Part 2

THE BLUEBIRD OF HAPPINESS MOTEL JULY 14, 1998 10:00 PM

Groaning, Mulder entered his room, dropped his bags, and fell down on his bed. He was so tired that at first he didn't even notice the cross that was hanging over his door. When he did, he moved closer to investigate. It was a simple wooden cross, and there was nothing extraordinary about it, except for the fact that it was there. Mulder went next door to Scully's room and knocked.

"What?" came Scully's tired voice.

"Did you see the cross?"

"*What!*" Scully came out of the room. "Mulder, what are you talking about? What cross?"

Mulder walked past her, and looked at her door. The cross was there, but the same color as the door, making it very hard to see. "That cross. I wonder what's going on here?"

A talk with the owner revealed nothing. He claimed that the crosses were there when he bought the hotel, and that they were attached to the door, making them almost impossible to remove. Mulder wasn't convinced, but hanging crosses wasn't a crime, so he couldn't push the man. Frustrated, he went back to Scully's room.

"So what did he say?"

"Nothing. He wouldn't tell me why they are there. But it does show one thing. Not everyone in this town is as clueless as they appear."

"So what's the plan?"

"Well, tomorrow at nine we are supposed to meet with the local police, and after that there is a man that I want us to look up, Rupert Giles, a friend from England. If you have a question on the paranormal, he is the man to ask. He used to work in the British Museum, but now he's living here and working in the high school library."

"Why would he move from a job in one of the most prestigious museums in the world to work in a high school?"

"Maybe he's doing some research on the strange happenings here. If so, then he'll be even more useful."

"Mulder, I'm exhausted. Why don't we work this out over breakfast tomorrow morning." Scully looked as tired as she felt. Mulder felt a twinge of guilt for keeping her up. Just because he didn't want to sleep for fear of nightmares, didn't mean that she should have to stay awake also.

Mulder forced a grin. "It's a date. Goodnight, Scully," he added in a soft voice.

"Goodnight, Mulder."

And they both went to bed, Scully to dream about tall dark haired men, and Mulder to think about petite redheads.

SUNNYDALE HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY JULY 14, 1998 11:12 PM

"I found it!"

Every head in the room turned to look at Willow who was in turn staring at a book. Giles spoke first. "What have you found?"

"It's a spell to recover a soul that has been sent to Hell by accident!"

"You mean it happens so often that there is actually a spell to fix it?" Oz asked incredulously.

"It says here that it was created as a counter to the curse of an evil sorcerer, who damned an entire village to hell because they wouldn't force one of the girls in the village to marry him. There was a woman in the village of uncommon virtue, and the curse just wouldn't stick to her. She spent the rest of her life creating this spell to recover the souls of her family and friends. Apparently it worked, but not perfectly. She managed to save everyone, but died in the process. Now her body and soul are trapped in Hell as well. That was over three hundred years ago.

"In theory, this spell would be able to get Angel back. I don't know if we will be able to make it work though."

"Why not?"

"First, only someone willing to give his life can do this. This person has to be pure of heart and soul, "possesses uncommon valor", and it kind of implies that armor would be good too."

"Why armor?"

"The spell would open a portal to Hell, and the person would go through, find the soul and then find the portal to get out again. The conditions in Hell aren't very conducive to survival. The woman who created this spell had a crystal to protect her, one of powerful magic, and she still died. Whoever does this won't have that crystal, and it sounds like an unprotected person would only last a couple of minutes before they are killed. We really don't know how big Hell is, it could be infinitely large, and chances are Angel wouldn't be anywhere near the portal when it opens. There's also another problem. The book says something about a 'gatekeeper' who will come out of the portal to get back the soul that leaves."

The group was getting more and more depressed as the spell sounded more and more difficult.

"Well, at least it can't get any worse."

"Actually Xander, it can. We don't know how the Hellmouth with affect a spell of such magnitude. This spell might open it, and I'm not sure we would be able to close it again."

"Thanks Giles. It's good to know that we can always count on you to make a bad situation worse."

"I don't know about you guys, but I think that we can do it. Come on, we avert the apocalypse on a daily basis. Opening a portal or two can't be all that hard." Willow smiled in gratitude at Oz's attempt to lighten the mood.

"He's right. Besides, I don't think that we have much of a choice. Maybe we can find another spell to protect whoever goes in."

