From: steve711 Date: Sat, 05 Sep 1998 20:34:25 -0400 Subject: The Chronicles of Wanderer - Hellmouth - New Beginnings Part 13 - A Midnight Meeting (Pizza Comes with Two Free Toppings - Vampires are Extra) Mulder and Scully follow Steve back to his house. They pull up next to his, outside the garage. "It's a lovely home Steve." Scully replies as they enter. "Thanks, but I just moved in. I'll order some pizza for dinner. Does pepperoni, extra cheese and mushrooms bother anybody, no, good. Soda and beers are in the frig. Your room is just up the stairs, first on the right." Steve informs them as Frank and Mulder move the luggage up there. Steve orders the pizza from the same place as before. Ted takes the order and says he'll be over as soon as the pies are done. "So, Scully what do you really think of the place?" "Steve, like I said, its quite lovely, but somehow I just can't imagine you living here." She tells Steve. "I just moved in, three days ago, the previous owner was a drug dealer that had been turned into a vampire. He and two friends visited me on my first night here." Steve tells her in greater detail what happened. "You flushed almost forty pounds of drugs down the toilet? Why didn't you report it to the police?" "Because they would have taken over the house and attempted to seize it under the RICO statutes. Then, where would I live?" Mulder and Frank join Scully and Steve in the living room. "So, any interesting conversation topics, Scully." Mulder asks as he sits down next to her on the sofa. Frank tosses Steve a soda, and hands Scully her's, Mulder pops open his ice tea. "So what have been doing with yourself these last couple of years, Wanderer." Mulder asks. "Mulder, just call me Steve. Well, you remember that first serial killer we were both hunting?" Mulder nods, remembering his first case as an FBI agent. "Well, he turned out to be a three hundred year old sorcerer. He was collecting the souls of his victims to bring back a couple of demons. Ask Frank, he helped me on that one." Frank nods his head, "Yeah, I remember that one all too well. I had to clean dragon shit out of my plane for a week after that one." Scully looks at Frank, "Dragon shit? What do you mean by that Frank." "Dana, this nut case friend of mine found six baby dragons, and, can you believe this, a virgin princess, in that sicko's castle. He had me help him rescue them before he blew up the castle." Frank then tells them the entire story: ***** Paris, France - March 1986 Frank Iverson is walking down the Chane de le Say, looking for an open bar, when he hears a fight going on in an alley. He decides to walk away, but the scream of a child forces his hand. He pulls out his gun and rushes into the alleyway. As he moves purposefully in the darkness of the alley, he sees a sight that should have come from a horror film. A man was standing in front of a group of seven children, fighting off a pack of what couldn't possibly be dogs. They we too large, and misshapen. All fangs, claws and bones. He watches as the man stands his ground fighting the things with a sword? Frank watches as the man's sword glows a pale blue in color as it cuts the animals down. Each time the sword cuts one of them, they scream an unearthly screech and disappear. Frank moves forward and rests his Colt 1911 on a box and prepares to shoot several of the animals to give the man and children a chance to escape. As he places his notched sight on the head of the first dog he's going to kill, a bright light fills the alleyway, and suddenly a man is standing in the midst of the dog pack. He looks around and sees the man defending the children and he orders him. "Mortal, I am the sorcerer Marcus. Those children are my master's property. Leave now and I'll let you live, continue interfering and I'll destroy you." Frank watches as the man straightens up and calmly tells him. "Go fuck yourself, asshole. These kids are under my protection and I'm going to return them to their parents." Frank grins in the darkness, liking this guy already. < This guy's got balls, he's still facing at least a dozen of those monsters and this weird guy and he tells him to go fuck himself. Man's definitely SeAL material. > He then adjusts his aim and calmly gets Marcus into his sights. As Marcus starts to wave his hands, Frank shoots him in the back of the head. The results are spectacular. The man suddenly withers and turns to dust as the bullet splatters his brains across the alleyway. The dogs split into two groups and four rush Frank, while the remaining eight rush the man with the sword. Frank calmly shoots each dog in the head as it comes after him and the dogs just disappear. As Frank shoots the last dog coming after him, he watches the man with the sword clean house with the remaining eight. The man is now facing three dogs, all that remain of the eight that went after him. Frank watches, as he moves to get a better angle to shoot them down. One of the dogs rushes forward and feints back, while the other two attack to either side. The man rushes forward and the two dogs collide with each other. The swordsman moves quickly and cuts off both of their heads. While he does this, he leaves his back exposed. The third dog rushes forward and leaps onto his back, racking it with his claws. Frank winches at the pain the guy must be feeling. As he watches the man slams the dog into the wall by rushing it backwards. The creature yelps and lets go. The man quickly turns around and slashes it open from head to hind legs. Frank watches as the swordsman stands there, breathing heavily, watching the shadows. Frank then moves into the light and asks. "What the hell just happened here?" The swordsman starts at the question and turns to see Frank facing him with a pistol. He smiles. "Thanks for the helping hand friend. Those things might have gotten past me to the kids." The man lifts his head, as though he hears something. "We'd better get out of here. The local cops will be here in a few minutes and I don't think they'll believe us if we tell them the truth about what happened here tonight." Frank is about to argue, but one of the children asks, in a fearful voice. "Misters are you going to take us home? I want to see my mom and dad." Franks reply is caught in his throat as he moves to help the swordsman with the children. < This guy can't be bad, these kids aren't scared of him. > "C'mon, I have a friend close by. He'll give us sanctuary." The swordsman tells Frank as they hurry down the street with the children in tow. Frank is doing drag, making sure the kids can keep up. The swordsman leads them down several blocks until they come to a church. The swordsman knocks on the door and he steps back as the door opens. A brother stands in doorway and looks over the scene before him. He looks at the swordsman and asks. "What happened Steve?" "Your information was correct Darius. I found the children where our friend said they were. Now I need to get them safely inside, before we have anymore unwelcome guests." The brother nods and leads the group into the church, another brother stands there, waiting. Brother Darius orders, "Brother Michael, get some warm milk for the children and some coffee for our two friends." "It shall be done Brother Darius." Michael replies as he rushes to do his work. Brother Darius sits down by the altar and calmly asks the children to come forward. He blesses each child in turn and asks them to quietly sit down in the front pew. The children do as they are instructed. Frank watches what's going on and asks himself. < What the hell have I gotten myself into this time? > Brother Darius and the man called Steve are standing quietly together talking. Frank walks over and asks, "What the hell is going on here? Who are you people? Who are these kids? And what the fuck happened in that alley back there?" Both men turn to Frank, one with amusement in his eyes, the other with worry. The man called Steve introduces himself. "Sorry friend, sometimes, I forget my manners. My name is Steven St. Wolf, this gentleman is Brother Darius. And you are? "Frank Iverson." "Very well Mr. Iverson, the children, were kidnaped from their families yesterday. Darius found out about the kidnaping and since he knew I was in Paris, he asked for my help in getting them back." "Alright Mr. St. Wolf, I'll believe that. But what the hell were those things in the alleyway? I've never seen dogs like that before. And who was that Marcus guy who just appeared out of nowhere?" Brother Darius answers these questions, "Those things were called hell hounds, Mr. Iverson. They're controlled by a very evil man who wanted to hurt those children to further his power and ambitions. Mr. St. Wolf prevented that from happening. The man calling himself Marcus was this man's principle and most trusted lackey. Thank you for removing him from this fight. It'll make things much easier for us when we face his master." "Face his master? Are you two nuts? If he can control those things, what else can he control?" A shocked Frank asks. "If our information is correct, quite a bit actually." St. Wolf calmly replies. "And you're still going to fight, knowing that?" "Yeah, I have this bad Don Quixote complex. I just can't sit idly by and watch innocents being hurt." St. Wolf replies with a grin. Brother Darius just smiles and claps his friend on his shoulder. "You two people are nuts. How the hell did I ever get involved is beyond me." "Your reasons are behind you, all seven of them." Brother Darius replies with a smile. Frank turns around and looks at the seven children he helped save earlier and feels the truth of Brother Darius's statement. Frank mentally kicks himself for what he says next. "What can I do to help take this bastard out?" Frank turns back around and finds both men smiling at him. < Shit, what the did I just agree to? > "First, what kind of ammunition are you using in your gun?" Steve asks. "Hollow point, Silver Tips. Why do you ask?" "Because normal ammunition shouldn't have killed them. May I see one of your bullets." Darius asks. Frank pulls out his gun and releases the magazine and pulls a round out. He hands it to Darius, putting back a fully loaded magazine. Darius looks over the round and smiles. He turns to Frank and Steve and tells them. "These bullets contain a large amount of silver. No wonder those hell hounds died when they were shot with these bullets. Silver is a deadly poison to them. Do you know where we can get more of it?" "Yeah, the dealer I use had a whole case of the stuff. I can get more of it tomorrow. Can I ask a question?" Both men nod their heads in agreement. "Why did your sword glow blue when you fought those things in the alley?" Steve smiles as he pulls out the sword. "The simplest way to explain it is to say that my sword is enchanted." Frank looks dubious. "The long explanation is that the sword was created by Merlin in Japan about a thousand years ago to aid humanity in it's fight against the darkness." "The same Merlin who created Excaliber?" A shocked Frank asks. "The very same, except in Japan he was called 'Fire'." Steve replies with a smile as an owl lands on his shoulder. He turns to it and asks. "So Archimedes, have they located King's lair yet?" Frank is shocked when the bird replies in a cultured British accented voice. "Yes Wanderer, they have. King is in an ancient castle located in the Pyrenees Mountains. You'll need to get there in a hurry, the bastard is getting ready to sacrifice six young wurms and a virgin princess. Since he lost Marcus, he doesn't have anybody he trusts enough to guard them, so he's going to sacrifice them now." "Can Fragnar make it in time to help?" Steve asks the bird. "No, he's fighting a demon lord in South America with the Knights of the Grail. They're winning, but it'll take a while." "Damn, I'm going Darius, can you get me a plane tonight?" "I don't have anyone for at least three days, Steve." "Yes you do." Both men turn to face Frank. "What do you mean Frank?" "I'm a pilot and I have a DC-3 ready to leave now." "Frank, you don't have to do this. This isn't your fight." "Bull shit!! The moment I saw those kids in trouble, it became my fight. So don't try and talk me out of it. It might work." Frank replies with a grin. Both Steve and Darius laugh, as they clap Frank on the shoulder. Steve then asks. "So Frank, got any combat experience?" "I was a Navy SEAL for seven years. Care to top that?" Frank prompts. "Sorry old son, I was a Special Forces Pathfinder/Sniper for seven years. That makes us about even, I'd say." "How many tours did you go on." Frank asks about the number of classified missions completed by the man called St. Wolf. "One hundred, thirty one, completed and confirmed." Frank shakes his head in awe. "God man, I thought you were crazy earlier, but I see now that's a normal state of mind." Darius laughs and Steve just chuckles. "Let's get some sleep. We'll need it for tomorrow." Steve comments. "Where?" Frank asks. "The pews, this way we can guard the children as well." ***** Frank awakes the next morning to the smell of coffee. As he stretches, he falls out of the pew. He jerks up when he hears the giggles coming from the children in the pew in front of him. He gives them a dirty look, but when they start to laugh, he relaxes it into a grin. He notices Steve and Darius standing off to one side drinking coffee. He goes over to them to find a cup waiting for him as well. "Good morning Frank." Both of them tell him as he reaches for his cup. "What's the plan for today?" "First we get weapons and some explosives. Your friend wouldn't mind providing such things to us?" "Jean-Claude? If our money is real, we won't have any problems." "Good, then we will leave in about fifteen minutes. Darius will stay and protect the children." "Why not just return them to their parents today?" Frank asks. "Because King will try to steal them again. And then their parents will be hurt and probably killed in the process. Darius and the church will protect them, while we deal with King, permanently." "What did you tell the kids?" "The truth. For some reason they believed us and understand the dangers." Steve tells Frank as the oldest boy walks up to them. "Sirs, my name Timothy Higgins," He begins. "We would like to thank you two for saving us last night. We know we should have done so last night, but we were all tired and needed to sleep." He stammers, nervous at talking to the three strangers. "So, on behalf of all of us, thank you." "You're welcome Tim." Steve calmly tells the boy. "You and your friends understand, that Frank and I have to go soon and finish this fight?" "Yes sir, we do. We also understand that we have to stay here and be protected by the Brother. Sir?" The boy stutters, "May I ask who are you? And why you rescued us? You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to." "Well Tim, my name is Steve St. Wolf, this man," Frank nods his head. "Is Frank Iverson, the Brother is named Darius. The reason we rescued you was simple. You needed our help and we helped because it was the right thing to do." "Thank you Mr. St. Wolf, Mr. Iverson, Brother Darius. I'll tell the others." Then he goes back and talks to the other children. Frank feels a lump in his throat as he watches the children sit and talk among themselves. He starts as he hears Steve tell him. "Kinda, gets you right in the heart." "Yeah, gives me a warm fuzzy feeling, I haven't had in a long time." "Feels good doesn't it?" "Yeah, I could definitely get used to it." "Well," Steve replies as he looks at his watch. "We'd better get over to your friend's place." As they exit the church, Steve walks over to a nearby garage and gives the man sitting there a ticket. The man gets up and leaves. A few minutes later he drives out a green Land Rover. Steve tips him and they both get in. As they pull away, Steve asks, "Which way to your friend's place?" Frank gives an address in the dock area of Paris. Twenty minutes later they arrive at Jean-Claude's warehouse. As they enter they can hear two men arguing. "I tell you Jonathan, none of my sources have been able to locate him." A french accented voice speaks out. "I don't care Jean-Claude. Thomas and I'll search every building in this city to find my grandson. Now please give us the weapons we asked