[1] Camael Really Sucks, Honestly

Xander ducked under an awning, praying silently that nobody had spotted him.

He had been so close to the gates of Hell. —So close! Then a few angels had to show up and ruin everything. Shaking them off wouldn't be too difficult under normal circumstances, however this particular tail seemed to be more than just a chance encounter. And they did not seem to be in the mood for a civil chat. Under the peace agreement, he wouldn't be able to fight them physically, which was the only kind of fighting he was really any good at. So if there was any confrontation, he would have to come up with some other way out of it.

The most daunting aspect was the realization that if angels were following him this persistently, they must have already known about the thing he was carrying. And they probably didn't feel particularly comfortable with it being in the hands of demons, no matter how innocent said demons claimed their intentions to be. Because there was no doubt in Xander's mind that this thing he was carrying was certainly enough of an excuse to get his demonic ass whooped.

Pressed against the stone wall of the building like a lizard clinging to the side of a house in suburban Florida, he watched as three white figures soared over his head. They went, of course, unseen by any of the other eyes below other than Xander's own. Flying slowly relative to angel speed, but still quick enough to out fly a bullet. They weren't chasing him now, they were looking for him. The demon on the ground didn't have time to identify any of the three specifically, and to be honest, he didn't really want to.

Once the angels were out of sight, Xander took a tentative step back out into the alley way. Pretty soon he was running again, avoiding any and all streets or alleys with any bi-pedal beings in them, so as to stay clear of as many obstacles as possible. Though his wings itched, desperate for flight, it wasn't safe to take off yet. He needed to make sure his new devout followers had lost track of him before resuming his route to the gates of Hell again. So he stayed on two feet, looking for somewhere safe to hide.

Which proved to be a mistake, he realized as he rounded a corner and found himself face to face with a particularly muscular example of an angel.

Immediately, Xander did the obviously intelligent thing and did a full one-eighty turn, cursing loudly. Then he started running in the opposite direction. However this also proved to be rather useless as another angel touched down directly in front of him. This one gripping a blade and glaring forward furiously with glowing, golden eyes.

Now trapped on either side, Xander resorted to the only option he had left. He opened his wings and prepared to take off. But before he could get even a foot off the ground, he was blasted back by a bolt of white light. Something fell from his body and hit the ground without a sound.

"Get the pouch!" The command was clear, simple, and immediately made Xander's subconscious fall into full fight or flight mode.

She was standing on the roof of a nearby building, fully armoured as though ready for battle. The look on her face was enough to give a weaker demon a heart attack, however Xander's face bore a similar visage of dangerous hatred. This was clearly the leader of the three. Her eyes were glowing a bright gold, reflecting the very large and threatening spear she gripped in her hand. —Okay yeah, he was in deep trouble.

The other two angels immediately obeyed her words. One of them, the bulkier of the two, rushed forward to grab the precious cargo that had fallen from the demon's body during the blast. Xander tried to reach for it but was quickly kicked back down by the other. Though it wasn't anything deadly, that kick was the first notable act of violence between an angel and a demon since the death of Bentley Hellbourne and the establishment of mutual peace.

And although none of them knew it yet, this was the moment that the peace agreement was finally broken.

But the violence didn't stop there. The angel now on top of Xander struck another blow across his face. Then another. Then another. Never once stopping to consider why he didn't fight back or even try to resist.

"Remember never to touch the thing inside," The more powerful angel told them, "If you do, it will evaporate you on the spot,"

"I'm aware of the danger," Said the muscular one.

The names of the three angels were Zacharias, Uriah, and Camael. The first being the buff one, the second being the one who was currently in the process of pummeling the unfortunate Xander, and the last one was orchestrating the whole disaster. Despite being creatures physically made of light and holiness, none of the three were particularly bright. However, they were certainly dangerous enough to be of serious concern.

After enduring enough of the attack, Xander pushed Uriah off and got to his feet. His face hurt from being struck several times and his lips were bruised, but it wasn't the worst he had been through. He was born in Hell after all.

"This thing..." He started, "It's really worth breaking the agreement?"

"You must certainly think so, if you were willing to run of with it," Said Camael.

