~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Willie glanced nervously at the new face. The guy was drinking red, in here that didn’t refer to wine, and raving, never a good combination.
Willie set the bottle on the table and started backing away. The vampire grabbed his arm. “I’m cursed,” He exclaimed. “Everywhere I go it follows me, insanity, absolute insanity. The Enforcers think it’s my fault, they’re after me. But they won’t come here,” he giggled. “They can’t come here, she’s here. I’d rather face her than them.”
_____________________________________________________________________________
“So how was patrol?” Giles asked as Buffy and Xander slumped tiredly into a pair of armchairs.
“It’s totally crazy out there,” Buffy said.
“The vamps are acting like wrestlers the week after the season ends,” Xander said.
“In English please,” Giles replied.
“They’re eating everything in sight,” Buffy explained. “It’s not normal, if vampires normally ate like that there wouldn’t be anyone left in Sunnydale by the end of the month.”
“Could you have run into a group of fledglings? You know newly risen vampires tend gore themselves. That why it’s always essential to get to them before they make it out of the cemetery,” Giles said.
“These weren’t newbies, Spike recognized the one that bit him,” Xander said.
“A vampire bit Spike?” Giles asked incredulously.
“We told you they were eating everyone in sight,” Buffy said. “If it makes you feel any better, Spike couldn’t believe it either.”
“We’ll start researching,” Willow said. “There’s got to be a reason for this.”
“Great. Meanwhile I’d better go back to patrolling, the way things are out there it’s just scary.”
_____________________________________________________________________________
Buffy watched the sun sinking with a groan. “It’s going to start again,” she said. “And people are going to die, I just can’t be everywhere.”
“You won’t have to be,” Riley said. “I called the Initiative, they’ll be patrolling too.”
“Oh dear,” Giles said. “I asked Angel to come.”
Looking even more tired, Buffy dropped her head into her hands. “Can everyone say disaster in the making?” She asked. “I don’t suppose you can tell the Initiative to go home?”
“Why don’t you send Angel back to L.A.?” Riley demanded.
“Because I trust him more than the organization that made Adam and secretly drugged it’s own subordinates,” Buffy replied. “Okay, if last night was any indication I’ll probably need all the help I can get. This can work. Riley, tell the Initiative to stay away from Angel and Spike. If either of them turn up missing, they’ll have to answer to me. I’ll tell Angel to be on his best behavior if he runs into any soldier-types, so there’s no chance of misunderstandings. When is Angel getting here Giles?”
“He promised he’d be here by sunset. Angel said he’d bring reinforcements as well,” Giles replied.
“Alright, I sent Xander to collect Spike. They should be here a few minutes after that. We’ll coordinate patrols then. We need to be sure we cover the whole town, plus with the Initiative around Spike and Angel can’t do solitary patrols.”
_____________________________________________________________________________
“Spike! Rise and shine!” Xander yelled barging into the crypt the blond vampire called home.
When no one responded, Xander walked further into the crypt, peering through the gloom. Suddenly he was yanked back against a cool, powerful body. Xander’s knees buckled as he was pulled down to comfortable biting height by the shorter vampire, he felt fangs graze his neck then the vampire pushed him away with a yelp of pain.
Xander rolled to his feet, pulling a stake from his coat then relaxing as he saw Spike clutching his head in agony. “Serves you right Fangless, you could have given me a heart attack. I thought you were someone who’s actually dangerous.”
“Too bad… I didn’t,” Spike panted. “I could drain you if you were dead.”
“Not funny Spike. Now come on, Buffy needs help patrolling tonight,” Xander said.
“Tell… the Slayer… to sod off,” Spike replied brokenly. “Not gonna… torture myself… hanging around… blood I can’t eat.”
“I don’t have time for this,” Xander said, grabbing the blond by the arm and hauling him toward the door.
A second later they sprung a part, Xander in shock, Spike reeling in renewed pain, the result of a second failed attempt to bite the mortal.
“Have you gone mental?” Xander demanded.
“I’m hungry!” Spike snapped.
“Then eat something! You remember where the butchers is,” Xander yelled.
Spike laughed bitterly, “I’ve already fed more in the last twelve hours than I’d normally need in a month. It doesn’t do a bloody thing for me. I feel like I’ve got bleeding black hole in my gut.”
“Giles and Willow need to know about this,” Xander said.
“I won’t be their lab rat!” Spike growled.
