouted. “He was going to be my first. I thought I’d be allowed to take him on my own.” There was a tense moment while an unspoken challenge flashed between the two demons.
Then Onegin stepped back. “By all means, Melissa.”
Xander held up his hands in protest. “Hey, just hold it, you two! I didn’t come here to get dragged into some kinky scene. I ain’t into sex with guys.”
Melissa leaned in until she was inches away. “Actually, this is more a case of voyeurism.”
She pressed close against his body and wound her arms around him. [XANDER, CAN YOU STILL HEAR ME? IS THE LINK STILL FUNCTIONING?]
[I GET YOU LOUD AND CLEAR.]
[WHAT ABOUT THE OTHERS? I CAN’T REACH THEM.]
Xander tried sending a mental call for Buffy but there was only silence in his mind. [THEY MUST BE TOO FAR AWAY.]
[DAMN. LISTEN, YOU’RE GOING TO SHOVE ME AS HARD AS YOU CAN INTO ONEGIN AND RUN FOR THE ALLEYWAY ENTRANCE. I’LL DO MY BEST TO KEEP HIM DOWN. SCREAM FOR BUFFY. SHE’S GOT TO HAVE MISSED US BY NOW.]
Xander felt a surge of rebellion. Why did he have to run? And scream for Buffy? He knew she was the hero of their little gang but, dammit, he’d killed lots of vampires before. [HEY, I’VE GOT A STAKE IN MY BACK POCKET…]
[NO! DON’T EVEN ATTEMPT TO BE BRAVE! JUST GET BUFFY!]
Swiftly, he pushed Melissa hard so that she staggered backwards. She crashed into the Russian. He only reeled slightly but she thrust one leg between his and tripped him to the ground. As they both fell, Xander yanked his stake out and lunged towards the Master vamp as Melissa rolled out of the way. [YES!!]
Onegin grabbed his downward plunging hand in one icy grip and squeezed until Xander gasped in pain and dropped the stake. He gripped Xander’s throat with the other hand and easily lifted him off the ground as he raised himself.
“Very interesting, Melissa. Your young man here seems to have been armed against our kind. Last night the Slayer, tonight an amateur vampire hunter. You do have bad luck with your prey.”
Melissa scrambled upright and stared at Xander. “Onegin, I didn’t know…..”
“ENOUGH!!! I’ll deal with you later. As for you, little boy….” Onegin stiffened and dropped Xander onto the ground. Xander choked for breath and stared at the stake--his stake--sticking out of the vampire’s chest.
[Krisa!] The vampire snarled, just before he exploded into ash.
Melissa stood in front of Xander, clutching his stake in her hand, and glared in fierce triumph at the ashes scattered in the alley. “Yeah! Got you, you undead bastard! I’ve been waiting two months to do that!” Noticing Xander’s wheezing breaths, she dropped the stake and knelt down beside him. “Xander! Are you hurt?”
He barely managed to shake his head as she effortlessly pulled him upward. Vampire strength. Oh man, could I use a little right now. He looked up to find her gaze resting on his throat. “Whu-what is it?” he managed to squeeze out.
“You’re bleeding. He must have scratched you with those talons of his.” She glided closer as if mesmerized by the scarlet drops just beginning to stain his neck and fingers. Before he could move, she gently clasped his shoulders and began licking his throat. Xander jumped and tried to push her back. She lifted her head and gave him an unreadable look. “It’s okay, Xander. I won’t hurt you. Vampire saliva will help the cuts heal faster.” She lowered her head again and resumed licking.
Xander thought he must be crazy. He was standing in an alley letting a vampire feed from him. But her face hadn’t changed at all. Her human features remained in place, and the strokes from her tongue were slow, almost…tender. She was also emitting a steady, rumbling purr that he could feel in his chest and throughout his body. It was almost like being licked by a cat. A big, womanly cat with breasts, he thought dreamily. Without realizing it, his arms wound their way around her back and he clutched her tighter.
“Get away from him, you vampire bitch!” Anya shrieked. As Melissa jerked her head up, startled by the intrusion, Anya drew a squirt gun and pumped a stream of holy water into her face. Melissa screamed and staggered away, clawing at her face. Anya grabbed at Xander, “Honey, what did she do to you? Did she bite you?”
“No, Anya, you’ve got it all wrong! I mean, it wasn’t what it looked like.” Xander found himself embarrassed by Anya’s accusing gaze. He looked over her shoulder to see Buffy and Willow gaping at him as if he’d sprouted horns. “Look, guys, Melissa saved my life. We ran into Onegin, she staked him and she was just…..”
“Just what? Giving you a hickey out of gratitude?”
Xander sighed. He could feel one of Anya’s tantrums coming on. “Onegin scratched me. She was just healing the wounds by licking them.”
“Hasn’t she ever heard of Bactine?” Anya snapped.
