TITLE: GUARDIAN ANGEL
TEASER: Angel struggled with redemption from the day he got is soul back. It took him the better part of a century to find a purpose in his existence. When the demon Whistler came along and showed him Buffy … he initially said he would help … then he backed out. Here is the rest of the story that made him change his mind again and caused him to become the hero and champion we all know today.
DISCLAIMER: The writing here is strictly fan fiction without intent for profit. If imitation is the highest form of flattery then may I do my little part to pay honor to Joss Whedon and his genius and creative spirit that started and continues the story of the brooding vampire with a soul. Everything here Angel or Buffy related is the property of Joss and Mutant Enemy. Highway to Heaven is owned by Michael Landon Productions. This fanfic is dedicated to Michael Landon with great respect and honor to the kind spirit and humbleness of Michael Landon.
Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth, Unseen, both when we wake and when we sleep.
~John Milton, Paradise Lost
The girl was attractive, or would have been had she not been mauled so badly. She was of slender build, maybe 100 pounds, creamy complexion, soft Asian features. Her long black hair covered her cheek and shoulders. It was a shame to see her so … mutilated. From her blood splattered Driver's License her name was So Hou.
It was clear she had money. More likely it was her parent's money but in any case, it did her no good now. For all her noticeable accessories and how she dressed and the perfume that she wore … none of it mattered. She was just as dead as any poor homeless person would be given the same brutal attack.
Angel looked down at her from his kneeling position, shaking his head ever so slightly. From the multiple bite marks it was clearly an attack by several newly turned vampires. She had several very deep wounds on her arms and legs and her neck had been torn apart. There was no coming back for her. Her body was at least spared fate of become one of the monsters that killed her.
Glancing back at her License, she was just 23 with a whole life ahead of her. Now it was over forever, ended among some trash dumpsters in a side alley of Los Angeles. She had likely been grabbed several blocks away and dumped here among the garbage.
"What a waste," softly slipped out of his mouth.
"It is a horrible waste," a familiar voice came from behind him.
"What the …?" Angel quickly stood up, trying to hide the surprised look on his face that someone had managed to sneak up on him. He spun around to face the voice. "You, how did you get here without …,"
Angel stopped and just glared at the man.
The man first introduced himself about four months ago as Jonathan. Since then, he just seemed to show up out of nowhere about every other week. He looked to be in his late 40s, longer dark curly hair to his shoulders, stocky build, maybe 5'9. As always, he was casually dressed in jeans, a flannel shirt, and a light jacket. He looked normal for this time of year.
"I must be slipping up in my old age … or this guy is ghost." Angel said to himself wondering if he actually muttered it out loud.
"I am not a ghost in case that is what you are thinking. I assure you that I am as real as you are," the man said with a gentle reassuring tone in his voice; his brown eyes seeming to penetrate right through Angel.
The smell of the dead girl's blood hung in the air and started to play on Angels mind. It was still warm, he could almost taste it. He hastily moved away from the body. The blood tempted him. Angel took a few steps toward Jonathan just to clear his mind of his blood lust.
A feeling of shame came over him as he stood in front of Jonathan. He could not tell if it was guilt from his rampaging past, all the lives he utterly destroyed over the years … or … because he could feel his own hunger for blood just now. It was a craving he had to control. The blood was tempting him … calling to him.
"It is a little of both you know," Jonathan offered.
"What is? H…How do you …? Get out of my thoughts!" Angel put his hands to his head and turned his back to Jonathan. "What kind of demon are you?"
A little chuckle came from Jonathan. "I am definitely not a demon … far from it friend."
"Why are you hounding me? I don't know who really you are or what you want from me but I keep to myself. I have left everyone else alone and tried to keep to myself!" Angel looked at Jonathan with pleading eyes. "Can't you see that I … just want to be left alone?" Angel took a step back toward the body and away from Jonathan.
"In the depths of your soul, you want more than just left alone. I know what you want," Jonathan added.
After what seemed like a minute of reflection, Angel abruptly turned and made a break for it down the darkened alleyway. Angel ran faster than he figured Jonathan could keep up. After a minute of running down back alleys he rounded the corner onto a sidewalk in a rather bland looking residential and industrial mixed neighborhood.
Angel hurried down a sidewalk then darted across the empty street and around another corner. As he rounded the shadowy corner he interrupted a group of four vampires, two males and two females, playing with what was about to become their next meal. Angel knew that these four were the likely murderers of, So Hou, the dead girl back in the alleyway.
Three of the vamps looked no older than twenty. One, likely the guy who sired the other three, looked about thirty-something and was dressed like a punk rocker from the 1980s. He was a thin framed man with stringy black hair that framed his repulsive blood stained smile.
The group seemed to be taunting an older couple who were clearly frightened and wanted to gain access to their apartment building as quickly as possible to avoid trouble. The vampires had not switched into their fiendish personae as yet but Angel knew they were vampires. Vampires with a little age on them could sense other vampires.
