Normally I frown upon doing my own dirty work but some things you just have to see through on your own. This was one of those things. "Stop here." I instructed the limousine driver as I took another sip of the Scotch I had poured for myself. We were stopped outside of a popular Los Angeles club. I knew it would take hardly any effort to find a space inside the club to watch the young slayers from Faith's school occupy their free time with alcohol and dancing and boys but I preferred to watch from a distance. Besides, slayers were more Aidan's forte. Still, I had an vested interest you could say. I told Faith she would lose everything and I planned to follow through on that.

I watched as the young girls made their way out of the nightclub laughing and talking amongst themselves. There were five of them, three blondes, a redhead and a brunette all lined up to be picked off. A sinister smile made it's way across my face as I rolled down the window of the limo and shot them a charming smile.

"Hello, girls." I said amicably to them. "Ms. Bradford has instructed that a limo chauffeur you home tonight."

They all looked at me blankly for a moment before the redhead spoke up. "Ms. Bradford? You mean Kennedy? Yeah, right. She's so mean. There's no way she'd send us a limo." The other girls nodded in unison with their friend.

"I think you'll find Kennedy's not mean at all. She simply wants you to work harder to become better slayers. She's only worried for your welfare. Even slayers have to have fun sometimes. Consider this her Christmas present to you. The limo is fully stocked and prepared to drive you wherever you wish to go." I replied.

The girls looked dubious as they exchanged glances. "This could be a trap." One of them whispered to the other. Ahhh. It was refreshing to know that they were at least being taught something useful at that school. "Yeah, but if it is we're slayers. We can totally handle it." A dippy looking blonde said to her friends before the rest of them nodded their heads in agreement.

Finally the five girls approached the limo. The driver immediately got out to open the door for them as they slid in on the opposite side of me before the door was shut again.

"So who are you?" One of them asked me, a seductive smirk crossing her face as she eyed me up and down.

"I'm one of Kennedy's associates." I informed her as I pulled a bottle from the fridge. "Champagne?"

The back of the limo was filled with the laughter and chatter of teenage girls but soon? It would be filled with screams. I poured them each a glass of champagne as I contemplated where to leave the bodies. I think the gym of the school would do just fine.

Happy Birthday Grace.

I've never taken kindly to anyone foolhardy enough to try and take something from me. I'm comfortable here at the top of the food chain and the day that Dominique, Aidan and myself had overcome those who sought to oppress us I promised myself and my siblings that we would never be anything less than what we were meant to be. Kings among jesters, gods among men. The kind of beings that no other could steal anything from us without dire consequences.

It doesn't stop them trying though, it never does. I can be merciful, I can be swift and angry but I can also be quiet thorough and the kind of pain that I can cause can be drawn out for days, weeks, years, decades even for some. I've never believed in this eye for an eye nonsense. I much prefer the idea of an eye for a beating heart. Well, at least it used to be beating before I extracted it. Now you only see it throbbing once or twice in my hand before your eyes roll back up into your head and you meet your maker.

I hope he's kinder than I was.

Get in my office right now.

Voyeurism holds little appeal for James save for the times he has something to gain, or possibly lose. He prefers to leave the physical job of spying to others, only to read a report someone else has thoroughly put together for him. But Faith is close, too close to him to ignore, to allow someone else to carry out all of the dirty work for him. After all, he's left too much work to others when it comes to her. He's confident in Grace, in her loyalty to him. Faith however, remained the constant surprise. One day she was a kitten and the next she was a firecracker.

James watches from the rooftop his daughter had previously been observing Angel from. He doesn't grimace as he watches her embrace Angel, merely watches and listens. His body stills, almost as if he's become part of the shadows, so hidden that even vampire and slayer senses couldn't identify his presence.

Still watching the two dark figures below he carefully pulls out his cellular phone and makes a call.

"It's confirmed. She's home. You know what to do."

Britney Spears is an interesting human being. Of course I don't particularly care for her behavior or the way she composes herself but it's almost a miracle watching someone be so completely flawed, letting herself be so exposed on a day to day basis. She is exactly the kind of human being I love to do business with. One who's heart is so corrupted with fame and so unconcealed that it makes it almost too easy to see what she most desires. On top of that she has a great deal of power over the entire human race whether they want to admit it or not. Besides, I find her a bit annoying but I find this quote quite appealing.

The people here, the ones who surround themselves with my children always want answers, they want to know what I am and what my siblings are. Quite easily we are the Senior Partners and for almost as long as we have existed this has been explanation enough. The Wolf, the Ram and the Hart exist as their own beings untethered by conventional classification. However, I understand that is difficult for the human mind to understand. We are demons, true but we are not just simply demons. There are no other demons on this plane or any other like us.