_____________________________________________________________________________
“You’re sure she’s this Slayer chick,” Gunn commented upon being introduced to Buffy. He looked her over with an obvious appreciation that set both Angel and Riley’s teeth on edge. “Shouldn’t she be bigger?”
Buffy glared irritably at Angel’s new friend/ally or whatever.
“Considering the supernatural source of a Slayer’s power, their physical size is quite irrelevant.” Wesley lectured. “Although historically they do tend to be fairly petite. Some have hypothesized that it gives them an added shock value.”
“In other words, if you make another crack about my size, I’ll break you in half,” Buffy threatened pleasantly. “Why do people always say I’m little?”
“Maybe we should get to business,” Angel said, hiding a grin as he looked down at the 5’4”, just over a hundred pounds Slayer.
“Right… Isn’t Cordy coming?” Buffy said.
“She had a doctor’s appointment,” Angel replied, Buffy frowned at the sudden surge of guilt in his voice.
“Okay, well I already had Riley tell the Initiative units to cover campus and the northern residential area. Gunn take your group and cover down town, also could you have a guy or two go with Angel and Wesley. Angel you’ve got the docks. Riley, you, Graham and I are taking the eastern residential area. When Xander and Spike show, tell them to watch the crowd at the bronze. Everybody else, keep researching.”
“Let’s get moving then,” Gunn said.
_____________________________________________________________________________
“Giles, I think I found something,” Willow said. “This has happened before. The police reports don’t say vampire attacks, but that’s what was happening. Two weeks ago in Twin Falls, Idaho. A month ago in Fort Collins, Colorado. Three weeks before that in Hannibal, Mississippi. I keep finding more of them. There’s a rash of vampires attacks killings, dozens of them in some of the bigger cities, presumably with matching larger vampire populations. Then, after a week or so, they stop.”
“Just like that? No cause, no reason?” Giles asked.
“No one knows why it starts, no one knows why it stops,” Willow replied. “It certainly wasn’t because of anything the police did. They’re all unsolved cases.”
“Well keep looking, there have to be some clues, somewhere,” Giles sighed. “At least now we know that it can be ended.”
“Hey guys,” Xander said walking through the door. “Whatever it is that’s making the vamps so hungry, it’s contagious. Spike’s got it, says he started feeling it less than an hour after getting bit. He’s coming in the back way; he didn’t want to walk into a whole roomful of people, cause he keeps forgetting about the chip whenever he smells blood. I’m going to go chain him up, in case it gets bad enough that the chip stops being a deterrent.”
“Contagious?” Willow said. “Like some sort of disease.”
“A disease that effects vampires, and I called Angel for help,” Giles said. “Xander come with me, we’ve got to tell Angel to return to L.A. Willow, take care of Spike.”
_____________________________________________________________________________
“It’s fortunate that they’re all hunting singly,” Wesley commented.
“If they were in a pack we could set up an ambush,” Jared, the guy Gunn had sent with them, disagreed. “Get this over with quick.”
“Guys we’ve got one,” Angel said, head cocked listening to something only he could hear. All three men turned and raced toward the screams Angel had heard.
They found a vampire trying to force his way into a small opening beneath the pier. At their arrival the vampire turned away from the crevice to stare at them like they were the main course at a banquet.
Wading into the ankle deep water beneath the pier Wesley and Jared separated from Angel, moving to flank the other vampire.
“Angel, you should have stayed gone,” the vampire said glaring threateningly, but his attention strayed to Angel’s human companions and the promise of food that they represented.
“You’re going to do something about me being here?” Angel asked sarcastically, drawing the other vampire’s attention back to himself.
The vampire launched himself at Angel without another word. Almost casually Angel tossed him into the pilings. The other vampire grabbed a loading hook as he rose. The long heavy pole, capped with a sharpen hook made a formidable weapon.
Angel ducked the first swing then jumped back to avoid the recovery. The long pole was also holding Wesley and Jared at bay.
After a few moments’ stalemate, Jared lost patience with the situation. Recklessly he dove under the pole and tackled the vampire. Confronted with a warm human body, the vampire forgot everything but its hunger.
Angel hurriedly joined the fray, yanking the snarling vampire away from Jared’s throat.
Infuriated, the vampire clawed Angel across the face.
Reacting automatically to the sudden pain Angel called on his demon. A second later Angel found himself kneeling in the murky water as the world spun wildly around him.
