Disclaimer: I own nothing!!! Do you hear me? Nothing! Well, maybe the plot but
that's it.
AN: I dedicate this fic to Jenna, C.C., Seretha, Tomorrow, Axisor, Ducks, Sarah,
my Rosati friends, and all fan fic readers, writers, and reviewers. This may
seem confusing at first so beware but all will be explained in time. And
Special thanks to my new beta reader, iamHitzChic. She has edited this new
version of Transitions: chapters 1, 2, and 3 for me.
TRANSITIONS
Buffy Summers entered the old decadent mansion that
loomed over Sunnydale. It reminded her of some sinister
sentinel guarding and watching the evil that spawned
there. Her body shuddered violently as extreme fear and
sorrow seized her heart in its icy grasp. Ruefully she
thought, Why did I come here? Why here of all places?
What am I trying to prove? She came to the answer, 'no'
and was on the verge of turning around and leaving when
another voice was heard. She recognized this voice. She
had heard it may times before on hopeless missions when
she was about to quit and let the dark forces win. It
said, "You can't leave now. You need to do this. You
need to get on with your life and put this place behind
you. You are the Chosen One! You can do this!" Damn
it, she thought, I hate it when I'm right. Especially
about this. She took a deep breath and began to venture
deeper into the demonic structure. An all too familiar
smell hit her as she went further into the house. The
smell of death hung so heavily in the stale air that
Buffy was almost choking on it. Tears stung her eyes.
They formed mostly because of the putrid smell but
partially because of the dreadful memories associated
with this place all came flooding back to her. She felt
weak and desperately tried to clutch on to the wall to
steady her.
She was just about to give up on this yet again,
when she lightly fingered the silver cross that hung
around her neck. New strength and composure surged
through her body. With new determination she stood
sharply and resumed her journey through the dark,
desolate hallway. While on this course to the place
where her nightmares began, she did not stop once. Not
even when she passed the familiar large crimson stain on
the floor. An anguished sob involuntarily escaped her
throat as she approached it, but that was all. She was
on a mission. Nothing could stop her now. She was the
Slayer; however, while she was in her current state she
wasn't much of a Slayer. To amend this, she needed to do
this. She needed closure on the tragedy that altered her
life over a year ago.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, her
endless trek through the long corridor was over. She
stood in front of the large wooden door that had haunted
her so many times before. She took another deep breath
and tightly gripped the iron handle. It was ice cold.
With all her strength, in one fluid motion, she threw
open the cursed door and prepared to be bombarded by
emotions of grief, guilt and horror, to be attacked by
some monstrosity. To her surprise, nothing came out of
the room she feared for so long. She was instantly
relieved. She had braced herself for the worst but
nothing had happened. Her relief was quickly replaced by
curiosity. The room emitted a warm glow that intrigued
Buffy. Cautiously she stepped past the threshold of the
infamous room that instilled terror in her for the past
year. The room was different from the place she had
battled for her life over a year ago. In fact, this room
was the old library in her high school. The same library
that she demolished over six years ago. This sight
didn't shock her as much as the next sight she saw. Her
whole body was gripped with paralysis when she saw who
else but Xander, Willow, and Giles seated around the
large table in the center of the room. Her mouth dropped
open in sheer stupefaction. This was truly the last
thing she expected to see in this horrific room. And to
be brutally honest, she wasn't quite sure she was ready
for this. Xander was the first to notice Buffy's
presence in the room. A wide grin grew on his face.
"Buffy! Bufster! How was patrolling? Meet any
nice vamps?"
Willow and Giles looked up from their books at the
sound of his voice. "Ah, Buffy, excellent. I need to
discuss your patrolling plans for tomorrow night." But
Buffy could do nothing but gape at them with utter
distress. "What? Do I have food in my teeth?" Xander
asked, still Buffy just started. "Hellmouth to Buffy!"
Xander said as he passed his hand in front of her face.
Looking at Giles and Willow he said, "I think she's
broken."
Willow gave him a stern look and came over to Buffy.
"Are you okay, Buffy?" She asked with concern. She
placed her hand on Buffy's shoulder and suddenly Buffy
regained use of her motor skills. Thinking fast, she
said, "Hey, Will. I'm fine. Just a bit exhausted, I
guess." With that said, she plastered on a smile and
took a seat at the table. She seriously doubted her legs
would support her any longer. Giles began going on about
patrolling tomorrow night, but Buffy didn't hear a word
he said. Her mind was on overdrive trying its best to
explain this. After a while she decided she needed to
get out of there and find help. All she wanted to do was
go home. "So, it may be in your best interest to be at
the Bronze tomorrow," Giles finished.
"Yeah, the Bronze tomorrow . . . for patrolling.
Right. I totally agree. Well, this has been a blast,
but I have to go. My Mom is expecting me home any minute
now. We have to . . . um . . . go shopping. Yeah,
shopping. So, I'll see you guys later, 'k? Bye!" she
said it so fast and then headed for the door.
Behind her, she heard Giles say, "Shopping?" in a
perplexed voice. The door shut behind her with a
deafening bang. She actually jumped when hearing this.
