The Fallen Ones

It is set and is very heavily focused on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer continuity.

As such, the story is a bit rougher in terms of action and situations than the average TP episode and should be considered to have a PG-13 rating. If you are not old enough to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer on TV, you're probably not old enough to read this story. Any chapters that have a PG-13 rating will be so marked and will be prefaced with a warning, as per list rules. The content of this story has been run by listadmin and has not been determined to be unfit to post to the mailing list. This story contains frank, but not graphic, depictions of homosexuality. If this is something you find objectionable you may not want to read this story.

Thanks.
Mike Matott

Chapter 1

Cordelia Chase had a lot on her mind.

That was probably the reason she didn't see that someone was following her.

She was planning her wardrobe for the following school week, making sure that she wasn't repeating herself in style or color from anything in the previous month or with what she'd seen her rivals wearing.

Not that she would ever wear anything as tacky as what Debbie Saunders or Amy Peckerel wore to school. As if.

Then for the 86th time she wondered why she was dating Xander Harris, one of the biggest zeroes at Sunnydale High. Then she thought about his eyes and the way they sort of melted when she touched his cheek. Or the way he filled out that bathing suit the time he joined the swim team.

Cordelia felt herself blush, despite the fact that she was alone. It was then that she heard the scraping footfall behind her. She wasn't as alone as she thought. She turned around abruptly, hand snaking to her purse for a small aerosol container inside.

"Relax, babe," a voice hissed from the darkness. "This won't hurt...much."

A large shadow rippled out from the alley that branched off the street Cordelia was on. The shadow phased away as the figure, much smaller than its shadow, came into view. It was a man in a black suit smeared with dirt. Yellow eyes stared at Cordelia with hunger. In front of her eyes Cordelia saw bony ridges swell onto his face.

She froze for just a second, then remembered the spray can. She brought it out and held it up in front of herself.

"Do you really think that's going to work against me?" the creature laughed.

"Believe me," Cordelia said. "I wish I had more foundation with me. Your face needs some major work."

The thing simply snarled, then leapt towards Cordelia.

Cordelia depressed the trigger on the can. A fine mist hit the creature in the face. It crumpled to the ground screaming.

"What the hell is that?" it howled.

"Mace," Cordelia replied, "with just a tinge of Holy Water."

Cordelia gave a small mental thanks to Giles for his innovative idea for protection against some of Sunnydale's more unusual undesirables.

"Not quite enough Holy Water," the vampire snarled, rising to its feet and advancing.

Cordelia stifled a frightened meep and wondered why these things always happened to her.

****

Cory Emerson was late.

He was always late. He didn't know why things always turned out this way. It always seemed like he'd had enough time, and yet here he was again, running to try and make it back home on time. He supposed he could've always teleported there.

But Cory wasn't very comfortable with some of the aspects of his powers. Disappearing into thin air and then popping back freaked him out. It was too easy to imagine something or someone getting in the way as he teleported in. And then what would happen? A nice big explosion? Or an implosion?

No thank you, he thought, I'll stick to transport the old fashioned way.

He did like the other perks that came with being a Tomorrow Person. Sometimes hearing what people were thinking. He could telepathically communicate with other Tomorrow People, of course, but picking up thoughts from normal people was very different. Usually he didn't have any control over it, but sometimes with effort he could pull something directly out of another person's head.

Not that Adam, the titular head of the Tomorrow People, approved of that sort of thing. But what Adam didn't know wouldn't bother him.

It was at that moment, while Cory was imagining Adam glowering at him with disappointment, that he spotted something that made his heart stop, lurch, and then start pounding harder.

A man was confronting a girl, about his age, by an alleyway.

No, strike that. It wasn't a man. Cory got a good look at what it was and started running with the thought `Not again!' running through his head.

The girl, Cordelia the name came to him, sprayed something and the vampire dropped like a rock. But Cory could sense it wasn't out for the count.

"Cordelia, run!" Cory yelled at the girl.

The attractive black haired girl turned and stared at him with confusion.

"Run, I said!" Cory shouted, pushing her away from the vamp.

She began a stumbling shuffle down the street.

Cory faced the vampire that had been threatening Cordelia.

"Look what you've done," the vampire sneered. "You've chased her off. Now I'll have to hunt her down and kill her real slow. After I've gouged out your eyes and sucked the life from out of your oozing sockets."

"You know," Cory tried to put on a brave face, "you've got a real vivid imagination. Let's work with it."

Cory concentrated on the thing in front of him. It had a mind, not quite human or demon. It could be bent, persuaded. It just needed a tiny little nudge.

"I don't think you want to come any closer," Cory said levelly.

"And why not?" the vampire laughed.

"Because there's a blazing cross right in front of you."

A glowing yellow crucifix appeared in front of the vampire. It screeched in agony and turned away.

"There's one behind you, too," Cory nodded at the vampire, another cross appeared out of thin air, glowing brighter and brighter as the vampire got closer to it.

"In fact, you're surrounded by them. One on each side. Any direction you turn, there'll be a crucifix in front of you, barring the way. And they'll stay there until dawn."

"You can't..." the vampire sputtered through clenched teeth, well, fangs. "This isn't..."

"But I can," Cory stepped back. "And I did."

Cory rushed off, hoping that the vampire was still far enough in the alleyway not to be noticed by anyone who might drive by at that time of night. He stopped when he got to the mouth of the alley and scanned the street for any sign of Cordelia. It seemed as if she was gone.

`Well, hopefully she won't run into any more uglies,' he thought, turning onto a side street that led to his apartment. Star would be waiting for his phone call. Hoping for news. Unfortunately, Cory didn't have any. But no news is good news, he thought.

****

Cordelia looked back at the boy who had pushed her away from the vampire. He looked like he was stranded in the eighties. Bangs a bit on the greasy side giving his brown-blond hair a bit of a dirty sheen to it. He wore a black T-shirt with the words Santa Carla written in streaky red letters. Rumpled blue jeans with a hole below the right knee.

He looked odd facing a man in his funeral clothes.

Suddenly a yellow glow appeared between the two of them. The vampire flinched back. A second dagger of light burst into being behind the vampire. Cordelia thought it looked a bit like a cross.

"What the heck is that?" Cordelia wondered. "Who is this kid?"

Cordelia decided to leave first and ask questions later.

****

"So who was he?"

"How would I know?" Cordelia shrugged at Giles. "He had greasy hair."

"The vampire?" Giles continued.

"No, the kid who saved me."

"Well, what about the vampire? Did you know him?"

"Oh. Him. I think it was Brad Ghent."

"Didn't you used to date him?" Xander piped in.

"Maybe," Cordelia said. "Like three years ago or something. Once or twice."

"You know, you have a lousy survival rate on boyfriends," Xander pushed his feet onto one of the library tables. "Should I be worried?"

"You've been dating Cordelia for how long and you're just starting to come to this conclusion?" Buffy asked, arching an eyebrow in disbelief at him.

"Be that as it may," Giles interjected, "could we please get back to the subject at hand? Now did this boy kill the vampire?"

"I'm not sure," Cordelia said. "He called me by name and pushed me out of the way. He told me to run and it seemed like a really good idea at the time."

"Imagine that," Buffy smirked.

"Anyway," Cordelia shot a frigid look Buffy's way, "I looked back and there was this like bright light. And then I booked."

"Could it be another Slayer?" Willow asked.

"Nuh-uh," Buffy said. "Slayer's always female. Right, Giles?"

"Um. Yes," Giles replied. "So far as we know."

"Okay, then what is he?" Xander asked.

"I suppose we could be dealing with a sorcerer of some sort," Giles offered.

"Well, he seems to be working on the side of the ang...the light side of the Force," Xander said, switching his statement to try and avoid reminding Buffy of what had happened to Angel, Buffy's former boyfriend before he lost his soul and returned to being a psychotic evil vampire. Judging from the frown on Buffy's face, he didn't succeed.

"Well, this is one of those really awkward moments that just seems to crawl on forever, huh?" Xander said in a stage whisper to no one in particular.

"So what should we do?" Cordelia asked.

"Keep an eye out for this kid," Buffy said. "If he shows up, we corner him and find out what he knows. And what he did. And why."

"You think he needed a reason to save me?"

Buffy sighed and looked at Cordelia, "You know, sometimes, you make it too easy."

"We should all be getting to class," Willow said walking between the two young women and feeling the ice between them.

Willow had noticed a greater strain on Buffy and Cordelia's friendship since Angel had turned bad and, surprisingly, since Xander had started dating Cordelia. She suspected Cordelia was jealous of Xander's sometimes overpoweringly strong attraction to Buffy.

It was understandable for Cordelia to be jealous. Willow had been jealous when Xander had gone on and on about how gorgeous Buffy was, while she wanted nothing more than for him to notice her. For some reason though, Xander dating Cordelia didn't seem to phase Willow. Maybe it was because she was finally seeing someone herself. The thought of Oz made her feel warm inside.

Buffy's bitterness toward Cordelia seemed more like displaced anger than anything else. Cordelia, with her self-absorption, was the easiest target for Buffy to vent her frustrations on. Still, Willow didn't like conflict, especially between people she considered her friends.

"An excellent suggestion, Willow," Giles piped in. "Run along, now. We can worry about this later."

The four teen-agers filed out of the library leaving Giles to his own musings.

****

Chapter 3

Buffy and Xander split off from Cordelia and Willow to head to math class. Xander was muttering something about what use would math be in the real world. Cordelia and Willow were heading towards the other wing for their English class. A boy with long, slightly greasy hair passed by in front of them, nearly running into Cordelia.

"Watch where you're going, creep!" Cordelia yelled at his back. Then her jaw dropped in disbelief.

"Cordelia, what's wrong?" Willow said, concern flooding through her.

"That boy," Cordelia said in a hush. "That's the boy from last night."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," Cordelia replied. "I think he's even wearing the same pair of jeans. Either that or he's cut the same hole in another pair. Eew. How gross. Wearing the same thing two days in a row."

"Disgusting," Willow sighed, humoring her. "Let's see which class he's going to. Maybe we can snag him after class. Or find out from the roll who he is."

The two young women headed down the hall, trailing the young man who'd intervened for Cordelia last night. He was wearing a Navy blue shirt now. Some local band, Smock's Blues. Cordelia thought he didn't look right in blue. Black was much more appropriate. He stepped into room 124, one of the science labs. This period it was a chemistry class.

"All right, so now what?" Willow asked. "Do we try to corner him after class and give him the third degree or be sneaky about it and spy on him a bit more?"

