AN 1: Okay, so I was working on the next chapter when certain details came into conflict with what I needed to do...so I had to make some changes to this first chapter so it can be consistent with what's coming next. I tried to think of a way to stay consistent without changing what's already out there but alas, couldn't be done. This is why sometimes it's better to wait until you've written the next chapter before you publish the one you have. *insert self-deprecating laugh here*


Chapter 1

Helena was sitting in a random diner, idly doodling on a napkin as she went over in her head the plan she'd been thinking about for the last hundred years or so. She wondered if it was still worth it, if she should still follow through with her plan…and then she thought about what she was aiming for and she knew it would be worth it in the end.

Helena lifted her right hand and eyed the red-stoned ring that rested there. She smiled as the memories came flooding back. Yes, she'd used McPherson to help her gain access to the Escher Vault, but she wouldn't have been able to do it without his help distracting the current Warehouse agents. When it looked like he was about to reveal her secret, she'd put a stop to it, not wanting anyone to try to stop her or talk her out of it.

Helena sighed, knowing that once she took that first step, there'd be no turning back. After another half hour, she stood up from the table and left the diner, taking a right towards the small, modest hotel room she had rented earlier, using the money McPherson had paid her prior to her entering the Escher Vault.

Helena closed the door to her room behind her and she prepared for bed, it was late and she was tired. She laid down on the bed and closed her eyes…tomorrow she would take the first step in her plan and be that much closer to her long-held goal.


The next morning, Helena packed up her meager belongings and checked out of the motel, she wasn't planning on needing it again. She paused a moment to look around the area before she turned and walked towards a small park nearby. Thankfully, it was empty and she was able to find a picnic table where she could sit down and focus.

Helena sat on the wooden bench and glanced down at the ring on her hand. She focused on her target and before too long, the red stone began to glow. Helena quickly pulled out a blank piece of paper and laid her hand with the ring on it on the paper. After a moment the red glow subsided and Helena studied the lines and writing on the paper. It was a map, but she was unfamiliar with the terrain.

Helena sighed as she realized it wasn't London and that she was going to need help figuring out where the map was pointing her.


Helena walked out of the local library with a smile on her face. The librarian had been most helpful and now, Helena had a destination…her target. Helena booked a last minute flight to Cleveland, Ohio and she settled back into the airplane seat, closing her eyes to try to calm her nerves.


Cleveland, OH

Helena stepped out of the cab and she looked up at the imposing edifice. The Summers Academy for Gifted Girls; it was a school, that much she'd managed to learn on her own, though she was unsure what kind of school since there was very little information about it to be learned from the internet she'd used at the library.

Helena took a deep breath and then walked up to the door and rang the bell. She only had to wait a few moments before the door opened and she was face to face with a petite blonde with green eyes. Helena smiled, a tad nervously, at the girl.

"Can I help you?" The younger girl asked, curiously.

Helena cleared her throat and said, "Um, yes. I'm looking for Angelus? Is he here?"

Hearing Angel's other name put Buffy Summers on high alert. No one who came looking for Angelus was ever up to any good. Still, the woman was standing in broad daylight so she knew she wasn't a vampire. "Um, who are you?"

Helena smiled, wondering if this girl was being protective of the vampire Helena had once known. "My name is Helena and I'm…an old friend. Can you at least tell him I'm here? I'm sure he'll want to see me."

Buffy studied the older woman for a moment then pulled out her cell phone. Holding up one finger to the woman on her doorstep, indicating she wait a moment, Buffy dialed Angel's cell phone, knowing that he was usually free at this time of the afternoon. "Hi, Angel… there's someone here looking for you… well, she says her name is Helena…you sure? Okay, the library okay?...okay see you soon." Buffy hung up and looked at the other woman. "Okay, well he wants to see you. If you'll follow me please?"

Helena nodded and found herself following the younger woman through a veritable maze of one hallway after another, deeper and deeper into the bowels of the building it seemed. Helena tried to make conversation, "Um, may I ask you name?"

"You can ask." Buffy wasn't in the mood to be nice to this stranger just yet, not until she knew her whole story.

Helena nodded, realizing she wasn't going to get more out of her yet.

After a few more minutes of walking, they came to a set of double oak doors. Buffy opened the doors to the library and led the woman into the room, her eyes automatically finding Angel sitting at one of the tables, waiting.

Angel looked up at the new arrivals and he smiled when he saw it really was Helena Wells. Angel forgot himself for a moment and he stood up and walked right up to the other woman and hugged her still smiling, "Oh my god, Helena! Is it really you?"