In his best take-charge voice Giles said, "you're right Willow, we don't have a choice. You and Oz keep working on that spell. I'll try to figure out how to find Angel, and Xander, you and Cordelia start looking for a protecting spell."

Her bout of caring rather exhausted, Cordelia complained. "But Giles, if I don't go to bed now, I'll have bags under my eyes in the morning. My natural beauty doesn't come by itself, and I have an image to maintain. Besides, lack of sleep could do permanent damage to my biorhythms."

"Cordy, we are trying to save the soul of someone wrongfully sent to Hell, and you're worried about your biorhythms! Priorities, priorities!" Xander was not in the mood for this.

"Well just because you don't know what biorhythms are doesn't mean that I should let mine fall apart!"

"Try to think of someone else for once, you selfish twit!"

Suddenly, the two of them fell silent, and jumped towards each other, groping at random while involved in a deep kiss.

The other three look at them in disgust, and Giles started clearing his throat repeatedly. When that didn't work, he went to his office, and brought out a cup of water.

"Hey, what was that for?"

"I'm wet! And do you realize how much this dress cost!" Cordelia stormed out of the library and headed for home.

"Well Xander, I guess you'll have to find the protecting spell on your own."

THE BLUEBIRD OF HAPPINESS MOTEL JULY 15, 1998 1:26 AM

Mulder jerked awake, bathed in sweat. He had had the nightmare again, the one where his sister is taken. Sighing, he got out of bed. He knew from experience that he would get no more sleep tonight.

Sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands, Mulder thought about getting to work. That didn't sound too appealing. What he really wanted to do was go and talk to Scully, but she needed her sleep, and he was still feeling guilty about last evening. Having nothing else to do, he decided to take a jog. That usually cleared his head, and it would give him a chance to take in the layout of Sunnydale. Quietly he dressed, looked at his gun and decided to leave it, and went outside. Looking around, he turned towards the high school, and took off at a trot.

****************************

Mulder was just starting to break a sweat, when he looked back and noticed someone following him. The man was dressed in all black, and as Mulder watched, he broke into a run. This was not good. Cursing himself for not bringing his gun, Mulder headed for the closest houses, which were across what seemed to be a cemetery. He looked back and saw that his pursuer was gaining on him. Rapidly. Mulder realized that he wasn't going to reach the house in time, and turned around so that he would have a fighting chance. As the man got closer Mulder could see that there was something wrong with the face. It seemed to be ridged, and the forehead jutted out almost covering the eyes. What the hell was it?

Then, it reached him. Mulder hit the man on the chin with a punch that would have knocked most men into unconsciousness. The creature didn't even seem fazed. He struck Mulder across the cheek with the back of his hand and Mulder went flying through the air, thinking just before hitting the tree. Struggling to get up, he was knocked down again by the man. Mulder looked up and saw the long fangs. He could hear Scully's voice in his head <*Vampires*! You know as well as I do that they don't exist. They're just figments of Bram Stoker's imagination.> Well this figment of the imagination was going to kill him. He had the craziest urge to laugh. Here he was, about to die, and all that he could think of is Scully. Now he'd never have a chance to tell her how he felt. Suddenly, the man was pulled off by a blond teenager.

Mulder tried to warn her, to tell her to run, but nothing came out. It didn't matter anyway, since he was sure that the vampire could outrun her.

The girl pulled out a stake and faced the vampire. "Miss me?" she asked it, just before she started the attack. She kicked him in the side, threw an incredible left hook to the head, then kicked him in the groin. While the vampire was leaning over, she moved to run the stake through his heart, when he surprised her by straightening suddenly and throwing her next to Mulder. Buffy stayed there for a second, letting the vampire think that he had won. It moved over to her, and reached for her neck, giving Buffy a clear shot to his chest. She shoved the stake upwards into the heart, and the vampire turned to dust.

Getting up, Buffy turned to Mulder to make sure that he was alright. "How are you doing?" she asked, then held out a hand to help him. She demonstrated a surprising amount of strength pulling him up.

"I'll live. Who are you, and what was that?"

Buffy sighed. He was going to be one of the persistent types, one who wouldn't just swallow any old lie. Looking at him she realized that she was too tired to bother. "It's a vampire. My name is Buffy Summers. What are you doing in the cemetery at 2:00 in the morning?"

"I might ask the same thing about you."

"You might, but then I might point out that I just saved your life, and I asked first."

She did have a point. "I was jogging."

Buffy gaped at him. "At two in the morning? In a *cemetery*?"

