Buffy climbed out of the car and looked at Anita it was strange to look at someone wearing your face. Shrugging her shoulders will, she always wanted bigger boobs. Buffy giggled and everyone turned looking at her.” Don’t worry people I'm not cracking up just pre-game stress release. My own brand of Buffy yoga. Okay everyone remember the first rule is don't die, good luck.” She smiled watching Anita in her 'Buffy' body move into the shadows with Damian, Sylvie and Jason. Buffy turned letting all the emotion drain from her eyes and looked at Jean-Claude.
He couldn't help but shudder; this woman who had Anita's mannerisms down to an art form. She smelled like her even felt like her, it isn’t right. Jean-Claude knew they needed her to survive this confrontation with the Council but would they survive her?Have we seen Buffy's true face, what was she really after? If she was here to harm ma petite, I will find a way to kill her. She hasn't seen all of my power either; she isn't the only one who could shield their power.
Richard watched the silent byplay between Buffy and Jean-Claude. He wondered what was going on and hoped that Jean-Claude's hunger for power wouldn’t doom them all. Richard wondered if his pack would survive. Somehow, they were always the ones with the highest casualties. He tried to channel his thoughts back to the matter at hand and prayed that Anita was safe.
Jean-Claude, Buffy and Richard followed by Jamil and Shang-Da entered the mansion. A large open room stood before them; to the side they saw the caskets with Jean-Claude's missing vampires. Asher leaned against a wall to the right partially in shadow. The Master of Beasts was standing on the left of a large chair near the caskets. A chair looking almost like a throne was in the center of the room. A handsome man sat on it; he had darkly tanned skin, curly brown hair shaved on the sides and deep brown eyes. His name was Balthasar, the Traveler's human servant. Buffy looks inside seeing the Traveler's true face looking back. He was a skinny, balding man with no chin. She almost laughed. No wonder he used other people's bodies. Who would want to go around looking like that?
"So, Jean-Claude, you have come. I wasn’t sure you’d have the nerve to show up. Ah, and this is the lovely Ms. Blake, the famed Executioner. Look Padma, he brought you some puppies to play with while we talk," Traveler spoke.
"There will be no playing of any kind. Where are my leopards?" Buffy growled. She pulled her gun pointing it at the Traveler.
"Ma petite please have patience this isn’t the way. Rules bind the Council, which they must honor. I’ve broken no rules, nothing will happen to me. Your leopards are safe. They’re just hostages to get us here, to give an accounting to the Council. You’ll see everything will be all right.” Jean-Claude looked at Buffy.
"Very good, Jean-Claude you can control your pet well. Asher come forward, and question the Master of the City. I’ll speak to Ms. Blake and Padma, you question the wolves. We’ll get everything we need to know this way," the Traveler ordered. He sent out a wave of power into the room assured no one would resist him.
Asher stood before Jean-Claude with a cold look in his pale blue eyes. His anger flavored the air between them. He meant to make Anita his human servant before Jean-Claude's eyes. He would die with the knowledge of what she would suffer for his betrayal. What was the Traveler doing? This wasn't part of the plan. Jean-Claude was still so beautiful, as beautiful as I will never be damn his soul. He suddenly lashed out with a blow to Jean-Claude's chest sending him flying ten feet hitting the back wall. Asher advanced on Jean-Claude's crumpled body like a predator.
Padma gave the wolves a feral smile and waved them closer to him.” Let’s make this interesting come to me. We will find a quiet place to talk.” He sent his power out. Richard, Jamil and Shang-Da felt the pull on of it on their beasts. Then they felt a warm pulse from the amulet and then their beasts were again theirs to control. Looking at each other quickly, they followed the Master of Beasts as if in a trance. He led them down the hall to a room with chains on the walls and torture devices lain out neatly on a table.
Richard looked at the room nervously hoping the amulet still worked. Suddenly, he heard Buffy in his mind. Richard you can't kill him, but you can torture him. Let me show you what he and his son have done to your pack. Suddenly horrid images of torture and rape worse than anything Raina and Gabriel had ever done flashed in his mind. His beast rose within him in anger and waves of power went out to Jamil and Shang-Da.
Padma turned quickly eyes round, for the first time in his life, he knew real fear. He took a step back, but too late the wolves were on him in a single bound. They moved as one fluid unit, ripping and tearing at him. He wondered if he would die at the hands of one of his animals to call.
