The Nyazian Prophecies

Clad in a black leather duster, Andrew Wells ran through Alta Mesa Memorial Park. He darted between the tombstones, his face pale, eyes wide in fear.

"Andrew?" A slightly tinny, distorted voice came from his jacket. Andrew stumbled as he reached into his pocket, pulling out the walkie-talkie.

"I'm in a bit of a jam here, Jay." Andrew panted, continuing to run. "Do you think we can talk later?"

"How many are there?" Oni's voice suddenly came through. "Do you need us to provide assistance?"

"I need a stake!" Andrew cried as he dropped his walkie on the ground. He patted down his jacket. "I dropped mine!"

Andrew reached into his coat, pulling out a tranquilizer gun. He fired it at the vampire, but it was easily deflected. The vampire growled, throwing a punch. Andrew yelped, ducking.

But the vampire was faster than he was. It grabbed Andrew by the throat, lifting him a foot off the ground.

The vampire stiffened before turning to dust. Andrew fell to the ground in a heap. He looked up at Jamie, who had his wrist stake deployed.

"The Destroyer's not available right now. Please accept his much cooler, yet surprisingly humble substitute." He held out a hand to Andrew, helping him to his feet. "You all right, man?"

Andrew sighed deeply, brushing himself off. "I will be so glad when he gets back into town. This is not my area of expertise."

"You've been handling yourself quite well for the last three months, Andrew," Oni's voice was chipper as she popped up from behind a tombstone. "And if you are truly uncomfortable with fighting, we can leave it to Salome. She is quite strong and imposing."

Jamie blinked, looking around. "But where is Little Miss Demon when you need her, huh?" He groaned. "I mean... Really need her."

There were three leather-clad vampires approaching. They were about a foot taller than the vampire Jamie had just disposed of.

"A vampiric social grouping based around motorcycles and mayhem?" Oni sighed. "I didn't think this sort of thing would occur in our town."

"It's open season on the Hellmouth," Andrew backed up. "And they look... Seasoned."

One of the vampires-- the one with a long mane of shocking red hair and a Megadeth shirt-- stepped forward. He growled. "Kill them!"

Just as the vampires surged forward, a small figure flipped over Andrew's head, landing in a crouch in front of him, blocking the path to Andrew, Jamie and Oni.

He moved quickly, brandishing an axe. He moved faster than anyone could see, just a blur of kicks and punches. The vampires fought fiercely, but were no match against the slender young man. The axe he brandished made short work of the vampires, chopping off their heads in quick succession.

"Pretty much now," Connor replied. "I gotta tell you... I really hate LA. And it looks like I came home at just the right time."

Jamie grinned. "Good to see you. Glad you didn't lose any of your fightiness while you were computer programming coffee getting guy."

Connor snorted, shaking his head. "Are you kidding me? Like I would let a demon get the drop on me."

Suddenly, a purple figure dressed in a leather catsuit appeared at Connor's side. She let out a squeal, tackling him to the ground. He fell onto his back with a surprised grunt.

Andrew and Jamie blinked, looking down at the pair. Oni looked unphased. "Well, perhaps just one demon."


Vincent Kartheiser	Anna Paquin	Bret Harrison	Kou Shibasaki	and Tom Lenk

****


Based on the Characters by Joss Whedon	Created by Emcee

****

Special Guest Star

Andy Hallett

Guest Starring

James C. Leary
Allison Mack
Nicole DeBoer
Kathryn Joosten
Laura Silverman
Ryan Alvarez

and
Romola Garai

Shocked, Connor pushed the figure off him. He looked up wide-eyed over Salome before relaxing slightly. He smiled. "Salome. You scared the--"

His words were muffled as Salome fiercely claimed his mouth. It took him by surprise, but he quickly got into it, meeting her passion in kind. He got to his feet, taking her with him, arms wrapped firmly around her waist. His hands slipped down, squeezing her ass.

Jamie cleared his throat, but the couple were completely engrossed in each other, lost in their own world.

Connor reluctantly pulled away from Salome, setting her down on her feet. He brought a hand up, wiping her glistening lower lip with his thumb. "What is it, Andrew?" He asked, a bit tetchy.

"There might be more vamps out," Andrew said firmly. "It's probably not the best time to mack on your demon."

Salome put her hands on her hips, smoothly transforming into her human form, now in jeans and a tanktop. Her eyes remained black. "I got 'em. No worries."

"I thought Vi was still here," Connor said, slipping a hand around Salome's waist and drawing her to him.

"Hey," Salome frowned deeply, leaning against Connor's shoulder. "She didn't leave until I got here."