Her nerves were shot and she was nervous. But all she
cared about was getting home. Home to the only person
she wanted to see. Home to the only person who
understood and could help. Without turning around once,
she ran out of that awful building all the way to the
only place where she felt completely safe.
*********************************************************
***************
Buffy threw open the front door to her home. Thank
God it's never locked, she thought. She ran inside and
immediately knocked into Angel. She looked at him with
surprise and then buried her face in his chest,
desperately clinging to him. He encircled her with his
arms in a futile attempt to soothe her. In his grasp he
felt her shaking and felt her hot tears on his chest. He
lifted her up and carried her to the couch. She huddled
against him. She felt so small. It broke his heart to
see her like this. She hardly ever cried, but now she
was sobbing uncontrollably.
Bitterly he thought, This is all my fault. He knew
where she was returning from. And that was what worried
him the most. What happened to her there? I should've
gone with her. She needed me and where was I? Here.
How could I have been so heartless? I'm even the one
that persuaded her to go and get closure. She was still
shaking but only slightly now. He could feel her heart.
It was beating rapidly. What scared her this much? He
pondered.
He gently rocked her back and forth in his arms
whispering, "I'm here. It's okay. Shhh," over and over
again, trying his best to comfort her. He knew this had
something to do with the old mansion and Tlingit. It
had, too. That's what started this whole thing. That's
what caused Buffy's depression. It seems like every time
we're finally happy, something terrible happens, Angel
thought. I'm finally human, Buffy and I are engaged and
living together, but her best friends are dead. She
can't enjoy this anymore. And if she's unhappy, so am I.
He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice
Buffy calling his name.
"Angel?" She called softly. He stopped rocking her
and looked at her with compassion.
"Are you feeling better?" He asked.
She gave him a small smile and shook her head, "I
don't really think so," she admitted.
"Do you want to talk about what happened?" He
questioned. She took a deep breath and nodded. "Go
ahead, I'm listening," Angel assured her.
"This may sound so fake. I know I didn't believe
it, but I SAW them, Angel. I saw Xander, Willow, and
Giles in the room they died that horrible night. I know
I wasn't seeing things. Willow touched me. They were in
the old library from High School, but they looked like
they did before they died. They acted like nothing
happened. You believe me, right?"
He looked deep into her eyes and cupped her cheek
with his hand. She rested her head in it.
"Of course I believe you. Tomorrow I'll go with you
back there to confront them. I'm guessing they're ghosts
that haven't realized they're dead. Do you want to do
that?"
She gave him a look of surprise, then kissed him
passionately. "Thank you," she whispered.
"Always," he whispered back. She nestled against
him and he put his arm around her. "So tell me exactly
what happened when you went." Without moving or even
looking at Angel, Buffy told him exactly the night's
precious events. Angel had to laugh at what Xander had
said, "Even as a ghost, he doesn't change."
Buffy, even in her weary state, had to laugh with
him. "So tomorrow night we will go to the mansion and
confront them with their demise. What if they don't
believe us or get mad? Do we have to?" She asked.
"I'm pretty sure they won't do anything and yes, we
have to do this. Since ghosts don't' come out in
daylight, let's go to the mansion then to try to find out
what we can before Xander, Willow, and Giles show up.
Does that sound good?"
"Not really, but it sounds better." Buffy had
stopped crying. Angel always knew how to cheer her up.
She looked at him with love and said, "Thank you. I know
I have been trying for like the past year, but you've
been there for me no matter what. I want you to know I
really appreciate it and I love you above all things.
One question, why?"
He smiled at this. "Easy, I love you, Buffy. You
were the first person to care for me when I was a vampire
with a soul. And even when I left, you still loved me.
Even after I turned into Angelus you loved me. I think I
am so lucky to have someone like you in my life. I will
always love you, with all my heart. Never forget that."
He brushed her hair back and caressed her cheek. "Always
and forever," he whispered right before he kissed her and
lifted her once again.
This time he carried her to the bedroom. Then he
proved that love to his beautiful fiancée. He was so
happy to be human again and to be able to show Buffy
love. He knew he didn't deserve her but here she was.
His last thought before drifting off to sleep was that he
was truly the luckiest man in the world.
*********************************************************
***************
Blood coated everything. It flowed from some
unknown source. Buffy was drenched in it. She was even
choking on it. Screams came from all around her.
Mangled corpses were strewn about on the floor. She
tried to call out for help, but as soon as she opened her
mouth blood rushed in to it. She tried to get away from
the awful scene, but realized her foot was fettered to
the floor. Everyone she had ever loved rose from the
gore around her. They were mutilated and she could
hardly tell who they were. They were all crying,
screaming at her how she caused this.
Her mother walked up to her first and rasped, "You
little brat. You caused this." Then she pointed to the
zombies. "Nothing good comes out of knowing you.
Everything you touch dies. I am ashamed to be your
mother." Joyce then spit blood at Buffy.
Buffy stared at her dead mother and started to shake
uncontrollably. "It can't be true. I . . . I . . .I am
so sorry." She crumpled to the floor and wept. Everyone
tormented her one by one. Her cousin, father, all her
friends, and even Riley told her the evil she brought
with her and how their blood was on her hands. She was
hysterical with sorrow.
She was screaming at the top of her lungs. "No!
Stop!" repeatedly.
