Angel and Buffy walked into the Magic Box at the same time as Gunn and Cordelia. Giles and Wesley were in the back, Anya was closing out the register for the day. Xander and Willow were no where to be seen.

“Buffy, ah, you’re back,” Giles said.

“Anything new?” she asked, sitting down at the table. Angel sat across from her and Cordy and Gunn took up the remaining two chairs.

Giles expression turned to a grimace. “Sadly, no. We’re no closer to figuring out who this tenth person is than we were before.”

“Where are Willow and Xander?” Cordy asked.

“Getting food, for all of us,” Wesley said, catching Angel’s eye.

“Good! I’m just in time for dinner,” a voice came from the back of the shop. Spike wandered out from the training room.

“Do you guys have some sort of sign posted that I didn’t see? ‘Vampire entrance—rear of the building?’” Gunn quipped.

“Ha ha,” Spike said, strolling around the shop. “Well, well. What’s with the meeting of the minds? Another big evil afoot? Must be pretty scary if it drug you out of the Batcave, Angel.” He strutted around the table.

“Need something, Spike?” Angel asked testily.

“Well, I’m hungry. But luckily, I’ve got good timing. Also, I’ve been eavesdropping, so I know that Red and Skippy the Wonder Pup will be returning pretty soon with a vintage O positive. Thought I might join you for dinner.”

Buffy stared at him. “Whatever,” she said, dismissively and turned back to Giles. “So, really, we’re no further than we were before. We don’t know who the tenth person is, we don’t know why Angel’s going to change, and we don’t know how to stop it.”

“Change into what?” Spike asked. Then his eyebrows flew up. “Angel’s going to turn? Well, well. Isn’t this delightful…got your panties in a bunch there Slayer?”

Angel rose and grabbed Spike by the jacket, lifting him several feet in the air. “Shut up, Spike,” he said sweetly, before setting him back down on the ground.

“Hey!” Spike said defensively, smoothing the collar of his jacket, “No need to get all grouchy…I was just asking a question.”

“I had a vision of Angel turning,” Cordy explained wearily.

“Do you sense that Spike might be the tenth person? You said the person didn’t feel human. That would be Spike all over the place,” Buffy said.

Cordy shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

“What’s this all about?” Spike demanded.

Buffy stood up. “You can explain it,” she said to Cordelia. “I’m getting some coffee. Anyone want?” Everyone shook their heads and she walked behind the counter where Anya was finishing up with the books.

“Good business today?” Buffy asked as she poured a cup of coffee.

“Yes. Lots of people gave us their money,” Anya answered her cheerily.

“That’s good,” Buffy said, grinning in spite of herself. She added cream and sugar and began to stir the steaming mug.

Anya glanced up at her. “I was thinking about Angel, and Angelus, and him turning and all that. Do you think the Powers That Be could help us?”

Buffy stopped stirring. “I hadn’t thought of that. Wesley said they went to see the Host and he told them that the Powers were sending out some really strong signals. Maybe they can tell us more if we go to see them.”

“I can help with that. Or Cordelia can get you in to see them. You’re lucky you have two people with connections like we do. For normal people, it would be harder than getting tickets to a Britney Spears concert.”

“Thanks, Ahn,” Buffy said, returning to the table. She relayed Anya’s suggestion to them. “Do you think they’d see me, or see Angel?”

Angel looked hopeful. “We could probably get in to see them, the problem is when we get there, they tend to not tell us everything we need to know.”

Spike snorted. “Higher beings…always big on the riddles and doublespeak.”

“When can we try? The sooner the better,” Buffy said.

Angel stood up, “Right now is good for me.”

Suddenly Cordelia flung herself forward, gasping. Gunn spoke up. “Or, we could just hope Cordelia has a vision...oh look!” He bent over next to her, supporting her as the vision became increasingly more powerful. Suddenly she sat up, a smile on her face.

“I know who the other person is,” she said.

“Who?” Angel asked.

She opened her mouth to speak when movement caught her eye. She turned to the front door that now stood open. “Hi, Oz.”

The others turned towards the door. “Hey,” Oz answered, self-consciously. As they continued to stare, he turned and looked behind him. “I know it’s a little shorter than the last time I was here, but I kinda thought it was working for me,” he said, patting his hair.

Cordy smiled more broadly and walked over to him. “Oz!” she proclaimed to the group. “Not quite human.”

Oz looked at her sideways. “Cordelia…completely as I remembered.”

“What are you doing here?” Buffy asked as Oz and Cordelia walked to the table. “Not that it’s not good to have you home,” she added quickly.

