Previous Chapter Summary: Spike was injured when he jumped in front of a bullet that was meant for Wesley by a hired thug. Dalton followed the thug, and he reported back everything he heard. The Scoobies have a big suite set up at the Sunnydale Motel as a secondary Scooby Central because they are not ready to trust Faith and Wes with a blood bond yet.

Current Chapter Summary: Clem comes to them with news about a danger heading this way. He also has some other rumors to share with the Scoobies. Some of the new and old Scoobies work on plans and preparations to face the incoming threat as well as working to figure out the current threat in Sunnydale.

Clem pulled the map and notes he brought with him from his pocket. He laid them out on the table.

Spike hurried to the kitchen and back with one of Clem's favorite beverages. The wrinkly skinned demon had a soft spot for fruity and carbonated drinks. Mixing the two together made him even happier. Spike set a Squirt and Fruit Punch mixed drink in front of Clem. He sat down next to Buffy with one arm hanging over the back of her chair.

Clem scooped up a couple nearby bowls of peanuts and other munchies lying around the room. He used the bowls to weigh down the corners of the large map to keep it from rolling in upon itself. Several red spots dotted the map from one part of California to another. Lines had been drawn in for the most likely path through all the noted skirmishes.

"Wow, Clem. Go you with the geography lesson," Buffy teased. Too many people thought that demons weren't as smart as humans. Many demons had already proved to Buffy the idiocy of that theory. How could so many demons never fall under the Slayer radar, or humans, if they were stupid? Although Clem was a more passive demon, there was nothing stupid about him.

Clem's wrinkly skin turned a light shade of pink. "Ever since Angelus' demise, word has spread through the demon world about you two in Sunnydale." He pointed to some of the blue dots placed in various bordering states on the map. "Demons from all over the country have heard about how demons are treated if they agree to your rules on humans."

Spike shrugged. He wasn't sure why that was important. "Yeah, so? Why does that matter?"

"The demon population of Sunnydale, and right around it, is increasing at a fairly steady rate. The death rate has stayed the same or in some cases has lowered," Clem further explained. "This is because demons that want to be free of the persecutions they've faced elsewhere are heading to Sunnydale to live."

"That should be a good thing right?" Faith asked. She was still getting comfortable with the idea that not all demons were something she needed to kill. Peaceful demons were a good thing in her book though.

"Normally yes, but there are those who aren't happy with the whole idea that demons are being "good" or not "living" like they feel demons should." Clem took in a deep breath. "This is especially true for vampires."

Spike sighed. Buffy and he had already killed a lot of vampires who weren't willing to live under the new rules. He kept hoping that he would find more like Dalton and himself, but he was finding those opportunities few and far between. This was especially true with older vampires because the humanity had either been tortured out of them or pushed so far back that it couldn't be brought out, if any existed in the first place. Their best chances had been with fairly young vampires or isolated ones. Even then, very few retained the humanity needed to bring them back from complete darkness.

Buffy squeezed Spike's thigh softly and rested her hand there in a show of support and comfort. 'We can handle anything that comes at us as long as we are together.'

Spike reached his free hand across to rest on top of Buffy's hand. 'You deserve a chance to rest.'

'Somehow I don't think that is going to happen for a very long time, if ever, but that's all right.' Buffy smiled warmly at her Mate. 'I wouldn't change a moment of my time with you to be as I was again.'

Faith's eyes darted between Spike and Buffy. She was starting to get used to the fact that the two had a telepathic link to each other. Sometimes the pair would just drift off into their mental conversations, and everything else would be blocked out. In a way she envied the closeness that she'd witnessed between them.

Clem waited for Buffy and Spike's attention to be refocused on him. It was better to wait for their full attention than to repeat himself later. "Some of the demons who have objections to our philosophy are taking matters into their own hands." His fingers drifted over several of the red dots that seemed to follow a path through California down to Los Angeles. "There is a Master Vampire named Telshar laying waste to any demon in his path who will not join him in his quest to rid the planet of you two and your ideals. He doesn't care how many humans get in the way either."

Spike shook his head at Clem to hold him off before he could answer. "How many isn't important, pet."

"What is more important is stopping the git." Spike reassured her. He knew how Buffy would react to the count of how many innocents were killed. He knew better than anyone how her self-imposed guilt factor would eat at her until she was absolutely miserable. "How long before he ends up here?"