She couldn't stand their accusations and taunting
any longer. She huddled in a ball and whispered,
pleading with the marred cadavers to stop. Suddenly she
felt herself being shaken like a rag doll. She looked up
to see who was harassing her so. She lifted her head and
found herself staring into chocolate brown eyes.
"Angel?" she choked out between sobs. She knew
someone was missing from her deceased tortures. He
simply nodded. She hugged him tightly and clung to him.
"Don't," he growled.
"W . . . What?" She released him actually afraid of
her lover for the first time in five years. "Why would I
want a treacherous whore like you touching me? I can't
believe I loved you. The thought that I ever cared for
something like you sickens me." He glared viciously at
her.
"B-but Angel," she stammered. He cut her off with a
hard slap to the face. She suddenly belted up into a
sitting position. She was drenched in sweat and tears
cascaded down her pale face. She quickly surveyed her
surroundings and realized it has been a dream. No, not a
dream, a horrible nightmare. Angel wasn't in bed, she
instantly realized.
"Angel!" she frantically called his name.
He emerged from the bathroom. Worry was etched in
his face.
"Buffy! My God, what happened? Are you okay?" He
was immediately was at her side, kissing away her tears.
She asked him in a shaky voice, "Do you love me?"
"Of course I do. With all my heart and soul. You
are my soul mate, without you I'm nothing. You should
know this."
He kissed her on the forehead. "Does this inquiry
have something to do with why you are shaking like a
leaf?"
She bowed her head and whispered and almost
inaudible 'yes'. He climbed into bed and wrapped her
protectively in his arms.
"Tell me what happened."
She was quiet for a moment then she told him her
gruesome incubus. She started to sob once again. He
rocked her back and forth whispering some reassurances
into her hair.
"It was just a nightmare. That's all. None of that
was real. You're safe. I'm here. I'll never leave you.
Shhh. It's all right now." She stopped crying and
looking into his warm loving eyes and gave him a small
smile.
"I've changed, haven't I? I used to be strong and
courageous. Now it seems I do is cry, mope, and
complain. I used to be the Slayer. Look at me now.
Giles would be proud." She laughed bitterly. "The
universe must really have it in for me. I finally go
something going my way. You're human. I should be
ecstatic but then three of my best friends die. Because
of me nonetheless." She shook her head resentfully and
sighed.
Angel didn't know what to say. When he thought up
the perfect response, she spoke again. "You know what?
You don't deserve this. I'm acting like you used to.
All broody, no offense. But no more. You were right. I
need to make peace with my past mistakes. Life in the
present. Carpe Diem, or something like that. I am not
passing up my chance for true happiness. I miss the old
Buffy. It's time to get her back." She jumped out of
bed, grasped an outfit and walked to the bathroom.
"What are you talking about?" he called after her.
"Don't you remember what we talked about last night? We
are going down to the mansion to confront my fears and
Willow's, Xander's, and Giles' ghosts. Only way to make
things right. Get dressed. I'm going to take a quick
shower and then we can go." Angel started to protest
when Buffy reminded him this was his idea. "I need to
close this. And I need your support." She yelled
through the bathroom door and above the sound of running
water. She opened the door and popped her head out.
"Please?" She gave him her best puppy eyes.
"Fine. For you." He came over and kissed her on
the nose.
"Thanks," with that said, Buffy disappeared inside
the door. It was shut and locked. Angel sighed and got
dressed. He then packed a backpack with flashlights,
today's newspaper and anything else he thought might be
useful. Buffy emerged from the bathroom ten minutes after
he finished packing. She grabbed her jacket, a shoe box,
and a cross. She handed the cross to Angel, "Put it on."
"Why?"
"Proof."
"Oh," he said still confused but did what she said,
not wanting to upset her. She began putting things into
the box. Some of the objects looked like pictures. The
others he couldn't see what they were. She slipped on
shoes and the jacket and grabbed the box.
"Come on. We're wasting daylight. Be a doll and
grab my watch, Angel." He grabbed the watch off the
nightstand, his black duster, and the backpack. He put
on the duster and handed Buffy the pack.
She gave him a curious look and he said, "Back up."
She smiled and reached for the watch. He gave her a sly
grin and shook his head.
"Allow me." She extended her small wrist and he
fastened the watch onto it. She tried to pull away but
he still held on. He pulled her into a long embrace.
He whispered in her ear, "You sure about this? We
can wait if you want. I know what I said before and I
meant it, but surely we can wait if you need time." She
pushed way a bit and looked him straight in the eye.
"I need to do this. It's not fair to you, my
friends, or me if I wait. I'm tired of crying and being
scared all the time. And I know you are, too. I'm as
ready as I'll ever be. It's now or never. And I've
never been known to run away from my problems. Well,
that one time when I sent you to hell doesn't count
because I was young and naive. Anyway, I'm going with or
without you. Your choice." She pulled away and walked
out the door but ran back in quickly right into him.
"I'm coming with you. Like I said, I'm here for
you. Always. Why did you come back in? Let's go." She
flashed her famous half smile and walked past him into
the house to the closet. She grabbed something and threw
it to him. He snatched it out of the air. He was happy
he still had his vampire reflexes.
