DISCLAIMER: Victoria, Justin, Laurana, Pallas, Twilight, Von, Kane, and Elizabet belong to me.  St. Wolf, Randi, and Brian belong to Steve Pantovich and are used with permission. You can check out Steve’s stories at the Section Seven page.

Oz, Buffy, Xander, Willow, Jenny, and Giles belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. Jason belongs to Laurel K. Hamilton. Kenny belongs to Panzer/Davis, as does the whole Immortality concept used here. The Legacy and its members belong to the Sci-Fi channel. No money is being made off of this, and I don’t have any anyway, so please don’t sue me!

This is the final installment of the "Demon’s Triangle" trilogy. Don’t worry, though, I doubt it’s the last you’ll see of Tria, Umver, and Virate!

TIMELINE: Thankfully, it wasn’t actually that hard to combine our universes. My story, “Demon’s Triangle II: Of All Immortals, Dark and Light” takes place in early February 1998. So Steve’s story, “Hellmouth: New Beginnings” takes place a week after mine instead of in late March 1998 like in his universe. There are really no other major changes except that I have Oz as an Immortal, and Nick Boyle is not, and Steve has it reversed.  By Steve’s timeline, “Demon’s Triangle III: Truth Finale” does not happen, except in yet another alternate universe.  This is just me playing around with his awesome characters *g*.

And finally, this story is rated PG-13 for language and violence.  Enjoy!

Part 1 ~ An Invitation

(Because Victory and SunDescending Get Bored)

Summer, 2003

Victoria DiThon Kestral felt the presence of another Immortal mere seconds before she heard a knock at the door. She sleepily opened her eyes and realized that she and Justin had fallen asleep on the couch in the main room of the Island House yet again. They had a habit of doing that when they stayed up late watching TV and just talking. Justin Le Faye, her best friend, shifted position beneath her head, where he was sprawled with his feet propped on the coffee table.

“Go answer the door, love,” he muttered sleepily. “You’re the one laying on top of me. Who is it, by the way?”

Victoria had recognized the silvery gray aura that flashed in front of her eyes as Laurana Thompson’s, a friend of theirs. “It’s ’Rana,” she answered as she got off the couch. “I’m coming,” she called as the visitor knocked again. Yawning, she opened the door to see a wickedly grinning Laurana Thompson. “Okay, what did you do now?”

Laurana stepped into the main room of the Legacy’s Island House, located on San Francisco’s Angel Island, and dropped her large leather backpack on the floor by the door. Her weapon bag quickly followed it. She tossed her long, blond hair out of her face with practiced ease and deftly removed her sunglasses. She blinked a few times, and her eyes lost their sun-induced glow. “It’s not what I did, you should ask what we are going to do, Toria,” she corrected as she gave Victoria a hug.

“Oh, and what’s that?” Justin asked as he also rose from the couch to also give his former teacher a hug. “And why do you have your weapon bag with you? Or do I even want to know?”

“Pay no attention to the grumpy little boy whose precious sleep you just disturbed,” Victoria said with a wave of her hand as she headed towards the kitchen area in the corner to make coffee. Her curiosity had been piqued by Laurana’s statement. “So what, exactly, are we going to do?”

“When was the last time you went on a decent vampire hunt, my dear Victory?” Laurana answered, using Victoria’s vampire name intentionally.

“Not for a while, my dear SunDescending,” Victoria replied, her grin beginning to match Laurana’s. SunDescending was her friend’s own vampire name. “Why?”

“I knew I didn’t want to hear this,” Justin interrupted with a groan as he collapsed back on the couch. “DarkRising is staying out of this one.” Since Laurana was both his teacher and his complete opposite, seeing as how they rarely agreed on anything, his vampire name was the opposite of hers. How he had managed to pick one up was still a bit cloudy, since while the two girls were part vampire, he was one hundred percent Immortal.

“Well, remember that big raid on LA a few years ago, supposedly done by the LAPD on the ‘vampire cult?’ And then the Legacy told us it was done by a secret government group called Section Seven, and they were getting rid of real vamps?” Laurana asked

“But Section Seven doesn’t exist,” Justin said, a curious look on his own face now. “I mean, Kane and I have hacked into the US government databases enough times that we would have seen something by now.”

“You’re right, it doesn’t exist,” Laurana answered with a grin. “They just gave the LAPD all the credit and told everyone they were Section Seven for the hell of it. But I just found out who really did it.”

By this time, both Victoria and Justin were staring at her. She was leaning against the counter next to where Victoria was making coffee, a self-satisfied smile on her face. “Okay, care to enlighten us?” Victoria asked cautiously.

“First of all, I found this out from the Storm Shadow Ninja Clan, based up here in San Francisco, who was also involved in it-“

“But we know them,” Justin interrupted. “We’ve worked with them before.” He immediately shut up when Laurana gave him a withering look.

“Well, apparently the vampire Slayer is now an Immortal and working with some guy named Steven St. Wolf. They had cleared out Sunnydale, which I know that you know is where the Hellmouth is, and were working on Los Angeles. They discovered that the vampire queen in LA was going to raise some demon by the name of Throlog the Merciless by sacrificing a bunch of Watchers who were in town for a convention.”

“Okay, I’m going to get back to the whole ‘Slayer is an Immortal’ thing in a minute and ask right now if that’s the convention where Paul Blaze’s uncle died,” Victoria asked.

“Wasn’t he one of your Watchers up in Seacouver a few years ago?” Laurana asked. “Then that probably was. They were going to put your friend Joe Dawson on trial again, weren’t they?” Victoria nodded again. “Then it is. Oh, and this Slayer, Buffy Summers, became Immortal when she was sixteen, the first Slayer to do so…Wait a second, I just thought of something. Didn’t you meet her once?”

Victoria nodded again. “I did, but Oz was there, too. His presence is strong enough that I probably just missed hers. The Oz-man must not have told her she was Immortal because he didn’t want her distracted. The bum was probably planning on taking on any headhunters himself. Okay, continue.” Theolus Ozcorun, a fellow Immortal, had been Victoria’s friend for years and was now in a triumvirate with her and another werewolf. Needless to say, this revelation did not make her happy.

“The good guys won, obviously, and the Storm Shadow Clan has been hunting vampires up here ever since. Thanks to those lovely psychotics known as Enforcers, they don’t know about my type of vampire yet, and I don’t think the group down there has discovered them yet either, since they like to not be anywhere near the Hellmouth. So…” Laurana trailed off, the wicked grin coming back.

“We’re going to enlighten them!” Victoria said with a big smile. “Oh, I just love the way your mind works, Laurana. I’m so in.”

“Great,” Laurana said. “If you’re not busy, we can leave today. Hey, where’s everyone else, by the way?”

“Nick took Kane camping, and they won’t be back for another few days,” Justin replied. “And Elizabet is in Berlin on assignment. Apparently the RoseBlades attacked the Berlin Legacy House because they thought local kids were being kidnapped and held there. So Beta got called in as both a RoseBlade and Legacy member. We’re supposed to get a call later today to update us on what’s going on.”

“Correction, you’re going to get a call,” Victoria said, tossing Justin her Legacy Precept’s ring. He caught it automatically and stared at her. “You’re in charge until I get back. I take it we’re going as Victory and SunDescending?” Laurana nodded. “That means that it’s not officially Legacy sanctioned business, and I don’t want Derek to get on my case when I get back.”

“Toria, may I remind you of what happened the last time you disappeared for a ‘vacation?’” Justin asked.

Victoria looked at him innocently. “Whatever do you mean, Justin? I went to Toronto, the group I was with wrecked havoc defending the city for a few days, I avenged the Toronto House’s destruction, and came back home.”

“And a couple dozen vampires followed you-“

“And the Storm Shadow Clan took them out, no loss of life, no questions asked,” she replied smugly.

Justin threw up his hands. “Fine, I give up! Go have fun, Victory, and don’t get killed. I’m going to go get my shower.” He disappeared up the spiral staircase and left Laurana and Victoria grinning at each other.

“Let’s have breakfast, then I’ll go get a shower and pack,” Victoria said, taking down a box of Cheerios. “Let’s see, I have enough silver plated bullets, but we’ll have to raid Nick’s stuff before we go. Most of my guns were lost a few weeks ago, and the replacement order is still being filled. Then we can take my car and drive down.”

“There’s no rush, so let’s plan on getting there this evening?” Laurana asked.

“Sounds good to me,” Victoria replied amiably.

Part 2 ~ Preparations

(And Making Sure The San Francisco House Won’t Get Pissed)

Two hours later, Victoria and Laurana were mostly packed and ready to go. They were in the game room of the San Francisco Legacy House raiding Nick’s hidden closet full of weapons when Alex Moreau walked in and looked at them curiously. “Going on a trip, Toria? Hi, Laurana.”

“Oh, hi Alex,” Victoria replied, and Laurana gave her a smile and nod. “Since things have been kind of quiet around here lately, Laurana asked me if I wanted to go visit some friends down in LA with her.”

“Then I hope you don’t mind me asking, but why are you taking an arsenal of Nick’s guns?” the San Francisco House’s researcher asked.

“That’s because we’re not going as Laurana Thompson and Victoria DiThon Kestral. Or even as Angelspawn and Atlantis,” Laurana replied. Angelspawn and Atlantis were their traditional code names for when something involved their network of “children” Immortals.