The Traveler looked at the dark-haired beauty in front of him holding her in thrall with his eyes. Oh, what delicious power this one has, it’s so untapped, uncontrolled. Think of what I could do, what armies I could raise with her body under my control. Finally, a worthy vessel for me even if it’s a woman. So, my lovely Executioner let's have a taste shall we. He gathered his power and jumped into Anita's body.
He hit something hard and bounced back. What is this? Traveler looked around, he was on the astral plan and something bound him there. He saw a small blond woman with glowing royal blue eyes in front of him holding a scythe.” Who are you and what have you done?" he roared.
"I'm Buffy and your history! Sorry habit. So, little travel dude, any one ever tell you that you look like a pimp?"Seeing his confused expression, Buffy shrugged."Guess not. Here’s the scoop. I'm not Anita, you jumped the wrong body. This is going to be the end of the road for you. The Powers say you have been a very bad boy and it’s time you say night, night." Buffy smirked.
Traveler looked at Buffy "The Powers are just a myth; they don’t exist. You can't kill me little girl, you cannot reach my true body. The Mother made me herself and I’m older than anything you’ve ever known."
"Who are you calling little! Oh, never mind, the Powers are real, as your Council will soon find out. Don't worry, they’ll join you in hell, soon. Tell Hades, I said hi, and there’ll be more guests for him, real soon."
Buffy's eyes glowed brighter as she advanced on the Traveler. She looked at him closely, pointing the scythe look at his childer. His human servant was a lost cause and he had no other childer; it seemed he was a stingy sire. The scythe began to hum as she passed sentence on the Traveler. He tried to move but Buffy flipped it in her hands and smoothly took his head. The last thing he saw was the blonde looking like a warrior Queen.
Buffy returned to her body in time to watch Balthasar's body turn to dust then disappear. Interesting, wish they’d all do that, must be the scythe. Turning around, she saw Jean-Claude and Asher fighting and went to help. Before she could reach them, Liv, the traitor, attacked her.
"Damn it, I don't have time for you. I hope, no one's watching." Buffy threw Liv across the room away from the others.
Liv couldn't believe Anita was able to do this. Is she pack now, has she taken the other marks.
Buffy pounced on seconds before she had a chance to consider much more. She pulled the short sword from her back and in one quick slice removed the blond vampire's head. Her eyes glowed causing Liv's heart to burst from her chest. She jumped up and ran over to stop Asher from killing Jean-Claude.
Anita, Damian, Sylvie and Jason opened the door to the dungeons and walk down the stairs. As they reached the bottom, Anita motioned for them to split up, Jason with her and Damian with Sylvie. What she found when she turned another corner almost made her throw up. Silver manacles held the weres shackled to the wall. They had spikes through their hands to keep them from healing, some had open cuts while others bore whip marks. The degree of torture was horrible. She heard screaming in the distance and moved quickly toward it. Anita motioned for Jason to stay. Shaking his head no, she glared at him then took off in a run.
They all reached a center room at the same time and stopped at what they saw. Nathaniel was screaming as a tall dark haired man lashed him with a silver tipped whip. Zane lay unconscious and bleeding on the floor. A half-changed weretiger was about to rape Cherry. Another dark skinned man, who looked like Padma, was raping one of the female pack members. She couldn't move because he had broken her legs.
"Stop right there, motherfucker" Anita yelled, pulling her gun and aiming at his head. The dark haired man smiled stopping as an evil smile crossed his face.
"More toys to play with. Did my father send you down here to make the games more interesting?” He looked at the blonde licking his lips.
"I don't know who your father is but I don't play games. Now move away from them, all of you, now," Anita said in calm voice.
"I am Ferdinand and my father is the Master of Beasts. Why should I be afraid of a little girl, a minion and more puppies?" He let the power, he shared with his father, out into the room. When nothing happened, he stepped back looked at the other two weres. "Kill them."
Anita gave him a feral smile, her best soulless stare and shot him in the head. Damian and Sylvie attacked the weretiger and Jason pounced on the man. Anita advanced on Ferdinand's prone body and shot him point-blank into the heart.” Look around make sure it was only these three. Then release everyone and take them outside. I'm going to help Jean-Claude and Richard."
"Anita, Buffy said to stay out of the fight or the Traveler could take your body," Damian said quietly.
"I don't care what she said. I’m not leaving them in there. They could be hurt, I’m going." She stomped off without another word.