We just are, as we have always been.

//locked to Tyler and Alexia ONLY//

A year ago on this very day something miraculous happened. Granted, it was foretold that one child would be born to a vampire slayer and so one was expected but instead two appeared out of nowhere on an island somewhere far away. One year ago today I smoked a cigar purchased by Dominique and shared a glass of champagne with Lena in celebration of that birth. Words can not express how pleased I was at the entrance of two grandchildren in my life.

Alexia and Tyler, I know that if you're mother were here she would tell you that despite the stress of the moments surrounding your sudden appearance in her life that you two are the single best and most important thing that has ever happened to her. It was very important to her that the two of you remained vital and well cared for, loved even. Which I believe, if I'm not mistaken, that you are. You have my word that I will not rest until I can bring her home to you and I have every psychic and mystic employed at Wolfram and Hart on the case. I'm sure she wants nothing more than to be with you on this special day, but moreso I am quite positive she would want you to enjoy it in her absence.

With that being said I would like to give you your birthday present now. As I'm sure you both understand your parents as well as your Aunt Grace are quite concerned about my presence in your life so you'll understand when I ask for a certain modicum of discretion on your parts. Of course, being in the position that I am in I can get the two of you virtually anything your hearts desire. However, you are Osborns and what do you get the children who have everything? Besides, information of course. I've taken the liberty of compiling your family tree along with a comprehensive volume going into detail about all of your ancestors. You will also find information about yourselves enclosed in the text. Do with this information what you will.

Happy birthday.

( A portion of the Lehane Family Tree )

James is sitting in the usual spot, perched at his desk and mulling over a few papers absently. He should be used to interruptions by now, despite being spoiled for months with Faith and Connor's absence. He's nearly startled when a small brunette bursts in through his office door like the ghost of Faith. She's an unexpected hurricane, a welcome surprise. And he can tell from the look on her face that she needs to purge herself of something.

"Alexia." He smiles slowly at her, surely as he looks across his desk at her. "It's good to see you."

"Yeah, whatever." She rolls her eyes and gives him a look that mirrors someone else he knows. Her voice is sarcastic as she glances around the office nervously before looking back at him. No, she's not nervous like he thought she was at first. She's merely curious, it's plain to him now.

"What can I do for you?" He asks because he knows that everyone comes at a price, and no matter what Harry and Faith would have him believe, Lexi was no exception.

"Yeah." She stops right in front of his desk finally and places her hands on her hips as she immediately withdraws from the curiosity and moves quickly on to anger. "I want you to find my mother. You say you can't find her but I don't believe you. You just don't want to find her." She accuses him angrily, her dark eyes flashing at him.

He can't help it, the corners of his mouth turn up into a smirk. She's a firecracker and here she is, in the belly of the beast. He had once made a deal with Grace about leaving the twins alone but he could hardly help it if they insisted on seeking him out. He could only hope that Tyler would be the next one walking through his door.

"I have been trying to find your mother."

He's lying to her but Lexi looks almost as if she's considering his statement to be truth for a moment.

"Well," She finally says after a long pause. "Try harder." With that she turns around, dark hair flying behind her as she heads towards the door.

"That's it?" He asks her, surprised. "There's not something else you wanted to talk about."

He watches her carefully as she turns around and just gives him a look. She doesn't say anything for a moment but she really doesn't have to.

"Someone else you want to talk about?" He asks her suggestively watching as her jaw tightens and she purses her mouth a little like she wants to be stubborn but isn't quite succeeding. He doesn't know why she bothered, they both know why she came here in the first place.

"Just make her leave me alone, okay?" She says, surprisingly calm as she meets his gaze.

His smirk fades away as he watches her curiously. She holds a wealth of secrets and he's just dying to find out what each of them are. Well, he would be dying if he weren't immortal. He doesn't have a quick reply for her and it's just as well because the look only lasts for a minute before she disappears through the door as if she were never really there at all.

"Who you are is speaking so loudly that I can't hear what you're saying" - Ralph Waldo Emerson

//locked//

Gracie. No father likes seeing their little girl grow up, but I'm not any normal father as anyone who has ever met me will gladly tell you, including my children. It makes me proud to see the way my daughter has grown over the years. Where I once thought the future, the legacy that I've worked so hard to protect was secure in Faith, I now know better. Grace is my true heir, she always has been. She merely needed a little room to grow, to blossom.

She doesn't think that I watch her, she believes that business goes on at Wolfram and Hart as usual but I always keep a keen eye on my investments, and she's the greatest asset I have. I see the calm efficiency in which she runs the magick department, the detachment clear in her eyes as she commands order and directs demands. She's a brilliant leader, she simply needed the proper security in which to show her what she could be.