"I'm all for confrontation," Cordelia said.

"Somehow, I knew you'd say that," Willow said.

****

Chapter 4

Cory tried to move as fast as he could through the hallway. The girl from last night, Cordelia, had practically bumped right into him. He hoped she didn't recognize him. There was no telling what she may have seen. Or what she may have told other people.

Cory suppressed a yawn. He hadn't gotten much sleep last night. Getting home at nearly one in the morning, just to have an hour of chemistry homework still to do was starting to wear on him. He didn't think he could keep this pace going for long.

But if he didn't work, he couldn't afford the apartment. And he needed to be in Sunnydale. They were going to find Michael. Star was counting on him and he didn't want to let her down. She cared about his cousin very much.

There had to be someone somewhere who could help him. Point him in the right direction. But in the two weeks since he'd gotten here, the only lead he'd had turned out to be useless. Nothing more than confirmation that Michael was here. Or at least, had been.

Time for the bell to ring. Cory put thoughts of his cousin out of his mind. He needed to focus on class today. There was a test next week. And if he wanted to stay here, he needed to go to school. His parents had made him promise.

He thought about how complicated his life had gotten. All he wanted was to be a normal teen-ager again. He wondered if anyone else could possibly understand the way he was feeling. What it felt like to lead a double life.

****

"Kiyah!" Buffy landed a spinning round-house kick to the pad on Gile's side. The Englishman grunted quietly.

"Good," he managed in a gasp. "Very good."

"Wanna take a break?" Buffy smiled, not a drop of sweat on her or even a catch in her breath.

"Only .. huh .. if .. you're tired," Giles gasped.

"Exhausted," Buffy smiled and stood down. "So, any bad news for me? Cataclysms headed for Sunnydale? Errant demons? Principal Snyder getting a possessed toupee? Anything?"

"Fortunately, everything seems quiet, for the moment."

"I love how you make even reassuring comments sound dreary."

"Well, we are living on the Hellmouth," Giles mopped his brow with a linen handkerchief. "Bad things tend to happen here. Quite periodically. Almost on a weekly basis, it seems."

"Yeah, well, I'm glad things are calming down a bit," Buffy sprawled into one of the chairs. "I actually had time to study last night after patrol."

"You studied?" Giles said in only partially mocking astonishment.

"Well," Buffy dropped her eyes and started fumbling with her hair, "I *did* open the book. And I remember some of the pictures. That counts, doesn't it?"

"I imagine Willow is doing her best to help you out?"

"Yeah, but she can't take the tests for me," Buffy said. "She helps me figure out the important stuff, but when it comes time for tests, I choke. Majorly."

"Well, chin up," Giles said, "if you can take down the Master, a few tests shouldn't be too problematic."

"You've never seen Mrs. Harschall, my trig teacher," Buffy stood, pulling her pack onto her shoulder. "She'd have had the Master quaking in those little black booties."

"Be that as it may," Giles said, "I have every confidence in you."

"Thanks, Giles," Buffy smiled. "That's sweet. I gotta go. Study hall's almost up and I've got a class next period."

"All right, see you after school," Giles said. "Oh, and please, bring back the crossbow. I'm not sure it's a good idea for you to be carrying it around."

"Spoilsport," Buffy said, waving to him as she exited.

****

Chapter 5

"Maybe we should get Buffy," Willow suggested, remembering this was Buffy's training period.

"What do we need *her* for?" Cordelia snapped. "To break his arm or something?"

"Well, she *is* good at breaking stuff."

Cordelia just glared at Willow.

"Or not," Willow said timidly.

"Let's go," Cordelia said.

"Righty-o," Willow scrambled to get all her books into her bag.

Cordelia stalked down the hall, her single white binder held against her chest like armor. Willow trailed behind, lugging a canvas bag on her hip. The door to room 124 swung open and dazed looking students filed out. Cordelia spotted the boy they were looking for first.

"Hey! You!" Cordelia shouted at him.

"How's he gonna know you mean him?" Willow asked as the boy turned with wide eyes toward them. "Okay, never mind."

"All right, who are you?" Cordelia had him cornered against the lockers.

"Um, my name's Cory Emerson," he looked as if he wanted to be a million miles away. "I'm new here."

"Hi, I'm Willow," Willow smiled, then gestured to her left, "and this is Cordelia."

"He knows who I am, remember?" Cordelia broke in, not taking her eyes from Cory. "What I want to know is how you knew my name."

"I'm sorry," Cory replied. "but I've never seen you before in my life."

"Oh really," Cordelia thrust a finger at his chest. "Then tell me something: what's Santa Carla?"

"It's a town further south on the coast. Close to LA. I lived there for a while. Why?"

"It was on your shirt last night," Cordelia said.

Cory tried to keep his face blank. She had tripped him up. He was expecting her to ask about what had happened in the alley. He'd forgotten about the shirt he'd been wearing. How stupid. And now he was trapped.

"I was home all night last night," Cory sputtered. He wished he could've thought of a better excuse. "Listen, I've really got to get to class. It was ..well, whatever, meeting you Willow. Corrina."

"Cordelia," Cordelia snapped.

"Sorry," Cory ducked between the two girls and practically sprinted down the hall.

"Well, that went ..."

"Don't even say it," Cordelia muttered.

"Well," Willow finished. "I was going to say it went well."

"I can't believe I'm going to say this," Cordelia gritted her teeth as she stalked down the hall. "Let's get Buffy."

****

Chapter 6

The hallway was a blur to Cory. He avoided bumping into people by instinct; his telepathic senses giving him an unconscious radar map. Something he should've relied on earlier in order to avoid bumping into Cordelia again. Unless this was something that couldn't have been avoided. Cory wasn't sure he believed in fate, but he knew he didn't believe in coincidence.

Maybe Cordelia knew something about the vampires in Sunnydale. She'd sprayed her assailant with something and it'd knocked him down for a few seconds. Mace wouldn't have even fazed a vampire. Garlic water or holy water, maybe? Cordelia hadn't said *anything* about her attacker. If she didn't know about the existence of vampires then she should've been more freaked out by her attacker than him. So that meant she'd already known about vampires. Maybe she could help him find Michael.

The problem Cory didn't want to face was that his cousin had disappeared in a town apparently crawling with vampires. Did he know about the vampires? Did he come here willingly or had someone or something brought him here?

Cory didn't want to think about it. As if thinking about it would somehow answer his questions. And in a way he wasn't prepared to handle.

Man, what else could happen today?

****

"So, he booked?" Buffy asked from across the lunch table.

"Like Xander at the first sign of trouble," Cordelia played with her french fries.

"Hey!" Xander's head whipped towards her.

"Sorry, hon," she said patting his arm.

"That's better," Xander threw his shoulders back and jutted his chin out a bit. "I wait for the second sign of trouble before running."

"Anyway.." Buffy began.

"And at least I don't scream," Xander continued.

"Oh yeah," Cordelia turned towards him, "what about the time those egg-thingies took over us and you were trapped with Buffy with two of them?"

"I thought you guys didn't have any memory of that?" Xander looked up from his pizza.

"Oops," Cordelia shrugged. "Lucky guess."

"Has someone been telling tales out of school?" Xander directed a pointed look at Buffy.

"Hmm, seems like a perfect time to get back on subject," Buffy said looking away from Xander. "So, he avoided you guys. Should we see what he does with me?"

"Just don't break anything," Cordelia said tartly. "He's kind of cute."

Xander didn't say anything. The look he gave Cordelia said more than enough.

****

`There's my quarry,' Buffy thought. `Quarry? I've been spending too much time with Giles.'

Cory was walking out into the afternoon sunshine with about forty or so other students leaving for the day. Yellow school busses lined the roadway to Buffy's left. Cory was heading to her right across the grass. Buffy started to overtake him. It looked like he was heading for the slightly ostentatious gate in the seven foot concrete wall that lined the side of the school yard.

Buffy came in from Cory's right side, stepping into his path and facing him.

"Excuse me," she said, "a friend of mine asked you some questions earlier and she said you weren't very helpful."

"So she sent someone else?" Cory studied the blonde girl in front of him carefully. Something about her felt odd. There was a sense of power and strength. Something beyond a normal person.

"My name's Buffy," she extended her hand.

"Slayer," Cory replied in a tranced voice once he touched her hand.

Buffy's eyes grew wide with surprise

"What did you say?"

"Um, nothing," Cory said levelly. "I didn't say anything. And I didn't see Cordelia last night. You have to believe me about that."

"You didn't see Cordelia last ni..." Buffy started to say in a far-off tone, then her voice snapped back to normal. "Hey! What was that?"

"I really have to go," Cory practically leapt through the gate and out onto the sidewalk.

"Uh-uh," Buffy glowered after him, arms folded, "I don't think so."

She ran a few feet along the side of the wall and then jumped. She reached her peak right above the wall, planting her left hand on the top of the wall as she pushed herself over and down to land in front of Cory. She landed with a slight thump, her hair bouncing briefly into her face. She cleared it from her face without a thought. Cory stopped running when he saw her land in front of him.

"What are you?" Cory asked.

"You already whispered that," Buffy replied with a slight smile. "Now I want to know what *you* are."

"It's a long story," Cory said, "and I'm not sure I should tell you."

"Come on," Buffy said, "I've got some friends to introduce you to. Then we can trade stories."

****

Chapter 7

Giles closed the library's swinging glass doors.

"There," he said, "we should have some privacy. Students rarely come to the library after school."

Buffy, Cory, Xander, Willow, and Cordelia were seated at the center table. Everyone was staring expectantly at Cory.

"What?"

"I think we'd all like to know who you are and what you're doing in Sunnydale," Giles took charge. "Cordelia mentioned something very interesting that happened to her last night and Buffy told me while we were waiting for the others to arrive about your attempt to cloud her mind."

"Mustn't have been that hard to do," Cordelia put in snidely.

"Cordelia, please," Giles' tone betrayed his annoyance. "Let's just keep to the task at hand.

"Well?" Giles looked at Cory with a waiting expression.

Cory looked around at all of them and sighed.

"My name's Cory Emerson. I moved from my home in Columbus to Santa Carla after a major freak out with my `rents. I've been living in Santa Carla for the past six months with my cousin Michael and his girlfriend Star. One night Michael didn't come home. Star and I did some tracking and all we could find was that he'd come here. I'm here to find out why."

"What do you know about vampires?" Buffy asked almost casually.