for." An English accented voice orders. "Higgins, calm down. You said so yourself, Jean-Claude will help us. Just give him some time." An American voice urges. Frank and Steve turn to each other and shake their heads. "It can't be." Frank mutters as they turn the corner, they see three people standing at a counter. A short man dressed in a three piece suit wearing a beret. Another man slightly taller, about 5'6", dressed in khaki and the third man was wearing jeans, a shirt and a Detroit Tigers baseball cap. He stood about 6'2". All three turn as Frank and Steve enter the office. "What do you want Iverson?" Jean-Claude asks, angry at being interrupted. "I need some more of that Silver Tip ammo, and some guns." Frank replies. "Why?" "Because my friend and I have some business to finish. The ammo will help and if you have them, two Thompson machine guns, equipped with silencers, as well." "Yes, I can sell those to you. It'll cost you ten thousand American. When can you get me the money?" "Right now." Steve replies and tosses Jean-Claude a packet of money. Jean-Claude opens it and counts it. A few seconds later he asks. "When do you need the weapons and ammunition?" "Right now. We'll load the magazines ourselves." "All right, let me get you your things, then you can leave. I have other business to finish today. How many magazines will you need?" "Twenty five per gun, plus the Silver Tip ammunition. Do you have any Colt 1911 magazines as well?" "Yes, would ten a piece, plus ammo, be enough?" "Yes, it will, thank you." Jean-Claude yells out orders to one of his men, standing off to one side and the man rushes off to get the weapons. Before he turns back to his two other customers, Jean- Claude asks. "Iverson, have you heard anything about some missing kids? Mostly American and some British?" "Why?" Frank asks. "Because these two men are looking for them." Frank and Steve look over the two and then shake their heads. "No, we haven't heard a thing." Suddenly a tapping sound is heard a window. Everybody turns to it and watches amazed as an owl taps on it. Steve turns to Jean-Claude, "Can that window be opened?" Jean-Claude nods and presses a switch, the window rises and Archimedes flies in and lands on Steve's shoulder. "Archimedes, what is it?" "Wanderer, King has sent another of his lackeys and two dozen hounds. They're going to try to take the children back. Darius doesn't know if he can hold them back. You have to come back." "Shit, you know we have to go. If that bastard kills the wurms, I don't know what Fragnar or his people will say or do." "You don't have a choice." "Yes I do." Steve tells Archimedes as he turns to the three men looking at him, talking to an owl, and the owl talking back. He looks at the man dressed in Khaki and asks, "Are you looking for a ten year old boy named Timothy Higgins?" The man in Khaki rushes forward and grabs Steve by the shirt and forces him against the wall. Archimedes hurriedly flies from Steve's shoulder and lands on a girder. Higgins's eyes blaze anger as he rasps out. "He had better be alive and sound or so help me God, you both are dead men." "Your grandson is alive and hail, sir. Frank and I rescued him and six other children last night from where they were being held. We left him in the care of Brother Darius, who lives at St. Mary's church on Rue Morgan. Now if you'll let me go, I'll explain what's going on. "First we call the church." Thomas tells everyone. He then grabs a phone and request the phone number from information. He gets it and dials the church. He speaks briefly with Brother Darius and then hands the phone to Higgins, who immediately speaks with his grandson. He listens to his description of what happened the previous night and then tells his grandson. "Thomas and I will be over in a short while. We'll see you then." Steve then explains the situation to Higgins and his friend Thomas. As he continues, he can see disbelief in their eyes as he explains what he has to do. As he finishes, Steve sees Higgins back stiffen up and his eyes take on a cold, hard gleam. He turns to Jean-Claude and asks, "Jean-Claude I would like to order the same items as these two men have, plus a pair of Colt 1911s." "I'll also need some grenades, plastique and an answer to a question." Steve adds. "A moment gentlemen and I will get you everything you need." Jean-Claude tells them as he calls for five of his men. He gives them an abridged version of the story and all five move to prepare for the coming battle at the Church. "The question sir?" Jean-Claude asks. "Where did you get the ammunition?" "Why?" "I want to know where to purchase more of it at a later date." "I don't know Monsieur. It was gotten off an unmarked truck. The original shipping documents call for it to be delivered to the U.S. FBI's Bureau 13. I've never heard of it. "Neither have I. Thanks for the information though Jean Claude. What do I owe you for the grenades and plastique?" "As you Americans say 'it's on the house'." With that, Steve and Frank gather their weapons, magazines and ammunition and prepare to leave. Higgins stops them both at the door and takes their hands. "Gentlemen, I apologize for my earlier behavior and thank you for saving my grandson and those other children. I also want to wish you luck on your mission." "Just guard them and the church well. Brother Darius is a dear friend and I don't want anything to happen to him." "I will lay my life down for the man, rest assured sir." Higgins tells Steve. ***** Mulder and Scully are sitting quietly entranced by the story as Frank tells it. Scully looks to Mulder and then asks. "Bureau 13? I thought that was only a FBI myth." "You mean you've also heard of it?" Steve asks. "Yeah, there's always rumor's going on about them. Though no one's ever been able to prove anything." Mulder comments. "Interesting, do you think we'll ever run into them?" "No, they're only a myth. Nothing but stories told around the cafeteria to scare rookie agents." Mulder replies with a grin. "Now finish the story Frank." ***** Frank and Steve leave the warehouse and immediately head to the airport. Thirty minutes later, at the airport, Frank calls in a favor and the Rover is allowed through without a search. They load up the plane and Frank calls in flight clearance. As Frank's DC3 is taxing up the runway, Steve enters the cabin and grabs the co- pilot's seat. He grabs the head phones and asks Frank, "How long until we get there?" "About two hours." "Good, I'll field strip the guns and load the ammo, while you fly." Frank grins, "Just make sure you don't forget my firing pin." Steve grins back. "Sure, not a problem. I always forget the triggers any way." Frank looks at Steve's grin and laughs. ***** Two hours later, Frank's DC3 lands on a deserted stretch of road near the castle. Both men get out and check out the surrounding area. As they look, a quiet rustling is heard in the bushes. Steve holds up his hand and waits. After a few seconds they move out again. The noise follows them. As they approach a clearing the noise intensifies and both men stand at the edge and wait. They watch as a large wolf enters the clearing and stands up. Franks hisses between his teeth. Steve looks at the werewolf and grins. The werewolf growls and rushes them. Steve picks up his Thompson and fires a short burst into the werewolf's chest and the animal lets out a long howl of anguish as it falls to the ground, dead. Frank turns to Steve and asks. "How'd you kill it?" Steve grins as he replies. "The only way to kill a werewolf is to shoot it with a silver bullet. And our bullets happen to be made out of silver." "Oh, yeah. Forgot about that." "Let's go, there shouldn't be anymore guards out." "Why? "Because werewolves hate everybody. And if King sent out any other guards the werewolf would kill them as well." The pair then move to the castle proper and silently enter through an open gate. Steve and Frank check each shadow as they move silently to the front door. As they enter the castle, Steve spots a guard sleeping in a chair near the door. Steve sneaks over to him and pulls away his rifle and side arm, handing them to Frank. As the guard awakens, Steve places the barrel of the Thompson into his mouth. The man doesn't make a noise as Steve asks, "Where's King?" The man points to an archway off to the left. Steve smiles and then takes the barrel out and slams his head with the buttstock. Frank winces at the noise his skull makes. Frank asks in a whisper. "Was that really necessary?" Steve looks at him and speaks in a calm, controlled voice. "That bastard is one of King's 'trusted' servants. How many people do you think he has helped King murder? That piece of shit doesn't deserve any mercy." Frank shudders at Steve's resolve and presses on. They enter through the archway on the right. Frank looks around and asks. "Why are we going in a different direction?" "Because that bastard was going to send us to our deaths. I'd lay money down that he was pointing to a trap. So we do this the hard way." A few minutes later, as the duo is rounding a turn, a beautiful girl runs past them screaming at the top of her lungs. Following her closely are a half dozen guards. As they pass Frank and Steve, they let loose with the silenced Thompsons and all six fall into a heap. The girl is lying on the floor in a quivering heap. They carefully move to her and Steve checks her, while Frank covers the hall. "Can you hear me?" Steve asks in English as he touches her shoulder. The girl jumps and looks around and sees the guards, bleeding and dead. She looks at Steve and Frank and notices that they are strangers. In German she asks. "Who are you men. Do you serve the evil sorcerer?" Steve replies in German. "No. We're here to kill him. Who are you and where can we find him?" "My name is Katherine. The sorcerer is through that door way." She points at a door located at the end of the hall. "He waits there to fed me to six young dragons. When I saw what was going to happen, I kicked one of my guards and ran away. Please don't take me back." "We wouldn't, but we have to kill him. Do you want to stay here and wait, and possibly be captured by his other guards. Or come with us and help us fight." The girl's back stiffens with resolve and she tells Steve. "I'm a daughter of the House of Hapsburg. I'll fight." With this, she gets up and takes several knives off the dead guards, leaving their guns. Steve takes Frank aside and tells him. "The girl's name is Katherine. She told me that King was going to feed her to the baby dragons, so I think she's the virgin princess. I told her she could stay here or fight. She wants to fight." Frank grins, liking the girl already. The trio move to the door in question and enter. The sorcerer has his back turned to them. As Katherine moves forward, she stumbles. The noise is noticed by King. He doesn't bother to turn around as he orders. "So, you bumbling fools finally caught her. Don't just stand there, throw her into the pit." Both Steve and Frank grin at each other as they raise their submachine guns and empty their magazines into the dark sorcerer. Each Thompson spews forth fifty rounds of silver coated death. As the bullets smash into Kings head and back, the sorcerer tries to turn around. Finally, he falls to the ground and lays there. Steve immediately changes his magazine and empties it into the supine form of the sorcerer. Frank follows suit, sending all fifty round into the head and shoulders of the body, turning it into a red and gray mass. Steve, then takes out his sword and cuts the body up. Then he, with Frank's help piles up the parts and lays a Thermite grenade under it. The trio moves to the side as the grenade incinerates King's body. Katherine watches this in wonder. She then turns around and asks Steve. "Will you also kill the dragons?" "No, the dragons are coming with us. Their families will want them back." "You deal with dragons? What sort of man are you?" "I'm the man who has just rescued you. Don't ask too many questions and we'll get along just fine." Then Steve turns to Frank. "The dragons will stay here for now. I want to clean out this castle and get them some food. The bastard has starved them in order to make them want to eat Katherine." Frank nods his head and they leave the pit room. They search the castle for more of the sorcerer's lackeys, but it appears as though they have all run away when King was killed. Still searching, they find King's treasure throve and marvel at the loot. Steve grins as he draws a circle around the gold and jewels and utters an incantation. The treasure disappears. Frank is shocked and asks, "Where did the treasure go?" "To a safe place." Steve grins as he walks out the door. Frank shakes his head and follows. Soon, they finish the search and head back to the kitchen. There, all three load up on meat and head back to the pit. At the edge of the pit, they throw in the meat and wait. After a few minutes the dragons settle down and finish eating. As they finish, Steve lowers himself down and pets the nearest dragon. The dragon just looks at him, as he calmly removes a charm and lets the dragon sniff it. The baby immediately rubs itself against Steve and softly hisses. Steve then calmly picks it up and hands it to Frank, who pulls it over the edge. The baby dragon moves over to the side and waits, watching Frank and Steve lift the rest of it's brothers and sisters out. After they finish, Frank asks. "What is that thing?" "It's a charm a friend of mine gave me. It shows other dragons that I'm a friend and will help them." "Where'd you get it?" "From another dragon." "Oh." Frank replies as it dawns on him. After all of the dragons are out of the pit, Steve and Frank plant explosives around the castle. After they finish, they lead the princess and the dragons a short distance off and blow the place up. The group watches as the flames engulf the castle and they turn around and leave. All six dragons follow Frank, Steve and Katherine back to the plane. As they get near the plane, Katherine asks. "What manner of plane is that?" "It's called a DC - 3." Steve explains. "Are you going to take me home?" "First the dragons go home, then you." Steve replies. "I am royal blood. I demand to treated as such." < A royal pain is more like it. > Steve thinks to himself as he replies. "I am taking the dragons home first, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Am I understood?" "You are no gentleman." "I never said I was." Frank looks on as Steve and Katherine argue, finally he asks Steve what's going on. "That royal bitch wants us to take her home first. But I have to get the dragons back to their families as soon as possible, before some other nut case tries and steals them." "I got no problems with that. Where do I take them?" "You'll see." Steve replies with a grin. When they get to the plane, Frank lowers the rear ramp and all six dragons scamper up, into the plane. After all of the dragons are secured, Frank goes through his pre-flight check list and wonders why Steve is calmly sitting there. As Franks starts up the engines, the dragons roar a challenge, but immediately quiet down. Katherine starts to complain in German about unwanted animals and Steve calmly tells her something in German. The girl immediately shuts up. Curious, Frank ask, "What'd you tell her?" Smiling an evil grin, Steve translates, "I told her, that if she didn't shut up, I'd throw her from the plane." Frank laughs and starts the plane down the road runway. "Frank take her up to 20,000 feet." "Not a problem." A few minutes later, the plane levels off at 20,000 feet. Frank turns to Steve, "What now?" Steve takes out the dragon charm and tells Frank, "This charm will open a gateway to Dragon Valley. We'll leave the babies there under the care of adult dragons." "You're kidding?" "Nope. Be ready for a little turbulence." Steve tells him as he activates the gateway. Suddenly, a shimmering appears in front of the plane and Frank's instruments go crazy for a second. Then they're through and Frank can't believe the sight in front of him. Full sized, adult dragons were flying escort to his plane. As Steve hold up his charm the dragons bank away and Steve points to a road. "Land the plane there. Some of the council will be by in a few moments