Disclaimer: Do you think I would really be writing this stiry if I owned them? I don't think so, but any way, I don't own anybody except Mariah, Anne and Zortorian and perhaps Gustav (I'm not sure). So if you want to use them tell me. Also it might be a good idea to read my other story, "Strange Occurrences" first, it gives a more in depth description of Mariah. So enjoy.
Part One
It was dawn outside, but the world was still quiet. There were a few people out, one or two walking their dogs, the others out for a jog. But most people were asleep in their nice warm beds.
At the weird mansion at the edge of town, two people were still in bed. The light peeped in the large windows into the main room of the mansion. From there, the light filtered into a small side room. Silhouettes of furniture could be seen, but no distinct figures. In the center of the room stood a large bed. A man had his arm around a striking young woman. She had both arms wrapped around his bare torso as he lay on his back. The woman snuggled closer to the man. She laid on her side with her brown hair draped across the pillow. They were the picture of serenity.
Suddenly there was a blare of noise from the table beside the bed. The woman jumped awake, jostling the man beside her awake as well. She got up from the bed and hit the alarm. She was dressed in a pair of sweat pants and a baby tee. She walked into the main room.
“Angel, are you sure the clock is right? I mean the sun is barely up. It can’t be six-thirty yet.” The woman walked back into the room and sat down on the bed.
The man sat up from his place in the bed. “Mariah, I’m sure. Just think, by the time you’re ready to go, it will be nice and bright out.” He leaned over and placed a cool kiss on her pouting lips.
“I just don’t want to go today. School is for normal people. I am definitely not normal.”
“Think of it this way, you only have college left after this.” Angel said, a quirky grin on his face.
Mariah glared. “Very funny, Ha, Ha. You’re getting a kick out of this, aren’t you? At least you don’t have to put up with arrogant teachers who have no idea what they are talking about. I know twenty times what they do and they get to teach me." She stood up and walked behind a large oriental dressing screen. A second later, she stepped out and was wearing a baby blue, short sleeved blouse, a short black skirt with a small skirt, and a pair of knee-high leather boots.
“I know you dislike it, but you chose to go to high school.”
“I know, but it was the only way I could stay close to Buffy, Giles and the gang. I mean, they are always on the ball, and know what’s going on.” Mariah slowly walked around the bed, and stood in front of Angel. < I know why they say he has such an angelic face. > She leaned over and kissed him gently on each cheek. “I’ll see ya later.”
Angel wanted her to stay. To just pull her back into the bed and to watch her sleep that peaceful sleep of hers. He wanted to hold her in his arms and have a long, in-depth conversation with her, but that wouldn’t happen. She wanted to help keep the world safe. So did he. However, because of that, she spent the day at school, keeping in touch with the Slayers, while he was here at the mansion, protected from the light of day. At night, they could never talk. The world was always threatened by some evil or another.
“I’ll meet you at the library.” Mariah could see the regret in his eyes, but she had to go now. She slowly turned and walked out of the room, then the mansion. As the morning light flooded over her, Mariah thought about Angel, the man she loved.
* * *
Buffy Summers, the Chosen One, sat at the library table, looking down at a book. Her face was puzzled. Her best friends, Willow and Xander, sat on either side of her. Xander looked completely bored, while Willow tried to explain something one more time to Buffy.
"Buffy, all you have to remember is that the vectors are split into their x and y components. You find the length of all the x components, add them together, in relation to the positive/negative axis, and then do the same thing to the y components." Willow looked at Buffy and saw her confusion, which was several times worse than it had been before.
Buffy slipped her hand under the edge of the book and slammed it shut. "I can't do Physics. Why do I need to learn this stuff? When am I ever going to need this stuff in real life?"
Giles walked out of his office and over to the table. His hand reached for his glasses and he pushed them up in order to massage the bridge of his nose. His frustration was apparent, but it had nothing to do with Buffy's problems with understanding Physics and its applications. "Buffy, you'll need this 'stuff' as you call it to predict where an arrow will land, how fast a sword is approaching and the speed at which an enemy attaches."
"Oh, well, if you put it that way, I guess I do need it in normal everyday life." The sarcasm was evident, but Buffy's eyes fell to the book before her, reconsidering the importance of Physics.
Suddenly, they heard the library door swing open and they turned to see who had come in, knowing full well that very few Sunnydale High students dared to enter the room. Mariah sauntered into the room with several large books in her arms. She approached the table and set them down.
"Can teachers really give you three test on the same day? I just think it is so unfair of them to do that to us." She was about to sit down when Xander jumped from his chair and offered it to her. "Xander, this chair over here is just fine, but I should probably find Mr. Treppur and ask him my question about the Physics test."
Buffy stood up and grabbed her book. "I'll go with you and see if his answers do me any good."
Giles quickly spoke. "Buffy, I'd like you and Mariah to come here right after school. I have something to discuss with you both." He turned to Willow and Xander. "You should both go to class as well."
Buffy turned to Mariah. "Let us go and face our fate," she paused, "with pride." Buffy and Mariah exited with Willow and Xander bringing up the rear.
* * *
The halls of Sunnydale High School were quiet. The echoing voices of teenagers had been silent for at least three hours, sunset had just arrived. The only sounds that could be heard were emanating from the school library. Giles was lecturing about some information he had uncovered in a new book of his.
"So, basically, Giles," Buffy interjected, "you're saying that a whole bunch of evil, creepy creatures are coming to Sunnydale. That happens all the time, what's the big deal? Evil comes, we fight, I slay."
Giles glared, but said nothing, knowing that Mariah would explain. "Actually Buffy, it's a little more complicated than that. Powerful creatures, such as older demons, vampires, witches, etc., will all come to Sunnydale on a kind of pilgrimage to obtain great strength from the power of the Hell-mouth. Think of it as a kind of party, where only the evil are invited."
"Whoa, that's a lot of evil in one place. Do they get a group discount at the local hotels?" Xander had tried to lighten the mood, but he had failed.
"How am I suppose to fight all that evil at the same time? I know I have Faith and Mariah to help me, but that's a whole lot of evil." Buffy looked a little frazzled over the fact that she was going to possibly be fighting big evil almost every night. But she was the Chosen One and she would do what she must to protect the world.
Willow spoke up next. She had been reading the book that told of the pilgrimage. "Actually, it says here, that the pilgrimage only happens once every two hundred years and every creature may only attend once. The creatures come to the first pilgrimage that occurs once he/she/it are over one hundred years old." Willow look around at her friends and saw that everyone was absolutely confused, except Mariah, of course.