"Pfft.." Salome shrugged. "I don't need no stinkin' Slayers. I just spent the entire summer with Slayers. They've got nothin' on me. I've been fine on my own. These guys--" She jerked her head to their friends. "Didn't even need to come with. I am big on the handling."

Salome purred softly, turning and grabbing the collar of Connor's shirt, pulling him close. "I could think of a few things, Ace..."

With a groan, Connor pulled away from Salome, but kept his arm around her waist. "Andrew, this is the first time I've been with my girl in months and not been badly injured."

Salome snuggled against Connor. "Mmm... Yeah... You're lucky we're not having at it right here."

Jamie pushed his stake back into his sleeve. "I think we've had enough demon action for the night."

Connor gave Salome a heated look. "Well... Almost enough..." He picked Salome up, putting her over his shoulder. "Later guys!"

Andrew rested his chin on the kitchen table. Jack was beside him on his hind legs. He was digging his paws into Andrew's hair. "I can't believe he just took off. I mean, he hasn't been slaying in months and the second he gets back into town he's off."

Magdalen sighed, holding out a basket of laundry. "If you're going to sit in here, you can help me with the laundry."

Andrew looked up at Magdalen, his eyes wide and sad. "We don't pay you so I can do laundry."

Magdalen shooed the cat away, putting a hand on Andrew's head. "First of all, you don't pay me. And sweetie, if you don't help me ball socks, I can't advise you about your little problem with Connor."

"I don't see what the problem is," Jamie said, pen posed on the ledger. "Connor and Salome are bunnies and they haven't bunnied in months." He set down his pen. "Dammit... I'd have an easier time building a perpetual motion device than figuring out how much we can spend on Tokyopops."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Oni said comfortingly, looking up from her book vaguely. "You are quite bright."

Andrew folded a pair of black panties absent-mindedly, handing them to Magdalen. "That's not the point!" Andrew said. "Connor's back and he's already avoiding us. Pretty much as soon as we got back from England, he was off to LA. What if he's not doing all right with... Being him? What if he's avoiding us because he's spiralling into a horrible world of self-loathing with the memories of his happy but false life stripped from him? He's not acting right!"

"Wait until you get a girlfriend," Magdalen laughed. She then quieted. "Or a-- Well..." She held up a Dr. Who shirt. "Who's is this?"

Connor's rumpled head slipped out from under the sheet covering him. His eyes were wide, his cheeks flush. He was panting, a sheen of sweat covering his flesh. He sat up, keeping the sheet around his waist. His clothes were in a rumpled pile on the floor. He looked around. "Err... Salome?" He called out.

He got up, keeping the sheet around him. "Sal?" He peeked into the closet. "Erm... Where are you?"

The door opened and Salome entered. She looked just as dishevelled as Connor. One arm was over her chest, covering her bare breasts. She kept her head down, hair covering her flush face. "You're not laughing, are you?"

"Bit too confused for mirth," Connor sat down on the edge of the bed. "Do you mind explaining to me what just happened? Where did you go?"

"Wes' old room," Salome explained, sitting down beside Connor. She tugged the sheet, covering herself.

"Do you mind telling me why?" Connor asked. "I know it's been a while since we've..." He furrowed his brow. "I didn't think I was so rusty you'd feel the need to teleport in the middle of..."

"Oh!" Salome's eyes went wide and she shook her head. "No! That's not... Dammit."

"Well." Salome licked her lips. "Ever since I got that power boost from Cyvus Vail, things have been... Wonky."

"Well, I've been teleporting a lot lately. It's a power Nyazians develop when they're pretty advanced."

"Hence you getting the drop on me." Connor frowned. "Doesn't explain why you decided to do it while I was..." His cheeks flushed. "...On top of you."

"It wasn't really by choice," Salome looked away. "Since I didn't develop my powers naturally, I've had trouble controlling them. I teleport like... When I sneeze."

Salome shrugged. "Well, it's like a sneeze. Only... More enjoyable. Loss of control." Salome wrinkled her nose.

"Good to know I can still make you lose control." Connor frowned deeply. "So are you going to teleport every time we're together?"

Connor flopped back on the bed, sighing deeply. "This would be something that would happen to me."

Salome looked away. "I guess the idea of sex with me has totally lost its appeal. No one wants a girl who disappears in the middle."

Connor frowned, reaching up to cup her cheek. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry. There's no one I'd rather have disappear on me." He stroked her cheek with his thumb. He gave her a small smile. "But until you get control of it... Maybe you should be on top. That was... Unpleasant." His brow furrowed deeper. "You do think you'll be able to get control of it, right?"

"Yeah, I could get some pepper and..." She grinned, catching on. "Or we could..."

Connor pulled Salome onto him. "The sacrifices I make to help you with your magic."