The other vampire kicked Angel in the side of the head, then turned back to his meal. As the vampire jerked Jared’s head to the side Wesley, completely forgotten by the other combatants, drove a stake through his heart.
“Are you unharmed?” Wesley asked Jared.
“I’m good. Nice timing man,” Jared replied.
“Happy to be of assistance. Now if you could check on what ever had captured the attention of our departed playmate? I’ll check on Angel,” Wesley replied.
Wesley knelt in the water beside Angel and pulled the dark haired vampire to a sitting position. “Angel?” he asked.
Disconcerting yellow eyes attempted to meet Wesley’s, but couldn’t seem to focus. Wesley frowned, certain that the change in Angel’s features was less pronounced than usual. “Angel?” he repeated.
“Wha… Where am I?” Angel asked, disoriented.
“The middle of Sunnydale’s harbor,” Wesley said.
“Oh,” Angel said, standing shakily. “That would explain the water. Weren’t we fighting a vampire?”
“It’s been taken care of,” Wesley replied.
“That’s good. Would you please stand still? Watching you is making me dizzy.” Angel requested.
“Angel, I’m not moving,” Wesley replied. “I didn’t think he kicked you that hard.”
“Hey Fangs, you’d better change back,” Jared said, returning with a six or seven year old child clinging to his neck.
“Huh?” Angel asked.
“You’re still “grrrr” as Cordy would say,” Wesley explained.
“Oh,” Angel said, gradually the demon melted away to show Angel’s human face.
As they started back to the shore Angel stumbled. Wesley managed to catch him before he fell back in the water.
“I think we’d better call it a night,” Wesley said pulling Angel’s arm over his shoulder.
_____________________________________________________________________________
“So you’re comfortable?” Willow asked uncomfortably.
Spike glared up at her from the nest of blankets she’d made for him on the floor of the training room. He wondered what he’d been thinking when he agreed to be chained up. Oh, right he’d been thinking he was out of money and at least they’d have to feed him. He’d dealt with being trussed up before, no big, but this being fussed over was going to drive him insane.
“What I want is for you and every other human I can’t eat to leave me be. Can’t you let me be miserable in peace?” he snapped.
“Well if you’re going to be like that, I’m not going to feel guilty about chaining you up anymore,” Willow huffed.
“Fine! I don’t care, just scram,” Spike growled, curling around his achingly empty stomach.
Willow’s eyes softened. “Okay Spike, yell if you need anything,” She said turning off the lights and quietly shutting the door behind her.
“How is he?” Tara asked looking up from the map she was working on. She’d been transferring all the incidents to it in hopes that they’d see a pattern.
“Cranky,” Willow said. “Still he’s sick, I should make allowances.”
“It’s a new experience for him,” Tara said. “He’s probably frightened. Vampires aren’t supposed to get sick.”
“Do you think we could catch it too?” Anya asked, peering over Tara’s shoulder at the map. “I got the flu last month. It was unpleasant. I’m opposed to getting sick again. Everyone incubating germs should be quarantined, like they used to do.”
“Like that worked so well,” Willow said rolling her eyes. “Someone always panicked, decided they weren’t sick, even if they’d been exposed and ran.”
“A…also, there were cases l…like Typhoid Mary, people who carried the disease but didn’t show the symptoms,” Tara added.
“She should have been killed,” Anya said callously. “She endangered everyone else.”
_____________________________________________________________________________
Giles’ shoulders slumped as he took in the approaching group.
Angel’s movements were halting and uncertain, even with Wesley’s support he was barely on his feet. Blood dripped down his cheek from three parallel wounds.
“You already encountered some of the infected vampires,” Giles said tiredly.
“Three of them,” Wesley replied.
“That’s probably more than enough,” Giles said.
Xander went to help Wesley support Angel. “Come on, we’d better get him back to the shop before he decides to start biting people.”
Angel raised his head to glare blearily at Xander.
“What? The chip isn’t stopping Spike from trying, why would your soul stop you?” Xander asked.
“It’s hardly the same thing,” Wesley said irritably.
“It’s contagious,” Giles said. “We don’t know how badly it will effect Angel. I never should have called him, I knew vampires were behaving strangely, but I didn’t think. Buffy was being run ragged.”
“Don’t,” Angel said. “What’s wrong… it isn’t that.”
