Maybe Someday. Chapter 16.
We're going off to Wales on Sunday (for a one week holiday - I'll MIIIIIIIIIIISS you all! *wah!*), so I thought I'd post this before we left. Not sure I'm perfectly happy with it, but I really don't have much more time for fiddling about with it, so I hope you like anyway. And I know it isn't nice to leave people with a cliffhanger for too long. Thank you so much all of you for reading and for your lovely feedback... funny how I never tire of it! ;)
Since kathyh is still away, the brilliant lillianmorgan stepped in and beta'd this for me! Don't worry LM - I won't forget about the dragon! ;)
Previous chapters here.
Chapter 16
Tired, hung-over and grumpy, Angel stared at the scene in front of him in mute incomprehension. It had all happened so quickly that his head couldn’t join up the dots to make sense of what he saw. Then he heard a growl and saw Spike leap from Buffy’s side, face changing mid-jump, knocking Illyria away. The green light went out as abruptly as if a switch had been pressed, and Spike was now standing in front of Dawn, fangs bared and every muscle taut and ready for a fight. Buffy appeared to be frozen in place - her face as shocked as the time she'd come to LA after Faith and Angel had hit her.
Illyria slowly picked herself up from the floor by the wall where she had landed in a very un-God-like heap - trying to re-assert her usual grace. Her face was a mask of fury, anger in every movement.
“You don’t come near the girl,” Spike said, yellow eyes flashing.
At his words Dawn burst into tears, and Buffy rushed to her, hugging her tightly and protectively. The glare she threw Illyria’s way made it clear she was ready to rip off the God’s head with her bare hands.
Illyria paid them no heed as she stared down Spike in cold rage. “You dare defy me!”
He eyed her cautiously, speaking slowly and deliberately. “I defied a Hell God before. You touch Dawn again and I swear I will kill you just as dead as Glory.”
“You do not have the power,” she answered, scornfully. “I am Illyria, and although my power is diminished, you are but an insignificant worm compared to me. Your defiance is wearying - any true follower of mine would have brought me The Key as my rightful due.”
Before Spike could reply, Angel cut in: “Could someone please explain what’s going on?”
They all looked at him in surprise, obviously having forgotten that he was there.
Spike, turning his attention back to Illyria, answered.
“What’s happening is that our God-King decided to become a back-stabbing, lying little bitch.”
Illyria regarded him coolly: “Sneakiness is the way of this world. I have learned much since I first rose.”
“But... what’s all the Key-business?” Angel asked, as he vainly tried to remember what Spike had told them.
Deciding to ignore Spike, Illyria turned to face him, calmly replying.
“The Key is an ancient treasure - much prized by those less powerful. I never had the need for a trinket such as this, but wars were fought by those seeking the power to travel between dimensions. When Glorificus was imprisoned in this world the Keepers of the Key made it human - rendering it practically useless. Only by rituals and bloodletting can it now be wielded and even then only at an auspicious time. It will be many ages of this world before the stars align themselves again in such a manner.”
Dawn spoke up now, voice slightly wobbly but determined. “Is... is that why no one has come looking for me - because it’s not the right time?”
Illyria shrugged. “Possibly. It is not my concern.”
Angel still couldn’t work it out. “But if the Key doesn’t work, what were you doing?”
“She was trying to turn her back to pure energy!” Buffy said, voice frosty as an Arctic winter.
Illyria smiled at this, like a teacher who has discovered a bright pupil in a class of dunces. “I will absorb The Key and wield it at my pleasure - no longer will I be bound to this dimension! We can travel wherever we please, looking for the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart.”
Angel stopped at this, suddenly seeing the whole thing in a new light. Not that killing Buffy’s little sister should ever be allowed, but if they could find a way around...
“Is there a way of... extracting The Key without harming Dawn?” he asked, hopefully.
This had clearly never occurred to Illyria and she looked at him thoughtfully. “I do not know. If you can find a way, I will wait. If not, the Key will yet be mine.”
Angel could see Spike visibly relax at her words as he turned to look at Buffy, face human again. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“I’m thinking that another Hell God wants to kill my sister - someone that you brought into my home!” she replied, obviously still shaken.
A host of conflicting emotions flew across Spike’s face, but all he said was, “Remember Willow restoring Tara? Maybe she could work some clever mojo in this case too. She’s still in town, right?”