Salome looked down at Connor, brushing his bangs out of his face. "Ironic, considering your love of all things Dark Arts."

"They're your arts," Connor replied, sliding his hands up Salome's back. "Big difference there."

"Like?" Salome laid down beside Connor, putting her head on his shoulder. "What's like what?"

"Teleporting," Connor idly stroked her hair. "You've been doing it all summer but you haven't really said anything about it. I mean, I know I did it... But I was a little out of it at the time."

"Oh." Salome wrinkled her nose. "Well, it's... It kind of feel like you're in space for a moment. Like all the air has gone out of the room. You're nowhere.... And then you're somewhere and the whole world floods back to you. It's... Disorienting."

Connor nodded. "Yeah, I can see that. It was disorienting just being on the other side of it. Is any of it good? Did you learn a lot from Willow?"

"Oh yeah." Salome nodded. "I learned more than I could stand." She sighed. "Willow's not exactly on my list of people I would choose to spend copious amounts of time with. Especially not reading through long, boring books and meditating. But I got to do some new stuff. Travelled to other dimensions."

Connor's brow furrowed deeply, a troubled look on his face. "Well... as long as they're.... nice.... dimensions, that sounds.... cool."

Salome sat up, looking concerned. "What about you? Your summer. With the Rileys."

"I..." Connor looked down. "I only spent a week with them before I went to Los Angeles to work."

"All right." Salome kissed Connor's shoulder. "How was working? Having your memories...."

"Hey..." Salome frowned deeply, draping her arms over Connor's shoulders. "You haven't felt like getting into it for weeks. I've been asking you how you were doing on the phone for weeks now and you keep on side-stepping. What's going on, Ace?" Her dark eyes were wide with concern.

"Sal..." Connor groaned, pulling away from Salome, flopping down onto the bed. He rolled onto his side, back to Salome. "I don't want to talk about it."

Salome scowled, crawling over to Connor. "Connor Angel, do not get avoidy on me."

Salome started to get out of bed. "If you're going to be avoidy, maybe I should just..."

Connor rolled over, grabbing Salome's wrist. "Wait." He looked up at her, blue eyes filled with sadness. "Don't go." He looked down, bangs falling in front of his face. "There's really nothing to say. It was life. It was life as Connor Riley."

Salome looked back at Connor, frowning. She reached to him, brushing his bangs off his face. "And it wasn't weird for you? You don't want to talk about it at all?"

"I spent nine months fighting for my life... And I lost it. I lost my life. I had to so I could save the world." He lay back again. "I came to grips with being the Destroyer again, but I wasn't anywhere close to being ready. Then, I had to act normal again. Just feeling really jerked around."

Salome frowned as she snuggled against Connor. "Well, you're back. And you can be as Destroyer-y as you want to be."

"Ace?" Salome said softly, gave him a squeeze. She smiled at him. "I really missed you."

Just off Alma Street, there was a building with a comic book characters bordering the large window. The red and white read Flying Demon Monkeys . A sign declared Grand Opening-- September 29th.

Connor walked inside cautiously, following Oni. "Wow... When you guys said you were going to open a comic shop, I thought it was like that time you got drunk on Cosmos and decided to get the rights to She-Ra."

"Hey." Jamie looked up from the box he knelt before. "The time is ripe for the Princess of Power movie." He waved around the exacto knife in his hand before he began to cut open the box. He pulled out action figures, styrofoam peanuts sticking to the packages. "But for now our contribution to the geek world will have to be as pushers."

Salome, who was sitting cross-legged on the counter, held up the Nightcrawler figure she was playing with. "Thank you kindly, Ace."

"I should have known you did it." Connor walked to the counter, absent-mindedly giving Salome a kiss on the forehead. "Why didn't you wake me?"

Salome shrugged. "I thought you might want to sleep in. You seemed... Well, last night...." She looked away. "You know, I'm very attracted to Kirk here."

"Kurt!" Andrew yelled from the back. He came out, carrying a stack of graphic novels. "Kurt Darkholme Wagner, aka Nightcrawler or Herr..."

"Stop, stop!" Salome held her hands up. "Don't geek on me." She played with the action figure's tail. "Anyway, we seem to have a lot in common. And the children would be very attractive..."

"Is it just me, or is Salome rambling nervously?" Jamie asked said with a laugh.

Salome threw the Nightcrawler figure at him. He caught it deftly. "Hey! That's from the 1998 Limited Edition 'Giant-Sized X-Men #1' box set! Be careful!"

Connor frowned deeply as he perused the shelves. "So a comic shop... You guys never thought of opening a place that might help us in the fight against evil?"