Then she turned away carelessly and opened her wings, ready to take off.

"Kill him," She ordered, "Make it look like an accident,"

The two angels on the ground saluted her. But before either of them could make a move on him, Xander laughed, ignoring the taste of blood on his lips.

"You really think you can kill me?" He said, taunting Camael. "Do you know who I am? Who my sister was?"

Bringing up Bentley always got angels upset. Her name had become one of his favourite weapons since she had passed away. Part of him felt bad about using her beyond the grave, but the other part knew that she would be completely okay with such behaviour if it meant bothering some heavenly bullies.

"Your sister is dead!" Camael took the bait. "Don't try to use her name to scare us,"

At this, Uriah tried to land another hit on Xander. But at this point he was tired and no longer willing to take the blatant and stupid violence. All it took was a flick of his palm and the angel's fist was stopped in mid air. Because although the three angels were quite powerful, and truly were something to be concerned about, when things boiled down to the basics, Xander Hellbourne was far more dangerous. Especially when he was being pushed around in such a careless and disrespectful manner.

Gripping Uriah's fist in his hand, Xander turned to Camael and smiled.

"Who says I have to?"

He was prepared for a fight now. His current opponents from Heaven had very decidedly overstepped the boundary now having beaten him and stolen a very dangerous and very important item. Even if he hadn't been a member of Hell's High Council, Xander had every single right to fight back at this point. So if it was a fight they wanted, then a fight he was willing and able to give in a heart-beat.

Within seconds, the alleyway was practically torn to shreds. From her perch on the rooftop, Camael watched in vicious silence as her two underlings fought ruthlessly against Xander. Zacharias was shooting spell after spell, Uriah throwing punch after punch. Neither of them landing successfully.

A ball of white light whizzed past Xander's ear. Immediately, he dodged, then twirled the spell around in his hand so it collided directly with Uriah's face. With a tap, he raised his fingers to his lips, coating them with his own blood. Then he drew out a spell of his own, which he sent flying back at Zacharias. Both hits were successful, but neither were enough to win the brawl. He started drawing out another bloody spell in the air.

A sharp pain stopped him halfway. Uriah had gotten to his feet again and was twisting his arm backwards. Following the train of motion, Xander twisted the rest of his body to follow, then sent a well-aimed kick right into the angel's gut. After exchanging a couple more blows Uriah was eventually pinned to the ground beneath Xander's boot. Then the demon turned his attention to Zacharias, finishing his original task by sending out a series of violent red spells drawn in his own blood. Sparks flew where each one landed. The shots that missed left sizzling holes in the brick wall behind, and the ones that hit their target burned through Zacharias' clothes and caused him to bleed. Both Xander's opponents had been quickly overpowered.

It had been years since he had fought anybody like this. And he was still just as good. Xander felt a burst of confidence, and couldn't help but let out a smile. But that smile was wiped away instantly when a golden spear whizzed past his ear and impaled itself in the stone wall behind him.

Camael was still on the roof, glaring down at him with murderous eyes. It wasn't clear whether she had thrown her weapon in an attempt to kill him, or just to draw his attention. Either way, the two locked eyes an all hell came loose. She started by aiming about a dozen different white spells directly at Xander, each more powerful than the last. He countered her attack by sending out a series of spells of his own. The bursts of light hit each other mid-air, causing quite a spectacular explosion of white smoke and red flame.

While under the cover of the blast, Xander scaled his way up the wall and onto the roof. As soon as the smoke cleared, he waved to Camael, taunting her further. Without saying anything, she raised her hand and the spear embedded in the wall below dislodged itself and flew back to its owner. Then she charged at him.

Luckily, Xander was light on his feet. Every time she struck, he managed to jump out of the way. However, the roof was slanted, and unless he stood right on the peak, it was nearly impossible for him to get a decent foothold.

It also didn't help that Camael was an actual threat. Not only was her hatred prevalent, her moves were executed with skillful determination. Every strike of her spear left sparks flying against the roof-tiles. And every spell she sent left a sizzling hole. One-on-one fighting with her was an actual challenge, even for Xander.