It doesn't matter what she says to me, or how hard she fights me on some things, she's more my daughter now than she ever has been before. As they say, actions speak louder than words.

There is still a warmth in her, one that goes even beyond the shadows that Dominique prefers to shroud herself in. It's genuine, which is something that can only be fabricated to a certain extent through liars and thieves. She's her mother's daughter, just as her sister is. Yet, they are both my children too. In Faith it manifests itself through blind rage, an effective weapon perhaps, but an unstable one. In Grace it manifests itself with cold determination, and that is what true leaders are made of.

The dual nature battling itself out in Grace just might be the downfall of all of her friends.

//locked//

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." - Rhett Butler, Gone With the Wind

I enjoy people so very much but even I come to a point where I reach the end of my rope. Lawyers aren't just born, they're created even if on occasion we create ourselves. Not that I would think to lower myself so far as to consider myself a lawyer but we are the first, of that I have no doubt. The first of many liars, on this plane and any other. We have a keen talent in the area, and it is the sole reason for our survival. People are the easiest creatures of all to deceive because they want so very badly to believe, in anything. Once I have the key to their heart I can simply make them believe anything I want them to.

This is how I generally prefer to operate. It's much easier to delegate from on high and watch the world crumble beautifully around you, but even I understand that occasions sometimes call for getting ones hands dirty. Dominique, Aidan and myself are the greatest deceivers to ever walk this dimension and for all of our efforts we only gently chip away at the foundation laid to rest in Los Angeles, one that happens to be tightly weaved around my daughters.

I am no longer content to smile and give an inch in order to take a mile. There are the weak and there are the powerful, this is how every eco-system in the universe has flourished. And so this begs the question, why should the powerful have to give an inch when they can simply reach out and snatch a mile? I care for nothing but the means to my own ends and will stop at nothing to achieve my empire.

The report about Faith's kidnapping took just long enough to filter to James' office to force his decision that most of security needed to be disposed of, quite literally. James knew something was wrong the minute his youngest daughter showed up, anxiety and anger mixed with defeat rolling off of her in waves. Despite the difference in mannerisms it seemed to him that Faith had been far more eager to take the bait than her sister had been. He had expected her to be on time and he supposed in some ways she had been, if Angel's son hadn't interfered. Grace was still sitting on the chair across from his desk as he ripped his phone out of the wall and angrily threw it against the wall. Gone was the calm veneer that usually occupies James' expression and instead he could feel the heat right behind his eyes. If he didn't control that anger he knew he would start to shift back into the visage of the wolf. Now all he could feel was fear. He found that explaining to Grace what had happened to Faith calmed him some before he excused her from his office. He had no use for her at the moment. All he could feel was the bittersweet thirst for revenge.

He was tempted to blow up half of Los Angeles just to prove a point but instead decided to retire to his apartment for the evening. He knew what was going on in the building and just as he was sure that things would be working out in his favor the walls began to crumble again. He'd worked far too hard, survived for too long to have it taken from him now. Especially by something that wasn't even supposed to exist. Connor had always been a pesky irritant to James but he had never given the boy much thought as anything other than a way to get at Angel. Now he had James' full attention and he began to wonder as the "champion of the city" folded would Connor be the next in line to step up and take his place. What would that do for plans of the impending apocalypse? Angel was of little use to James but he couldn't deny a prophecy and the truth was Angel played too big a part in the apocalypse and no one had any idea which side he would be fighting for. Personally, James hoped it would be his side but he wasn't willing to count all of his chickens just yet.

The night hours stretched out in front of him as he calmly sipped glass after glass of scotch and stared out the window. First thing in the morning he called his secretary and made sure that she canceled all of his appointments for the day. James never took a day off which he was sure would set alarms off in everyone's heads but he knew that Dominique and Aidan understood what was happening and would be sure to not bother him. Instead of sitting in his office for the day he continued to stand in his living room, thinking of the different ways to rectify the situation. He could feel the white hot anger threatening to burst through at any moment and he was careful to hold it back. Over a great deal of time things began to grow clearer for James. Letting your emotions get the best of you was a sure way to be reckless and endanger yourself. He couldn't afford to endanger himself or Dominique and Aidan. They had worked too hard to build this fortress and he wouldn't let the walls crumble. He was still the biggest player in town.

With one quick and easy phone call he managed to contact Donald Lydecker just outside of Seattle, Washington, alerting him to the presence of an escape transgenic. Though Lydecker may try and deny it, James was certain that once enough tests were done at Manticore it would become clear that Alec was indeed X5-494, albeit aged significantly. That was what he called killing two birds with one stone.

