The Slayer Contract: Part 2
by Anya
"She didn't just disappear..we would have noticed that. Buffy probably went to the ladies room!" Xander offered.

"Uhhh..for forty minutes? Be serious." Willow muttered, digging through Buffy's bookbag as they walked down the hallway. Willow firmly suppressed whatever ethics she had against such a violation of personal property. "Look Xander, she didn't LEAVE the room. The door was shut, and that door has an awful squeak! "

Xander tilted to his head on the side, as if to slide the memory of the classroom into some cognitive part of his brain. "Does it really? Physics, Hillis and that classroom are all a giant blur to me."

Willow rolled her eyes, but discretely refrained from making comment. Coming to a sudden stop in front of Buffy's locker, she dropped Buffy's bag and jacket. One moment, Buffy had been in class, her face a careful expression of blankness. Willow knew Buffy hated physics, but she was also certain that Buffy would never ditch class once the attendance had been taken. It was a bit too obvious.

And, unlike Xander, Willow had been awake through the entire class. Buffy had disappeared within the space of a minute. The really weird thing was, no one else noticed.

As Mr. Hillis had wandered over to the whiteboard to draw a quick visual reference, Willow had tossed a very bored Buffy a quick grin, before turning back to her notes. Jotting down a few notes, Willow had been startled to feel a cold chill rip through her spine, like an ominous warning. *Cat walking over my grave* Her mind had superstitiously whispered. Frowning, at both the thought, and the feeling, she turned her head to see if Buffy had felt anything.

But Buffy was gone. Her books left open, bookbag tossed on the other half of the desk, and her jacket lying across the lab-stools. The pen that Buffy had idly been rolling like a baton in her fingers rolling off the corner of the desk to hit the floor.

Willow had freaked immediately, but had kept her fit quiet. A sharp elbow jab in Xander's stomach had woken him up with a gasp, a lurch and an instant "I didn't do it!" off his tongue.

Months on the Hellmouth, though, had made Xander more sensitive to certain looks. And the one Willow was giving him spoke of 'bad' stuff. A few nudges, a quick glance, plus a rapidly scrawled note, and the situation had been established.

Together, the dastardly duo had snatched Buffy's stuff as class ended, and hustled for her locker. Xander playing devil's advocate to Willow's concerns.

Quickly spinning the combo open, Willow swung the door wide. Xander plunked his back against the bank of lockers, his face and body hidden behind the open door. "I still think you're worrying over nothing. I bet she's in the library with Giles." Xander said.

"Hmmm," Willow's response was preoccupied.

"'Sides, people DO NOT DISAPPEAR unnoticed. It just doesn't happen. Besides, Cordelia was sitting behind her. If Buffy just vanished, Her Royal Snottiness would have been praising the lord at the top of her lungs," he offered reasonably.

This time, Willow didn't respond at all. "What? I thought that was really logical! You should be proud of me, Will."

"Hey, Xander!" A freshman called out, "Talking to yourself again?"

Xander blinked twice, and with a sudden motion pulled himself to the other side of the locker where Willow should have been standing. Instead, her books and Buffy's bag lay sprawled on the locker bottom and the floor.

"Oh SHE -IT!" Xander slammed the locker shut and ran for the library.


* * *
Buffy watched Willow with a sense of wondering awe. The girl was taking all this amazingly well, and exuded a calmness that Buffy wished she could emulate.

"So, in summary, this Bacchus wants to dissolve the Slayer contract..which means, your powers and abilities would be gone...and vampires could have free reign over the Hellmouth." Willow said, she tapped a index finger on her lower lip thoughtfully.

"That's basically it." Buffy sighed, running a hand through her hair. It was a nervous gesture, and she recognized the source of it immediately. *I've been hanging around Giles too long, he's starting to wear off on me.*

"So, why am I here?" Willow let a small frown crease her forehead.

Buffy shrugged philosophically, "Umm..blame the Hades guy. He said that an adjournment was needed for the Slayer to prepare her statement, and...uh..the Witness was needed."

Willow's lips formed a silent 'oh'. The tiny girl started to walk around the room slowly, admiring the decor, and paintings as she went. Occasionally she'd stop to study a vase or a piece of furniture. "What did they tell your about this alleged corporation and why it feels it has control over the powers of the Slayer?" She asked suddenly.

Buffy heaved a huge sigh. "I never thought to ask. I was busy trying to scratch my itch to stake a BIG vampire."

Willow opened her mouth again, but instead turned her eyes to the opening door. The handsome young man who had introduced himself as Hades walked in, a serious mien on his face. Thoughtfully, he softly closed the door.

He was the classic tall, dark and handsome, although the aura of darkness wasn't reflected in his colouring. He was a sandy blond man, firm wide shoulders, and immaculate in a lovely black suit. Armani, Buffy had assured Willow. Whatever the suit was, the jacket left open as it was, and the sharp black shirt beneath, gave the impression of a strong, powerful man. It was just a bonus that he was so pleasing on the eyes.

