Act 2 Healer of the Broken Heart Chapter 1, a buffy: the vampire slayer fanfic

Act 2: Healer of the Broken Heart

Mall Talk

Clients and others had been going in and out of his office all morning this was the first peaceful moment Angel has had he was sitting in his new office with his feet up on his desk and his eye closed when Harmony knocks "Come in, Oh Harmony it feels like Grand Central Station today!"

She walks in with a folder "Yes it has, I was talking to some of the other girls and it has been that way for the last three days in there departments. Boss, these papers needed sighed and your ten o'clock is here". She hands him the folder as the door opens.

As he looks over the papers and signs them in run two little boys and three little girls with Buffy and Cordella behind them. Angel smiles, picks up the phone and calls some one "Spike, the girls are here."

"Be there in ten minute I'm in a meeting with the Guys."

"Better tell them they are here."

"I will."

"Uncle Angel, tell us a story!"

"Which one?"

"The one were you and Aunt Cordella found each other."

"That is a rather long one Joyce!"

"Please, please, please say, Joyce."

He looks at Cordella and Buffy they shrug.

"I will tell you the first chapter of the tale, for me it started after I got back to Los Angeles my staff and I were running all over preparing for the possible escape of a bad demon known as the First. It had been twenty-four hour since I had talked to your Mom. I was worried and pacing in my office when the phone rang.

"Mr. Angel, a Mr. Giles is on the other line."

"Patch him thought."

"Yes sir."

"Giles tell me what is happening!"

"Angel we survived the battle The First didn't win."

"Where is Buffy? Let me talk to her."

"Angel that's why I'm calling her and Robin got badly hurt. We need your help the hospital refuse to give us service with out proof of payment for there care."

"Where are you?"

"We are in Lone Tree."

"Do you have the administrator with you?"

"Yes she was kind enough to let me use her phone."

"Put her on."

"What's your name Mrs.…?"

With sternest to her voice, she said, "I'm Mrs. Tonnage, sir."

"Mrs. Tonnage, I am Angel of Wolfram & Hart, my client has told me your hospital refuses to deal with there injuries. You realize my clients could sue your pitiful hospital."

She sputtered but, but, I, we…"

I think we understand each other, do you have a heliport behind your hospital?"

In a sullen voice, "Yes Mr. Angel there is one."

"Good! I will be flying in around sundown today to pick up my clients please have them ready for transport.

The hospital will be paid in full for there stay after I arrive."

"Fine Mr. Angel we will have them ready."

"If you could hand the phone to Mr. Giles"

"Sure."

"Giles everything is arranged, how many of the slayers survived and are there any other injuries?"

"All of them Angel, we did lose Anaya and Spike, the rest of us are a little banged up."

"How many in total?"

"OH! There are twenty of us I think."

"OK I will have my people look for a place for you and the others to stay in Los Angeles. In addition, I will have them alert the hospital that they will have new guests.

You and the rest get something to eat and some sleep I will be there in eight hours. See you at the helipad around sundown."

"OK Angel."

Angel hung up, buzzed his secretary "Angie, Call Jimmy and find out when the two transport helicopters can be ready to fly to Lone Tree, California."

"Yes Mister Angel."

Angel pressed the button to hang-up the phone then pressed another button.

Wesley was looking in the virtual library doing research on a three-foot statue that was Pre-Christian. He had been staring at it for some time when he thought it smiled at him, and then the phone rang, he picked it up.

"Wesley Wyndam Price"

"Angel, Did you heard from Buffy or Giles? Is the First stopped?"

"Yes Wesley I heard from them the problem is contained."

"Did they lose any one?"

"They lost two Anaya and Spike."

"How is the rest?"

"Robin and Buffy got hurt badly the other are cut and bruised other than that they are okay. I need to fly up there."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"I need you to get with a realtor and find a furnished place for them to stay."

"How many people are we talking about?"

"Giles said about twenty."

"I'll look for something in the ten bedroom range just to make sure there is enough room"

"Sounds goods to me. Thanks."

"Okay Angel, I will let you know what I find."

