3.4 Slayer

PeanutGalleryGabe: "So does Rachel have a 'safety' key as well?"
PeanutGalleryStefan: "No, she has a 'danger' key..."

It's another night in McKennit, which means Rachel, Rive, and Stefan are out on a moonlit patrol. Tonight they're hunting for something specific, and he's tall, green, and scaly. Deciding to split up and cover more ground, Stefan wanders a bit alone. Then suddenly there is laughter at his side and he's NOT alone. It's Lilith. She's feeling chatty tonight, and is clearly as mental as always. She shows Stefan her ornately carved dagger, telling him that it was given to her by her watcher - after all, she used to go hunting a lot too. She realizes she recognizes Stefan from somewhere, places it and idly asks him if he likes Beaujolais. Because maybe if he drank enough of it, he'd taste less like nasty demon blood and more like his brother...

*stinger*

Stefan goes cold with rage and immediately tries to attack her. He redoubles his efforts when he catches sight of his brother's signet ring on her hand. Unfortunately, he doesn't fare so well. Horribly, in fact. Lilith cheerfully offers him a challenge to a formal duel. If he wins, she's dust, he gets the ring back, and his brother is "avenged". If she wins, she gets to try to turn him. She's pretty sure it will just kill him instead, seeing as how he's a half-demon, but she at least gets to try.

Stefan quickly agrees. They arrange to meet at a graveyard on the edge of the woods that night at sundown. She tells him she'll arrange for some witchy friends of hers to put a magical field around them with a two mile radius, so they won't be disturbed. With that, she disappears. Stefan is fuming.

* * *

Chase: "In the realm of the weird, you've also got Deaver..."

Rive runs an exhausted hand over her face as she contemplates her notes on her latest client. The nightmare she had last night keeps running through her head: a blonde woman with a carved dagger was stalking Rive in the woods. Eventually catching her despite Rive's attempts to get away, the blonde looked at her and said - "But my dear, we are the same..."

Shaking off the memory, Rive looks down to see the name of her last appointment that day and is surprised to find that it's Chase.

When Chase arrives, they chat for a while about the last week's events. Chase is badly shaken and still struggling with nasty flashbacks from the drugs Rick used to keep her incoherent. She eventually wanders to the topic of her friends, going over the juiciest bits of gossip (and her general unsolicited opinions) on each of them in turn: Stefan and Rachel, Gabe (and the occasionally present Jade), Deaver. She also takes a deep breath and discusses Geoff and "weasel-face" (aka Simone), and acknowledges her own past relationship with him as well.

All this soul-baring makes Chase hungry, so she proposes dinner. Rive agrees, and they call the crew before heading out together. They leave messages for both Stefan and Rachel, neither of whom can be reached.

* * *

Rachel: "So you wanna go kick things later?"

Having told a concerned and slightly confused Rachel that he needed some time alone to contemplate the anniversary of Didier's (his brother) death, Stefan heads to Deaver's apartment to follow up on a comment he had made a week before. something about putting "sunlight into a box". Deaver enthusiastically drags it out and explains how it works. Stefan dodges questions about his curiosity over the box and other vamp-dusting inventions, and instead steers the conversation to the book from his father that Deaver has been keeping for him. While Deaver is absorbed in boxes in his living room searching for it, Stefan quietly grabs the sunlight box and closes the door softly behind him.

Back at his apartment, Stefan pulls out a locked box of family mementos. He puts on a signet ring that is almost identical to the one in Lilith's possession and begins assembling his gear for the fight.

Pulling out a letter he's written, he places it on the bed and leaves a message on Rachel's phone, telling her he is out for the night and has left a surprise for her in his room.

* * *

PeanutGalleryChase [re: Stefan's first encounter with Lilith]: "I'm not sure that following her into her apt. and watching her change qualifies as 'trying to mess with her'."

Stefan enters the quiet graveyard and wanders through the tumbled stones to the center. He takes off his coat, casually puts the box on the ground, draws his sword, and calls for Lilith. [I almost typed 'calls forth Lilith', but that's another episode.] She takes her own sweet time showing up, and has two vampire-witches in tow. The witches immediately begin casting the spell on the field. The wall can deliver a nasty shock and will ensure that no one aids or distracts the combatants. Facing off, Lilith hands Stefan his brother's signet ring with a smirk, telling him she'll get it back from him later. As she laughingly reaches out a hand to shake the official start of the duel, Stefan kicks open the box and lunges for her, blinding them both in the process. Seeing spots, Stefan catches his balance, reaches out cautiously with his blade, and slowly circles, listening.

Meanwhile, a blinded Lilith kneels on a grave marker, carefully sniffing the air around her...

* * *

In a warm and brightly lit (and cheap) restaurant, the gang sits merrily around a table while dusk fades to darkness outside. Deaver and Rive discuss her dream. Deaver immediately pegs the blonde as Lilith, and in telling Rive about the prophetic dreams slayers are prone to having, announces that they should keep an eye out for the vampire - she may be up to something. Geoff oh-so-casually reminds Chase that she has yet to come pick of the stuff of hers that he's currently hiding from Freddie, and she oh-so-nonchalantly tells him she'll stop by whenever is convenient for him.

Rachel: "I think that Stefan is in a magical box alone with a bunch of vampires!"
Gabe: "Check please?"