"Does anybody besides Mariah and Willow understand what's going on here," Buffy opted.
"Buffy, all it means is that evil creatures, younger than three hundred years old and older than one hundred years, who have the means to come to Sunnydale, will be here." Giles stated as Angel walked through the library doors with Oz.
"Oz," Willow said, jumping out of her chair to give her boyfriend a hug.
Mariah smiled sweetly at Angel. He walked over to where she was sitting and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Hello, Angel." Mariah whispered to him.
"Hey, everybody. So what's going on?" Oz asked in his usual nonchalant attitude to the solemn faces around him.
"We're taking about the Pilgrimage of the Dark Ones." Giles interjected.
"Doesn't that happen next week?" All eyes turned to Angel who always seemed to be ahead of them in knowing what was going on.
"Angel, how do you always know what's happening? You always know before us." Xander complained.
Angel glanced at everyone in turn, his eyes lingering on the closeness of Willow and Oz for a moment. < I wish Mariah and I could be like that. But she has seemed so distant lately. I don't know what to do. > "I know about it because this would have been my year to come if I didn't have my soul. Any way, let's relax until something actually happens."
"I concur. Let's go party at the Bronze." Oz said as he lead the group, all except Giles, from the library. Angel and Mariah were at the end of the procession, their hands intertwined.
* * *
At set of wheels screeched on the asphalt as a car swerved back and forth on the road into Sunnydale. The black Desoto Sportsman barreled towards the "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign at a tremendous speed. Its blacked-out windows may have had something to do with it, but there was no way to be sure.
A gigantic crash occurred as the car went through one side of the sign. Any human being would have been either seriously injured or dead after that, but the car's occupants weren't human. The driver's door swung open and out stepped a man. He had spiky blond hair and wore a long black duster, a black shirt and black pants.
"Come on, pet. It's time to have some fun here in good old Sunnydale." His accent was rich and very British.
A young woman, with rich brown hair climbed out of the car. She wore a long white empire style dress. A closer look at her showed that she was pale and thin, yet there was a aura about her. "Spike, love, I feel such a power coming from all around. I can't get enough of it. I think we should have a party." Her voice was playful, almost child-like.
Spike turned towards her, his face having mutated into that of a vampire. He held out his hand to her, she took it gladly. "We will, Dru, just as soon as we get settled and have something to eat."
* * *
The Bronze was crowded and the music was loud. Oz was up on stage, playing guitar with the band. Willow watched her boyfriend with glee. Oz was a member of the band "Dingoes Ate My Baby", and Willow was very happy.
Xander, Buffy and Mariah were sitting on the couches that were on one side of the dance floor, along with Willow. Xander and the Slayer were talking and listening to the music, while Mariah looked around the room.
"Did any of you see where Angel went? He was here a moment ago." Willow didn't respond, but Xander stopped talking and looked around.
"He probably just crept away. He's never been one for crowds. Sort of like that Hunchbacked guy." Xander said absentmindedly as he turned back to Buffy.
Mariah stared down at the floor. There was a great disappointment in her eyes. She was upset that Angel had left without saying good-bye to her. Mariah hoped that they could spend some time together.
Angel shifted out of the shadows and came over to Mariah. She didn't notice him she was so deep in thought until he sat down beside her. He looked very uncomfortable on the plush little couch, but the happiness in Mariah's eyes made up for it all.
"I thought you had left. I must have just missed you when I looked around because you're so good at hiding in the darkness." Mariah was looking into Angel's eyes, a smile on her face.
"I'm sorry. It's just-" Angel stopped mid-sentence. Mariah doubled over in pain. Buffy and Xander stopped talking and rushed to Mariah's side, worry evident in their faces.
Buffy knelt down beside her. "You all right?"
Mariah sat back up. "I felt a strong magical presence, stronger than any one I have felt in Sunnydale before. It is no where near my power capacity, but it caught me off guard. I'm fine now."
"Could you tell anything about who held this power? Was it good or evil magic? Male or Female?" Angel sounded, urgent, almost worried about who had the power to overwhelm Mariah.
"It came and it went, nothing more." Mariah slowly stood up.
Buffy stood with her. "Go home. Xander and I will go on a quick patrol. Willow will," Buffy turned and saw that her friend was still watching Oz. "I think Willow's going to stay here." Buffy walked away with a purpose.
Xander followed her. "Looks like the party guests are starting to arrive."
* * *
Angel and Mariah walked back to the mansion in silence. They walked beside one another as if they were strangers, no talking, no contact, no interaction of any kind. Mariah walked into the mansion first and went directly into the bedroom. When Angel entered, she was curled up in a ball in the middle of the bed, facing away from him. He sat down beside her. He was trying to find the words to talk to her about what he was feeling.
"Just say what you feel, Angel. I know you need to get it off your chest." Mariah flipped over to face him.
"Are you sure you're all right? It's just that I worry about you." Angel looked away, but Mariah turned his face back towards her. She sat up and looked him directly in the eyes.
Their lips were inches apart and Angel could feel her breath against his cheek. The warmth of it made him shiver, for his flesh was cold and would remain so. "I'll be fine, my sweet angel. I can take care of myself. Since tomorrow is Saturday that means we get to sleep in." She claimed his lips and kissed him with a gentleness that showed him the love she had for him. "For now, Angel, can you just hold me. Please. . . ."
* * *
The next evening, Giles was in the library trying to do some further research on the Pilgrimage of the Dark Ones, while Buffy told him about the events that had occurred at the Bronze the previous night to Mariah. He was intrigued that she could sense the magic, but worried about her well-being. Xander, Oz and Willow were there as well adding their comments.
"She was really shaken up, yet she wouldn't let any of us help her, not even Angel." Buffy said, concerning her friend.
Giles suddenly changed the subject. "Have any of you seen Faith recently? She has come to none of the training sessions I have held."
"She's probably just having some down time. Everyone needs it once and a while." Oz said as he held one of Willow's hands between his.
"Well, she should have the decency to at least inform me she wouldn't be here. But she never was one for following protocol." Giles sounded perturbed.
Xander was about to answer when Angel walked into the library alone. He wore his customary black, yet his face was ragged and tired.
"Hey, Angel. Where's Mariah? Is she feeling any better?" Willow spoke up now, since she had been oblivious of last night's events.
"Yeah, Dead Boy, how is she doing?" Xander said, knowing full well that Angel disliked that particular nickname.
Angel ignored Xander and answered Willow. "She's all right. Mariah decided to rest a while longer, then we meet up at the Bronze later." Angel walked up to the group. "So, what's the plan for tonight?"