"We're not sure." Clem pulled out the sheet of notes combined from the various sources they had around and out of town. "He seems to have stalled his forward assault in Los Angeles for the time being. He's already been there two days, and it looks like he could be setting up shop there for a longer stay."

"Good, that should give us more time to plan," Faith added in her thoughts. "How many of the demon population on our side in Sunnydale can we count on to help defend the city?"

Spike and Buffy looked up in surprise at Faith. They were both impressed by her readiness to bring other friendly demons into the circle of defense.

"Do you realize you just said our side in the same sentence with demon population?" Spike teased.

"I figured they'd want to keep from being slaughtered by someone who doesn't like them." Faith shrugged. "Since I tossed my hat in with you lot, I figured that meant I was on your side too."

"One of our contacts in L.A. told me about a pair of vampires that seemed to fit a description of who Telshar is specifically looking for. My guess is that at least one of them is Telshar's Childe, and he's upset that a Childe of his is heading for us."

"So, the good news is that we have a chance for new allies. The bad news is that others want to annihilate us all?" Buffy asked.

Clem forced a chuckle back from escaping. This was a serious matter, but sometimes Buffy's flair for simplicity amused him. "That's about it."

Despite the fact that two Daywalkers had slept in another bedroom of the suite, Wesley slept in later than his normal pattern. He was pretty worn out from the physical, mental, and emotional demands on his body the last few weeks. The bump on his head from it's collision with the ground the day before still ached, but it wasn't as bad.

Wesley stretched out in his bed. Although he'd only shared his bed the one night with Faith, he sadly felt that something was missing when he woke up. Her presence was already starting to mean something to him. He feared that she was starting to mean too much to him on a personal level. 'I really need a shower. I feel like a dirty old man. Maybe I can wash away these thoughts from my system.'

"Oh, I remembered one more thing." Clem pulled out another sheet of paper. "Some of our contacts in other demon communities noticed something else happening." He handed one copy of the notes to Buffy and Spike, and the other one he passed along to Faith.

"Humans from several related and unrelated cities are heading to Sunnydale as well?" Spike questioned the information he was reading. "Why would they purposely move to a town that is known for its "gang members on PCP"?"

"Some are known for helping out demons in their communities," Clem answered. "Maybe they are coming to help out?"

Buffy beamed. "If they're coming to help, this is great news!" She looked around the table at a couple of the perplexed faces. "People in Sunnydale try to ignore everything around them. If we had more here who understood how things really are, and see the situation as we do, it should make life easier."

"I'm worried that Sunnydale isn't going to be big enough for all of this expansion. Something will have to give." Spike worried about so many beings in the same place at once.

"The mayor has been running campaigns for years to try to boost the population of Sunnydale." Clem offered the bit of information to the group. "That should make him happy to allow contractors to build more houses surrounding the town."

"Something worries me about anyone that would end up the mayor of a town on top of a Hellmouth," Spike said out loud instead of keeping the thoughts inside his own head. "Kind of makes you wonder what he had to do to get to be mayor. Don't you think?"

"One problem at a time, Sherlock," Faith teased Spike. "Well two or three problems at a time, but not that one yet." She chuckled. "I think we have enough on our plate without you finding more side dishes to add to it."

"It's a Spike thing, Faith. Everyone has a nickname. It's a compliment actually. Don't worry," Buffy reassured the brunette Slayer.

Wesley, more invigorated after his shower, walked back into his bedroom. A casual pair of lightweight, dark color slacks and dark green polo shirt rested on top of his dresser with a note on top of the pile. 'I don't remember seeing that before I went in to my shower. I need to be more alert of my surroundings.' He picked up the note to read first.

I hope that you will find these to be more comfortable to wear in the California heat. Hopefully we guessed the right size for you. I know that you would be more secure in your normal attire, but it also makes you draw more attention to yourself. It would be good for you to relax a bit more, and this will help you along your way. It will make you more approachable to the residents as well.

Joyce and I stopped by this morning for an early breakfast with Spike and Buffy. We didn't want to wake you after your ordeal yesterday. We are looking further into the attempt on your life, and you have our word that we will do all we can to keep the Council from following through on their motives as well. We'll be back by later in the evening. Joyce needed to go into her Gallery today, and I needed to do some research with the local Coven.