He hung the phone up then Angel pushed Gunn's number.

Gunn is sitting in his office with stacks of files scatter on his desk and a large yellow pad, which he is writing on when the phone rings.

He picks it up "Charles Gunn."

"Gunn"

"HI Boss what you need?"

"I need two privet rooms in the hospital wing."

"OK Angel, you going to tell me what up!"

"I got a call from Giles they won the battle in Sunnydale but Robin and Buffy got hurt."

Gunn makes a face that shows pain and sorrow "I'm sorry man."

"Yea well they did win the war."

"Yea that big bad won't becoming back."

"Yea but I'm sure some other one will be around the corner.

"Yea, it's like death and taxes…"

"Yes, something like that…"

"Angel I'll have privet rooms for them by the time your back, Angel what about Giles and the others?"

"I have Wesley working on a place to house them."

"Cool."

"Thanks Gunn."

"No problem Angel"

The line went dead as the other line lit "Mister Angel, Jimmy's on the other line."

"Put him through Angie"

"Yes sir"

"Sir the Helicopters will be ready in two hours to fly you to Lone Tree."

"Thanks Jimmy I will get my bag and meet you on the roof. Something else call me Angel not sir!"

"Yes, Sir, I mean Angel."

I hung the phone-up then pushed the button for my secretary "Angie I will be in my apartment if any calls come in pipe them up there."

"Yes Sir"

"Thanks for the help Angie."

In surprise she said, "Your welcome sir."

You see Angie had been there for a long time and did her job to perfection and had been there thought many changeovers at the company. I guess she never had a boss that would thank her for a job well done from that day on I saw that she wasn't well. Late I found that the terms of her employment were that if she ever got a complement from a boss during business hours she would start to age. I found out she was five hundred years old but looked like a sexy thirty year old.

I was upstairs packing a bag with a change of clothing; I had gone into the kitchen for a cooler and opened the refrigerator for blood when the phone rang.

"Angie what is up?"

"Oh Jimmy is ready to leave" I looked at my watch it had been close to two hours since I had spoke to him.

"Tell him I'm on my way."

I turned back to the open refrigerator got the blood dumped it in the cooler close the door got Ice dumped it in, grabbed my other bag and ran to the roof and we were gone.

Everything was a blur when I got to the hospital in Lone Tree they just wanted to get out of that small hick town; I was met by Giles, Willow, Xander and Dawn when we landed, God Dawn had grow I thought of her as a kid but she is a woman.

The nurses were loading Robin and Buffy in the helicopters as I paid the bill, then we took off. The next helicopter landed a short time later to pick up Giles and the rest and we were all in Los Angeles by one AM.

Wesley, Gunn and some orderlies met us on the roof of the Wolfram & Hart building when we got back the first order was to take care of Robin and Buffy.

"Angel I am sorry for not calling you but I just found a place for the slayers not five minutes before you were to land."

"Thanks Wesley."

"No problem, I need a break from what I was doing."

"What was that?"

I was researching that pre-Christian statue."

"And…"

"I was starting to see things when you called."

Wesley watched Angel stare after the gurney, which held Buffy, "We can talk about the statue later, go with her Gunn and I will take care of the others."

"Are you sure…"

"Yes go, before I change my mind."

"I got to the hospital wing, as I entered her room I heard her in delirium, calling "Spike" in her sleep, it twisted my gut to hear her call his name and not mine.

I went to her any way, touched her hair and said, "Quiet you need to sleep." Once she was a sleep, I sat down and looked out at the darkness wondering will this pain ever stop.

Buffy, the one I thought was my Buffy, dreams of another I thought she was my cook dough. I thought maybe she is in shock and she just needs time to come to grips with the fact that he is gone. I just need to give her time.

Wesley and Gunn took things in hand while I sat in Buffy's room. They got the rest re-outfitted with all the things that where needed.

I didn't feel the cold of the room but I felt a heat that was growing in my body, I felt isolated more than I had when I roamed the streets feeding on rats."

"Uncle Angel when did you do that?"

With a smile, he looked at Cordy "A long time ago before your mom came back to me."

