The mansion's renovations were complete. People entering immediately felt as if they were walking underneath a starry sky, with moons and stars as the running theme. Three areas; a sports bar, karaoke, and a dance floor, created in effect, three separate clubs. It kept the feel of the castle about it; the upper most level was office space, branching out into two wings that housed apartments, one for Lorne, and the other for Fred and Wesley. The former AI employees decided that they wanted some independence after being under Angel's rule for so many years.
Buffy, Damian, and Asher arrived early, offering to help with Moon Child's opening. They dressed in matching blood red leather. The men wore leather pants with lighter silk shirts, while Buffy wore a deeper toned matching dress. It was short and strapless, fitting her like a second skin, making her skin and hair glow.
Lorne greeted them as they stepped into the club, dressed in a bright yellow suit that, if possible made his green skin, greener. "Oh, my little moonbeam, you look delish. At times like these I almost wish that I was a vamp, so that I could bite you."
Asher and Damian laughed. "Don't worry, Lorne, we already did." They liked the anagogic demon, and knew that he meant no disrespect with his teasing.
Buffy glared at them before gracing them with a smile. "If you're not nice, you'll be sleeping on the couch." She walked away, with her hips softly swaying under the blood red dress.
The three men watched her go, appreciating the tantalizing view. "Guys, I have to say, your mate is one beautiful woman." They shook their heads in a synchronized motion, thinking about the fun they had in the shower while they were getting ready.
Buffy saw Fred and Wesley coming down the stairs. She stood admiring their matching black leather pants and blue silk shirts, which looked equally feminine and masculine respectively. "You guys look great. Mmm, fresh from the shower too. Did you save water?" Wesley glared at her when he saw Fred blushing uncomfortably. Buffy grinned mischievously, ignoring him. "If not, I highly recommend it. Ya know, we have to all do our part to conserve our natural resources." She winked at Fred, whirling around and running back to her mates.
Fred watched her go before turning in Wesley's direction. "I like her." She leaned into him. "Tonight we're starting a new chapter in our lives."
He gently pulled her to him, capturing her lips in a soft kiss. "Yes, we are and I do too, but not half as much as I like you." They smiled at each other, lost in their own little world until Lorne called them over, needing their help on more last minute details.
An hour after the doors opened, Jean-Claude arrived. He wore his famous thigh-high boots, looking like a sexy Musketeer. Buffy kissed his cheek while he motioned for her to spin for him. She twirled around, modeling the dress as he clapped his hands in appreciation.
"You look très magnifique, ma chère." He gallantly swept down to kiss her hand.
"Merci, JC. I'm glad that you could come. What do think?" She threw her hands out wide, encompassing the club.
"It is wonderful. You and your friends created a place that demon or human would feel comfortable spending an evening." Jean-Claude bowed his head in a silent salute to their achievement.
"Come dance with me," Buffy said, holding her hand out to him.
Jean-Claude looked at her smiling face, accepting her hand before leading her out to the crowded dance floor. Buffy turned to him with an evil grin on her face. She started moving to the music, putting the dance she once did for Xander to shame. Jean-Claude matched her movements, occasionally growling at her when she ground against him.
"Ma sorcière, you are tempting me to fight your mates for you. Behave, naughty girl." His voice rumbled in her ear, leaking power ever so slightly.
Buffy glanced up under her lashes. "We have an interested audience, and I'm trying to help Dite out. This person is too stubborn. So stubborn about love that I'm not sure she would know it if it bit her in the butt. Thought we'd see how she looked in green. Now, shut up and dance like I'm the woman you want." Buffy giggled, she was talking to Damian and Asher in her head. They were arguing that she was dancing too close to Jean-Claude. She told them that she would dance for them later on tonight - naked. They quit whining.