"Patrol for any demon or what not. Fight some evil, basically. Slay a few things. Report back in and if there's time, party at the Bronze." Buffy said as she gathered up her weapons.
Giles turned to stop her. "Buffy, take Angel with you. If Mariah's right, there's some powerful magic out there and you shouldn't have to face it alone. Willow, Xander and Oz, I'd like you to help me research who will be coming this time on the pilgrimage."
"Research mode it is for us poor souls, while the Slayer get to kick some demon butt. Well, let's get started." Xander grabbed the book out of Giles' hand as Buffy and Angel left to patrol.
Mariah sat at a table in the Bronze, watching the world pass her by. All the people there, she knew, would grow old and die one day while she stayed the same, like Angel would stay the same. < Why do I always have to depress myself? I should look around and see the happiness these people feel. > She scanned the crowd and saw all the couples, touching and kissing. < I wish I could have that with Angel, actually I wish I could have more than that with Angel. But here I go again, thinking depressing thoughts when I should be having fun. > Mariah sipped her soda and sulked, knowing it was a losing battle to fight her thoughts.
Just then Cordelia Chase, the eternal prom queen of Sunnydale, approached her. Cordelia wore a leopard skin print, short, sleeveless dress and had several boys following her. She sat down on the stool beside Mariah's, shooing the boys away from her. "Well, hello, Mariah. Isn't it?"
"Yeah and you're Cordelia."
"You've heard of me." Before Mariah could answer, Cordelia continued. "Well, of course, you have. Who hasn't? I just wanted to give you a piece of advice. Stay clear of the freak squad you're calling your friends as of late. I mean, it can really damage your reputation. I know from experience." Cordelia looked over what Mariah was wearing, a black baby doll dress, a black leather jacket and black leather knee-high boots. "From what you're wearing, I can see you have great fashion sense and you seem pretty cool. I'm just telling you this for your own good." With that Cordelia got up and walked off.
"I've never met anyone so conceited as that little witch." Mariah was upset and didn't notice the man coming up behind her.
"I couldn't agree with you more, but I would have used the word 'tramp'." The rich British accent flowed over her.
Mariah turned and saw a fashionably dressed man standing behind her. "I think tramp is too kind a word to describe Cordelia Chase. The snob." Mariah stuck out her hand to him. "Mariah Gray."
He took her hand and kissed it softly. "Spike. . . um. . . Jones. It's a pleasure to meet you. But I have to ask you if you'd like to dance.
Mariah looked around making sure that none of her friends were there. Mariah thought, < maybe dancing with this guy will help lift my mood. I mean what harm can come from one little dance. > "Sure, why not? It's not like I'm doing anything else."
Spike led her out on to the dance floor and put one arm around her, drawing her to him. They moved with the beat of the music. Mariah let her guard down and let herself enjoy the music and the company she kept.
Once the music ended, Spike led her outside to the back of the Bronze. Mariah was completely relaxed and assumed that he was going to try to take advantage of her, which she was simply going to work her way out of. He pressed her up against the wall and she laughed playfully.
As he dipped to kiss her neck, Spike whispered, "You look delicious."
At that moment, she realized Spike was a vampire. It wasn't just his enticing comment that set her off, but the fact that she didn't feel his breath against her neck when her spoke. She quickly grabbed his chin and pulled his transformed face before hers. "You weren't going to try biting my neck and take all my blood were you?"
"Why does that thought even occur to you?"
"Mariah pushed him away and walked into the alley. "Well, it might be because you're a vampire and I don't like vampires very much at the moment."
"If you put it that way, then yes, you're quite right, love, I do want your blood, every last drop." Spike dove at her and the fight began.
They seemed pretty well matched. Mariah wasn't using all her strength which allowed Spike to get in a few good hits. He kicked at her leg, hard, and she stumbled backwards from the pain. At one point, Spike got a hold of her hair and ripped out a few strands of it. "Ow." Mariah screamed as she knocked Spike to the ground. "Get out of here before I have to kill you."
Spike scampered off, holding on to those few strands of hair. Mariah in turn limped off in the direction of the school library.
* * *
Buffy and Angel had just returned from patrol, and were telling Giles what had happened. Xander was asleep at the table, and Willow and Oz were back in the stacks somewhere.
"Giles, there were two vampires in the graveyard and nothing else," Buffy said, as she hopped up onto the counter.
Giles began to respond, when Mariah staggered in. She had a limp and was bleeding from several spots, especially from a cut across her eye. Angel rushed to her side, just as she collapsed.
"Mariah, what happened?" Buffy said, as she helped Angel move her to a place at the table.
Xander jumped awake, screaming, "Back! Back, evil mime." Giles glared at him. "What's going on?" Then he saw Mariah. "You all right?"
"I let my guard down, and was drawn in by this vampire. He then attacked me, but I just couldn't pull myself together. He did some nasty damage to me. Then I got in one good punch, and scared him off." As she finished, Willow and Oz came out of the stacks and rejoined the group. "Did you get a name?" Giles asked as he sat down next to her.
"He said his name was Spike Jones and he was rather strong. I'm guessing at least two hundred years old."
Dread spread across everyone's face. Buffy broke the silence first, "Spike's back. This could mean a lot of trouble."
* * *
Angel carried Mariah all the way home. She eventually fell asleep in his arms, but he didn't mind. He would carry her as long as she needed him. All of Mariah's wounds had been cleaned up, and her limp was almost gone, but Angel insisted on carrying her anyway.
Once in the mansion, Angel took her to the bedroom, and carefully laid her down on the unmade bed. She stayed asleep, and curled up into a ball. He pulled the sheets up over her, making sure to pull off her jacket and shoes first. She looked very peaceful and young. The worry that had filled her face was gone.
Angel touched the cut across Mariah’s eye. She stirred slightly and he immediately removed his hand, not wishing to wake her. All he could do was stare down at her, yet he knew that she was aware of his actions. She always was.
< I wish I had some idea what you go through everyday, Mariah. I know that power overwhelms you and you must deal with controlling it, no matter what. There has to be some way for me to take some of that power into me, to relieve some of what you go through. > As Angel thought, Mariah awoke and turned to look at him.
"Why are you staring at me? I don't look too bad, do I? I mean, I haven't even had a chance to look in the mirror or anything." Mariah started to get up, but Angel stopped her.
He pushed her back down on to the pillow and kissed each of her eyes. As he sat back up, all he could do is stare into their depths. She was so entrancing and her eyes were so expressive, there was little else he could do. "You're not going anywhere. You need to build up your strength. Mariah, you're weak. Tell me, do you know why you haven't been able to build up your strength or why you've been out of sorts lately?" Angel took her hands in his.