“Then what is it?” Wesley asked. “You can’t say this is normal.”
“After effects,” Angel mumbled.
“From what happened with Kate?” Wesley asked.
“I get dizzy when the demon comes to the surface,” Angel admitted. “It must be because of all the holy water.”
“And you just let Cordelia and I think you were ready to go into a fight again?” Wesley asked angrily. “You could have been killed Angel.”
“I’m fine as long as I don’t change. I was dealing,” Angel argued. “Tonight I made a mistake. I didn’t expect a minion to be able to hurt me. I got surprised into changing.”
“It doesn’t matter that this is a pre-existing condition,” Giles said. “You’ve been exposed, the only safe thing to do is assume that you’re infected, at least until we discover how strong it’s effects are.”
Angel nodded his agreement, being chained up didn’t really sound so bad as long as he could sit down and close his eyes. It had been almost two weeks since he’d let his demon even approach the surface of his mind and if anything the situation was getting worse.
When Angel had first connected the bouts of dizziness with the emergence of the demon it had only taken him a few seconds concentration to throw off the effect. Now, even ten minutes after he’d resumed his human form the world was still revolving around him like a top.
Giles turned to Jared, noticing the child he was carrying for the first time.
“Vamp was trying to make a snack of her,” Jared explained.
“We’ll have to locate her parents immediately, they must be frantic,” Giles said with concern. “Unless… They weren’t?”
“I don’t think so,” Jared replied. “Didn’t see anything to indicate that.”
“Excellent,” Giles sighed.
“I’ll take care of getting her home,” Jared said. “Isn’t the first time we’ve found lost kids while we were looking for vampires.”
_____________________________________________________________________________
Two hours away in LA, LaCroix frowned. He’d felt twinges of discomfort from Angel before, the result, undoubtly, of a reckless lifestyle.
This time; however, the feeling wasn’t dissipating. Additionally there was an accompanying fear of illness. At that LaCroix felt a ball of ice form in his stomach.
It can’t be that, he thought. All the same it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared when he went to determine what trouble his newest child had managed to get into this time.
_____________________________________________________________________________
At dawn Buffy trudged into the Magic Box, looking utterly exhausted. “Xander said Angel was hurt?”
“He and Spike are in the back. Spike has definitely been infected. Angel, we’re not sure, he says it’s related to an earlier injury,” Giles replied.
Buffy nodded as she walked past her Watcher. She found both vampires curled up in nests of blankets and sleeping bags on opposite sides of the training room. Spike was sitting against the wall, nursing a tumbler of blood. Angel lay on his back eyes closed, looking even paler than usual.
Buffy sank to the floor beside Angel and took his hand.
“Buffy?” he asked without opening his eyes.
“I thought you were sleeping,” she said.
“Just tired of watching the room spin… it’s unsettling, Spike’s blood doesn’t help,” Angel explained.
“When I was a little girl I used to spin around in circles to get that effect,” Buffy commented.
“I’ve never asked about insanity in your family before have I?” Angel said.
Buffy giggled only to be interrupted by a yawn. “Patrolling all night is brutal,” she commented. “I think I’ll blow off classes today. I’m gonna sleep all day, but I needed to see how you were first.”
“I’m okay,” Angel said. “This is mostly just precautionary,” he added raising his other hand to display the binder around his wrist. “The idea of eating makes me want to be sick.” He raised his voice slightly as he added, “I can’t imagine being hungry enough to want to bite Xander.”
“Hey,” Spike objected weakly. “Blood’s blood, even if the packaging is obnoxious.”
“So you’re okay,” Buffy said, tiredly lying down beside Angel. “That’s good.”
Angel smiled softly at the familiar feel of Buffy’s warm body curled against his side, her head pillowed on his shoulder. After a few minutes though, he remember she was dating someone else and this was probably a bad idea.
“Buffy?” he said quietly. “You should go home now.”
In response Buffy cuddled closer to him.
“Buffy,” Angel repeated.
“’m comfy,” She protested more than ninety percent asleep.
Angel started to sit up, figuring she’d wake up if he dislodged her but the slight movement started the room spinning even more violently. “I guess it can’t hurt, post-Slayage naps being traditional,” he thought dropping back with a moan. It wasn’t as if he really wanted her to move. He was quite content to have her stay exactly where she was as long as she wanted.
Spike rolled his eyes in disgust as the former lovers fell asleep together. The natural way they fit together was disgustingly cute.