Anita couldn't believe what she was seeing. Jean-Claude had his body wrapped around Buffy in a way that seemed impossible, and Buffy wasn't much better. What is up with Buffy? Isn't she with Damian and Asher? Doesn't she have enough men panting after her without going after mine? Whoa, where did that thought come from? Do I want him to be mine? What about Micah, and joining the pards? Anita's dark eyes watched the two leave the dance floor. They sat at the table to her left, whispering intimately until the Executioner couldn't stand it any longer. Without realizing it, Anita stood up and knocked her chair back. Her feet seemed to walk over to the table of their own volition. She stopped next to Jean-Claude and waited for him to acknowledge her presence. When he didn't immediately do so, Anita cleared her throat, forcing the words out. "Jean-Claude, I'd like to talk to you outside." Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked away. The Master of the City slowly rose, following her after sharing a pained smile with Buffy.
"Good luck," Buffy whispered, knowing that he could hear her.
Anita started speaking immediately, not giving Jean-Claude a chance to say a word. She explained about joining the two pards together, how it would make them stronger, and give them a better leadership structure. She went on to explain how her beast felt drawn to Micah's. Anita didn't once look Jean-Claude in the eye, which was unusual for her. She talked until she had no more words.
Jean-Claude place a hand on her cheek, watching her pulse race and her lids grow heavy before she took control. "Are you telling me that you no longer want me, ma petite?"
"Yes, no, I don't know." Anita tried to force her body to move away from his hand, but it felt too good against her cheek. She admitted that she missed him, missed hearing his voice, seeing his face, just flat missed Jean-Claude. A ragged sigh escaped her lips. "What were you doing in there with Buffy?" The question was out before she could gather it back.
He hid the satisfied gleam in his eyes with a sweep of dark lashes. "We were simply dancing as friends do, ma petite, nothing more." Jean-Claude's seductive voice wrapped around her, caressing her body in the way that only he could do.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts and jerking her body from its near orgasmic state, Anita snapped, "That wasn't dancing, that was mating. Where were Damian and Asher? I can't believe that they would have been okay with what you were doing." She crossed her arms in an effort to put space between them.
Jean-Claude simply wrapped his arms around her and admired the view it gave him of her full breasts. Lowering his midnight blue eyes down to her deep black ones, he spoke the words she never thought to hear. "There is only one woman for me, and that is you. If you do not want me, then release us both from the game you play with our emotions, ma petite. You are a woman any man would fight for, but I cannot continue this way if you are not willing to allow me into you life in even the smallest ways." Jean-Claude knew that he was gambling his entire future with Anita, but saw no other way to get her to move forward.
Tear pricked Anita's eyes when she heard those words, her heart clutched at the thought of losing him forever. Lowering her arms, she slowly wrapped them around his waist and laid her head on his heart. "I do care for you Jean-Claude. You know that. I need to figure out what to do about the pard, but I don't want to lose you. I…I slept with Micah." The words lay between them, and Anita wasn't sure what she wanted Jean-Claude to do or say. "We, my, our beasts. I don't know how to explain this. I was lonely and missing you. Micah is easy to be with. He doesn't pressure me to be or do anything that I don't want to do." Anita's breath hitched almost as if she expected a shout, a scream, or a blow.
"Ma petite, what is it that you want me to say? Am I happy that you were with the leopard? Non, I am not, but not for the reasons that you may think. If you cared for him, I could share you, it is our way." He felt her stiffen in his arms. "I cannot change the way I have lived for over five hundred years, ma petite. I do not understand what I have done that you cannot forgive me, that you would rather sleep with a stranger than be with me. If your beast is attracted to his, then I will try to understand and accept this as well. What I want to know, here tonight, is this, are you going to allow me back into your life?"
"Yes," Anita whispered the answer softly. Intent on showing him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down for a kiss.
Buffy trained with Dru, Fred, and Marianne exhaustively. Learning to extract the power wasn't hard; the difficult part came when it was time to release it. It called for someone to become a conduit, allowing the power to pass through them. The trick came in assuring that it didn't become attracted to the conduit rather than moving on to the assigned target. Since each woman performed different types of moon magic, the animal felt drawn to them. They had to use water magic, which was more difficult to conquer, to send the power to call said animal on through.
Marianne was doing well, but she was comfortable with elemental magic, quickly picking up the Earth magics, and would be ready to leave soon. Her coven had found a building that would need only minor renovations for the school and had already obtained the necessary license and registrations. Buffy figured that Marianne would be leaving by the end of the week. She wondered how that would affect Anita.