"I couldn't sleep. And I was trying to get to those houses before the vampire caught me."

"Who are you?"

"Fox Mulder of the F.B.I."

Buffy eyed him suspiciously, then asked the million dollar question. "Who are you really? No government agent would have the imagination to believe me."

Mulder looked at her with a smile. "You haven't met my partner yet. I try to have an open mind, and that man did look like a vampire. Not to mention the fact that he turned to dust once you killed him. What else could it be?"

She looked at him narrowly. "I'll walk you home."

Mulder stared at her. She had to be shorter than Scully (who was a whopping 5'2"), and looked like she weighed less than a hundred pounds. Buffy caught his look and a slight smile came across her face. "If it'll make you feel better, you can pretend that you're protecting me." With that, Mulder snorted and started back, Buffy following him.

SECTION ONE VAN JULY 15, 1998 2:34 AM

"Ok, ETA to target destination, ten minutes. Michael, Nikita, are you ready?"

The couple, dressed in casual clothes, nodded. The van slowed as it reached the rental house, and Michael and Nikita quickly got out. The van sped away, and the couple entered the house. Immediately they heard a beeping noise.

*************************

"So what you're saying is that you look for aliens for a living? And they actually pay you to do this?" Buffy wasn't buying a word of it.

"Well, not just aliens. We investigate any unexplained event, usually of the paranormal nature. Like vampires for example." Mulder got her with that one, and he knew it.

"You certainly hit the motherlode here. Vampires, demons, Hellmouths...You name it, we got it. Except maybe for aliens."

They reached the motel as she was saying this. Mulder didn't want to let her out of his sight. This girl could give him answers to questions that he had been asking for years, and with his luck, he would never see her again. "Buffy, would you like to come in and talk some more? I have a whole list of unexplained events that have occurred here, and I'd love it if you could explain them."

"Sorry Agent Mulder, but I have to get home. Tell you what though, come to the Sunnydale High School Library tomorrow at noon. There will be plenty of people there for you to talk to."

Mulder smiled. "Ok, I'll see you there. And Buffy--thanks. For saving my life."

"No problem. See you tomorrow."

*************************

Nikita looked at Michael. "What could they be calling us about already?"

Michael simply gave her his classic blank stare, and went to look for the secret panel in the walk-in closet.

Nikita sighed and followed him.

"What is it Birkoff?" asked Michael in his usual calm voice.

"There has been a change of situation. Buffy Summers is now in Sunnydale, and your new objective is to round up the Giles group as soon as possible. Everyone except for the librarian and Summers is expendable."

"Understood." Michael closed the secret panel and went to find some dark clothes. Nikita looked at him with a frown on her face.

"Michael, what if there isn't a drug ring. Do we kill those kids anyway?"

"Don't ask Nikita. Get dressed."

***********************

Michael and Nikita stepped out of the house, automatically looking for anyone that might be watching them. Quickly they crossed the street and started in the direction of Rupert Giles' apartment, staying in the shadows as much as possible.

Without warning, Nikita was thrown aside as a man jumped at Michael. With an expert move, Michael threw the man over his head. He landed in the light, and both agents noticed his unusual features and the ridges. In an uncertain voice, Nikita asked "Michael, what is that?"

Michael didn't have a chance to answer as the creature came towards them again. This time Michael was prepared and pulling his gun, he emptied the clip into the monster. The vampire looked down at his ruined clothes and snarled. "I liked this jacket!" Thinking that the creature might have a bullet-proof vest on, Nikita shot him twice through the head. Still, the vampire kept coming.

Most people, even most members of Section One would have given up at that. They wouldn't be able to comprehend the situation, and they would have died. But Michael and Nikita were the best of the best, and it didn't take them long to figure out that the guns weren't going to work. Michael kicked the vampire, knocking him back to Nikita, who then started slamming her pistol into the back of its head. With a sickening crunch, the skull caved in. Frustrated, Nikita pulled out her knife and slit its throat. Still, it wouldn't die. Pushing the vampire back to Michael, she asked him, "So what do we do?" He answered her while still hitting the vampire.

"I don't know. What do you think it is?"

"This may sound crazy, but if I were to imagine a vampire, that's what it would look like."

"We have to be sure before we report this to Section. Break a branch off of that tree. Try to break it off so that it has a point."

Nikita grabbed the branch and brought it to Michael. He took it and ran it through the vampire's heart. Neither of them noticed the look of relief on the vampire's face just before he died, but they couldn't miss the fact that its body turned to dust.