He set his bag down onto the ground. “I honestly don’t know. I’ve been living in Ireland for the past couple months. Working with this old wizard in Ballinrobe.” Angel’s ears perked up but he remained quiet. “Then yesterday, out of nowhere, he tells me that I have to leave, to come back here.”

“He told you to return here?” Giles asked, fascinated.

Oz nodded. “He said, and let me see if I can get this right, ‘Eight to form, two to fight. The visionary, the saint, the wolf will gather, joined by the witch, the heart, the weapon. The father, and the conscience…the champion and the chosen. You must return to where it all began.’”

The group stood, stunned, and stared at Oz. “You’re doing that again,” he said, and their eyes immediately left his face.

“Well, that’s a little clearer,” Cordy said. “I’m the visionary.”

“Willow’s the witch, Oz is the wolf,” Buffy added.

“I’m the weapon?” Gunn asked. “’Cause of the name, or ‘cause I’m so good?” he grinned, leaning back in his chair, arms behind his head.

“I’m guess I'm the saint. Ex-patron saint of scorned women, you know.” Anya announced.

"So that leaves...who? The conscience, the father and the heart?" Xander asked. "Which one am I?" Suddenly his eyes widened and he turned to Anya. "Tell me I'm not the father."

“The heart." Buffy approached him and smiled at him softly. “You're the heart of us."

“I'm certainly not the father, either," Wesley mused. "That would make me the conscience."

“Who’s left? Who’s the father?” Gunn asked, looking around.

Buffy smiled and turned to Giles. “You are,” she told him and wrapped one of her arms behind his back, hugging him. He smiled softly back at her and kissed the top of her head.

Buffy broke away from Giles and walked to Angel. “You’re the champion,” she said.

He nodded. “You’re the chosen.” Their eyes held each other.

“Hey!” Spike exclaimed. “What about me? Why don’t I get to have a crocked up nickname and be part of the ten?”

“’Cause then there’d be eleven, and the vision only asked for ten…sorry, all sold out,” Cordy said sweetly, rolling her eyes.

Wesley cleared his throat. “Well…at least we know the tenth person, although now that you’re here, Oz, Angel may turn at any moment.”

The thought of that hit and all were silent, shuffling uneasily where they stood. Finally Angel spoke. “I should go,” he said, pushing back from the table and standing, “We need to lock me up somewhere, somewhere where I can’t get to you all, to anyone, and hurt them in case I…”

“No, Angel. You’re staying,” Buffy said, moving to stand at his side. “I just realized something! I should have known it was Oz all along. In my dream, before the vamp attacked me, I saw a full moon and wondered about you, Oz. I wondered where you were now. And then I looked at a crypt that had angels on the door. You were in Ireland. Where Angel was born…” Buffy said, taking Angel’s hand and squeezing it.

“You didn’t tell me about that part, Buffy. It might have helped us,” Giles chastised gently.

“I know, I’m sorry. Oz,” she said, turning to her red-headed friend. “Can you still control the wolf?”

He nodded, pride in his eyes. “Better than ever, actually. I haven’t been around Willow in a while, so who knows, but I should be fine. I was here, what, two years ago? No problems.”

“I saw a full moon in my dream, which is what triggered me to think of you. The full moon isn’t for another few days. We have some time,” she told them.

Cordy nodded. “You’re right. In my vision it’s a full moon. I didn’t even think about that, I just figured it was supposed to mean this all takes place at night.”

Wesley clapped his hands together. “Good. That buys us some more time. The full moon is in two days, actually, so we’ll see what we can come up with in that time.”

“And if we don’t find anything, then I’ll tie you up,” Buffy said to Angel, who raised his eyebrows at her, a smile playing on his lips. “I mean…I--” she sputtered. “Never mind.” Gunn grinned at her.

The door opened again. “We got your cheeseburgers, your double cheeseburgers, your deli sandwiches, your tuna-fish on rye, your…Oz!” Xander exclaimed, carrying in a box of food.

“I’ll take one of me on toast,” Oz replied in greeting.

Willow appeared behind Xander, her arms equally laden. “Oz!” she cried, happily.

Oz moved forward and took the box of food from her. “Hey there,” he said, giving her a one-armed hug. “How ya doing, kid?”

Willow's face glowed excitedly. “What are you doing here? How was Ireland?”

“You knew he was in Ireland?” Buffy asked, incredulously.

Willow nodded. “I got a postcard a little while back. Didn’t I tell you? Ooh! Ooh! Ten! Oz is ten!” she exclaimed, hopping up and down, pointing to the werewolf.

