Both groups sat in silence. Usually the Bronze is a place where the music pumps out and people dance the night away but tonight it is filled with the heavy emotions of losing one of their own. Nobody felt this loss more then Willow. She sat on the corner of the stage hugging herself tightly and slowly rocking backwards and forwards. Willow refused to let the images of the victim report sink in otherwise she would have to accept that her best friend was dead.
Next to her Oz sat and cradled her in his arms. That’s all he could do no words were going to fix this situation so he decided that moral support was the best support. Tentatively Buffy walked up to the pair.
“Hey Will? How you doing?” she asked softly
Willow looked up. Her eyes were red and puffy from all of the crying. She shook her head briskly.
“Xander’s not dead.” she cried, “this Incarnate guy has him somewhere. Buffy we need to find him he might be hurt or, or, scared or . . .”
“Killed?” Buffy prompted, “Will, I know how hard this is for you.”
“No you don’t!” willow snapped back, “How could you possible know? You only knew him for three years. We’ve been friends our entire life.”
Buffy dropped her head. She may have super powers but there was nothing she could do to stop her friend from hurting.
“You’re right I only knew him for a short time but that doesn’t mean I miss him any less.”
“‘Course not. You always had his attention! How was I going to have any chance with him when you walked around in front of him dressed like a hooker!” willow screamed
She jumped down off the stage and stormed outside. For a long moment Oz and Buffy looked at each other awkwardly. Oz nodded softly
“Yeah . . . I think I’m going to follow my angry girlfriend.” He said calmly
“Probably a good idea.” Buffy replied.
Oz jumped down and joined Willow outside. Buffy folded her arms uncomfortably and made her way back to the main group who were sitting around the large Buffet table. Seeing Buffy’s pain Angel walked over to her.
“How Willow?” he asked
“Devastated. They had this whole history before I arrived, now, I think Will blames me because he turned out to be a demon.”
“Anything I can do?”
Buffy smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
“Thanks Angel but I don’t think a heart to heart with a vampire is going to help,” Buffy replied, “I just want to find Xan . . . Incarnate and kick his ass all the way back to the center of the earth.”
Buffy turned back to the group. her serious expression had a homicidal air about it
“So do we know how we’re gonna stop this thing.”
Giles leans hevily on the table. His worried look was even beginning to scare Angel.
“I’m afraid things have become much more complicated.” He replied
Willow cried harder. She leant held Oz as tightly as she could in fear that she was going to lose him two. From behind them both Oz heard the sounds of footsteps.
“Well, well, well. Someone’s a sad little girl then aren’t they?” Spike said
“Get out of here spike.” Oz warned
“Oh come on. The first bit of decent carnage in this town and you don’t want me to see it?”
“I meant it. One more move and I get Buffy.”
“Right. ‘Cause you’re all man aren’t you. Rushing to get help from a bird at the first sign of trouble.”
From his pocked Oz pulled out one of the crosses he took from one of Buffy’s weapons bags. He held it out and Spike recoiled back.
“Geez. I was only having a laugh. Don’t need to go all religious on me.” he yelled
“Go home.” Oz yelled
“Fine I’m going. The place is bloody empty anyway. Oh by the way have you lot found out that your friend Xanders a demon yet?”
Willow sprung up. She snatched the cross from Oz’s hand and forced Spike against the wall.
“Oh . . . Bloody brilliant!” he screamed as the cross burns into his skin
“Xander is not a demon.”
Spike looked at willow in utter disbelief.
“My god. You seriously telling me you never noticed,” he exclaimed, “Oh for gods sake. Have you ever wondered how he managed to stay alive even after all those demon attacks?”
“Buffy save him!” Willow snarled angrily
“Every time he was attacked? So you’re telling me that our friend the slayer just showed up in time to save the day everytime?”
Willow thought about this. It did seem rather convenient.
“While you’re chewing on that tit-bit how come demons are so attracted to him? I heard about the praying mantis lady and that vengance demon.”
Willow looked cautiously. She backed off slightly
“That Anya was human and the praying mantas wanted to . . . cuddle with him.”
Spike pushed himself off the wall. He laughed to himself.
“So two completely separate demons wanted him for the exact same reason? I knew you were naïve I never though you were this naïve. What about the fact that he lives in a vampire town and has never been bitten once?”
“He’s been attacked.” Willow snapped
“Attacked yes, but has he ever been bitten?” Spike commented
Willow nulled this over. She shook her head slowly
“That’s what I though. Staging a vamp attack is a piece of piss,” spike concluded, “Perfect if you want to throw off the sent of any demon hunting slayers that might be around. Don’t you know girly the best place to hide something is right in front of your face.”