“I’m sorry, Anya.” Melissa came closer. Her face was still smoking and charred where the holy water had hit it but was already beginning to heal. “It was Xander’s blood. I couldn’t resist it. It smelled so...appetizing.”
She smiled in apology but Anya was clearly not appeased. Melissa shrugged and turned to Willow and Buffy. “But the great thing is, I got Onegin! I staked the son-of-a-bitch right in the heart!”
Buffy glanced at the dust scattered as evidence of Melissa’s deed. “That’s great, Melissa. There’s just one little problem. With Onegin dead, who’s going to meet with the Mohra?”
Melissa’s grin faded as the realization hit her. She looked at the others and then at the dusty ground. “Oops.”
__________
They regrouped in The Bronze, with Anya fussing at Xander’s throat and continuing to shoot angry glares in Melissa’s direction. Melissa stared at the floor, utterly defeated.
“That’s it. It’s over. I can’t get to the Mohra without Onegin. If Onegin was suspicious enough about me to follow me, then chances are Yuri knew of his plan. If I go back without him and try to play ignorant, he’ll wonder why Onegin didn’t return. He’ll suspect me no matter what I tell him. Even if he believes I don’t know anything about Onegin’s…departure, he’ll probably stake me anyway. Onegin was the only one of that troop who wanted me around. With him gone, my usefulness is definitely at an end.”
Xander impatiently swatted at Anya’s hands. “No way. We are not going to give up just like that, not after everything we’ve been through.”
Anya hissed, “Xander, this has gone on far enough. I say Buffy forgets all about saving this creature’s humanity and just go to the castle and stake all of them. Preferably at dawn so they can’t escape anywhere. Who’s with me?”
Buffy raised her hand. “I second that notion.”
Willow shot angry looks at both women. “Well, I don’t. Buffy, the Hebrew have a saying, ‘He who saves one life saves the world entire.’”
Buffy stonily replied, “Is that what you were thinking when you brought me back from the dead? When you ripped me out of heaven?”
An awful silence fell over the group. Willow’s mouth opened and closed while Anya and Xander stared in shock at Buffy. She’d never discussed what had happened to her, never made any accusations against them and they could never bring themselves to mention it.
Melissa’s eyes fell unblinking on Buffy’s face. She whispered, “Heaven? You were in Heaven?” Without another word, she bolted up and ran blindly towards the women’s bathroom. Willow ran after her, as much to escape Buffy’s icy stare as to comfort the distraught vampiress.
She found Melissa crouched on one of the toilets. “Close the door,” she muttered tonelessly. “Wouldn’t want someone to come in and notice I’m not casting a reflection. I get the feeling that might be hard to explain.”
Willow whispered a short spell. Outside the girl’s bathroom, a sign reading “OUT OF ORDER” magically appeared on the door. Melissa stared up at Willow. “It’s really true, then? She was dead.” Willow nodded.
“Then Heaven does exist. Like Hell. Where Angel went.”
The wiccan stayed silent. She was struggling with the almost overwhelming feeling of guilt that had arisen from Buffy’s last words.
Willow was on the verge of losing one of her best friends while trying to help someone else regain her humanity. As she had done increasingly in the weeks following Buffy’s resurrection, the redhead wondered if she’d done the right thing. Another Slayer would have arisen to save the world, another would have taken Buffy’s place. The world would not have been left defenseless without a protector. Had Willow really brought her back for no better reason than that she wanted to keep her friend? Had she been as selfish as all that?
A low sob from the stall snapped her out of her self-castigation. The vampiress leaned her head against one cold wall, struggling to choke back tears. “Willow, I don’t know what to do! Anya’s right. Too many people have died since I came up with this idiotic plan. All those people the minions killed last night might have lived if Buffy had just gone to the castle like she wanted and staked them all. Xander nearly died tonight because of me. I can’t let this go on. I should just let Buffy do her job and kill the lot of them.”
Willow crouched down. “Melissa, listen to me. Xander was glad to risk his life for you. It’s no more than we do every day for billions of strangers we never meet. Anyone of us could die doing those things but we go on anyway and you know why?” Melissa shrugged. “Because it’s the right thing to do. Because it’s the path we all chose a long time ago. Because to stand by and do nothing is far worse and would mean a lot of people getting killed. Besides, we made Buffy our friend and we think helping her lightens the burden--just a wee bit, anyhow.”
“Buffy doesn’t think helping me is such a good idea,” Melissa pointed out.
“Buffy has this tremendous burden on her shoulder and it makes her a little, well, a little too determined to see the world in terms of black and white.”
Melissa shook her head fiercely. “No, that’s not true. Angel and Spike prove that Buffy’s capable of making distinctions. But she’s also about saving lives and lives are being lost while she’s wasting time trying to save one pathetic vampire.”
She gulped back tears. “But…if I stay like this, when I die, I’ll go to Hell. I didn’t know it existed before, I never thought about it. But now I know it’s real, like Heaven. I can’t help it, Willow. I’m just being selfish, I know. But I don’t want to die like this! I want to be human again. I want my shot at Heaven!”
