Continued...

"The retreat is positioned so that we may look upon the Slayer’s home at any time." replied Bangola.

"Hey, hold up mate." said Spike as he held his arm out in front of Bangola. The Palkees leader looked at Spike in shock. No one dare do such a thing to him. ‘Insolent vampire’ he thought to himself.

"What are you doing?" asked Bangola sharply.

"Well, unless you plan on fightin’ the Slayer and her friends right now, you’ll hold up a minute." replied Spike as he pulled Bangola behind a large shrub that would hide them from view. Spike continued to peer though the branches of the large bush so he could watch Buffy.

"Have they gone yet?" asked Bangola.

"Yeah, I think we’re okay. You know you really should find a different way to get to your pad than this. Don’t really want to tip the Slayer off already now do we?" said Spike.

"But this is the most direct path to the retreat, and it is of benefit to see the Slayer’s quarters up close." Insisted Bangola. Spike sighed.

"Yeah, well it’s also a good way to get yourself killed, fast like." He rolled his eyes, ‘this guy has followers?’ "Let’s just get on our way, and try to stay out of sight." Spike continued.

"You said the Slayer was with her friends. Who was she with." demanded Bangola.

"Angel, but didn’t get a good look at which one of the Scoobies was with ‘em." Spike replied. "My guess is they’re headed to the Magic Shop. Kinda their meetin’ place." he continued.

"We will be able to observe their activities at this Magic Shop from the retreat also." replied Bangola.

"You’ve just got the hookup on the whole blessed town, don’t ya?" said Spike with a laugh.

* * * * * * * * * *

Chapter 12 –

The door to the Magic Shop swung open and Buffy rushed in, followed by Angel and Cordelia. Scanning the shop, looking for Dawn, Buffy’s entire body relaxed in a sigh when she saw her sister safe and sound.

"Buffy!" Dawn exclaimed, running to meet her sister. Buffy grabbed Dawn and held her in a tight embrace.

"Are you okay?" Buffy waited for an answer.

"Yeah, I’m fine. Having… trouble…. breathing….. though!" Dawn exaggerated. Even in trying times, Dawn enjoyed teasing her sister about her Slayer strength. It seemed to take the edge off the situation sometimes, so she was always eager to give it a whirl. This seemed like one of those times.

"Oh…. Sorry!" Buffy replied as she quickly released her sister from the ‘I’ll never let you out of my sight again!’ grip she’d had on her. Buffy looked at Dawn critically. "You’re sure you’re okay?" she asked again.

"I think I cut my foot on something running over here, but Liz fixed it with this really cool…" Dawn enthusiastically started to explained, but wasn’t given a chance to finish. Buffy nodded, clearly not as interested in this amazing rock thing as Dawn was.

"I’m glad you’re okay." Buffy said squeezing Dawn’s hand. She would have died if anything had happened to her sister. But Dawn was safe, nothing had happened, and there were now other things to worry about. Things that might really happen.

"Xander made her angry." Anya interjected gruffly, motioning to Dawn, whose lower lip immediately pouted.

"He said he hoped you killed Spike." Dawn said as she glared at Xander. Her eyes squinted; face scrunched up….. Xander felt as though she were sending daggers right through him.

"Thanks!" he said to Anya, mentally cursing himself again that she didn’t really ‘get’ sarcasm and that some of his very best one-liners were wasted, and then turned back to Buffy, "Listen, I just said…." He sort of trailed off. He didn’t understand why exactly it was saying that he wanted Spike dead was a bad thing, besides, wasn’t that what he was expected to say? He’d hated Deadboy Jr. from Day 1. It was kind of his job to say things like that.

"It doesn’t matter, we have to figure out a way to stop this Bango…. whatever his name is." declared Buffy, looking straight at Liz. She had no time for this Xander hates Spike thing. Not now, anyway.

"I believe I may have found some useful information regarding Bangola." said Wesley.

"What is it?" Liz asked, relieved that someone had finally found some useful information. She smiled at Wesley, nodding for him to continue.

"Well, it reiterates what Xander found earlier. He is, apparently, stronger as a human than a demon, but this sources goes on to say that ‘though his brute strength lies within his human form, so does his demise.’" Wesley paused, presumably for effect, before continuing.

"Hmmm…it all makes perfect sense now." he said.

"What makes perfect sense?" asked Xander.

"That statement. It means that although he is much stronger as a human, his human form is the one in which he is vulnerable. Not his demon form. It is his Achilles heal so to speak." replied Wesley.

"But how are we going to identify him?" inquired Gunn. "Liz doesn’t even know what he looks like as a human." he pointed out.

"Yes, that is true, but I would wager from the description of this book, he is a rather large man. He would assuredly stick out amongst the ‘normal’ man of the human race." Wesley explained. He then clenched his small wire frame glasses between his teeth as he paced the floor dutifully studying his research book.