“Look, I know I’m short, but the insults are a little lacking here. I mean, first I’m not quite human, now I’m ten…” Oz looked around the room cryptically. “You guys so need to fill me in here.”

“In a minute,” Angel said. “Cordelia, what happened in your vision? Was it painful again?”

She shook her head. “Oh! Right! My vision…Nuh-uh, no pain. Not at all. I saw us, in the circle again, you had already changed, Angel, and you and Buffy were arguing. You tried to attack her. She didn't want to fight you.” The seer looked confused for a moment, and shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts.

"What is it?" Gunn asked gently.

Cordy looked into her husband's eyes. "I don't know. Something about it's off. I keep getting this feeling I'm not seeing everything. There's Angel...changing, and Buffy...just standing there. All of us, just standing there, but her specifically. Like she's not going to do anything to stop it."

Buffy looked at her wide-eyed. “I wouldn’t just let him kill me.”

Cordelia shut her eyes, remembering. “Angelus is coming after you, chasing you. The rest of us are standing there, watching, not trying to help,” she insisted.

“No way would we leave her,” Xander said angrily.

“I don’t think we can help her,” Cordy told him. “The spell, the circle, it can’t be broken until it’s all over.”

“What’s all over?” Angel asked.

Cordy cocked her head to the side, her eyes focusing on something far away in her memory. “Until there’s a winner,” Cordy she said, simply, her voice very small.

They sat at the table, taking in this new information. “So, Buffy and Angel are going to fight, or not fight as it may seem, in the WWF ring made up of their friends and family?" Gunn asked.

“The only problem is that there’s no big gold belt for the winner,” Xander said, “and thankfully, no Speedos."

Angel’s hand slid across the table to where Buffy had sank into a chair. His fingers sought hers and when they locked he squeezed her hand gently, his eyes seeking hers for some feedback.

She smiled, a false smile that said she was trying to be brave. “Well. Nothing makes me hungrier than scheduling a to-the-death duel,” she said, though eating was the last thing she wanted to do. Running away. Running away sounded good.

The others looked at her, none of them entirely comprehending the seriousness of Cordelia’s vision, refusing to believe that one of their friends may soon be killed by the other.

Oz broke the uncomfortable silence. “Sorry, really, I don’t mean to be all Mr. Hey Fill Me In Guy, but…hey, fill me in.”

Though no one was really hungry anymore food was distributed while the story was rehashed. “So, to make a long story short, Angel is going to turn and apparently the nine of us have all been called together to witness it,” Cordy told him, picking at some potato chips.

“And since Buffy’s dream and your vision both have a full moon in them we can assume this doesn’t happen for two more days,” Oz concluded.

“Looks that way.”

“Wow. You guys really know how to welcome a guy home,” Oz said, looking around at the friends he hadn’t seen in almost two years. “Next time we all get together, I vote for the Hawaiian cruise.”

“Good old Sunnydale! Lots of death and drama, no waiting,” Cordelia muttered.

“So, what’s the plan to stop it?” Oz asked.

“That’s the fun part,” Buffy said, playing with her cheeseburger. “We don’t know. All the visions and the dreams have done so far are to show us who needs to be here and what will take place in two nights. We don’t know why or how to stop it.”

Spike was digging through a box. “Hey! Where’s the blood?”

Angel, sipping on a mug, quickly moved the second bag of blood Willow had brought him and slipped it underneath the table, out of Spikes’ sight. Buffy grinned despite herself, catching the movement out of the corner of her eye.

“Get your own. Only active contributors get to eat,” Xander shouted to him.

Spike looked up. “So, that’s how it is. I’m not part of your bloody group of ten and suddenly I don’t count?”

“Spike, you’ve never counted,” Xander answered him.

“Oh, fine. That’s how it is now. I’ve saved your mangy hide dozens of times.”

“And you’ve tried to kill me more, so let’s just drop it.”

Spike started to argue, realized it was true, and sat down. “Bloody wanker,” he muttered getting up quickly, and left the shop in search of his own food.

“Food is good,” Buffy mumbled to herself. Angel heard her and looked up suddenly. “What?” she asked.

He continued to stare. “Nothing,” he said finally, returning to his mug.

She watched him carefully. Food is good…the feeling of déjà vu she had when at the mansion returned. Peanut butter. Ice cream…she shook her head, clearing the thoughts. You’re hungrier than you thought, she told herself, grabbing a bag of chips.

Angel watched her from behind his lashes.

Home
Back
Chapter Six: The Witch and The Wolf