The words meant nothing to Angel, but Buffy frowned in concentration. “Willow - Willow once tried to turn Dawn back... I guess she has enough power.”
She closed her eyes, leaning on Dawn. “God I hate days like these.”
Taking a deep breath she pulled herself together, once again the Slayer. “Fine. I’ll call Willow... and I really need to get dressed.”
***********
Rome was supposed to be fun, Xander was certain of this. He could clearly remember the last time he’d visited Buffy, when that Immortal guy she’d been dating had shown them such a good time that Xander had almost decided that he wanted to move to Rome as soon as possible. And yet, here he was in what he had thought was party central, feeling that a research session with Andrew might be more entertaining. He should have known better than to go sightseeing with Willow and Giles.
He sighed. They were now at the Colosseum and his two companions were trying to out-do each other with knowledge of obscure facts. Last time he’d been here, The Immortal had painted a word-picture so vivid, that Xander was sure he had heard a lion roar...
Maybe he should go get an ice-cream? It was the only excuse he could think of to get a few moments peace. But just then Willow’s cell phone rang and he prayed fervently that it was some sort of big crisis and not just Kennedy saying good morning - or good night... what time was it in Brazil now? But Willow frowned in a worried way and then said a quick goodbye. She looked up.
“That was Buffy. She asked me - or us I guess - to come round straight away. She sounded really worried.”
He knew that he shouldn’t, but Xander felt very relieved. The taxi-journey was wonderfully swift and in no time at all they were at Buffy’s flat. And neither Willow nor Giles had quoted a single date the whole time - trouble was a-brewing and they were the cavalry! So when they finally walked through the door, Xander felt in a rather jolly mood. As he took in the small group, he immediately picked out the weird blueish demon he’d never seen before, thinking out loud as he went through his mental comic book file. “Hey - who's this? The Blue Beetle? The Big Blue? The Blue Meanie?” until his eyes exploded with glee, “A smurf?”
Next thing he knew, he was being slammed against the wall, feet dangling a few very uncomfortable inches off the floor with the demon’s surprisingly strong little hand in a vice-like grip around his throat. Breathing was rapidly becoming a problem, as he thought he saw Spike and Angel talking to the insane demon, telling it to let go. Moments later, when he started blacking out, the hand was abruptly removed and he found himself on the floor, gasping for air. Spike was standing in front of him, an amused look on his face.
“In less than 10 seconds you managed to insult the Hell God - that has got to be a record of some kind.”
“Wha- wha- what?” he stammered, as he saw Willow kneel down next to him, a concerned frown on her face.
“Hell God?” she asked, puzzled.
“I told you about her yesterday,” Spike said, “Illyria - remember?”
Willow nodded and Xander made a grimace that he hoped conveyed the same sentiment. Although Spike could have mentioned that the blasted thing was blue...
Half-turning, Spike looked around. “Hey - your highness; what have you got against smurfs anyway?”
The Illyria thing stared at them coldly. “Wesley once called me a smurf when he was intoxicated. It was obvious that this was not a term of worship. I will not tolerate such mockery from a lower being.”
Spike and Angel looked at each other and sighed.
“Look your Royal Blueness, he wasn’t mocking - it’s quite simply how he talks.” Spike stopped and thought for a moment and then continued, a tired look on his face: “He lost an eye in the fight against the First Evil, see? He’s um, almost a warrior. And he happens to be the best friend of the witch who’s going to help you, so just get over yourself for a moment OK?”
Unemotional eyes studied Xander for an uncomfortably long time and then they travelled on to Willow who was still crouched at his side. A small smile appeared on her previously impassive face.
“Power... I can sense it from here. This one should indeed be able to do the allotted task.”
Willow frowned. “Allotted task? Anyone wanna tell me why we’re here?”
Giles, who had seated himself on the sofa, said resignedly, “Should have known it had something to do with her,” and waved in Illyria’s direction. “What’s the matter now? More... surprises?”
Spike and Angel shared another look and Xander began to feel seriously wigged... it was a bit like that vibe he got off Spike and Buffy - that thing where he was sure they were reading each other’s thoughts or something. He began to understand what Giles had meant when he’d described the souled vamp duo as ‘unsettling’.