to take the kids." Frank nods dumbly and quickly lands the plane. As he and Steve get out and lower ramp. Five of the largest dragons land directly by the plane, several hundred land on the cliffs, watching. The largest dragon lowers his head and speaks. "So Wanderer, you are back among us. What brings you and your companions to us, this day?" "Hello Smaug. How's the leg?" "It heals. Thank you for asking. Now, what business do you have here?" "Just bringing back a few things." Steve replies as the six baby dragons come down the ramp. The five adult dragon's take a deep breathe and let out a roar, which is taken up by the dragons on the cliffs. Frank looks around him, scared. He turns to Steve and asks. "What the hell is going on? Why are they roaring?" Steve smiles at the sight and tells Frank, "They're welcoming back their lost children and honoring us in the bargain." Frank and Katherine look on in wonder and awe. The sight of so many dragons is spectacular. The roar quiets down and Smaug addresses the three humans. "I, and all of my kind thank you for giving us back our children. Wanderer, we have had our differences, but I see now what Fragnar sees. You are a true friend to us and I ask your forgiveness for the harsh words I spoke against you." "Forgiven and forgotten, Smaug. I never held those words against you. You were merely being careful. I can understand that." Smaug lowers his head as he replies. "What of your companions? You are always welcome here. What about them?" Steve turns to Frank and Katherine and tells Smaug. "They know dragons exist, but not how to get to this valley. I will leave my charm here and the council will open a gateway for us, allowing us to leave. Dragon Valley will remain safe." The council nods their heads in agreement. Smaug speaks for them. "Very well my friend, it will be done as you wish. We will always remember you as one of our truest friends. Thank you." "Thank you my friend. But we must leave now. The plane was at 20,000 feet when it went through the gateway. I don't want the area searched for a downed plane it might raise too many questions." "The gate way will send you back only seconds after you entered it my friend. Never fear." Smaug replies as the council begins a chant. Steve turns to Katherine and Frank. "Alright people, we've got to go. A pair of dragons will escort us to another gateway. Let's go." Franks skips the pre-flight check and quickly turns the plane around and lifts off. Two adult dragons immediately place themselves on either wing tip, guiding the plane to a patch of shimmering sky. As Frank is about to enter the patch, both dragons, let out roars and bank away. The DC-3 passes through and they find themselves flying over the destroyed castle, on their way to Paris. ***** "So what happened to the Princess?" Scully asks with a grin. "We dropped her off in Paris. Her parents picked her up. They gave Steve and me a million dollar reward for her safe return." "What about the kids and Darius?" Mulder asks. "Higgins and his friends were able to defend the church. When we got there, the police were guarding the place. It turns out Jean-Claude was really working for the French Intelligence Service, their CIA." "Why did your sword glow blue? And where did you get it?" Scully asks. "I found Smaug stuck under a landslide in 1985. I used my sword to pry up the rocks trapping him and broke my sword in the process. Smaug tried to kill me, but Fragnar stopped him. Fragnar told him that he owed me his life because I only sought to free him and not kill him. The sword was a gift from Fragnar, as token of his appreciation. By giving me the sword, he said that I could do a lot of good in the world. He told me the sword's history and it's powers. I've used it quite a bit since then and it's never failed me." Steve explains "And what happened to the treasure trove?" Mulder asks with a grin. "Steve and I split it. I used the money to start my air service, and Steve invested his. So, now I have a successful air service and Steve is worth sixty million dollars." Frank replies with a grin. "Damn that's a lot of money." Scully replies with a grin. "So, how badly did the dragons shit in your plane?" "Badly, the guys at the airport almost keeled over because of it." As Frank finishes the story, the door bell rings. "That must be the pizzas." Steve comments. "Do you want anyone to cover you while you answer the door?" Frank asks merrily. Scully starts to giggle. Mulder looks perplexed. "No I DO NOT need anyone to cover me while I answer my front door, Thank you." Steve hotly informs Frank. But, as he approaches the door, he loosens his gun in its holster. Frank and Dana start to laugh. Mulder still looks confused, Dana leans over and whispers in his ear. Mulder starts to chuckle. As Steve opens the door, he sees a smiling Ted standing outside. "Hi Ted, what do I owe you" "Hello Mr. St. Wolf, that'll be $26.40, for the pizzas." "Here's thirty, Ted, keep the change." "Ah Mr. St. Wolf., can I ask you something personal?" "Depends Ted, what is it?" "You know a lot about guns, right?" Steve nods, Ted goes on. "Can you teach me how to use one?" "First question Ted. Why?" "Because I don't want to end up like the my best friend Mike, who was the other driver. They found him dead, last night." Steve nods, understanding Ted's problem. "Next question, do you have a gun" "Yes sir, I do. Will you teach me?" "Come back next Saturday afternoon at around three o'clock, and we'll talk about it some more." Steve tells him. "Thank you, Mr. St. Wolf." "What took so long at the door?" Frank asks. Steve tells Frank, Mulder and Scully about Ted's request and the way his face looked at the telling of his best friend's death. "I am starting to hate Sunnydale. Kids don't need to bury their friends this early in life." Mulder comments. "That's what I want to change. And to do that, I'll need Buffy and her friends." Steve states. "What are we, chopped liver?" Frank comments, feeling cast aside. "No, Frank, you, Mulder and Scully can't stay here permanently. It would raise too many questions in the wrong areas. But. if you decide to take a short vacation, now and then, to visit an old friend. No one will think it suspicious, and I won't mind putting you up in a guest room." "You're right about us not being able to stay. But, do you think that Buffy and her group will work with you?" Mulder asks. "Yeah, I think Buffy will become my student. She appears to understand what her situation is. But, I think that she'll want a heart to heart talk with Scully in the next couple of days." "Can you be sure of that, Steve." Scully asks. "Dana, we all heard what that girl has been through the last couple of years. She's strong, and smart. She'll want to know as much as possible before making her decision. And the only person I think she feels comfortable with is you, another woman." Looking at the clock, Steve sees that its almost midnight. He turns to his three guests to wish them a good night. "Look, its been a long, grueling day for all of us. Let's get some sleep. Breakfast will be at eight o'clock. I'll make scrambled eggs and bacon for all of us." He offers. "Sounds good to me." Mulder says. Dana and Frank also agree. "Alright, I'll cleanup here now. You all go get some sleep." Steve tells them as he grab a trash bag from the kitchen. Frank and Dana start to cleanup the pizza boxes and help put them in the trash bag. After everything is cleaned up, Steve takes the trash out to the cans. < Got to find out when trash pickup day is. > As he's putting the bag away in the can, something jumps him from behind, and tries to bite Steve on the neck. Steve throws it into the wall, by the side of the house. Frank, Mulder and Scully rush out to see what all the noise is. The vampire gets up from where Steve has thrown him and makes a rush toward Dana, who pulls out her gun and tells it to freeze. The vampire doesn't even slow down. Dana fires her pistol twice into the vampire. It doesn't feel a thing. "What the hell!?" Dana says as she sees her bullets don't do a thing. `Meanwhile, Frank grabs a piece of wood and reaches over Dana and stabs it in the heart, just before it reaches her. The vampire turns to dust almost instantly. "What was that thing, and what happened to it?" Mulder asks. "Well, that was a vampire. The only ways to kill one is to stab it in the heart with wood, or behead it." Frank informs them. The wail of police sirens break the night as three Sunnydale police cars screech to a halt in front of the house. < One of the neighbors must have made the call. > "Halt, put your hands in the air or we open fire." One of the officers calls out. "Officer Carlson, isn't it?" Mulder calls out. "That's my name, who are you?" Carlson asks. "FBI Special Agents Mulder and Scully, Officer Carlson. Remember we were talking to you this afternoon about those weird cases?" "Using your left hands, take your badges out." Officer Carlson requests. Mulder and Scully comply. The other officers lower their guns. "What happened here? Why were shots fired? And by who?" Officer Carlson demands. Mulder steps forward and explains. "Well Officer Carlson, we were having dinner here with Agent Scully's cousin Frank and his friend Steve." Carlson looks at us suspiciously. "Steve had just taken out the garbage when we heard him being attacked. We all rushed out to help, and saw Steve throw his attacker down the driveway. Dana, pulls out her service gun and tells the attacker to freeze, but the attacker just goes after her. When Dana sees that the mugger won't stop, she fires twice at him, missing both times. This causes the mugger to run away. "Can you describe the mugger, Sir?" Officer Carlson asks. "Yeah, a young adult male, about twenty five, Caucasian, dark hair, about six foot, wearing black clothing. Looked like he was high on something." Steve tells the officer. "I concur officer, the mugger looked like he was high on PCP." Scully informs Officer Carlson. Mulder and Frank also agree to the story. Officer Carlson closes his note book. "A couple of detectives will be out tomorrow to see you all. Agents Mulder and Scully where will you both be staying?" Carlson asks. "We'll be staying here, Officer." Mulder informs him. From the expression on Carlson's face, he doesn't like the idea, but can't do anything about it. "Very good. The detectives will see you all tomorrow then. Have a good night." Carlson puts away his note book and leaves. Mulder and Scully, closely followed by Frank and Steve go back into the house. In the living room Mulder and Scully turn to Steve. "Your going to be fighting those things with only the help of a bunch of kids? Are you nuts Wanderer? You have absolutely *NO* Fucking right to involve those children." Mulder angrily states. "Mulder, let me point out one fact: 'Those children' have been fighting those things for two years before I came to this town. They have the edge on experience, not me." Steve reminds him. Mulder thinks back to the meeting earlier tonight. "Yeah, you're right Steve. You're not getting them involved. They're already involved." Mulder muses. "Let's get some sleep, tomorrow's going to be a long day, and I want to be ready." Sunnydale High School Library That Same Night As the Slayer and her friends leave the food court at the mall, Oz, Amy and Cordelia join them. "Let's all meet back at the library. We have to talk about what just happened here." Giles says, Buffy nods her agreement. Everyone agrees to this plan of action as they head back to their individual cars. At the library, a grim group meets to discuss the evening's events. "Buffy, Giles, what do you two make of those four people that we met tonight?" Willow asks. Giles ponders the question a moment before replying. "Willow, Mr. St. Wolf and Iverson are probably, the two most dangerous individuals that I have ever met. They have the look of men being able to kill without a qualm. And then, there are those two FBI agents, Mulder and Scully. They are probably just as dangerous in their own rights." "They're even more dangerous, Giles." Miss Calendar replies. "Jenny, what do you mean? How can that be?" Giles asks. "Simple, those two have been a team for about five years. And in that five years they have personally defeated some very nasty people, and helped to bring down some very powerful people. Also, they have some very major people protecting them. Some people have tried to kill them and suddenly found themselves very dead instead. Whoever is backing Mulder and Scully has some major fire power to back them up with." Jenny tells them. "There's something else." Amy states, as all eyes turn to her. "I tried a scrying spell on them. The spell lets me see if they are carrying any magical items on themselves or have been near any magic in the recent past." "What did you see Amy?" Giles asks. "Does the description 'Christmas Tree' mean anything." Amy states. "You mean they have access to magic?" Miss Calendar asks in a shocked whisper. "Yes, some very strong magic. If that brown haired guy had anymore magic, he might have blinded me." Amy comments. "Is he a sorcerer, then." Giles asks. "No, but he has some very potent magic. So do that pair in the black trench coats." Amy explains. "The guy who went with Xander to get the food had the least, but it was still quite noticeable." "What about these 'Others', St. Wolf mentioned. There could be an entire army backing these guys up." Xander mentions. "I think we're missing the point here." Giles comments. All eyes turn to him. "The question that must be answered is: Do we work with them, merge our teams, so to speak? That is the question. What do you think Buffy?" Giles asks looking at Buffy. Buffy is staring at the wall, deep in thought. Xander reaches over to touch her and almost loses his hand. "A little touchy tonight Buffy?" Xander asks massaging his hand. "Sorry guys, my head is some where else tonight." Buffy explains. "Would it have to do with what Mr. St. Wolf and Ms. Scully told you privately?" Giles asks. Buffy nods her head. "Would you care to tell us what they said?" "No, I can't right now. I need time to think. Guys, I'm sorry, but what they said really shook me up. Can we break up this meeting and go home. I'm feeling really tired." Buffy explains. "Alright Buffy, do you want to meet tomorrow morning." Giles asks. "No, tomorrow after school would be better." Buffy replies. "Certainly Buffy, let us know if there is anything that we can do." Giles tells her. "Thanks guys. Cordelia, can you give me a lift home?" Buffy asks. "Yeah, sure no problem, I'm happy to be everybody's taxi service." Cordelia grouses. As Buffy and Cordelia leave, Xander turns to Amy. "Amy, did they cast any spells on Buffy?" Xander asks. "No, they only talked." Amy answers. The second meeting breaks up and everybody goes their own separate ways deep in thought. Part 14 - Girl Talk (No Butts About It (Well Maybe a Little):)) At the breakfast meeting, Steve recaps the events of the last three days with his three guests. "So, what's on the agenda for today?" Frank asks. "I think that I'm going to start a wood working hobby today." Steve comments. Mulder looks at him with a funny expression. "Steve, I've never imagined you as the Norm Abrams type." "Mulder, where else am I going to get those wooden knives I like to throw at vampires?" He replies. "At the local K-Mart or Lumber supply house?" "So, where are you going?" Scully asks. "Probably to the local Sears, I noticed a sale on woodworking power equipment there yesterday. You three want to come along?" "Not me," Scully says, "I'm going to type up the report concerning our little visit to this town. Mulder, you go with them." "Why Scully?" Mulder asks, grinning like a ten year old going to visit the toy store. "Because every time power tools are mentioned, men tend to act like little boys. My father always acted like a small boy every time he went to the hardware store. And I don't think you're any different, Mulder. You'll start pouting the moment these two leave." She points to me and Frank. "So go, have your fun. I'm staying." Scully says. "If you're staying Scully, let me show you this." Steve moves over to a part of the wall and shows her how to operate the hidden switch to one of his weapon's lockers. He opens the locker and shows her the weapons contained in it. "Steve, I count three assault rifles, one shotgun, a dozen grenades of various types and enough ammunition to fight off the local police and probably the national guard. What are you planning for, a war?" Scully looks a him in disbelief. "No Dana, I plan on being the last man standing if anything serious goes down. If that bothers you, I'm sorry." "Dana, Steve's got the right idea, concerning this place. Those things don't play by the rules. You can't arrest a vampire." Frank comments. "We did, once." Mulder replies. "What happened." Steve asks, curious. "It escaped. When it escaped, it killed a lot of good people. When we found them again, we had to kill all three of them. There was no way to control them." Mulder tells us.