Victoria finished and zipped her weapon bag up. “Yep, Victory and SunDescending are going on the rampage, Alex!” she said with a mischievous grin.

“I remember this one. Elizabet told me that those were the names you take when you go vampire hunting,” Alex said. “But Los Angeles? Isn’t that where the vampire Slayer is based?”

“Did Victoria tell you that there were more than one species of vampire? Souled, Soulless, Corpse, and Undead?” Laurana asked. Alex nodded. “Well, as far as we know, the Slayer only knows about the Soulless, since they’re the biggest threat. We figured she should learn about the other three sooner or later, too. And we might do some hunting of our own, just to keep up the skills. Soulless vampires are the most obnoxiously persistent kind-”

“Knock ‘em down, and they keep on coming,” Victoria interrupted with a nod and a grin, for they were her race of vampire.

“Okay,” Alex said with a slight roll of her eyes. “But what are you going to tell Derek? And Nick? You’re taking his stuff.”

Victoria smiled. “Derek has been nagging at me to take some time off, so he can’t really say anything. Hence the reason I’m disappearing without telling him. Nick is deep in Yosemite National Park with Kane and won’t miss anything. And I left Justin in charge of the Island House, meaning he, himself, and…er, he, so we’re all set. We should be back in a week or so.”

“Have a nice trip then,” Alex said as she followed them towards the front door of the San Francisco House. Victoria’s car was waiting for them outside.

“Oh, we plan on it,” Victoria replied as they opened the door and prepared for some major fun.

Part 3 ~ Revelations

(Because Victory and SunDescending Also Aren’t As Smart As They Like To Appear)

Victoria and Laurana pulled up in front of Steven St. Wolf’s house and studied it for a few moments. It was a nice place. Not too conspicuous, or evidence that St. Wolf had more than the usual amount of money for an antique dealer to have. When Laurana took the wheel of Victoria’s new silvery-blue 2003 Dodge Durango for two hours on the way down to Los Angeles, Victoria had been studying St. Wolf through the Legacy database via her laptop. They did see a small satellite dish on the roof, but that could have just been for cable.

“Well, shall we?” Laurana asked. Victoria nodded, and the two apparent teenagers prepared for what could end up as a major confrontation. They were already wearing their signature outfits: jeans, blue tank-top, black over-shirt, and black trenchcoat for Victoria, and jeans, white T-shirt, purple silk scarf tied around her waist, and long, white coat for Laurana. In addition to their swords, they each had veritable arsenal of weapons. If they got into trouble with St. Wolf and the Slayer, they’d certainly be able to handle it. Finally, they got out of the car and approached the house. Laurana hastily slipped her mirrored sunglasses on to prevent anyone from seeing the glow from her blue eyes that the sun created.

Victoria rang the doorbell, and they waited patiently for someone to open it. After a few minutes, someone did – a tall brown-haired man who surveyed the two curiously. From the Immortal presence he emanated, they took him to be Steve St. Wolf. “Can I help you?” he asked cautiously.

“We’re looking for Steven St. Wolf,” Laurana said, her natural Spanish accent making her sound mature and cultured. “We have some rather important matters to discuss with him.”

“Well, I take it that both of you are much older than you appear to be,” he said. “I’m Steve St. Wolf. Please, come on in.” He led them into the living room, and gestured towards the couch.

“Isn’t this the part where you’re supposed to either play a joke on us or pull a gun?” Victoria asked impishly as she took a seat.

St. Wolf suddenly laughed. “Okay, who have you been talking to?”

“Clan Storm Shadow, for one,” she replied. “I’ve worked with them before, so if you want to call them, that’s fine.”

“Well, I would need to know your names, first,” St. Wolf said amiably.

“I’m Laurana Knight, and this is my partner Victoria d’Angelus,” Laurana replied. “We heard from a reliable source that you were involved in the extermination of most of the local vampires around Los Angeles and wanted to see for ourselves what was going-” She was interrupted by a familiar voice and the presence of another Immortal.

Victoria immediately recognized the brilliant emerald green aura, and winced at the sound of the voice that went with. “And that would be known as complete bullshit,” Oz said with a small grin as he entered the room. “Really, guys, what are you doing here?”

St. Wolf narrowed his eyes at the two, but more in confusion than anger. “So you do know them, Oz,” he stated, surveying Victoria’s slightly guilty face and Laurana’s amused smirk.

“How could I not? This is Tria to my Virate,” he said bending over to give Victoria a welcome kiss on the top of the head, “and I worked with this brat during World War One.” He squeezed Laurana’s shoulder in welcome, then walked around the couch. “Again, what are you two doing down here?”

“Exactly what ‘Rana said. We were bored and decided to come wreck some havoc with you guys,” Victoria said. “You can’t have all the fun.”

“My god, you *are* Victoria DiThon Kestral,” St. Wolf said, putting together bits of information in his head. “I’ve heard about you in the past few years, though Oz has neglected to mention that you were the infamous Tria.” He gestured at Laurana. “I’ve heard of you before, too, Laurana de Brabant. What organization are you involved in?”

“Victoria’s a Precept for the Legacy, but we’re not here on Legacy business,” Laurana replied. “And it’s Laurana Thompson at the moment. I’m here out of pure self-interest, Mr. St. Wolf. There’s something about the vampires that I don’t think your group knows, and I figured it was time you found out before you stepped on someone’s toes.”

Oz stared at her. “You’re going to tell him about the others? The Enforcers find out that they know and-“

“I’ve already spoken with the Enforcers based up in San Francisco, and they think it’s a good idea,” Laurana assured him. “So does Armand, the guy who runs Night Island over in Florida, and Victoria’s master friend in St. Louis. It can’t do any harm, and they should know.”

“Know what? Oh, and call me Steve,” the fourth person in the room said. Then he held up a hand. “Wait, don’t tell me yet – the others should be over for today’s meeting in a few minutes anyway.”

At that, they all heard the front door open and felt the presence of even more Immortals. Into the living room trouped faces that Victoria knew from her visit to Sunnydale five years ago, and a few she didn’t. The ones she did know all stopped and stared at her in shock.

“I remember you,” Buffy said, staring at Victoria, who shifted uncomfortably. “The last time you came down here, everything nearly went to hell.”

“And then you met me, and things did go to hell,” Steve said. That broke the sudden tension in the room, and the newcomers visibly relaxed. “Guys, this is Victoria DiThon Kestral and Laurana Thompson.” He began to tick off names, pointing the person out as he did so. “Buffy Summers, Xander Harris, Cordelia Chase, Willow Rosenburg, Rupert Giles, Jenny Calender, and Randi and Brian Jessup.” Everyone claimed seats and got comfortable. “Victoria and Laurana apparently have something important they want to tell us.” Many faces looked at them expectantly.

The two vampire-Immortals glanced at each other. At Laurana’s nod, Victoria began. “As you quite obviously know, vampires exist. Unfortunately, the ones around here that you have so nicely been killing off aren’t the only type in the world.” She paused and looked at each person in turn. “Some of you also know that I am part vampire, and that Angel was my sire. I am known as Victory among them. This is my kind, the Soulless. For with the exception of Angel and I, all vampires of our nature literally have no souls. That’s how the whole ‘body inhabited by a demon’ idea came about.”

Slowly, Buffy said, “You’re telling me that there are even more types of vampires in the world?” She sighed. “Goody, a couple more times the amount that I have to kill.”

Laurana gave a wry grin. “That’s where you’re wrong, Slayer. I am also part vampire. I am known as SunDescending among the Souled. We all have souls, and just like humans, act of our own free will. Some decide to embrace the whole ‘creature of darkness’ gig, but others, like my own sire, dislike it. You don’t have to slay us, because you wouldn’t survive after the first one you killed, even if they did like hanging around Hellmouths.”

Steve narrowed his eyes slightly at her. “Do you know how many vampires our group alone has killed in the last five years?”

“Probably a hell of a lot, but the Souled have what is known as Enforcers who prevent knowledge of their kind from getting out, and who protect their own,” Laurana replied. “I’ve done my stint as an Enforcer, and believe me, they are ruthless. Everyone in this room probably wouldn’t be able to stand up against a group of the same number of Enforcers. Unlike the Soulless, we have no qualms about fighting with modern styles.”

“You said they dislike knowledge about them leaking out; are we now in any danger?” Giles asked, his British accent tinged with concern.

Laurana shook her head. “I have permission from the San Francisco Enforcers to tell your group, Buffy. They like how you’re killing off all the Soulless.”

“’Cause face it, nobody likes the Soulless,” Victoria put in with a grin. “Annoying little creatures with absolutely no discretion.”

“Just out of curiosity,” Cordelia said, “What do the–Souled?–eat?”

“Blood, of course,” Laurana replied innocently. Then it dawned on her. “Oh, but not from living humans unless the human agrees first. My sire mostly lives off of cow’s blood since his guilt kick began a few years ago, but everyone else I know drinks bottled human blood. And before you ask, the blood comes from willing donors.”

“So that’s two down, what’s the next?” Willow asked, her face thoughtful.

“This is the easy one,” Victoria said with a small smile. “You guys have to know about those really cool Anne Rice books, right?” Everyone nodded. “Well, everything in those books is true. Lestat, Louis, Armand, they all exist. Anne is a mortal who fell into that crowd and published the books that Lestat, Louis, and the others wrote under her name. They’re known as the Undead.”