"Come on slow poke." She giggled, walking past him.
She waited for him at the door.
Angel looked outside and noticed it was storming.
He opened the umbrella she had tossed him and stepped
outside into the rain. He grabbed her by the waist and
they walked to his '68 GTX convertible. He opened the
door for her and helped Buffy inside. He walked around
to the other side and Buffy unlocked the door for him.
He got in and put her box, pack, and umbrella in the back
seat. He started the car and drove to the old mansion.
He hadn't really been inside since he came back from LA.
Three years ago when he was told by the PTB that his soul
was permanent. He glanced at Buffy. She was nervously
twisting her seat belt. This must be hard on her. It
seems everything bad in her life happens there. He let
out a sigh.
"Stop!" she yelled. He put his foot on the brake and
the car threw them both forward.
"What?" he asked.
She blinked twice and gave him a strange look.
"We're here." He looked out the window and saw the
immense structure.
"Oh. Sorry." He apologized sheepishly. He stepped
out of the car and ran after Buffy. She had gotten out
even before he turned the engine off. She waited for him
by the fountain in the courtyard. She checked then her
watch.
"4:16! Why did you let me sleep so late? Never
mind. We still have plenty of time before dusk."
She reached for his hand and simultaneously they
entered the mansion. They slowly and cautiously made
their way down the dark corridor. Buffy and Angel
stopped at the large wooden doors to the room where it
all happened that awful night. She squeezed his large
hand and they both entered the dreaded room together.
Rubble was everywhere and blood stained the floor.
Buffy gasped. I never expected this. In fact, I
expected to see the old library like I had before.
"So. What are we looking for exactly?" She
questioned in a small voice.
"Anything that may be of use to telling us why their
ghosts are still here like articles of their clothing or
anything that may have belonged to them." Angel
explained to her. She nodded in understanding and they
began their search. Suddenly Buffy stopped dead in her
tracks.
"What's the matter?" he inquired with concern.
"I hear something." She murmured as she strained to
hear the sound better. "It's a vampire. He's over
there." She said pointing to a large pile of rocks by
the wall. She pulled a stake from her sleeve and moved
stealthily to where the noise was coming from.
"You brought a stake?" Angel questioned.
"I am still the Slayer. Also it's kind of a force
of habit." She told him in a hushed tone of voice. She
suddenly stopped and looked around. She let out a small
scream when someone came behind her and grabbed her by
the waist. Before she could utter a word, Angel tore the
attacker off her and tackled him to the ground. She
raised the stake in the air and was just about to jab it
into the vampire's heart when she recognized who it was.
"Angel, get off of him!" she yelled in a high voice.
At the sound of her protest, Angel reluctantly got off of
Buffy's assailant, stood up, and looked at Buffy baffled.
She rushed to the side of the vampire and knelt beside
him. Angel finally got a good look of the man and
realized who it was.
"Spike?!" he exclaimed half asking and half
shouting.
"Bloody hell, Poof! What is your friggin' problem?"
Spike sneered. Buffy took out a clean handkerchief and
wiped the blood off of his mouth gently.
"Spike, I can't believe it's you. I thought I
sensed you but I knew it couldn't be you. But it was!
You're finally back after so many years. I never thought
I'd see you again." She then pulled him into a warm
embrace. "Why?" she asked, her voice muffled by his
body.
"Why what, Luv?" Spike said knowing perfectly what
she was talking about.
"Why did you leave? Without a word. You didn't
even call or write to say how you were. You didn't even
say good-bye. I was worried about you." She confessed
looking into his dark blue eyes.
"You know the answer to that question already, Pet.
I thought you'd be better off without me here and I never
called you because it would hurt too much to hear your
voice and not see you." He painfully admitted this with
down cast eyes.
"I understand but I want you to know I did miss you.
Are you here to stay or are you going to leave me again?"
She was on the verge of tears. Spike smiled warmly at
her and brushed some loose strands of hair out of her
face.
"I'll stay but only if you want. This is your
choice. No one else's." He told her then glared at
Angel.
"Of course I want you to stay." Buffy replied
giving him a warm smile. Angel interrupted the two by
clearing is throat rather loudly. Buffy immediately
jumped up and went to him with a guilty look on her face.
Spike just glared at him again.
"What is going on here? Why are you here, Spike?
Why aren't you dust?" Angel demanded.
"Not that it's any of your business, I came here
because I was told Buffy might need some help. Also, Red
put a spell on me awhile back and now I can be in
sunlight. Does that answer your questions?" Spike
snapped at him.
"Who told you she needed help?" He barked
"The beauty queen and her happy helpers. Who else?
Cordy had a vision and was about to send Faith and Fish
Boy when I volunteered since I had nothing else to do."
Buffy could feel the tension between Angel and Spike.
She decided to do something before a fight broke out.
"How are Cordy, Riley, Oz, and Wesley?" Buffy asked
trying to distract both men.
"Successful. They are getting a lot of business.
They kept the name Angel Investigations, though." Buffy
and Spike continued to make idle chatter catching each
other up on the three years they spent apart. Buffy's
alarm on her watch went off. She froze and looked at
Angel with fear.
"Dusk," was all she whispered to him.
? * *
A.N.- More to come soon so be patient. Hope you enjoyed.