"You know, I don't think that he's a part of the drug ring." said Nikita in a sarcastic voice.

"Come on. We have to inform the Section."

****************************

"Birkoff, we met a vampire here."

"Michael, you have got to be kidding." However, despite the words, Birkoff was taking him seriously. If it had been anyone else reporting this, he would have ignored it. But Michael did not make mistakes (unless a mistake would protect Nikita), and he wouldn't have made the claim if he didn't believe it to be true.

"Hold on, Madeline has gone to get Operations." A few minutes later, the older man could be seen.

"Why do you believe that this man was a vampire?"

"He had long fangs and his face was deformed. Also, I shot him at least 19 times in the chest, Nikita shot him twice in the head, crushed his skull, and slit his throat. None of this killed him. But when we ran a stake through his heart, he turned to dust."

Operations decided not to even ask *why* they had run a stake through a person's heart. "Do you think that this could have something to do with the drug ring?"

"The authorities might use the PCP story when they don't have a real answer. If the vampires are taking over the town, that would explain the large number of incidents listed under drug-related crimes."

Ops thought this over for a bit. "Alright, your new assignment is to recover a living vampire and send him in."

Michael shut the secret panel again, and turned to Nikita. "We have a new mission."

*************************

Once again, the couple left the house in dark clothes and started across town. This time, they didn't have a specific destination.

"Michael, what if we can't find one. I mean, if this town is full of vampires, why haven't we heard about it earlier. Maybe that was the only--" Nikita was cut off as she was attacked by another vampire, this time a female. Michael pulled the vampire off and with Nikita helping, he busied himself "subduing" her. After a couple of minutes, he called to the van. "We're ready." The van arrived, and they pulled the unconscious vampire in. Michael told the men, "make sure you keep her out of sunlight." Then the van drove off.

Nikita watched them leave, then turned to Michael. "So now what do we do?"

"We go back to the house and wait."

SUNNYDALE POLICE DEPT. JULY 15, 1998 9:43 AM

"You mean to tell me that there have been over a hundred gang related deaths in the last four months, and you haven't caught a single member?" Mulder looked at Scully. Even she didn't believe that story. Something was wrong, and he could see her rational mind working on an explanation. Probably she'd come up the obvious solution, incompetence. But Mulder didn't buy that one either. Even an incompetent cop would have caught a gang member simply by sheer luck by this point. It seemed more like the police were being blind on purpose. As if it was a conspiracy.

Mulder decided to test the man. "I have heard that people believe that there are werewolves here."

"Well...." the cop was wondering where this annoying F.B.I. agent had heard that, and how reliable his source was. "Actually, those rumors are a bit exaggerated. We did have a couple of incidents with a pack of wild dogs."

Scully's eyebrow rose a full inch as she looked at the detective in disbelief. Mentally, she changed her explanation from incompetence to stupidity. "Do you mean to tell me that not only do you have a drug ring taking over this town, but there is also a pack of wild dogs running the streets?"

"Yes ma'am. We've had a rash of bad luck lately."

Mulder couldn't believe his ears. "What about the reports of sewer monsters'?"

"Well, that was linked to a gas leak that we suspect caused mass hallucinations on the parts of the witnesses."

Mulder shook his head. This man was better than Scully at finding outrageous rationalizations for paranormal phenomenon. He looked at his partner again, and could see that she was ready to go. They weren't going to find anything of use here.

**************************

"Something's going on here Mulder, and it's not wild dogs or gas leaks."

"No kidding. I think that I might know someone who can explain everything, though. We're supposed to meet her at the high school today at noon."

"And where did you meet this source?"

"Well, it all happened when I woke up last night from a nightmare......"

***************************

"....and she told me to meet her at the library." Scully just stared at Mulder. It was amazing. As intelligent as he was, he didn't have an ounce of common sense.

"Explain to me again what you were doing running around a town with the highest murder rate in the WORLD at two in the morning, UNARMED!" Scully was almost shouting by the end of the sentence. Was he trying to get himself killed?

Mulder looked rather ashamed of himself. He really hadn't been thinking. "I'm sorry, Scully. I really wasn't thinking." He looked at her with his puppy-dog expression, and her anger just melted away. How did he do that?

"Alright, forget about it. Let's grab a bite to eat since it looks like we'll be missing lunch."

With a relieved smile, Mulder agreed.

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