Fred broke into her pondering. "Buffy, I keep wondering how old you are."
"What do you mean, Fred? I'm twenty-four." Buffy scrunched up her nose at the odd question.
"No, I think that I have this figured out. I asked Asher when you died last time. He said that twenty years passed before you came back. I calculated as best I could from that and what I know about time in hell, and came up with 2519," Fred said proudly, a huge smile on her face.
"Oh, well, If you are going by those numbers its actually 4920," Buffy explained, biting the inside of her cheek when she saw Fred copy her pout.
"But, I did the calculations twice and crosschecked the answers," the former Texan exclaimed.
"Calm down, Fred. The difference is the last time I didn't go to Heaven; I went somewhere else. In Heaven, time passes twice as fast, so you have to multiply the days by 40 that's all."
"Oh," Fred said, already calculating in her head, "you mean you were in heaven for almost 5000 years? No wonder you had such a hard time and wanted to go back. Surely Willow figured out the time disparity, or Mr. Giles."
"No, they never asked or seemed to even think about it, even though they knew. We discussed the two months Angel was in Hell being five hundred years here. I don't think they cared as long as I took over the slaying, and the blame for whatever was wrong in their lives," Buffy said, sadly.
Dru walked over and hugged her, looking her in the eye. "It's okay, little star. You have us now, we are your family now. We see you." Large blue eyes that saw far more than anyone realized blinked at her innocently.
Buffy smiled at Dru. It was nice having someone who understood what she felt and who she was. She had that with her mates, and now with Dru and Lorne. Fred and Wesley had become true friends, seeing her as a capable person, with feelings who they didn't judge. Buffy hadn't realized until now how much time in the past she spent trying to please her friends, listening to their criticisms, while she comforted and forgave them their own mistakes.
"Okay, girls, enough chitchat, let's do this. Remember, picture yourself as a wall of water that the power is coming to. You will let it pass through and on to the target."
After working for another hour, everyone left the den except Buffy and Dru. Buffy sat in a chair staring up at the moon, smiling.
Dru sat opposite her watching her friend's face before speaking. "Does she whisper to you, little star?"
Buffy turned to look at the beautiful dark haired vampire, her dark blue eyes large and mysterious in her pale, oval face. "Sometimes she does, other times, I just feel better looking up. Kinda like a hug or kiss goodnight. Silly, huh? I mean I had a Mom that I loved a lot, and I still miss her. It's different with Selene, I know she's not my real Mom, but I feel like she…"
"I am too your real mother." Selene appeared with her hands crossed over her chest, and an exact duplicate of Buffy's pout on her lips. "You are my child, and I love you, not because Zierra chose you, but for who you are." The moon goddess smiled at Dru, considering the topic closed. "Hello, Dru, how are you dear?"
"I am fine, Mother Moon. Little star is sad, thinking about long ago. Pay her no mind. She loves you, too. I knew you would be beautiful, the stars told me. No wonder my Spike couldn't resist little star, she is filled with the thunder, the moon, and the stars. She sparkles, doesn't she?"
Selene floated across the room, caressing the child-like vampire's face. "You are a clever child, Dru. I'm glad my girl found you. She needs friends that she can trust. Eternity can be lonely."
Closing her eyes, reveling in the gentle, motherly touch. "I won't leave her. Little star is my friend, my family, now," Dru promised.
"Bless you, child." The moon goddess kissed her brow, leaving a perfect silver bow-shaped mark. Walking back over to Buffy, Selene hugged the small blonde, then did something unusual. She picked her up, spinning her around like a little girl before setting her back down. Selene kissed her all over her face, causing Buffy to laugh, then disappearing in a cloud of silver sparkles.
Fred popped her head back in the door. "Is everything alright? I thought that I heard a strange voice, but I didn't hear anyone ring the door."
"Nope, just me, Dru, and the Moon." Buffy started giggling, and Dru soon joined her. They left the study wrapped in each others arms.
The next day, the teams gathered into three groups in Buffy's gym. The first team included Buffy, Damian, Asher, Benito, and Carlos. The second had Wesley, Fred, and Jason, with Dru, Warwick, Nathaniel, and Zane rounding out the final one. Each vampire would take their own pomme de sang with them. Buffy wanted to be sure they had a ready food supply wherever they went. The other issue was finding people who could fit into each team successfully and protect themselves.