Please review.
that's it.
AN: I dedicate this fic to Jenna, C.C., Seretha, Tomorrow, Axisor, Ducks, Sarah,
my Rosati friends, and all fan fic readers, writers, and reviewers. This may
seem confusing at first so beware but all will be explained in time. And
Special thanks to my new beta reader, iamHitzChic. She has edited this new
version of Transitions: chapters 1, 2, and 3 for me.
TRANSITIONS
Buffy Summers entered the old decadent mansion that
loomed over Sunnydale. It reminded her of some sinister
sentinel guarding and watching the evil that spawned
there. Her body shuddered violently as extreme fear and
sorrow seized her heart in its icy grasp. Ruefully she
thought, Why did I come here? Why here of all places?
What am I trying to prove? She came to the answer, 'no'
and was on the verge of turning around and leaving when
another voice was heard. She recognized this voice. She
had heard it may times before on hopeless missions when
she was about to quit and let the dark forces win. It
said, "You can't leave now. You need to do this. You
need to get on with your life and put this place behind
you. You are the Chosen One! You can do this!" Damn
it, she thought, I hate it when I'm right. Especially
about this. She took a deep breath and began to venture
deeper into the demonic structure. An all too familiar
smell hit her as she went further into the house. The
smell of death hung so heavily in the stale air that
Buffy was almost choking on it. Tears stung her eyes.
They formed mostly because of the putrid smell but
partially because of the dreadful memories associated
with this place all came flooding back to her. She felt
weak and desperately tried to clutch on to the wall to
steady her.
She was just about to give up on this yet again,
when she lightly fingered the silver cross that hung
around her neck. New strength and composure surged
through her body. With new determination she stood
sharply and resumed her journey through the dark,
desolate hallway. While on this course to the place
where her nightmares began, she did not stop once. Not
even when she passed the familiar large crimson stain on
the floor. An anguished sob involuntarily escaped her
throat as she approached it, but that was all. She was
on a mission. Nothing could stop her now. She was the
Slayer; however, while she was in her current state she
wasn't much of a Slayer. To amend this, she needed to do
this. She needed closure on the tragedy that altered her
life over a year ago.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, her
endless trek through the long corridor was over. She
stood in front of the large wooden door that had haunted
her so many times before. She took another deep breath
and tightly gripped the iron handle. It was ice cold.
With all her strength, in one fluid motion, she threw
open the cursed door and prepared to be bombarded by
emotions of grief, guilt and horror, to be attacked by
some monstrosity. To her surprise, nothing came out of
the room she feared for so long. She was instantly
relieved. She had braced herself for the worst but
nothing had happened. Her relief was quickly replaced by
curiosity. The room emitted a warm glow that intrigued
Buffy. Cautiously she stepped past the threshold of the
infamous room that instilled terror in her for the past
year. The room was different from the place she had
battled for her life over a year ago. In fact, this room
was the old library in her high school. The same library
that she demolished over six years ago. This sight
didn't shock her as much as the next sight she saw. Her
whole body was gripped with paralysis when she saw who
else but Xander, Willow, and Giles seated around the
large table in the center of the room. Her mouth dropped
open in sheer stupefaction. This was truly the last
thing she expected to see in this horrific room. And to
be brutally honest, she wasn't quite sure she was ready
for this. Xander was the first to notice Buffy's
presence in the room. A wide grin grew on his face.
"Buffy! Bufster! How was patrolling? Meet any
nice vamps?"
Willow and Giles looked up from their books at the
sound of his voice. "Ah, Buffy, excellent. I need to
discuss your patrolling plans for tomorrow night." But
Buffy could do nothing but gape at them with utter
distress. "What? Do I have food in my teeth?" Xander
asked, still Buffy just started. "Hellmouth to Buffy!"
Xander said as he passed his hand in front of her face.
Looking at Giles and Willow he said, "I think she's
broken."
Willow gave him a stern look and came over to Buffy.
"Are you okay, Buffy?" She asked with concern. She
placed her hand on Buffy's shoulder and suddenly Buffy
regained use of her motor skills. Thinking fast, she
said, "Hey, Will. I'm fine. Just a bit exhausted, I
guess." With that said, she plastered on a smile and
took a seat at the table. She seriously doubted her legs
would support her any longer. Giles began going on about
patrolling tomorrow night, but Buffy didn't hear a word
he said. Her mind was on overdrive trying its best to
explain this. After a while she decided she needed to
get out of there and find help. All she wanted to do was
go home. "So, it may be in your best interest to be at
the Bronze tomorrow," Giles finished.
"Yeah, the Bronze tomorrow . . . for patrolling.
Right. I totally agree. Well, this has been a blast,
but I have to go. My Mom is expecting me home any minute
now. We have to . . . um . . . go shopping. Yeah,
shopping. So, I'll see you guys later, 'k? Bye!" she
said it so fast and then headed for the door.
Behind her, she heard Giles say, "Shopping?" in a
perplexed voice. The door shut behind her with a
deafening bang. She actually jumped when hearing this.
Her nerves were shot and she was nervous. But all she
cared about was getting home. Home to the only person
she wanted to see. Home to the only person who
understood and could help. Without turning around once,
she ran out of that awful building all the way to the
only place where she felt completely safe.