“This was a surprise for all of us,” Angel said curtly. Xander suddenly realised that the vampire looked rather worn and wondered what had happened. As he looked around he saw the tension on all the faces - noticed Buffy’s face looking more worried than he had seen it for months, Dawn doing her I-don't-care teen routine and Spike, despite his blustering, looking rather subdued. Oh crap, it’s a personal problem and not a general one, he realised, hoping that Willow was up for whatever it was that they were going to do...
********
It was late by the time everyone finally left, leaving Spike, Buffy and Dawn alone in the flat. There had been long explanations and discussions, Willow calling up the coven for some advice and doing a ‘reading’ of Dawn and Illyria to see how she could go about transferring The Key to the God without killing Dawn. In the end Illyria had grudgingly allowed for a power 'swap’ so that the transfer would be two ways. It was very complicated and Buffy hadn’t understood most of it. Dawn had been very calm throughout which had added to Buffy’s worry. But if all went to plan by tomorrow night Dawn would no longer be The Key. She would actually be something approximating a normal girl, although she would somehow be held up by magic... Buffy plumped down on the sofa. “What do we do now?” she asked no one in particular.
“Make dinner?” Dawn suggested.
Spike slowly nodded and replied, “Could get a take away if you’re not feeling up to it - my treat?”
“Take away sounds good,” Dawn decided. “Buffy - what would you like?”
“Huh? I... I don’t know - just order whatever you want.”
Not too long after they were all sitting round the small kitchen table and tucking in to the food. Buffy didn’t do much talking - mostly she watched Dawn and Spike re-connecting. She knew they had been friends once and Dawn had told her some of the stuff they had done while Buffy had been ‘gone’. Dawn had been upset initially that she’d never made up with Spike before he died, but when Buffy thought about it, she had not mentioned this for months. The explanation was simple enough - after Spike and Angel’s rendezvous in May, Dawn had accidentally overheard Andrew talking on the phone to Giles. She had then ruthlessly pulled the truth out of him and armed with such potent blackmail, she had been the one to convince Andrew to move back to London. Buffy remembered that she’d been surprised by his swift departure at the time, but had thought it Giles’s doing.
So now Dawn was not too wigged at suddenly having Spike back in their lives... the manner of his introduction had been rather unusual, but she was far more relaxed about the whole thing than Buffy could have ever hoped for. The evening was quiet and enjoyable, and no one mentioned tomorrow... until bedtime.
Dawn had gone to her room, her parting line being, “Don’t worry - I’m cool with everything, OK? Do you have any idea how often I wished that I was just ordinary back when we were dealing with Glory? Yes there was a time when I thought it'd be really cool to be a Slayer or something, but I really like my life now. And I trust Willow not to screw up - I have to.”
Buffy had smiled and nodded because it seemed the thing to do, but it wasn’t until she was wrapped up in Spike’s arms a little later, that she finally allowed herself to relax for the first time all day.
“I don’t like being helpless,” she said, knowing he’d understand - she loved that about him.
“I know,” he replied softly as he stroked her hair.
She snuggled closer to him, nestling her head under his chin, staring ahead. “I froze. If you hadn’t jumped, Dawn might...” she found she couldn’t finish the sentence because of the huge lump that suddenly rose in her throat. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to erase the memory of Dawn’s terrified face.
“It was for me to do Love,” he said quietly. “Nothing will ever change the past, but hopefully today made up in some small way for my failure all those years ago.”
She blinked and lifted her face to look at him. He was staring into the distance and the look on his face was like a mirror of how she was feeling. “Used to have nightmares... would see her pretty little face just as it looked before Doc threw me off the tower. She was so scared...”
He stopped and looked at her. “Don’t beat yourself up. It’s all going to be fine.”
She sighed deeply and closed her eyes, absentmindedly thinking that it was nice that they didn’t break furniture anymore, because the bed was wonderfully comfy...
************
Elsewhere in the city, others were still busy. In the Council’s library Willow was carefully preparing for the big spell she was going to perform, trying not to let her excitement overcome her common sense - Giles and Johnson, the local Watcher, were busy researching with her.
Xander had escaped and was happily entertaining a few of the resident Slayers who always enjoyed ‘hearing the tales of Sunnydale’.
Angel and Illyria had found a large vamp-nest and were dusting vampires with swift and silent relish.
And in her office, where she had a magnificent view of the old, historic town, Ilona Costa Bianca put down the telephone with a satisfied air and turned to the expensively dressed man sitting across from her:
“I believe thees was the final piece of the plan, no? When Sunday night she come we will be ready! I think it will be most enjoyable - you are a very clever man Mr. Simmons!”