Cory wondered how far he could trust these five. It didn't look like he had much choice but to tell the truth. Maybe then he'd find out what exactly a Slayer was and what was so unusual about Buffy.

"Only what I've heard from my cousin," he replied cautiously.

"And what would he know about vampires?" Xander piped in.

"He almost became one."

Five pairs of eyes stared so hard at him they practically bore holes into his skull.

"How...what..?" Willow sputtered.

"He was a half-vampire," Cory watched them all carefully as he spoke. "Some vamps tricked him into drinking vampire blood and they almost turned him."

"That's not possible," Buffy said. "There's no such thing as a half-vampire. They drain a person, feed them blood, and that person becomes a vampire. There's no turning back. At least, not for good."

A face and name brushed across Cory's mind. A face so beautiful it hurt, and the name was so appropriate - Angel.

"Is that true, Giles?" Willow asked. "Or is there such a thing as a half-vampire?"

Giles sifted through some books, pulling out a very ancient looking tome. He flipped through it as he spoke, dust puffing out in a cloud as he went.

"It's highly irregular, but I suppose it is possible," Giles said. "I seem to remember something of the sort from the Rites of Veruhclaize, in which a human initiate took blood from a master vampire. Becoming in a sense a hybrid vampire. Sunlight becomes merely weakening, rather than incendiary. Holy water has no effect. Yet they gain many of the vampiric abilities, strength, enhanced senses."

"They flew too," Cory put in.

"These vamps flew?" Buffy looked at him startled.

"Yeah," Cory replied, "Don't yours?"

"Nope," Buffy shook her head slightly. "Definitely land bound."

"The initiate would become a vampire once they killed their first victim and fed on him or her," Giles continued. "I don't know of a way to reverse the process."

"They killed the master vampire and that did it," Cory answered. "My cousin's grandfather killed it."

"Wouldn't that make him your grandfather, too?" Cordelia asked.

"Nah, wrong side of the family. He's their mom's dad. Their dad's my uncle."

"Okay, now that we've got the family tree figured out, can we figure out what this guy is doing in Sunnydale, the vampire capital of the world?" Xander got up and moved in back of Cordelia's chair, placing his hands on the back.

"I don't know," Cory noted the gesture, Xander's posture, and the almost hostile mental state directed at him. "I didn't even know there were vampires here until last night, when I saw Cordelia being attacked."

"And you never answered my question about how you knew my name. Or what it was that you did in that alley."

"This is going to be even harder to explain," Cory sighed, wondering how best to do this. Direct seemed best. "I can read minds sometimes. That's how I knew your name."

"Then why did you screw it up in the hallway?" Cordelia broke in.

"Bad attempt to make you think I didn't know it.".

"It was funny," Willow gave a half giggle. Cordelia glared at her. "What? It *was* funny."

"What about the vamp?" Buffy asked. "Cordelia said she saw something glowing around the vamp."

"It has to do with suggestion. What I tried on you outside was a suggestion, with a little psychic push. I gave the vampire the suggestion that there was a glowing cross in front of him, no matter which direction he turned. So, that's what he saw."

"But I saw it too," Cordelia said.

"It's hard to explain," Cory said. "I made the suggestion and the glowing crosses just sort of happened. I told him that the crosses would be there until dawn. So they should've been there until he either stopped believing in them or until dawn when I told him they'd go away. Whether or not he managed to get away depends on how lucky he was."

"Why didn't you stake him, or keep him trapped there until after the sun rose?" Xander asked.

"I can't kill directly," Cory answered. "What I am keeps me from killing sentient things."

"What are you, then?" Buffy asked.

"We call ourselves the Tomorrow People," Cory wondered how much he could safely reveal. "We're supposed to be the next stage in human evolution. Aside from the telepathy, we have other psychic abilities. But there's some sort of inhibition about killing anything sentient. I can swat a mosquito, but I can't even hold a gun steady on a person."

"But vampires aren't alive," Cordelia said. "They're just demons walking around in dead people's bodies. Gross, definitely, but I doubt they're sensey-what?"

"Sentient," Giles supplied. "Meaning conscious of one's own existence."

"I don't know," Cory shook his head. "Maybe I could kill one if I had to, but I don't know. It's not like we have a rule-book telling us what we can and can't do. It's just sort of something you find out. And part of it you know instinctively."

"Do you think there's a connection between your cousin and the vampires here?" Willow asked.

Cory bent his head, avoiding everyone's eyes. "I don't know. I hope not."

"But you think so," Buffy said.

"And I'm supposed to be the mind reader," Cory said glumly.

"All right, so where do we go to find him? Buffy directed the question at Cory.

" `We'?"

"Sure. We'll find your cousin. Figure out a way to help him, assuming he needs help," Buffy offered.

"And if he's a bloodsucker?" Xander asked.

Buffy and Cory glared at him with meaningful looks.

"Oh," Xander said in a hushed voice. "Never mind."

"He'll be fine," Willow assured. "We're the good guys. Everything works out for the good guys, right?"

This time Cory felt the name resound from each of their minds. Who was this Angel? And who was the very pretty woman Giles tried so very hard not to think about, despite the fact that her image pounded against his conscious mind almost constantly?

"Well, anyway," Buffy broke the mood. "We should divide the city up into three sections. We'll all pair up."

The others got a frantic, almost eager look on their faces. Except Cordelia. She looked at Xander discreetly and held back a sigh.

"Wait a minute," Cory said. "Who the hell are you people? The CIA? FBI? Reform school girls gone bad?"

Xander cleared his throat.

"Oh, sorry Xander," Cory ammended. "But seriously, why are you doing this? How long have you been doing this? And what exactly is a Slayer?"

Buffy stood and after a brief look to Giles, who nodded slightly, took a deep breath and began speaking.

"I'm the Slayer," she stood in front of him, framed by the arching walls of the library. "Ever since vampires started going after people a girl has been called, Chosen: the Slayer."

"So you go around killing vampires?"

"Pretty much."

"Why is a girl chosen?"

"God's not sexist," Buffy shot back.

"I meant why a girl and not a woman?"

"They don't usually last long enough to become women," Buffy answered, almost casually. "Live fast, die young, leave a rockin' corpse."

"Well, you did sort of already die," Willow broke in, "and it *was* a really nice dress."

"Huh?"

"Long story," Buffy dismissed it. "Never mind. I have no clue how many Slayers there have been before me, but until all the vamps are dead, there'll always be a Slayer."

"So what can you do aside from leap walls in a single bound?"

"Well, I haven't quite figured out the X-ray vision thing," Buffy smirked, "but I'm pretty strong..."

"I'll say," Xander said, massaging a shoulder as if it were sore. "Never challenge her to arm wrestling."

".. and I have the amazing ability to put up with Xander."

"Hey, that's not exclusive to Slayers," Cordelia piped in.

"Anyway," Buffy rolled her eyes, "I don't bruise easily but when I do bruise I tend to bounce back pretty quickly. Then there's kind of this intuition thing. Usually happens with dreams, but sometimes weird stuff will happen like I can look at a person, well not a person, y'know, a vampire, and I can tell."

"Like gaydar but for vampires?" Cory asked.

"Huh?" Xander looked extremely puzzled.

"Never mind," Cory said, smiling slightly. "I'll explain later."

"I think that about covers it," Buffy turned towards the reference desk. "Giles?"

"Yes," the Englishman responded, "I think that about covers it. More or less."

"Cool," Buffy said. "So who wants to pair up with who?"

****

Chapter 8

Brad Ghent was very, very hungry.

He was also a bit on the singed side. Some of his skin had been burnt away. The crosses had gone away just as the sun slipped over the horizon. He'd had enough time to dive into a dumpster where he'd waited for the coolness of darkness to heal him. Now he needed to feed to restore himself fully. And after that he would hunt down Cordelia Chase and that boy who'd saved her. He would make them beg for death, slowly, as he pulled pieces of their bodies off, one by one. He thought he'd start with the fingernails and then work up to the fingers, and then the hand. Brad licked his lips in anticipation. The cracked feel of leather irritated his tongue.

Brad sniffed the air. He smelled someone coming down the alley. A man. Alone. Easy prey.

There was the silhouette. It seemed to grow larger as it approached, an illusion of the streetlights outside and the angle at which they shone into the alley. In the darkness Brad's eyes could pick out the man. He had long hair. Dark, but from here the color was too hard to tell. He was fairly tall and had a good build. He worked out, but not fanatically. The heart beat was slow and steady. No hint of fear or even anxiety. The man didn't think the alley was dangerous.

He would soon learn a very fatal lesson.

Brad `ascended' as he thought of it now. Rising to demon form he leapt for the man now just ten feet from him.

"I doubt you'd want to mess with me," the man said, stepping aside blurringly fast as Brad went by. "Don't go for a meal you can't handle."

Brad growled, then spat at the man's face. "I can handle you."

A woman's voice boomed in the alley, seeming to come from all directions at once. But Brad was certain the voice came from within his own head.

"Leave him alone, grandchild," the woman's voice said. "He isn't for you. Find your prey elsewhere."

"Who *are* you?" Brad whispered to the alley, his voice a reflection of awe; his intended victim now barely in his thoughts.

"If things had been different, Mother of All," the woman said bitterly. "As it is, the mother of monsters. Don't cross me, grandchild. I don't stand for insolence. After I was done with you, you wouldn't be able to stand. But I'd leave you alive. To suffer. Remember that. And mark this man well. Touch him and you will howl for mercy. Understand?"

"Yes, mistress," Brad bowed, he didn't know what at, but he bowed anyway. Then he turned and ran.

"Come, Michael," the woman whispered to the man now alone in the alley. "We need to find you something of your own to eat."

"I'm coming, my love," Michael replied entranced. He didn't ascend. He shifted. There was no demon there. He was Michael. Pure and evil. Now his frame reflected it, just as his handsome exterior had hidden it so well before. This was the way it had been meant to be. The way Max and David had wanted it. If only he'd known, they might still be in this world.

Who was he kidding? If he'd chosen this to begin with he'd still have tried to kill them. For power if for nothing else.

Michael laughed. The night was so young, but he needed to find what he was looking for and soon. Or his lover would leave him forever. But nothing could stand in his way now. All he needed was to find the right person.

****

"So, Willow," Cory asked, breaking the ice, "what do we do?"

"Well, uh," Willow stuttered, "we just sort of wander around until something nasty sort of finds us."

"Sounds like a winning plan," Cory smiled. "You do this often?"

"Pretty often, actually."

"How often does it work?"