Mariah thought for a moment then it hit her. "It might be because of the pilgrimage, all that power in one place. It's just a little overwhelming. The Hell-mouth has more power than any being alive, even more then me. Even though I was created to be almost completely invisible, but now that I'm good, my power is slightly less. I think you get what I'm going at." Her voice changed suddenly, when she realized just how tired she really was. "Angel, I'm going to sleep now. So if you don't mind, I'm going to need my hands."
As she was talking, Angel had been playing with her hands, kissing them and molding them in his. When he let them go, he slowly leaned down to her and claimed her lips in a passionate kiss. The kiss soothed her pain and relaxed her senses. For a moment all she felt was perfect peace, then it was back to controlling the power she held within her. A power she could never release in its entirety.
"Good night, Mariah."
"Night, my Angel."
* * *
In one of old warehouses that was near ‘The Barren,’ Spike sat in a fancy high backed chair, watching Drusilla play with her Tarot cards. "Dru, love, can I talk to you a minute. You see, I met a rather interesting woman tonight. Not like you, of course, pet, but I think that there's a good possibility that she's the second Slayer, seeing that you killed the other one."
Drusilla looked up at Spike, who sat across the table from her. She ignored the comment about her killing Kendra, since that was the night Spike betrayed her in order to help Buffy. "Really? Was she pretty?" Drusilla flipped over another card, then another. "Ooh, there's something coming."
"What pet?"
"A great magic followed by another. Perhaps a revenge of sorts." She turned another two cards over, right below the preceding two. "One will die, the other will be driven insane. A heavenly woman and a dark sorcerer. Spike, love, are they coming to the big party?"
Spike got up and walked towards Drusilla. He glance at the cards. The first two depicted a woman dressed in white with a halo and the other a magician. The ones below that showed the figure of death and a swirling vortex. Spike knelt down next to Drusilla. "Of course, they are. Baby, I need you to do something for me." He set down a few strands of a hair on the table, which he had taken from his pocket. A grin lit up his face.
"Are we going to have some fun, Spike?"
"Don't we always, pet?" He kissed on the forehead, his plan was set in motion.
* * *
Buffy sat on her bed, deep in thought. She had just gotten back from another patrol, seeing that Spike was back, and was now ready for bed. But she couldn't stop thinking about the events of the evening.
She looked down at the pig stuffed animal in her hands. "Mr. Gordo, I wish my life wasn't so complicated. I mean, I'm only eighteen years old and my friend is a creature that is as old as mankind. Plus an old nemesis is back in town along with a magical presence that can't even be described. What else could go wrong?" Buffy set down the pig and looked up to see her mom in her doorway. "Mom, how long have you been standing there? You should have knocked."
"I'm sorry, honey. I heard you talking and decided to come on in. So, do you need someone to talk to?" Joyce Summers walked into her daughter's room. She sat down next to Buffy and looked at her with concern.
Buffy looked back at her mom. "It's just a lot of stuff is happening right now. Mariah isn't feeling too hot, which might have something to do with this big convergence of evil in Sunnydale."
Her mother interrupted. "Convergence of evil?"
"Yeah, it's this pilgrimage that happens next week. I'm going to have to fight some of the things that come to gain strength from the Hell-mouth. You've seen the trouble the things I fight cause. Also Spike's back in town and he attacked Mariah."
"Is she all right?" Concern filled Joyce's face.
Buffy replied. "She's fine, but the other night she felt this strong magical presence, which I'm most likely going to have to fight."
Joyce patted her daughter's knee lightly. "Get some rest, dear. It will work itself out and Mariah will be all right, you'll see."
"Good night, mom."
Just as she left the room, the phone rang. Buffy leaned over and grabbed the phone, hoping to God that nothing else had happened to Mariah. "Hello?" She asked urgently.
"Hi, Buffy. It's me."
"Hey Willow. What's up?" Buffy leaned back on to her bed, relieve rushing over her, and she shifted herself to get more comfortable.
"I wanted to see how you were doing. Spike being back in town, really shook you up."
"Yeah, it did at first, Willow, but I'll be all right and so will Spike if he leaves Mariah alone. He's probably just here for the pilgrimage, any way. He'll leave before he has to have a run in with me." Buffy slowly slid under her sheets.
"I bet you're right. You could have killed him last time." Noises were heard from Willow's end of the line. "I've gotta go, Buffy. See you tomorrow at the library."
"Okay, but tell Giles I'll be late. I'm going to stop by and see how Mariah and Angel are doing."
"Sure thing and say hi for me. Bye."
"Bye, Willow." Buffy hung up the phone and turned the light off. "I just hope I don't interrupt anything."
Angel was sleeping lightly, yet he knew that he was being watched. He smiled and opened his eyes very slowly. Mariah was sitting up on her elbow, staring down at him. He could tell that she was deep in thought and wasn't aware that he was awake.
Angle sat up and kissed Mariah lightly on the nose. "Earth to Mariah."
Mariah snapped out of her trance. "Oh, Angel, you're awake. I'm sorry if I woke you. I was just thinking about something and I thought you looked cute while you slept." Mariah rambled.
"Well, you took the words right out of my mouth. I was going to say you looked beautiful while you thought. But if you don't mind me asking, what were you thinking about while you stared at me?" Angel smiled, enjoying the way she just blurted things out when she was caught off guard.
"Well, it's a secret and if I tell you, it won't be a secret anymore. Now that I've answered you're question, it's time for me to get up and actually do something with myself." Mariah started to get up, but Angel stopped her from going.
"You're not going any where. I have plans for you." Before Mariah could protest, Angel claimed her lips in a passionate kiss.
Mariah moved closer. "I think I'll stay in bed." Mariah wrapped her arms around Angel's neck and kissed him deeply. Just as they were getting into it, there was a noise in the main room of the mansion.
"Hello? Mariah? Angel? Is there anybody here?" Buffy's voice could be heard resonating through the mansion.
Angel and Mariah broke apart and Mariah started to get out of the bed, but Angel stopped her once again. "Stay here, I'll go see her."
Angel got up and left the room before Mariah could get a word in edgewise. "Oh, why does he have to be so caring?" She mumbled as she laid back on the pillows.
Buffy stood in the middle of the main room of the mansion. Angel came out of the bedroom, wearing a pair of silk pants and nothing else. Buffy, on the other hand, was ready for anything. She wore a pair of tight black pants and a short sleeved black crop-top.