Wesley dropped the note on the other side of the pile. He examined the polo shirt with a mild look of disdain. After a few moments of examination he sighed. "When in Rome …" He muttered to himself, scooped up the shirt and pants, and opened the dresser drawers to get the rest of the clothing he'd need to get dressed for the day.

"I need to get back home to the Missus." Clem stood up. He left the map and other notes for Buffy and her group to go over with the others later. "We're going on a citywide tabby hunt together this afternoon."

"Don't ask, Faith," Buffy jumped in. She tried to keep her cringe inward and not let it show on her face. Clem needed to eat, and the tabbies they'd be chasing were specifically bred for the hunts. It still squicked her out to think about it though. "Have a good day, Clem, and thank you for all your work."

"Anything for you guys, you know that." Clem smiled and waved before the door closed behind him.

Wesley stepped out into the main room. "Who was at the door?" He headed for the kitchen. The scent of a blended herbal tea assaulted his senses as soon as he left his room. He was looking forward to a nice cup of tea. "Did Giles and Joyce arrive earlier than they thought?"

Faith stared open-mouthed at the slight transformed Watcher. 'Now that is what I call drool worthy.'

"No, a friend of ours wanted to drop by some new information to us. News usually travels fast in Sunnydale about where we are," Spike answered Wesley's question in the most diplomatic way he could think of.

"And this friend of yours was of the demonic persuasion?" Wesley asked semi-casually.

"You failed to tell me the visitor's name or anything else about them which led me to believe they were not human, and you didn't want to test my loyalties just yet," Wesley answered simply. He poured himself a full cup of tea from the lightly decorated teapot on the counter. He waved the steaming cup under his nose and inhaled the alluring scent of the tea.

Wesley ignored Spike's comment. He was too busy enjoying his morning cuppa. "Ahhh … Rupert must have made tea before he left. This is indeed a tea worthy of a true gentleman."

Spike smirked from the other side of the room. "Actually I made that pot your sampling."

Wesley froze with the cup at his lips for a moment before he continued to drink the tea. "I'm curious how someone who is renowned in Council history as a ruffian and a bully would know how to make a gentleman's blend of tea."

'No bloody way, pet. Not going to happen.' Spike growled softly at the pouting lip Buffy now sported. "Maybe I'll let Rupert tell you about it some day. I'm sure as Hell not going to repeat the story again." He huffed. It was as far as he would go to appease Buffy on the matter.

Buffy, Spike, Faith and Wesley spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon going over the information Clem gave them. They talked about the various places that fortifications could be made, as well as the best ways to try to protect the population of Sunnydale. Willow, Xander, Giles and Joyce joined the quartet later in the evening for dinner and more planning.

It was decided that half of the group would focus on gathering more information about who could have hired the thug who shot at Wesley. They needed to figure out if the Council was related to the shooting or if another power was making its presence known. Worst case scenario would be that both were involved in what happened. The other half would work on keeping up to date with all their sources in and out of town to track the movements of both the threats and assets to their cause.

The sun had barely set when a manhole cover was lifted away and replaced after a man crawled out onto the street. Dalton pulled himself to his full height and scouted through the streets of Sunnydale on his normal nightly patrol route. He usually worked from the outskirts of the town inward just after sunset every couple days. It helped him to locate newer nightly arrivals more easily. Newcomers had less of a chance to get into the heart of Sunnydale if he intercepted them on the outskirts.

Constance and Dawn, often called Mouse instead of Dawn, walked warily past the "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign. The night was quiet around them but not eerily so. The two female vampires let their senses guide them as they walked into town. To their relief, neither felt the presence of Constance's Sire in the area.

Dawn's long brown hair swirled around her neck and face when she twisted her head to the side quickly. "Someone is over there." She nodded towards the shadows on the left.

"Come out and show yourself." Constance called out tentatively. "We mean you no harm, but you will not succeed in an attack against us."

Dalton's figure emerged from the shadows slowly. He sensed the age of the vampires before him. The one woman was quite young and probably not quite an adult when she was turned in the first place. The other seemed much older. His perceptions were a little confused about her. She felt strong, but he couldn't discern what her family's bloodline was.

Constance and Dawn watched the seemingly meek man walk towards them. They knew all too well how looks could be deceiving. So, they kept themselves on guard in case he attacked.

"Hello there." Dalton, who stood in front of the two new arrivals, pushed the glasses further up the bridge of nose that had slid down slightly. He looked deeply into Constance's silvery eyes. He jerked back slightly at what he thought he saw.

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