Once night fell James easily made his way down to the abandoned parking lot where he knew he would find Alec's car. Sitting in the backseat was a small tiger curled up like a little lamb but no sign of the transgenic. Pulling the tiger out of the car he carried the tiger to his and watched with a smirk as he curled up on his backseat. A larger cat might not have taken such a liking to James but Tigger was still a baby. "Harry will be looking for you." He murmured quietly before he started his car again.

It didn't take him long to get to the beach where he knew Cordelia Chase was staying with Buffy and Spike. Perhaps Harry had the right idea after all, before it became clouded with a desire to keep Angel safe. With a phone call he managed to locate both Buffy and Spike, one was on patrol down by the docks and the other was in a bar somewhere. It wasn't often that James intervened, in fact most of the time he was content to sit and issue orders and watch everyone else do his job for him. That was part of the reason why he enjoyed this dimension so much. This was a rare occasion and there was no pleasure in the work, the only thing James could feel was aggravation.

He heard movements upstairs and easily made his way to the second floor, before peering around the corner to see Cordelia unpacking some things in what he could guess was going to be her new bedroom. Folding his arms over his chest he smirked at her a little bit as he leaned into the doorway. It only took a full minute before Cordelia turned around and gasped so loud it only twisted the smirk into something even darker.

"Your fiance took something very important to me." He said to her, taking a step closer. "Now I'm taking something very important to him." He stopped and shot her his most charming smile, watching as it easily disarmed her. Cordelia didn't know it yet but James was enraged and planning on dismembering her slowly, a body part for every day it took Connor to bring back Faith.

This was what he called killing two birds with one stone.

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Is that Faith I spotted leaving your office?

Apparently my office has become the most highly sought after place to request a meeting. Not only did I have Connor ready to break down my doors, even after the sound spanking Dominique handed him but also Grace had somehow decided that a meeting with me was in her best interest. A business proposition? How interesting. At least with Connor I was sure that he would only try to fight me just as I was sure he would lose said fight. I wasn't sure however, what to expect from my youngest daughter. All I could do was wait and see.

Speaking of waiting...and watching, I've been doing more than my fair share of both of those things lately. I hardly had to lift a finger what with Dominique antagonizing Angel and Aidan antagonizing Buffy. Keeping them both nice and distracted and out of my way so I can focus on important things. Like family, there's nothing more important than family in the world. Faith was my greatest experiment and now I planned on cashing in. Truth be told, she was too much like her mother, too human. She provided me with amusement and I knew that given time and proper motivation I could mold her into the weapon she was meant to be but I never truly considered her my successor. Faith was expected, and Grace was a surprise but out of the two of them I really only considered Grace capable of taking over the firm in the way I expected it to be run. If only I could somehow cure her of that hot head of her's.

Strange enough I was beginning to feel that I'd set my son-in-law out after the wrong daughter. He was divorcing Faith, a fact I was none too happy about but he'd managed to earn Grace's trust in one simple outing. If nothing else he was proving to be a surprise but watching him skulk around the city was beginning to grate on my last nerve. If I wanted someone to do that I would have never fired Angel.

He felt too much. Emotions. They destroy them all. I've never cared for anything other than the success of this firm, and the continuation of our existence. I watch for my siblings because they are parts of me but I could just as easily destroy everything else I touched.

But why would I do that when it's more amusing to watch them destroy themselves?

Still, I can only play the bystander for so long before I inevitably step in and take the lead. Making my way out of my office I instructed my secretary to hold all of my calls before I left. It was going to be a busy day. Walking into Harry's office I smiled at him coldly.

"Call Harmony and tell her to hold all of your calls and reschedule your appointments. There's a client I want you to meet and it's very important. Meet me downstairs near the portal to the island in fifteen minutes, do not be late." Was all I said before I walked out of his office again.

I've had so many victories over the years it's nearly impossible to break down a single best day, because there have simply been too many of them. For the sake of my own sanity, not to mention the children that surround me I will try to keep it fairly recent.

At first I thought my best day ever might perhaps be the day that my children began to live up to their true potential. At first I thought it unfortunate that they would call upon the First Slayer, after all she is clearly on the opposing side, another puppet of the powers that be. However, watching that train wreck unfold was most certainly the most entertaining show I'd ever had the pleasure of watching. Possessed and grief stricken over her fallen sister, Faith ends up confronting Harry and Angel. Not entirely surprising considering the entity that was occupying her body but what I hadn't managed to forsee was her ripping Harry's head right off. In one simple smooth jerk she changed her own life and everyone else's in an instant. Of course, there was always the fun of watching Angel come to terms with the loss of his fledgling. I really had hoped she would tear his head off too but you can't win them all as they say. Clearly things worked for the best as Harry's soul is now in possession of Wolfram and Hart. I've been meaning to thank you for that, Faith. Truly the best father's day gift I could have received this year.