"Asher please listen to me, mon ami, I loved you both. I didn’t know. As soon as I found out, I tried to get back. When I finally returned, they told me you had both perished. I found out the truth, years later. I tried to see you but they said you didn’t want to see me, that you hated me," Jean-Claude pleaded.
"I don’t believe you. I want you to feel the pain I felt, hearing her screams for you to come help us, to save us. Until the end, she believed in you, damn you. I came to take away your petite amour, like you let them take my Julianna," he hissed.
Jean-Claude looked at the man he had spent so many years with, who he still loved. His words hurt his heart more than the blows to his body. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Buffy approaching. Oh no, please I can't let Asher die. He put himself between them and Buffy looked at him curiously.
Understanding lit her eyes and she gave him a sad smile. Asher swung around thinking Jean-Claude was trying to get away. He grabbed him, pulling back his hand to deliver another blow, when Buffy caught it.
Startled he looked at her. How is this possible? Asher's heart clenched seeing his revenge in ruins. He pulled his hand away glaring at her with eyes like chips of blue ice.
Buffy looked him direct in the eye never wavering. Asher felt a sudden tingle under his skin, non, he couldn't be attracted to Jean-Claude's woman; he wouldn't. She looked from one to the other then looked into Asher's mind and saw everything he had endured. Her heart went out to him, he was as much a victim here as anyone else. She decided right then she would help him heal.
Asher flipped his hair over his shoulder, baring his scars and waited for her reaction of revulsion. Buffy looked over his face then straight into his eyes. She knew he used the scars as a defense, to protect himself. Boy did he pick the wrong girl; he has nothing on a Fyarl demon or Clem. Buffy smiled gently at Asher.
Anita stormed in through the front, as Richard entered from the left. Buffy's eyes glowed allowing the glamour to fade. She knew to help Asher, she needed to gain his trust and couldn't do that in her Anita-shaped body.
He gasped, "Mon Dieu, what sorcery is this?" His head swiveled from Anita back to Buffy in front of him.
Jean-Claude approached slowly.” It was necessary, mon chardonneret, to keep the Traveler from stealing Anita's body. Buffy’s a witch and came to help us rescue our people."
"Buffy, what kind of name is Buffy?" Asher asked.
"Hey! My mother gave me that name. If you want, I can show you if Jean-Claude's telling the truth. That is if he agrees." She looked at both men. They looked at each other then nodded their heads agreeing. "Please give me your hands," she commanded.
Buffy took each of their index fingers placing them over her eyes then put hers to their temples. "Hear me, Apollo, please allow them to see the truth. Let these two know and see the events long past that caused such pain and heartache. Fold back the clouds of time and reveal the memories to each."
A golden glow started to outline Buffy, reaching her fingertips then included Jean-Claude and Asher. A gentle breeze ruffled their hair then suddenly stopped as the light faded. Buffy removed her hands with tears in her eyes. They had shared so much love to have it end so badly. It reminded her of her relationship with Angel. She turned around leaving them alone as she headed toward Anita and Richard.
"They need a few minutes to come to terms with what they saw and felt."
"What the hell did you do to him?" Anita growled.
Her gun still in her hand she aimed it at Buffy. Buffy quirked her eyebrow at her as Richard looked back and forth between the two. He wondered if he would ever catch up on the by-play.
"I kept one of them from having to kill the other and allowed them to see the truth about how their sire manipulated them. Now, don't we have some injured people to help?" She turned to leave when Anita grabbed her arm.
"You stay away from our people. There's no telling what you would do to them," Anita threatened.
"Anita, calm down. We need to go and see who needs help. She isn't going to hurt anybody." Richard wasn't sure how he knew this but he did.
"If Jean-Claude can't put down that Council vamp, then I will." Gun still in her hand, she turned toward them.
Suddenly, Buffy stood in front of her, eyes blazing like green fire.” You’re not going to bother them. Now, if you really are the Nimir-Ra and Lupa to those people; march your butt out there and act like it. Quit acting like a hormonal teenager jealous of the new girl at school."
Anita turned and marched out the door. Buffy smiled at Richard, shrugging then followed the hotheaded brunette. Reaching the outside, they saw the injured weres lying on the ground on the other side of the cars. Cherry tried to help them even in her injured condition. The others were guarding and helping as best they could.
Buffy looked at Cherry, "Are you the Vargamor? Why don't you call the munin?"