"OH"

"It was a week later after Buffy was released from the hospital that Willow and I had been sitting around my apartment discussing Computers.

"I need to up date the ones at work and I wanted to replace yours too! I owned you so much you brought me back so many times over the last few years."

"It's nothing!"

"I owe you a lot Willow; I could use help picking computers for work. How about we plan a shopping trip after dinner tomorrow?"

"No problem I would love to help!"

We watched Buffy sit in one of my big chairs she had pushed it over to the sliding glass doors some time last night. She sat wrapped in her comforter and one of Spikes blankets looking out, the cool night breeze floated in she hadn't said more than a dozen words since she got out of the hospital I was worried.

I got up and picked up the blanket that was on the floor and covered her she said nothing just kept staring out at the moon. I walked back to Willow sitting on the chair.

"I am worried about her…"

Willow said "Me too!"

I looked at her.

"New ability?"

"Yea, I can hear others thoughts some times other times it sounds like white noise but yours were screaming just now. I do sense something happening with Buffy, in her sorrow there is a presence that glows in her spirit."

"She should come with us it will do her good to get out of here and do some shopping."

Looking at Buffy "Yes she did love to shop; maybe it will snap her out of her melancholy."

I took the group out to the mall, which became my big mistake from the start. We got there at sundown I had my hand on Buffy's shoulder because she tripped over something that was on the ground. If I hadn't been there, she would have tumbled over the railing.

Buffy look at my hand then roughly took it off her shoulder "Angel you can't replace Spike and even though I love you we can't be together so back off!"

I yelled "Buffy I know you're in love with Spike but he is not here to watch your back I am!"

She yelled back "You had no right yelling at me and my relationship with Spike is none of your business! I love Spike and I will morn his loss for as long as it takes!"

Changing the subject she stated, "I'm going to the food court to see if it has a Starbucks, I want a Double Chocolate Mocha!"

Willow a little frazzled said "It sounds good to me lets all go get one".

Willow and the others had walked in during the story she picks up the narration, "After Spike's death, I knew that something was going to happen. I just couldn't shake the feeling. We found a store guide not far from our entry spot to the mall."

After looking at it, I found the food park, "There is Starbucks it's Buffy on the second floor."

Getting on the elevator to the second floor, then walking half way down to the upper level of the food park we found Starbucks. After getting our mocha's and sitting in silent we got restless Buffy was only a quartered of the way finished with her coffee, when the others wanted to leave.

"Hurry up Buffy we want to shop, said Kennedy."

"Why don't the rest of you do your shop I will be find, I want to be alone for a while to think."

"OK, Buffy when we get back we shop for clothing for you! Deal…"

Buffy stepped in "I could see Angel wouldn't take no for an answer so I said "Fine Angel… Why don't the rest meet back here in say three hours?"

"Fine Buffy… Come on Willow lets look for computer.

Wesley is talking to Giles as they left "There is a rare book shop I have to take you too! You will love it!"

Regarding Buffy with a worried look Giles says, "If you say so" as they walked off.

Kennedy and two of the other slayers were talking about an armory at the far end of the mall "Armand and Sons has a wonderful selection of sword and bows you have to see them Kennedy."

"Yea, what is so great about the shop?"

"The old guy that runs it, he is so knowledgeable about his weapons he knows the history by heart he talks like he actually lived during the time they were used."

"Where is the shop?"

"Not far from where we entered the mall."

"Okay show me."

I looked up and saw this beautiful but older woman she remind me of your grandmother she had been watching us

"Yea that was Grandma Gwen."

"Yes Joyce, she turned out to be your Grandma Gwen."

Buffy spoke "I was sitting at the table looking at my Mocha thinking about how lost I felt without Spike."

"All the other tables are take is it okay if I sit here with you my dear?"

I looked up at the question then looked around and all the tables were packed so I said, "Sure have a seat"

"Thank you dear!"

To my ears, it almost sounded like my mom. I looked at the woman with her dark hair and deep brown eye. The woman saw me looking at her.

The woman took a sip from her steaming cup then said, "You look like you lost some one close to you my dear."