Rachel bursts through the door of the restaurant and comes straight to their table. Mud dries on her skirt, her hair is full of leaves, and her eyes are pulsing from silver to black. She's not wearing a coat, and she's shivering badly. Blood stains one elbow. She walks to the table and takes a seat, looking around like she's trying to be discreet but it's causing a stir anyway. "I think Stefan may be in trouble." She's gripping a note. Chase quickly gives her roommate her coat and gently takes the letter from her. Rachel is clearly having one of her uncontrollable magic ... things. Chase reads the note aloud to the group. In it, Stefan tells Rachel that he's discovered Didier's killer and has to face her. Rachel tried to cast the locator spell on him, and she followed it to the edge of the woods where it exploded. She discovered the wall (by running into it and getting thrown harshly backwards) and ran and ran along side it, eventually discovering one of the vampires holding it up. After throwing herself at the wall a few more times, she gave up and went to call the gang, discovering their message and coming to the restaurant.

Hearing all of this, the scoobies drop money on the table and quickly head for Chase's car. They call Brandon, figuring Gabe might need a little help to bring down that wall.

* * *

Stefan continues to stagger a little blindly. Unfortunately for him, Lilith retains her predatory ability to smell blood and jumps him. Stefan takes a nasty beating during a taunting game of cat and mouse that leaves him bloody and bruised with a broken arm. He can only offer small resistance as Lilith moves in to bite him ...

* * *

Chase[re: Rachel vomiting black magic]: "That had to hurt."
PeanutGalleryStefan: "Did you hold her hair?"
PeanutGalleryChase: "Of course. I'm a good roommate."

The gang jumps out of the car and runs into the woods. Rachel gets jumpy and shudders. The further they move into the forest, the more violently she shakes. Her eyes go completely black, and are flecked with tiny red flames. As they approach, Gabe "sees" an immense magical wall in the forest. A slight figure is approaching the barrier, carrying a wall of muscle over its shoulder. The barrier suddenly drops as the figure nears - it is Lilith with an unconscious Stefan. Two more women join her. They all head for the parking lot, where our heroes are blocking the way.

The mojofied (Deaver and Gabe) try to take on the witches, after slamming Lilith backwards, forcing her to drop Stefan. Chase runs to his aid while Lilith rights herself. Rive takes on the vampiress, only to find herself being held up by her heel, completely ineffective. The fight with Lilith's witchlings goes so well that Deaver ends up paralyzed and Gabe ends up as a fuzzy rat. Chase tries some completely ineffective fast talking, which Lilith ignores, and she and her buddies collect Stefan and Rive while the frustrated scoobies watch them go.

* * *

Getting back in the car, they brainstorm. Having no idea where to find Lillith or what they would do if they did, they fall back on the one person who might be willing to give them information - Bannon. Lilith is one of his darlings, but he's the only resource they have. They head to the library, and Deaver makes some calls to figure out how to de-ratify Gabe. Chase arranges to drop Rachel off with Rowan, who is better equipped to help her in her hopped up magical state. At the library, Bannon obligingly appears. He hears them out, and after another round of her ineffectual fast talking, he agrees to meet Chase alone in an hour to negotiate their release.

* * *

Gabe: "Do we have a plan?"
Deaver: "We, uh, politely ask Bannon for our friends back."

Chase waits in the appointed place in the Student Union for Bannon to make an appearance. He shows up with an associate and lays out the terms of Rive and Stefan's release.

Bannon will see that Stefan and Rive are returned to their friends, alive, if the following conditions are agreed upon:

1. Neither Stefan nor Rive may seek retribution from Lilith. She has beaten Stefan fairly, yet he is not holding up his end of the bargain. Lilith is one of Bannon's daughters, and a particular favorite at that; he would hate to see her generosity repaid by Stefan staking her as she slept.
2. Chase will accept an invitation to spend the afternoon at Bannon's home, at his convenience.
3. At that conference, he will offer her a proposal. Should she accept it, she must swear now that unlike her friend, she will keep her end of the bargain.
4. Finally, she must tell no one of the conditions of this agreeement that pertain exclusively to her.

Seeing no alternative, Chase takes a deep breath and agrees. Bannon's associate steps forward and, with a drop of blood from each party, concocts a potion that will make it a magically binding oath. Out of deference to Chase, the potion is served up with a hefty pint of perfectly-poured Guinness from a miniature keg. They both drink. Bannon then takes his leave to perform his end of the deal. Chase chats up the sorcerer, asking exactly what happens if she DOESN'T keep her oath. He tries to drive home the importance of fulfilling it - the magic affects each person differently, but the results are always ... unique and very effective. He leaves, and Chase grimly drains the rest of the barrel of beer.

* * *

Everyone receives notes to meet at Chase and Rachel's at dawn.

* * *

Chase [re: Simone]: "I hesitate to call her an evil hell-bitch, but... well, no, it's pretty accurate."

Rachel wakes to find Chase sitting in the living room, looking like she's been there most of the night. The gang collects, and there's a knock on the door shortly thereafter. Rive and Stefan are there, somewhat patched up. Chase doesn't invite them in just for good measure, but leaves the door open. They enter with no problems. Chase tells the group the condition of leaving Lilith alone. True to her word, she doesn't mention the other conditions of the bargain, leaving her friends a little suspicious of their good fortune, but no one questions it too closely. Stefan isn't thrilled, but he agrees to abide by the new rules.

Rachel throws herself at him, crying and beating him soundly at the same time. Stefan tries to calm her down, and gently steers her back towards her bedroom.

With that, Chase escorts the rest of the gang out of the apartment and off in search of morning coffee.

Summary by: Kat!

RatGabe: "Squeak..."