` "Case in point. Let's go shopping guys." As Steve gets his coat, he asks. "Dana, you need anything while we're out?" "Yes, bring back something for lunch. Mulder knows what I like." Scully tells them as they're going out the door. A few minutes later, Dana feels the 'Buzz' of another Immortal. < What could they have forgotten? > She asks herself as the front door bell rings. < They wouldn't be ringing the front door bell. > She comments to herself. Scully picks up her sword and Sig Sauer as she heads to the front door. Looking through the peep hole she sees worried and scared Buffy Summers standing on the front porch. Scully puts her gun and sword away as she opens the front door to let Buffy in. "Ah, Hi Agent Scully. Like, you said we could talk whenever I needed to. Well, I need to talk, now." Buffy stammers out. "Come inside Buffy." Dana tells her. "Yeah, thanks. Uhm, where are the guys?" Buffy asks. "The guys left to do some shopping and they won't be back for a while. Do you want some coffee?" Dana answers. "Coffee would be great. What do I call you, Ms. Scully or Agent Scully?" Buffy asks. "Just Dana will be fine, Buffy." Dana smiles. "Dana, I need to talk to you about last night. What you and Mr. St. Wolf told me. I can't be Immortal. I'm the Slayer. I'm supposed to hunt vampires, not play in some cosmic Game, killing other Immortals for their heads. I'm only seventeen years old. I only want a normal life, not this." Buffy cries out. Dana reaches over and tenderly embraces the weeping Buffy. Cooing softly to her, Dana lets her finish crying. As she holds the trembling Buffy, Dana softly speaks to her. "Buffy, none of us wanted this to happen to you. Believe me, but it did. It can't be changed. You have to be strong. You can't let yourself sink into depression, no matter what." Dana tells her. Buffy pulls away from Dana, "Don't tell me to be strong. My first Watcher, Merrick told me to be strong. I became strong. What did it get me? A room full of my friends that had been turned into vampires by some creep named Lothos." "Did you know that I had to kill them all? I had to kill people I grew up with. Two of my best friends were turned into vampires and I killed them. Also Merrick, my first Watcher, died trying to protect me. I then burned down the school's gym to get the rest of the vampires. Don't tell me to be strong." Buffy tearfully tells Dana. Dana's mind races < Buffy is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress. Dad suffered from that for years after the Vietnam War. > Dana makes a decision. "Buffy, we need to talk. Let me tell you what happened to me during my abduction two and half years ago." Buffy looks at her. "What happened to you?" She asks. Dana goes into detail about her kidnaping and subsequent abduction by forces unknown. She tells Buffy about the operations, the implants, Mulder's hunt for her and her cancer. Then Dana starts to tell Buffy of the X-Files cases she and Mulder have worked on. The leech man, the cannibals, the alien bounty hunter, the mutants, the clones and she also tells Buffy about the conspiracy that is attempting to control the world and their work in stopping them. Buffy listens to all of this. "You and Mulder have been through a lot together. How do you handle it?" Buffy asks. "Yes, we've been through a lot together. We've always found that talking together about what happened helps us. You don't have anyone to really talk with do you?" Dana asks. "I used to," Buffy says. "But he isn't around anymore, sort of." Dana looks at Buffy "What do you mean by 'sort of', Buffy?" She asks. "Well, you remember that guy Angelus, that Mr. St. Wolf mentioned at the meeting?" Dana nods. "He used to be my boy friend." Buffy then goes on to tell Dana about how she and Angelus first met, and how he was a vampire with a soul and how he helped her in many of her fights. Buffy then tells her about how their friendship turned to love and how, on her seventeenth birthday she turned him back into the monster that he was before he had his soul restored. And now he was tormenting her by hunting her friends, before coming after her. "Buffy, we've all been through a lot. You're not alone in this. You have me and Mulder to talk to, and don't forget Steve and Frank. They saved your friend Willow's life. What about the people who were with you last night? They have admitted to fighting these things as well." Dana tells her. "When I first came here, Xander had a best friend named Jesse. They were together since childhood. Jesse and Xander found out about me early on. They tried to help me. It got Jesse turned into a vampire. Xander had to kill him to protect me. I don't want that to happen to anyone else." Buffy replies. "Buffy, understand this, those people are your friends. If they didn't know what they were getting into when this started, they do now, and from what I saw they are still standing by you. You can't buy that kind of loyalty and you can't force it from people. People give it of their own volition." "Let me tell a story I heard for the first time last night." Dana replies as she starts to tell Buffy about her cousin Frank's first meeting with Steve. After Dana completes the story, Buffy is giggling, "Do you think Steve really wanted to throw the princess out of the plane?" Buffy asks. "You'll have to ask him yourself." Dana answers as the phone rings. Dana reaches over and answers it. "Hello St. Wolf residence." "Scully, this Mulder, we're going for Chinese. Do you want the usual?" Mulder asks. "Hold on a second Mulder." Dana turns to Buffy. "Buffy, do you want anything to eat? Mulder and the guys are getting Chinese." "Yeah, an order of chicken lo mein." Buffy replies. Scully gives Mulder the order. "Hold on Scully, Steve wants to talk to you." Steve takes the phone from Mulder. "Dana, how's it going? Is she handling it well?" "Its going fine Steve. We've still got a lot of ground to cover, but its going." "Okay, we'll be back in an hour, with the food, any questions you can't answer, me and Mulder will try to. Bye Scully." Dana hangs up the phone and turns back to Buffy. "The guys will be back in an hour. Anything else you want to talk about? Dana asks. "Yeah, I know Steve mentioned he was married, but, are Frank and Steve, well, you know." Buffy asks embarrassed. Dana starts to laugh. "No Buffy, neither one of those two are gay." Dana notices the relief in Buffy's face when she mentions this. < Oh, oh, I think she likes one of them. I wonder who? > "Dana, what do you think of Steve?" Buffy asks. < Well that answers that question. > Dana muses. "Buffy, I hardly know him, but Mulder respects him. And for Mulder, that means a lot. My cousin Frank considers him a brother, and is willing to die for him. And I think Steve feels the same way about Frank. That tells me a lot about his character. My point of view of him. If I didn't have Mulder in my life, then I would probably go after him, and if I didn't, then Frank would try and set us up." Dana replies with a smile. Buffy becomes a little embarrassed, and quickly changes the subject. "Can you tell me more about being an Immortal?" Buffy asks. Dana explains to Buffy what being an Immortal details. She goes over the history (As far as she knows), of the Immortals. She describes some of the older Immortals she has meet in the last couple of years. The describes her first duel, the feeling of the quickening and the memories of the man she had to kill. She talks about how her relationship with Mulder had changed and how they were handling it. "So, I won't age. I'll look like this forever?" Buffy asks. "Yes, that's one of the pluses. But on the other hand, we can't have children." Dana tells her. "Then how are we born?" Buffy asks. "We just appear as babies somewhere. No one knows how. We're all adopted into our families as babies, and usually the parents don't tell." Dana answers. "I'm adopted?" Buffy asks. "Well at least that's not so bad a shock." "Buffy, your mother might not know. Sometimes, dead children are replaced with us. The real Fox Mulder was born stillborn. Mulder was given to his mother as a replacement. She never told him. The nurses at the hospital just gave him to her because they felt she would make a better mother than the orphanage." Dana explains. "My mother would have told me by now, I think." Buffy replies. They both feel the 'Buzz' as the side door opens. Part 15 - History Lessons (School Work as Hobby? Forget About It.) "Hi, Lucy, I'm home." Mulder does in a very bad Ricky Ricardo voice. "Have you and Ethel been cooking up plans to sneak into the show again?" Dana and Buffy both start to giggle at Mulder's impression. "Mulder, that is the WORST Ricky Ricardo, that I have ever heard." Dana comments between giggles. Mulder reaches down and kisses Scully on the cheek. "C'mon you two, lets eat. Steve wouldn't let me nibble on anything on the way back here." Mulder complains. "Steve, how did you keep him away from the food?" Dana asks. "I've never been able to." "Simple Scully, I just left the food in the back with Frank and told him to break Mulder's arm if he tries to sneak anything out." "Let's eat. I'm hungry after all of that work." Mulder comments. "Work? What did you do?" Scully asks. "When we got to the Sears, they had a demonstration of a new equipment line going. We spent the better part of two hours trying out every piece of equipment there. Frank and I had to pull Mulder away to let someone else get a turn." Steve comments merrily. Scully starts to laugh. The sight of Mulder working with power tools and enjoying it, would have been a sight to behold. "Just wait until I get you upstairs. You'll regret that laugh." Mulder seductively whispers into her ear. Dana's face turns red. "Mulder must be on testosterone overload." Frank comments seeing Scully's face. "Yeah, Bob Villa almost had a coronary when he felt Mulder's gun under his jacket." Steve laughs. "He must have thought Tim Allen hired a hit man." "Bob Villa was there?" Scully asks. "Yeah, he was pushing the new line of wood working equipment. I bought four pieces." "Why did you buy wood working equipment?" Buffy asks between mouthfuls. "Did Willow show you that wooden throwing knife she kept?" Buffy nods. "Well those things take a while to make by hand. So I bought some equipment to speed up the process. Also, I want to try and make wooden bullets for some of my guns." "Bullets can't kill vampires." "Correct, lead and copper don't work. But who's to say a wooden bullet or slug wouldn't?" "It might, I've used everything from pencils to pool cues to kill vampires." Buffy starts to ask Mulder and Steve questions during lunch. "Mr. Mulder, why did you ask Giles to show his left arm?" She asks. "Just call me Mulder, Buffy. There is a group, actually a secret society, of mortals out there, who watch us. They keep a sort of history of our existence. They're called the Watchers. They have a tatoo on their left arm. It looks like a 'Y' in a circle. When Giles said he was a Watcher, I thought maybe he was one of them." Mulder explains. "I bet Mulder's watcher got some great pictures of him in action today. I'll bet Joe Dawson is laughing his head off by tonight." Steve replies as he's laughing. "Who's Joe Dawson?" Buffy asks. "Oh sorry Buffy. Joe is the head of the North American branch of the Watchers. A real standup guy. You'll like him, if you meet him." "Tell me something. Dana said that we're supposed to fight with each other in this Game. How come none of you are fighting? You're all sitting here having a meal and enjoying each other's company." Buffy asks. "A large number of Immortals have decided not to play the 'Game'." Steve explains. "Why don't you play?" Buffy asks. Frank rolls up his eyes. "I have my reasons. Mulder and Scully love each other, and don't want to jeopardize their relationship." "Can this discussion wait until I leave next week. I've heard all of the arguments before. Remember, I was with you, when you found that journal, while exploring that ancient temple, in the Himalayas?" Frank grouses. Mulder's, Scully's and Buffy's curiosity is piqued. "When were you in the Himalayas?" Scully asks. "About a year ago. I found a map to an ancient temple and I found out the secret to the Game." Steve replies. Both Mulder and Scully are shocked. "Well spill it. What is the secret? Every Immortal we know would kill for it." Mulder comments. "The secret to the Game is in its history. I found the journal of a Immortal named 'Krevar', if he was alive today, he would be over eight thousand years old. The journal took almost a year for two Shambalah Masters, to translate it. In the journal, he admits to starting the Game as a hoax, to 'relieve' the boredom of existence." Steve sees two angry faces stare back at him. "In the journal, he goes on to state that he had told two of his students about the Game as a great secret and the two students promptly went out and killed each other. When he told the surviving student that it was only a jest, the student didn't believe him. He ran away and told this secret to other Immortals and that's how the Game came to be." "There is no prize, no great thing at the end, just loneliness. The last Immortal will be just that: 'The Last Immortal'. This stupid joke has killed off so many great ones. Darius, Brother Spencer, just to name a few." Steve angrily states. "What are you going to do about it? How will you get it to the other Immortals?" Mulder asks. "I thought about giving it to Joe Dawson and have his Watchers leave copies of it with their respective Immortals. It'll be up to each of us to believe it or not." "I think most of us will believe it. I don't want to kill any one. I only want to spend the rest of my life with Fox." Scully says as she reaches for Mulder's hand and holds it. At this tender moment Steve's cell phone rings. As he reaches for it, Mulder complains about modern technology. "Steve here." "Mr. St. Wolf? This is Rupert Giles. We met last night." Giles states. "Of course Mr. Giles. What can I do for you?" Steve asks, looking at Buffy, who is turning a slight red. < Damn, she's cute. > "Have you seen Buffy? She didn't report to school today, and I'm worried." Giles answers. Steve takes a deep sigh. "Buffy, your friend, Mr. Giles wants to know if I've seen you." "Can I have the phone." Buffy asks. Steve hands her the phone. "Giles, this is Buffy." She tells Giles over the phone. "Buffy, why are you with Mr. St. Wolf? You should be in school. Did they kidnap you?" A worried Giles asks. "No, Giles. I'm fine. I needed to talk with Dana and Steve some more. I had a bunch of questions and they answered them. Now we're having lunch and discussing history." Buffy explains. "Listen Giles, I want to bring Steve to the meeting this afternoon. Would it be possible?" "Do you think that's wise, Buffy?" "Yes, I do. He can explain this stuff for you in detail." "Very well then, we will be expecting the both of you." "Good, I'll see you at three o'clock then." Buffy replies and hangs up the phone and turns to Steve. "I want to tell my friends everything. I can't lie to them or keep this secret. "You sure they can handle it?" Mulder asks. "I'm pretty sure. After all we have been through, this will be just another thing." Buffy replies. Then she turns to Frank. "Frank, how did you handle it when you found out Steve was Immortal." Frank smiles, "I found out the hard way. About seven years ago, in Libya, some white slavers we had cornered had gotten the drop on me, and Steve dived into their line