"Pretty often."

"Well, I moved to the right town, didn't I?"

"It does have some nice points," Willow said.

"Like what?"

"A really good pizza place," Willow tried to think, "and a neat roller rink. Kind of retro, but modern too."

"And to think I left my skates in Santa Carla," Cory smirked. "So, why'd we split up like this? Very Scooby-Doo."

"Well, Buffy would say that it's so we can cover more ground," Willow replied. "But, that's not the real reason."

"Really?" Cory was confused.

"Well, she put me with you because she thinks you can protect me in case a baddie comes up. And she put Cordelia with Giles so he can keep her out of trouble, and I don't think she'd want you to have to put up with her. And Xander wound up with Buffy because she doesn't need any help and she doesn't want him running around on his own getting into trouble."

"And how do you know this?"

"I see more than people think, sometimes," Willow looked down, then back up at him. "Buffy's a loner. We kind of stumbled in on her secret by accident. We're just the backup team. She doesn't want us to get hurt. She thinks she's the only one who can fight evil in Sunnydale."

"She cares for you all very much," Cory looked Willow in the eyes. "I can tell. It's almost overpowering. When she looks at you ... there's so much love there. You guys aren't just a `backup team' for her. You're her family. She doesn't want you to get hurt."

"Maybe," Willow looked away, "but I wish we'd get our chance every once in a while."

Something brushed across Cory's awareness. A quicksilver ripple of malice somewhere in front of them. Just a few feet.

"Be careful what you wish for," Cory grabbed a hold of Willow and pulled her behind him.

In front of them a shape flowed out of the darkness. Clad in black it seemed to shift as it moved. Cory saw long, black hair flowing from a strangely shaped skull. Black jeans and a T-shirt clothed a body that seemed hardened. The wind didn't seem to touch it. The face was familiar despite the vampiric nature.

"Michael?" Cory's voice trembled.

The face in front of him melted into an attractive, young man; his cousin. Michael's eyes widened in shock.

"Cory?" he said in a hushed tone, then faster than Cory's eyes could track Michael was gone. He thought he saw something streaking into the sky.

"I take it that was your cousin?" Willow asked.

"Yeah," Cory's eyes arced across the night sky.

"This isn't good."

"I think that qualifies as an understatement."

"We need to find Buffy."

Chapter 9

"Did he say anything else to you before you came and found me?" Buffy asked, pushing a limp french fry into her mouth.

"Not really," Willow said, toying with her apple. "We just talked about .. stuff."

"Doesn't look good for his cousin," Buffy scanned across the cafeteria looking for faces. She spotted Xander and Cordelia off to one corner, being smooshy.

"Will you have to," Willow arched her eyebrows and jabbed the air with her knife, "you know?"

"Maybe. We'll have to see what he's turned into. Maybe he just reverted back to this half-vampire state. Might be a way to save him."

"Hey," Willow pointed to the other side of the cafeteria, "there's Cory."

"What's he staring at?" Buffy asked. He followed Cory's gaze to where Cordelia and Xander were. "Oh. Of course. Cordelia.

"Well, another one's fallen for the wiles of Cordelia Chase," Buffy sighed. "Whup. There she goes, heading for the exit. And watch as his eyes follow her out like a trained lap dog."

Cory didn't move from where he was.

"Or not," Buffy said.

"What's he still staring at?" Willow asked.

"I don't know," Buffy squinted. "There's nothing over there but..."

"Xander?!" the two girls said at once.

"You think..?" Willow started.

"Eep," Buffy got a guilty look on her face.

"Huh?"

Buffy flicked her eyes over towards Cory's table. Willow looked over her shoulder at where he was sitting. He was staring right at them with a mix of anger and embarrassment on his face.

"Remind me not to say anything about a mind reader when he's nearby," Buffy remarked.

"Wouldn't matter," Willow replied. "Couldn't he just tell what you were thinking anyway?"

"Hmm, a no-win situation," Buffy fiddled with another fry. "I hate those."

Chapter 10

"All right, Giles, what are our options," Buffy folded her arms and looked over the table at the Englishman.

"Well, it is still possible that Cory's cousin Michael has only reverted back to the half vampire stage," Giles said, taking his glasses off and wiping them with a handkerchief. "But that in itself is troublesome. It implies the `cure' either didn't work or the vampire destroyed was not the head of that cult."

"That's not possible," Cory said. "Star and the other half-vampire, Laddie, were both cured when Max was destroyed. I don't know about Laddie, but I know Star is still fine. Something else has happened to bring Michael back."

"Well, if so, then our next step is to find who, or what, brought Michael here," Giles answered, "and why."

"What if the only way to stop this is to kill him?" Buffy asked, looking sideways at Cory.

"Then that's what we'll have to do," Cory said grimly. "I know my cousin. He'd rather die than become one of those things."

"All right," Giles made his way to his desk, "so long as we're agreed. Now I think it's time to discuss strategy."

The Englishman shuffled through a couple of ancient tomes offering information to help Buffy and Cory. This would be a solo effort. The rest of Buffy's team was being sidelined for their own safety.

"So, um, I'm sorry about me and Willow..." Buffy shifted her eyes from Cory. ".. for, uh, sort of staring at you."

"It's okay," Cory looked down. "So, you know?"

"Yeah," Buffy looked over and smiled, "it's cool. I mean, Xander is kind of cute."

"As if I hadn't noticed," Cory raised his head, smirking.

"That what your parents freaked about?"

"Yep. I figured if I didn't say anything you'd assume it was over my powers."

"Clever. The art of misdirection," Buffy said warmly. "I use it myself on my mother all the time."

"The problem," Cory said, "is it doesn't work forever."

The two teen-agers were walking down an alleyway, looking for some sign of Michael. They had canvassed the area where Cory and Willow had come across him, but without any luck. Cory couldn't even pick up any psychic residue.

"Do you feel something?" Buffy suddenly looked behind her shoulder into the darkened alley.

"Is your spider-sense tingling?"

"Yep, how about yours?"

Cory reached out telepathically and scanned the area.

"I sense two presences," Cory replied, voice toneless. "Not human."

"All right," Buffy called, "come out, come out wherever you are."

From out of the shadows two demonic figures emerged. One male and one female. They snarled as they advanced. They were moving slowly. Something didn't feel right about this.

"Why aren't they rushing us?" Cory asked.

"I don't know," Buffy checked the periphery as the vamps advanced. "Not the typical behavior. Feels like an ambush. Sense any more?"

Cory spread his awareness around him.

"Nope. Nothing," Cory answered. "So what's the plan?"

"I take them out. You stay out of the way."

"Sounds good to me," Cory got behind Buffy as the vampires were now just a few feet away.

Buffy dropped into a fighting stance. One foot planted slightly at an angle and in front of the other. Her left arm held up close to her chest to block and the right slightly extended in front of her.

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about a guy by the name of Michael?" she asked nonchalantly. "New to town. Long black hair. Flies on occasion."

The vamps just snarled at her.

"Oh well," Buffy rushed the vampires, "doesn't hurt to ask."

The male vampire went for her. She grabbed his arm and pulled it behind his back as he moved towards her. There was the sound of a bone popping out of joint. The female tried to move in while Buffy was occupied.

"Buffy, look out," Cory yelled.

A back side-kick to the face sent the female vampire to the ground.

"S.O.P.," Buffy said. "Set them up..."

She gave the male vampire a hard slam against the side of a car.

"Knock `em down.."

She threw the vamp to the pavement.

"Take `em out," she brought a stake down onto his chest. The vampire exploded in a cloud of dust.

In the meantime the female vampire had recovered and had turned her sights on Cory. She leapt at him while Buffy was slamming the male vamp into the parked car.

Cory didn't know quite what to do. He was too rattled to try pushing the vamp's mind. In the time it took him to react, the vamp had her hands around his throat and was now squeezing it quite tightly.

[Let go!] Cory frantically projected.

The vamp didn't alter her grip.

In his mind, Cory felt something behind his eyes. A pulse. It felt like a spring being held back. He let the spring loose.

The female vampire flew backwards landing on top of some discarded wooden crates. Cory reached down and picked up a jagged piece of wood from one of the broken crates. Before the vamp had a chance to get up he heaved himself down onto her with the stake.

"Cory, are you..." Buffy started to say as he was thrusting the stake downwards.

The vamp disintegrated beneath him, coating his hands in black dust.

Cory felt a backlash hit his mind. Then he screamed and everything went completely black.

Chapter 11

"Are you okay?"

Cory opened his eyes to see Buffy above his face. His head was against something soft on the ground.

"What happened?" Cory closed his eyes and reopened them, trying to clear the spots floating in his vision. It almost worked.

"After you killed the vampire you screamed and passed out."

"How long have I been out?"

"Only about five minutes," Buffy said, helping him sit up. Once he'd had a chance to catch his breath, she asked, "Is that why you can't kill people? That whatever it was?"

"It was a psychic backlash," Cory replied. "I felt the vampire die, basically. Maybe that's why we can't kill. I know I wouldn't want to go through that again. But I would've expected it to kill me. Or blow my powers out. But it didn't."

"Well, you don't have to stake any more vamps," Buffy said. "I can handle them. I could've handled both of them."

"No, you don't understand," Cory slowly rose to his feet. "I didn't mean to kill her. While you were busy with the other one, she was trying to strangle me. I couldn't think of anything to do and then I felt something in my head. I reached out with it and the next thing I know she's flying through the air. Then before I even thought, the stake was in my hand and I was plunging it through her. It felt so, violent."

The last word sounded like it left a bad taste in Cory's mouth.

"She flew through the air?" Buffy asked. "Like your cousin?"

"No," Cory replied. "I did it to her. One of my friends, Ami, mentioned something like that happening to her once. Objects moving when she got freaked out by something. It's called telekinesis."

"Neat trick," Buffy smiled. "Wish I could do that. Could come in handy. You know, just sort of point, like so. And zap! Stake through vampire. No fuss, no muss, and no broken fingernails to worry about."

"Not to sound like I enjoyed this or anything, but I kind of want another chance to see if I can do it again," Cory said. "But next time I think I may be able to screen out that psychic backlash. Now that I know about it, I can defend myself against it."

"You mean you think you can slay vamps?"

"They're not really people," Cory dropped his focus to the ground. "You all said it yourselves. They're not human. They're sentient, but not living. You said when a person becomes a vampire a demon takes over their bodies and their souls go someplace else, right?"

"Yep," Buffy brushed off her pants and blouse.

