Title: The Assistant, part 67
Author: Sweetdoggie (stirling_summer@yahoo.com)
Pairing: B/G
Rating: R
Summary: Merrick didn’t die. AU
Spoilers: season 4
Disclaimer: No permission has been granted to use the characters.. They are owned by their creator, Joss Whedon, Twentieth Century Fox, UPN, WB, and Mutant Enemy. This story is non-profit and is intended solely as entertainment. No copyright infringement is intended.
“I want that bitch that stole my monk!” The blonde screamed at the scabby little minion cringing in her presence.
“We are making inquiries, Most Precious Flower of Grace and Beauty. We will not rest till she is found and identified.”
“That's just as it should be.” She rubbed her forehead. “I need a little snack.”
“We have prepared it for you, Glorious One.” At his gesture, another minion opened the door of the room. Two more of the berobed creatures dragged a middle-aged man in a business suit into the room. He was looking around wildly.
“Lady! Help me! These things kidnapped me! Please help me!”
The being known as Glorificus, rolled her eyes. “Oh please, why do you think they brought you to me? Humans! Dense as posts.” She walked over to him and splayed her fingers against the sides of his head. There was a flash of strobing light and her fingers seemingly sunk down into the man's brain. He screamed as Glory sucked out his sanity. He collapsed in a quivering heap at her feet as she removed her fingers from his brain.
“Go dump this. Then find me my Key!”
~*~
Dreg had been a minion all his life. It wasn't an easy job, but it was his destiny. If he sometimes wished for a less volatile mistress, well, best not to let thoughts like that ever come to the surface. If Glory found out, he'd be disemboweled on the spot. He pulled the quivering human to his feet and pushed him down the hall. Not only was keeping his mistress fed a problem, disposing of the remains afterwards was awkward. He pushed the human out onto the street, steering him away from the building. Watching until the man stumbled away, he went back inside. He had a Key to find.
After conferring with his co-minions, Dreg approached his mistress. “We have a plan, most Glorious One. There is a spell to raise an avatar...it will seek out your Key wherever it is and report back to you when it has been found. We need a few ingredients, but they can easily be procured from the local magic shop.”
“Let's get cracking, boys. My Key isn't going to unlock itself. The sooner I have it, the sooner we can leave this horrible dimension.”
They gave her the list of ingredients. She would have to purchase them for herself as they were rather obviously non-human. She glanced down at the piece of paper with a sigh. This was all so terribly tedious.
~*~
Willow had been planning a trip to the Magic Box for a week. She wanted to try a new spell that might help Buffy pinpoint the location of the blonde woman that she was so worried about. Thomas offered to go with her because he wanted to see what they carried by way of magical texts and reference books. They were browsing through the miscellanea of the shop when the bell over the door signaled the arrival of another customer.
Thomas noted that she was very attractive, though he was also carefully observant of the fact that she didn't acknowledge his presence in any way. He sighed, knowing that his destiny was intimately linked with Anna anyway. Willow was a bit closer to the woman and noticed that her purchases were very specific. She raised her eyebrows over her selections. The ingredients the woman had just bought would allow her to do a powerful transmogrification spell. She made a note to tell Merrick or Giles. Somebody with that kind of power needed to be watched.
Willow walked over to Thomas. “Did you notice what that woman just bought?”
“Um, no. Not really.”
“She just picked up a Khul's Amulet and a Sobekian Bloodstone.”
He just raised an inquiring eyebrow. “Those things are very dangerous when used together.”
“Well, she didn't seem very dangerous. Just a very beautiful, blonde...oh dear. Do you suppose that was the woman that Buffy and Spike fought?”
“I'd give that a big check in the yes column.”
“Weren't the Sobekites reptile worshipers?”
“Big into snakes. Not good. Buffy doesn't really like snakes.”
“Let's get back home. The others need to know this.” They beat a hasty retreat.
~*~
Back at the house they gathered the others around them while they explained what they had witnessed.
“Did you happen to get a glimpse of the bloodstone markings?” Giles asked.
“Just a quick look,” Willow replied. She pulled a piece of paper towards her and quickly drew the symbol she had seen.
Merrick pulled out his Egyptian grimoire and began looking through the symbol dictionary. He found several etchings that were similar. One protected against crocodile bites, another gave the wearer the speed of a Monitor lizard for five minutes, and the third transformed a cobra into a supernatural servant with but one purpose: to seek out and find objects for its master.
“I believe I have it.” He explained the bloodstone's purpose to his family.
“Cobra, huh? I'm thinking, Zoo, maybe?” Buffy suggested.
“You must stop her. If she raises this beast, it could precipitate whatever she is intending to do.”
Buffy gave him a look. “Well, that's fairly vague. Let's go out on a limb here...Blondie wants a Key. Keys generally open things—what do we live on that we really, really don't want to open?”
Faith raised her hand. “I'll take Hellmouth for fifty.”
Merrick rolled his eyes. “We can't assume that's what she wants. To do so would be a grievous error should her goal be something else.”
“Would it be fair to say that whatever she wants is bad? Would that be pushing our interpretation too much?” Buffy was being highly sarcastic. Normally, Merrick would have shot her down, but he was just as frustrated as she was.
Joyce stepped forward and put a hand on her daughter's shoulder. “Calm down, Buffy. We all want to stop this thing.”
Buffy looked slightly embarrassed. “Sorry, Merrick. It's just so frustrating.”
He nodded. “I agree. I've contacted the Council to see what they know about the Key. We could hear something from them any time.”
Spike came up from the basement, yawning and deftly avoiding the patches of late afternoon sunlight that fell from the windows.
“What's up?”
“No more news on The Beast or The Key except she's trying to raise some sort of mystical tracking thingy made from a cobra. I have to hit the Zoo after dark.”
“Count me in on that one!” The vampire looked enthusiastic.
“I don't think you should come with me,” Buffy told him. “If this thing is looking for the Key and you're it, best it doesn't get anywhere near you.”
Spike looked sullen. “What am I supposed to do, then?”
“You could take a trip down to Willie's and see if he's heard anything,” Giles suggested. “Take Thomas with you.”
Thomas looked up at this. “Why me?”
“Your face isn't terribly familiar. If you and Spike go in separately, you might hear something that just one of you would miss. Take a cross and some Holy Water.”
Thomas nodded. “I should probably go in alone then. Perhaps get a booth.”
“Sit at the bar,” Buffy advised. “You don't want to isolate yourself in a dump like Willie's.”
“Don't wear tweed,” Faith said. “Get some jeans on and a leather jacket.”
Anna nodded. “Please be careful, Thomas. I do not wish to lose another person who is dear to me.”
Thomas looked down in surprise. “Why, thank you, Anna. You are dear to me, as well.”
The younger girl nodded and sat quietly on the couch.
“What are we lookin' for?” Spike asked. “Anything in particular?”
“Try to find out a name for our blonde visitor,” Merrick told him. “If we just had a name, we could start seriously researching.”
Buffy rolled her eyes at the implication that what they had been doing up till this time was frivolous research, but she said nothing. As soon as the sun set, she would be taking a little trip to the zoo. 'Note to self,' she thought. 'Stay away from the Hyena compound.'