As Angel stood there, one of the vampire females had turned to see Angel's rapid approach from around the corner of the building. She was still wearing her grave clothes with small clods of dirt stuck in her blouse. She looked like a Sunday school teacher from her conservative dress. After a second of intense staring at Angel, she said "You need to find your own bite to eat. This is our corner tonight and we don't play well with others." Murmuring chuckles came from the three other vampires.
Just as she finished her little quip, she slipped into her demon face, distorting her softer bookish features into a grotesque looking beast. Angel was all too familiar with that look. The other three vampires moved closer to the one who just finished speaking, ready to defend her if necessary.
"Yo man, look, the dude brought'uh snack" the other male commented to his undead posse. He was dressed in bright red gang colors. Obviously he was familiar with violence and death from the way he carried himself. The young vampire's gaze looked slightly to the right of Angel.
Angel tracked the young vampires stare and notice Jonathan standing right beside him, as if he had always been there. He did not give the impression of being alarmed in the least. He did, however, look sad. Jonathan's slight expression made the words … "What a waste" once again come to Angel's mind.
The punk rock vampire looked at Angel with contempt and said, "Leave or die." Angel could see the experience in this vampire's eyes. He was out tonight schooling his newly dead in how to hunt, kill, and feast without being more than a footnote in the morning paper.
They were a rather strange crowd, standing there together. A punk rocker, a gangbanger, a whore, and a church girl … sounded like the beginning to a bad joke. "Nothing brings people together like being turned," Angel thought to himself. He wondered if Jonathan could read their minds too. If he could, he should be running right about now.
When this battle was over Angel had to discover WHO Jonathan in fact is ... or … WHAT he is may be the better word. Jonathan gives the impression of being human; of course a number of demons could do that. He had to be something close to human. Angel could hear a heartbeat, smell his musky scent, sense his humanity … yet … Jonathan was something out of the ordinary.
The four vampires started to slowly approach Angel and Jonathan, smears of blood still on their hands and faces. Some of it was no doubt from poor So Hou still laying among the dumpsters. Those who are newly turned are often very primal. A few minutes to a few hours after crawling out of a grave their memories flood back in them; but, the darkness has already set up shop. Then the hunger sets in. After the urges hit them for the first time, no thinking, no planning … just evil havoc sets in until their appetite is satisfied. It takes awhile to get your thoughts in order after the being turned. For awhile, it is just pure blood lust.
"You better get out of here. I will try to hold them off," Angel directed the statement to his right as he slipped into his game face.
Jonathan confidently stood beside Angel not moving or showing any sign of apprehension. "I will be okay. "
Angel did not wait for further comments from Jonathan. His attention was now on the approaching vampires. Angel swung wide connecting hard with the jaw of the closest vampire. She was the modestly dressed one who looked like a Sunday school teacher. He could hear her jaw break as she flew ten feet in the air, landing face first on top of a parked car.
The gangbanger vampire swung twice at Angel but missed both times. His third swing was interrupted by a spinning kick to the face delivered by Angel. It sent the young thug reeling backward, his red ball cap flying off his head.
The other two vampires tackled Angel at the same time, knocking him to the ground. Amid the grappling Angel struggled to his feet only to go down again. The gangbanger quickly joined back in the fight. Although Angel was landing a few first-rate punches while rolling around on the ground, he desperately needed the ability to maneuver. Among the fists and feet flailing on the ground Angel could see the older vampire had somehow rolled out the tag team wrestling match with Angel and had made it to where Jonathan was standing.
"I will paint my face in your blood tonight," the vampire said as he swung at Jonathan.
Jonathan stood his ground as the vampire's fist connected squarely with Jonathan's nose. Angel could see Jonathan rock backward just slightly. The smell of burning flesh and ash unexpectedly filled Angel's nostrils at the same time he heard a man scream.
Angel fought his way to a standing position in time to see the Vampire's arm burn off almost to the shoulder. He fell away from Jonathan blaring loudly in shock and pain. The vampire writhed on the ground, his stump still smoldering like the end of a lit cigarette.
The two vampires fighting Angel eventually got to their feet just as the female with the broken jaw leaped on Angel's back. He immediately lost his footing yet again and crashed hard to the ground. He could taste his own blood as a men's tennis shoe connected with his upper lip. On the third kick to the face Angel caught the offending shoe and, with a quick twist and a roll, he heard it snap like a twig. The shoe's owner fell to the ground a few feet away grabbing his ankle.
Angel closed his hand around the throat of the only vampire remaining who was somewhat unhurt at this point. Her skimpy torn clothing and reeking smell of stale food made him think she was likely turned and left in a pile of trash until she awoke. She rolled on top of Angel, straddling him. His hand never leaving her throat, she commenced pounding on him and clawing at his face. His other accessible arm deflected most of the strikes. Her existence concluded with gurgle sound as he twisted her head off her upper body. The blast of dust hitting the night air was her only epitaph.