"Then where does the demon go when you stake it?"

"I don't know," Buffy said. "I never really thought of it before. Maybe back to the demon dimension or hell or whatever."

"Then all you're really doing is sending them back where they came from."

"I guess so."

"Then I'm not breaking our 'one law' so to speak."

"Have you ever considered being a lawyer?" Buffy shot him a smirking grin.

"Rather be a rock star."

"So, was that useful?" Michael watched as his cousin and the Slayer left the alley.

"Perfect, my love," the voice licked at his ear, making him tremble ever so slightly.

"Why did you send those two in to get killed?"

"To see what we are up against," the woman's voice practically purred. "The girl is dangerous. If you're going to try to recruit your cousin, you'll have to get him when he's not with her. Do you think he will do what you ask him to do?"

Michael smiled, the tips of his eye teeth poking through his mouth.

"He will. Provided I give him the right motivation. And once we have him, he'll deliver the one you need."

The woman's laughter was chilling. Michael shivered, a small bit of fear shuddered through him. Then it, and the voice, were gone.

Chapter 12

"Hey, Giles, what's up?" Buffy flopped her pack on a table in the library and smiled at the Englishman behind the check-out counter. A look at his face and the smile vanished. "What's wrong?"

"I'm afraid I have some more information on why Cory's cousin may be in Sunnydale," Giles' eyes were slightly bloodshot and bags around them suggested that he'd been up all night.

"I take it he's not just here for sightseeing?" Buffy tried to lighten the mood a bit.

"Aside from the ritual of Veruhclaize, I found only one reference concerning humans being turned into pseudo-vampires."

"And?"

"Have you ever heard of a creature called Lilith?" Giles asked, reaching beneath the counter for a book.

"Nope," Buffy answered. "Aside from the alterna-chick tour."

"The what?" Giles looked puzzled.

"Music festival," Buffy supplied. "Lots of female bands."

"Well, probably only tangentially relevant. They probably took the name from the legend, not realizing or simply ignoring the negative portions."

"And said legend is?"

"According to Jewish folklore Eve was not Adam's first wife. According to some legends, Adam's first wife was known as Lilith. Depending on the version of the story Lilith either offended Adam or God by demonstrating independence."

"Imagine that," Buffy said, "an independent woman. No wonder she didn't make it in the official books."

"Yes, well, regardless of what may truly have happened, if any of the story is accurate, Lilith was banned from Eden and supposedly her humanity was removed. In a sense she became the first demon. She became intimate with various dark entities and birthed malevolent sprits who dedicated themselves to tormenting the children of Adam, humanity."

"Talk about your bitter breakups."

"From what I've read, I think it may be a possibility that Lilith's children were the demons that later gave rise to vampires."

"So, Eve is the mother of humanity and Lilith is the mother of demons?"

"Yes, pretty much so. The story of Lilith and her children was used to scare Jewish children, much like stories of the bogeyman."

"Hmm, maybe I should ask Willow about it," Buffy said. "But how does it tie in to Cory's cousin?"

"I was getting to that, but first I recommend you don't mention any of this to Willow," Giles looked pained.

"Huh? Why?"

"Because I think the reason Michael Emerson is here is because Lilith has called him here," Giles brought out the book he'd been holding beneath the counter. He opened it to an illustration. A man was being enveloped by a misty apparition in the shape of a woman. The man's head was pulled upwards and he appeared to be screaming. The eyes were closed tightly, tears or possibly blood streaming from his eyes. "This is an illustration of a man being ensnared by a succubus. Some of the legends state that Lilith is the only true succubus. Trying to reclaim what was stolen from her by drawing male seed into herself."

"Eew, gross," Buffy made a disgusted face. "Giles, spare me the details, huh?"

"Apparently male seed isn't enough for her to reconstitute herself," Giles continued, simply ignoring Buffy's outburst. "She needs a female host to regain a corporeal existence."

"And so...?"

"According to the prophecies I've uncovered, she'll want to choose a woman from the children of Israel, the Jews. It will have to be a woman touched by mystic forces, sensitive to them. Someone who can channel the spirit."

"Oh my god," Buffy said, realization spreading through her, "Willow."

"Now you see why I'm so upset," Giles put the book down and rubbed his forehead with a handkerchief. "Willow's minor experiments into witchcraft through Jenny's files and her exposure to the mystical forces in Sunnydale make her a prime target. I would imagine that is why Lilith came here in the first place. Sunnydale is so near to the veil of other dimensions, this would be the easiest place for her to cross over."

"We have to warn Willow," Buffy insisted. "She could be in danger."

"No," Giles held up a hand to stop Buffy from protesting, "it would be better if she didn't know about this. It will be easier to protect her."

"Don't you think she deserves a warning?"

"She may be the one chance we have of drawing Lilith out into the open so we can take care of her permanently."

"Are you honestly suggesting we use Willow as bait?" Buffy felt the anger rising in her. She grabbed a firm hold of the countertop. It creaked under her force.

"As a last resort perhaps," Giles said, backing away a step, "but I think it would be easier for us to continue the search if Willow and the others were kept in the dark about this. We don't even know for sure that Willow would be the target. There may be someone else that Lilith has her eye on. I may not even be correct in this theory. There's no need to worry Willow about something we don't even have any proof of."

"Still," Buffy relaxed her grip, "I'm going to keep an eye on her. Keep her with me. And I can't go looking for Michael and this Lilith while I'm protecting Willow. Kind of defeats the purpose. So, Cory will have to do it."

"He shouldn't go out on his own," Giles observed. "Someone should be with him."

"How about you?"

"No," Giles replied, "I need to do some further research. See if I can find a way to remove the link Lilith has forged with Michael. She may be the sole source of his vampiric powers and nature at the moment. If her influence is removed, he may revert to normal. Without him, Lilith cannot recorporate even if she were to try and posses Willow or someone else."

"Why would Michael or some other male be needed?" Buffy asked. "Wouldn't Lilith be resentful of that?"

"Existence depends on a blend of anima and animus. She needs him and the woman to, um, well, blend themselves in order to open the gateway."

"By blend do you mean..." Giles nodded his head a bit abashedly. "That's what I thought you meant."

"Okay," Buffy continued, "you're out. Willow's with me. Cordelia wouldn't want to risk breaking a nail, so that only leaves..."

"Xander," Giles agreed, then noticing the look on Buffy's face asked, "What? What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Buffy's face was contorted in the effort not to laugh hysterically. "It's just that either Cory's going to be really happy about this team-up or really, really mad at me."

"Why?"

"Long story," Buffy replied. "I'll fill Cory in on what's up and talk to Xander. Is it okay if I tell Cory your Lilith theory."

"I suppose he should know what he's trying to look for," Giles mused, "but I'd leave out our suspicions concerning targets. That goes for whatever you may tell Xander. I don't want Willow to be upset unnecessarily. And if you're there to watch over her, I'll feel much more at ease."

"Okie dokie, it's a plan," Buffy went back to the table to pick up her bag. "I'll talk to you later."

"Right," Giles said. "And do be careful."

"Aren't I always?" Buffy smiled as she went out the swinging doors.

"Actually, never." Giles frowned at the doors as they slowly came to a stop. Then he sat down, put on his glasses and continued his research. In the deepening night the sound of thunder drifted in from the ocean. A storm was on its way.

Chapter 13

"So what are we looking for?" Xander asked, staring over Cory's shoulder. Cory was looking out over Sunnydale, trying to spread his psychic awareness outward in the hopes of finding Michael. They were on top of a hill, at the edge of the city. Abandoned warehouses lined the road into town. Occasionally a flash of lightning strobed the city. The storm was on the verge of breaking.

"I'm trying to find some clue to where Michael might be," Cory replied, feeling very uncomfortable with Xander hovering behind him just at the edge of his peripheral vision.

"And we're doing that by just standing here?" he flitted around to the other side. "Buffy usually goes treading through one of the cemeteries. Usually whatever we're looking for pops up there eventually."

"Well, this is how I work," Cory said, feeling frustrated. Xander might be cute, but he tended to wear on the nerves very quickly.

"What can I do?"

"Try shutting up," Cory turned and glared at Xander. Xander's eyes widened, then he looked down.

"Sorry," he said a bit flustered, "I didn't mean to.. I mean, I just wanted to .."

"I'm sorry," Cory apologized. "I'm just mad that I haven't had any luck finding him. He must be shielded from me somehow. I'm, like, happy you want to help and that you're keeping me company, but there's no way you can really help me find him."

"Um, Cory?" Xander was staring over Cory's shoulder.

"Yeah, what is it?" Cory asked.

"Think we found them," Xander pulled Cory back. "Run!"

Cory stole a quick glance behind as Xander's motions pulled him forward into a run. There were two vampires coming out of the bushes in front of where they had just been standing. Another vampire was coming fast down a side street. That left them with nowhere to go but down the hill, deeper into town. The road they were on intersected with one of the main streets at the bottom of the hill. They'd have somewhere better to hide then. Cory felt something brush his mind as they ran down the street. It might have come from one of the shut up warehouses. He wasn't sure. He looked behind. The vampires weren't following them.

"Xander, stop," Cory grabbed the young man by his shirt. Cory felt the warmth from the other boy's body as it pulled back against Cory's tug. Cory pushed away the thought running through his head. And again he felt that elusive presence brush almost through him. Thunder crashed around them like gunshots.

"What?" Xander asked, looking around frantically.

"They're not following us."

"Huh? They're not," Xander repeated. "Why do you suppose that is?"

"It's like what happened to Buffy and me the other night. It's almost like they were trying to give us an opening. Like we were being tested."

"Or herded," Xander suggested, looking around for an ambush.

"You think they were trying to lead us somewhere?"

"Maybe," Xander craned his neck around. "Why don't you try that telepathic scanning thing again?"

Cory was about to when the night descended around the two young men. The streetlights died first. Then the sound of a woman's laughter filled their heads. Then Cory felt something hit him - hard - across the face. It felt like it took hours to fall. The world faded from Cory's sight. His last thought was to wonder if Xander had managed to get away. After all, someone had to warn Buffy.

****

Chapter 14

^ÓInteresting company you keep, cuz,^Ô the voice, smooth like satin, filtered through Cory^Òs rising consciousness. The driving patter of rain drummed against something. They were indoors, wherever they were.