The battle to hold back tears failed. The vampiress fell on Willow’s neck and started to cry as if her heart were broken. Willow felt herself determinedly blinking back tears while she hugged Melissa hard. Boy, guess I’m not the only emotionally needy one around here.
Finally, Melissa dragged herself away from Willow, rubbing her eyes. “Wow, how sad is this? I was 36 when I was turned, I should be more stable than this. I’m sorry, Willow, but ever since I became a vampire, my emotions have been on a rollercoaster. I know I was supposed to have lost all my inhibitions but I’ve completely lost my equilibrium, too. It’s like being in a permanent state of PMS.”
This image was so funny that Willow found herself starting to giggle. A moment later, both girls were collapsing in helpless peals of laughter. Willow got up and staggered to the mirror, still shaking helplessly in the grip of hysterical laughter. She lifted her head and stared into the shiny surface. There were the stalls behind her, each and every one of them seemingly empty.
The abrupt realization of Melissa’s state brought her back into sobriety. No one there. What must it be like to look into every shining surface and see no reflection looking back at you? How could Melissa--how could any vampire stand it?
She gazed hard into the mirror, wishing with a flare of frustration that she had the scrying mirror with her. Suddenly, the mirror rippled briefly as if a shadow had passed in front of it. Willow jumped and stared harder. She thought of the castle and the image abruptly reared up in front of her. It seemed so real, as if she could reach out and touch it.
Wow. She’d had no idea. Evidently, with her powers, she didn’t need a special mirror. Any sufficiently shiny surface, even a bowl full of water, might do. She concentrated and thought of Yuri, trying to see what he was doing.
Melissa noticed her intent stare and frowned. What was the matter with her? She’d been snickering like mad and now she was gazing unblinkingly into the mirror as if she was in a trance. “Willow? What is it? What are you doing?”
She reached a hand out hesitatingly and touched the wiccan and then dropped it when Willow didn’t respond. Whatever was happening, Willow didn’t seem to be in any danger. She decided to leave her alone and wait for Willow to snap out of it.
This was much better than the scrying mirror. The large surface of the bathroom mirror made it possible for her to see entire rooms and several people at once. Willow saw Yuri pacing back and forth in Onegin’s bedroom suite in manifest agitation. When there was a hesitant knock on the door, he barked out, “What!”
The minion--Willow remembered his name, Crusher--edging into the room shrank back at the exclamation. “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger, okay?”
“Is the Master back?”
Crusher shook his head in negation. “Nope. There’s no sign of him. Or that stupid programmer, either. Honestly, I don’t see why he keeps her around.”
“Are you skilled in operating computers?”
The minion shrugged. “No more or less than anyone else, I guess.”
“This woman is said to be one of the best there is. That’s why the Master wanted her. So don’t question his decisions.”
“Maybe she is. But she’s a piss-poor vampire. She ain’t gonna last too long if she doesn’t get with the program.” The vampire snickered at his little pun.
Yuri appeared distinctly unamused. “The Mohra will appear shortly before dawn in the eastern wing, the better to be in line with the rising sun. It’s using magic to transport itself so it cannot be tracked. If Onegin isn’t there by 6 a.m., the creature will disappear and not return. It is greedy but not stupid.”
“So what? Forget him. We know where the Slayer lives. Just send a bunch of us to wait for her and we’ll…..”
“Get yourselves killed just like the others. She took out fifteen of us the other night. Avoid her like the Master said and you may yet live out this century. Don’t worry about the programmer. Her usefulness will be at end soon. When that happens, the Master will probably kill her himself.”
The minion gave a toothy smirk and exited. Yuri waited until the door closed and then pulled a shiny metal briefcase from underneath the desk and laid it on the table. He drummed his fingers on it and muttered, “Lord, where are you?”
Willow came back to herself with a slight gasp. This was perfect! She knew their plans, she knew where the Mohra would be and she was betting that briefcase contained the $500,000 Onegin had mentioned.
She turned around to find Melissa’s worried eyes directed at her face. “Willow, are you all right? You just drifted off for a couple of minutes.”
“I’m all right. I’m better than all right. Melissa, I think we can still pull this off.” Willow was practically bouncing in her excitement. “The Mohra is going to meet Onegin at the eastern wing. If Buffy can get to him, she can take him down and give you the blood.”
Melissa stared. “Really? Is that what you were doing? Seeing into Onegin’s castle?” Willow nodded smugly while Melissa shook her head admiringly, then sighed. “Well, that would be great except for one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Onegin had all the windows to those rooms heavily boarded up. He wanted to be able to use those rooms without getting roasted in the daylight.”
Willow raised her eyebrows. “How’s that a problem?”
“It means that Buffy won’t be able to get into the rooms that way. The only other way is through the castle.”
Willow’s enthusiasm instantly evaporated. Now what would they do?

TBC
- 6
- 7
- 8
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