"Like a magic shop?" Jamie asked, putting the MacFarlane Toys onto the rack in front of him. "I thought you didn't like magic."

"I had a bad experience in a magic shop anyway." Andrew said quietly, looking down. "And I watched someone work in a magic shop once. It was really repetitive."

"It's too bad," Salome sighed. "Aunt Meerna has a shop in LA. I always liked working there."

"Yeah, you'd suck here," Jamie said with a laugh. "You can't even tell the difference between the captain of the Enterprise NCC-1701 and the current leader of the Uncanny X-Men."

Connor curled a lock of Salome's hair around his finger. "Give her a break. She quit her job to help us out."

"And I've got it back." Salome turned back to Connor. "Lorne asked me to start working for him again when I got back from Sao Palo." She frowned. "Didn't I tell you?"

Connor furrowed his brow, stepping away from Salome. He shook his head. "No... You didn't mention that. What happened to not wanting fluffy feelings for demons?"

Salome shrugged. "More interested in staying in school. Besides, now that the Apocalyciousness is over and Vail is dead..."

Jamie and Andrew were huddled in the back, laughing over a comic Andrew was flipping through.

Oni picked up her back, looking at her watch. "I'm afraid I must leave. I am meeting with Clement. I am trying to assist him in his attempt to create a demon-human hybrid offspring."

Jamie and Andrew looked up slowly. Salome and Connor wordlessly turned to Oni. All four stared at her incredulously.

"With his mate," Oni said weakly. "Sophie. Who he has been with for three years." She looked uncomfortable. "You four are very perverse. You think I would..." She shook her head. "I am only providing assistance with research. Such a breeding has not occurred. They are allowing me to take pictures!"

The others stared at her again. Oni frowned. "I meant with the birth." She frowned deeply. "I am not discussing my research with you any longer until you can get your minds out of the sewer." She turned and left.

Jamie sighed as the door swung shut. "She must really miss Wes if she's getting jazzed about Clem breeding."

Andrew nodded. "She's been keeping herself busy ever since she got back from England."

"Dawn told me Wes didn't even leave a note," Salome sighed. "He just took off in the middle of the night. He's in Nepal now. But I don't think they're talking." She turned to Connor. "At least she's not bothering us anymore, right?"

Connor nodded. "Yeah. That's a relief." He took a step back. "I gotta go too. I'll see you guys later."

Andrew frowned deeply. "But we didn't show you the bootleg subtitled Japanese horror DVD section."

"Is there something wrong with him?" Jamie asked. "I mean, here we are in Mecca. And he couldn't wait to get out of here."

Andrew slid the comics he had been looking at onto the shelf. "There's definitely something wrong with that guy." He went to Salome's side. "Did he say anything to you, Sal?"

"You're the only one who's spent any time with him," Jamie urged. "He must have said something ."

Salome shrugged. "Last night we weren't exactly concerned with talking." She straightened up, trying to ignore their incredulous stares. "There's nothing wrong with it! The only time we've spent together in the last three months, he had two dozen stitches in his chest! Things get pent up!"

"Something's wrong with him!" Andrew exclaimed, crossing his arms over his chest. "And the only thing you can think of doing is giving him a jump?"

Salome hopped off the counter, squaring up against Andrew. "Excuse me, Connor was the one carrying me off. And I tried to talk to him after."

"See?" Andrew pointed at Salome, looking smug. "There's something wrong with him."

"Falling asleep after sex doesn't make him upset. It makes him male." Salome shook her head. "He just got back. He's just trying to get back into the swing of things. I mean, it's been like half a day. He spent the summer... I dunno, writing BASIC and, except for a little life or death grudge match with Wolfram and Hart, he hasn't been doing the hero thing. At least him getting back into the swing is the only problem we've got right now."

A grizzled man in faded low riding jeans and wife beater paced back and forth in the small storage area. He held a cellphone to his ear. "It shouldn't be more than a day's work. It's one of the science department's storage rooms. Someone tore up the floor good." He knelt down, picking up a piece of rubble. "Weird thing is, it looks like someone painted something on it first." He threw the bit of concrete back down. "Anyway, I'll be here all day. The physics department wants to start using the room again. Call me if you need me."

He hung up the phone and turned. He jumped when he saw a robed person standing in the doorway.

"Goddammit, you scared me." He cocked his head. "You with the school? I thought that kind of outfit would go over better at Berkley."

"Cleaning this place up." The contractor jerked his head to the broken ground. "'Bout time. It looks like this place has been a mess for months."

They brought their hands up, twisting the contractor's head until the crack of his neck echoed through the room. "The mess is still useful to me."

The figure knelt on the floor, placing their palms on the rubble. A glow spread over their hands. They then reached up, pulling off their hood.