Angel got to his feet in time to see several flashes of fire come from the direction of the other vampires and the usual sound of vampire bursting into dust. It looked as if Jonathan had simply touched their heads causing them to burn up rapidly and explode into dust. The vampire missing his arm managed to move slowly to his feet and scamper off down the center of the street as fast as he could run.
Angel walked over to Jonathan, the smell of burnt dust still hanging in the air. "Who are you … really?" Angel was a bit less than courteous in his tone.
"I am just a messenger friend," Jonathan replied. "I am here to give you something."
"Oh really, and it has taken you months to get to the point?" Angel was clearly annoyed.
"You have not been ready before. My boss believes that you are ready now," Jonathan said as he looked Angel squarely in the eyes. "I am here to give you an opportunity at redemption."
Although that surprised Angel, it did not break his stone cold gaze. "When you first bought me a cup of coffee a few months ago in that café down by the shelter, I thought you were just another would-be social worker trying to save me from the streets. You kept coming back … out of nowhere … an … and … and," his words trailed off.
Something was capturing Angel's attention. He could already smell it, fresh blood! "Some days it just doesn't pay to crawl out of the crypt," Angel thought.
Jonathan's eyes never looked beyond Angel but he knew what distracted Angel. Nothing tonight seemed to surprise Jonathan. It was as if he already could see the outcome and he was just playing a part in it.
Angel turned and hurried to the end of the apartment building. When he got in the vicinity of the far end of the building he came across a small girl feeding on the lifeless body of what appeared to be a vagrant. She must have been too fixated on the kill to pay attention to the fight that had just happened a few hundred yards down the street. Angel's arrival did finally catch her attention and she got to her feet and faced Angel. The demon within her spoiled her young, otherwise innocent, face.
An ever so slight breeze broke Angel's concentration as Jonathan walked past him and up to the young girl. It seemed to weigh heavy on him when he touched the little girls chest resulting in another colorful burst of flame and subsequent dust cloud.
Jonathan slowly walked over to Angel. "Its' time for me to show you something," is all he said.
Angel nodded. When Jonathan touched Angel's coat sleeve Angel wondered for a second if he would burst into flame like the others. "If you are going to burn me to dust, don't toy with me ... just do it."
The scene of the lifeless vagrant faded from view. He wondered if he had somehow passed out, however, he felt fine. Within a few seconds he could see that he was in a small bedroom, standing with Jonathan at the foot of a bed. In the bed was a very beautiful young girl. Although it was pitch black, his vampire night vision was working perfectly. She looked familiar. She was blond, beautiful, wearing just a tank top, her breasts almost spilled from the sides of the shirt.
Then the scent hit him … the girl was on her period. He could smell the blood sweetened by her pheromones, and by something else. He could not quite make it out. She was starting to make his mouth water in more ways than one. He had not eaten anything in a day and tonight he can't seem to avoid the enticing smell of the warm human blood he craved. It was becoming harder and harder to control his desires.
"What kind of sick joke is this? Did you bring me here to kill her or something?" Angel whispered to Jonathan afraid the slightest noise would wake the girl and set off a screaming panic that would just add to the drama of the night.
"You do not need to whisper. Nobody can see or hear us." Jonathan paused for a minute to let Angel get control of his desires so he could pay attention again. "This is not a joke. I assure you that this is very important business we are on."
Angel felt the wave of hunger pass. His other natural desire concerning this girl was harder to shake off.
"This is the, somewhat recently, chosen one. She is the Slayer," Jonathan finished.
"I know who she is. A guy named," Jonathan cut him off.
"Whistler showed her to you. I know." Jonathan finished Angel's sentence. "We have a similar purpose, different masters."
"I told him that I wouldn't do it," Angel said as he looked at her sleeping in the bed.
Jonathan corrected Angel, "Actually, you agreed to do it then backed out. Why?"
"I … I ... don't trust myself … with her." Angel hung his head.
"Whistler was right when he told you that she needs a mentor and a guide." Jonathan put his hand on Angel's shoulder. "That is why I am here, to encourage you to take the offer, take the chance … help her and, in doing so, help yourself."
"Me? Help the Slayer? She KILLS vampires! Last time I checked, I resemble that remark."
"Yes, but you are very, very unique Liam."
Liam … nobody had called him by his first name in at least a century. Most people referred to the evil within him on a last name basis. When he became a monster, over 200 years ago, he quit being Liam … at least he did in his mind. He remembered that his dad would call him by his first name when he was getting ready to yell at him.