of fire, saving my life. I could have killed him when he got back up after being shot a dozen times. I almost had a heart attack. I know those ass holes did when he shot them in the back." Frank reminisces fondly. "But Frank, the look on your face when I got back up, had the group laughing about it for two days." Steve replies, grinning. "You two, were the cowboys who rescued those girls in Libya? Kadaffi said that an entire Marine division invaded his country." An awed Scully asks. "No, the group was pretty small. There were only nine of us and Fragnar." Steve replies. "Who was in the group?" Mulder asks. "Well, besides Frank and me, there were the McLeods, Duncan and Connor, Rich Ryan, Adam Pierson, a pair of ladies named Kyra and Cassandra and a mercenary called Casey Romain." "Whose Fragnar?" Buffy asks. `"Fragnar is a dragon." Steve answers. Mulder, Scully and Buffy's jaws drop. "A dragon helped you raid Libya? I find that hard to believe, Steve." Scully scoffs. Frank smiles one of his wicked smiles, as he goes over to a book shelf and pulls out a photo album. He turns to a particular page and shows Scully the photo. "Mulder look at this. It can't be real." Scully says. Mulder and Buffy look over Scully's shoulder at the photograph of a group of well armed men and woman in desert camouflage and a dragon!? "Who took the photo?" Mulder asks. "Connor's Watcher, a guy named Chance Harper." Steve replies. "Luckiest guy I ever met." Mulder and Scully look at each other and shake their heads. "You know Wanderer, I would hate to see your Christmas card mailing list." Mulder replies. Steve looks at his watch, its 2:40 PM. He turns to Buffy. "It's time to meet your friends. C'mon lets take my car." "You mean that dark blue Jeep in the driveway?" Buffy asks. "Yes, do you think you could drive it?" "Yes." Buffy replies with a wicked smile on her face. "Steve, that car is armored, bullet proof and loaded with weapons, you're going to let a teenager drive it?" Frank asks in disbelief. Steve gives Frank a wicked grin. "Yep." Frank shakes his head in disbelief. "Well, at least I'm safe and sound in this house and not on the road." Mulder comments, as Scully reaches over and smacks him on the shoulder. "Hey, what's that for?" Mulder asks her. "Your comment on woman drivers." Scully replies. Part 16 - A Merging of Forces (How to Hang With Teenagers and Not Get Arrested) As Buffy and Steve leave the house Steve loads up with his Katana, Glock 21, several wooden knives and a couple of grenades. Buffy looks at this with suspicion. "Steve, why are you taking all of those weapons?" She asks. "Because, I've learned early in life to always be prepared for any contingency." "Like the Boy Scouts?" Buffy asks. "No, like the Green Berets." As they head out to the car. Buffy turns to Steve and asks. "Steve, what did Frank mean that your car was armored and bullet proof?" "Buffy, I bought this car from a gentleman who specializes in 'Very Special' cars for 'Very Special' people. The entire frame and body have been reinforced with steel plates. The glass is bullet proof, up to a fifty caliber round. It has various weapons. As Frank put it earlier, 'This car would make James Bond drool'". Steve tells her. Buffy is impressed, "Do Mulder and Scully know about this car?" "No, but after Frank's comment, I'll bet you that when I get back home, Mulder will be begging me to let him drive it. Scully on the other hand will ask politely." "Will you let them take a turn driving it?" Buffy asks. "Yes, I will. Because I genuinely like Mulder and Scully." < And I hope to find someone like Scully, myself. > "Where are we going Buffy." "We're meeting my friends at the High School Library. It's one of the few places where we can hold a meeting and no one will notice." "Interesting location. Do you have complete access to the Library?" "Yeah, Giles is the school librarian, and the rest of the school thinks that we're just helping him for extra credit." Buffy explains as they pull into a parking space in front of the library. Steve can see Willow and another boy sitting and talking together. As Buffy climbs out of the driver's side, Willow sees her and calls out. "Buffy, where have you been all day? Principal Snyder has been looking for you. Not to mention, Giles and Xander." She says as she comes up to Buffy. "I had to talk to Steve and Dana some more." The fact that Buffy is using Steve's first name is not lost on Willow or the boy with her. "Hello Willow," Steve says. "Nice seeing you again." "Hello Steve, let me introduce my boyfriend, Oz." "Nice meeting you, Oz." "Cool man. I hear your one mean dude when it comes to taking out vamps." Oz replies. Steve looks at Willow, "Willow, is Oz one of your group?" "Yes I am," Oz replies before Willow can answer. "And if you try anything fishy. I'll rip your throat out." Steve looks at this kid, who couldn't weigh more than a hundred, twenty pounds. < Damn, he's threatening me. Like I told Frank last night. These kids have potential. > Steve just shakes his head and smiles. Buffy sees the expression on Steve's face and misinterprets it, "Steve, Oz didn't mean to threaten you like that." Turning to Oz. "Did you?" Oz looks a little embarrassed, but he won't back down. "Look Buffy, I care for Willow a lot, and I don't want anything to happen to her. And to you as well, Buffy. I don't know this guy or what he's selling, but I'll tell him straight out. Anything happens to either of you and his ass is mine." Oz states. < God, these kids have heart. > Steve thinks to himself as he replies. "Look Oz, you weren't at last nights meeting. I laid my cards on the table then and will do so again at this meeting. I have never played the Bull Shit game, and I don't intend to start now." Steve tells him as they enter the library. The group waiting for them has an additional two girls, besides Oz. Then it hits Steve. < These three were at the food court last night as well, but sitting away from the rest of them. These kids were smart enough to keep a reserve. Damn, wait until Frank hears about this one. > Buffy turns to Steve and introduces the other two girls, Cordelia and Amy. Steve takes off his coat and sits down next to Buffy. Giles takes his seat and gets right down to business. "Buffy, I see you brought Mr. St. Wolf with you. Shall we call this meeting to order, then?" Giles asks. Buffy gets up and walks to the front of the table, "Guys, I've spent most of today with Steve and Dana, talking. They told me some incredible things, but that's not the only thing that we're here to talk about. I also came here to ask you if you would let Steve join our group." Buffy explains. Xander looks around the table seeing the doubt in everyone's face. "Buffy are you asking us to trust this guy? None of us know him or where he comes from. For all we know this is some clever trap of Angel's or the Order of Teraka's. How do we know we can trust him?" Xander asks. Steve looks up and down the table, seeing the doubt in everyone's face, but Buffy's and Willow's. "Look, I came here at Buffy's request. If you don't trust me, so be it. I can live with it." He tells them. "Buffy, on the phone you said that you wanted Mr. St. Wolf to explain some things. Well, what are those things?" Giles asks, quickly changing the subject. Buffy looks up and down the table at her friends before she begins to tell them about being an Immortal and what Scully and Steve discussed with her. Their faces begin to register shock, and then finally disbelief. "Buffy, this tale is absurd. I find it hard to believe that such people exist. And the Watchers don't know about them." Giles says. "Mr. Giles, may I please point out that your mission here is to guide a young lady called the Slayer to kill vampires." Steve comments to him. Giles gives Steve a dirty look, "Mr. St. Wolf, such people can not exist. I have no proof that they have ever existed. Nothing in my records has ever mentioned them." Steve removes the sword from his coat, then he begins to remove his shirt. "You want to know what an Immortal is Mr. Giles? Well, here's a demonstration." Steve tells him as he takes the sword and plunges it into his own heart. All of Buffy's friends are in shock at the sight of the blade sticking out of Steve's back. He sits back down in the chair, the world going dark. The entire room goes into chaos. "What the hell did he do that for?" Xander shouts. He covers Cordelia's mouth to stifle the scream she's about to let out. "Everybody just SHUT UP!" Buffy yells over the panic. She reaches for the hilt of Steve's sword and pulls out the bloody blade. Everyone sees the open chest wound. "Willow, call for an ambulance." Giles shouts. "Nobody move, just watch the wound." Buffy tells them. As they watch, the wound begins to close, and a couple of minutes later, with a start, Steve's eyes open. Buffy looks at him, angrily. "Was that fun, Steve? You scared all of my friends half to death with that stunt. What was on you mind when you pulled that?" He grins sheepishly, "Well Buffy, your friends were not going to believe that Immortals existed unless they had proof. Well, I gave it to them." Steve explains as he turns to the group and ask. "Anybody got a towel?" Cordelia promptly faints. "You ever pull that stunt on any of my friends again, and I will kill you myself. Now, apologize." Buffy tells him. "Look guys, I'm sorry, I pulled this little stunt. But it was the fastest way to make you believe. Normally, I wouldn't do something like this, but it was worth it, to see the looks on your faces." Steve grins wickedly. Buffy reaches over and smacks his head. He turns to look at her. "What was that for?" "That was for being an ass. Now behave or I'll kick your butt into next week." Buffy tells him. "Look Buffy, Mulder may take that kind of stuff from Scully because their married, but we're not." He informs her. Buffy leans over and whispers, " Play your cards right, and give it a couple of years." Steve's jaw immediately drops to the table when she tells him that. "Buffy, what did you say to Mr. St. Wolf, that has caused him such discomfort?. Giles asks. Buffy smiles, "Oh, just made him a promise, that's all." She replies sweetly. "Alright, Mr. St. Wolf, what are your plans?" Giles asks. "Well, I was planning on becoming Buffy's instructor. And in the off hours, I would help her hunt." "May I ask what you are planning on teaching her?" Giles asks. "Okay, you have a right to know. I was planning on teaching her the martial arts. Specifically, Okinawan style karate, Jung fu, Tae Kwon do, Zen sword and Philippine stick fighting as well as fencing and archery. I also want her to learn the art of the 'Shootist'. "'Shootist', what is a 'Shootist'? I don't understand that term." Giles says. Xander speaks up at this time. "Giles, a 'Shootist' is a professional gunfighter. Not the kind you see in westerns, but a real pro, an assassin with a gun in other words." Xander explains and turns to me. "What sort of weapons will you be teaching, pistol, shotgun, rifle?" Steve looks at this kid, < Shit, the kid knows his stuff. > he thinks to himself, before he replies. "Actually, I was going to teach her everything up to and including light missiles, like Strellas, for example." Steve informs Xander, grinning slyly. Buffy smacks him again, and Steve turns to her. "You know if you keep doing this to me, people will begin to think that we're a couple." After saying this, Steve looks at Willow and sees her smiling at him. < Oh shit, she knows Buffy likes me and will probably help set me up. Well, worst things have happened. > "Mr. St. Wolf, since you are an Immortal, may I ask how old you are?" Giles asks. "I'm actually thirty nine years old Mr. Giles. I stopped aging at the age of twenty four." "Mr. St. Wolf, do you know anyone older than you, that is an Immortal?" Giles asks. "Yes, my first teacher, he's almost five hundred years old. He has several friends, whom I've met, who are over a thousand years old. One of them is five thousand years old. He's the oldest of us, still alive." "Didn't you say you guys were Immortal?" Xander asks. "So how can you guys die?" Steve turns to Buffy and asks, "Buffy, you told me you wanted them to know everything, do I go ahead?" "Yeah, Steve tell them everything." So Steve tells them everything about being an Immortal and about the Game, and his choice not to be a part of it. "You all have to understand, Immortals are just like people, you have good ones and bad ones. When I first became an Immortal, the first one of our kind who I met tried to kill me. He didn't succeed. The second Immortal I met, became my teacher and friend. He taught me to love life, hold it sacred. He doesn't play the Game and tries to instill that in all of his students. That's part of the reason that I hunt monsters, because they don't hold life as sacred." Buffy's friends digest all of this. Willow gets up from her seat and comes over to Steve and gives him a hug. "Welcome to the team, Steve," She turns to the rest of her friends. "I'm sure everybody here is happy to have you join us." "Thanks Willow." Xander is the next to give Steve the thumb's up, followed by Cordelia, Oz, Amy and Jenny. Giles appears to be apprehensive about accepting him. "Just one more question. Why did Mr. Mulder wish to see my left forearm last night?" Giles asks. "When you mentioned you were Buffy's 'Watcher', he thought you might be a watcher." "I might be the only one here, but that made absolutely no sense at all." Xander states. "Sorry, let me explain." Steve replies. "Where Immortals are concerned, the 'Watchers' are a group of normal humans who follow us around, chronicling our history. They don't interfere with us. They just watch us. They all have this 'Y' shape in a circle tattooed to their left forearms. Each Immortal has one, possibly two watchers following them around everywhere they go." "And are these 'Watchers' following you around at this time?" A worried Giles asks. "No, the watchers have never been able to keep up with me, and quite a few of my watchers have died trying to follow me. I finally got fed up with bringing their bodies back, that I told their leaders not send anymore out to follow me." "What happened to these watchers, who died while following you?" Xander asks. "Very simple Xander, do you think that any normal person could follow Buffy around and survive, especially when she doesn't know they're out there?" "They would become an easy meal for any vampire out there." Willow states. "The watcher's stopped sending out people to observe me after what I did to the last three." Giles looks up curiously at this comment. "May I ask what you did to these people?" He asks. Steve's mouth spreads into a wicked little grin. "Well, two watchers ago, I left the guy tied up in the Presidential suite of the Ritz Carlton in New York and charged the bill to the watcher's credit card. It took them five days to find him. The one before the last one, I sent on a first class world cruise, non-refundable, at their expense of course. The last one was with me at an auction, I forced him to buy most of the auction. It was VERY expensive to say the least." Steve explains. "I figured that making it expensive to follow me would stop them, without hurting anyone." The kids are having a good laugh at the story, even Jenny is giggling. Giles looks at Steve and just shakes his head. "Those sound like stunts that Xander would pull." Giles replies. "Giles man, don't have a cow," Xander rises to Steve's defense, "He got rid of the watchers following him without hurting them. That was his plan, what was he supposed to do, kill them?" "Yes, but he did it in an such a childish manner." Giles comments. Steve looks at Giles, "Giles, how well do you know your English history?" "Quite well, I assure you." Giles replies, a little stiffly. "Well let me ask you a question." Giles nod his head, Steve goes on. "How did Queen Victoria the first, prevent, a noble from revolting or causing an uprising, without bloodshed?" "She used to visit them for long periods of time. By the time that she left the noble would be nearly impoverished and therefore unable to revolt. My God, you're using Victoria's tactics, Mr. St. Wolf, I am impressed." Giles says. Steve looks over to Buffy. She's happy that he had impressed