Helena hugged the vampire back, smiling and relieved at the warm reception she received. When they parted, Helena smiled up at the handsome vampire, she had really missed him. "It's really me Angelus, the plan, so far, worked and here I am."

Angel kept smiling but he still felt the need to mention, "That's great Helena, but these days I just go by Angel. Angelus is my past, the evil side of my nature, you understand."

Helena nodded, "Yes of course. My apologies Angel. I didn't mean to stir up any bad memories."

Angel waved it away, "it's not a big deal to me but, my friends here only know me as Angel…Angelus holds painful memories…especially for Buffy, right Buffy?" Angel nodded towards the blonde that Helena now knew was named Buffy.

Buffy just nodded, still a bit in shock over Angel's complete personality change from the moment this Helena woman stepped into the room. "Yeah…how about we all sit down and talk?"

Helena glanced between Buffy and Angel and she said, "Well, I was hoping to speak with Angel alone…" She noticed the look on the blonde's face and she realized the woman wasn't going to leave them alone together until she knew Helena wasn't a danger to her vampire friend. "…but I suppose we can all sit and talk."

Angel led the way to one of the tables and they sat down. He looked at Helena, wondering how much she would reveal about their history in front of Buffy.

Buffy watched Helena and Angel, trying to pick up any clues as to how they know each other.

Helena glanced between Buffy and Angel before settling on Angel and asking, "Can she be trusted with the truth, Angel?" The look in her eyes told Angel exactly what Helena meant and he took a moment to think about that before he nodded.

Helena saw the nod then said, "very well. I think you know why I'm here Angel. Where is it?"

Angel smiled, knowing exactly what Helena was talking about. "It's in a safe place, but it's not here."

Helena tilted her head, "Okay…and where is Darla? Do you know?"

Angel nodded, "Darla…is dust…and it's a long story that's too complicated to get into right now."

"Fair enough." Helena held her hand up, "Do you remember this?"

Angel looked at the ring and nodded, "yes I do. I'm guessing that's how you found me after all these years?"

Buffy was tired of the cryptic conversation and she said, "What the hell is going on? Angel what does Darla have to do with this woman and how does she know you? And what's the deal with the ugly ring?"

Helena smiled then asked, "Shall I tell her then, Angel?"

Angel sat back and nodded, "Be my guest Helena."

"Very well then." Helena turned to Buffy and gave her a smiled, "My name is Helena Wells, I met Angel shortly after the gypsies had cursed him with a soul. He was still going by the name Angelus at the time." Helena looked at Angel, her expression softening a bit, "He reminded me of a little boy, scared and lost. I took him in and helped him learn to deal with his new soul. I didn't have much experience with vampires with souls, but I did know about guilt and dealing with the consequences of your actions. I recognized a kindred spirit in Angelus and I helped him."

Angel just nodded, silently agreeing with Helena's assessment of being lost and helping him.

Buffy looked between the two again then she turned to Helena, "Wait, if you knew him back then, how are you still alive today?"

Helena bowed her head as she thought about how to answer that, the whole truth would leave too much of the Warehouse exposed, but she didn't want to lie completely. So she went for a half-truth, "um, shortly after Angel and I parted company…there was a man who offered me a way to out of the life I'd found myself in…he was a visionary far ahead of his time and he had mastered the art of cryogenically freezing living human tissue and reanimating it years later. I was frozen in time for over a hundred years…much longer than I had originally agreed to but there was a snag in the plan and I was left frozen until about a week ago. Once I was free to do so, I came looking for Angel…hoping he was still alive." Helena smiled at her old friend, "And I'm so glad that he is."

Buffy looked like she wanted to call 'bullshit' on Helena's story but Angel saw the look on her face and he turned to her, "Come on Buffy, after everything we've all seen and done…is this really so hard to believe?"

Buffy closed her mouth and thought about that for a moment…then she just shook her head, "No I guess not. Stranger things have happened I just…" She turned to Helena, "You're sure you're not a vampire or a demon of some kind?"

Helena chuckled, "Sorry darling, I am fully human and, sadly, mortal."

Buffy looked at Helena for a moment, trying to see if she could detect any deception from the older woman, when all she found was sincerity, she smiled and gave a small nod, "Okay then…so what were you asking Angel about earlier? The thing that's safe but not here?"

Helena sighed, "Before we parted ways, I left something with Angel. An…artifact that I need to complete a plan I set into motion over a century ago." Helena knew she was being vague but this was where she would have to be less than clear, she was wading into Warehouse business now. She turned to Angel, "So where is it?"