"You were lost for a long time, evil, dark … empty inside," Jonathan began. "However, the essence of who you are, your soul, was somewhere else. Now, you … the real you … stands right here in the year of our Lord 1996 and I am here to see if you want to use it to do good … to see if you can find a purpose in your existence."
"I am a monster, not a human," Angel replied.
Jonathan touched him again on his shoulder. "You are a monster on the outside, but, that soul makes you different on the inside. Your soul is the reason why you are not turning into ash right now."
"Purpose …" Angel thought for a moment. "I have not had a purpose in 87 years. Before I got my soul back, my purpose was clear. I killed. I destroyed. I burned, tortured, murdered. My purpose was so clear back then. What purpose for good can I serve? I feed on the blood of people."
"Angel … Angel" Jonathan said softly, "you have a chance to find the redemption you have sought after for all these years since you regained your soul. You have a choice. You are a free agent."
"Slayers have watchers. She doesn't need a vampire helping her."Angel moved around the bed to stand beside her. He crouched down to look at her more closely. It had been so long since he had to be around a woman, a real, live woman. More often than not, he just kept to himself, going crazy from loneliness a small number of times over the years. He did not interact much these days with attractive women and she was very attractive.
"The individual that is coming to help her right now … is not … adequate. She is facing things she has no knowledge about. You can make a difference … or she can face it alone." Jonathan crossed the room and sat down on a chair in the corner.
After a few minutes of silence, "I don't know," Angel said with doubt in his voice. He stood up from his crouched position as the girl rolled over, slightly afraid he had somehow disturbed her even if she could not see or hear him.
"Angel," Jonathan commenced, "feeling like I can make a difference is why I am here. I volunteered to come to you." Jonathan hesitated for a second, in a reflective way. "In my … times … on this earth, I have been a cowboy. I have been a father of a big wonderful family in 1800s America." Jonathan chuckled slightly at the memories. "In another life, I even use to raise racing pigeons." His eyes met Angels, "Nothing compares to the reward I have now from helping others in need."
"Another life?" Angel whispered in slight amazement.
The room dissolved into darkness and in an instant Angel and Jonathan were standing back in the alleyway beside So Hou's body. Angel turned to look at Jonathan directly in the eye. His brooding glare made Jonathan take a natural pause before speaking.
A slight breeze blew through Jonathan's thick wavy black hair as he spoke. "She is a handful. She is arrogant, a little overly aggressive, quick tempered and somewhat self-absorbed. She has some considerable personal issues that can hold her back from becoming more. She does not yet really know what she is or what power she really has inside herself. She does not know that she even needs … a … guardian angel."
"Why don't you do it … or maybe Whistler? Why me? I can barely hold myself back sometimes. What good am I?" Angel turned and took a few steps away and then suddenly turned and came back to look at Jonathan … pleading for answer with the look in his eyes.
"I do not know the infinite mind of the one who sent me. As I have said, I am just a messenger. The choice is now yours friend. My work is done. If you choose to help, your work is just beginning."
"How will I know what to do? I told Whistler to leave me alone. I walked out on him months ago!" Angel said with desperation in his voice.
"Have no fear Liam, he will be back to carry out his tasks if you simply wish it."
Angel exploded with questions all of the sudden. "How do you know all this? Who are you, really? Who sent you?"
"I think you know who I work for without me having to say a word." With that, Jonathan simply started to fade away. In a few seconds he had disappeared.
Angel stood there in the darkness, trying to grasp what all had just transpired. His thoughts were of the young Slayer. It terrified him that he wanted her … he wanted to hold her … to love her. He thought for a full minute before it dawned on him that someone was calling his name.
"Angel, Angel, Angel!" It was Whistler standing a few dozen feet away from him. "What man? You deaf since I saw you last or what?"
"No … no … Its' just been a strange night … I guess," Angel muttered.
"The word on the street is you're ready the big times." Whistler said as he walked over to Angel.
"I guess … maybe. Who told you I might be willing again to try to help?"
Whistler smiled, "Oh, I got the memo."
"I don't know if I am ready," Angel said with doubt in his voice.
Whistler responded as he threw an arm over Angel's shoulder, "Remember what I told you before? No one asks for their life to change. But it does." Whistler paused to let his words sink in. "If both sides of the coin are offering you a chance to make a difference, now is your moment to change."
The two began walking. Little else was said between them that night. It did not need to be, Angel had made up his mind to stick with it and make a difference. If the Slayer needed a vampire who loved her to be her trainer, then that is what she would have. He would stick with her and not quit on her again.
THE END
A/N: This is an expanded version of the first chapter of another story I started writing. This stands alone on its own and I lan to do a total rewrite of the original story. I challenge you to please do a quick R&R (6.5 words or less – haha). If you like this then read my other story about the Virginia Slave Slayer and tells me what you think. FINALLY, if you want to know how ole Buffy was REALLY chosen to be the Slayer … read my story about how Hank Summer's played a part in it.