"So are we talking ‘I’ve been doin’ steroids’ large,’ or ‘I’m a demon and want to rule the world’ large?" Gunn asked as he wrapped his arms securely around Fred. Wesley was always good at details, but this time he was a little too vague.

"I believe it would be more on the lines of ‘I lift a lot of weights’ large." replied Wesley. "Though I can’t be certain. I don’t understand why the description of him is so unclear. I don’t believe I’ve ever had this much difficulty trying to identify a demon before." he muttered, more to himself than to anyone else in the room with him.

"A great deal of the information you will find in these books has been written by clerics of the Church. Those associated with the Churches of all faiths have been diligent over the years in keeping a written record of those who pose a threat. Bangola is certainly one of those threats. He has, according to rumors that these Church members have told me, been able to control what these clerics write. His ability to see and read people has also deepened into mind control." said Liz.

"I don’t understand something." said Wesley.

"Yes." replied Liz, trying to sound compassionate and understanding though her nerves were beginning to fray.

"Why? I mean, if Bangola has been around for such a long period of time, why now? Why would he have waited for so long to try and bring forth his ancestors? Why not do this ritual years before?" Wesley asked.

"He has tried before. From what I have been able to learn, he tried to kill the fourth Slayer, but was unsuccessful in his attempt." replied Liz.

"So he tried once and that was it?" asked Buffy sarcastically. "Demons hell bent on taking over the world usually don’t stop after just one try!" she continued.

"It was much more complicated than that." replied Liz. "His attempt at killing the fourth Slayer was curtailed by a great Wizard named Eathadore. He had been following Bangola across the globe and was trying to find a way to rid this world of him when the demon made his move." she continued.

"So….. what happened?" asked Gunn.

"It is my understanding that Bangola found out about Eathadore and his plans to stop Bangola from performing the ritual. He, according to legend, decided to hurry the plan along. Having already tracked the Slayer down, he was simply waiting for the rest of his tribal members to reach him. He decided to forego his original plan, and instead, take the Slayer on himself." Liz explained.

"So, did she kick his ass?" Buffy asked with enthusiasm.

"No. His strength was too much for the Slayer. She was killed after only a short battle with him. She did however last just long enough for Eathadore to reach them both, and perform the banishing spell. He hoped that it would rid this world of Bangola forever." Liz replied.

"And?" Cordelia interrupted. Angel could tell that with each passing moment she was around Liz her disdain for his old friend was growing.

"And….. he did just that. The spell worked, sending Bangola to another dimension." replied Liz. Her aggravation with the continued interruptions was becoming apparent as well.

"How the hell did he get back here then?" asked Gunn. "I mean, if he ‘did just that’, this wizard guy, ridding the world of him forever, why are we here?"

"The letter that my parents left me said that he would return in the year 2002 by way of a portal opened by a group of travelers returning home." she replied.

"You mean that there have been dimension travelers here and they let him in?" Angel asked.

"Yes. No. My guess is that he followed them here. Not necessarily with their help or their knowledge." Liz extrapolated. "My belief is that what ever dimension Bangola was banished to, the travelers were there. So he simply followed them here." she continued.

"He hitchhiked. Like that demon did when we brought Buffy back." Xander said.

"Demon? Hitchhiked?" Angel asked, confused by Xander’s comment.

"Long story." Willow sighed. Angel turned his attention to Buffy for an explanation. His decision not to press the issue came after a look of ‘don’t ask’ from his former girlfriend. He sighed to himself, disappointed that he had been kept in the dark about so many things that had happened. Though it wasn’t just her keeping secrets, he admitted to himself.

Liz continued her story, "My point is that Bangola has been banished from this world for quite some time. He has now come back to finish what he started many years ago. We must get him and the cup so that they both may be destroyed."

"Is there any way we can find out who these travelers were or what dimension they came from?" asked Wesley. "If we knew a little more about them, maybe we could contact them and they could help us figure out what happened, or possibly even give us a description of what Bangola looks like."

"Well, there is one person who may be able to help us. I had completely forgotten about her." said Liz, suddenly a little brighter. "Her name is Abigail, and she is a dimension traveler herself."

"What kind of name is Abigail for a demon?" Anya asked shrewdly. Tact had never been her strong suite, as a demon and even more so as a human.

"I never said she was a demon, just a dimension traveler. She simply has the power to open portals to other dimensions. She may know of any recent travelers who have been about lately." replied Liz.

"How can we get in touch with her?" asked Wesley inquisitively. He imagined all sorts of drawn out research and crystals and the like would be required.

"Call her. She lives in L.A." Liz said simply. "May I use your phone?"

Xander laughed at Liz’s response. "I thought we were going to have to do some huge summoning spell with sacrifices or something to get her here." he said.