However, that may come in second to Dominique's brilliant game. She's always been quite the people person and because of that she dreams up some of the most elaborate schemes I've ever witnessed. Just a hint of GHB in Angel's blood and almost instantly he becomes Angelus. Fascinating. This was followed by another rather disappointing performance by my daughter as she cowered in a bathroom, but I do always enjoy watching the train of carnage Angelus leaves in his wake. What was possibly more entertaining might be the way they all instantly turned the accusing finger on eachother, scrambling over their own friends to figure out who would betray them so. I hear tell that Faith is now moving out of the hotel as a result of the incident. My condolences of course, Angel. I wonder how long it will be until you find yourself completely alone.

I look forward to many such good days in the future here at Wolfram and Hart.

It was fun to watch him struggle, even I had to admit that. They push him down and he only stands up a little bit stronger. I hardly had to do anything at all. Faith, Angel, and the rest of the people that Harry once called family were doing all the work for me. It almost makes me feel lazy honestly, so little time spent on my newest investment. In truth, I had more than enough time to spare for Harry but I was curious to see what he would do should I set him loose on the city. In some ways he was already beginning to disappoint me, in others his innocence was having a surprisingly phenomenal effect on the people around him. It pained me to see our representation falter the way that he seemed to over and over again and at the same time Harry was teaching me a great many things about humanity. Just when I think I know all that there is to know, I find out something different.

Dominique and Aidan have been almost relentless in their worry for our CEO. Of course I’m smart enough to know that they provide them with much amusement and quite possibly confusion. They have schemed a thousand ways to pull him from his proverbial funk but I knew that their attempts at shopping trips and massacres were all going to fall at his feet for him to kick dirt on. What do you offer someone who has lost everything he’s once known? Why, everything.

Which isn’t to say that I’m not amused both between his meetings with Angel and Faith. Not to mention the girl he’s moved upstairs with him. I had no doubt at all that would have the desired effect of jealousy on my daughter. Her heart is transparent, just like they all are. I love people. You may not guess that about me if you know me casually but know this, nothing fills me with as much joy as coming back to this dimension to see the true hell that’s been created by moral hands. Women are whores, and men are liars, and they’re all after only one thing, and that’s to fulfill their own selfish desires. The higher powers have never created anything more devious than the human being. Their hearts are filled with deceit, weak with temptation and lies. I only need to pinpoint their desires and then seize on them.

Taking the elevator up to the penthouse I could hear the music before the elevator doors opened. Walking inside I glanced around until I finally saw a figure dance past in one of the entryways near the hallway. Frowning I walked a little closer, a smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth as Harry continued to dance, unaware that he had company at all. Walking over to the stereo I turned the music off and waited until he turned around to look at me. He was such a child at heart, I’d have to do what Norman and Angel never could do for him and that is transform him into what the CEO of the most powerful law firm should embody. I wasn’t entirely sure whether I had my work cut out for me or not, only that he would eagerly accept the help now. Because at the end of the day Harry was only looking for one thing, and that was a father figure.

“It would seem that you are feeling better.”

I was sitting at my desk, putting the finishing touches on the Valentine’s Day present I planned to send to Grace. After my conversation with her I’d decided perhaps I’d been a bit harsh with her. No doubt she was having a difficult time grieving over the loss of her false father, not to mention the circumstances surrounding her emergence from that coma. So I’d taken the liberty of beheading the messenger I’d sent to deal with her in the first place, the one who had put her in that coma. He was only supposed to take the orb, not do her much harm to begin with. Not that I needed justification, of course. Once I’d wrapped his head in a large Tiffany box of red and silver I added the finishing touch of his heart wrapped in pink silk. It is the holiday of love after all. Once I was finished wrapping it, humming a song under my breath I made out the card to her.

Dear Grace, Happy Valentine’s Day. Love, your father.

I secured the card to the package and handed it off to the messenger standing at the foot of my desk with explicit direction for it to be delivered to the house across the street from the Hyperion Hotel. After all, I already knew where Grace was going before she did. It was an appropriate gift, I’d been too harsh certainly but I didn’t want her to forget just exactly what I was capable of either.

Smiling to myself I sat at my desk and pulled out the file on the newest case I was reviewing when the intercom at my desk buzzed.

“Sir?”

I rolled my eyes as I leaned forward and pressed the button. “What is it?”

“Security just called. Faith is in the building.” She informed me.

“So send her in.”

“Umm….I would, sir but she’s not actually here. She’s on the island.”