Still the sleeping part didn’t sound so bad. Spike set aside his three-quarters empty mug, trying to be happy about his hunger having finally receded. Deep down he knew it wasn’t a good sign though. He should have felt satisfied. Bloody hell, he should have felt stuffed to the bursting point. All he did feel was not-hungry and kind of listless.
Pushing away the very bad feeling he had about this latest turn, Spike drew a blanket around him and slid into a restless sleep.
_____________________________________________________________________________
“Have you seen Buffy?” Riley asked, stopping by the magic shop after his morning classes ended.
“She was checking on Angel,” Anya said, frowning at him for interrupting her while she was dealing with paying customers.
“Thanks,” Riley said unhappily. He opened the door to the training room come sick room.
For a few moments Riley just stared at the sleeping couple. Then his mouth tightened into a grim, miserable line. He shut the door and returned to the store proper. Once Anya was finished with her customers he said, “When Buffy wakes up tell her I’ll send someone else with Graham when she patrols tonight.”
“Why? Are you going to be busy?” Anya asked.
“I’ll be with one of the other units. If she asks why, tell her I’m tired of being the consolation prize,” Riley replied.
“Oh… OH!” Anya said. “I suppose I could give you a spell for getting in touch with my old counterpart, but Xander would probably get upset.”
“Counterpart?” Riley asked in confusion.
“I used to be the patron saint of scorned women,” Anya explained, she tried to avoid the phrase “vengeance demon” around Initiative types, even supposedly reformed ones.
“Oh,” Riley said. “Um… no thank you… I need to go now.”
_____________________________________________________________________________
Buffy woke feeling a rightness and security she’d almost forgotten. For a few blissful seconds all felt perfect in her world.
Then reality crashed in, reminding her that Angel was hurt, that she was technically dating Riley, that practically every vampire in Sunnydale was in the middle of a feeding frenzy… Still it had been nice waking up beside Angel regardless of the circumstances.
Buffy sat up slowly, trying not to disturb Angel. For a moment she closed her eyes meditating. Maybe her new sense could do more than just detect vampires; maybe it could provide a clue as to what was wrong with Angel.
When she looked at Angel again Buffy had to smother a gasp, Angel’s aura looked like it had been ripped to shreds. The demon had been forced almost complete out of Angel’s body, only a single tentacle tethered it to him, but it had left gaping tears in Angel’s essence where it had been.
To make sure that this wasn’t the illness, Buffy looked over at Spike; the blond looked the same as always, only dimmer. It really didn’t look good, Buffy couldn’t help but equate dimming with dying, but what was happening to Spike was definitely not what was happening to Angel.
Quietly Buffy retreated for the room. She found Wesley looking over some of Giles’ texts on the store’s balcony. “I’m sure Angel’s right about not having what Spike has,” Buffy said. “We need to start figuring out what is wrong with him.”
“I called Cordelia last night, she’s looking into Angel’s suspicions. Don’t worry, he’s our friend, we won’t let anything happen to him,” Wesley promised.
_____________________________________________________________________________
LaCroix landed outside the Magic Box’s back door. It was locked but a judicious application of forced fixed the problem.
He walked into the darkened training room and stood staring down at Angel, a mixture of concern and aggravation in his eyes. “Angelus, how did you manage to be taken captive again?” He asked in exasperation when he sensed the Angel was awake.
“I’m not a captive, I agreed to it, just in case I have the same thing Spike does.” Angel explained with a grimace. “Don’t hurt anyone, they’re my friends.”
“I need to know everything about this illness,” LaCroix ordered.
When Angel had finished explaining, LaCroix glanced across the room at Spike, the bleached blond had sunken into a state of semi-consciousness. “I’ve seen this before,” LaCroix said. “But we dealt with it, it can’t be here.” He drew a couple of bags of blood from his pocket and tossed one to Angel before jarring Spike into full awareness. “If it’s the Fever this blood will cure it.”
“What’s in it?” Angel asked. Spike stared at LaCroix with suspicion, obviously awaiting the answer as well.
“The Fever is the result of an engineered virus. It kills us. Blood infected with the HIV virus kills the Fever virus,” LaCroix answered shortly. “If the Failed has is the Fever this will cure him. Then we need to learn how it came to be here and destroy it.”