“I like to think so,” he replied and smiled a slow, satisfied smile, resembling a Siamese cat who’d just caught an eagle.
Chapter 17
Since kathyh is still away, the brilliant lillianmorgan stepped in and beta'd this for me! Don't worry LM - I won't forget about the dragon! ;)
Previous chapters here.
Chapter 16
Tired, hung-over and grumpy, Angel stared at the scene in front of him in mute incomprehension. It had all happened so quickly that his head couldn’t join up the dots to make sense of what he saw. Then he heard a growl and saw Spike leap from Buffy’s side, face changing mid-jump, knocking Illyria away. The green light went out as abruptly as if a switch had been pressed, and Spike was now standing in front of Dawn, fangs bared and every muscle taut and ready for a fight. Buffy appeared to be frozen in place - her face as shocked as the time she'd come to LA after Faith and Angel had hit her.
Illyria slowly picked herself up from the floor by the wall where she had landed in a very un-God-like heap - trying to re-assert her usual grace. Her face was a mask of fury, anger in every movement.
“You don’t come near the girl,” Spike said, yellow eyes flashing.
At his words Dawn burst into tears, and Buffy rushed to her, hugging her tightly and protectively. The glare she threw Illyria’s way made it clear she was ready to rip off the God’s head with her bare hands.
Illyria paid them no heed as she stared down Spike in cold rage. “You dare defy me!”
He eyed her cautiously, speaking slowly and deliberately. “I defied a Hell God before. You touch Dawn again and I swear I will kill you just as dead as Glory.”
“You do not have the power,” she answered, scornfully. “I am Illyria, and although my power is diminished, you are but an insignificant worm compared to me. Your defiance is wearying - any true follower of mine would have brought me The Key as my rightful due.”
Before Spike could reply, Angel cut in: “Could someone please explain what’s going on?”
They all looked at him in surprise, obviously having forgotten that he was there.
Spike, turning his attention back to Illyria, answered.
“What’s happening is that our God-King decided to become a back-stabbing, lying little bitch.”
Illyria regarded him coolly: “Sneakiness is the way of this world. I have learned much since I first rose.”
“But... what’s all the Key-business?” Angel asked, as he vainly tried to remember what Spike had told them.
Deciding to ignore Spike, Illyria turned to face him, calmly replying.
“The Key is an ancient treasure - much prized by those less powerful. I never had the need for a trinket such as this, but wars were fought by those seeking the power to travel between dimensions. When Glorificus was imprisoned in this world the Keepers of the Key made it human - rendering it practically useless. Only by rituals and bloodletting can it now be wielded and even then only at an auspicious time. It will be many ages of this world before the stars align themselves again in such a manner.”
Dawn spoke up now, voice slightly wobbly but determined. “Is... is that why no one has come looking for me - because it’s not the right time?”
Illyria shrugged. “Possibly. It is not my concern.”
Angel still couldn’t work it out. “But if the Key doesn’t work, what were you doing?”
“She was trying to turn her back to pure energy!” Buffy said, voice frosty as an Arctic winter.
Illyria smiled at this, like a teacher who has discovered a bright pupil in a class of dunces. “I will absorb The Key and wield it at my pleasure - no longer will I be bound to this dimension! We can travel wherever we please, looking for the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart.”
Angel stopped at this, suddenly seeing the whole thing in a new light. Not that killing Buffy’s little sister should ever be allowed, but if they could find a way around...
“Is there a way of... extracting The Key without harming Dawn?” he asked, hopefully.
This had clearly never occurred to Illyria and she looked at him thoughtfully. “I do not know. If you can find a way, I will wait. If not, the Key will yet be mine.”
Angel could see Spike visibly relax at her words as he turned to look at Buffy, face human again. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“I’m thinking that another Hell God wants to kill my sister - someone that you brought into my home!” she replied, obviously still shaken.
A host of conflicting emotions flew across Spike’s face, but all he said was, “Remember Willow restoring Tara? Maybe she could work some clever mojo in this case too. She’s still in town, right?”
The words meant nothing to Angel, but Buffy frowned in concentration. “Willow - Willow once tried to turn Dawn back... I guess she has enough power.”
She closed her eyes, leaning on Dawn. “God I hate days like these.”