"Angel, there you are. I just stopped by to see how Mariah was doing."
As he was about to answer, he heard a noise behind him and he turned to see Mariah standing there. She, however, no longer wore her pajamas, but a pair of jeans and a short-sleeve crop top.
"As you can see, Buffy, I'm just fine and ready to go help Giles with the research about the pilgrimage. That is, if Angel will let me out of his sight." She looked at Angel, but he said nothing to her.
"Are you sure? I mean, you've been out of sorts lately and we don't want anything to happen to you." Buffy said as she approached Mariah.
Mariah smiled. "I'm fine. I'll meet you outside in a minute." As Buffy left, Angel gave Mariah a look. "Please don't look at me like that I'm fine and I have to maintain a normal life, like everyone else does. I have to go." Mariah stood on tiptoe and gave Angel a little kiss.
"Take it easy, please. I wish you would stay though, you should rest. But I know you want to go." He hugged her quickly and watched her leave the room.
Angel wanted to go to the window and watch her leave, but the sunlight would have killed him easily. < She did it again. Hot one minute, cold the next. But I know now it has nothing to do with the pilgrimage. Mariah would have stayed if that was the reason. It has something to do with our relationship. I just wish I knew what. > Angel continued to think about his relationship with Mariah as he went back to bed.
* * *
The library was still and quiet. Willow sat in a chair, silently reading through one of Giles' many books. Xander, however, was participating in a favorite pastime of most teenagers. He was fast asleep across the library table.
A noise was heard from the direction of the doors and Willow turned to see who was there. She saw that it was Buffy and Mariah. They waved to Willow and started to talk, but a finger in the direction of the table stopped them. Mariah looked utterly puzzled as she walked over to the sleeping Xander. She leaned towards his ear, as Willow and Buffy watched.
"Xander, it's time to wake up," whispered Mariah, but Xander initiated no response. Mariah looked up and shrugged.
Buffy tried next, using a different approach. She screamed from where she stood. "XANDER."
He jumped up from his rude awakening, screaming. "Stay away, clown." Xander looked at the three women in the room who were staring at him. "What?"
"Having the clown dreams again? Buffy said as Xander got off the table and took a chair.
Xander looked down at his lap then back up. "I thought I had gotten over my childhood fear of clowns, but it's back."
Mariah sat down next to him and gripped his shoulder. "The Hell-mouth's responsible for your fears being unearthed. They'll be gone in a few days, once the pilgrimage is over."
"I hope so."
"Mariah, are you feeling all right? We all thought you would be resting today." Willow said as she set her book on the table.
"She's fine, as she told me about a thousand times on the way over here. But where's Giles? He like lives here." Buffy said peering into Giles office.
Before anyone could respond, Giles bustled into the library, carrying five huge dictionary-like books. "Sorry for the delay. I had a small problem with my car." He set the books on the table and took his glasses off in order to clean them.
"Did it die again?" Buffy questioned, looking a the pile of books.
"Actually it stalled and I had to use the public transportation." Giles replace his glasses. "The buses in this town are quite grimy at that."
Xander looked at Giles. "You mean, it won't start, which means it's dead."
"No, it um is temporarily out of . . . um. Okay, I admit it's dead."
"Does that mean you're going to get a real car?" Giles stared at Willow. "What I meant was a new car, one from this decade." Now everyone stared. "I'll be quiet."
"Actually, Willow, I'm going to get it fixed. Now on to the matter at hand, I was researching most of the night and came up with a rather long list of names. One caught my eye, however. I knew most of them, actually all of them except this one, and none of them should be a really problem, except Spike and Drusilla."
"Giles, what's the one name that caught your eye?" Buffy interjected into Giles' thoughts.
"Oh, yes. It was Zotor. . . Zatar. I can't seem to remember. But I did write it down." Giles started to look through the books for his list. "It must be here somewhere."
Mariah got up and walked to the stairs. She leaned heavily on the railing. "Zortorian." She said in almost a whisper.
"That's it, but I could find no information about him except his age, which is 275, and that he's a powerful sorcerer of the black arts. Do you know him, Mariah?"
"Yes I do. He killed someone who was very close to me in an attempt to get to me." Mariah sat down on the steps and started to cry. Willow went to her side and put a comforting arm around her. "Zortorian was an apprentice to a powerful magician, but he was power hungry. His mentor tried to stop him from performing a spell to call forth the dark magic, but Zortorian killed him for his efforts and completed the spell. He was very powerful after that and gained knowledge that I was one of the few who could stop him." Mariah stopped, the pain was too great.
Buffy knew how she felt, she had lost many whom she had cared about. However, the best thing was to get it off one's chest. "Go on, Mariah. You need to say it all."
Mariah wiped the tears away from her eyes and looked at the faces that surrounded her. Her sweeping gaze stopped on Buffy and she smiled. Mariah realized that Buffy understood her pain.
"I was living in Germany in a little town on this river around 1770. I had just married one of the men of the village, Gustav, whom I had met on my previous visit to the town. We were in love and he understood what I was. One day, Zortorian blew into town and since he didn't know what I looked like, he began to attack everyone. Gustav wanted to help me, but I refused to let him. I began to fight Zortorian and I deeply wounded him. Gustav knew I had to leave and he came with me in order to escape further attacks. We left Germany and travel to America. After a long trek across the wilderness, Gustav and I arrived in Sunnydale, which at the point in time was controlled by the Spanish." Mariah stopped and moved to the higher area of the library and leaned on the railing above the table.
"You've lived in Sunnydale before?" Giles asked with astonishment.
"Yes, I've been here several times, actually, but mostly before there was a town. But back to my story. We had barely been here two days before Zortorian arrived. He was extremely mad and gaining power from the Hell-mouth every second. It was late at night when he found us and all we could do was run. I hadn't been keeping my powers at full strength and was weak from attacking him, so I was in no condition to fight him. He caught up with us in one of Sunnydale's many cemeteries. Before I could do anything, Gustav jumped in front of me, thinking he could protect me. Zortorian got him in his grip and used a kind of energy beam to hold him up in the air." Tears started to roll down Mariah's cheeks and she stared off into space, refusing to acknowledge the faces around her.
"The beam was burning Gustav alive from the inside out. I was paralyzed with fear and it took me a while to get a hold of myself. Once I did, knowing I couldn't fight him magically, I tackled him and hurt him very badly physically. He ran off and I went to Gustav. He was dying and there was nothing I could do for him except hold him. He quietly said 'I love you' and died in my arms. He was buried the following day and I left Sunnydale, promising never to return." Mariah stopped and looked around her. Everyone's eyes were on her face.