Frowning I turned off the intercom and sat back in my chair as I turned on the monitor that kept track of that island. Not that I’d been watching it as of late, there was no reason to. Narrowing my eyes I switched views until I saw a small figure in the middle of the forest with something large and red in her hand, splashing fluid all over the trees. In only took me a minute to realize what she was doing just as she struck the match.

Turning off the monitor I rose from my seat and decided that enough was enough. If I hadn’t made myself perfectly clear the last time I had a talk with my daughter I was just going to have to make sure the message was made more clear this time. Easily I walked by my secretary and instructed her to hold all of my calls as I made my way through the portal and out into the island. By the time I stepped out of the compound the jungle had begun to burn, I could smell it.

The jungle was burning, not only had the smell started to reach me but now I was amidst the flames and smoke as I walked through the jungle looking for my oldest daughter. I had to walk all of the way to the beach before I finally saw her standing there, her chin tilted up defiantly.

“There are easier ways of catching my attention, Faith.” I said, struggling to keep my voice calm. This suit was completely ruined, Dominique would not be pleased.

I hadn’t said anything else before she swung her arm out and punched me in the jaw as hard as I guessed she thought she could. “How’s this? Am I getting’ warmer?!” She demanded. “I’m not letting you have him!”

“It’s not up to you.” I said through clenched teeth as I watched her. That had been a free shot, the next one would most assuredly cost her. “The deal is signed in blood, it’s done.”

“Fine. I’ll set you and everything related to you on fire, I’ll burn this whole damn city down until I know for sure that you can’t take anything else from me.” As soon as the words escaped her lips she lunged at me, pushing me further back into the jungle where the flames were licking their way up trees and bramble. The smoke would soon begin affecting her vision, but it hardly phased me in the slightest.

She pushed me over towards a few of the flames but this time I grabbed her by her wrist and pushed her up against one of the few trees that wasn’t on fire. I was growing tired of these games very quickly. “Are you willing to set your children and Grace on fire too? How about your precious Angel? You own nothing, Faith. You owe your entire livelihood to me.”

“Why won’t you leave me alone?!” She screamed at me before her head smashed into my forehead and I was forced to lose my grip on her as she scrambled away from me.

Now the jungle was really ablaze, I was willing to bet if it were possible for planes to be in the sky in this dimension that all they would see would be black smoke for a great many miles.

“Because you’re my daughter.” I answered her, turning around and searching for her, unsurprised when she clipped me in the chin with her fist once I rested my eyes on her.

“Where was all this invested interest when I was just a kid, huh?”

“We’ve been over this, Faith.” I replied to her as she lunged at me again and now I’d really started getting angry. I could feel my true form itching to burst free from this shell of a man that I wore to blend in with the natives. Easily I turned her own move against her until she was pinned beneath me as the forest began to burn around us. “I brought your husband back from hell, shouldn’t you be thanking me?” I asked her, but she only spit in my face. Okay, now that was just rude.

“I’ll thank you when you’re dead.” She hissed out at me, trying to free herself from my grip.

“Now, that’s just uncalled for.” I muttered as I wiped the spit off of my face with the back of my hand right before I let it smack soundly across her face. I’d grown tired of her assuming that she could control these situations. What kind of father would I be if I didn’t discipline my children? “Your husband is mine, he belongs here at the firm and I’m sure given a little time you’ll begin to see that as well. If you continue to pull stunts such as these I have no problem sending him back to hell, I’m sure Angel would love to join him as well. Kennedy? Connor? They mean nothing to me, I’ll rip them apart piece by piece and send you what remains.” I smiled down at her a little bit, looking at her through bright red eyes. “And then I’ll start taking your sister apart.”

“You son of a bitch!” She snarled out at me her eyes filled with violent rage. There’s my girl. Finally she mustered up enough of that anger to throw me right off of her, sending me tumbling away from her.

Easily I got back to my feet and steadied an even look at her. Only for a second before I hit her in the face, watching her fall back to the ground. She only stayed for a second before she was back up and swinging at me again. “See that?” I asked her after she’d finally gotten a hit in. “You are my daughter.” I smirked as I hit her again, and watched her sail into a tree with a sickening crack. Broken ribs are never a picnic, not that I would know that specifically, but one could speculate. “Why don’t you admit this is why you keep coming back, Firecracker?” I asked her, hitting her again as she struggled back to her feet.

“Don’t call me that.”

“Everytime I push you down you come back up a little stronger. I’m not going to lay down and let you call the shots like all of the other people in your life.” I hit her again, sending her dangerously close to the flames and watching with a smirk as she started to cough because of the smoke inhalation. “This wasn’t a very bright idea, now was it?” I asked her smoothly.