Jason came to Buffy after obtaining permission from Jamil, asking if he could help. He adored Fred, treating her like a baby sister, and his humor meshed with Wesley's dry wit. His self-defense had come along way due to his training with Buffy, and he could change at will.
Nathaniel surprised everyone with how quickly he picked up tai chi, Tai kwon do, and was already working his way through other styles. His years dancing and natural grace had given him an extra edge. Nathaniel's new abilities helped his confidence grow. Most days found him at the Buffy's house; he still spent time with the pard, but was officially Warwick's pomme de sang by choice. They were close friends, helping each other become less subservient.
Zane had come into his own as an alpha after the munin healing. He was restless with the situation between Anita and Micah. The pards were trying to join, but with the two leaders continually circling each other, the tension was high. Now, with Jean-Claude back in the mix, Zane wanted some space, and a chance to do something for himself. He wouldn't be completely isolated because Nathaniel would be around as well. Zane kept the teams in stitches with his antics and they welcomed him wholeheartedly.
Benito and Carlos wouldn't allow Buffy out of their sight. It was a good cover for the trio since they didn't want it to become knowledge that feeding from Buffy was more than enough to sustain them. Benito's wife was five months along. As she got closer to her due date, Buffy's team agreed to rotate closer to home. Buffy did win the argument with Benito that he wouldn't go with her once the baby arrived. He agreed only because his cousin Jose would be taking his place. His family had vowed that they would protect her for the rest of their lives. Benito said that his son's sons would be there by her side wherever she went. Buffy laughed, asking what happened if his wife had a little girl. He replied that his daughter would protect her as well, and that was that.
Warwick had formally asked permission to court Drusilla. Buffy smiled every time she saw the two vampires together. Warwick brought Dru flowers or poems; he bowed, and she curtsied. They were sweet together. He with his knightly ways, and she with her Victorian ones, created the perfect match. Damian and Asher teased Buffy asking if she was the Guardian or the Love Doctor. Buffy was happy for her friends, thinking they deserved love, and each other.
Time for the first missions finally arrived. Dru's team would be taking the plane to Seattle, working their way from there out to the surrounding areas for three days before returning home. Wesley's team would go by portal, with Lorne acting as an anchor, to Denver and follow the same pattern, but return on the fourth. They were expecting to be able cover more cities using the portals. Buffy's team would finish off the remaining Masters in Missouri.
A servant led Dru, Warwick, Nathaniel, and Zane into the Master of Seattle's home, a large mansion decorated in somber shades of red and black. A slender man with reddish brown hair, his features and coloring easily proclaiming his beast as a werefox. A hidden door opened, and a tiny girl walked into the room. She had long brown hair, large brown eyes, and didn't appear to be older than thirteen years old. Power surged from her tiny body in waves, showing her age to be much older than her appearance belied. She settled into a large chair behind an equally large desk, neither seemed to overpower her tiny frame. She smiled at her audience as if she were happy to see them.
Dru hissed, "She is a very bad little girl. Likes to make the pretty little puppies cry."
The little girl's smile quickly vanished as she glared at Dru. Her power surged in the room, but her audience ignored it. "I am Emmeline, Master of Seattle. What brings you to my city?"
"You are well aware of why we come, young master. We are envoys for the Lady Buffy. We come to offer you the gift of a bound soul to you and your kiss for the release of your right to call. Do you accept willingly?" Warwick stepped forward to say the necessary words formally.
"I give up none of my pretty foxes. Now, leave my city," Emmeline answered, waving her hands, considering the matter closed.
Dru clapped her hands happily. "Very good, the little girl will get her just desserts, and the puppies will run free tonight." She closed her eyes to perform the spell like Buffy had trained her to do. Dru felt the power flow through her and jump into the fox that stood beside Emmeline. Opening her eyes, she put her hand on Warwick's arm. "We can leave, my prince, our work is done. The puppies are free and the little girl has been punished."