Taking a deep breath she pulled herself together, once again the Slayer. “Fine. I’ll call Willow... and I really need to get dressed.”
***********
Rome was supposed to be fun, Xander was certain of this. He could clearly remember the last time he’d visited Buffy, when that Immortal guy she’d been dating had shown them such a good time that Xander had almost decided that he wanted to move to Rome as soon as possible. And yet, here he was in what he had thought was party central, feeling that a research session with Andrew might be more entertaining. He should have known better than to go sightseeing with Willow and Giles.
He sighed. They were now at the Colosseum and his two companions were trying to out-do each other with knowledge of obscure facts. Last time he’d been here, The Immortal had painted a word-picture so vivid, that Xander was sure he had heard a lion roar...
Maybe he should go get an ice-cream? It was the only excuse he could think of to get a few moments peace. But just then Willow’s cell phone rang and he prayed fervently that it was some sort of big crisis and not just Kennedy saying good morning - or good night... what time was it in Brazil now? But Willow frowned in a worried way and then said a quick goodbye. She looked up.
“That was Buffy. She asked me - or us I guess - to come round straight away. She sounded really worried.”
He knew that he shouldn’t, but Xander felt very relieved. The taxi-journey was wonderfully swift and in no time at all they were at Buffy’s flat. And neither Willow nor Giles had quoted a single date the whole time - trouble was a-brewing and they were the cavalry! So when they finally walked through the door, Xander felt in a rather jolly mood. As he took in the small group, he immediately picked out the weird blueish demon he’d never seen before, thinking out loud as he went through his mental comic book file. “Hey - who's this? The Blue Beetle? The Big Blue? The Blue Meanie?” until his eyes exploded with glee, “A smurf?”
Next thing he knew, he was being slammed against the wall, feet dangling a few very uncomfortable inches off the floor with the demon’s surprisingly strong little hand in a vice-like grip around his throat. Breathing was rapidly becoming a problem, as he thought he saw Spike and Angel talking to the insane demon, telling it to let go. Moments later, when he started blacking out, the hand was abruptly removed and he found himself on the floor, gasping for air. Spike was standing in front of him, an amused look on his face.
“In less than 10 seconds you managed to insult the Hell God - that has got to be a record of some kind.”
“Wha- wha- what?” he stammered, as he saw Willow kneel down next to him, a concerned frown on her face.
“Hell God?” she asked, puzzled.
“I told you about her yesterday,” Spike said, “Illyria - remember?”
Willow nodded and Xander made a grimace that he hoped conveyed the same sentiment. Although Spike could have mentioned that the blasted thing was blue...
Half-turning, Spike looked around. “Hey - your highness; what have you got against smurfs anyway?”
The Illyria thing stared at them coldly. “Wesley once called me a smurf when he was intoxicated. It was obvious that this was not a term of worship. I will not tolerate such mockery from a lower being.”
Spike and Angel looked at each other and sighed.
“Look your Royal Blueness, he wasn’t mocking - it’s quite simply how he talks.” Spike stopped and thought for a moment and then continued, a tired look on his face: “He lost an eye in the fight against the First Evil, see? He’s um, almost a warrior. And he happens to be the best friend of the witch who’s going to help you, so just get over yourself for a moment OK?”
Unemotional eyes studied Xander for an uncomfortably long time and then they travelled on to Willow who was still crouched at his side. A small smile appeared on her previously impassive face.
“Power... I can sense it from here. This one should indeed be able to do the allotted task.”
Willow frowned. “Allotted task? Anyone wanna tell me why we’re here?”
Giles, who had seated himself on the sofa, said resignedly, “Should have known it had something to do with her,” and waved in Illyria’s direction. “What’s the matter now? More... surprises?”
Spike and Angel shared another look and Xander began to feel seriously wigged... it was a bit like that vibe he got off Spike and Buffy - that thing where he was sure they were reading each other’s thoughts or something. He began to understand what Giles had meant when he’d described the souled vamp duo as ‘unsettling’.
“This was a surprise for all of us,” Angel said curtly. Xander suddenly realised that the vampire looked rather worn and wondered what had happened. As he looked around he saw the tension on all the faces - noticed Buffy’s face looking more worried than he had seen it for months, Dawn doing her I-don't-care teen routine and Spike, despite his blustering, looking rather subdued. Oh crap, it’s a personal problem and not a general one, he realised, hoping that Willow was up for whatever it was that they were going to do...