Angel cleared his throat and then said, "London…Highgate to be specific."

Helena's eyes widened. Highgate was Highgate Cemetery in London. It was a very old cemetery, it was also where her Christina and Sophie were buried. Helena took a deep breath, knowing that she was now going to have to go to Highgate to get the artifact. "Please tell me you didn't put it where I think you put it."

Angel took a moment to try to figure out where Helena meant and when he did he held his hands up in surrender, "No, no of course not Helena. I would never disrespect Christina's final resting spot like that, nor Sophie's either. It's in Highgate but in a much older part of the cemetery." Angel gave a tiny grin, "I left it with someone who...I owe a great debt to, it's safe." Before Angel got his soul back, he had turned a woman who was already dying of cancer, he let her family believe it was the cancer that took her but he'd been there, in Highgate, when his creation had risen from her grave. She'd survived two years before the slayer of the time had caught up to her and ended her existence. After he'd been cursed with his soul, she became one of the many things that weighed on his conscience...mainly because she hadn't wanted to be a vampire, she had been kind to him and Darla, not knowing what they were before she'd fallen ill. Angelus had gone back to her when he heard of her illness and, in his warped view, he 'saved' her from the undignified death of being ravaged by disease. Her children had never gotten over the loss of their mother and Angel had carried the guilt with him ever since he got his soul.

Helena, not knowing much about Angel's life before he met her was confused, frowned, "What do you mean?"

Buffy too was confused, but she remained silent, preferring to let Angel explain.

Angel's face became serious as he explained about the woman named Catherine Dickens who he had wronged. The estranged wife of Charles Dickens, Angelus and Darla hadn't killed her right away, Darla always preferred to play with her food first, but Darla's attention was soon captured by other targets and it was Angelus who had eventually killed and turned her. When he was sure Helena understood why he left her artifact hidden in the grave of of one of his victims he said, "If you're still interested, we can leave for London tomorrow night."

Helena smiled, "Oh I'm still interested. But why so late?"

Angel exchanged a glance with Buffy, "The…Academy's jet won't be ready until tomorrow…and in case you forgot, I can't exactly go out in the sunshine so I have to wait for nightfall."

Helena nodded, "I remember but, did you forget about what else this," she lifted her hand and showed them her ring again, "can do?"

Buffy frowned, "What are you talking about?"

Helena turned to the young blonde, "My dear, this ring is special. I had it made and enchanted by a very powerful sorcerer. It contains a drop of my own blood, as well as Angel's blood. Because of this, not only can I use it to track Angel wherever he is, but when he wears it, it allows him to walk in the sunshine without burning to death."

Something began to nag at the back of Buffy's brain for a moment before she remembered, "Is that another Gem of Amara?"

Angel shook his head, while Helena just looked on, confused, "No, this ring is not connected to the Gem of Amara."

Helena felt the need to ask, having never heard of a Gem of Amara. "What's the Gem of Amara?"

Angel turned to Helena, "It was an ancient gem, that was fitted into a ring which allowed a vampire to become invincible. Sunlight and stakes were no longer a problem. It was like the Holy Grail of Vampires. Spike found it several years ago and tried to use it to become invincible but Buffy managed to take it away from him and she sent it to me." Angel paused as the memories rushed over him of Spike coming to LA to get the gem and torturing him to find it. "Eventually, I destroyed the ring, knowing it was too powerful, too tempting to other vampires to keep it around."

Helena nodded, "So this ring, any vampire could use it?" When Angel and Buffy both nodded Helena continued, "well that's where this ring is different, because it holds Angel's blood, only he can use it to walk in sunlight. Any other vampire who tried to use it would not get very far."

Buffy thought about that for a moment, "that's good to know." Before she could say anything else, the doors to the library opened and three ladies walked in, roughly around the same age as Helena figured Buffy to be. The two brunettes and a redhead walked closer and they looked from Angel to Buffy to Helena.

The taller brunette, who just by body language alone Helena surmised was most likely the 'alpha' of the group spoke up, "Hey B, school's out for the day and we were going to go grab a late lunch." She gave a head nod to the lady she didn't recognized and asked, "Who's this?"

Buffy just smiled at her girlfriend and fellow slayer, "Faith, this is Helena. She's a friend of Angel's who came to see him. Helena this is my girlfriend Faith, and those two behind her are my best friend Willow and her girlfriend Kennedy. Guys, this is Helena."