*********************************************************
***************
Buffy threw open the front door to her home. Thank
God it's never locked, she thought. She ran inside and
immediately knocked into Angel. She looked at him with
surprise and then buried her face in his chest,
desperately clinging to him. He encircled her with his
arms in a futile attempt to soothe her. In his grasp he
felt her shaking and felt her hot tears on his chest. He
lifted her up and carried her to the couch. She huddled
against him. She felt so small. It broke his heart to
see her like this. She hardly ever cried, but now she
was sobbing uncontrollably.
Bitterly he thought, This is all my fault. He knew
where she was returning from. And that was what worried
him the most. What happened to her there? I should've
gone with her. She needed me and where was I? Here.
How could I have been so heartless? I'm even the one
that persuaded her to go and get closure. She was still
shaking but only slightly now. He could feel her heart.
It was beating rapidly. What scared her this much? He
pondered.
He gently rocked her back and forth in his arms
whispering, "I'm here. It's okay. Shhh," over and over
again, trying his best to comfort her. He knew this had
something to do with the old mansion and Tlingit. It
had, too. That's what started this whole thing. That's
what caused Buffy's depression. It seems like every time
we're finally happy, something terrible happens, Angel
thought. I'm finally human, Buffy and I are engaged and
living together, but her best friends are dead. She
can't enjoy this anymore. And if she's unhappy, so am I.
He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice
Buffy calling his name.
"Angel?" She called softly. He stopped rocking her
and looked at her with compassion.
"Are you feeling better?" He asked.
She gave him a small smile and shook her head, "I
don't really think so," she admitted.
"Do you want to talk about what happened?" He
questioned. She took a deep breath and nodded. "Go
ahead, I'm listening," Angel assured her.
"This may sound so fake. I know I didn't believe
it, but I SAW them, Angel. I saw Xander, Willow, and
Giles in the room they died that horrible night. I know
I wasn't seeing things. Willow touched me. They were in
the old library from High School, but they looked like
they did before they died. They acted like nothing
happened. You believe me, right?"
He looked deep into her eyes and cupped her cheek
with his hand. She rested her head in it.
"Of course I believe you. Tomorrow I'll go with you
back there to confront them. I'm guessing they're ghosts
that haven't realized they're dead. Do you want to do
that?"
She gave him a look of surprise, then kissed him
passionately. "Thank you," she whispered.
"Always," he whispered back. She nestled against
him and he put his arm around her. "So tell me exactly
what happened when you went." Without moving or even
looking at Angel, Buffy told him exactly the night's
precious events. Angel had to laugh at what Xander had
said, "Even as a ghost, he doesn't change."
Buffy, even in her weary state, had to laugh with
him. "So tomorrow night we will go to the mansion and
confront them with their demise. What if they don't
believe us or get mad? Do we have to?" She asked.
"I'm pretty sure they won't do anything and yes, we
have to do this. Since ghosts don't' come out in
daylight, let's go to the mansion then to try to find out
what we can before Xander, Willow, and Giles show up.
Does that sound good?"
"Not really, but it sounds better." Buffy had
stopped crying. Angel always knew how to cheer her up.
She looked at him with love and said, "Thank you. I know
I have been trying for like the past year, but you've
been there for me no matter what. I want you to know I
really appreciate it and I love you above all things.
One question, why?"
He smiled at this. "Easy, I love you, Buffy. You
were the first person to care for me when I was a vampire
with a soul. And even when I left, you still loved me.
Even after I turned into Angelus you loved me. I think I
am so lucky to have someone like you in my life. I will
always love you, with all my heart. Never forget that."
He brushed her hair back and caressed her cheek. "Always
and forever," he whispered right before he kissed her and
lifted her once again.
This time he carried her to the bedroom. Then he
proved that love to his beautiful fiancée. He was so
happy to be human again and to be able to show Buffy
love. He knew he didn't deserve her but here she was.
His last thought before drifting off to sleep was that he
was truly the luckiest man in the world.
*********************************************************
***************
Blood coated everything. It flowed from some
unknown source. Buffy was drenched in it. She was even
choking on it. Screams came from all around her.
Mangled corpses were strewn about on the floor. She
tried to call out for help, but as soon as she opened her
mouth blood rushed in to it. She tried to get away from
the awful scene, but realized her foot was fettered to
the floor. Everyone she had ever loved rose from the
gore around her. They were mutilated and she could
hardly tell who they were. They were all crying,
screaming at her how she caused this.
Her mother walked up to her first and rasped, "You
little brat. You caused this." Then she pointed to the
zombies. "Nothing good comes out of knowing you.
Everything you touch dies. I am ashamed to be your
mother." Joyce then spit blood at Buffy.
Buffy stared at her dead mother and started to shake
uncontrollably. "It can't be true. I . . . I . . .I am
so sorry." She crumpled to the floor and wept. Everyone
tormented her one by one. Her cousin, father, all her
friends, and even Riley told her the evil she brought
with her and how their blood was on her hands. She was
hysterical with sorrow.
She was screaming at the top of her lungs. "No!
Stop!" repeatedly.