He opened his eyes. It hurt. The light wasn^Òt bright, but it was enough to stun him. It came from a bare light bulb in the ceiling. He was in a barren run down room, presumably in one of those abandoned warehouses. He was on a pretty beat up couch. Cory blinked a few times and his vision slowly cleared. There was a table a few feet away from him. Xander was lying on it. Cory couldn^Òt tell if he was breathing. The voice, Michael^Òs voice, had come from behind him. He tried to sit up, but the effort almost cost him his consciousness again.

^ÓTake it slow, Cor,^Ô Michael said, sounding perfectly normal. He came into Cory^Òs line of sight, pulling a chair in front of the couch. ^ÓYou were hit pretty hard.^Ô

^ÓYeah, by you,^Ô Cory forced himself to sit. He refused to let the brown spots cloud over his vision. He would stay awake!

^ÓSorry, man,^Ô Michael smiled, and damn if it didn^Òt look like the real Michael. ^ÓI had to do it. I was afraid you wouldn^Òt give me a chance to have my say. I saw what you did last night. You and that girl.^Ô

^ÓSo it *was* a setup. You were testing us. Why?^Ô

^ÓTo see what you would do. I wanted to know why you followed me here.^Ô

^ÓBecause Star is frigging worried about you, you moron,^Ô Cory felt his strength returning to him. His head was aching less. He felt his powers recovering. He could feel Xander^Òs mental signature. So, the young man was still alive. Cory felt relief.

^ÓWho was the girl you were with?^Ô Michael asked, his voice started to sound oily. Or perhaps it was just that Cory^Òs empathic sense was beginning to register again, adding a quality to Michael^Òs speech that he had been missing.

^ÓA big Jackie Chan fan. She felt like practicing. Why do you care?^Ô

^ÓShe^Òs not normal,^Ô Michael replied. ^ÓIs she like you? Can she read minds?^Ô

^ÓShe^Òs not a Tomorrow Person, Michael,^Ô Cory answered. ^ÓNow stop with the twenty questions. You said you wanted to talk. So talk. Tell me what the hell you^Òre doing here and what^Òs happened to you.^Ô

Michael looked at Cory and sighed. A smile crept across his face, but Cory felt that it wasn^Òt genuine. It felt forced. Michael stood and walked across the room to a boarded-up window.

^ÓSomething happened to me in Santa Carla, Cory^Ô Michael explained. ^ÓIt had been like two years since we killed Max and I became human again. Star and I had a fight. Nothing major. Usual couple shit. I stormed out and went walking around. I went down to the beach with a bottle of Jack, planning on getting wasted and sleeping it off on the beach. That was when I realized it was the same stretch of beach David and the others had taken me. When they showed me their true faces. When they tried to get me to kill. To become one of them.^Ô

Michael looked out through a slit in the boards and took a deep breath. Then quietly, ^ÓDo you have any idea how seductive it was? The urge. The lust. The blood in the air, on the sand, mixing with the salt of the sea. I almost gave in then.^Ô

^ÓBut you didn^Òt,^Ô Cory interjected. ^ÓYou were stronger than it.^Ô

Michael ignored the comment.

^ÓThis time while I was on the beach a voice started to speak to me. It was quiet at first, but as nights passed, it grew stronger and stronger. After about a week I could tell it was a woman^Òs voice. She told me I had to leave Star. That she would be the only lover I^Òd ever need. And all I had to do for her was to come here and find a way to bring her across.^Ô

^ÓYou left Star for a ghost?^Ô Cory^Òs eyes widened in shock. ^ÓYou^Òve got to be kidding!^Ô

^ÓShe offered me power. And she gave it to me. More than I dreamed of. More than I had when I drank Max^Òs blood.^Ô

^ÓSo why are you telling me this? Why didn^Òt you just kill me?^Ô

^ÓWe^Òre family, cuz,^Ô Michael said, smiling. ^ÓShe knows the value of family, She doesn^Òt want me to kill you. She wants me to make you part of the family.^Ô

^ÓYou^Òve got to be kidding,^Ô Cory forced a laugh. ^ÓDo you really think I^Òd let you make me a vampire?^Ô

^ÓDon^Òt knock it, Cor,^Ô Michael moved in front of the table where Xander was sprawled out. ^ÓYou^Òd be amazed at what can be yours, if you just reach out for it.^Ô

Michael began rubbing his hand up and down Xander^Òs shirt.

^ÓGet away from him,^Ô Cory said through clenched teeth.

^ÓYou want him, don^Òt you?^Ô Michael asked. ^ÓI can feel it from here. I felt it outside.^Ô

^ÓI won^Òt let you hurt him. He^Òs not part of this.^Ô

^ÓCory, think about it,^Ô Michael^Òs fingernails seemed to grow points, like talons. He flicked his hand up the buttons of Xander^Òs shirt. Fabric tore easily. Warm pink flesh poked through. Michael spread the shirt aside. Cory tried not to stare. ^ÓYou can make him want you. You can feel his flesh, warm against your own. All you have to do is say yes. Come here.^Ô

Cory stood up shakily. A thought occurred to him.

^ÓWho is this woman, this voice who brought you here?^Ô Cory asked walking slowly but steadily across the room.

^ÓShe calls herself Lilith,^Ô Michael said the name with devotion. ^ÓAnd she promised me I^Òd rule this world at her side forever.^Ô

^ÓYou trust her as easily as that?^Ô

^ÓShe^Òs given me every reason to trust her,^Ô Michael said insistently. ^ÓNow I^Òm just asking you to trust me. Give me your hand.^Ô

Cory reached out with his right hand. Michael grabbed it in a vise-like grip and placed it on Xander^Òs bared chest. Cory felt the young man^Òs heart throbbing within.

^ÓThere,^Ô Michael practically purred. ^ÓHow does that feel?^Ô

^ÑPerfect,^Ò Cory thought.

^ÓHe^Òs yours for the taking,^Ô Michael let go of Cory^Òs wrist. ^ÓAll you have to do is let me turn you. Then my transformation is done and you and I will be real family. What do you say?^Ô

Cory drew up as much of his strength as he could. ^ÓRemember when I came to live with you and Star, Michael?^Ô

Michael^Òs eyes widened, not understanding.

^ÓI told you about my powers. That I could read minds. And then I showed you something.^Ô

A light of comprehension arose in Michael^Òs eyes.

^ÓThe answer^Òs no, Michael^Ô Cory said, hand firmly pressed on Xander. ^ÓNext time we meet, it^Òll be on my terms.^Ô

Blue light flashed and filled the room, followed by a crackling sound. When both light and sound faded, Michael was left standing alone.

Chapter 15

"You know," Willow said from the upper stacks, "this would be easier if you told me what I was looking for. Not that reading about Ankoura the Souless isn't interesting or anything."

"Just keep at it, Willow," Giles called up from his desk. "You're doing a good job."

"But nobody answered my question," Willow looked from Giles to Buffy to Cordelia.

"Don't look at me," Cordelia was filing her nails at the table across from Buffy. "I'm just waiting here for Xander."

"Yeah, what's up with this 'guy's night out'?" Willow asked.

"I don't know," Buffy replied, setting an automatic umbrella on the table. "I guess they're doing guy stuff, whatever that is."

"Yeah, while I hope they drop by soon," Willow muttered, "it's too quiet around here."

Willow felt her ears pop as a rush of air exploded around her. Blue light made spots in her vision. She thought she saw something taking shape directly in front of her.

Cory and Xander appeared in mid-air about three feet directly above one of the library tables. Four pairs of astonished eyes focused on them, then gravity took over and the two young men dropped from the sky onto the table. The wooden table groaned under the shock.

Buffy was first on the scene, vaulting from her chair and kneeling next to Cory and Xander.

"What happened? What was that?" Buffy asked Cory.

"Oh yeah, there was one thing I ... forgot... to mention," Cory said as the brown spots in his eyes merged into one spot. The strain of teleportation had him on the edge of unconsciousness.

Xander on the other hand was beginning to regain consciousness. He leaned up slightly, looked around, and asked, "Hey, how'd I wind up here?"

Then he looked down on himself, "And what happened to my shirt?"

Chapter 16

"Man, I hate that," Cory groaned, sipping a glass of water someone had fetched him.

"What was that?" Buffy asked. "You guys just appeared out of nowhere."

"Teleportation," Giles supplied. "Quite intriguing. I've only heard a few records of it. A few in ancient Egypt. Some in Macedonia. A few in Tibet. But nothing reported or verified in the last fifty years."

"Well, here's one for the record books, then," Xander piped, his shredded shirt hanging loosely on him.

"It's not something I like to do," Cory said. "Freaks me out. The other Tomorrow People don't mind it. Actually, they think it's a lot of fun. Me, I like my molecules where they are."

"I take it you're not a big fan of the Star Trek episode where the guy got turned inside out by the teleporter?" Xander quipped.

Cory didn't bother with a reply.

"If it ichs you out so much, there must have been a pretty good reason for you to do it," Buffy deduced. "What happened?"

"Your theory was right, Giles. Michael ambushed us," Cory said pointedly. "He wanted me to join him. He said it was what he needed for the final transformation. To make me a vampire."

"This is good," Giles came around from his desk.

"Am I missing something here?" Cordelia asked. "How is this good? His cousin's an evil vampire."

"Half-vampire," Willow piped in.

"The transformation isn't complete yet," Giles answered. "That means there's still time to save him and prevent ..."

Giles stopped speaking, his glance falling briefly on Willow then moving quickly on.

"Prevent what?" Willow asked. "Why'd you stop, Giles?"

"Um..er.. to prevent..uh..," Giles stammered.

"The end of the world," Buffy strained to think of a more likely reason. "Again."

"This kid could do that?" Xander asked. "And we just left him?"

"It's not like we had much choice," Cory replied. "It was that or have me be turned by him and turn you into my... um, never mind."

"Your what?" Xander asked.

"Let's get back to the real problem," Cordelia said. "I've got an appointment to get my hair done tomorrow. Is this end of the world thing going to happen anytime soon? I want to know if I should go all out or just get a cute little trim."

"Yes, well, I suppose Buffy may have been a bit overly dramatic," Giles said, frustration in his tone. "It may not be the end of the world, but if the power behind Michael is not stopped Sunnydale will become a very unpleasant place to live."

"Oh, and it's *so* cheery now," Cordelia sniffed.

"Listen gang, it's been a long night," Buffy stood. "Cordelia, maybe you should take Xander home so he can rest?"

"Yeah, great," Xander said, "and I can't wait to explain to my parents why my shirt looks like this. Oh, who am I kidding? My dad'll slap me on the back and say 'Good job, son.' and my mother will just complain about how much shirts cost."