"Well we could, but she should be at home this time of year. She usually does all of her traveling during the winter months." Liz said casually.

"The winter months?" Angel said half laughing. That was until he turned and looked Cordelia’s way. He could see that she was not particularly amused by Liz’s comments. He turned back around and sighed deeply. He realized that this mess just kept getting worse.

"Here’s the phone. But L.A. is long distance from Sunnydale. You’ll have to pay for this call." Anya said as she handed Liz the phone. Regardless of what was going down on the Hellmouth, money was still ever present on Anya’s mind.

"Anya!" exclaimed Xander as he grabbed her by the shoulders and led her away from Liz. He lowered his head and whispered in her ear, "Let’s not make the pretty witch lady mad. Okay? I’ll take care of the phone bill."

Anya looked up at Xander, "But…" Xander shook his head with ‘that look’ and Anya knew she should not press the issue any further. She loved Xander very much, and did not want to make him angry with her for a second time today. She walked to the table and sat down in a chair to sulk, watching closely as Liz dialed the numbers on the phone.

"Abigail?" asked Liz when a familiar voice finally answered on the other end. "Liz here. I need some information. No, I realize. Not any time soon. I know. Can I just ask this first? Thank you. Do you know of any recent dimension travelers opening portals around the area?" Liz was finally able to ask. She then listened intently to her friend’s response. So far it sounded pretty normal for a conversation, if you forgot that it was between a vampire witch and some sort of dimension-hopping whatever she was. Since Liz had said she wasn’t a demon, no one was sure exactly what she was.

"I know you aren’t the keeper of the travelers, I just thought…." Her words trailed off. Everyone in the shop strained to hear the only side of the telephone conversation they could hear.

"I know. I realize that. But….. Really?" To those eavesdropping across the room, the conversation didn’t appear to be going very well. But suddenly, Liz’s tone changed.

"You think that could have been when. Okay. Thanks for your help. Safe travels to you as well. Good bye." Liz finished her conversation and hung up the telephone. No one could decide whether what Liz was about to tell them would be of help or not. It certainly didn’t sound that way by her end of the phone call.

The great witch walked to the large round table where everyone seemed to have gathered while she was on the phone. Clearing her throat, she began, "Abigail said that even though she does not keep tabs on everyone who opens portals around the area, she is usually aware of when one is opened. She’s pretty confident that she knows when Bangola’s entrance could have happened, as the portals have not been frequently used in the area in the past decade."

The quiet within the store was almost deafening at this point. No one said a word as they waited intently on Liz to finish. "Approximately five years ago there was a portal opened on the south side of L.A. Apparently it was used by only one traveler who left this dimension."

"That was when I disappeared." Fred said immediately, as if knowing that Liz was talking about her. Everyone turned and looked at Fred. She began to feel very uncomfortable and wasn’t sure if she should have said that now or not. Her fears were quickly eased as Gunn, who was setting next to her noticed this, pulled her into him to comfort her.

"That’s right." said Wesley. Everyone could see that he was now mentally running things through his head. "What else did she say?" he asked eager to hear the rest.

"She said that had been the first one in the area for about ten years or more. But there have been several opened recently. Approximately eight months ago one was opened with two travelers using it. Then only a day later another portal was opened with another two travelers." Liz said, pausing briefly. She didn’t have time to begin again, as Wesley jumped up and began to speak.

"There would have been two more opened, one with four travelers and another with six. Is that what she told you?" he asked, totally excited about his conclusions.

Stunned that Wesley already had knowledge of what her friend just told her, Liz quietly said "Yes. That’s right." She paused for a moment, not knowing whether she should trust this man any longer. There was no possible way he should have known. Her thoughts were interrupted suddenly as Wesley began again. "That was us!" he exclaimed. "The four travelers would have been Angel, Gunn, Lorne and I. Then the six travelers would have been the same plus Cordelia and Fred. But there would have had to have been another portal opened for Bangola to come through. Were there any others? Did she mention any others?" Wesley asked, impatiently awaiting her reply.

"You guys traveled through a portal to another dimension?" asked Buffy sarcastically, as if not believing it could have been possible, especially for Cordelia.

"Yeah, Cordy got sucked through whenever we sent Lorne’s cousin back home." Gunn replied. All of the Sunnydale gang suddenly looked at Cordelia.

"Hey, it wasn’t all bad, they made me a princess!" replied Cordelia enthusiastically. She smiled for a moment, lost in the pleasant part of the memory.

"How fair is that? Huh?" asked Xander, marveling at Cordelia’s seemingly endless luck. "We get a hellgoddess, and Cordelia’s made a princess!"

"Well, they also tried to kill us all, including Cordy, if that makes you feel any better." Gunn added.

"Well…" Xander hesitated.

* * * * * * * * * *
Continued in Part 3!