Helena stood from her chair and extended her hand in greeting to each of the younger girls, hoping to make a good impression among the girls who were clearly Angel's friends as well.

Faith, Willow and Kennedy each shook Helena's hand, Willow, being a witch, sensed something in Helena when she shook her hand and she smiled at the older woman, "You…you have magic around you."

Kennedy and Faith, slayers who really only dealt with magic through Willow and her small team of witches, just looked on as Willow called the stranger out.

Helena smiled, having sensed magic coming from the redhead as well, "Only residual dear. You however, harbor it within your soul. I can always sense a powerful sorcerer…or in this case sorceress."

Willow nodded, a little surprised that this woman could tell she had magic but easily covering her surprise, "I prefer witch, but yes I have magic. So, why are you looking for Angel?"

"I need his help with something."

Willow turned to Buffy, using her telepathy to ask her friend if the woman could be trusted. Buffy just looked into Willow's eyes and mentally sent her a message confirming Helena's trustworthiness. Willow then turned back to Helena, "Okay then. If Buffy and Angel trust you that's good enough for me." Willow turned to Kennedy and Faith, who were sitting at the table quietly watching the exchange, "Shall we go?"

Faith and Kennedy had twin looks on their faces that clearly said they wanted to stay, all thoughts about food forgotten as they suddenly became curious about what this Helena person needed from Angel. Faith, especially, was curious because she felt protective about Angel. He had helped her so much over the years that she knew she would most likely be dead right now if it hadn't been for him.

Kennedy was just curious about the woman. She had the insatiable curiosity of a slayer coupled with the innate need to always get her way that was ingrained in her from birth by over indulgent parents.

"Actually Red, we think we'll stay," Faith began, then turned to the other three in the room, "if that's okay with you three? We're curious about Helena."

Helena smiled, the two brunettes almost reminded her of her Christina in that moment, always wanting to know what was going on, never content to be left out of anything. Helena turned to Angel and said, "I have no objections."

Angel and Buffy exchanged glances and then Buffy sighed, "Fine. You can stay, just try not to be annoying." It was said affectionately, since Buffy had taken a big sister liking to Kennedy and she was no longer really capable of being annoyed or angry with Faith since they started dating three years ago.

Willow sighed and then pulled up a chair, realizing that if Faith and Kennedy were staying then so was she.

Buffy and Helena took turns bringing the others up to speed about Helena and why she was there. When they finished the three girls were looking at Helena, a little impressed. As a human she had taken in a vampire who for all she knew could have ripped her throat out in her sleep.

There was silence for a moment as Faith, Kennedy and Willow processed everything they were told. Into that silence, Helena suddenly remembered something and turned to Angel, "Angel, did you mention Spike earlier?"

Angel nodded, "yeah…he was the one who found the gem of Amara before me."

Helena's face became deadly serious, "And how is William the Bloody these days? Is he still alive?"

Angel chuckled, "Oh he's still alive, for a vampire. He's probably in his room by now."

Willow spoke up, "Wait, you know Spike too?"

Helena hesitated a moment then said, "We…met briefly while I was helping Angel. I held a stake to his chest and told him that if I ever saw him near Angel again, I wouldn't hesitate to kill him." Helena turned back to Angel, "have the two of you mended fences or am I going to have to follow through on my promise?"

Angel looked down and had the good grace to blush before he said, "We're…friends now. The past is in the past and we've gotten over it. So no, as much as I would love to see his face if he saw you coming at him with a stake, there's no need to go after him anymore."

Faith chuckled, "Wait, that sounds like a good story there. Why were you threatening Spike back then?"

Helena smiled as she asked Angel, "Can I please tell her?" When he nodded his permission, Helena's eyes lit up and she turned to the other girls in the room, including the others in her story as well, knowing they were all curious but only Faith had been bold enough to ask. "About two months after I met Angel, we were strolling along the street at night, just enjoying the night air. Angel had already enjoyed a pint of pig's blood back at my place and I needed to walk off my own dinner. So we're walking along, minding our own business when this…ruffian, jumps out from the alley we were about to pass and runs right for Angel, a stake in his hand. Angel hadn't seen him coming but I had and I quickly disarmed him and had him on the ground. When I asked him who he was and why he attacked my friend, he told me his name was Spike and that Darla had sent him to dispatch the traitor Angelus. I was livid, to say the least, since Angel had told me about Darla and her reaction to his newly acquired soul. I told Spike, while holding the stake over his heart, that if I ever saw him, or Darla for that matter, near Angel again I would kill him, or her, without hesitation. I made it clear to him that Angelus was now under my protection and that I would have no problem killing Spike to keep Angel safe. I let him go but not before getting in a good blow to his face, as a reminder." Helena paused a moment, "I never saw him again…and ten months later, Angel and I parted ways."