At one point during the fight, he stumbled slightly and lost his balance, toppling backwards until he was practically rolling down back down the slope towards the alley. Just as he scrambled to dodge out of the way, the tip of Camael's golden spear collided came stabbing down right where his head had been. It sank several inches into the wooden frame, but was quickly yanked back out again. Xander was about to scramble back to his feet, when suddenly he felt someone else lift his body for him.

Xander tried to turn around, but his arms were tightly restrained. He could smell the angel holding him back, but couldn't look to see which one it was. Camael stood in front of him, aiming the business end of her weapon directly at his heart.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to do this again," She said.

Shit shit shit. Xander tried to wriggle his way free of the one holding him, but to no avail. He'd been doing so well fighting up until this point, why did he have to loose his hecking balance?? Was he really gonna get ganked by some stupid angel in the middle of Washington?

Camael raised her spear, preparing to deliver the final blow.

And then they were interrupted.

A sound rang throughout the alleyway, with no apparent epicenter. It was enough to make even the iron-hearted Camael falter. It was a simple, clear, and childish giggle. And though such a sound was typically something pleasant to the ear, something about this particular sound was different. It was cold, without any true joy. Like the laughter of a mechanical doll that had been sitting in an attic for half a century. It was designed to mimic the sound of a child having fun, but it couldn't hide it's sinister intentions. All four beings felt as though the warm May afternoon had suddenly transformed into a haunting October night.

Anyone watching would have thought that bone-chilling laughter was a diversion caused by Xander in an attempt to get the upper hand. However this was not the case as the sound bewildered Xander as much as his attackers.

He looked around the alley for the source. Then his body stiffened.

Something was taking shape in front of them. Except it didn't seem to know what shape it was supposed to take. Whatever it was, seemed to be forming itself out of shadow and nothing else. Morphing into an unfinished, humanoid figure. The sight to anyone, including beings of the divine, was quite frightening.

"Sister—" Zacharias started,

"It's nothing!" Camael said loudly, "He's created an illusion to frighten you. Let's just finish him off quickly,"

But even as she said this, she pulled her spear backwards, drawing it across her own body as a line of defense. Xander took the angels' brief moment of distraction as an opportunity to shake off the one restraining him. Then he rolled sideways until he fell back down to the concrete with a thud. Nobody was brave enough to chase after him yet.

More giggles started to ring out as two more of the creepy figures began to materialize among them. Then even more started to appear until it seemed as there was an entire army materializing out of black shadow. The laughter emitting was high-pitched, yet demonic. Like squeaky voices from cartoons if the audio file had been corrupted. The two lesser angels drew their blades and backed away, trying to get as many of the shadows into their lines of sight as possible, but more just kept appearing. Some in garbage cans, some on the roofs, some even in the windows of nearby buildings.

Xander had dealt with many loose souls before. Typically, they were ones that had gotten lost on their way to Purgatory or who hadn't been able to move on from the land of the living. If he hadn't encountered them so often, he would think that's what these figures were. However, the shadows that were materializing around them all felt empty, without any traces of consciousness or life. And they seemed to be following a command of some sort. They weren't wandering, they were being controlled.

"Camael," One of them spoke, transforming the excessive laughter into a single word.

Then suddenly all the giggles all dissolved into each of the shadows calling her name. Still in their high-pitched childlike voices. Now increasing in volume and number. As Xander examined their tone, he realized that they weren't trying to get her attention, but rather trying to taunt her. Repeating her name over and over again in a frightfully disorganized chorus.

By now it was obvious that Xander was not the target of this horrific trick, but he remained on edge, ready to fight at a moment's notice.

"Camael!" They continued to call, sounding out the name over and over like some twisted mantra.

A shadow was forming behind her. This one quicker than the rest. It swirled together, gradually becoming a figure almost akin to a human in size and shape. Then, something of a face started to appear. White teeth, as sharp as razors began to form in the darkness, stretching into a hauntingly wide smile.

Without even looking at it, Camael spun her spear in her hand and slashed through the thing behind her. It evaporated almost instantly, turning into a fading puff of smoke.