She coughed again, struggling to her feet but I brought my hand down on one of her shoulders and easily pushed her back to her hands and knees. “You can’t have him…” She said and I could see tears streaming down her face although I wasn’t sure if it was emotion or the smoke affecting her eyes causing them.

“I already have him, I already have all of you. You’re only dragging it out and making it hurt more than it has to.” Grabbing her arm I pulled her up to her feet so that she could look at me. “You and Grace are my legacy, those children of yours are my legacy. I won’t be denied anymore. Do you understand?”

She nodded at me slowly and I started to ease my grip on her arm thinking that perhaps for once I’d managed to get through to her. She surprised me though, she always does and that’s why I enjoy her so much. I hadn’t seen what she’d been holding in her free hand until it was too late. A tree branch engulfed in flames at the very end of it, I didn’t see it until it was swinging into my face. I could feel the burning in my eyes and I growled angrily, letting her go and stumbling away from her as I desperately tried to clear my vision again.

She didn’t give me the chance though, before I was being pushed even farther into the flames, I could feel them searing my skin as I let out another growl and finally could see enough to find her. Reaching out I grabbed her by her neck and squeezed as I picked her up off of the ground and shook her hard, her fingernails digging into my hand.

“Stop blaming me.” I snarled out at her. “I’m not the one responsible for Harry. I believe you have the other side to thank for that, as well as your sister.” I shook her hard one more time and realized she’d stopped breathing entirely so I tossed her away from me angrily and watched as she fell in a heap on the ground. Her side was rising and falling which meant she was breathing again but at the moment I couldn’t find room to care. She could die out here, not that she would, but she could. And if she did, I’d only have her at my mercy even more than I already do.

I stepped over towards her and looked down at her as she looked back up at me through red rimmed pained eyes. “I’m done playing your games, Faith. You either cooperate with me or find ways to make you cooperate. Get used to it.”

With that I turned my back to her and began making my way through the burning jungle, back to the compound. Once I stepped back through the portal I wiped my eyes again, my hand tightened into a clenched fist feeling the anger still bubbling up just beneath the surface. I headed back towards my office only to see Lena standing near the door, it looked as though someone had already been informed about what was going on.

“What are you doing here?” I asked her gruffly as I opened the door to my office and walked inside with her right behind me. “If you’re looking for your daughter she’s probably on fire out on that island and I’m content to leave her there, but if you want to drag her out of there by all means…” I smiled meanly at her because I was in no mood to play the game at the moment.


(Open to Lena and Faith...)

I have no doubts that you're all anxious to blame me for the goings on in that hotel as of late but I assure you Wolfram and Hart had nothing to do with Faith and Grace's...precarious states. My children are powerful, I warned every single one of you of what they may be capable of and no one wanted to listen. I'm sure with a bit of research you'll find that Grace somehow managed to repair her comatose state by tapping directly into the First Slayer in creation, but because she herself is not a slayer it was channeled through her sister.

So there you have it. I'm not responsible for Harry's death, one of the supposed "good guys" is.

Have a great day. I know I am.

After tonight's spectacular showing of events I'm afraid that if I see Faith or Harry again in the near future I'll rip their limbs from their bodies and possibly hire a decorator to arrange them into some nice living room set for a demon.

Perhaps it's best that you oversee Faith for a time. She seems to be interested in seeing you but was persuaded by her sister. I'm going to handle Grace, I think it's best you deal with Faith.

Don't let me down again.

All it took was one well placed phone call from a few of my associates to a certain Mr. Lockwood of Georgia. It would seem my children tend to take after their mother, in that when things became too hard for them to handle they run and seek sanctuary. I knew it was only a matter of time before the girls would butt heads and Grace would attempt to return to a former life. There were innumberable reasons why she's been drawn to the west coast but the silly girl would ignore them all for reason that even I can not forsee to return to an existance that had never sat well with her. Somedays I think Grace is the true ticket, the successor to a kingdom more powerful than any of the fairytales Faith used to tell her as a child. Her weaknesses aren't palpable like Faith's are and yet they exist all the same.

On top of a phone call to raise suspicions I also had a letter and legal document drawn with a few of my DNA experts in the firm. Grace's blood was easy to acquire as the firm has it on record, and I already had answers to questions she was seeking. Lena may have soothed her with a beautiful lie over the years but the truth remains all the same. She is mine, just as Faith is. Grace can distance herself from her sister, from myself, from her mother all that she wants but blood is thicker than anything else that exists, even magick. Besides, certain gifts are a product of genes, it's a birthright and she may not have asked for it but it exists nontheless.