Giles. < Giles' approval must be important to her, I guess. > "Mr. St. Wolf, my name is Amy, and I have a question." She asks. "Where did you get your magic items from?" Steve looks at this girl named Amy, "I don't know what your talking about. Magical items? What magical items?" He replies with a straight face. < How in hell did she know? > He thinks to himself. "Would you mind if I cast a little spell? It will make the magical items glow a blue color. It won't harm anything, or affect the item in any way." Steve turns to Buffy, "Buffy, you didn't tell me you had a witch in your little group." Buffy gives him a smile. "Well Steve, you know what they say, 'always be prepared for any contingency'" Xander picks this up. "You mean like the Boy Scouts, Buffy?" Buffy gives Steve a sly smile. "No Xander, like the Green Berets." Both, Buffy and Steve laugh. The rest of the group looks at them, wondering what the joke is. "Well, are you going to let me cast the spell or not?" Amy asks Steve. Steve sighs, and agrees to it. He moves to the end of the table and stands there as Amy recites a scrying spell. As she finishes it various items that he's carrying start to glow a blue color. Steve removes each glowing object and places it on the table. His sword is first, followed by both boot knives, shortly followed by his wrist bands, ring and necklace. Steve's charm bag is last and that glows almost as bright as his sword. Giles looks over the items spread out on the table top and inhales deeply. "Mr. St. Wolf, do you realize what these items are?" An awed Giles asks. "Yes Giles, I know exactly what each of those items are. Do you want to tell them or shall I?" "No, I think I do, too. Please correct me, if I'm wrong." Giles tells him. "The Katana was fashioned by the Japanese wizard called 'Fire' if I'm not mistaken, its name is, roughly translated, means 'Demon Slayer', a truly magnificent weapon, lost over two hundred years ago. The two boot knives are called the 'Fangs of Tyr', they were fashioned by the Norse Rune Priests to defeat the Jotans or Frost Giants. The wrist bands were supposedly fashioned by the God Hephaestus, for Hercules. The necklace contains a druid charm. The charm is for protection against evil. The ring I don't recognize. And the charm bag is from a Shaman or Indian Medicine man, I don't know the tribe." Giles finishes. "It's Cherokee and it's magic is protection and valor in battle." Steve tells him. Jenny gets up and touches the ring. "The ring is from an elder of the Romany. It's power is to protect the wearer from all evil. It's an ancient and powerful item of the tribe. It wouldn't have been given up for any cost." She turns around and looks at Steve. "Where did you get it and how?" Steve looks Jenny straight in the eye, "I got the ring from an ancient gypsy woman. Her great grand children had been kidnaped by a group of demon worshipers. They were to be used as a sacrifice to the demon they worshiped. I rescued the children and killed all of the demon's worshipers. She gave me the ring as token of her respect, since I wouldn't take any payment for my service, other than a thank you." Jenny looks at him as he tells her the story. "What are you Steven St. Wolf? No mortal or Immortal man could have fought and destroyed such evil in your short life. I called my grand father and gave him your name. He told me to help you in any way that I could. He said that the honor of our clan was tied to you, and not to aid you would be a dishonor to the entire clan." Steve sits back and looks at Buffy and her friends. "I am a man who has spent most of his life training to be or being a warrior. Some how it became my calling. The nuns who raised me, recognized it early on. They knew that I could become a force for good or evil. The Mother Superior who ran the orphanage I grew up in found me teachers. Men who would teach me the right path." "My first teacher was a Cherokee medicine man, called Eagle Soars. He taught me the ways of his people and he put me on the path of the warrior. After him, I learned from a Shoalin priest, he put me on the path of enlightenment. After Master Khan, I lied about my age and enlisted in the Army. I became a Green Beret. I fought in Panama and Grenada, plus various special operations." "After seven years I left the Army, to marry my childhood sweetheart, and tried to start a family. I was working in Houston when she was brutally murdered. The six men who did it, walked on a technicality. But, I made sure they paid the price for their crime." Steve feels Buffy's hand hold his and she squeezes it in sympathy, He squeezes back. "After that, I moved north, to Dearborn Michigan. That's where I died, the first time, saving a group of children from a psycho with an AK-47. Since then, I've wandered the world fighting the good fight, protecting the innocent." "During my travels, I have made the acquaintance of people like myself. Those that fight the darkness, because they won't sit by and watch it destroy the world. You meet three of those people last night. Mulder, Scully and Frank have stood on the edge and have seen the darkness and are willing to fight it with their dying breath. There are more, you Buffy, and your friends are not alone. If you want the help, just ask, I can have a small army here within a week." "But please understand this, if you ask for help, you'll get it, but then you'll be obligated to help, if you're called on. Over the last hundred years, there has been a startling number of increases in demons, vampires and other evils all over the world. We have stood before that evil and struck it down time and again, but it keeps coming back in one form or another." "Mr. St. Wolf, who is 'we'? Who do you represent?" Giles asks in a shaken voice. "I represent no one, Mr. Giles, just myself. But, I have fought beside the Knights of the Order of the Grail, Priest Warriors of the C'est Dei, The Millennium Group, Wizards of the Circle of Merlin, the Sons of Asgard, Druids and High Priests and Priestesses of Wicka, just to name a few." Both Giles and Jenny are shaken at the groups that Steve has just mentioned. Jenny speaks first. "Steve, you have fought beside all of those groups? How could you, they're only legends, they don't exist." She stammers out. "Jenny, you're fighting vampires. Aren't they only legends? They're not supposed to exist." "If these organizations exist, then how is it that I have never run across them?" Giles asks. "Because Giles, the Watchers are too insular, to closed up. Your organization has the Slayer and they don't want to share her with anyone else. When your organization formed, it was localized to a small area. Well things have changed, the world has gotten smaller and much closer together." "Those other organizations that I have mentioned have adapted. They've pooled their resources, personnel and information sources to fight the darkness at every turn. There is no more 'My Religion/Belief/Organization is Better Than Yours', now its 'How can We Defeat the Evil Without Blowing up the World in the Process?'. You don't realize it do you, Mr. Giles? What do you think would happen if a bunch of vampires got their hands on a nuke? Or a biological plague?" A shaken group looks at Steve. Giles is the first to speak. "I have never thought about that. It is a truly disturbing thought. What are our options?" "First of all, I have a complete computer hook up to the various organizations at my house. I'll let you get access to it. Is there anyway we can shift this meeting to my house?" "That shouldn't be a problem." Buffy states. The rest of the group agrees. "Alright, here is my address." Steve writes it down on a scrap of paper. "I'll meet you all there in an hour." "May I ask why in one hour. This address is only fifteen minutes from here." Giles asks, after looking at it. "Because Buffy, Xander and myself will be stopping by the store to pick up some sodas and snacks. I think my house guests have drank and eaten almost everything edible by now." "Your house guests?" Jenny asks. "Yes, you meet them last night. Remember Mulder, Scully and Frank?" Part 17 - The Meeting Continues (How to Have a House Party) As Buffy, Steve and Xander leave, Steve tells Buffy to drive the car. Xander is surprised. When he enters the car, he notices the differences in the car. "Steve is there's something different about this car. I've been in Blazers before, but this one is different." Xander comments. "Go ahead and tell him Buffy. I see that you can't hold it in." "Thanks Steve. Yeah, Xander, its all tricked out. The body is armor plated, the glass is bullet proof and there's a weapons system to make James Bond drool." Buffy tells him with relish. Xander looks around himself, at the truck and asks "And you're letting Buffy drive it? Man, I hope you've got good insurance." Buffy gives Xander a dirty look, as Steve laughs. He reaches for the phone to call home and Scully answers. "St. Wolf residence." Scully says. "Hi Dana, this is Steve. Listen, we're moving the meeting over to my place. I'm going to pick up some sodas and snacks. I'll be there in an hour with Buffy and Xander. Please let her friends in and make them comfortable until we get there." "Not a problem Steve. I'll be here to let them in." "Dana, keep Mulder away from Giles. You know how Mulder likes to play those mind games on so-called para-normal professionals." "Don't worry Steve. I'll keep those two children under control." Dana replies smiling as she looks at Mulder and Frank, who look at each other and grin evilly. "Bye." As Steve hangs up the phone, Buffy asks Steve a question. "Do you think it's a good idea to have Mulder and Giles in the same room?" She asks. "So long as Scully keeps an eye on them, yes." Steve replies as they park the car in front of the market. "C'mon, let's get some sodas and munchies." Xander comments. After a quick thirty minutes they leave the market, Steve turns to Xander. "Well at least we have enough for a few meetings here." "Steve, this stuff will barely last the night. Don't forget, you've got six teenagers here, plus six adults." Xander comments. Steve looks at the food, thinking about how much he has just paid. "I don't think that I can afford to feed us too many times. I've only got sixty million in the bank." Buffy looks at Steve in awe. "That's dollars, right." She asks. "No Buffy, Pesos." Steve replies, grinning. "Just kidding." A few minutes later, they get back to the house and Buffy parks the car in front. Xander and Steve grab the groceries and lug them into the house. As they turn to go back out for the rest, Oz volunteers to help, so Steve lets him help Xander with the rest of the groceries. Frank is on the grill in the kitchen making hamburgers for everyone. As Steve passes him, Frank asks, "Hey Steve, how do you want your burger?" As he reaches for a cold soda, "Well done, Frank. Do you need any help?" "No, Willow, Amy and Cordelia are helping me." Frank replies. "Steve, you know, I haven't had this much fun in a long time. I like this group of kids." Steve enters the living to see Mulder and Giles discussing various myths and monsters they had encountered. Its almost like the scene in Lethal Weapon 3, when Rene Russo and Mel Gibson are comparing scars. As Steve sits down in a chair to enjoy the exchange, Buffy sits down on its arm. She watches as Giles and Mulder sit and compare notes. "You know Steve, I've never really seen Giles enjoy himself like this before. He's always seemed so stuffy. Like he was born not having fun. This is a new side to him." Buffy looks over to where Jenny and Dana are sitting. "Did you see how Jenny and Dana have their heads together? It looks like they're plotting something." Buffy tells Steve as she gets up. Steve looks over to where Dana is sitting with Jenny. < Definitely two women plotting something for their respective mates. I really feel sorry for Mulder and Giles (But not too sorry. Better them, than me.) > Then he notices Buffy taking a seat next to Dana and all three of them start to giggle. < Oh Shit. I better start the meeting before anything gets too far with those three. > "Frank, you almost done in the kitchen? Can we get this meeting started?" "No Steve, give it another ten minutes." He yells back to Steve. Steve's urge to flee is suddenly increased (Yes, I will leave Mulder and Giles to their fate. They deserve it.) to a point where he's checking all of the exits for routes of escape. Author's Note: The scene I'm describing above happened to me about four years ago. A friend (no longer) invited me to a dinner party. I went alone, having broken up with a long time girlfriend, two months previous to the party. A few friends who were happily married, (ie. The Women) got together to get me together with a female friend of theirs. Since then, I have learned to watch for the telltale signs: Women with heads together, giggling, trying to observe you and not be obvious about it. And to keep a route of escape handy, several, if it can be helped. Don't look for aid from your fellow males, they won't (They want you to share in their blissful married ways, after all, misery just loves company ). For those readers, both male and female, who have never had a similar situation and don't believe me, your time will come. As Steve watches Jenny, Dana and Buffy talking, he start praying for a vampire attack. The front door bell rings instead. He gets up to answer the door. Part 18 - The Local Talent (Should Cops be Limited to Donut Shops?) Dana looks up and asks. "Steve, do you need any cover fire while you answer the door?" "No Dana, only when I take the garbage out." Steve replies, as Dana, Jenny and Buffy start to laugh. He looks out the peep hole and sees two men. Steve pulls open the door partially and asks, "Yes, can I help you?" "Good afternoon Sir. I'm Detective Stein, and this is my partner Detective Murray. Are Agents Mulder and Scully here?" "Hold on a sec, I'll get them." Steve replies as he turn around to get Dana and Mulder. But the Detectives want something else. "Mr. St. Wolf would you mind letting us into the house, please? We also have questions for you, as well." Det. Stein tells Steve. "There might be a little problem with that. I have other guests here. In fact, I'm holding a little house warming party." "That's alright, we don't mind talking to you individually in a room off to the side." As Steve's about to tell him where to go, Buffy walks up to him and asks, "Steve, why are you at the door for so long. Mulder and Frank are about to launch a rescue mission.. Oh, hello Detective Stein, nice seeing you again." Buffy stammers out when she sees who's at the door. "Miss Summers, I'm surprised to see you here. May I ask how you know Mr. St. Wolf, and his friends?" Det. Stein asks. < This guy is starting to piss me off. > Steve thinks to himself. He turns on Det. Stein and tells him. "Look here now, Detective. You are not here to interrogate my guests. If you have questions, for Agents Mulder and Scully or myself and Mr. Iverson, then ask them, if you try to interrogate my other guests, then I'll kick you out of here and any questions you have can be answered through my attorney. Am I understood?" Det. Stein is taken aback by Steve's manner. He doesn't know what to make of it, but he won't back done. He looks Steve straight in the eye. "Mr. St. Wolf, we are investigating a shooting. We have every right to ask anyone in this house questions about it." "Very well then Det. Stein, you have exactly thirty seconds to leave this house. Otherwise, you are trespassing and will be treated as such. Now, you can leave by your own volition or be thrown out, pick one." Steve warns them. "Mr. St. Wolf," Det. Stein rasps out, "I am a police officer of this township and I have the right to question anyone I choose to." "No, you don't, and you know it." Mulder tells Det. Stein as he and Scully walk up. "And who are you two, his attorneys?" Det. Stein asks. "No, I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder, this is my partner, Special Agent Dana Scully. We're with the F.B.I." Mulder tells him, as he holds up his badge. "Your investigation is limited to myself, Agent Scully, Mr. St. Wolf and Mr. Iverson. The rest of the guests at this party are not a part of it. If you insist on interrogating them, then I will file harassment charges against you, with your department. And if that isn't enough to wake you up, then I'll go Federal with them. Am I understood, Det. Stein?" Mulder angrily informs him. Det. Stein looks at Mulder, Scully and Steve and finally realizes that here is a group of people who won't be intimidated by his badge. "Alright Agent Mulder, I'll limit my questions to only you four. But I don't have to like it." He angrily agrees. Mulder, Scully, Frank and Steve go over what happened last night, taking turns talking to the two detectives. Finally about an hour later it's finished and the detectives turn to leave, Det. Stein asks to see Buffy for a moment. "Only if she wants to, detective, is that understood?" Steve gives him a warning glare. Scully goes out to get Buffy. Steve waits for her to come out by the door. "I want to talk to Buffy alone, Mr. St. Wolf." Det. Stein tells Steve. "Buffy is only seventeen. So, she has to have an adult present if you ask any questions. Take your choice, either myself, Agent Mulder or Agent Scully, detective." Steve tells him. < I will not let this shit head play head games with Buffy. > "Agent Scully can stay with her." Det. Stein tells Steve. < I do not like this bastard at all. I wonder who the hell he is. I am going to make him my 'special' project. > Det. Stein thinks to himself. Dana and Buffy come out to talk to Det. Stein. Steve leaves, going back to the party. Mulder, Frank, Giles and Jenny are waiting for him. Steve turns to Giles and Jenny. "Who is this shit headed cop? What's his problem? And why is he picking on Buffy?" "Well Steve, Det. Stein was investigating Buffy for the murder of a man called 'Ted'. Ted had been dating her mother, Joyce, and Buffy didn't like him much. So, one night she came home and found him in her room going through her personal journals and items. He struck her and she fought back, killing him, supposedly." "It turned out that 'Ted' was an android that had married and murdered four women previously and he tried to do the same with Buffy's mother. Xander, Willow and Cordelia found the remains of the four previous wives and called the police. 