Spike shrugged weakly, “Can’t hurt,” he said using his fangs to puncture the bag.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Buffy checked the alley, searching the shadows for demons. What she found was the back door of the Magic Box swinging open, the lock twisted into a useless lump of metal.
She’d sent the two Initiative soldiers back their unit. She didn’t really need a partner, not with all the vampires hunting solo, and she the Initiative soldiers gave her the creeps, well, all except Riley… Who was in a snit about something, Buffy supposed she’d have to ask him about it, do the whole make up thing, again. But after this was over. Riley and his problems could just wait until Sunnydale was back to the normal level of bizarre.
Riley really picked a rotten time for this, she thought irritable as she snuck through the open door, hoping to surprise whatever nasty had dared threaten her friends.
She froze for a moment at the sight of a tall, imposing stranger standing over Angel. The man’s pale skin absolutely screamed vampire to the Slayer, no one human could be that pale.
Without another thought Buffy charged across the room and kicked the strange vampire away from her boyfriend…ex-boyfriend she amended in her thoughts.
Distracted by his concern for Angelus, LaCroix failed to notice the new arrival until he was sitting on the floor in an undignified heap.
As he rose LaCroix knocked Buffy back across the room. Angel could feel the homicidal rage radiating off LaCroix as he stalked toward Buffy. Angel lunged off the floor, catching LaCroix in a restraining embrace.
“He’s here to help Buffy!” Angel yelled. No longer content with just spinning the room was now developing patches of black nothingness to Angel’s eyes. He knew he was on the verge of passing out be he couldn’t, not until not yet. “This is a misunderstanding,” Angel said to LaCroix. “She’ll apologize.”
Feeling waves of dizziness and near panic from Angel’s mind, LaCroix forced himself to relax. “Your Slayer, I take it?” the ancient asked with a hostile glance at the Slayer.
“Buffy,” Angel affirmed, gasping for air. An analytically, detached portion of his mind wondered just when his body had become so obsessed with oxygen.
“I will allow this incident to pass without reprisal,” LaCroix said, forcing Angel to sit again. “But this favor is not free.”
Angel nodded in understanding and acceptance of LaCroix’s terms. This was just a misunderstanding; there was no reason for anyone to die tonight. Angel resented LaCroix using Buffy’s impetuous attack to put him in dept to the older vampire, but it still wasn’t worth someone’s life, certainly not Buffy’s. Buffy was an incredible fighter, but against LaCroix, with only a stake to defend herself, Angel didn’t think she’d have a chance so he agreed.
Turning to Buffy LaCroix said, “If you can restrain yourself from attacking me I was attempting to determine what harm Angelus has done to himself this time.”
Bristling both at LaCroix’s sarcastic, condescending tone and at the use of the name she associated with the soulless version of Angel Buffy began to retort only to be interrupted by a quiet “Buffy, don’t,” from Angel.
“Fine,” Buffy snapped.
“Angelus, how did you manage to stop your heart again?” LaCroix demanded ignoring Buffy.
“I’m a vampire, my heart isn’t supposed to beat,” Angel replied, relieved to find the black spots were slowly receding from his vision.
“Mon Fils, one mustn’t take that Stoker nonsense seriously,” LaCroix reprimanded Angel with exasperated affection.
At the expression of outraged shock on Angel’s face Buffy and Spike, both of whom had heard more than one of Angel’s vampires as represented in fiction rants, broke into laughter.
“Angelus,” LaCroix said, already trying to capture Angel’s mind as he had before. “I have been a vampire for two thousand years, kindly refrain from arguing with me about what a vampire should and should not do. Your heart should beat, very slowly by mortal standard, almost imperceptibly, but it must happen or you will die.” LaCroix frowned as Angel stopped him from entering his mind. That would be the one lesson Angelus would learn quickly and well, LaCroix thought. “Stop shielding yourself,” he ordered.
“I’ve been fine without a pulse for over two hundred years,” Angel argued. “And I don’t like you in my mind, you know that.”
“I have followed your wishes with regards to both the Slayer and that repulsive police woman. You will obey me in this,” LaCroix said angrily, in his tone was the implicit threat that he might change his mind about either Buffy or Kate.
Looking unhappy Angel relaxed the barriers to his mind.