"I told you, deal with the demon first." Camael was trying her best not to show the slightest reaction to what was happening.

However Xander no longer really cared. It was clear that it was neither himself, nor the angels who were behind the appearance of the humanoid shadows. This meant it had to be a spell of some sort. He manoeuvred his way between the figures, searching for any indication of the entity casting it, his black eyes darting from shadow to shadow.

Up on the rooftop, Uriah lifted his golden blade and prepared to follow, but before he could do anything, one of the shadows quickly reached forward with something vaguely similar to an arm. Dark tendrils of smoke coiled around his wrist, refusing to let him move even as he fought against it with glowing eyes. Then the same thing happened to Zacharias. Both were suddenly being held in place, unable to escape. Whatever these things were, they had to be extremely powerful to resist the strength of an angel.

Then one of them began to take another form. This one even more solid than the one Camael had stabbed. Except it was smaller, and there was a significant difference in the amount of teeth. However, that didn't stop it from being any less terrifying to Xander or the three angels. In fact, seeing it develop into something solid was even more of a cause for concern.

"Camael," It said, half-heartedly mimicking the ones around it. This thing's voice was different from the others. It was deeper, smoother, and more feminine.

Xander froze. He knew that voice. And it was the last one he wanted to hear at that moment.

The thing took a step forward.

Now that she was at least mostly formed, Xander could make out the details of her figure. She was cloaked all in black with the hood drawn over her hair. He could see her smile, which was unfortunately as familiar as her voice. Except there was one thing different from the last time he had seen this creature. Over her eyes, she wore a large black piece of cloth like a blindfold. Whoever this was, —whatever this was, couldn't see.

Seeing her now in the flesh as apparently nothing more than a young woman, Zacharias bravely made another attempt to escape from the grip of the thing holding him, but Camael held up a commanding hand. He immediately ceased his struggle.

"Who are you?" She asked the newcomer. "What's your business here?"

"What? You don't recognize me?" The newcomer replied, "You disappoint me, Camael,"

As she spoke the name, another ripple of giggles erupted among the shadows. It was as if those things were delighted by the mere mention of the name.

"Whatever she is, we can't risk her telling anyone about this." Uriah also tried to break free —to no avail.

The one controlling them nodded to the shadows respectfully.

"That will be all, thank you," She said politely.

And at her words, every single one of the shadows disappeared into puffs of smoke. Immediately Zacharias, having struggled for so long, toppled to the ground in a big white heap. Uriah gripped his blade, but made the wise decision not to attack yet. And Camael, remained on the roof, unmoving, but carefully watching.

"Answer my question," She demanded. "Who are you?"

"A demon, of course." The newcomer's smile widened. "Can't you smell it on me,"

Xander said nothing. He felt like his jaw had been sealed shut at the sight of her.

"So why are you here? Is this an attempt to save your friend or are you just in the mood to die?"

"I am," said the demon, "But not at your hands,"

"What is your name?" Uriah demanded.

"Are you seriously saying you've never heard of me? I'm..." she trailed off for a second. "Bartimeaus the Blind! One of the most feared demons in all of Hell!"

There was a pause. Was it an awkward one? Yeah. Just a little bit.

Honestly the most surprising moment of the whole afternoon was how long it took Camael to realize that this statement was complete and utterly false.

"Bartimeaus the what?" Camael shook her head, "You've clearly gone insane if you think your name is even worthy enough to reach my ears,"

"Strange," said 'Bartimeaus' "Then why can I hear you shaking?"

Camael gripped her spear, and said nothing.

Then all of the sudden they were once again interrupted by a sound. This time, it was even more bone chilling. It was from the body, not the mind the way the giggles had been. This sound was the scream of something. And that something was dying very painfully by the sounds of it.

Everyone in the alley turned in surprise.

In his hands, the angel Zacharias was holding what seemed to be nothing but white, shapeless light. Beside him, laying discarded and empty on the ground was the pouch he had stolen from Xander only a few minutes before. It seemed as though the white light had fallen out at some point during the chaos, and the unfortunate angel had disregarded or forgotten the orders of his superiors. Now he was screaming in agony at the mere touch of it.