“But I thought that band back in 1990 was just a…a joke! You mean it really was a vampire?” Xander said, his eyes wide in shock.

“And I take it that the entire war happened, too?” Buffy asked quietly.

Surprisingly, Oz was the one who nodded. “I was in Greece during the massacres by Queen Akasha. I saw she and Lestat with my own eyes.” Everyone gaped at him.

“And to top it all off, Armand is my off and on boyfriend,” Laurana added. “I helped him come up with the idea of Night Island and set it all up.”

Brian, apparently the youngest of the Sunnydale group at seventeen, put his hands on the side of his head and said, “Whoa, brain rush. I love those books!”

Laurana smiled sweetly at him. “I could probably introduce you to whoever you want. Most of them know me.” Brian merely stared at her.

“So what’s the last?” Steve asked.

“The Corpses, but the name is a bit overkill,” Victoria replied. “Personally, I think the Corpses were the basis for the original Dracula. They become like corpses during the day and can almost pass as normal humans during the night. The group that I know best is up in St. Louis. I met the Master of the City’s second-in-command, Asher, when I was still mortal.”

“The Corpse Master vampires have the ability to call a certain type of animal, and the Master of the City’s is the wolf. One of his pet werewolves is the third member of mine and Victoria’s triumvirate,” Oz added quietly.

“And that’s it,” Laurana said. “The Souled won’t come any where near a Hellmouth, the Undead really don’t care about them, and the Soulless are preventing any Corpse masters from setting up shop in Los Angeles. Basically, don’t worry about any other types of vampires.”

“But how can we tell whether they’re Soulless or not?” Buffy asked.

“The Soulless are the only ones who get the funky eyebrow thing going when they shift into vampiric form,” Victoria replied. “Believe me, you’ll be able to tell.”

“Great,” she complained. “So the number just went from three to six.”

The two new arrivals froze at this remark. Literally. Victoria’s glanced around at the group before settling her eyes on Oz. “Care to explain, Theolus?”

Knowing that Victoria only called him his real name when she was beginning to be pissed off, Oz felt it wise to stick to the truth. “We’ve actually come across two other types of vampires,” he explained slowly. “Known as the Forgiven and the Living.”

Victoria sighed as she and Laurana exchanged sharp looks. “Gods, I really hate it when that happens.”

“What?” Jenny asked, surprised that the two Immortals weren’t incredibly angry. She and Giles had heard stories about Victoria DiThon Kestral from Joe Dawson when the girl lived in Seacouver, Washington, five years ago.

“When Victoria and I start to think that we have a handle on the world,” Laurana said with a wry grin. “And then someone comes along and dumps us on our asses. Oh, well. We’ve dealt before, we can do it again.”

“So is that the only reason you two came down here?” Oz asked. “Knowing you two, I doubt it.”

“The Storm Shadow Ninja Clan, whom I believe you guys know of,” Victoria said, “has been keeping San Francisco clear of Soulless with the police’s Special Investigations Unit so the Legacy doesn’t get swamped. I was due for a vacation anyway, and Laurana asked whether I wanted to come down here and go on a real hunt. Mind if we do that for a few nights? You guys could have a vacation.”

“Actually, I’m kind of interested in seeing you in action, if you don’t mind,” Steve said suddenly. “And I’d like Buffy and Randi – they’re my students – to spar with other, well, small Immortals, too. I think they’re getting bored with Oz and I.” Buffy and Randi rolled their eyes, but Victoria and Laurana nodded.

Laurana studied the two young Immortals for a few seconds. “I’m sure we’ve got a few tricks we could teach you that the guys don’t know. We’d be glad to.” At the mention of tricks, the two girls perked right up.

Part 4 ~ An Unexpected Guest

(But He's Cute, So He's Always Welcome)

That evening, Victoria, Laurana, Oz, Steve, and Buffy left the house and headed for the cemetery, armed for a hunt. There might not be any vampires, but Victoria and Laurana didn’t care. They just wanted to get into the feeling of it. The two had been the tossing around the idea of introducing the Sunnydale group to their version of vampire “war games” – an eclectic mixture of hide-and-seek and capture the flag – and wanted to discuss the idea with Steve and Buffy.

Surprisingly, they loved the idea, though Oz only laughed. He’d played before, when a big group of the “kid” Immortals had gotten together at Victoria’s ranch about fifteen years ago. The city of Katherine, Australia, had been an interesting place that week. With vampires only appearing sporadically during patrols for the past few months, Steve was worried that the group was getting a bit lax. The five decided to do some basic patrolling that night and talk it over with the others the next day.

While nearing the cemetery, Victoria and Oz suddenly stopped in their tracks and looked at each other in surprise. Then they turned around to stare back down the sidewalk. The other three in the group gave cries of surprise as a brilliant red light flashed.

The werewolf Jason, otherwise known as Umver in Victoria and Oz’s triumvirate, appeared in front of them, a look of intense surprise on his face. “Wow, I totally wasn’t expecting that. What’s going on?”

Oz and Victoria glanced at each other and shrugged. “Nothing that we know of. Is something going down in St. Louis that you need us for?”

Jason shook his head, the mystified look slowly receding. “Things have actually been pretty quiet for awhile. I guess Triaumvervirate just decided to pop me over here for the hell of it. Maybe something’s about to happen.”

“Who knows?” Victoria said with a smile. “But come here and give me a hug, Wolf-boy.”

“Don’t call me that,” the short blond werewolf said amiably, but he did as directed. Quite easily, he lifted the taller girl up and swung her around in greeting. Then Jason released her and pulled Oz into a hug also.

“So are you going to try and go back?” Oz asked when they broke apart.

“I probably should,” Jason replied. “Jean-Claude doesn’t know where I am.”

Victoria gave him a sad face. “We need to make plans to get together some time soon. You and Oz need to come to San Francisco.”

Jason nodded. “Yeah, I’d love to. I’ll call you tomorrow, Oz.” He stepped away from the group and closed his eyes in concentration.

“Ah, nothings happening,” Buffy suggested. She remembered Willow’s story about this man when Victoria had appeared in Sunnydale five years ago.

Opening his eyes, Jason shrugged. “Won’t work. I guess our patron wants me here.” He glanced around at the suburban neighborhood. “I’m guessing that I’m in Sunnydale, because I can feel the Hellmouth. But where are you guys heading?” Then he studied Buffy, Steve, and Laurana. “And Laurana, I know. But who are you two?”

Part 5 ~ Surprises

(And Oz Better Be Glad That He’s Immortal, Because Willow Ain’t Too Happy)

That night, Oz suggested that the two girls and Jason stay at his house. The three immediately took him up on the offer, and while Steve and Buffy continued to patrol, Oz led them home.

At eight the next morning, Willow arrived at her boyfriend’s house so they could head for their morning workout at Steve’s together. Though she had seen the car in the driveway next to Oz’s beat-up van, the Amazon was still rather surprised when she entered the kitchen to find Laurana sitting there with a steaming mug and reading the newspaper. Remembering the blond woman’s revelation about herself the night before, she couldn’t help but ask, “Good morning. What’s for breakfast?”

Laurana gave the redhead a rather strange look. “I usually just have coffee. Want some?” Willow nodded, thankful that the vampire hadn’t read too much into her inquiry.

The vampire in question smiled to herself as she stood to pour Willow some coffee from the pot. The poor girl was probably in shock from yesterday’s information session – either that or she was tougher than she looked. At least she hadn’t gone screaming from the room at the sight of her. That had happened before, too.

Willow took a grateful sip and asked, “Where’s Oz?”

“In the living room,” Laurana automatically replied, returning to the article she was reading. Willow nodded her thanks and left the kitchen. It suddenly hit Laurana what she’d just said. “Oh, shit,” she muttered. Then she grinned. This she had to see.

She headed out of the kitchen after the girl, and stopped in the hall behind her. Willow was gazing into the room dispassionately. Laurana could understand why. Oz had pulled out the sofa bed for Victoria and Jason so that Laurana could have the guestroom, but then the four had stayed up until two o’clock in the morning talking and trading stories.

Oz was actually still leaning against the back of the couch, his features calmed by sleep. Victoria was leaning against his chest, his arms wrapped protectively around her. And Jason rounded out the triumvirate by sleeping with his head resting on Victoria’s stomach, a hand reached up to clasp one of Oz’s.

Willow turned around without a word and walked back towards the kitchen. Laurana quietly followed. When the human girl left her cup of coffee on the table and prepared to leave the house, Laurana called out, “Willow, wait.”

The expression on her face had become slightly less poleaxed and was turning rather angry. “What?” she asked.

“I know how you probably feel,” Laurana replied calmly. “I’m certainly no stranger to jealousy after nearly four hundred years, especially when it comes to those three. But before you get too pissed off, I want to tell you a story.” The redhead sighed and nodded once, then followed Laurana back into the kitchen. After they were seated, Laurana began. “Okay, this is the tale of what happened right after they became a triumvirate. Their patron of threes didn’t explain crap, so they were rather confused. I was the lucky one they called for help as the only person they could think of who would both believe them *and* not tie them up and immediately try to exorcise them…”

Fifteen minutes, Willow was giggling her head off at the story Laurana was telling. When Oz walked into the kitchen and asked, “What’s so funny?” she nearly fell off her chair laughing. Oz glared at Laurana, whom he knew had something to do with it, but the vampire-Immortal merely smiled innocently.