"Come on, hon," Cordelia grabbed hold of his arm. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I need to get home and study. Eew. I've been hanging around Willow too long, I think."

Willow said nothing but her eyes narrowed. Cory felt a wave of anger bubble up quickly and then die down.

Cordelia and Xander left the library arm in arm. Cory felt a twinge of jealousy shiver through him. He buried it in the back of his mind.

"I'll take you home, Willow," Buffy offered, "but I need to talk with Giles for a minute, okay?"

"Sure," Willow said, "I'll just get my things from my locker and come back."

As soon as Willow was out the swinging doors Buffy's face dropped its calm mask. Concern and determination played across her features.

"Okay," she said. "Giles' theory was right, you said? So it is this Lilith?"

"Yeah," Cory answered. "Michael said she came to him as a disembodied voice. Promised him power in return for him finding a way to bring her across."

"Why did he need you to come to him?" Buffy asked.

"I don't know," Cory shook his head. "He said he needed it for the final transformation to be complete."

"Perhaps he needs to feed on a willing person?" Giles proposed, taking off his glasses and rubbing his brow. "If it was just feeding on anyone he could've taken any poor slob off the street by now."

"All right," Buffy summed up, "we know he hasn't been turned all the way. That means there's some hope of getting him back. And if we can do that, break his bond to this Lilith then there's no more problem."

"I'm afraid it's not as easy as that," Giles turned away tapping his glasses before settling them back on. "If we remove one mate for Lilith, she'll simply try to find another one. We need a more permanent solution."

"Well, if you can come up with one, let me know," Buffy mused. "In the meantime I've got an idea. But it's not one either of you is going to like."

"How do you know?" Giles asked.

"Because I hate it," Buffy answered.

"What's the plan?" a modest voice from behind them asked. "How do we stop Lilith?"

All three of them turned.

"Willow?" Buffy whispered.

"Guess I was quicker than normal," Willow said, looking almost guilty. "I heard what you were saying. I remember Lilith from stories my mom used to tell. She didn't use them to scare me. She used them with psychology jargon to explain patriarchy and gender perception to me. Gotta love a feminist psychologist. Turning a demon into a psychological sign. But if you want to stop Lilith, the real Lilith, you're going to need some bait. And I'm your best candidate."

Buffy looked at Cory, then Giles. The Englishman took his glasses off again and wiped his brow with a handkerchief.

"Let's hear your plan, Buffy," Giles said.

Chapter 17

It should have been a dark, stormy night. That's the way it's supposed to happen in movies and TV shows, Cory thought. But the night was California crisp. Fairly clean. The smog zone being a bit further north. The storm from earlier had been blown further inland, but Buffy still had her umbrella hooked around her arm. The stars twinkled brightly in the heavens. The moon cut the horizon with its waxing crescent.

Willow scratched at the pavement of the school parking lot with a piece of chalk. She'd drawn something that looked almost like the moon. A crescent shape with the tips just a foot from making a perfect circle.

"I think it's basically set," she said. "Maybe I should check the book again?"

"No," Giles assured. "It's fine. We can't risk moving you now."

"Why should they come here?" Cory asked.

"Because we've got the two people they want right here," Buffy's eyes swept the sky, "Willow, and you."

"Cheery thought," Cory replied. "Is there a way to draw them out?"

"Maybe," Buffy said. "Every time we've come across them you've been using your telepathy. Maybe it acts like a beacon. Maybe it'll draw them here."

"So, you want me to just broadcast out and pull them in?"

"Something like that," Buffy suggested. "And we'll be ready for them."

"I don't know," Cory's voice wavered. "This sounds almost as shaky as the rest of the plan."

"At least we have one," Buffy replied. "Now, let's get to work."

Cory shut his eyes to cut off any distractions. He reached out with his mind, not trying to read anyone's thoughts. Just reaching out with his existence, straining to stretch his presence across the whole city. To reach his cousin. To reach a presence that wanted him, needed him so she could return to the world.

Cory didn't know how he could explain this feeling to a non-psi. When he broke out it was like he'd finally gotten the full use of his senses. Until then, he may as well have been blind. He almost felt sorry for non-psis. The world feels empty and alone without telepathy. Cory could reach out and touch every mind in this city. He could feel his awareness spreading out. It was almost as if there was no limit to how far he could spread himself. There was no thinning or diffusion of his perception this time, because he wasn't focusing his ability on anyone or anything. He was simply existing. He wasn't 'reaching out' with his powers. He was allowing something he'd kept contained free. His mind allowed to expand, unbound from his body.

Cory felt something cold. From somewhere in the city they'd noticed him. Michael and Lilith had sensed him. They would come, Cory knew that with certainty.

"They're on their way," Cory said, grabbing a stake from Giles.

"How much time have we got?" Buffy asked, sweeping the sky again.

"I can't be sure," Cory replied. "Not long."

"Hang in there, Willow," Giles said. "This will all be over soon."

A chilling laughter came from behind Giles, Buffy, and Cory. A woman's laughter.

"Wil?" Buffy asked looking over her shoulder.

Willow stood in the center of the circle. There was no wind, but her hair was swirling around her face as if a cyclone was centered around her.

"Wil?" Buffy repeated in a shocked whisper.

"How nice of you to give me just what I was looking for," a deep voice emerged from Willow. Her eyes flashed red as she spoke.

"They're here!" Cory screamed as he felt dark presences popping up all around him.

"Giles," Buffy shouted, "the circle!"

Giles bent down quickly with chalk in hand and closed the circle. Lilith, within Willow, screamed as a blue dome of light sprang into being around her.

"This would be the part were the heavy guitar music starts playing, right?" Cory smirked, edging backwards towards Buffy as about a dozen vampires came into sight on the school grounds.

"You watch too much television," Buffy responded, launching into a somersault, stake in hand.

"I don't even own a television," Cory muttered as he slowly edged towards two of the vampires. One was wearing red flannel of all things. The other was in a black leather jacket.

Giles had brought a cross out from his satchel and was brandishing it at a vampire while tossing a bottle of holy water at another one.

Buffy did a forward flip about ten feet from three vampires, landed on her feet two arm-lengths from the vamps, spun forward with a drop kick and side-swiped the vamp on her right with the stake. While the one in front of her was launched backwards from the kick and the one on the right was staggering from the slice, she rotated her hips and brought the stake forward into a punch. It hit the vamp on the left, square in the chest, a cloud of dust falling about the stake. Without missing a beat, Buffy did a reverse spin, the stake an extension of her arm, and plunged it into the vampire she'd just sliced. More black dust filled the air. The vampire that had been in the center looked unsteadily at Buffy.

"What?" Buffy said lightly, "All tired out?"

Buffy came in with an inside crescent kick to the vampire's head. She felt its jaw snap. The vampire was bent over towards her. She brought her stake down onto the rise of his back. He too exploded into nothing but dust.

The vampires rushed Cory. He punched the one wearing flannel in the face. It grunted, but didn't move. Cory shot a side-kick at the other one. It dodged, but Cory's foot grazed its side. The vamp in the leather jacket landed a punch in Cory's abdomen. Cory felt the air pushed out of his lungs. He gasped for breath and felt that pulse behind his eyes again. He stared at the vampire and felt the energy released like a slingshot. The vampire was hurled backwards about four feet. It fell on the ground. While the other vampire was startled Cory swung inward with the stake, bracing his mind for the anticipated backlash. The badly dressed vampire screamed briefly then fell to dust around Cory. Cory threw the stake at the other vampire, somehow guiding the stake with that energy pulsing behind his eyes. The stake flew straight through the vampire. The vampire looked briefly at the hole torn in its body, then disintegrated. Cory tugged at the stake with his mind and it came back to him.

"Neat trick you've got there, cuz," a voice snarled from the air above him. "Want to try it on me?"

Michael stood above Cory's head, supported somehow by the air.

"Great," Cory muttered under his breath. Buffy's plan looked as if it was turning into a deathtrap.

Across from Cory, Giles landed a strong uppercut against a vampire. The librarian brought a stake up into the monster's gut. That meant half the vampires were taken care of. Two more were advancing on Giles. Cory was being left alone, presumably due to Michael's presence, That meant that four vampires were rushing Buffy at once.

'Four against one,' Buffy thought, 'No prob. I've fought more before. Nothing to it. Just don't die, Buff.'

She took a deep breath and dived at the vamps, rolling forward into a roll. She did a complete rollover onto her back, braced her arms above her shoulders against the pavement and let her cocked legs loose against the abdomen of one of the vamps. He went flying five feet. Using the momentum from her own thrust, Buffy pushed off with her hands and righted herself into a fighting stance.

Buffy squared off against two of the vampires. The third had gotten out of her line of sight. She fended off blows from the other two while trying to figure out where the third had slipped away to.

'Maybe he's run off?' Buffy thought, then felt a fist crash down on the back of her neck, hard.

'Or not,' she thought as she was knocked to the ground. Her stake was knocked out of her hand. "Ulp."

"Doesn't look good for your friend," Michael murmured. "does it?"

"Buffy!" Cory shouted and started running to her.

Michael landed in front of him and blocked the way. He grabbed Cory in a bear-hug. Cory felt the crushing strength from his cousin. There was no way for him to break loose. Giles was busy with the other two vampires. There was nothing he could do for Buffy either. She was on her own.

Buffy tried to get up but one vampire had her by the legs and the other was holding down her right arm. She struggled to raise it, but wasn't getting anywhere. The third vampire stood above her and licked his lips. Buffy tried to swallow down the taste of fear in her mouth. It didn't work.

She scrambled with her left hand for a weapon of any sort. Her hand closed around the shaft of her umbrella. Inspiration hit and she raised the umbrella and pointed it at the vampire above her. He laughed. The point of the umbrella was half a foot short of its mark. Buffy depressed the trigger on the automatic umbrella. The spring release shot the point of the umbrella into the vamps' chest, cutting the laughter off.

"Things are looking up," Cory said. "Want to go for a trip, cuz?"

Realization dawned on Michael for the second time that evening. He tried to let go but the blue nimbus of highly charged electrons already surrounded the two of them. In an instant they were gone from the scene of battle, leaving Giles and Buffy to fend for themselves. The Lilith inside Willow continued to scream furiously. It was the last sound Cory heard as they 'ported out.

****

They rematerialized about a hundred feet in the air.

"Welcome to the Western Pacific, cuz," Cory said, "where it's an hour before sunset."