Warwick bowed his head to his ladylove, smiling at the way she talked. He found her turn of phrase fascinating and had no trouble understanding her. Taking her arm, he prepared to escort her out of the mansion. Nathaniel and Zane found the lovers amusing. They turned ready to follow them or protect their backs if necessary.
Emmeline screamed jumping up from her chair. "What have you done? You get back here right now, and give it back. That's not fair. I didn't say you could do that. Come back here!"
A portal opened outside the Master of Denver's restaurant, Tender Bites. Jason laughed at the name, wondering if he asked nicely would someone would bite him tenderly. Fred, Wesley, and Jason entered and were quickly shown to the Master's table. He was a distinguished looking man, with silver hair and grey eyes.
He stood as they approached him, greeting them with a friendly smile. "Hello, I am Jonathan. Please, have a seat. This is the Ulfric of the Snow Mountain Clan, Thomas Scott." A tall well built man with short blond hair and brown eyes bowed his head before sitting down on Jonathan's right.
"You are aware of why we are here?" Wesley asked pointblank.
"Yes, and I willingly give up the right for the gift," Jonathan answered smoothly, his piercing grey eyes didn't waiver from their faces.
Fred watched him closely, looking for any hint of lie or menace. "He's telling the truth, Wesley."
"Ah, little witch, what a tasty morsel you are, too bad you're already marked," Jonathan purred.
"Don't talk to her like that," Jason growled, his eyes turning amber. He reacted without thought for his own safety.
"Be careful, wolf, I haven't given my power up yet. Until I do you are still mine to call." Jonathan sent power out at Jason, intent on bending him to his ill.
Jason fell to the ground, rolling on his back with his arms and legs in the air, laughing. "Stop it, that tickles."
"I do not understand. What magic is this?"
"He has already been released from the call through his Ulfric. No other Master can ever call him again," Fred answered in a cold, clinical voice. It seemed strange coming from her sweet-looking face. Her eyes had turned cold at the Master's power show.
"Nice perks, huh?" Jason couldn't stop himself from smirking at the Master vampire.
"Enough posturing, gentlemen. Is there a private place that we can do this?" Wes asked, losing patience.
Later outside the restaurant, Wes looked at Fred. "How did you know about Jason not being affected?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Well it doesn't make much sense to free them only to allow someone else to be able to come right back and call them. That would just be stupid. Not every Master is the Master of a City, so if a new one took over we don't want to start all over again, do we? So, just like the Master of the City represents the vampires, the pack or pard leader for the animal they call frees all the weres from being called again. All the vampires in the city are given the gift, not just the ones sired by the Master, right? The same goes for the weres. It's simple, if you think about it. Buffy's plan is quite ingenious. They don't even realize the hidden layers, yet," Fred rambled, smiling at the two men who watched her with admiration shining in there eyes.
"Simple, she says. Maybe if you're Einstein Jr. or something," Jason mumbled more to himself.
Wesley titled his head to the side, thinking over what his lover explained. "I believe you're right, my dear Fred, quite ingenious indeed. We will have to discuss this later," Wes told her, his eyes gleamed with pride and no small amount of lust.
"So, this passes for dirty talking for yall. BOORING," Jason called out in a singsong voice.
"Okay, where to next?" Wesley decided to stop Jason before he could take his kidding too far.
"Um, I think we said that we would go to Aspen next. Hold onto my hand, and don't let go. Ready?" Fred concentrated on opening a portal, which they casually walked through disappearing from sight.
Four days later found everyone safely back at home. They were going to meet at Buffy's to discuss the missions and decide on the next ones. Wesley, Fred, and Jason had stepped from a portal in the den just moments ago. Buffy raced down the stairs, with Damian and Asher in hot pursuit. Everyone watched them, wondering how this little interlude would play out.
"You have been a naughty little goddess," Asher growled, reaching out towards his small mate. She was almost within his reach.
"That was not well done, little moon." Damian scowled; his pale green eyes flickered over her face.
Buffy pouted at them, hiding behind Lorne. "Oh poo, you're mad because you didn't think of it first." She stamped her foot, coming partway from behind Lorne with her arms crossed and her head tilted at a stubborn angle.
