Quentin Travers finished reading the report and looked at the man who had brought it to him gravely.

“You’re certain it was my nephew.” Philip nodded, clearly uncomfortable.

“The fire destroyed nearly everything, but we were able to identify his remains through dental records. Also, the woman he was with, she was not fully human. She was part Bracken demon, we‘ve made the usual arrangements there.”

“The police think it was a lover’s quarrel, which lead to murder/suicide. That he set the fire himself.” Quentin set the papers aside. Philip thought he had never seen the man look so old.

“Yes, sir. We cannot be certain there was not another party involved, but there is no evidence to support another theory. We’ll keep searching, of course.”

“Of course. What is the news on the Stokes-Martins?” he asked, changing the subject to one almost less pleasant. Philip frowned.

“No sign of any of them. They seem to have vanished without a trace. What would you like to do?”

“I’d like to find them. All of them. I have a feeling that whatever is going on with that family, my nephew was involved in it somehow, and it just may have gotten him killed. Whoever is responsible for my nephew’s death will pay for it, Philip, I promise you that.”

“Of course, sir. What of the Slayer?” Quentin leaned forward.

“Our sources say that only one person close to the Slayer died. The Santiago Codex had indicated that either all seven would die, or all seven would live.”

“Prophecies are tricky things, they often leave out important information. The future is so fluid. One new wrinkle and everything changes.” Quentin blinked at him, then shrugged.

“Frankly, I don’t know what to make of it, and without that book, I don’t know much we can do. Watch the Slayer, see how she behaves. If she seems unable to perform her duties, we may have to have another Slayer called.”

“Kill Buffy Summers.”

“I believe that Glorificus will do that for us. But if we must.”

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

Angel had searched the sewers for Spike for hours after the phone call from Giles. He finally found him sitting in a corner, his knees drawn up to his chest, an inconsolable expression on his face. He stood before him.

“You know.”

“I know. I heard you.” Spike looked up at Angel, and the souled vampire was startled by the amount of pain in the other man’s eyes. “I could have saved her. I failed her, and I failed Buffy...I’m so unbelievably stupid, you should stake me now.”

“Spike, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Giles said that Joyce died of an aneurysm, it wasn’t something you or Buffy or anyone else could have saved her from. Human beings...they’re mortal. These kinds of things happen.” Spike just shook his head. There was no way for him to explain what he was feeling, and he didn’t even want to try. He felt as adrift now as he had when in that formless sea, unsure what his next move should be. So, of course, Angel asked, “What are you going to do now?” Having to answer the question, Spike searched his heart.

“Go back. To Sunnydale. Try to see what I can do to make this right. I have to fix it.”

“How?” Spike shook his head again, then allowed Angel to help him to his feet. He stalked off back towards the hotel, Angel following closely behind.

“Don’t know, but I have to try. I won’t let the Summers women down, any of them.”

Just past sunset, a car with blacked out windows rolled down the highway, stereo blaring. Spike tapped his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel. He was down, but he was not yet out. He was going to help Buffy. She was not going to die. He had messed up once, but he wouldn’t again.

And he was going to help his friends.

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

Teddy Arietta loved his job in Customs. He got to choose pretty much at random which passengers he would bring to his station for a full luggage search. And if more beautiful foreign women ended up at his table than, say, old balding men, well, he was good at his job and his boss tended to look the other way. He was a good looking man, with a devilish smile, and more often than not got a phone number along with a passport when he asked. Life was definitely good for Teddy.

Glancing at the latest round of passengers, he saw just the kind of girl he was most attracted to. Tall, long blonde hair in a loose ponytail, nice body shown off in a tight pair of black jeans and a gray scoop neck t-shirt under a black leather jacket with matching boots. She only had one small bag with her, which was unusual. Usually passengers from Heathrow had lots of luggage with them. He waved her over to his station, and she raised her eyebrows as she came over, putting her bag on his counter. He tried to act professional as he ogled her discretely.

“Passport please, miss.” She handed over her British passport, giving him a little smile as she did. *I do love the English girls. This one reminds me of that chick from the Avengers.* He pretended to look over her passport seriously. “How long will you be in New York, Mrs..?”

“Miss Williams. Janice Williams.” Lydia smiled at him coquettishly, and he returned the smile, showing off his perfect teeth. “And I’m not actually sure. My plans are still not quite firmed up.” Teddy gave her a smoldering look from his chocolate brown eyes, one that usually made the girl’s feel weak.

“What brings you here? Business or pleasure?” he purred. Lydia leaned forward, giving him an easier sightline to her cleavage.

“It’s family business, actually. But I expect some of it will be a pleasure.” Teddy’s face fell a bit. Family reunions usually meant lots of family, not exactly what he had in mind. He admired her figure once again. Still, maybe if they could leave right now...

“They’re picking you up at the airport, right?” Teddy decided that if she didn’t have a ride, he would get someone to finish his shift. This one would be worth losing the overtime. The girl shook her head, taking back the passport he had barely glanced at.

“No, it’s a bit of a surprise. They don’t quite know I’m coming.”

“Really? They’re gonna be pretty knocked out, huh?” Lydia gave him a funny smile.

“Some of them, yes.”

This was the part that Teddy was best at. He would charmingly offer to take her to her hotel, or parents’ house, or wherever she was heading, and along the way they would accidentally wind up in his bed. He opened her mouth, but... there was something about her eyes. Something about that smile, something hard, almost predatory. Teddy Arietta realized at this moment that he was afraid of her. He swallowed hard and passed her bag back to her.

And then the moment had passed, and she seemed beautiful, alluring, and totally harmless again. But she was walking away. Teddy enjoyed the view from behind, strangely feeling no regret for letting this one escape his bed. *Beautiful girl, though,* he thought to himself as he lost sight of her in the terminal. He turned and began scouring the new arrivals for another possibility.

*And she had a killer smile.*

THE END

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

Author’s Notes: First of all, thank you for reading my story. You made it to the end, give yourself a hearty pat on the back. Second, as you’ve likely guessed by now, there is a sequel to this story,“Who Your Friends Are” is the title...please keep an eye out for it. Third of all, whether you liked the story or you hated it, please let me know. I’m still a very new author and need your help to make my stories better! I also want to take this moment to make a little dedication. This is a story about when friendship is possible, and also what friendship can be. I’m dedicating it to my best friend, Terry, and to all my friends who are constantly showing me what the possibility of friendship is.