"I ordered you not to touch it!" Camael said, her voice nearly cracking in poorly-disguised terror.

But it was too late for the angel and in an instant, he was reduced to nothing but a pile of feathers. Thousands of years of angelic energy evaporated into nothingness in a single instant. Xander and the other two angels stared at where Zacharias had been, absolutely horrified.

The white light fell back to the ground, undamaged.

"What is that thing?" Said the blind demon, tilting her head in its direction.

She raised her hand and the thing that had annihilated an entire angel of God lifted itself off the ground and started flying gracefully towards her. Its pouch followed closely behind.

"Bentley don't—" Xander tried to say, but he quickly stopped.

The light sat comfortably in the demon's hand. She did not scream. She did not explode. She did not react in any way at all other than lightly bouncing it up and down in her palm.

"It's lighter than I thought," She said.

"You little bitch!" Camael resumed her regularly scheduled hostility. "How are you not dead?"

"Why? Should I be?"

"For several reasons, yes!" Xander nearly shouted at her.

She ignored this at first and unceremoniously tucked the glowing light back into it's bag. Then shoved it into one of her oversized sleeves as though it were a mere trinket and not some unknown substance of terrifying power.

"I guess I just don't feel like it now," She said casually, "Alright, c'mon Xander, I've had enough. Let's go."

Camael lowered her spear, pointing it at the blind demon, her eyes glowing gold with rage.

"You aren't going anywhere,"

The demon turned in her direction, but did nothing. After only a second of hesitation, Camael shivered and disappeared in a burst of light. Uriah, seeing that his superior had fled on her own, wisely spread his wings and took off to follow.

Now it was just the two demons left in the alleyway, and Xander had about a million questions whirling around in his head like a cyclone. 'Bartimeaus' as she had self-identified, started to lead the way out, but found her path suddenly blocked. Xander reached up and pulled the cloth off her eyes to confirm what he had already known.

As he looked into the sensitive, blinking, and obviously fully-functional eyes of his formerly deceased sister, Xander felt his heart rate increase tenfold. Even though he had known this new creature was her since she first spoke out loud, he still hadn't been able to process everything until now. There was a chance that someone could have been impersonating Bentley, however everything about her was the same. From her combat strategies, to her smile, even her scent was the same. Unfortunately, it appeared to be Bentley Hellbourne through and through.

"What?"

"Bentley." In his state of shock, the poor demon could only manage to say the one thing.

"Yes?" She acted confused, as though everything was perfectly fine and she hadn't been in a grave for eighty five years.

Whether he was just overwhelmed by emotion or still in disbelief, he didn't know. But his emotions took over and he took a step forward. To hug her? Smack her upside the head? He didn't know. Maybe he just wanted to touch her to make sure she was real and not another vision conjured for mischief. He did not know.

But the moment he moved towards her, she moved away, eyeing him out of the side of her face. She gave him an uncomfortable look, which was confirmation enough for Xander. If she was being impersonated by someone, she would have let him touch her. But the real Bentley would have moved away.

"So it's really you, then?" He asked as conformation.

Bentley nodded.

"It's really me,"

"Care to explain?"

"Do I need to?" She asked, "You already figured out who I was. There isn't much else to it,"

At this, Bentley tried to continue her way down the alley. Xander, who was getting increasingly annoyed with this interaction, blocked her way.

"Um. Yes, there is," He said, "What the hell, Bentley? You've been dead for almost a century,"

"When has that ever stopped me from saving my baby brother's ass, huh?"

Xander, despite his frustration, was still trying to get all of his thoughts in order. He was happy to see her, sure —but with her arrival there would be so many complications. Until he figured out what on earth he was supposed to do with her, he was going to have to slow down, think, and take some things into account.

Bentley seemed to sense his distress because she paused and suddenly smiled. Not her usual look of mischief, but rather the kind of smile that can ease tension as tight as politicians buttholes.

"Alright, alright." She waved her hand. "I'll explain. Just let me get something decent to wear first,"

This time, Xander wasn't able to block her. She walked off, leaving him to follow reluctantly.

...