Victoria appeared behind the werewolf, her head tossed back in a yawn. She unconsciously reached up to caress Oz’s neck, but caught Willow’s look in time. Instead, she kept the hand going to run it through her hair. Catching sight of the coffeepot, she immediately headed over to pour herself a cup. “So,” she said. “What’s up for today?”

Oz headed towards Willow to give her a welcome kiss on the top of the head. After accepting a cup from Victoria, he called down the hall, “Jason, I know you’re awake!” A disgruntled moan echoed back. Oz shook his head. “Lazy bum. What’s he been *doing* in St. Louis? Tria, ‘Rana, want to join us for our workout session over at Steve’s house?”

The two girls traded glances and nodded at him. “Why not?” Laurana said. “As I recall, you still owe me that third round.”

“What’s she mean?” Willow asked when Oz cursed under his breath.

“Oh, the Oz-man there and I had a contest going to see who was the best at hand-to-hand. We’re even at the moment, because something came up before we could finish.”

“Yes, but this time I’m laying down some rules,” Victoria said pointedly. “You two are vicious when you get together.”

“But then what fun would it be?” Laurana and Oz replied at the same time. Willow laughed. She immediately realized that she should never have been jealous. Oz treated these girls as kid-sisters. The way he had kept hold of her hand from the moment he sat down only assured her of this.

Jason finally made an appearance. “Hey, I remember you,” he said with a glance at Willow. “You two are still together? Good.”

Part 6 ~ A Warning

(Laurana Finally Meets Her Match)

An hour later, the group arrived at Steve’s house and headed for the practice room. Xander and Cordelia had beaten them there and were already sparring lightly with staffs. Jason plopped himself down in a corner to watch the show as Victoria and Willow continued their conversation on auras, and Oz and Laurana warmed up.

After Xander tapped out from the tangle he’d gotten himself into with two wooden sticks and an Amazon, he turned to face Jason. “Who the hell are you?”

“Jason,” the blond werewolf instantly replied. “Who the hell are you?”

Xander was stunned by the complete turnaround and looked to Oz for help. He quickly made introductions.

“So, Toria, what are the rules?” Laurana asked after she’d finished stretching. She and Oz looked at the other Immortal expectantly.

Victoria rolled her eyes. “First of all, don’t kill each other. I don’t want Willow pissed at you, ‘Rana. Virate, you can’t shift into third form and use your claws. Same goes for Laurana, no flying around the room, and again, don’t lose it and try to drain him.” She grinned. “Otherwise, I don’t care.”

“What’s the bet?” Xander asked. “There’s gotta be one.”

“If Laurana wins, she gets to drink from Oz,” Jason replied. “If Oz wins, she has to donate blood next full moon. And hopefully Virate will share.”

“You bet blood?” Cordelia said with a face. “That’s disgusting.”

Out of habit, Laurana had been avoiding the patches of sunlight in the room. At that, she stepped directly towards Cordelia. As the direct sunlight hit her, her light blue eyes began to glow slightly, and she arched an eyebrow at the Amazon. “Don’t tell me that after a couple years of hunting vampires you are afraid of a little blood.”

“Of course not,” Cordelia retorted. “And I’ve been fighting these things for almost seven years. Not just ‘a couple.’”

Laurana laughed softly. “And I, child, am three hundred and seventy six years old and have been a vampire for all but fifteen of those years.”

Cordelia immediately began to retort, but Victoria beat her to it. “Lay off her, SunDescending. Now.”

Laurana turned her cocky gaze onto her fellow teenage Immortal. “Or what, Victory?”

“Or I will call Lucien LaCroix and tell him about that stunt you pulled last December” was the immediate reply.

“You wouldn’t. That’s blackmail.”

“Try me, ‘Rana. Don’t antagonize the humans.”

“Hey, I don’t need anyone to defend me!” Cordelia exclaimed.

Jason looked at her appraisingly, ignoring Xander’s glare. “No, a gorgeous one like you wouldn’t. But can we get back to the fight?” He was interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell and gave a disgusted look.

An “I’ll get it!” was heard in the small gym, so they again looked at Oz and Laurana. “Well?” Jason said.

Both moved into the center of the floor and dropped into their ready positions. Oz took a deep breath and went into a boxer’s stance, fists up to protect the face. Laurana also turned and went into a martial artist’s fighting stance, bouncing loosely on the balls of her feet. Oz immediately swung out a right hook towards Laurana’s face, who merely leaned back and launched a roundhouse kick into his ribs. The observers plainly heard ribs crack under Laurana’s vampiric strength, but Oz retaliated mere seconds later with a sidekick that earned her a few bruised ribs herself.

From there on in, it became a test of alternating speed and strength. Where Laurana had a vampire’s speed and strength, Oz had a wolf’s endurance – one of the few vampiric gifts his opponent couldn’t draw on. But her eclectic mixture of tae kwon do, ninjitsu, and judo constantly kept Oz guessing. However, Oz retaliated in his own way by setting up a pattern.

Victoria immediately realized what it was her Virate was doing and knew exactly how Laurana would fall for it. She always did.

When Oz threw out the jab to the solar plexus, Laurana reflexively blocked, then sent an uppercut into his chin. He evaded it by simply leaning back and throwing a simple forty-five degree roundhouse, hitting his knee into her open side, then grabbing both her wrists and using their combined momentum to send her crashing to the ground. Without letting go of her wrists, he followed her down until he was sitting on her stomach and pinning her wrists above her head. She tried to knee him in the back, but he was kneeling to far forward for her to get in a hard hit.

“Damn it all to the nine hells, Theolus!” she snarled. But the observers could easily see the wide grin on her face. “That’s one of the moves *I* taught you!”

“And thanks for falling for it. Now I get a month off from the Madness.” Jason harrumphed from his seat on the floor. “Umver, too.”

At that note, Steve St. Wolf entered the room. With an odd glance at Oz and Laurana on the floor, he said, “I opened the door, but there was only a note on the front mat. Buffy and I have no idea what it means.” Oz helped Laurana up, Jason did the same for Victoria and Willow, and the seven followed him into the living room where Buffy was waiting. After all had taken seats, Steve scanned the note again, looked up, and shrugged. “No clue.”

“So tell us what it says and maybe we can figure it out,” Cordelia said, stating the obvious.

“Okay, the front only says ‘Time's up.’ But the back has a list of names on it,” Steve said. “I recognize a few, but not most of them. ‘Justin Le Faye, Kane Nalamas, Gwendolyn Carter-Utah, Jonathan Utah, Cassandra Hastings, Thomas Standish, Pallas Minerva, Erik von Strausse, Earth Borne, Elizabet Aspen, Kenneth Mason, Talvar Shamar, and Grey.’”

Victoria’s face had grown paler and paler as the list was read. She closed her eyes and began silently mouthing words. No one in the room had any doubt that she was uttering some highly paint-blistering oaths. Laurana looked grim. “That’s a hit list,” she said.

“For who?” Buffy asked.

With a hard look, Victoria opened her eyes and gazed about the room. “For me. Someone out there knows exactly who to kill to destroy me.” She gave a grim smile. “But someone didn’t do their homework. All of those on the list are immortals of one type or another. Or at least,” she corrected, “they’re very, very hard to kill.”

“So who are they?” Xander asked curiously. “How are they so important to you? You’re a vamp-“ He stopped when he realized what he was about to say.

She stood up and walked towards one of the windows, letting the sunlight spill over her in a golden glow. She spread her arms and looked at him. “Do you see any flames of the damned? I am not a true vampire, Xander.” She headed back to her seat, but detoured and sat on Jason’s lap in one of the armchairs. Curling up and laying her head on his shoulder for comfort, she continued. “An answer to your question, though…” Steve silently handed over the list. “To start nicely off, Justin Le Faye is pretty much the other half of my soul. Kane Nalamas was my first student, and he hasn’t even reached thirty yet. Gwendolyn Carter-Utah is the woman I consider my mother, and Johnny Utah is her husband. Cassandra and Thomas Standish are, in essence, my other surrogate parents. Erik von Strausse is practically my big brother, and I love Pallas Minerva like a daughter – hell, I helped raise her.”

“Then that makes her my daughter, too, remember,” Oz reminded her quietly. “And not just because of that, Tria, but don’t think you can fight this thing alone.”

Victoria smiled at him gratefully and continued. “Earth Borne is a good friend, and Elizabet and Kenny are two people I’ve known for many, many years.  And Talvar and Grey are old friends, too.”

“Someone must really want to get under your skin,” Cordelia remarked. Victoria nodded glumly.

Suddenly Oz stiffened in his seat. Trading glances with Laurana and Jason, he said, “I think I know who it is.”

Victoria’s eyes widened. “Who?”

“Angus Sheridan,” Laurana replied slowly.

“That’s impossible. Oz killed him.”

The sixteen-hundred-year-old Immortal began to look decidedly uncomfortable. “Not exactly…”

Part 7 ~ The Deal

(A Blast from the Past)

“So let me get this straight,” Buffy said when Oz finished speaking. “Before the three of you became this tria – trium – whatever, Victoria was the second-in-command of an Immortal druglord who threatened to kill her without a challenge if she tried to escape.”

“Drugs?” Steve asked Victoria, a hard look on his face.

She raised her hands in defense. “It was over ten years ago, St. Wolf. Don’t tell me you’ve never done something you’re not too proud of today.”