Buffy broke the silence. "Mariah, if I come face to face with him this week, I swear I'll kill him. I know that watching someone you love die, can really hurt."
"Why did you come back to Sunnydale, if you swore never to return?" Giles said as he walked up the stairs to where Mariah was standing.
She turned to face him. "I came back because I missed Gustav and I wanted to see his grave, but I haven't mustered up enough courage."
Before anyone else could talk, Faith entered the library. She wore her regular flashy clothes, but her happy grin turned to a frown before the grim faces she met. "Did I miss something again? I know I've been gone for a while, but not long enough for something major to happen." She walked closer to the group and sat in the chair closest to the door.
Mariah walked past Giles and down the stairs. She wiped the remaining tears from her face and smiled warmly at Faith. "No, you haven't missed much except Spike and Drusilla are in town and the Pilgrimage of the Dark Ones is starting."
"Well, fill me in. I need to know everything I missed."
* * *
It was night. Spike and Drusilla stood in a dark room, a single candle the only light. A magic book sat on the table beside the candle, along with a cauldron. What could be seen of Spike's face was puzzled, almost disbelieving.
"So, pet, you're saying that all you have to do is mix these few hairs," Spike fingered the brown strands, "with this mixture you made and the second Slayer will be driven insane."
Drusilla nodded and Spike grinned with glee. "However, Spike, that's only if she is the other Slayer, otherwise, we're going to drive an innocent girl mad."
"Too bad, but either way, there'll be fun in the old town tonight. Well, let's get started, pet." Spike stood back, giving Drusilla the room she needed to perform the spell.
She lifted the delicate strands of brown hair and dropped them into the cauldron. The second the hairs hit the mixture, the words to the spell flowed from Drusilla's lips. And with each word, the moment of fulfillment came closer.
* * *
A vampire flew backwards over a tombstone after receiving a vicious kick from Buffy. Another came up behind her, grabbing her around the waist. Before she could react, the vampire burst into dust. As Buffy turned, she saw that Mariah was behind her with a satisfied grin on her face.
"Very yummy," she paused, "for an appetizer."
Buffy smiled at her friend's antics. "Well, by all means let's move on to the main course. And I think he's coming back for more." She swung around quickly, knocking down her first assailant with a high roundhouse. As he got back up, she grabbed him by the collar of his polyester shirt and lifted him to his feet. She, then, shoved him in the direction of Mariah, where she quickly drained him of all his energy.
"Not much of a main course. The meat was a little scrawny and there weren't any sides." Mariah said as she walked back to their blanket. They had decided to study some while they were on patrol, so they had brought along a blanket and some snacks. And from the rate at which they were going, all the calories would be burned off in no time.
"I'll see, if I can find you some dessert, but for now let's study a little more." Buffy said as she sat on the blanket and grabbed a candy bar instead of a book.
"It looks like, we'll be going on to study the digestive track for the Bio test at the end of the week." Mariah said as she too grabbed a candy bar. "I think I like studying in the graveyard." Buffy glared at her. "I didn't actually mean studying, but this way we don't have any parents of significant others to make us feel guilty about not doing so."
"I agree with you completely. But I think we have company." Buffy nodded in the direction of a bush that was moving. They both jumped to their feet, ready to take on anything that came at them.
Angel stepped out from behind the bush and looked at them. "It's one of the good guys. So, you two can go back to pretending to study." He grinned at them.
"How long have you been standing there, Angel?" Mariah asked, a little perturbed that her studying strategy had been over heard by her boyfriend.
"Well, let's see," Angel spoke as he walked over to Mariah. "I saw the whole fight, plus the whole conversation about food. And I have something for you."
Mariah looked at him with disbelief. "What could you possible have for me?" Her voice was sarcastic as Angel moved to stand in front of her.
"A kiss for dessert." Angel's arm snaked her around the waist and he claimed her lips in a sweet kiss. They parted rather suddenly realizing that Buffy was still there and not wanting to hurt her in any way.
Buffy smiled at them. "Don't mind me. Go right ahead." Before they could take her words to heart, a vampire came running towards them. His face was filled with fear.
Before Buffy could dispatch him, he burst into dust and revealed Faith standing right behind him. She looked a little bruised and beaten, but she smiled. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything." She stared at Mariah and Angel. His arm quickly left her waist and they looked rather guilty.
"Mariah, why don't you go home with Angel? You said that you had been feeling a little tired. Faith's here so we can take care of any vampires that rear their ugly heads." Buffy said as she sat back down on the blanket.
"Thanks, Buffy. I'll do that. Let me just get my books." Mariah went back to the blanket and started to lean over but she stopped just before she grabbed her two books.
Angel walked over to her as she stood back up. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know." She looked down and saw several balls of light starting to whirl around her. Buffy gasped as she saw them, but Mariah stayed perfectly still, fear washing over her. She swatted at them with her hand and tried to kick them away, but they continued to fly around her.
The balls began to multiply and Mariah stumbled away from the group trying to escape them but they stuck with her. As suddenly as they appeared, they began to collide with her body and were absorbed. They were all gone in a matter of seconds.
Everyone held their breath. "What was that?" Faith questioned as she approached Mariah, but Angel noticed something and grabbed Faith's arm quickly pulling her away from Mariah. "Are you trying to get yourself killed vamp?" Faith was upset, but then realized that he saved her life.
Power shot out of Mariah, from her hands and all over her body. Faith and Buffy rushed to her and grabbed her arms in order to stop the destruction Mariah was going to cause. Angel walked right in front of her and looked her in the eyes. Her eyes were black and empty, but quickly became filled with a thousand of sparks of light. It seemed almost as if her spirit was filled with a thousand spirits that were not her own.
Mariah collapsed.
The two Slayers broke her fall and gently set her down on the ground. Angel walked around her and put her head in his lap. His face was filled with concern for her because he did not understand what was going on with her. The only thing he did know was that this problem was completely different then the preceding ones she had.
"She's not breathing, but that should worry us. She's immortal, right?" Buffy said as she watched the stillness of Mariah's chest. "Does anyone have any idea what just happened? It's almost as if she just lost it all of a sudden."
"When I looked in her eyes, it was almost as if she had been filled with a thousands spirits that were not her own. I think we need to get her back to the library. Giles may know what happened." Angel said as he scooped Mariah up into her arms.
"Buff, you go with Angel. I'm going to do one more quick sweep of town, then meet you there." Faith said as they all rose.