She couldn't stand their accusations and taunting
any longer. She huddled in a ball and whispered,
pleading with the marred cadavers to stop. Suddenly she
felt herself being shaken like a rag doll. She looked up
to see who was harassing her so. She lifted her head and
found herself staring into chocolate brown eyes.
"Angel?" she choked out between sobs. She knew
someone was missing from her deceased tortures. He
simply nodded. She hugged him tightly and clung to him.
"Don't," he growled.
"W . . . What?" She released him actually afraid of
her lover for the first time in five years. "Why would I
want a treacherous whore like you touching me? I can't
believe I loved you. The thought that I ever cared for
something like you sickens me." He glared viciously at
her.
"B-but Angel," she stammered. He cut her off with a
hard slap to the face. She suddenly belted up into a
sitting position. She was drenched in sweat and tears
cascaded down her pale face. She quickly surveyed her
surroundings and realized it has been a dream. No, not a
dream, a horrible nightmare. Angel wasn't in bed, she
instantly realized.
"Angel!" she frantically called his name.
He emerged from the bathroom. Worry was etched in
his face.
"Buffy! My God, what happened? Are you okay?" He
was immediately was at her side, kissing away her tears.
She asked him in a shaky voice, "Do you love me?"
"Of course I do. With all my heart and soul. You
are my soul mate, without you I'm nothing. You should
know this."
He kissed her on the forehead. "Does this inquiry
have something to do with why you are shaking like a
leaf?"
She bowed her head and whispered and almost
inaudible 'yes'. He climbed into bed and wrapped her
protectively in his arms.
"Tell me what happened."
She was quiet for a moment then she told him her
gruesome incubus. She started to sob once again. He
rocked her back and forth whispering some reassurances
into her hair.
"It was just a nightmare. That's all. None of that
was real. You're safe. I'm here. I'll never leave you.
Shhh. It's all right now." She stopped crying and
looking into his warm loving eyes and gave him a small
smile.
"I've changed, haven't I? I used to be strong and
courageous. Now it seems I do is cry, mope, and
complain. I used to be the Slayer. Look at me now.
Giles would be proud." She laughed bitterly. "The
universe must really have it in for me. I finally go
something going my way. You're human. I should be
ecstatic but then three of my best friends die. Because
of me nonetheless." She shook her head resentfully and
sighed.
Angel didn't know what to say. When he thought up
the perfect response, she spoke again. "You know what?
You don't deserve this. I'm acting like you used to.
All broody, no offense. But no more. You were right. I
need to make peace with my past mistakes. Life in the
present. Carpe Diem, or something like that. I am not
passing up my chance for true happiness. I miss the old
Buffy. It's time to get her back." She jumped out of
bed, grasped an outfit and walked to the bathroom.
"What are you talking about?" he called after her.
"Don't you remember what we talked about last night? We
are going down to the mansion to confront my fears and
Willow's, Xander's, and Giles' ghosts. Only way to make
things right. Get dressed. I'm going to take a quick
shower and then we can go." Angel started to protest
when Buffy reminded him this was his idea. "I need to
close this. And I need your support." She yelled
through the bathroom door and above the sound of running
water. She opened the door and popped her head out.
"Please?" She gave him her best puppy eyes.
"Fine. For you." He came over and kissed her on
the nose.
"Thanks," with that said, Buffy disappeared inside
the door. It was shut and locked. Angel sighed and got
dressed. He then packed a backpack with flashlights,
today's newspaper and anything else he thought might be
useful. Buffy emerged from the bathroom ten minutes after
he finished packing. She grabbed her jacket, a shoe box,
and a cross. She handed the cross to Angel, "Put it on."
"Why?"
"Proof."
"Oh," he said still confused but did what she said,
not wanting to upset her. She began putting things into
the box. Some of the objects looked like pictures. The
others he couldn't see what they were. She slipped on
shoes and the jacket and grabbed the box.
"Come on. We're wasting daylight. Be a doll and
grab my watch, Angel." He grabbed the watch off the
nightstand, his black duster, and the backpack. He put
on the duster and handed Buffy the pack.
She gave him a curious look and he said, "Back up."
She smiled and reached for the watch. He gave her a sly
grin and shook his head.
"Allow me." She extended her small wrist and he
fastened the watch onto it. She tried to pull away but
he still held on. He pulled her into a long embrace.
He whispered in her ear, "You sure about this? We
can wait if you want. I know what I said before and I
meant it, but surely we can wait if you need time." She
pushed way a bit and looked him straight in the eye.
"I need to do this. It's not fair to you, my
friends, or me if I wait. I'm tired of crying and being
scared all the time. And I know you are, too. I'm as
ready as I'll ever be. It's now or never. And I've
never been known to run away from my problems. Well,
that one time when I sent you to hell doesn't count
because I was young and naive. Anyway, I'm going with or
without you. Your choice." She pulled away and walked
out the door but ran back in quickly right into him.
"I'm coming with you. Like I said, I'm here for
you. Always. Why did you come back in? Let's go." She
flashed her famous half smile and walked past him into
the house to the closet. She grabbed something and threw
it to him. He snatched it out of the air. He was happy
he still had his vampire reflexes.
"Come on slow poke." She giggled, walking past him.