Needing to know what was happening Buffy examined the pair with her Slayer sense. She frowned in confusion; there wasn’t any blackness in LaCroix, he didn’t have a demon, just a core of dark red hunger shimmering behind an icy wall of controlled power. She could see the beginnings of a similar core in Angel, now that she was looking, and whatever LaCroix doing, it made Angel’s demon curl in on itself, further reducing it’s connection to the souled vampire.
LaCroix stepped back after a few minutes, Angel looked up at him in surprise. “I feel better,” he said.
“Your welfare is always my concern,” LaCroix replied.
“I don’t understand,” Angel continued. “I know my heart isn’t supposed to beat, vampires are dead.” Buffy and Spike nodded their agreement.
LaCroix examined Spike for a minute. The peroxide blond was sitting up looking alert and considerably more healthy than he had when LaCroix had arrived, but there was still no sense of life in him.
“The demon infested creatures you are familiar with, like that one, are dead,” LaCroix agreed. “You are not. True vampires are not dead.”
“What’s wrong with being undead?” Spike sounded insulted. “I like it.”
Buffy and Angel exchanged a confused glance.
“Now that that had been resolved we need to determine how the Fever made it’s way here,” LaCroix continued.
“We’ve got a map,” Buffy said going to get it.
Angel looked thoughtful. “Judging from how Spike was feeling it should start burning itself out in a few days,” he said. “How much of the population do you think it would have infected?”
“Most,” LaCroix said darkly. “Even so small a thing as sharing a glass can spread the virus.”
Buffy returned with Tara and Willow’s map. They’d traced the occurrences back almost a year, to an outbreak Buffalo, New York, not even a month after the events in Toronto, which Dr. Lambert and Nicholas had successfully buried.
LaCroix stared at the map and the dates, “It’s one of us, a plague carrier,” he muttered before abruptly leaving.
_____________________________________________________________________________
“Angel!” Willie exclaimed in surprise. “Long time no see,” nervously the weasely little bartender backed away from the bar.
“I’m not looking for information,” Angel reassured him. “I just want you to pass on a message for me.”
“Sure Angel,” Willie replied. “You know me, always eager to help.”
“Right,” Angel said. “I want you to be on the look out for any vampire who doesn’t act quite normal. Let them know that they’re being hunted.”
“By you?” Willie asked.
“No, I’m trying to save him or her,” Angel replied.
“Try to help another vampire?” Willie asked. “Isn’t that sort of out of character Angel?”
Angel smiled grimly. “This person is killing off vampire much more effectively then I do.”
Willie’s eyes strayed to the new arrival and widen with alarm. Angel turned to face whatever threat had materialized. LaCroix, golden eyed with anger, caught the younger vampire by the throat and slammed him against the bar.
“You know, that looks almost as uncomfortable as it feels,” Willie commented cheerfully, only to find himself the new focus of LaCroix’s distinctly unfriendly gaze.
“Leave… Now,” LaCroix commanded, his tone included the entire room.
“You can’t just…” one demon began to argue. LaCroix hissed at the creature, filling the room with his presence. Seconds later it was empty of all save LaCroix and Angel.
“I’ve taken care of our plague rat,” LaCroix said conversationally, still pinning Angel against the counter top.
“Too bad,” Angel replied. “I’d never heard of a more useful vampire.”
“Kill all the Failed you like,” LaCroix said, his tone revealing barely controlled fury. “I could care less but if you threaten the Community again you and all your mortals will be destroyed.”
Angel twisted free of LaCroix’s grasp and stood a few feet from the older vampire, balanced on the balls of his feet, eyes sparkling, anger pushing him to the verge of changing. “I won’t let you touch them,” he stated flatly.
“You want to protect what is yours,” LaCroix said, his own fury cooling slightly. “Good. Perhaps you can understand that I will do the same. I will protect my people Angelus, just as you would. I will protect them even from you Mon Fils. Don’t ever press me on this matter again.”
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“He’s even more difficult than you were Nicholas,” LaCroix said to the night. “For all your desire to be mortal again, you never hated us as a species, but what can I else can I expect of him? The Failed are all he knows.”
“He would happily destroy us and never understand what it was he destroyed. Like the Fever he would have unleashed on us he doesn’t differentiate between true vampires and the Failed.”
“He must be made to understand, but how can I bring him into the Community as he is now? The Enforcers would destroy him within the first night.”
“I wish you were here Nicholas. Just by being yourself you could have shown him we aren’t the thing he so hates and maybe in helping him to accept us you could have learned to accept yourself.
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