Buffy looked at the other Slayer with concern, but conceded. “Faith, remember to be careful. We don’t have any idea what did this to Mariah and it may be able to hurt you too.”
Faith nodded and ran off, as Angel, with Mariah in his arms, and Buffy went off in the direction of the library.
Giles sat at the library deep in thought. He wondered how Buffy and Faith would be able to handle all the creatures that would be coming to Sunnydale, at any time, for the Pilgrimage. < I hope that I don’t lose either one of them. When I thought Buffy was gone, I didn’t know what I would do. > He looked towards the door and at that moment Angel and Buffy entered with Mariah.
Giles jumped up from his seat and hurried towards them. “What happened? Is she all right?” Giles helped them lay Mariah on the table.
“We don’t know what happened. This funny little glowing balls of light started to swirl around her and they collided with her, then vanished. Then she started freaking out and collapsed. Giles, we have to find out what happened to her.” Buffy was frantic, needing to know what happened to her friend.
Angel said nothing. He gently took off his coat and placed it under Mariah’s head. Her face was pale and gaunt. She didn’t show any signs of life, but that didn’t worry Angel because he knew that breathing and eating was just a way for her to be normal. He lightly brushed a piece of hair out of her face.
Giles rambled on in the background. “We must contact Willow and get her over her with her computer as soon as possible. Also, we need to start looking through my books to find any spells or creatures that might have done this to her.” Giles looked at Angel with sympathy. “Angel, we’ll find out what happened to her. We all care about her.”
“Thank you, Giles. I know that you’ll do everything you can to help her.” Angel looked at Buffy and saw that she was concerned, not only for Mariah but for Faith as well. “Buffy, why don’t you go get Willow and I’ll see if I can find Faith.”
Buffy smiled at Angel. He always knew what she needed to hear. “Good, we’ll do that while Giles calls Xander and Oz, so they can all start going through his books.”
“As Xander would say, we have a plan.” Giles smiled at his reference, but turned grim when he realized that he had no idea what had happened to Mariah.
* * *
Two hours later, the group had assembled in the library and Mariah had awakened, much to Angel’s relief. She now sat on Angel’s lap, with her eyes closed, listening to the noises around her. Angel had his arms wrapped around her waist, holding her close to him. Giles and the rest were doing research, trying to find anything that related to what happened to Mariah earlier.
Willow sat across the table from Angel and Mariah, doing work on her lap top, but occasionally looking up at Mariah. “Angel, is she really all right? I mean, she doesn’t look too good.”
Before he could reply, Mariah opened her eyes and gave Willow an evil glare. “Why don’t you ask me yourself? It’s not like I can’t hear or talk.” Mariah snapped.
Willow looked hurt, but all Mariah did was close her eyes and lay her head back down on Angel’s shoulder. Angel gave Willow a look of apology and Willow went back to work, knowing that it wasn’t Mariah’s fault that something had happened to her.
Angel looked down at Mariah, knowing that lots of things were going on in her head, and that she would need his support. He was more than willing to give it to her. "Mariah, let me ask then. Are you all right?"
She jumped up out of his lap. She was off balance and mad that people kept asking her the same question. "Why does everyone keep asking me how I am?" Mariah shouted, bringing everyone out of the stacks and Giles' office. "If there was something wrong, I'd tell you. All I want is to be left alone and to go back to the mansion. Is that too much to ask?" She scanned their faces, but all she saw was pity for her situation. She gave them a frustrated scream and turned to leave the library.
After she had left the room, Buffy went down the steps to Angel, since she had been in the stacks. "Angel, go with her. Make sure nothing else happens to her and if something does, contact us." Buffy's voice was worried and desperate. Her friend wasn't well and there was nothing she could do to help her.
"Thank you, Buffy. Thank you, everyone." Angel left the library, willing himself to catch up with Mariah.
Everyone in the library let out a sigh of relief, now that Mariah had left. They hadn't wanted to discuss anything in front of Mariah, not knowing what would upset her.
"I think I found a few things that possible could have produced the little glowing balls." Willow spoke up as she pressed a few keys on her computer. Giles went to stand over her shoulder, while everyone else sat down at the table. "I've been talking to some people on-line who know a great deal about magic. The majority of them believe that the little glowing balls were part of an insanity spell. Each ball is a different ghost or spirit that enters the victim. The spell is meant to drive the person insane and eventually lead to their death, but since Mariah can't die, she'll just go utterly mad."
Everyone was quiet, not sure what to say after hearing that. The same thought went through all of their minds, < who could have done this to her, Zortorian, some creature they didn't know about yet. >
"Willow, what was needed to perform the spell?" Giles said.
"Well, there are some special herbs and potions needed, but the key ingredient is something that is part of the victim, such as some blood, skin, hair, or flesh." Willow scrolled down on her computer, seeing if anything else would work in the spell.
Buffy jumped up quickly. "It must be Spike. He had that fight with Mariah. Spike could have easily gotten some blood or skin off of her."
"Yeah, but why is a better question. Spike gets the key ingredient and Drusilla performs the spell. There's no reason for him to do it." Xander offered, surprising most of them with his logic.
"But what would lead him to do it? She's not even a slayer, unless. . . ." Giles pondered, removing his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Are you saying that Spike thought Mariah was me, the second Slayer?" Faith jumped in.
Giles looked right at her. "It's the only explanation for why he would do it. He never met you Faith, he's never seen you. Mariah fought with him and survived. There are very few people who could survive a vampire attack, especially one from Spike."
"I think we should wait and tell Mariah tomorrow. And for now, we should all go home and get some sleep." Buffy said as she grabbed her stuff. She knew that Mariah didn't need anything else to worry about in one night.
* * *
Sunnydale High was noisy and crowded. It was Monday after all. Every student quickly found their group of friends to tell them how they spent their weekend. But one such group already knew what the others had done, because they had done it together. Buffy and her friends waited outside of the school for Mariah to arrive. They didn’t know what they were going to say yet, but that didn’t matter.
“So what exactly are we going to tell Mariah? I mean, we can’t just tell her she’s been driven insane.” Xander questioned as he fumbled with his books. He looked to Willow, knowing she would have a good plan of action.
Willow just shrugged. “We should tell her the truth.”
“Tell who the truth?” Mariah walked up behind the group, a smile plastered on her face. “Did you lie to Giles again? You all know how he hates that.” She sat down on the ground next to Xander.
“Yeah, we, um, lied to Giles. But nothing major.” Willow smiled at her, weakly. “So, how are you doing this morning?” She questioned.