“What do you mean complicated?” Buffy asked, “Incarnate is a demon. I kill them. Wouldn’t exactly call it math but it does add up.”
“Incarnate is more then a mere Demon Buffy he’s . . .” Giles started
“An old one I was there when Drogyn explained it remember.”
“Buffy. Incarnate is not an old one. He is the old one.”
“The?”
Giles slammed down the compendium on the table. He quickly flipped through the pages until he reached the chapter concerning Incarnate.
“Incarnate is the demon who came before all the other demons. He is, for lack of a better word, the original demon.” Giles explained
Giles placed his hand on the page and began to read.
Before the light, there was darkness . . .
Before the dawn, there was night . . .
But out of the first fire came the original . . .
The Genesis . . .
The Incarnate . . .
“So what is that all supposed to do with our demon?” Buffy asked
“’The first fire’ has a more contemporary translation.”
“Which is?”
“The big bang.”
Buffy looked shocked.
“You’re telling me this demon was born when the universe was created?”
“I’m telling you more then that Buffy. It is my belief that Incarnate may be responsible for creating the Earth. The book goes onto explain how he forged the lands using wind, rock, and fire. And how it was specifically designed for demons from other realities to roam on.”
Buffy sat down.
“This is to much Giles. Do we even know what his plan is?”
“To un-create the world.” Giles responded sadly
“Excuse me?” Buffy asked in disbelief
“That is what the book says. Incarnate has the ability to reverse the laws of nature and effectively destroy the planet. That is why he was sealed in the center of the earth. This creature is, quite literally, the first evil.”
Angels looked over to Giles with surprise.
“Wait. You don’t actually mean THE first evil do you? The one that tried to make me kill myself.”
“Unfortunately. All the evidence is pointing in that direction.” Giles replied
“I thought first evil was incorporeal.”
“I believe I can answer that question,” Drogyn replied, “While the beast absorbs the energies and magicks from the world to recharge his own power he can utilize them as a sought of telepathic projection. To my knowledge Incarnate uses the form of the slain because the strong emotions attached makes them easier to recreate.”
“So what you’re saying is that we are dealing with a creature that can be in two places at once,” Doyle commented, “ well, Isn’t that a big kick in the . . .”
Doyle grabbed his head. He winced as the pain shot through him like electricity.
He was having another vision. And this time it was worse . . .
Incarnate returning to his original form . . .
The screams of pain from millions of people . . .
Natural disasters occurring around the world . . .
The planet vaporizing into dust . . .
Incarnate watching the chaos while standing next to another who is . . .
Doyle snapped open his eyes. He had been moved away from the table and was laying on the ground with everyone looking over him. Painfully he pulled himself up into a sitting position. Doyle breathed rapidly as Angel handed him a glass of water. Doyle felt above his upper lip and realized that his nose was bleeding. He looked to Angel with extreme concern.
“Doyle?” Angel asked
“We better be come up with a plan soon or this planet is going to be dust in the next few weeks.” Doyle exclaimed
The group looked seriously at each other.
“Then why are we just standing around?” Buffy Asked
She storms over to the table and throws the book at Giles.
“Get reading Book Guy,” she orders.
The group returns back to the table. Just as Angel was about to leave Doyle grabs him by the arm. He motions to head backstage.
“What is it?” Angel asks
“There was something in my vision I didn’t want to share with the others.” Doyle whispered, “ I don’t think Incarnate is working alone.”
“We know that,” angel replied, “he sent all those other demons after us.”
“No Angel-man those demons were working for incarnate I’m talking about working with.”
“Did you see who it is?”
“Sorry man. It was strange. It felt like something was trying to block my vision.”
“You have no idea?”
“No but I do know where to start looking.”
Slowly Doyle looked back out to the group huddled around the table furiously researching. Angel followed his eyes. Quickly he snapped his head back.
“You’re kidding.” Angel exclaimed
“Something Incarnate said, when we were first introduced, always bugged me. He told everyone that I had visions. How could he possible know that?”
“He’s incredibly powerful. He probably just sensed it.” Angel replied
“Think about it Angel. If Incarnate needs lackeys to do his dirty work what are the chances that he sent one to spy on us?”
Angel thought about this. As much as it disturbed him to admit it this made a scary kind of sense. Again Angel looked out over the combined team and frowned.
There was a traitor among them.
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