Buffy continued, “And after the three of you bonded or something, you decided you had enough power to take out this Sheridan guy. So you attacked his summer estate with some friends.”

“Basically,” Victoria replied. “’Rana was with us, and some others came for the fun.” She glanced at the list in her hand. “Four of the people on this list were with us, actually. I ended up getting killed in the gunfight, and when I woke up, I was told that Oz had killed Sheridan.” Her eyes shot daggers at the werewolf.

“But he’s still alive?” Willow asked.

Oz nodded miserably. “He made a deal with me. We would leave peacefully, and Sheridan would let Victoria go for ten years. This summer marks ten years.”

“Well, this is absolutely brilliant,” Victoria said. “Nobody thought to tell me all this?”

“You would have wanted to go back after him,” Laurana explained calmly. “He would have had you shot and then taken your head. That’s exactly what he said.”

“So now I’m not old enough to make my own decisions? I’m not suicidal,” she retorted.

“And what happens if Sheridan goes after the first name on this list?” Jason asked. “And Justin loses? You would beg him to take your head.” Victoria could not think of anything to say at that. Especially since she knew it was true.

She jumped when the phone rang, and Jason wrapped his arms comfortingly around her. Cordelia was closest, so she picked up the phone and said, “St. Wolf residence.” Then she handed the receiver to Victoria with a look of surprise. “It’s for you.”

Gesturing to Willow to turn on the speaker, she said, “This is Victoria DiThon Kestral.”

“Well, well, well,” came a distinct voice from her past. “So my agent was right. You are back in Sunnydale. Remind me, Kestral, isn’t that where the whole mess started?”

“Screw you, Sheridan,” Victoria instantly replied. “There’s no way in hell you’ll get me to work for you again. It was bad enough the first time.”

“But Kestral, I had a deal with your friend Ozcorun. Ten years,” Sheridan replied smoothly. Steve grimaced at the syrupy smoothness to this guy’s voice. Slick was definitely the word for the man. “However, I’m fond of deals, as you well know. And I’m prepared to make another one. Your attack on my estate in 1993 was very badly executed. In three days I will arrive at the abandoned power plant outside of Sunnydale and set up a base, then you may attack. If you succeed, I will never contact you again.”

“It’s a tempting offer, Sheridan,” Victoria said, rolling her eyes to the amusement of those present. “But I’m afraid I’ll have to decline. Your worthless hide is just that – not worth my time or effort.”

“Then think of this as an ultimatum, Kestral. In four days, I will begin sending agents out to every name on the list I provided you. You can’t protect them all.” There came a click, then a dial tone.

This time Victoria did not curse silently. Oz, Laurana, and Steve recognized it as Gaelic, but fortunately did not understand a word. The other teenagers in the room also looked glad to be unable to translate. When she finished, Victoria looked at Steve. “Can I borrow your phone to make some long distance calls? I’ll pay you back.”

He shook his head. “Go for it, and don’t worry about the money.” She nodded her head in thanks and began to dial when Oz suddenly said, “Wait!”

“What?” Laurana asked.

“Why not take him up on the offer?” Oz explained. “Sheridan’s right, we went in ten years ago not knowing anything. This time we can win easily.”

Victoria scanned the note still in her hand and did some quick thinking. “Pallas is in LA, and I think Von is too – we can call them in. Kane is safe with another Legacy member. Mom and Johnny are at their hidden estate, and Elizabet and Kenny are in Germany, so they’ll all be okay. I trust everyone else to take care of themselves.”

“So we only get Pallas and Von this time?” Oz asked. “What about Justin?”

“I called him to check in last night when you were paying the pizza guy. He’s been called to Houston on Legacy business, and I absolutely refuse to call in the San Francisco House to help,” Victoria replied.

“So get hold of Von and Pallas,” Laurana said. “Then I’ll call my daughter Jenna to help. She lives in LA, too.” Meanwhile, Steve’s group looked on in amazement. And they thought that they, as the leaders of Section Seven, were efficient when it came to calling in reinforcements!

Jason did a quick count on his fingers. “We’re going in with a lot less than last time. If all three of them can come, we only have seven.”

“No, you have a lot more than that,” Steve said, making a snap decision. “I, for one, don’t leave friends hanging.”

Victoria and Laurana looked at each other, then back at Steve. “I can already find two things wrong with that,” Victoria said slowly. “I’m not in your Section Seven, besides the fact that you only met me yesterday. And even if I was in Section Seven, this isn’t some fight against vampires or demons. This is against your average druglord. Thanks, Steve, but it’s my fight.” At that, she stood up and headed for the next room to make her phone calls. Laurana followed silently.

Steve looked at Oz, who shrugged. “On Victoria’s behalf, I’ll thank you for the help, Steve. She has a thing against accepting help, even when she needs it, from those whom she doesn’t trust completely.”

“And believe me, it’s a hard earned trust,” Jason put it.

Part 8 ~ Help

(What You Need When You Team Three Vampires With Vampire Hunters.)

By evening, Victoria had finally accepted the fact that Steve’s offer would not be turned down. Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Cordelia had volunteered to help out, too, but everyone had agreed to not call in anyone else unless they really needed the backup. Victoria was about to die of embarrassment enough as it was.

She had talked privately with Steve while helping him make dinner. After they had traded stories of various military experiences, the two had come to an understanding of sorts. Victoria was quite impressed by all Steve had done, both as a mortal and an Immortal. Steve, in turn, was rather surprised to learn about her involvement in various wars in the past, especially World War Two.

At seven o’clock exactly the doorbell rang, and after checking the security cameras, Buffy answered. She led three people into the living room. One was a tall man with closely cropped black hair and intense hazel eyes, whom Victoria introduced as her close friend Erik von Strausse. He immediately told the group to call him “Von.” Oz introduced the next as Pallas Minerva, a woman who looked to be in her early twenties with brunette hair in a waist length braid and bluish-gray eyes that curiously resembled Victoria’s.

The two Amazons, Willow and Cordelia, glanced at each other at the sound of her name. “Any relation to Athena?” Cordelia asked curiously.

Pallas cocked her eyebrow at her. “If you mean the actual Greek goddess, no. But I am known in Immortal circles by that name.”

Steve nodded. He’d heard of her, an Immortal woman rumored to be close to the famed Methos’ age. Yet Victoria and Oz had claimed to help raise her, so he was beginning to have doubts. Something to investigate later. He looked at the third new arrival, another apparent teenager. But he didn’t think this Native American girl was an Immortal. “And you are?” he asked.

“This is Jenna Moonshadow,” Laurana replied.

“Please, call me Twilight, though,” she said in curiously accented English.

“Interesting nickname,” Xander said.

Twilight smiled thinly. “Yes, it is,” she answered mysteriously, then looked up at Laurana from her spot on the floor next to the vampire-Immortal’s feet. “So, I am here, Mother, yet I have no idea what is going on. Care to explain?” Von and Pallas also nodded, and Victoria gave them the rundown.

“And I’m still pissed at all of you for not telling me,” she finished. “This time I’m making sure he’s dead.” She jumped when Xander’s watch beeped, a sure sign to all that knew her well that she was extremely nervous.

“Sorry, guys, but Cordy and I have to go patrol,” he explained. “It’s sundown.”

“Can we plan on meeting here tomorrow morning at nine to begin making plans?” Willow asked. “I want to go with you, Xand.” Everyone agreed, and after loading up, the teenagers left, including Oz.

Steve and Buffy were left alone with the five newcomers. “So, what are you three doing in Los Angeles?” Buffy asked casually.

“I’ve spent six months here and six months in Greece every year for the past twelve,” Pallas replied. “Oz’s house is technically owned by me, in fact, but I usually live in an apartment in the city. I’m an actress, and I also do stuntwork, ‘cause you know, injuries on me don’t mean much,” she added with a wry grin.

Von spoke next. “I’m actually only here for a month, settling the estate of a client who died recently. I live in New York City.”

“Von is a money man,” Victoria said with a grin. “He loves the play with the stuff. Hell, he’s got control of virtually all mine.”

“And mine,” both Pallas and Laurana echoed with smiles.

“I run a dance club downtown,” Twilight volunteered. “The Twilight Mists. You two should come check it out.”

“I’ve heard of it,” Buffy said. “Very Gothic place.”

Twilight nodded. “It’s the preternatural capital of Los Angeles if you’re not a demon or Soulless vamp. I publicize it as neutral territory, so all the werecreature groups like the wolves and panthers can interact in peace. I do a lot of diplomatic stuff with them.”

“It’s an awesome place,” Pallas supplied. “I hang out there a lot.”

“Why not the vampires?” Steve asked. “The, ah, Soulless ones, I mean.”

“I won’t even let them in the door,” Twilight replied adamantly. “There’s plenty of other places they can go wreck havoc in. The Souled and the Corpses have to have *some* place they can come when they’re visiting LA.”

Buffy smiled. “If vampires hang out there, I doubt I would be welcome.”

Twilight tossed her hand in dismissal. “Please. We know the Slayer only hunts the Soulless. We can clean up our own messes and keep our own people in control. Just don’t bring your funky glowing sword or come with the intention of violence, and you’re always welcome. The Wanderer, too.”

“Wait, how do you know who we are?” Steve asked.

“Preternatural capital also means information capital,” Twilight replied. “I’ve kept track of you two over the past five years. Make sure the other non-Soulless vamps know to avoid you.”

