fandomhigh | Library (3/16)

"I said I was sorry! Drusilla must've whammied me or something," Bel protested, desperately grasping for an excuse. "I don't usually forget important things like that." He looked around them nervously. "Are there cameras in here? Is someone gonna hear what I tell you?"

"Probably," Parker drawled, her eyes narrowing still further. "We could go into Special Collections, and stay inside the door, if you want to protect your privacy. I can't absolutely guarantee your safety and continued humanity if we do that, though. If the Collection decides it doesn't like you, it's out of my hands." Which was a huge exaggeration, but she really wanted to know how badly he wanted to keep this conversation quiet.

Bel warily eyed the door to Special Collections. "Okay," he agreed, willing to take the risk. No way did he want what he was going to say recorded by anything.

Parker blinked, surprised, then nodded carefully. "Very well." She led the way over to the Collection, held open the glass door for him, then shut it carefully. "Talk away. Recording equipment tends to go very wonky in here, not to mention cell phones. If anyone even has the guts to check. What's on your mind?"

Bel gave the books closest to him a suspicious look as if waiting for one to jump out at him. "Um, remember how I told you there was a way in the Book of Shadows to kill me?" he asked.

"Yessss." Parker narrowed her eyes. "Tell me that you weren't lying. Faithful was *right there*--"

"I wasn't lying," Bel said hastily, holding up his hands. "It's just...it's missing an ingredient. I told Phoebe and Angel what it was, and Angel said I should tell you, too."

Parker pinched the bridge of her nose, not trusting herself to speak for a moment, then nodded sharply. "Please do," she said.

"You just gotta promise not to tell anyone," Bel said, "because if someone like Logan finds out...."

Folding her arms, Parker considered Bel, studying him intently. "It occurs to me that telling me this does involve a certain level of -- trust? Should I be flattered? Or frightened?"

"Flattered, I guess," Bel said. "I know if something happens to either me or Angel you'd be the first leading the charge to deal with it. And if I was just trying to trick everyone into thinking I was trying not to be evil anymore, then I wouldn't be telling you this."

Nodding grimly, Parker hugged herself a little, her ulcer making its usual comment on the proceedings. How did I get this job again? Can I quit? "Right. So, this ingredient: is it hard to get, expensive, dangerous-- and what would we have to do with it?" She cocked her head. "And why are you telling us now, when you wouldn't before?"

"Because I was kinda nervous," Bel admitted. "I was afraid if I told you the entire truth you'd turn around and use it against me when my guard was down. But no one's tried to kill me, even after the whole Darla thing. And seeing Angel so afraid to drink blood because it could make him lose control made me realize that I could do the same thing some day, and I didn't want to hurt anyone, so...."

He looked around anxiously, making certain there was no one else there. "The Book of Shadows has the ingredients to make a vanquish potion and the spell to activate it. Most of the stuff is your usual magicky ingredients, mandrake, toadflax, stuff like that. But it won't work without one last ingredient to make it dangerous to me specifically." He hesitated, then mumbled quickly, "Itneedssomeofmyblood."

A sigh of relief escaped Parker as Bel gave up his secret, and she closed her eyes, already calculating what would have to be done, if it came down to it: the tranquilizers, Marty, maybe someone else too, Aeryn possibly, time to mix the potion, then... Right. She opened her eyes again and looked at Bel. "Thank you." What was the right response here? He'd just put his life in her hands, if necessary. There had to be a reply to that.

As irritating as Bel was, he was trying. Comparing his progress to Angel's wasn't fair; Wings had had 100 years to work on his redemption before any of them met him, and had probably picked up not too far after he left off, back in November. God knows what kinds of mistakes he made, the first few weeks after he was first souled. So... credit where it was due.

"I do get that this is hard for you. About waiting for people to stab you in the back. That's life with power, not just the demon kind. It's like that here, too, sometimes." She ground her teeth a little in frustration. "I appreciate your trust. I won't betray it to Logan, or anyone who has no reason to know." She rubbed her eyes. "Who else, besides me and Angel, is aware that the spell isn't complete right now?"

Bel echoed Parker's sigh of relief at her words. "Thanks," he said. "Phoebe knows, too. She's the first one I told, and she doesn't know I've told Angel or you. She did promise to tell Piper, though. Anybody can mix the potion if they know the ingredients, but it'll take a witch to say the spell to activate it."

Parker made a mental note to check in with Piper. Because Phoebe's blind spot about Bel might be rooted in love but could be deadly if she thought she was protecting him. "Got it. Your blood. Potion. Witch with spell. Does it have to be a particularly strong witch? Or would anyone reasonably competent do?"

Bel shrugged. "It may be that only the Charmed Ones can say it, I don't know. Other witches have made vanquishing potions before for other demons, but this spell may only work for Phoebe, Piper, or Paige. It's not necessarily competency, but lineage and link to the Book of Shadows."

Which severely limited its effectiveness. "But better than nothing," Parker thought aloud. She bit her lip. "All your resolutions and good intentions aside, is there a way for you to be undermined by magic? The way Angel's curse works? Is there a way your Source could make you stop wanting to be good, aside from bribery, bludgeoning, or blackmail?"

"I'm half-human, and I'm trying to make that half stronger," Bel said slowly, "but the demon is still there. Yeah, a spell or something that makes it hard to control my temper could make me lose control. Or the Source could. Which is why I wanted someone to know what to do...just in case."

"Reassuring." Parker shook her head. "No way to separate out the demon, I assume, since it's part of you." She sighed, eyeing him. "Here's a question I've been putting off forever, but which has to be asked now. If Angelus came back, would you help me try to stop him? Or would you be on his side?"

Bel had been dreading this question. "He knows how to push my buttons," he admitted. "He knows just how to get the demon in me riled up. He wasn't just my friend, he owned me. But I won't let him hurt Phoebe or anybody else if I can help it. Part of me doesn't want to fight him, but I will."

"I'm holding you to that." Parker muttered under her breath. "'Owned.' God. Talk about obscenities." She looked at him, then on impulse, asked something that she wasn't sure was wise. "Is there any way to get you free of the Source? Because as long as you're here, as long as its got a grip on you, we're still in danger. I know you're trying, but I like my certainties."

"The Source has hold over all demons where I come from," Bel said. "So he'll always have some power over me. But the human side of me can fight it." He met Parker's gaze levelly. "I can be strong enough, I know I can. Phoebe's my anchor and Angel's helping me, too.

Phoebe and I were talking about something to take me off the Source's radar, though," he went on. "If she pretends to vanquish me, then the Source will think I'm dead. It's just going to take witnesses to bring word back to the Source and it has to look real."

Those anchors were only mortal, though. And if they were removed.... Nibbling at her lower lip, Parker's eyes narrowed as she considered Phoebe's plan. "Risky. But possibly worth it. He can't sense you? He'd believe it, if this ruse was good enough? And witnesses. That would be the dangerous part. Having someone else here from the Underworld, if even only for a little while..."

"Yeah, that's the dangerous part," Bel agreed. "As for sensing me, if other demons are looking for me, they can't sense me unless I'm trying to sense them, if that makes sense. The Source has seers and oracles and I don't know if I can hide from them if they're actively looking for me, but if they think I'm dead, hopefully they won't be. And if they think the Charmed Ones destroyed me, it's going to keep your average demon away from the school unless they're suicidal."

Library (3/16)

Re: Fifth Period [3/16]

Re: Fifth Period [3/16]

Re: Fifth Period [3/16]

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC

Re: Fifth Period [3/16] - now NFB in SC