The room was quiet for a while, as each of them processed the story of Helena and Spike. In the silence, Helena sat back and wondered if there might be a way for her to stay with this group of friends Angel had found for himself, if they would accept her. She soon dismissed that notion as she remembered her long held goal and that reaching it might take her further away from her old friend. She turned to look at Angel then, she had really missed him during the century that she had been bronzed. She thought about him constantly, wondering if he was still alive, if he ever thought about her, if he'd ever found even a moment of peace from the torture of his conscience. She was so glad that he was still alive and that he seemed to have found himself a group of loyal friends. Sadly, she knew that these girls were mortal and as such they would eventually grow old and die, leaving Angel alone again. Her heart ached a bit at the thought of her friend having to find new friends while grieving for the ones he'd lost.

After a while, Willow spoke up, "Well, I can understand why you threatened Spike, I mean we've all done it at one point or another over the years. Buffy even got to beat up on him a lot back in the day. But he has a soul now and he helps out here at the academy so, I guess we can't let you kill him, you understand right?"

Helena just nodded, "if Angel says he's okay now, that's good enough for me…when did Spike get a soul?"

Buffy cut in, "That's a long story. One that doesn't involve gypsies but does involve Spike deliberately seeking out his soul."

Helena nodded, suddenly feeling tired from the long flight. "Very well. I don't suppose you have a spare room I could borrow for the night?"

Angel spoke up, "Actually, you can stay with me. I have a two bedroom suite in the faculty building next door."

Helena smiled, "That sounds perfect. Thank you."

Before anyone, like Buffy, could object, it was a done deal and Angel was leading Helena out of the library towards the south entrance, which lead to the underground tunnel that he and Spike used during the day to get from one building to the other without burning to death. Luckily, the windows in both buildings were made of the same material that was used in the Wolfram & Hart offices to let the sunlight in but keep it from frying Angel and Spike.

Buffy, Willow, Faith, and Kennedy watched Angel and Helena leave and once they were out of hearing range they began to talk about their concerns over Helena and Angel. The three slayers were worried that this Helena woman might try something that would bring forth Angelus. Willow though, just grinned and informed them that her gaydar had informed her that Helena wasn't looking at Angel as anything more than just a friend. There was someone else holding tight to the older British woman's heart and it was a female someone.

Kennedy noticed it was almost dinnertime and she informed the others that she and Faith would go on a food run and bring dinner back to their apartment in the faculty building and Buffy, Faith, Dawn and Illyria were invited as well to join them for dinner.

Everyone agreed to the plan and soon Kennedy and Faith were on their way to the car to get the food while Buffy and Willow headed to the faculty building to find Dawn and her…girlfriend Illyria to invite them to dinner. Buffy shook her head as she thought about the relationship that had developed between her little sister and the ancient God who had taken over the body of Winifred Burkle. That was something she never would've seen coming. It still amazed her that her little sister had been the one to finally tame the temperamental demon-god Illyria. Stranger things than Helena Wells had definitely happened in her life.


Helena wasn't very hungry though Angel did manage to provide her with a sandwich and juice. They stayed up half the night reminiscing about their year together and everything that Angel had seen and done since he'd last seen Helena.

The story of Connor, Darla and Cordelia had left Helena's mind reeling for several long minutes as she tried to reconcile their roles in each other's lives.

Hours before the sun crept over the horizon, Helena was asleep in the second bedroom and Angel had decided he'd wear the ring and they would leave for London as soon as the jet was ready. Tomorrow, the real adventure would begin and Angel just hoped he was ready for it…he hoped Helena was ready too…this would affect her a lot more than it would him.


AN: This story has been in the back of my mind for a while now. It's gone through so many changes. A few things I want to make clear. Buffy and Faith are together, as are Willow and Kennedy. Dawn and Illyria are still a relatively new couple but there's something about Dawn that makes Illyria respond to her (most likely something to do with Dawn being the 'Key') Helena's daughter Christina and her governess Sophie had already been killed by the time Helena met Angelus so long ago. Helena and Sophie had been in love and they kept their relationship a secret from everyone. Sophie was Helena's 'One' until she died then Angelus became her 'One' until Helena was bronzed. Hope that cleared a few thing up. Any questions feel free to ask, I'll answer them if it doesn't give away key plot points later.