“’Other’ vamps?” Steve suddenly said.

Laurana and Victoria grinned at each other, knowing that this had had to come up sooner or later. Twilight glanced suspiciously up at Laurana. “Mother,” she drawled, “you didn’t tell them?” Laurana laughed and shook her head.

Twilight sighed and again looked at a confused Buffy and Steve. “I’m sorry, I thought she’d have told you. I’m a vampire – one of the Souled.”

“Correction, the oldest Souled in permanent residence of the entire city and surrounding areas of Los Angeles,” Laurana said. “Master of the City, if you want to get really technical.”

Shrugging modestly, Twilight merely said, “I’m small fries compared to a lot of other Masters. I only stay here because the Southwest is my home. I had to leave Santa Fe when a Corpse vampire moved in permanently and killed all the other vamps not under her control off fifty years ago.”

“Details, details,” Victoria said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

“I have an idea,” Laurana said suddenly. She looked at Steve and said, “You were worried about your group getting lax. Since Twilight’s here, can the two of us go jump them?”

He looked slightly doubtful. “I don’t want you to get hurt, Twilight…”

She laughed. “One of the perks of my sire being part Immortal, besides the fact that the Souled don’t turn to dust if you stake us anyway, is that a stake to the heart won’t kill me. It’s like Victoria; just pull it out and I’ll eventually heal.” She paused for a moment. “It’ll take a couple hours and hurt like hell, but it’ll heal.”

“I haven’t gone on a decent hunt in awhile either,” Pallas said. “Can I go, too?”

Buffy finally answered. “Just don’t hurt any of my friends, and I don’t care.” The three women rose to their feet and waved goodbye as they headed out the door.

Victoria laughed after they left. “Gluttons for punishment, the lot of them. But I deserve it. Pallas and Twilight are the closest things I’ve got to daughters, and they both take after me.” She also stood up. “Well, it’s late. Pallas will undoubtedly want to stay at her house, so she can have the guestroom at Oz’s house. Laurana and Twilight can take the sofa bed, and Jason can just shift form and sleep on the floor – he won’t care. Want to go get a room at the Sunnydale Motel, Von?”

The rather quiet man stood up to join her. “Sure. It is very nice to finally meet you, Steve St. Wolf. You’re very young, but you’ve already caused quite a stir,” Von said. At that, he and Victoria headed out the door.

Part 9 ~ Plans

(A Jam Session Between Twelve Warriors)

Again, the entire group met at Steve’s house the next day, a little before noon. The schedule of the day was to create a workable plan of attack on the power station, using the next day to gather necessary supplies. Brunch was muffins fresh from the bakery that Victoria and Von picked up, and the group again gathered in the living room.

“Well, first things first,” Victoria started as she sat on the floor between Jason and Oz. “And I’m sure most of you will agree with me. The humans are the backup plan.”

“Hey!” Xander protested. “We’ve got fighting experience! You can’t just shove us into the background!”

“She’s not,” Von replied calmly. “You say you have fighting experience. When have you ever gone into battle without backup?”

Steve noted that Von was definitely a fellow warrior. The man reminded him of one of the Knights of the Grail, actually. “I agree. Xander, Cordelia, and Willow, you three are communications and heavy weaponry. Anybody mind if I create a chain of command?” There were no immediate arguments, so he continued “Victoria and I are in charge, with Buffy and Oz right behind us. Then Von and Laurana.” Heads nodded in agreement.

Victoria took a bite of her blueberry muffin and continued, “All righty then. Scouts. I nominate Twilight and Jason for obvious reasons.” Steve, Buffy, Willow, Cordelia, and Xander merely looked at her in confusion. She gently smacked her forehead. “Sorry, I’m used to working in groups where everyone knows everyone else’s capabilities already. Twilight will hide in the rafters-“ Victoria pointed to the roof on the plans for the power station Willow had found “-and can give us info through Laurana. The Souled are telepathically connected to their sires, besides the fact that they can fly,” she added in explanation. “Jason can shift to wolf-form and sneak around back. He’ll guard the exit and make sure Sheridan doesn’t escape out the back door.” The young man in question grinned slyly.

Taking up the trail of thought, Buffy continued, “Steve, Victoria, Laurana, and I will be in the first wave of attack. Then Oz, Von, and Pallas can come in as second wave.”

“By that time I'll start taking the enemy out from the rear,” Twilight added. “It won’t slow me down if I get shot. As opposed to my dear sire.” She smiled sweetly at Laurana.

“Hey, who’s the reason you’re over a hundred years old?” Laurana instantly replied. It sounded like an old by-play.

“Cordy and I will stay with the van in case the heavy artillery is needed,” Xander said. “Willow will provide magical backup if also required.”

Pallas perked up at that. “You’re a…what? Witch? Sorceress?”

“Wiccan,” Willow replied shyly.

“Okay, then we need to collaborate on a shielding spell I’ve got,” Pallas replied. “I’ve got all the supplies, but only a human can actually activate it.”

“Sure,” the redhead agreed. “We can do that tonight.”

After that, the conversation spiraled into a debate on logistics between Steve, Buffy, Victoria, Oz, and Von. Pallas headed for the kitchen to make some tea, and Twilight and Willow followed her.

While Twilight quietly used her cell phone to call one of her club managers with an estimated time she’d be back to Los Angeles, Willow talked to Pallas. “Why do you call us humans instead of mortals?” she quietly asked.

Pallas smiled warmly at her. “You know Jason out there? He’s a werewolf. But like there are many types of vampires, so there are of werecreatures. Even if Oz wasn’t Immortal, there’s a pretty decent chance he’d still be alive today because of the type of werewolf he is. Of course, he would probably look a little older,” Pallas added thoughtfully, “but still alive. Jason, however, will live to the age of maybe fifty, if he’s lucky. He’s not even a dominant wolf, so he has to rely on the pack leader in St. Louis for protection.”

“But what about when he’s with Oz and Victoria?” came the next question. Twilight shut down her cell phone and began listening in on the conversation.

“Watch him closely. If he can, he will rely on them for clues of how to act in any given situation. It bugs the crap out of Victoria,” Pallas said. The water boiled, so she poured it into her cup and began stirring slowly. “I have hope, though,” she said. “Their demented patron obviously put them together for a reason. Maybe Jason will end up a long-lived freak, too, to coin a phrase from my illustrious godmother.”

That startled Willow. “Godmother?” she asked.

“Oh, yeah. Victoria,” the Immortal lady said. “If I hadn’t died in that car crash and become Immortal, I most likely would have become a Watcher. That’s what my adoptive parents were. They were the Watchers and friends of Toria and Oz, and the two of them helped raise me.” She paused. “I’ll let you in on a little secret. Twilight already knows.” The vampire grinned. “A lot of Immortals have famous nicknames: Highlander, Stalker, Victory, Justice, SunDescending, et cetera. And now the Wanderer and Slayer are making quite a name for themselves. But about twenty years ago, rumors of an Immortal called Athena started spreading. She is thought to be only slightly younger than the mysterious Methos.”

Willow started giggling. “It’s you, isn’t it!”

“Yep,” Pallas replied with a grin. “I am a mere fifty-four years of age. Very, very young in the grand scheme of things. Figured this would help scare off the maniacal headhunters.”

“Besides the fact that the maniacal headhunters wouldn’t get very far with some of the friends Pallas has got in LA that don’t play the Game,” Twilight added as she snagged a sip of Pallas’ tea. “Myself included. Anyway, Hawaii’s got everything covered for about the next two weeks at the club, so I’m free to help out Toria.” Willow smiled. These mysterious women were exactly the types that Section Seven had amongst its members. She would have to bring that up with Steve and Buffy…

Part 10 ~ Suspense

(The Requisite Drawing Of It All Out)

“Well, it had to happen sooner or later,” Twilight commented to Laurana as they sat together on the back stoop of Steve’s house. They and Von were quietly observing the heated argument taking place before them.

“Yep. I visited them in Greece about six or seven years ago,” the vampire-Immortal replied. “It happened then, too.” She closed her eyes and relaxed further as Von gently massaged her shoulders. It was his payback for accidentally running her through that morning while they sparred.

“I’m confused,” Von put in. “I’ve heard of the Immortal Athena. Why are they arguing about her?”

“Because the adult looking, yet certainly not acting, Immortal in front you with Victoria *is* the mysterious Athena,” Twilight replied. Von grinned and nodded

“At least they’ll forget about it before we go in tonight,” Laurana said. She opened her eyes again to study the two Immortals standing before her. Neither of them yelled when they were angry, but both fully employed the use of sarcasm.

“Nobody goes after Methos because he is a myth,” Victoria said with a calm façade, but her eyes were flashing in the light from the porch. “But sooner or later, someone will decide to try for you.”

“And you don’t think I can take them?” Pallas snarled right back. “I am an adult. Unlike some people I know.”

Victoria flushed with anger. “Cheap shot, Minerva. And you know it.”

Pallas threw up her hands. “I’m running out of arguments, Kestral! Work with me here!”

Both stared at each other silently for a long moment, then started laughing uncontrollably. Soon they were both sitting in the grass gasping for breath. Victoria caught hers first and said, “I think you’ve been hanging around movie directors for too long. You’re starting to sound like one.”

Wiping away a tear and holding back more giggles, Pallas replied, “I can’t help it. It’s catching.”

At that, Oz appeared on the porch. “Are you two quite done? It’s time to move out.”