"Moonpie, what did you do to get Snow White and Rose Red huffy with you?" Lorne looked down at her, glancing back and forth between the lovers.
Buffy pulled him down, whispering in his ear. Lorne burst out laughing while the two vampires turned their glares on him. "Sorry, sweet-ums, it was a good prank."
She stuck her tongue out at her mates, who started advancing on her. Buffy evaded them once more, pointing at the door. "Oh, look everyone is here. Must be time to start the meeting."
Asher and Damian caught her hands when she tried to go and greet everyone. "Don't think that you've gotten away with this." They growled under their breaths.
"Oh, I know that I've been naughty, you'll just have to punish me…later." She caressed their faces as she walked away.
They exchanged looks, thinking over her words. "You know that she will be the death of us, don't you?" Asher asked, his eyes never leaving Buffy's golden form.
"Yes, but would you have it any other way?" Damian drug his own pale green eyes from his mate to glance at Asher.
"Non, my friend. Do you think that the meeting will take long? We have a mate who is just begging to be punished. Do we still have the cream Dite gave us?" They shared a conspiratorial smile as plans for their evening began to form in their minds.
Buffy turned around, smiling at them. "Boys, if you don't come into the living room, then the meeting can't get started. If it can't get started then it can't end, if you catch what I'm throwing?" Her smile turned so naughty that Asher and Damian weren't sure they could join the meeting immediately. They needed a moment to gather themselves, and for their pants to fit comfortably again.
The meeting quickly got underway. They discussed the areas covered, problems encountered, and Lorne reported a few glitches with the portals, but mostly everything went according to plan. Wesley marked a large map, denoting the cities they covered, and marking possible trouble areas. Dru and Warwick added a few comments, but mostly cuddled on a couch happy to listen with Nathaniel wrapped around their feet. Dru scratched his head absently. Buffy smiled at her group, her new family, they were really something. They each brought something unique to the group.
"Okay, everyone, I've got some big news. There is going to be a major planetary alignment in two weeks. Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn will be in perfect alignment with the Earth, and therefore the Moon," Buffy announced.
"But that isn't supposed to happen for another hundred years," Wesley exclaimed, dropping the pins he was sticking into the map. His brilliant mind ran through the information stored there, but couldn't find anything that would explain the alignment so far ahead of schedule.
"What can I say? I have friends upstairs who say two weeks, so it's two weeks." Buffy didn't like being evasive with them, but until the Fates told her she could tell them, she had no other choice.
"Buffy, do the Powers speak to you directly, or through visions? How exactly do you get your information?" Fred beat Wesley to question on the tip of his tongue.
"Visions and messengers, mostly. Does it really matter? They give me the 411, then I go and take care of business." Buffy shrugged her shoulders, hoping the matter would be dropped soon.
Lorne noticing her discomfort changed the subject. "So, pumpkin, what does the planet mean for us? Major good mojo or bad mojo?"
"Definitely good mojo, Lorne, with a capitol Mo and Jo. We can set up a power pyramid that funnels it across the continent." Buffy smiled at the shocked looks on their faces.
"What will it do exactly?" Wesley asked, unsure if he wanted to hear the answer.
"We put our people at certain points across the continent. On the full moon at midnight, we will be able to funnel the alignment's power through us. It will spread across the area within our pyramid, releasing the power to call and bestowing the gift to everyone at once." Buffy did a small motion of wiping her hands together then flailing them out into the air.
"B-but, what about the ones who would have refused? How would we know, and how would it affect them?" Fred stammered, her own hands worried together until Wesley wrapped his around them, steadying them, and her.
"We send out invitations to the party." Dru clapped her hands, joining in the conversation.
Buffy smiled at her friend's way with words. "Correct, Dru. We send invitations, which have to be RSVP'd in blood. The MoCs and the were leaders have to sign in their own blood, willingly."
"They will be giving a blood oath, Lady Buffy?" Warwick asked, his knightly ways coming to the fore.
"Yep, everyone knows what happens if you break one, too. If they don't sign it willingly, then the spell will punish them as an oath breaker. The city will be free for a new Master to step up and take over." She explained before moving onto the next point. "Fred, how's the cross reference database of Masters and cities coming along?" Buffy's green eyes watched the brilliant Texan's mind click onto the new subject.