"Ladies," He greeted them with a polite nod. "The Board will reconvene in a few hours. I...have arranged for one of my aids to assist you. He is exceptionally familiar with manipulations of individuals, and will do his best to advise you on how to...convince the Board in your favor."

Hades paused for a moment, his gaze settling on Willow. "I'm afraid you won't enjoy making his re- acquaintance...you all parted in uh, bad circumstances.."

Willow's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, "I don't suppose you could divulge his name before bringing him in? And, I have a few questions I'd like to ask."

Hades dark expression lightened slightly, "You are the bright one, aren't you?" He pulled away from the door and sat down into a large wing-chair. "Ask away. My aide won't be here for a few moments still."

Buffy shot Willow a look, both having noted how he avoided giving the aide's name. Willow just shrugged, and moved to sit adjacent to the God of the Underworld.

"What Board is this you're talking about, and why does it have control on the Slayer's existence?" She asked rather bluntly.

Hades stared at her for a silent moment, before a delighted grin crossed his face. "You know, you're just perfect. I can see why you were chosen. "The Board is the board of directors for GOD inc. And the Slayer contract is basically this: several thousand years ago, when the Old Ones had been contained, it was determined that the remnants of the Old Ones were a danger to a burgeoning population, and that a control was needed. The Slayer contract is perhaps the first time all deities agreed to one thing. Some took more convincing than others..but we got there in the end."

"As a result, once GOD inc. was ratified, power and control was allocated to certain positions. The CEO has the power and authority to question the Slayer Contract, but he needs a majority vote to dissolve it."

Willow seemed to absorb this. "I'd like some clarification, thank you. GOD stands for..?"

Hades brushed some fictitious dust off his jacket sleeve. "Governing Order of Divinities, Incorporated." He shrugged. "We aren't really all that creative collectively. "

Willow and Buffy exchanged a quick look, before returning to the subject at hand. "So, God isn't a singular entity, but a corporation and since it's a corporation, it achieved a pronoun of 'He'" Willow theorized.

Hades nodded. "Yes."

"Why?"

Hades blinked, a action that strongly reminded Buffy and Willow of Xander. "I'm sorry, I'm usually very good at these games...but..that went by a little fast. Why what?"

Willow smiled, "Why form the corporation?" Sitting alertly on the sofa, her back was straight and eyes hard. The perfect D.A., calm, serious, and penetrating.

Hades smiled, "It sure wasn't MY idea, let me just say. It has to do with worshipers and survival. As the worshipers for one God decline, so does the power and status of that God. And should no one remember or worship him or her, that God in turn disappears. We, as Gods, are strongly against that. Self- preservation, you understand."

"Of course, my realm and power is absolutely secure. Everyone comes to me sooner or later. I only agreed to the corporate structure because of my brother's whining."

"Of course." Willow muttered. "Okay, so, now about this Slayer thing..."

"Yes," said the God of Death. "We have to convince the Board otherwise. I simply do NOT want the paperwork involved with vampire killings!"

The two mortals blinked. "Paperwork?" Buffy asked puzzled. The Slayer had stood up and began pacing as Hades spoke. It was a nervous behaviour, but, as far as Buffy was concerned, this was a nervous time.

Hades shrugged, "It's a corporation, all allocations of resources involve paperwork. So, when a person dies, and goes to, say the Elysian Fields, it's paperwork...if they go to hell..well, it's paperwork, if there's torture involved, it's scads of paperwork. And I have to look over every piece. I HATE paperwork."

Willow rolled her eyes again, this time convinced that Xander was distantly related to this God. "Well, now there's incentive. What do we do?"

A soft knock at the door stopped the God from replying. Instead, he stood up with a quick motion, and strode quickly to the door. It struck both girls as strange the way he opened it fractionally and slipped outside, concealing whomever had knocked.

Buffy turned to Willow, a slim eyebrow raised and her head cocked at the door inquisitively. The body language made her intentions clear, and even as the young Slayer began to move to the door, Willow sprung up off the couch to fall in step behind her.

Buffy set her hand down on the handle very gently, careful so that anyone on the other side of that door wouldn't feel it vibrate. She looked again at Willow, mouthing the words "One....Two....Three".

The door yanked open, pulling Hades back into the room and completely off balance.

And Willow, moving into the doors open portal, suddenly screamed.

Buffy turned around, pushing ahead of her friend and assumed a defensive posture. Her eyes went wide with horror as she gazed straight into the face of Moloch the Corrupter, dressed in a impeccable Toscanini grey suit.

The Corrupter opened his mouth, his yellowed pointed teeth gleaming. "My two most favorite women! How delightful to meet again!" His eyes blazed with a savage joy, "I hope you'll be able to...stay... for awhile!"


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