Michael didn't say a word. He writhed in Cory's arms trying to break free. They continued falling. If they dropped too close, Cory planned on 'porting them back up. He came in at the altitude he did to minimize the chance of something blocking the sun. Now he just needed to hold on and hope that this worked.

"You need to fight, Michael," Cory insisted. "I know this isn't who you are. We've trapped her, Michael. And I've moved you over 2,000 miles from her. The sun should drive her power out of you, but only if you'll let go. Let go, Michael!"

Michael's only reply was to scream. The ground continued to rush up at them.

Chapter 18

Giles heard something in his hand pop as his thumb was wrenched outward. Shock overrode the pain. He brought his other fist crashing into the vampire's face. It reeled momentarily. Enough time for Giles to plant a stake firmly in its chest.

Buffy, in the meantime, was disposing of the remaining two vampires. When Cory teleported out, it was enough of a shock that the vamps' attention was drawn away from Buffy. She was on her feet before the light had faded. Now the two vampires were being subjected to alternate kicks and punches. Buffy backhanded one vampire, kicked the other's legs out from under him, and rolled to the side to pick up her fallen stake.

"Good night, bloodsuckers," Buffy practically snarled, moving with furious speed between her assailants. With an uncanny fluidity, the stake found first one mark, then the other. Buffy wielded the stake like a fine sword. Dust fell around her on both sides.

"Giles," Buffy ran to the Englishman's side. He was on his knees, clutching his injured hand to his chest while the other was extended with a crucifix holding off the final vampire. "Are you all right?"

"It's only a dislocated thumb," Giles said, through gritted teeth. "Hurts like bloody hell, but I'll live. Not quite up to fighting form though."

"Leave it to me," Buffy stood, brushed off her pants and advanced on the vampire. It lasted half a minute at most. Giles lowered his arm and breathed a deep sigh.

"Now, about Willow..." Giles said.

"Release me, putrid fleshbags," the voice within Willow screamed. "I'll make you wish for death. I will be made whole again. Nothing can stop me."

"Well, it looks like this circle can," Buffy smirked. "We'll just wait here, 'kay?"

"You would sacrifice your friend just to hold me?"

"Oh, we don't need to hold you for long," Buffy pointed to the East. "The sun will be rising in about two hours. You have two choices. Release Willow now and maybe you can find a way to escape. Or wait for the sunrise and lose all of your power."

"We know your weakness," Giles stood and approached the circle. "Why would you approach Michael in darkness only? You share the same weakness that your descendants do. You can't abide sunlight."

"Then your friend dies with me," Lilith threatened.

"Don't think so," Buffy said. "See, the circle and the incantation we did prevents you from fully bonding to her. Plus, you needed Michael for, um, that whole Biblical knowledge thing. And we took Michael out of the picture. So you can't cross over into the physical world. You've lost, Lilith. Give it up."

"NO!" the shriek didn't come out of Willow's mouth. It came from the air itself. The blue dome of light flared brightly. Willow slumped to the ground.

"Giles, now," Buffy pulled a clay figurine from Giles' satchel.

Giles pulled Willow's slumped body out of the circle, breaking it. Buffy placed the clay figurine, a woman with clawed hands, on the edge of the circle where Giles had pulled Willow across.

"Interrum vitae novum, interrum igneous apnostis," Giles intoned. The sound of Lilith wailing rose to a shriek as the air within the circle turned red and seemed to be sucked into the figurine. Outside the circle, nothing stirred. As suddenly as it began, the shriek ended and the blue light of the protective sphere faded. The clay figurine looked darker and the face seemed mauled now with tear drops. The drops on the clay had not been there before. The face had changed in features, too. It seemed softer somehow. More like a mother. That scared Buffy more than if it had been the face of a monster.

Willow stirred in Giles' arms.

"Did it work?" she murmured, opening her eyes to look at the two of them.

"Looks like," Buffy smiled. "Scratch one demon mother. How about you?"

"My throat hurts," Willow said, "but otherwise I think I'm okay. I don't really remember too much."

"Well, now all that remains is to see if Cory succeeded in getting his cousin far enough away," Giles remarked.

Buffy gathered up their equipment while Willow recovered. Willow was standing when a blue light blossomed outward from the center of the parking lot. Cory held an unconscious Michael in his arms. Michael's features appeared human.

"Did it work?" Buffy asked.

"I think so," Cory replied. "He screamed for a while, then his face just sort of melted back to normal. I felt something like a thread in his mind snap. I think it may have been the connection he had to Lilith. After that was gone, he felt like the old Michael."

"Then, I think it's about time we called it a night," Giles sighed. "Would one of you mind getting me to the hospital?"

"What happened?" Cory asked. "Is Lilith gone? Willow, are you okay?"

"Everything's cool," Buffy said. "She's bound to the statue. Everything went according to plan."

"I'm fine," Willow replied. "A little on the confused side. Kind of tired. Kind of hungry. A bit sea-sicky too."

"Giles?"

"Just got a bit careless," he replied. "Just need to get my thumb popped back into place."

"I can get Giles to the hospital the quickest," Cory offered. "I take it you'll take Willow home, Buffy?"

"Natch."

"Then I guess we'll see you tomorrow," Cory put an arm around Giles as if to support him.

"Now wait a minute," Giles stammered, "I'd much rather take a car then..."

His words were cut off as Cory enveloped the three of them in his teleportation field.

Buffy grabbed Giles' supplies and brought them back to the school. Willow waited for her in the parking lot.

"You know," Willow piped up, "how are we going to get home? You don't have a car."

"Oh right," Buffy said. "I forgot. Guess we hoof it."

"You know, we really could use a car," Willow observed.

"Think we should invite Cordelia next time?" Buffy asked sarcastically. "She's got a car."

"Are you feeling all right?" Willow asked looking sideways at her friend. "Never mind. I'm just kidding."

Buffy and Willow headed off, chatting about their day as if the night's events hadn't happened. Very little fazed either of them any more. This was pretty much a typical night in Sunnydale.

Epilogue

"So how long does Giles have to wear that dorky bandage?" Cordelia asked in the cafeteria.

"About three weeks," Buffy said. "He says it looks worse than it is. But you know him. He'd say that if there was a gaping hole through his abdomen."

"And Michael?" Cordelia asked Cory.

"He's fine. They said it seemed as if he hadn't eaten in four days," Cory said. "It was probably more like two weeks. Lilith must have been doing something to sustain him. He doesn't remember feeding on anyone."

"Well that's good at least," Willow brushed her hair off of her eyes.

"Why'd he want to turn you?" Buffy asked, spooning ketchup onto a french fry.

"He said he needed family blood for the final transformation," Cory said. "He was planning on going after his brother, Sam, but I conveniently followed him here."

"What was he doing in Sunnydale anyway?" Xander asked. "Not soaking up the rays, I'd bet."

"Recruiting an army," Cory replied. "Guess where the vampire capital of the world is?"

"Glad I moved here," Buffy said.

"So what are you going to do now that you've found your cousin?" Willow asked.

"I might stick around for a little bit," Cory said, flashing a smile. "I kind of like it here. It's lively. I hear there's a cool roller-rink in town."

"Ooh, I've got to get to class," Buffy said, grabbing her bookbag.

"Eep, me too," Willow said, grabbing her tray.

"Um, people, don't we all have the same class bell?" Xander asked, getting slowly to his feet.

"Xander, why don't you talk to Cory," Cordelia said, getting up with the others.

"Well, that wasn't too obvious now was it?" Xander mused.

"You're talking to a mind-reader," Cory said. "I knew this was coming."

"Really?"

"No," Cory flashed a smile, "but I thought it'd make you feel better."

"Oh," Xander looked down at his hands, then back at Cory. "Well..uh..see, I don't really.. that is, I'm not ... uh.."

"Xander," Cory held up a hand, "it's cool. I understand. I hope this doesn't make you uncomfortable."

"Wha...? No. No," Xander said. "I'm okay."

There was a bit of an awkward pause. Cory stood up to go. Xander got up with him and gave him a light punch on the shoulder.

"Hey," Xander said, a thought occurring to him, "Do you like football?"

"Yeah," Cory was confused, "why?"

"Got a friend I want to introduce you to," Xander said. "You might like him. He's captain of the team."

"Cute?"

"I'm not that good a judge," Xander replied.

"Available?"

"Definitely."

"I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," Cory threw an arm around Xander, hitting him on the back as they left the cafeteria.

"Isn't that from a movie or something?"

"Something like that," Cory laughed. He thought it would be nice to spend some time in Sunnydale. After all, nothing worse could happen. Could it?

END

Okay, now that it's finally over and done with, I wanted to drop a quick note to offer some details and explanations to people.

A first question that may occur to some people is why the story is set in the second season of Buffy? The answer is - that's when I started it! Yes, this story has taken two years to write and get proofread. I worked very hard on this story, trying to match the tone of the Buffy chracters. As the story developed it would've been harder and harder to incorporate 'current' Buffy continuity into the story, so I just kept it fixed where I had it. Hopefully, it worked.

Another question is why weren't there any other TP involved except for a (mostly) original character? The answer to that is that the initial concept didn't actually have a TP character. I had a psychic with the ability to telepathically make suggestions. It quickly and easily evolved into making a TP character with morals not quite as scrupulous as Adam's. :-) I never planned to write this for the list. Never planned to write it down in the first place. Sometimes I get ideas for what I think would be a cool episode for a show. That's what this was. The Lost Boys got tossed in later when I nixed the idea of a new series TP and Lost Boys cross. Seemed a natural fit.

Why create a cousin for Michael when I could have just used his younger brother Sam? The answer to that is that Cory *was* Sam in the initial treatment. I nixed that idea because I figured people wouldn't like some of the characteristics I gave him (juvenile delinquent, gay) even if I had reasons to do so (and I did. I can justify my choices based on The Lost Boys movie).

Some of the other treatments of this story actually included incorporating the original Lost Boys from Peter Pan into the story with a very different version of Peter Pan from the friendly, playful one that is so often portrayed. Some day I may actually write my TP-Peter Pan crossover. I know, it sounds ridiculous but I have some cute ideas for Jade and Megabyte in a story with the Pan.

All right. Enough posts from me in one day. I hope you enjoyed the story. Huge round of thanks to my two beta-readers, especially Michele who made suggestions that made immense improvements in the pacing and the dialogue. PLEASE, please, send me feedback. I put a lot of heart into this and want to know what people think.

Thanks! Mike

-who promises he is working on his serial when not talking about himself in third person