Fred smile lit up her face. "Great, I download tons of data from the AI databanks through a backdoor. I was also able to tap into the Federal Marshall and Humans Only ones as well. I haven't gotten into as many overseas accounts as I would like, but I'm still working on it. Zane has been helping me."
Buffy laughed, scratching his head where he leaned against her leg. "You sly kitty. You're full of tricks aren't you?"
"If I roll on my back will you scratch my tummy? I've been a real good boy." Zane purred, rubbing his head against her leg.
Damian batted his head playfully. "If she scratches anyone's stomach, it will be ours. Back off, Puss."
Buffy fluttered her eyelashes at him. "Ooh, baby, I love it when you get all growly," she said in a little girl voice, causing everyone to laugh.
Zane spoke up, breaking the mood. "We should have some good data on Europe by the end of the week." Laying his head back down on Buffy's feet, purring happily.
"You aren't thinking about trying this on a global range, are you?" Concern was clearly written on Wesley's face.
"No, Wes, it will be enough to do what we are doing here. Remember there has to be balance, the alignment will allow us to do this here. We will have to worry about the clean up to some extent. Tackling Europe will be a larger scale problem that we won't be doing anything about for a while. Balance, see?"
"Oh yes, wise one, I think grasshopper, got it now. Please, sensei, tell us more." Jason crawled on his knees towards Buffy with his hands clasped in front of him. Then he, Zane, and Nathaniel started bowing in front of Buffy. "We're not worthy. We're not worthy." They chanted in unison.
Buffy jumped up. "Ooh, I'll show you not worthy." She tackled them and started tickling. She was everywhere at once until they were crying, begging her to stop. Buffy stopped, putting her hands on her hips. "Who is the smartest girl in the world?"
They panted trying to catch their breaths. "BUFFY!"
"Humph, and don't you forget it buckos!" She threw her hair over her shoulder, winking at Fred before sitting back down with her mates. "Before we were so rudely interrupted, I was going to say that we will probably only be addressing the hot spots in Europe until we have enough teams in place. We will have to find and train people along the way. If you've met anybody that you think is a good fit, let me know and we can see about creating a team for them."
"I guess that we need to get the invitations out ASAP and start figuring out the focal points for each team to be at," Wes advised, his watcher mind already thinking several steps ahead.
"Yep, maybe Dru, Warwick, Nathaniel, Jason, and Zane can work on the invitations. I have the exact wording needed for the RSVP to be binding. We need to get as much rest as possible before the full moon. This is going to take a lot out of us, even me." Buffy warned them, before pulling her mates from the room.
Buffy knocked on Anita's door several days later. Cherry answered it and admitted her with a welcoming smile. Anita and Micah entered from the bedroom. Anita waited for Buffy for to say something, but she just smiled saying hello to everyone.
"Micah, it's nice to see you again. Do you like it here in St. Louis?" she asked politely.
"Yes, my pard is blending nicely with the Blood Drinker Clan, and my company is doing well," he responded with a smile.
"Did you need something, Buffy, or just drop by to visit?" Anita asked, cutting through the polite chatter.
"Okay, here goes. I've been in contact with Marianne about your training. She says that you are doing well, and I also wanted to apologize to you, Anita." Buffy held the coal black eyes with bright green ones, showing her sincerity.
"Why would you apologize to me?" The dark haired Executioner tried to understand what Buffy was talking about.
"For not seeing that I wasn't the right person to help you. I should have seen that you weren't going to trust me enough to let me in. The situation became too dynamic with the Council, Richard, Jean-Claude, and you all in the mix. Throw me in as well, and it was too much for you to handle."
"You aren't responsible for my relationships working or anything else. Take me off your list, lady." The somewhat friendly tone present on Buffy's arrival was no longer there, in its place was a cold, hard tone leaving no doubt that Anita meant what she said.
"I didn't come here to fight with you, Anita. I wanted to offer you a chance to reclaim something you've lost, and an opportunity to use it to help others, if you're interested. One offer isn't dependent on the other." Buffy sat back in her chair and waited.