'Ted' had risen from the dead and tried to kidnap Buffy's mother. Buffy stopped him and destroyed him. We disposed of his body after that. Det. Stein tried to solve the case and wound up being a laughing stock. He blames Buffy for it." Giles explains. "So the bastard blames Buffy because he can't solve anything in this town? He's, pardon the expression, blind as a bat and he blames a seventeen year old girl for his problems. This guy is seriously in need of a new job." Mulder and Steve hear the door slam shut. They turn around as a teary Buffy comes back into the room. Steve can see by the rage in Scully's eyes that Det. Stein is lucky to leave this house alive. Steve reaches out and gives Buffy a comforting hug. She doesn't resist. Buffy puts her head on his shoulder and just cries. Steve looks at Scully. Scully takes a deep breath. "Steve, if that man didn't leave just now, I would've shot him." Steve looks down at Buffy, and asks, "What did he say to you? If that bastard said anything that wasn't proper, I'll have his badge." "No, he just told me that two girls that I knew from school are dead. He made it sound like it was my fault. If Angel did it, it probably was." She tells them. Steve walks Buffy over to the couch and sits her down, she leans against him as he puts his arm protectively around her. Everybody in the house notices this. Steve notices Willow smiling. Mulder takes the floor. "Alright, I'm getting tired of this shit. These vampires have the run of this town. No offense Buffy, but there are too many for you and friends to handle alone. I say that we start hitting them back tonight. Let's get a plan of action together and give them a little payback." Mulder turns to Giles, "Do you know where the vampires are hiding, some of their meeting spots or hangouts?" Giles nods, "Then, we hit them there." "Mr. Mulder, do you realize how many vampires we could be facing?" Part 19 - Reach Out and Touch Somebody (Just Dial 1-800-Commando, and Watch the Body Count Rise) "It doesn't matter Giles. I'm calling in some favors. I can have at least a dozen warriors here overnight. They will only be expecting Buffy, and maybe the two of us. But, what do you think would happen if I bring in an assault force made up of dozen professionals." Steve tells them, as he gets up to get the phone. Steve first dials Duncan's Seattle number, Richie picks up the phone. "McLeod Dojo, can I help you?" "Hello Richie, this is Steve St. Wolf, is Duncan there?" "Hey Wanderer, long time no hear. Duncan's right here, hold on." Duncan takes the phone. "Steve, how are things in California, is Robert treating you well?" "Listen Duncan, I need some help." Steve tells him as he explains what's going on in Sunnydale. After Steve finishes, Duncan thinks for a minute. "Steve, I'll be there by tomorrow morning, I'll bring Richie and Methos with me." "Duncan, also bring Joe Dawson as well. I think we could use his input as well." "No problem, he probably wants to ask about those expenses your last three watchers incurred." Duncan adds with a laugh. "Thanks Duncan, it'll be nice seeing you again." Steve tells him as he gives Duncan the travel directions to his house. Steve hangs up on Duncan and dials another number, this one in L.A. The phone is picked up and a woman answers. "Kyra here, who is this?" "Kyra, this Steve St. Wolf, I need some help." "Steve, where are you now?" Kyra asks. Steve quickly tells her his location and what's going on. "I'll be there in an hour." Kyra tells Steve as she hangs up. Steve then calls Casey Romain in Montana. He is not pleased to hear from Steve. "Wanderer, last time I worked with you, I wound up raiding Libya with a dragon. Before we begin to chitchat, tell me, is it going to be like that again?" "Well Casey, this time we're hunting vampires in California. They are about to take over a small town called Sunnydale." Steve explains to him. Steve can only hear his breathing, then, "Wanderer, you are the most rotten bastard that I've known in two thousand years, but you do have some fun jobs. I'll be there in the morning with four friends and I'll bring some party favors." Casey tells him as he hangs up. Steve shakes his head, < Two thousand years? Romain's not an Immortal > thinking to himself, as he hangs up the phone. Steve quickly dials another number. "St. Francis of Assisi Monastery, this is Brother Phillip, can I help you?" The brother asks. "Hello Phillip, this's Steven St. Wolf, can I please speak with Brother Aaron?" "Brother Steve, how are you? It has been too long since you last visited us. Are you planning on visiting us, soon?" Brother Phillip asks. "No, Phillip, I need to talk to Aaron. I have need of his services, for a mission." "Hold a moment please." Brother Phillip tells Steve as the phone switches over to another extension. "Good Evening Brother Steve, this is Abbott Michael. It's a pleasure to hear from you again. What do you want with Brother Aaron, if I may ask?" "Abbott Michael, I have need of Brother Aaron's skills." Steve tells him, as he explains what's happening in Sunnydale. "This situation is most troubling. How can Brother Aaron come to you?" Abbott Michael asks. "I'll pick him up tomorrow morning, Abbott Michael." "He will be ready, Steve. And Steve, God go with you, my son." Abbott Michael tells him. "Thank you Abbott Michael. God help us all get through this unscathed. Good bye." "God be with you my young friend, and good night." Abbott Michael replies. Steve hangs up the phone. Then he turns around, everyone is waiting for his news. "Alright, we have the following forces. Duncan McLeod is coming down with Richie Ryan, Adam Pierson and Joe Dawson. Kyra will be here in about an hour. Casey Romain is bringing four friends. And I have a warrior priest of the C'est Die to pick up in the morning." Buffy and her friends look shocked at the forces that Steve has gathered in less than twenty minutes and four phone calls. Giles looks at his little group and speaks up. "Steve, who are these people? Why are they coming here to fight just because you called them." "Remember what I told you earlier about your group not being alone? Well this is an example of the cooperation that exists between different groups. Our only common bond is the fact that we fight the evil that seeks to destroy the world. Giles, that makes us, and I mean all of us here, parts of the same army. An 'Army of the Light' if you will. We may come from different places and follow different paths, but the cause is the same and everyone of us knows it." Steve explains to them. He sees Buffy's friends stand a little taller, and sees a gleam in their eyes that wasn't there before. "Now, lets plan our attack. Kyra will be here in an hour. Tonight, we'll do nothing. We don't want to tip our hand. Tomorrow afternoon, we'll do some light scouting. Tomorrow evening, just before sundown, the attack begins, we will limit ourselves to their main hiding places and we will hurt them. It is time that those things learned to be truly afraid." Steve tells them. As Steve finishes, he sees the look of determination in everyone's face. They want that payback. Buffy and her friends have only been reacting to the vampires, defensively. It was time to go on the offensive. "Giles, we'll need a list of possible hiding places and hangouts as well as blueprints for them. Can you get it for us?" Giles turns to Willow, "Willow can you access the city hall records from here?" "I need to see Steve's computer set up." Willow replies. "Willow, my computers are in the office, near the front. C'mon I'll show you." Steve leads her into his office, where his computers are kept. Willow looks at the system in front of her. "Uhm Steve, what is this system. I've never seen one like it before, and where's the monitor?" Willow asks. "Sorry, I have a few 'friends' and they provided me this system recently. It's a 2,000 MHZ Pentium 8.5, with 360 Meg of Ram. The hard drive is a stacked 150 Gigs. The Internet connection is accessed through a satellite dish on the roof, so the speed is roughly 400,000 bps. The monitor is a Heads Up Display (HUD) like they use on fighters and everything is controlled by touching the screen and typing on the key board, no mouse." I show her how to access the Internet from my system. "Do you think you could handle this, Willow?" Steve asks her. When he doesn't hear a reply, he turns around and sees a shocked expression on Willow's face. "Willow, what's wrong?" "Steve, this system shouldn't exist" Willow gasps out. She turns around and calls Jenny into the room. "Miss Calendar, can you come here, please?" "Sure Willow, do you need any help?" Jenny asks as she, Dana and Buffy enter Steve's office. Jenny and Dana both have shocked expressions on their faces when they see the set up. "This can't be real." Jenny gasps out after Steve tells them what the system is. "My God, most of this equipment should be classified Top Secret." Scully stammers out. "It looks like something out of Tek Wars." Buffy murmurs. "Can you ladies handle this equipment, or do you need my help?" Steve asks. "No, we can handle it. But, where did it come from?" Jenny asks. "Like I told Willow, some friends gave it to me." "I wish I had friends like that." Scully mutters. As Buffy and Steve head back to the living room, she slips her arm around his waist. Steve doesn't complain. As they enter, they see that everybody else is making plans and lists for the pending assault. Giles, Cordelia and Xander are listing out likely vampire locations. Frank and Mulder have taken various weapons out of storage and were field stripping them, Oz was helping them. Amy was getting refreshments for everybody. < This was a great bunch of kids. > Steve thinks to himself. Buffy and Steve look upon the scene in front of them and Steve mutters under his breathe, "This is going to be a very bad day for the vampires. I hope none of our friends get hurt." Steve feels Buffy's arm squeeze his waist, as she replies, "I hope so too, Steve. I'll never forgive myself if anybody gets hurt." "C'mon Buffy, lets go make some stakes." "Where?" She asks. "In the garage. All my wood and wood working equipment is in there." "Oh." She replies, with a sly smile on her face. They make their way to the garage, where Steve notices that Mulder and Frank had already set up the equipment. < Must've done it while I was gone. > As Steve reaches for a board to start cutting, Buffy wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him deeply. As they come up for air, Steve asks. "Buffy, we have to stop. I know you recently lost Angelus, and I don't want to be the rebound guy. I can't do that to you." She breaks away from him and gives Steve a hurt look. Tears are beginning to form in her eyes. Steve reaches for her and wraps his arms around her < she's tense > and looks down into her eyes as he tells her, "Buffy, I want you, but not like this. I know you feel hurt about Angel, but throwing yourself at me won't help. It's not right. You need time to heal. And any man who takes advantage of you in such a situation doesn't deserve you." As Steve's telling her this, she looks into his eyes and sees only concern and care there. She wraps her arms around his neck and they kiss again. "Thank you for being the man I thought you were, Steve." She whispers to him as they break apart. "Now, lets make some stakes." Steve tells her. "Do you want yours well done or medium rare?" He jokes. Buffy makes a face, and giggles. They spend the next forty five minutes turning twenty 2" X 1" boards into stakes. By the time they're finished they have about a hundred and fifty stakes ready. As Steve's finishing the last stake, they both feel the 'Buzz'. Steve turns to Buffy, "I guess that Kyra's here." "Whose Kyra?" Buffy asks suspiciously. "Just an old friend." Steve tells her as they walk back to the house and go to the front door. As Steve opens it, he notices five people waiting outside, one of them Kyra. "Kyra, you made good time. Who are your friends?" He asks her with his sword in hand. "Steve, don't worry, these are some old friends of mine. I was having dinner with them when you called. I explained the situation to them and they volunteered to come and help." Steve opens the door all the way and lets them come in. They enter the living room which is quite crowded at this time. Kyra makes the introduction for her friends. "Steve, this is Cara Sinclair (a stunning brunette), Reagan Cole (a gorgeous blond), Katherine Raven (another stunning brunette), and Kath's husband Nick." Steve introduces his friends in turn to Kyra's. Then he asks, "Kyra, are all of your friends Immortal?" Kyra looks a little worried about discussing the issue. Steve tells her not to worry. "Kyra, everybody here knew about Immortals." That shocked Cara and Reagan. Katherine and Nick just grabbed some couch space and waited for an explanation. "Look Kyra, we're here to destroy a large group of vampires. Do you think that anyone in this group is going to be shocked at the existence of Immortals." "Alright Steve, all of us, but Nick, are Immortal. So, what's the plan?" "First, we are going to get some rest tonight. I'll be leaving early tomorrow to pick up another of our group. Also, nine more people will be joining us by early afternoon. I'll arrange rooms at a local motel for them and anybody else who wants one. When we all get here, we will work out a plan to take those things out." Steve checks his watch, it was almost ten o'clock, he turns to Buffy and her group. "Buffy, Giles, its almost ten. You guys get home and get some sleep, we'll all need it." "Hold it Steve, I have a question," Steve turns to see an angry Reagan Cole addressing him. "Go ahead Reagan, ask." "How in God's name, could you involve these children in this mess? Have you gone insane?" Before Steve can reply, Buffy steps forward, and looks Reagan in the eye, "Miss Cole, for your information, I've been fighting these vampires for over two years. Steve, just came here less than a week ago. One of those bastards killed me when I was sixteen. Besides vampires, we have fought demons, animated corpses, witches and the Order of