She waited for him at the door.
Angel looked outside and noticed it was storming.
He opened the umbrella she had tossed him and stepped
outside into the rain. He grabbed her by the waist and
they walked to his '68 GTX convertible. He opened the
door for her and helped Buffy inside. He walked around
to the other side and Buffy unlocked the door for him.
He got in and put her box, pack, and umbrella in the back
seat. He started the car and drove to the old mansion.
He hadn't really been inside since he came back from LA.
Three years ago when he was told by the PTB that his soul
was permanent. He glanced at Buffy. She was nervously
twisting her seat belt. This must be hard on her. It
seems everything bad in her life happens there. He let
out a sigh.
"Stop!" she yelled. He put his foot on the brake and
the car threw them both forward.
"What?" he asked.
She blinked twice and gave him a strange look.
"We're here." He looked out the window and saw the
immense structure.
"Oh. Sorry." He apologized sheepishly. He stepped
out of the car and ran after Buffy. She had gotten out
even before he turned the engine off. She waited for him
by the fountain in the courtyard. She checked then her
watch.
"4:16! Why did you let me sleep so late? Never
mind. We still have plenty of time before dusk."
She reached for his hand and simultaneously they
entered the mansion. They slowly and cautiously made
their way down the dark corridor. Buffy and Angel
stopped at the large wooden doors to the room where it
all happened that awful night. She squeezed his large
hand and they both entered the dreaded room together.
Rubble was everywhere and blood stained the floor.
Buffy gasped. I never expected this. In fact, I
expected to see the old library like I had before.
"So. What are we looking for exactly?" She
questioned in a small voice.
"Anything that may be of use to telling us why their
ghosts are still here like articles of their clothing or
anything that may have belonged to them." Angel
explained to her. She nodded in understanding and they
began their search. Suddenly Buffy stopped dead in her
tracks.
"What's the matter?" he inquired with concern.
"I hear something." She murmured as she strained to
hear the sound better. "It's a vampire. He's over
there." She said pointing to a large pile of rocks by
the wall. She pulled a stake from her sleeve and moved
stealthily to where the noise was coming from.
"You brought a stake?" Angel questioned.
"I am still the Slayer. Also it's kind of a force
of habit." She told him in a hushed tone of voice. She
suddenly stopped and looked around. She let out a small
scream when someone came behind her and grabbed her by
the waist. Before she could utter a word, Angel tore the
attacker off her and tackled him to the ground. She
raised the stake in the air and was just about to jab it
into the vampire's heart when she recognized who it was.
"Angel, get off of him!" she yelled in a high voice.
At the sound of her protest, Angel reluctantly got off of
Buffy's assailant, stood up, and looked at Buffy baffled.
She rushed to the side of the vampire and knelt beside
him. Angel finally got a good look of the man and
realized who it was.
"Spike?!" he exclaimed half asking and half
shouting.
"Bloody hell, Poof! What is your friggin' problem?"
Spike sneered. Buffy took out a clean handkerchief and
wiped the blood off of his mouth gently.
"Spike, I can't believe it's you. I thought I
sensed you but I knew it couldn't be you. But it was!
You're finally back after so many years. I never thought
I'd see you again." She then pulled him into a warm
embrace. "Why?" she asked, her voice muffled by his
body.
"Why what, Luv?" Spike said knowing perfectly what
she was talking about.
"Why did you leave? Without a word. You didn't
even call or write to say how you were. You didn't even
say good-bye. I was worried about you." She confessed
looking into his dark blue eyes.
"You know the answer to that question already, Pet.
I thought you'd be better off without me here and I never
called you because it would hurt too much to hear your
voice and not see you." He painfully admitted this with
down cast eyes.
"I understand but I want you to know I did miss you.
Are you here to stay or are you going to leave me again?"
She was on the verge of tears. Spike smiled warmly at
her and brushed some loose strands of hair out of her
face.
"I'll stay but only if you want. This is your
choice. No one else's." He told her then glared at
Angel.
"Of course I want you to stay." Buffy replied
giving him a warm smile. Angel interrupted the two by
clearing is throat rather loudly. Buffy immediately
jumped up and went to him with a guilty look on her face.
Spike just glared at him again.
"What is going on here? Why are you here, Spike?
Why aren't you dust?" Angel demanded.
"Not that it's any of your business, I came here
because I was told Buffy might need some help. Also, Red
put a spell on me awhile back and now I can be in
sunlight. Does that answer your questions?" Spike
snapped at him.
"Who told you she needed help?" He barked
"The beauty queen and her happy helpers. Who else?
Cordy had a vision and was about to send Faith and Fish
Boy when I volunteered since I had nothing else to do."
Buffy could feel the tension between Angel and Spike.
She decided to do something before a fight broke out.
"How are Cordy, Riley, Oz, and Wesley?" Buffy asked
trying to distract both men.
"Successful. They are getting a lot of business.
They kept the name Angel Investigations, though." Buffy
and Spike continued to make idle chatter catching each
other up on the three years they spent apart. Buffy's
alarm on her watch went off. She froze and looked at
Angel with fear.
"Dusk," was all she whispered to him.
? * *
A.N.- More to come soon so be patient. Hope you enjoyed.
Please review.