Pallas got to her feet first and helped her godmother up. “Let’s go, Toria. Time to kick some Sheridan ass.”

With a piercing glare at Oz as they walked by him, Victoria replied, “If some people didn’t keep secrets, we wouldn’t need to.”

Willow latched onto Oz’s hand as the entire group headed for the cars. “Is Victoria very mad at you? She hasn’t spoken to you much.”

Oz shook his head as he climbed in the driver’s seat of his van. Willow shut the door to the passenger’s side, and Jason climbed in the back. “Nah. It’s just for appearances.”

“It’s impossible for us to be mad at each other for long,” Jason supplied from the back. “Filters through the bond we have and creates massive headaches.”

“In other words, it’s not worth it,” Oz finished. Then the convoy of car, van, and two SUVs headed out of Bryant Terrace and towards the abandoned power station.

Part 11 ~ Interlude

(I Can’t Think Of Anything Funny So I’ll Just Say “Uh Oh.”)

With a final muttered Latin phrase, Sheridan threw the powdered sulfur into the circle marked with ram’s blood. His mortal henchmen stood in a row behind him, armed to the teeth against both the arriving force and in case whatever was summoned turned against its new master.

A pillar of dusky gray smoke rose from the concrete floor and coalesced into a tall thin figure. “I AM THE MASTER OF SEVEN, CALLED SETENVIREBUSALUS. WHO SUMMONS ME?” The monster had pale and wrinkled skin, was dressed in a grubby brown robe, and looked utterly human – except for it’s astounding height of seven feet and the seven eyes that circled it’s bald head. The side with the small nose and mouth faced Sheridan.

“I am the Immortal Angus Sheridan,” the druglord calmly replied. “I have need of you.”

“WHAT FOR, IMMORTAL?” the demon asked. “AND WHAT HAVE YOU IN RETURN FOR ME?”

“I need your help against an enemy. And in turn I offer you your strongest rival,” Sheridan replied. “The demon Triaumvervirate.”

Part 12 ~ Final Check

(Here We Go, Into The Wild Black Yonder…)

The convoy stopped near a grove of woods about a quarter mile away from the old power station. Everyone met to have a last minute meeting. The group was dressed in their usual battle outfits. The Sunnydale brigade had on black battle armor used by the Knights of the Grail. Pallas and Von had also opted for that image, but Laurana, Victoria, and Twilight had on casual black jeans, black tank tops, and black boots. Everyone except Jason (who was dressed in old clothes of Oz’s since he would be shifting into wolf form) was loaded down with weapons of all kinds.

“Okay,” Steve said. “We’ll give Twilight and Jason ten minutes to get into position, and for Willow, Xander, and Cordelia to move Oz’s van to the old warehouse by the power station. Then the first wave will move out in my car, followed by the second in Victoria’s.”

“The first wave will bust in on Twilight’s signal,” Victoria said, picking up the trail. “Which will most likely be screams by Sheridan’s henchmen. She and Jason will start from the back and move forward. We’ll try to contain the battle in the large main room on the plans Willow found. If Sheridan tries to run, the chasers are Twilight and ‘Rana, since they can fly. Contain him and bring him back to me, so I can challenge him to a proper fight.” Laurana looked slightly disappointed but nodded in agreement with Twilight.

“And the second wave will move in exactly one minute after you four go in,” Von said.

“Keep in mind that this will mostly be a gunfight,” Victoria said. “But if it gets close range, Sheridan’s the only one who will have a sword, so we shouldn’t have any problems picking them off.”

“I still don’t like the idea of butchering humans,” Buffy said uncomfortably. Steve put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

Victoria studied her for a moment. “I didn’t want to say anything before now, since the Order’s got standing kill-on-sight orders for me, ‘Rana, and Von. Most of Sheridan’s private platoon of bodyguards, the people we’ll be facing, are working for him in order to reach the one hundred kills necessary to join the Order of Teraka.”

Laurana merely rolled her eyes, but Von actually shuddered. Running a hand through his black hair, he glanced at Victoria and snarled “Now she tells us.” He glanced up at the sky and sighed. “My God in heaven, you know how much they want me after…! You’re willing to risk my life to settle an old score, Toriana?”

Switching to Russian, Victoria replied, “And you want them back, Erik. Don’t tell me you would run out on us now.” He closed his eyes for a moment, then looked back at her and nodded. She knew him too well.

Steve, however, had a large grin on his face. “Well, the Order of Teraka also has a run-on-sight order for me. I’ve killed at least forty of them already.” Victoria’s jaw dropped, and for once she was silent.

“Okay, can we go now?” Cordelia asked. “It’s getting close to ten o’clock.”

Jason grinned. “Here goes nothing.” He backed away from the group, but they could still see when his blue eyes suddenly turned green. His entire body seemed to ripple, and within two minutes a large wolf stood in front of them.

Victoria shuddered. “I hate it when they do that.” Inside, she always felt like howling at the moon, too. Jason nuzzled she and Oz’s hands in turn, then bounded off into the woods. Twilight merely tossed off a grin and rose swiftly into the sky.

Buffy turned on Laurana. “You can fly, too?”

“Sure, Buffy,” the vampire-Immortal replied with a casual shrug. “All Souled can. Let’s go.”

Part 13 ~ Infiltration

(And Attack Soda Cans)

After leaving Steve’s car down the street, he, Buffy, Victoria, and Laurana headed for the old power station. They walked down the middle of the street, making no effort to conceal themselves. This was their attempt to make Sheridan underestimate them. Which he surely would if he only expected four fighters to come attacking.

But Oz, Pallas, and Von were behind them, creeping through the underbrush a ways back from the road. The spell Pallas had had Willow activate concealed all signs of life from electronic sensors – from body temperature to movement. And unless something alive looked right at them, they were invisible to physical senses, too.

The double doors to the power station opened as the first wave walked calmly up. Two of Sheridan’s henchmen confronted them silently.

“Hello,” Victoria said with an innocent smile. “I’m Victoria DiThon Kestral, Victory. These are Laurana Thompson, SunDescending; Buffy Summers, the vampire Slayer; and Steven St. Wolf, Wanderer. I believe Sheridan is expecting us.”

The two men stared at the grown man and the three seeming teenagers. Each of them only being about five kills away from becoming members of the Order of Teraka, these men recognized the four names. But what to do? Run from the Slayer and Wanderer or attack Victory and SunDescending?

Fortunately, their decision was made for them when Victoria and Laurana simultaneously drew their handguns and shot both men in the foreheads. Then the two girls headed inside. Buffy winced when she walked by the two men, but Steve merely glanced at the bodies dispassionately.

The four cautiously walked down the hallway surrounded by management offices, wary of booby traps. Even though Victoria had mentioned earlier that they weren’t Sheridan’s style, it was still good to be careful. After a close call when Victoria accidentally kicked a discarded soda can, they made it to another set of double doors. This was where they would wait for the signal.

Part 14 ~ The Signal

(Danger From Above And Other Unpleasant Surprises)

Twilight left Jason by the back door and flew towards the roof. There was the skylight she had picked out on the blueprints earlier. After picking the lock, she quietly slipped in to stand on a high rafter. Though Laurana could also fly, Twilight was the logical choice for this mission since she would not tip off Sheridan’s Immortal Defense System, as her sire was fond of calling it. The entire main room of the power station was spread out below her. There were the double doors across the way, which the heroes would be bursting through. And directly below her was a group of men and women armed with various weapons. There was who she assumed was Sheridan, and he was talking to a…

“Oh, shit,” she muttered. “Demons were definitely not in the plan.” She sat down on the beam to think. Improvisation in the midst of battle was really not one of her best talents. Suddenly, a shimmering figure appeared next to her. Twilight muffled a yelp with her palm and stared at the figure in shock.

“I AM THE DEMON TRIAUMVERVIRATE,” the demon said, but in a very low volume voice. In the back of her mind, Twilight noted that it sounded like an effort. “DO NOT BE ALARMED, JENNA “TWILIGHT” MOONSHADOW. YOU ARE HERE WITH MY THREE GUARDIANS. GET RID OF THE IMMORTAL’S HENCHMEN AND I SHALL TAKE CARE OF THE DEMON.”

Twilight nodded, but the figure had already disappeared. That had to be Victoria, Oz, and Jason’s patron, so she figured he was on the good guys’ side. “Well,” she said to herself. “Here goes nothing.”

She dropped to the ground behind the group of people and landed in a crouch. There she froze, but no one seemed to have noticed her. Not yet. Silently standing up, she pulled out the shotgun strapped to her back and cleared her throat. A few of the rearmost henchmen turned around at the sound. With an innocent smile, Twilight pulled the trigger and hastily dropped back to the ground. A Dragon’s Breath shell immediately consumed the five people directly in its path with a fireball. Twilight shuddered at the thought of so much fire being that close to her.

When the first wave heard the screams and surprised shouts from the rest of Sheridan’s henchmen, they burst through the double doors as planned. Twilight stayed where she was on the ground, because Steve immediately let loose with a machine gun. After making a few sweeps and using up all the ammunition, he tossed the weapon aside and started forward with Buffy and Victoria on either side. Laurana flew into the air and to Twilight’s side, where the two groups immediately started wreaking havoc before the henchmen could recover. At this point, Jason also entered the room and surprised the enemy with his bared teeth and flashing claws.