Teraka. Steve, Frank, Mulder and Scully understand that we won't be shoved aside. You all may be a thousand years old for all I care, but we've been here, fighting, these things for the last two years and WE WON'T BE TREATED LIKE CHILDREN." Buffy tells Reagan. Kyra and her friends look at Buffy's group and see a group of warriors just as dedicated as they are. Most of them probably haven't seen twenty yet, but they all had the look of people who've seen the grimmer side of life and understood what was expected of them. That was something that all of them could understand and respect. As Steve turns to the front to say good bye to Buffy's group. Buffy walks up to him and asks. "Steve, can I go with you to pick up Brother Aaron?" "Yeah, that's not a problem, but can you get here by five am?" "Don't have to. I'll sleep here tonight, if that's all right with you?" "What about your mother?" "Willow will cover for me." She replies, giving Steve a mischievous grin. Nick sitting by Katherine watches this little scene unfold, and notices the looks on each of his female companions. < Oh boy, the girl, Buffy, has the hots for Steve. I don't think any of Katherine's friends like it one bit. > He sits back to enjoy the fire works. Steve sees that Kyra, Cara, Reagan and Katherine are giving him the eye, Nick just grins. < Bastard's waiting for the women to lay into me, well I won't let it happen > Frank looks over to his friend Steve and wonders, < How in hell is he going to get out of this one. > . "Alright, now for those of you spending the night here, the sleeping arrangements are as follows. Mulder and Scully, you stay put. Nick and Katherine, you get my room. Cara and Reagan get Frank's room, and no Frank you can't stay." Steve adds, grinning, Frank looks disappointed, "Kyra and Buffy get the last bedroom. Frank and I will sleep on the couches out here." Steve sees the disappointed look in Nick's face, and the sly grin on Frank's face. < Steve's been hanging around with Sidney too much. He starting to think like a lawyer. > Frank thinks to himself. "Those of you who have pajamas, use them, those that don't you'll find a few of my shirts in the closet that will do fine." Steve tells them. Reagan and Kyra give him dirty looks. Cara and Buffy just smile. "The morning briefing will be handled by Frank and Mulder. They, Scully and Giles will collate the information Willow got for us. They will also lay out a preliminary plan of action. When everyone gets here we'll finalize it. Now, I'm going out for a little stroll, Buffy, would you care to join me?" Part 20 - Midnight Crossings (The Strangest Things Happen At Night Or How To Settle Old Scores) Buffy just gives Steve a relieved look. Kyra and her friends have been giving her the 'eye'. And they're probably wondering about him as well. Steve reaches for his coat and weapons. He tosses Buffy a couple of wooden knives. She catches them underhand. He turns to Frank, "We should be back in half an hour to an hour Frank, don't wait up." They go out the front door. Buffy leans against Steve as they stroll down the street with Steve's arm around her waist. As they walk, they just talk. They talk about anything, but what is going on. As the two make their way back, Steve notices a couple of shadows in the darkness near his home. As they approach, the shadows move into the moon light. It's a pair of girls about Buffy's age, one blond and the other brunette. Steve turns to Buffy to ask if she knows them, but he sees that she does and she's scared for some reason. He asks her, "Buffy, what's wrong?" "Steve, those are the girls that Det. Stein told me died last night." As they approach, the blond calls to Buffy. "Buffy, Angel sent us to say hello to you and your new boyfriend." As the girl says this, her face turns into its now familiar demonic form. Steve looks to Buffy, "Buffy if you can't do it, I will." The two vampires move to attack. Steve pulls out one of his wooden knives and throws it into the blond's heart, she disappeared in a cloud of dust. The brunette sees this and rushes Steve. Before she can reach him, she disappears, Steve sees Buffy standing behind her, stake in hand. Steve looks around the area to make sure that no more surprises are waiting for them. He looks back at Buffy and watches as she stares at the pile of dust that was a friend of her's. She looks to be on the verge of tears. He walks over to her, and hugs her from behind, just lending support to her, because she needs it. As they're standing there, a car pulls up next to them. Both feel the 'Buzz' of several immortals in it. Steve pulls Buffy behind him and issues a challenge. "Who ever you are, be warned the girl is under my protection and I will kill anyone who tries to hurt her." "Hello Wanderer, its been what? Four years since you almost killed me." A familiar voice tells Steve. "Salazar, so you're still alive, and you brought friends this time. I thought you didn't have any?" Steve slyly replies. "Wanderer, I'm going to gut you and then cut off your arms and legs. Then I'm going to let you watch me rape your little friend, there, until she begs for it to end." Steve hears the front door of his house open up and sees Frank walk out. He walks over to where Buffy and him are standing and stops. He looks at Salazar and smiles his patented evil grin. "Hello Salazar, is your butt still in one piece? I'm surprised." Frank tells him with relish. Salazar's face turns a bright red when he sees Frank. "You bastards are still together? Good, this saves me the trouble of finding you. Amigos, come out and help me." He calls back into his car. Three more men get out of the car, armed with AK-47s. They look like the type America's Most Wanted would have run week after week, until they were caught and hopefully shot. "My three friends here will help me beat you two down, then they will have some fun with the girl." Salazar tells them. Suddenly they all feel a major 'Buzz', as a familiar voice in the night says, "You know Wanderer, you have some of the most interesting parties that I have ever attended." Kyra tells Steve. She is standing off to one side with a mini Uzi SMG in her hands. "I tend to agree, but these party crashers take it to a new extreme." Mulder comments, holding an M-16. Scully is standing next to him with another Uzi. Steve's house guests had surrounded Salazar and his friends with enough firepower to shred them into little pieces. This little fact is not lost on them either, from the fear in their eyes. "Now shall we take this to someplace private? And settle matters in a befitting manner." Steve tells them. "I want that bastard Salazar, first." Steve hears Reagan Cole state. "He murdered an entire village in 1478, trying to get to me. I owe him for their blood. You can have the others, Steve, but I want Salazar." "I want Malcolm Dietrich." Katherine states. "The bastard had three of my mortal students burned at the stake for witchcraft in 1650. Their only crime was that they refused to tell him where I went. He's mine." Steve sees one of the men turn pale at the venom in Katherine's voice. "I take it that you two are not Immortal." Steve asks the other two men. They nod their heads, relief on their faces. < Won't they be surprised when they die. > Steve thinks to himself. Steve turns to Buffy, "Buffy, is there anyplace in town that we won't be disturbed, is open and a light show won't get noticed?" "Yeah, I know just the spot, I'll take you there." "You don't have to go." "This is a part of my life now. I have to know what to expect." Steve sees the rest of his friends and guests nod their heads. She should know what to expect. No amount of teaching or descriptions could cover it. It has to be experienced. Mulder and Scully have handcuffed Salazar and his three friends and lead them into the cars. Frank, Kyra and Cara stay behind. The group takes Steve's car, Mulder's and Salazar's. Buffy drives Steve's Blazer as Steve keeps an eye on Salazar in the back seat. Scully is riding shotgun. Buffy leads the three cars to a deserted power plant about thirty minutes away. They park in the lot facing the plant. Steve turns to Buffy. "Any vampires here?" "No, Angel told me the plant somehow scares them. They won't go near it." "Okay, let's get out." As everybody exits the Blazer, the other two cars pull up and everybody gets out. Salazar is released and his sword is thrown to him. Reagan is already waiting for him. Salazar turns to Steve. "Wanderer, you can't let this woman do this to me. Let me go and I'll never bother you again." He begs. "She challenged you. Take it up with her." Steve coldly tells him. Salazar spits at Steve. "Pendahoe, you let a woman do your fighting for you. You are nothing more than a Puta." He then turns around and suddenly attacks Reagan. She's expecting it. She side steps and cuts him across the stomach. Salazar falls to his knees, holding in his stomach. Reagan stands over him and lifts the sword for the beheading stroke. Salazar tries a final desperate move. He lifts his sword and tries to stab Reagan in the stomach. She sees this move coming and blocks it, knocking Salazar's sword out of his hand. Reagan again raises her sword for the final stroke. Salazar lowers his head and exposes his neck. The sword falls and the head rolls away. Buffy is watching this in rapt silence. When she sees Reagan take Salazar's head, she buries her face in Steve's chest. He looks down at her, and tells her, "Buffy, you need to see this to its completion. Please look." She turns her head just as the Quickening is rising from Salazar's body. She watches in rapt silence as the lightning enters Reagan's body. Reagan's body jerks as each bolt hits it. The sight is both beautiful and scary. Reagan's face is a combination of rapture, pain and bliss. Then, as suddenly as it began, it ends. Reagan falls to her knees. Scully helps Reagan to the car. Nick and Steve move the body out of the way. Steve turns to Malcolm Dietrich and asks, "Dietrich, who are these two. They're not Immortals." Malcolm looks at his two accomplices. "Their names are Garcia and Morales. They work for Salazar. They do a lot of his dirty work for him." "So the world will be a better place without them?" Steve asks. "Morales likes to hurt small children with a knife. Thinks it's a real kick. Garcia likes young girls. The younger the better." Malcolm then turns to Katherine. "Katherine, I just want to say I am sorry for what happened to those three girls." "They're still dead, Malcolm. Burned alive at the stake." She tells him. Malcolm shakes his head and takes up his sword, ready. Katherine enters her stance. The fight begins. Katherine is quick and deadly. Before their swords have crossed three times, Malcolm's head is on the ground. The Quickening comes again. After Nick helps Katherine to the Blazer. Nick, Mulder and Steve turn to Scully and Buffy. "Buffy take Scully, Reagan and Katherine back to the house. Mulder, Nick and I have some other business to finish here." Buffy and Scully look at Morales and Garcia. Scully nods her head and leads Buffy to the Blazer and she drives away. Buffy looks out the rear of the Blazer and sees two flashes of light in the darkness. Buffy turns to Scully and asks. "Dana, what are they going to do with those two guys?" Dana looks straight ahead as she replies, "They are going to do what is necessary. Those two men probably were the monsters that Dietrich described. The world will be a better place without them." "Dana, Steve, Nick and Mulder couldn't kill anyone in cold blood, could they?" Buffy asks. "Buffy, this can be a cold, hard world. Mulder, Steve and Nick have seen its worst sides. They know what has to be done. Believe me Buffy, those men should have stood trial for their crimes, but they never would. They would sell the our secret to the highest bidder, and then we would find ourselves under a scalpel being cut up for examination, while those two go free." Dana explains to her. She looks back and sees the headlights of her rental car following them. At the next light Nick, Mulder and Steve pull up to the Blazer. Mulder rolls down the passenger side window and tells Scully, "Scully, we'll follow you back to the house." A quiet, somber group reaches Steve's home thirty minutes later. Frank, Kyra and Cara meet them at the door. They ask no questions, the groups facial expressions tell the whole story. When everybody gets in Buffy excuses herself and goes directly to her room. Steve looks at Scully, who nods and follows her. Kyra goes as well. As Scully and Kyra open the door Steve can hear Buffy crying. He starts to go to her, but he feels a restraining hand on his shoulder. Steve turns to see Reagan standing there looking at him. She looks into Steve's eyes and tells him, "Steve, I know you want to go in there to comfort her. But don't, if she's to make it, she has to resolve these feelings without you. So, stop being her knight in shining armor, she doesn't need one. And get some sleep, you have to leave at five to pick up that priest." Steve goes to sleep on the couch worried about Buffy. Just Outside Sunnydale - 3:00 am A group of vampires answering Angelus' call comes upon a car with a family of four in it pulling into a 24 hour Seven-Eleven. The man and woman get out of the car and go into the store leaving their two children asleep in the back. The leader, seeing the parents enter the store, decides to take the children as a midday snack. The woman, a statuesque redhead, is asking directions from the shop keeper, when she hears glass shattering. She turns and sees a group of people reaching into her car and taking her children. Her husband is already going out the door, she immediately follows. The clerk, seeing what's happening, immediately calls 911 asking for the police. The moment the man and woman leave the store, the vampires attack them, thinking them an easy meal. Are they ever wrong. The two immediately begin to use advanced forms of the martial arts to fight their attackers. In the first minute, four of the vampires are down with death wounds that would have killed mortals. The rest of the vampires, seeing that these two were too much for them, scatter, taking the two girls with them. The man and woman run after the vampires taking their children, only be out run by the faster vampires. As they make their way back to the Seven-Eleven, they see a sea of red and blue flashing lights. The police alerted by the clerks phone call had come out in force to help. Detective Stein is on the scene and in charge. He approaches the couple, holding up his badge. "I'm Detective Stein, you two are the parent's of the kidnaped children?" He asks. The redheaded woman is angry. "Det. Stein, who are those people who kidnaped my children?" She demands. "And why aren't you and your police searching for them?" Det. Stein is not in the mode for angry parents. There are four bodies on the ground in front of the Seven-Eleven. Killed with single blows from what the clerk had just told him. He looks at the couple in front of him. "My officers will begin to search immediately, but I have questions that need to be answered." He tells them. The couple patiently answers all of Det. Stein's questions, which take the better part of an hour. When the leader of the search party reports back that the suspects have entered the sewers and the officers won't follow them without major backup, the woman goes ballistic. "What kind of police force do you have? Our children are kidnaped and your men wouldn't find them." She screams. "Miss Scarlet, my men know that if they go down there without major backup, they won't be coming back up." Det. Stein explains. "The major backup is on the way but it'll take a couple of hours to get here." "Forget it. We'll go find our children ourselves." Scarlet turns to her husband, who nods his head. They get into their car and drive away, leaving a confused Detective in their wake. A couple of blocks away they pull into the Sunnydale Motel and check in. In their room, they change into their battle clothes, and prepare their weapons quickly. They understand that to get their children back, time is of the essence. After leaving the motel, they find a sewer entrance a couple of blocks away and they climb into it to start looking for their children.