Chapter 8 - Diversion and Deception

"We're staying here tonight," Buffy told Dawn.

"It's OK," Dawn said, looking around the bedroom of the guest suite that took up the west end of the second floor. Sitting room, bedroom, bathroom. No phone, but a computer and a TV occupied a corner of the sitting room. "Why does Ann have such a big house, if usually only she and Gang Long live here?"

"Possibly because sometimes she has other people staying with her, like us, or Tara and Willow, or Xander and Anya, who will be here for dinner. Which bed do you want?"

"That one," Dawn indicated the one further away from the door. "Are we going to have dinner?"

"Before we all go out and try to catch the mercenaries, yes. Change out of your suit, and come downstairs."

"Do you think Ann is sleeping with Spike, too?"

"What do you mean?"

"Besides Giles."

"How, I mean why do you think Giles is sleeping with Ann?"

"Last fall, they went from calling each other Miss Grove and Mr. Giles, to Rupert and Ann, after they were both gone for three days. Tara mentioned Ann was gone, and you were wondering if Giles would get back in time for Thanksgiving. I think they went away together for a dirty weekend."

Since that was exactly what had happened, Buffy ignored it. She went after the polite and moral high ground: "That's a rude and crude term. Don't use it. Anyway, whoever Ann is sleeping with is not your business. The same with Giles. Why do you think Ann would sleep with Spike?"

"He's cute, and she certainly likes him. Besides, he's got a room here, too."

"He and Gang Long run around together a lot, that's all. It seems to me that Ann likes older men, not a kid like Spike," Buffy halted, remembering what Alice had said about Spike the night before. "Look, do me a favor: Don't ask Giles if he thinks Ann is sleeping with Spike, will you? OK?"

"Well, it's not like he didn't still have Olivia, and what's her name, Claire's friend from Seattle, and the long haired groupie who likes his singing and is always careful to slip out just before six AM. I saw her leave twice when I was out jogging."

"Dawn!" Buffy took a deep breath. "No more discussion about Giles's sex life. No more, none, zero. Ann's either. Or mine, for that matter."

"OK. Xander's and Anya's is more interesting, anyway."

"Dawn!"

"Gotcha."

>>>|||<<<

"No, I don't want to do this," Harmony said.

"Logically," Spike began.

"No," Harmony insisted. "I don't think it's safe. If it were safe, Buffy would do it."

"Buffy can be killed from ambush. They can't kill you by shooting you, they have to get close enough to stake you or decapitate you. Once they come out of hiding, we catch them. "

"Let Buffy do it. If they're so dumb they're confused about who we really are, she'll be just as good bait as me."

"Harmony," Giles said, "This action is to your benefit."

"This is all for Buffy and I can get hurt."

"No one is denying that Buffy, and indeed all of us, will benefit from having armed marauders removed from the streets, but of course, so will you."

"And when we get right down to it, we can just drop you off in the cemetery and see if you get attacked. If you do, we stop them; if you don't, we wait until tomorrow and see if you get attacked then," Xander said.

"That's enough," Ann said. "Harmony, you are a short-sighted idiot who should be required to have a keeper. Go away." She flicked one hand at the girl vampire, who disappeared.

"You've got another plan?" Xander asked.

"No, just different bait," Ann said. "I'll be right back." She disappeared.

"Well, I'm willing," Buffy said.

"Do you still have that vest?" Spike said.

"Yes. But it does slow me down," Buffy said.

"Better than being shot or staked for real," Willow said. "Oh, we're going to have to redo your hair."

Harmony walked in. Everyone glanced at her, then back to each other, except for Spike, who looked, looked away, then back at the other vampire. He frowned, then saw her eyes. They were a clear, emerald green. Spike bounced to his feet: "Bloody hell," he said, in a sort of awed voice.

Giles glanced up at him, then followed his gaze. He looked over Harmony, back at Spike, seemed ready to speak, then jerked his head around. Harmony was wearing Ann's clothes. He looked at her face and saw her eyes. She grinned at him.

"So how do I look?"

"You're taller than Harmony is," Spike answered.

Buffy looked. The girl she thought was Harmony shrank three inches. She realized who it must really be. "Oh," she said. "That's uh, interesting."

"Better," Spike said. Buffy looked at him. Except for his first outburst, Spike didn't seem surprised at all. She glanced over at Giles. He had been startled, but appeared to accept Ann's shape-shifting as well as the vampire did, certainly with more aplomb than Xander displayed:

"Wait, wait," Xander said. "You...She...Look," he told Willow, gesturing wildly at Ann/Harmony.

"Yes, I see. It's something she does. Don't worry about it."

"Neat," Dawn said.

"No big deal," Anya said, "I used to do it all the time."

"She's done this before?" Buffy asked.

"Yes. She used to be shorter. But, Ann, Harmony doesn't dress that well."

"She uses a different palette," Tara said. "More creams and ambers. And she's fluffy." Ann's clothes rippled, changing colors and developing lace and ruffles. "Good," Tara said.

"Ann," Giles asked, "Why? We could, as Xander explained, just release Harmony."

"She's not a friend, she's not even an ally. She's an obnoxious twit and an attractive nuisance, but I've violated her free will all I intend to do."

"But we'd just be letting her go," Tara said.

Ann frowned at the girl. "She's my prisoner, Tara. There are conventions regarding prisoners. I can't use her as bait unless she agrees."

"But she's an obnoxious twit," Anya said. "She really is."

"What I do is not about her, it's about me. Staking her, if she's bothering Tara; or letting the guardian lions eat her, if she tries to return here--I have no trouble with either of those actions, but I can't make her a puppet or force her to put herself at risk." Ann spoke with a cold finality than silenced even Anya.

"You'll fool most people," Spike said. "Even those who know her well, even with those eyes."

Giles sighed quietly. "And it will be dark, too dark to tell their color."

"Then let's do this," Ann said.

>>>|||<<<

(Chapter 9)

(Back to home.)