“Well, personally, I think I’m just fine, but Angel thinks something’s wrong just because I blew a hole through one of the mansion’s walls. He also acted really strange and gave me this note for Giles.” Mariah said, cheerfully, as she rubbed her temples. Buffy looked at her with concern. “I’m fine, Buffy. I’ve been having headaches since I got back to the mansion. It’s nothing major. Well, I better give Giles this note.” She stood up and walked slowly into the building.
They all looked at one another and then at Mariah’s retreating figure.
"Well, that was interesting. Did anybody else sense something isn't quite right?" Xander remarked as they all followed Mariah. Once they entered the library, they saw Mariah sitting at the table and Giles reading a little piece of paper. Giles looked a little dumbfounded.
"What's up, Giles?" Buffy questioned as she down next to Mariah.
Giles looked up noticing that the rest of the gang had arrived. "Oh, hello everyone. This is a note from Angel." Giles looked directly at Mariah. "It's a note excusing Mariah from all of her classes today."
"What? Why in God's name would he do that? I only blew one hole through one wall. And I have a headache. That is no reason to write me. . . ." Mariah stopped mid sentence and grabbed her head in pain.
Oz who was on her other side moved towards her in concern. "Hey, you all right?" When he received no response and she fell to the floor, he became more concerned. "Giles, I think something's wrong? Can't we do something for her?"
Giles walked around the table and helped Oz put Mariah back in her chair. He then started to massage her temples and the pain slowly left her. "Does that feel better?"
"Yes, it does. Thank you, Giles. Maybe I will do as Angel wants me to. But as my witnesses, I do it under great protest." She smiled at everyone, but realized all their faces were utterly serious. "I said am better now, so what's wrong?"
Willow spoke up, knowing she would be able to explain what was going on the best. "Mariah, after you left last night, we figured out what happened to you. From some sources of mine on-line, they agree that an insanity spell has been cast on you. We, in turn, then came to the conclusion that Spike is the one who did it, believing you to be the second Slayer." Willow saw that Mariah was shocked with disbelief. As she was about to say more, the first bell rang.
Buffy patted Mariah on the shoulder. "We'll all come see you at lunch and during our free periods. And Giles will be here to keep you company." They all stood and left.
Giles stopped massaging her temples and spoke softly. "I'll be back as soon as I give this to Synder." He pointed to the note and quickly picked it up.
Before he left, Mariah asked, "Who does it say the note is from?"
"Your uncle." With that, he left. At first she laughed, but then Mariah began to cry softly, realizing that things were about as bad as they could get.
* * *
At lunch, the group of friends was once again gathered in the library. Mariah was eating a light lunch, after getting instructions from Giles to be careful not to get any food on the books. Willow was on her computer, Oz looking over her shoulder. They were doing research on a reversal spell to perform on Mariah, so far they had found nothing. Buffy was studying Mariah, making sure everything was all right with her. Giles and Xander were looking through some old spell books, without much luck.
Giles broke the silence. "Mariah, I have a quick question. How does it feel to have a thousand spirits within you, that are not your own?" He was curious, but he needed to know.
Mariah looked up from her soup. "It feels like if I let my guard down for a second they will all take control. I think that's why I have the headaches. Why do you ask, any way?"
"Well, I believe I've found a way to reverse the spell." Everyone looked at Giles. "It involves saying a certain set of words on the night when the moon is the fullest, which is Wednesday night."
"That reminds me, I have to become intimate with the cage again tomorrow night. I won't be any help to you all, when the spell takes place." Oz offered.
"There is one catch to the spell, it must be said by the original enchanter, who happens to be Drusilla." Giles said.
Buffy got up and walked to the library counter. "Spike won't like that very much, will he? And Drusilla isn't going to want to help us. At least not willingly."
"We could always kidnap her and threaten Spike with her death if he interferes." Xander said absent-mindedly. "I mean, Drusilla's his world."
"I kind of like threatening Dru with death if Spike gets in the way. " Mariah said, with joy in her voice. She knew now that she could be saved, insanity would not be with her forever. "So we catch her, maybe, tomorrow and hold her till Wednesday night. She performs the spell, I'm saved and we let her go."
"We have a plan." Willow said as the bell once again rang. They all picked up their books and headed to their classes, while Giles and Mariah stayed behind to continue formulating their plan of attack.
* * *
In one of Sunnydale's many cemeteries, Buffy and Mariah sat around waiting for any vampire, who might make an evening appearance. They had come there almost as soon as the sun had set. Mariah had been itching to leave the confines of the library, where she had been stuck all day. And now that she was free, she wanted to live it up.
"Buffy, can't we at least go from one vamp hot spot to the next? I'm getting antsy. I was stuck in one place all day and I don't want to be stuck in one place all night too." Mariah got up off the tombstone she was sitting on and started to walk around.
Buffy stared at her. "We always stay in one place till we make sure, that none of the new graves are new vamps. You know that."
"I'm sorry. It's just that I'm not thinking straight today. But I think I saw something move over there." Mariah and Buffy moved over to a new grave and the ground started to move. "Looks like we got a live one."
Out of the ground sprang a young, yet dirty female vampire. She saw Buffy and went straight for her. But before the vampire could react, Buffy dusted her in one quick stab of her stake. She smiled at Mariah. "Now, we can continue our sweep of Sunnydale's night life."
As she spoke, Angel moved out of the shadows and stood in front of them. He smiled at them both, happy to see that they were all right. "Having fun today or should I say tonight?"
"I'm not." Mariah said harshly to Angel. "Why did you write that stupid note, excusing me from my classes. I am. . . ." Before she could continue, Mariah became dizzy and fell to the ground. Buffy started towards her, but Angel got there first, helping her to her feet.
"Mariah, you all right?"
"No, get me back to the library."
Angel looked at Buffy. "Angel take her to the library. I'll do a quick patrol and be back there as soon as I can."
"Be careful."
|
|
|
|
Rave
Barbie Girl (Becca)
biscuit07
Filmtheory (Jim)
Malice (Jess)
MebbtheScribe (MichaelB)
Reset (Allie)
Shay (Marrisa)
somnambulist29 (Shea)
Stephanie Loss
Wendyness (Wendy)
Questions?Contact Us
|
|
All stories on this site have been archived with the authors' consent. Do not copy these stories for your own uses without the express consent of the author themselves. Buffy the Vampire Slayer TM and Angel TM are © UPN, WB, Fox and its related entities. All photos on the site are © UPN, Fox, Warner Bros, and/or their respective owners. No profits are being made by use of these images.
Powered with the assitance of eFiction.
|
|
|