When she returns to Georgia she's going to find herself in for a rude awakening. Somehow I doubt the would be senator would have room for dirty press in his campaign and nothing is dirtier than illegitimate children. She may run and hide as her mother tried to do all of those years ago but she will be turned away. It's time for Grace and Faith to learn that there is no safe place to hide, nowhere to run. I am the only sanctuary that exists for them.

OOC: This is in no way canon to fandom_muses. It was just a fun little idea me and Hannah played around with about who would win in a fight to the death will all of my muses and it sparked my interest because I want to know who wins that fight. Just a fun little what if scenario...

Fandoms: BtVS/Ats/Supernatural/Heroes/Hex/Six Feet Under/Dark Angel/Original Characters

( I wanna fucking tear you apart... )

Things had deviated from their intended plans and yet I found myself strangely calm regarding the island situation. Lena might have royally screwed things up with her youngest but her oldest was still ripe for the picking. Of course, I hadn't given up on Grace just yet. Out of the two of them I had thought she would be the more likely candidate in seeing things my way. What was life if not for surprises though? I had the feeling both of my daughters would be spending a great deal of time surprising me over the coming weeks. I could hardly wait.

Dominique was still on that island somewhere, and I wasn't entirely certain as to what her plan of action would be but it was guaranteed to be brilliant. She had a way with people that Aiden and I simply lacked. Of course, we were all with our charms but Dom understood humans better than I did. I found them fascinating, fun to play with, to twist and turn and break and bend but Dom took an entirely new approach with them. That was why I knew she was perfect for this assignment. She wouldn't let me down. Things may seem to have calmed down for our little island of castaways but their trials had barely even begun.

I simply couldn't wait to see what would happen next. Which was going to be easier than they probably thought considering the amount of surveillance we had on that entire island. I couldn't exactly turn my back on my current favorite pet project, now could I? Things had to be carefully watched or else you never know when your plans might suddenly go awry and I had no intention of watching this plan go down the drain as I had been content to do in previous years. Nothing was going to get in my way this time, not Lena, not Angel, no one.

Although I was fairly amused at the sudden change of heart Lena seemed to have regarding Grace it couldn't go without some form of repercussions. After all, I couldn't allow the notion that such things could be easily gotten away with getting around the office. Lawyers loved to gossip, even evil ones and I had a reputation to maintain. Lena would learn her place or she would be replaced and that was all there was to it. Of course, I had expected some of this, she may put on the mask but I knew her as a girl. I know where her heart lies, it's the reason why she's here at all. Because the bond she has with our girls is stronger than anything I could even attempt to forge. She would be their greatest weakness, just as they were her's.

Walking into her office I stood in the doorway and looked at her as she watched two monitors on the wall. One featuring Faith standing in the ocean, Harry and Angel's arms wrapped around her. I rolled my eyes at that. I'd long since stopped watching that moving little scene. The other showed Grace laying in bed in the hatch with one of the other slayers. Interesting.

"Nonstop excitement with none of those pesky commercial breaks. If only the networks knew what we knew." I smiled at her as she finally turned around to look at me.


((Lena baby....))

When Pythagoras invented the term friendship he explained it to be someone who is another me, like the numbers 220 and 284. Two numbers are 'friends' if each is the sum of everything that measures the other. I suppose in the grand scheme of things mortals would look to Dominique or Aiden as fit to hold the title of my best friend. We've existed before the idea of friendship had even been born. I hold them in higher esteem than I would any other creature living or otherwise but we were designed to be partners. Though I would be far quicker to come to their defense than any other, it isn't as if we don't intentionally cross eachother We were built to both support and balance eachother but we weren't built to trust eachother.

Confucius once said that silence is the true friend that never betrays. A strange sentiment for a man who is legendary for doing absolutely nothing besides preach an ever evolving philosophy. Then again, he was alive during the Hundred Schools of Thought era in China. Perhaps all of those thoughts kept him too busy thinking instead of actually accomplishing anything. I digress, and truly Confucius was nothing but another demon and one of our more prestigious clients from the past. Selling your soul for the capacity to the proverbial higher state of being was underated in 530 BC.

Misplaced as the sentiment was I can't help but think he might have been onto something. Secrets are the tie that binds man to hell and hell to man. In the hearts of the pure to the depths of the wicked, secrets live within us all, we hold them dear. We whisper them back to ourselves before we fall asleep each night, we carry them with us wherever we go. They are our only true companion through life and death. I don't believe in keeping friends, but I can keep secrets better than anyone you've ever met.

I can be your best friend. I can smile and tell you the right words and look you in the eye and shake your hand. I can win you over with such charm and grace that you'll fall to your knees and practically beg me to do my worst. I can fake the human condition just as perfectly as my siblings can, but the instant the need to win you over stops being in my best interest is the minute I'll become your worst enemy.