********
It was late by the time everyone finally left, leaving Spike, Buffy and Dawn alone in the flat. There had been long explanations and discussions, Willow calling up the coven for some advice and doing a ‘reading’ of Dawn and Illyria to see how she could go about transferring The Key to the God without killing Dawn. In the end Illyria had grudgingly allowed for a power 'swap’ so that the transfer would be two ways. It was very complicated and Buffy hadn’t understood most of it. Dawn had been very calm throughout which had added to Buffy’s worry. But if all went to plan by tomorrow night Dawn would no longer be The Key. She would actually be something approximating a normal girl, although she would somehow be held up by magic... Buffy plumped down on the sofa. “What do we do now?” she asked no one in particular.
“Make dinner?” Dawn suggested.
Spike slowly nodded and replied, “Could get a take away if you’re not feeling up to it - my treat?”
“Take away sounds good,” Dawn decided. “Buffy - what would you like?”
“Huh? I... I don’t know - just order whatever you want.”
Not too long after they were all sitting round the small kitchen table and tucking in to the food. Buffy didn’t do much talking - mostly she watched Dawn and Spike re-connecting. She knew they had been friends once and Dawn had told her some of the stuff they had done while Buffy had been ‘gone’. Dawn had been upset initially that she’d never made up with Spike before he died, but when Buffy thought about it, she had not mentioned this for months. The explanation was simple enough - after Spike and Angel’s rendezvous in May, Dawn had accidentally overheard Andrew talking on the phone to Giles. She had then ruthlessly pulled the truth out of him and armed with such potent blackmail, she had been the one to convince Andrew to move back to London. Buffy remembered that she’d been surprised by his swift departure at the time, but had thought it Giles’s doing.
So now Dawn was not too wigged at suddenly having Spike back in their lives... the manner of his introduction had been rather unusual, but she was far more relaxed about the whole thing than Buffy could have ever hoped for. The evening was quiet and enjoyable, and no one mentioned tomorrow... until bedtime.
Dawn had gone to her room, her parting line being, “Don’t worry - I’m cool with everything, OK? Do you have any idea how often I wished that I was just ordinary back when we were dealing with Glory? Yes there was a time when I thought it'd be really cool to be a Slayer or something, but I really like my life now. And I trust Willow not to screw up - I have to.”
Buffy had smiled and nodded because it seemed the thing to do, but it wasn’t until she was wrapped up in Spike’s arms a little later, that she finally allowed herself to relax for the first time all day.
“I don’t like being helpless,” she said, knowing he’d understand - she loved that about him.
“I know,” he replied softly as he stroked her hair.
She snuggled closer to him, nestling her head under his chin, staring ahead. “I froze. If you hadn’t jumped, Dawn might...” she found she couldn’t finish the sentence because of the huge lump that suddenly rose in her throat. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to erase the memory of Dawn’s terrified face.
“It was for me to do Love,” he said quietly. “Nothing will ever change the past, but hopefully today made up in some small way for my failure all those years ago.”
She blinked and lifted her face to look at him. He was staring into the distance and the look on his face was like a mirror of how she was feeling. “Used to have nightmares... would see her pretty little face just as it looked before Doc threw me off the tower. She was so scared...”
He stopped and looked at her. “Don’t beat yourself up. It’s all going to be fine.”
She sighed deeply and closed her eyes, absentmindedly thinking that it was nice that they didn’t break furniture anymore, because the bed was wonderfully comfy...
************
Elsewhere in the city, others were still busy. In the Council’s library Willow was carefully preparing for the big spell she was going to perform, trying not to let her excitement overcome her common sense - Giles and Johnson, the local Watcher, were busy researching with her.
Xander had escaped and was happily entertaining a few of the resident Slayers who always enjoyed ‘hearing the tales of Sunnydale’.
Angel and Illyria had found a large vamp-nest and were dusting vampires with swift and silent relish.
And in her office, where she had a magnificent view of the old, historic town, Ilona Costa Bianca put down the telephone with a satisfied air and turned to the expensively dressed man sitting across from her:
“I believe thees was the final piece of the plan, no? When Sunday night she come we will be ready! I think it will be most enjoyable - you are a very clever man Mr. Simmons!”
“I like to think so,” he replied and smiled a slow, satisfied smile, resembling a Siamese cat who’d just caught an eagle.
Chapter 17