But by the time the second wave burst in, the self-proclaimed good guys had been forced to take refuge behind a large pile of wooden beams. Oz and Von emptied their own machine guns into the large room before also diving for cover. Jason had wisely run back outside in case Sheridan decided to make a break for it, and Laurana and Twilight were back in the rafters.

“Okay,” Steve said to those gathered around him. “I believe we’re in a stalemate at the moment. Before we end up digging ourselves a deeper hole, anyone have any ideas?”

“I do!” Twilight shouted from above, having heard the question with her vampiric senses. She and Laurana pulled the pins on their grenades and flung them towards the two separate groups of Teraka-wannabes.

By the time the explosions died down, all of Sheridan’s henchmen had gone to pieces – some literally. “Where is he?” Victoria shouted. “Get out here, you bastard!”

Surprisingly, Sheridan answered. “Don’t shoot!” he called. “I’m coming out!” And indeed he did, glancing back at a growling Jason. “Call the dog off!” He jumped in surprise again with Laurana and Twilight also descended to the ground behind him. Then he caught Victoria’s eyes. “Okay, Kestral, I’m prepared to make you a deal-“

“Don’t even think about it,” she hissed, drawing her sword from the scabbard strapped to her back. “I’m sick of your so-called deals. Let’s just get this over with.”

“Wait a second,” Twilight said, a horrified look her face. “Oh, crap. Where did it go?”

“Where did what go?” Steve asked, eyes still on Sheridan.

“ME.” Suddenly standing next to Sheridan was the demon. “I AM THE MASTER OF SEVEN, CALLED SETENVIREBUSALUS.”

“Like I said,” Sheridan said with a self-satisfied smile. “I am prepared to make you a deal.”

Part 15 ~ Final Deal

(But I’m Guessing Everyone Already Knows What’s Coming)

“I THINK NOT” came another demonic-toned voice. Appearing between Victoria and Oz was another demon, one that was dressed much nicer than the demon of seven. “I AM THE MASTER OF THREE, CALLED TRIAUMVERVIRATE.” It had long silver hair and eyes and wore robes of blue, red, and green. “HELLO, SETENVIREBUSALUS. AND WHY ARE YOU HERE? YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE ASLEEP, LIKE ME.”

“THIS IMMORTAL CALLED ME HERE WITH THE PROMISE OF YOUR DESTRUCTION,” the demon replied calmly, gesturing towards Sheridan. “I EXPECT HIM TO KEEP HIS PROMISE.”

“THEN I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR HIS PROPOSED DEAL, FIRST,” Triaumvervirate replied. He glanced at Victoria, who was still glaring at Sheridan. If looks could kill there would be no need for a Challenge. “PATIENCE, MY TRIA. YOU SHALL RECEIVE YOUR DUE.”

“Okay, then,” Sheridan said. “I fight Victoria-“

“That’s more like it,” she hissed. “So let’s get on with it.”

“Shut up, Kestral, I’m not done yet. To think I put up with your insolence ten years ago.” He sighed. “If you win, Setenvirebusalus goes back to sleep and does not harm Triaumvervirate or his Guardians in any way. If I win, Triaumvervirate is destroyed by Setenvirebusalus while he is in shock by the loss of one of his Guardians.” He smiled harshly at Victoria. “And believe me, I fully expect to win.” Drawing a large broadsword out of his long black coat, then shrugging the coat off, he said, “Now we can get on with it.”

“Thank you, Sheridan. I was just about to die from boredom.” The two Immortals approached each other until they were in the middle of the room. Victoria smiled sarcastically at him, but remained silent.

Going into a ready stance, Sheridan asked, “So, Kestral, I never bothered to ask. How many heads have you actually taken? None?”

“Two, if you must know.” They exchanged a few cursory blows but backed off after a few seconds to begin circling.

“Really? Do tell.” Sheridan lunged, but Victoria had set him up, and she scored a hit along his left side.

“Both Jonathan and William Boyle.” Sheridan attempted to disarm her, but Victoria happened to know that trick, so she only ended up with a slashed lower left arm.

“Someone finally took those two fanatics’ heads? Remind me to thank you later.” Victoria struck low, but Sheridan dodged in time. She danced back to avoid getting stabbed directly in the chest.

“Just shut up and fight, Sheridan.” Victoria was getting both bored and pissed off, not a good combination when it came to her. So she renewed her attack, this time drawing on the energy that the proximity to the rest of her triumvirate gave her. In less than a minute, Sheridan was disarmed and on his knees.

“Very nice, Kestral,” he said amiably. “I didn’t really expect this much from you.”

Victoria’s sword caressed his neck. “You don’t sound very worried.”

“I’m not,” he replied. “You see, in one of the offices you passed on your way in here, I have two hostages being kept. I believe you know them.” As if on cue, the double doors opened and two men entered, each shoving a prisoner.

Victoria gasped in surprise. “Jared! Alejandro!” She was severely tempted to take Sheridan’s head right then, but her old friends had guns pointed to the backs of their heads. The two men had been her only two trusted lackeys during her time in Sheridan’s service, and she had helped them set up new identities after the first attempt to kill Sheridan.

Alejandro smiled wryly. “Hi, boss,” he said. “Never expected to see you again.”

Sheridan smiled up at her. “The second you take my head, they are dead, too. Their lives or yours, Kestral. Take your pick.”

But before she could make a choice, the guns in the two henchmen’s hands suddenly flew across the room, seemingly of their own accords. Everyone in the room automatically looked towards the back entrance to see Willow with her hands outstretched backed up by Xander and Cordelia. As usual, Xander couldn’t keep his mouth shut. “Lucky for you guys we stopped by.”

Victoria grinned at him and merely swung her sword. Sheridan’s headless body fell to the ground, and the lightning started soon thereafter.

After a few very long minutes for everyone present, Victoria collapsed to the ground. Jason immediately ran up to her to nuzzle her cheek. She reached up a hand to scratch him behind the ears. Using his neck, she pulled herself into a sitting position. Grimacing at Sheridan’s body she called out, “Jared and Alejandro, how the hell did he get hold of you again? I want answers!”

Laurana rolled her eyes. “She’s okay.”

Part 16 ~ Departures

(Good-byes Are Such Sweet Sorrow…Or Sweet And Sour If You Have Chinese Food)

The next afternoon, everyone was preparing to leave. But first they all chowed down on a huge meal of Chinese food. Gesturing with a chopstick, Jenny Calender said, “So let me get this straight. The old power station is where Triaumvervirate has been sleeping for the past ten years? And he only woke up because the demon of seven – I’m not even going to try that name – showed up?”

“Yep,” Jason said. “We could have had that entire misadventure right above him, and he would have left us to it.”

“Not very caring of his Guardians if you ask me,” Cordelia said. “Artemis would never leave us hanging.”

“Hey, he’s a demon,” Victoria pointed out with the aid of a piece of fortune cookie. “What do you expect?”

“Well, misadventure was definitely the right term for it,” Steve put in.

Victoria gave Oz a mock glare. “Which never would have happened if-“

“Enough!” Willow said. “Be nice, you two.”

Laurana gave the redhead a smile. “You’re not jealous anymore?”

“How could I be after the story you told?”

The three Guardians exchanged looks. “You didn’t,” Oz said. Laurana smiled sweetly at him, and they all groaned.

“I would just like to say thanks for the vacation,” Pallas interrupted. “I think I was on the verge of mistaking movies with real life. This was a nice reminder.” Having been the only person to actually get shot, Pallas had a good point. It had just been a graze on the arm, but it had still hurt.

Victoria raised her bottle of root beer. “A toast. To future misadventures and vacations as friends.” Everyone else followed suit and repeated after her.

“Speaking of friends,” Steve said. “I wanted to talk to you guys about Section Seven…”

Part 17 ~ Epilogue

(And A Prelude To Something Else, But That Story Comes Soon Enough)

When Victoria arrived back at the Island House on Angel Island, she found Justin bringing down two bags. “Hey, love, I’m back. What’s going on?”

“Haven’t you heard? Cuba’s just invaded Florida with the help of some countries in the Middle East. Kane’s already on his way there. Elizabet is still wrapped up in Germany and no one can get through to her.” After depositing the bags by the door, he gave her a hug and kiss.

“One of those bags is mine,” Victoria said. “Where are we going?”

“Up to Seacouver. For some insane reason, Earth Borne thinks Canada’s going to invade the Puget Sound area. He’s meeting us up there. We’re leaving tomorrow morning,” he replied.

“Canada?  Okay,” Victoria said with a mystified expression on her face. “Whatever you say.”

Justin collapsed on one of the couches and gestured for her to join him. “I’ve been organizing things all day. Our dear Head Precept is not happy about us going into potential war zones.” He replaced Victoria’s Precept ring on her finger and wrapped his arm around her shoulder before leaning back and closing his eyes.

Rolling her eyes at the London-based Head Precept who, after two years, still thought of the residents of the Island House as children, she said, “Well, that’s tomorrow. Now let me tell you what happened in Sunnydale.”

“Did you find anything out about Section Seven?” Justin opened his eyes and glanced at her.

“I don’t know, Jus’. Does becoming a member count?”

Additional Author’s Notes: The invasion of America stuff was created by Lisa K. and is used in my story “The War Within a War.” Read that for more details. Thanks again to Steve for letting me play in the Wandererverse!

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This page was last updated: 2.19.5 ~jlg~