"You're offering to give me back my powers?" Excitement lighting her eyes, Anita shot up from her chair.
"With a few adjustments, yes," Buffy answered, with a soft smile.
A wary frown marred Anita's beautiful face, her eyes went blank, showing no emotion. "What adjustments? How do you adjust powers?"
"You will get your necromancy back, but the voodoo magic from your grandmother will be gone forever." Buffy waited to see what Anita's would do or say.
"What does that mean? How will that change anything? I didn't even know how to use it anyway, so it's no skin off my nose." Anita shrugged, not caring, just happy at the thought of having her powers back. She used to think she would be happy if they went away, but soon realized that they were a part of her and she didn't feel whole without them.
"Anita have you ever wondered why you were able to raise people other animators couldn't? Could do so many raisings in one night? You are a smart woman, Anita, think about it. Where did you draw that little bit more 'oomph' from?" Buffy raised a pale blonde brow, staring at Anita, waiting for the light to dawn in the other woman's eyes.
"The magic was dormant until the necromancy activated it, feeding it through the blood," Anita whispered more to herself than anyone else.
"Give the girl a prize. I can't believe that you never studied yourself, Anita. You studied this stuff in school and never once thought about finding out more about your own powers?"
"If I won't have the magic to draw from what will that mean for my necromancy?" Anita's worried her lower lip between her teeth. She didn't like thinking that she would no longer be the most powerful necromancer in St. Louis. Anita hated to think it, but she liked being the top dog.
"You're strong in your own right. No one trained you properly, that's all. The voodoo is dark magic, which fed the necromancy, which is also dark. Left to feed on each other a person would start to lose themselves to the power. The voodoo can be replaced with a different type of magic that would balance out the necromancy."
Anita thought over what Buffy said and it made sense to her. "Who would teach me this, you?"
"No, we already figured out you and I are non-mixy things. I have two friends who are good magic wise that could help you. Marianne can rough out the edges when she's in town. Your powers can be returned to you in equal amounts based on the magic you learn to balance it out. Are you interested?"
"Very. Would I have to go to your house?"
"Well, Fred lives above Moon Child, but Dru lives with me. I'm sure she would come here if you agree to meet at night. It will cut into you training time though." Buffy tried to calculate how this would affect their other obligations.
"Why can they only train at night?" Micah spoke up for the first time.
"She's a vampire, of course," Buffy answered him as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.
"A vampire witch? I'm not sure that I've ever heard of that happening before. What's Fred, did you say?"
"Fred is Wesley's human servant, not to mention probably the smartest person alive. Dru is special. She is also a seer and can be childlike in many ways. Anita, never underestimate her in any way. They each bring their own unique view to magic. You could learn a lot from them. I warn you now, Anita, they are my family, don't hurt them. There wouldn't be a place on Earth you could hide from me." Buffy's eyes turned hard and the temperature in the room became frigid.
"I don't go around hurting people for no reason, Buffy. I do have some control."
Buffy raised an eyebrow and gave her a look that said it all. "The other thing I wanted to know is if you would allow me to use your powers for an important spell?"
"You have them. Why are you asking me? It's not like I could stop you," Anita groused, wishing that she could stop the other woman from doing anything just once. She knew it was a stupid wish, but she couldn't' help it.
Buffy sighed, tired of the other woman's perpetual teenaged angst. "They're your powers. I took them away, but I wouldn't use them without asking. I'm not allowed, wouldn't want to even if I was. Had it happen to me, and didn't like it much." Buffy explained the planetary alignments and how they planned to funnel the powers. She wanted to use Anita's power to make it easier to extract the power from the unwilling and any oath breakers.
Anita listened quietly, trying to think over all the angles. "Can I think about this? I'll let you know in a few days. Is that all right?"
"I need to know no later then two days from now in order to get everything ready. Will that be enough time for you? You don't have to do this, Anita. It would make it easier, but it won't stop us." Buffy reassured her.
"I'll have answers for you by then about everything. I'd like to meet with Fred and Dru tomorrow night, if they are available."
Buffy agreed, leaving after hugging the pard, including Micah, much to his surprise.