"Yes a friend is gone; he disappeared in that earthquake in Sunnydale."

"He must have been a special friend for you to look so down.

"Yes he was, I could talk to him when none of my other friends could under stand how I was feeling."

"He sounds like he was more that a friend."

It made me feel shocked so I answered, "Yes he was! But how…"

"Sometimes you have to go with your heart instead of your head my dear."

"Yea but Spike was dead, I fell for another dead guy."

"So dead or alive what does it matter as long as you love each other how much did you love this guy? Would you be willing to do what it takes to keep him in your life? Even if that means you and he have to go though a transformation?"

In a quiet voice, I said, "Yes, I would die for him."

However, that isn't saying much I've died three times already and I keep coming back!

Looking very sad, I said to her, I feel so alone, he was the only one that made me feel he knew how I felt. If I had him here I would curl up within his dead arms and never let him go again."

"I know how you feel child, I remember when my mate and I were separated I felt that same way. It had been many years since he returned but I remember the pain of being a lone."

"Here come your friends, I better go!"

"Okay bye."

"Who was that?" Willow asked after getting to the table.

"Just an old woman that asked if she could sit with me." Said Buffy

"Oh"

Willow saw that there had been a number of empty tables as she saw the others returning. We went to two or three shops and got Buffy clothing that fit, in a way it was funny to see her wear Wesley's pants with the legs rolled up and Angel's shirts with the sleeves rolled up.

Watching them as they left the mall was Armand and the old lady.

"It is time."

"Are you sure Gwen?"

"Yes Armand she is the one."

"I hope your right."

"The one for what?"

"Whistler"

"Well?"

"The Prophesy."

"OH"

"As I watched I saw Buffy didn't want anything snug around her waist or hips, which I found odd before she wanted her clothing fitted to show her cruvse the other thing was her lotions and make-up she had very little interest. She wanted everything in black, which I also found strange.

We were back at Angel's by 11PM. Everything was dumped in the living room Buffy disappeared later I found her a sleep in Angel's spare bedroom.

We gathered in Angel's office, I said "Good! All of you are here, something strange happened while we were at the mall today!

Xander being his smart mouthed self "Willow what was it now you see a ghost?"

Being tired my temper was short I looked at him "You'll never change, Xander I'm serous now listen."

Xander put his hands up in the sign for surrender

Angel gave Xander a look that made Xander shiver "Go on Willow."

"I saw what looked to be Buffy's mom! However, the woman was much older; I know Buffy saw the woman and she talked to her at the food court.

"Yea Willow I saw her not only there but in other places at the mall. I thought I was seeing things said Xander.

"Yea" said, Dawn "I did too! She gave me the chills."

"Buffy didn't seam to see the resemblance but I got a strange vibration off her like she was letting us see her, I got the light sense of lavender after I got to the table" said Giles.

"I smelled lavender also Willow," said Angel.

All went quiet for a moment when Giles said "Another piece of a puzzle!"

In anger Angel yelled as he got up and paced "We have more puzzle pieces than answers.

Willow in a soothing tone "I know Angel it's like some one is playing with our world."

He slammed his hand down on the desk, "Dam it Willow I don't like it."

"Calm down, Angel I don't either" said Giles.

"Yea your girl friend isn't morning a dead lover!"

"No she isn't because you killed her remember!"

"Guys it's been a long day, we all need some sleep, and I'll think all of us should go home and to bed!"

Angel looked at Giles angry face then he did something that no one had seen him do, he looked down at the floor like Spike use to do then in a softer voice said, "Sorry Giles, I had no right bringing up…"

"No you didn't…"

The others watch Giles as he turned and walked out the door then they realize that they all are getting sleepy.

"Why don't the rest of you get some sleep? I'm going to stay here a while and mull things over…" They leave my office as I stare at the letter opener I was spinning.

I asked myself after they left "Why did she have to fall for him? I was there! I loved her! Oh yea they could have sex! I could too if I wanted to change her into what I am! Dam It! It not fair!" he threw the letter opener at the door and watches it imbed in the door and wobble from side to side.