Richard answered, "No, Cherry's a nurse, none of the weres have Vargamor. The old lupa, Raina, had the power to call the munin. There’s been no one since her death. Perhaps Anita could, although she’s never tried. She killed Raina and the munin is spirit and death magic."
"Is she trained in spirit magic? You're wrong it isn't the same. Anita could call the munin but she wouldn't be able to control it. It could force her to share her body with the previous controller. Since she killed Raina, her spirit will try to do as much damage as possible," Buffy stated matter-of-factly.
Anita shuddered at Raina having any control over her. "Well, how are we supposed to heal them, all knowing one. Can you channel the munin?" She looked at Buffy mutinously still resented the blond for not letting her go to Jean-Claude.
"No I can't," Buffy answered.
"You can't do everything, well it's good to know." Anita laughed harshly crossing her arms over her chest, feeling an odd sense of triumph.
"Before you start doing a happy dance, Queen Z, I can't channel the munin but I can heal them," Buffy snapped irritably at the other woman's focus, more on going one better than the injured people.
Anita deflated and stalked off. Buffy looked at Richard a question in her eyes. He nodded his head in answer.
"Guys, carefully lay them in a circle, in the brightest patch of moonlight you can find. Jason, take Jamil and go inside. Bring back as many large containers of water as you can find," she ordered in a calm firm voice.
Buffy knelt beside the still unconscious Zane carefully looking at his aura. He was dangerously injured but holding on with everything, he had. She gently touched his face, easing some pain through touch alone. She turned her head and saw Anita approaching with Jean-Claude and Asher. The two vampires seemed a little easier around each other, but Anita's jealousy wasn't helping. It came off her in waves, Buffy could see the colors of it leaking through her shields. They stopped several feet away to watch what was going on.
Buffy started removing the weapons from her body, the knives, short sword and gun. She laid them on the ground away from the injured weres. Bending over to remove her shoes, drawing every man's eyes to the glimpse of thigh and the way the dress tightened across her shapely bottom. She stepped over a body entering the circle to stand directly in the center. Jason and Jamil rushed up with several large buckets filled with water but stay outside the circle. Buffy released her hair from its braid untangling it with her fingers.
"What's this a tease show. Is she going to do something or keep undressing?" Anita snapped.
"We can only hope," Jason replied with a huge grin.
Anita glared at him and he bowed his head, trying not to incur his lupa's wrath. He waited patiently for the beautiful blond to tell him what to do next. He and his beast were happy to know she was unharmed.
Buffy turned to smile at Jason and Jamil. "Please pour the water over every person. Make sure you soak each wound completely. Sylvie, if they need to be turned, would you and Shang-Da help them, please?"
"Little sorcière, what're you going to do? How can you heal with water?" Asher asked quietly.
Buffy knew she needed to hurry. She decided to answer Asher, hoping to build his trust.” I’m going to use moon magic. Since the moon controls the tides, water is a basic element. Normally, for this many, it would be best to do it on the full moon, but a new moon has its own power."
Buffy saw they had finished pouring all the water and motioned for them to move away. She raised her face to the moon so it glowed directly on her and opened her arms out to her side, palms up.
"Hear me mother, your children of the forest are hurt and need your healing. Will you shine through your daughter so they may continue to worship you?"
A single shaft of moonlight shown direct from the moon onto Buffy's face. It shot from her open palms to injured weres. Everyone watching, saw the light join creating a circle of silver. The injuries started to knit and heal. No one could look away or make a single sound. The light faded away as the last injury vanished. The previously injured weres looked up and saw Buffy for the first time. The others outside the circle turned their eyes back to the center. The shaft of moonlight continued to glow on Buffy's face and her hair moved almost as if someone brushed it in a gentle caress. She softly whispered, "Thank you mother" as the light faded.
The weres moved toward her with liquid grace, surrounding her, and yearning for her touch. Anita watched her leopards crawling to Buffy, with mixed feelings of gratitude and distress. Richard felt a similar reaction as his wolves, an unexpected urge to join them. Buffy touched the last were in reassurance. Then she turned approaching the others knowing she had to say the right words here.
"Ulfric, your pack is returned to you and your lupa. Nimir-Ra, your pard is once again safely under you protection. I’m only glad that I was able to return your families to you. I know what it’s like to lose one. Please, go and reassure them you’re safe. They were scared for you." Buffy smiled sadly at Richard and Anita, before turning sharply and walking toward the car.