Brotherly Love, an angel fanfic

Title: Brotherly Love
Author: Camilla Sandman
Date written: May 2000
E-mail addy: Angel/Buffy crossover
Feedback: Please, please, please! It's my first Buffy fic, so if I don't get any, I'll sulk so hard I'll never write another! J/k.. but please? Pretty please with sweet Angel on top?
DISTRIBUTION: Fine by me, if you let me know so I may check it out
Rating: PG-13 for some violence
Content: Some B/A stuff, but nothing major
Timeframe: After "I Will Remember You." I'm choosing to ignore the whole Riley deal.. he doesn't get mentioned
Summary: Someone from Angel past turns up in Sunnydale, forcing Angel to come there. Will he handle being so close to Buffy again?
Disclaimer: I don't own these wonderful characters. I wish I did, but I don't. Besides, Joss & co are nicer to'em then I would…
Author's Note: I've always loved Buffy.. And so I decided it was time I showed how much I enjoy it…
Thanks heaps to Panthera for suggestions, encouragement and getting me to do this in the first place.

Somewhere a man ran. Not bothering to look back, he knew it was coming. He could smell it, the distinct smell of death in his nostrils. And even though desperation gave him wings, it was creeping up on him, inch by inch, closer and closer. There was no shelter, no place to hide. He almost tripped over a rock, but managed to stay on his feet. His legs throbbed with pain, his knees threatened to give in. Just the sheer knowledge of that if they did, he would die, kept him on his feet. And so he ran and ran, feeling the taste of blood in his mouth.

"How ironic," he bitterly thought.

And then dawn caught up with him, and he screamed.

Angel screamed.

LA, a few days earlier.

"What's with the happy face, Angel?" Cordelia Chase asked sarcastically as she entered the office of Angel's private detective agency. He didn't seem to notice.

"Earth to distressed vampire? Hello?"

"Huh?" Angel glanced up at her with a frown, deep in thought.

"What's with you today?" Cordelia complained, "you're not Mr. Jolly Cheerful normally, but today you have reached a new low. Is it the whole mopping over Buffy still deal?"

He just gave her a blank stare.

"Maybe this will cheer you up. Buffy called."

That seemed to do the trick, she noticed. Angel jerked up.

"When?"

"Earlier today. She and Giles are battling some old friend of yours and would like your input."

"Who?" With a sinking heart Angel realized he already knew.

"She called him Drey or something.."

"Trey."

"May? No, wait, Trey, That's it. Trey. So who do you.." Looking around, Cordelia realized she was talking to herself. Angel was gone.

Sunnydale

"Are you sure calling Angel was such a god idea?" Willow asked for what seemed the 100th time. Buffy thought an urge to roll her eyes.

"Even Giles thought we needed some inside tips. This vampire is mean. Besides, I'm cool. I'm over him. I'm cool."

Willow gave her one of her looks.

"Saying that twice only proves how cool I am and.." Buffy stopped mid-sentence noticing the dark silhouette in the doorway.

"Angel."

"Buffy."

"Be cool," Buffy told herself sternly. Then she met his gaze.

"Umm.. vampire.. help.. ring a bell?" Willow asked desperately.

"Right. Business." Buffy regained composure admirably.

"We have a new vampire in town, and Spike just very cryptically told us to ask you."

"Trey," Angel said slowly, "is my brother."

In the silence that followed you could have heard a pin drop miles away.

"Let me get this straight," Giles said, for what was the 100th time that day, "Trey is your brother?"

"I think we have established that, Giles," Buffy muttered, looking up at Angel who still stood, despite the fact that everyone else was sitting down. He was avoiding her gaze, which made it simpler for her to avoid his.

"Yes. Half-brother actually. Which is why I didn't kill him right away. When I didfind out about him.. Well, he became a vampire a few years after me."

"Your doing?" Buffy instantly regretted saing it as she saw a flash of pain on his face.

"Yes."

"Okay, so how do we kill him?" Xander cut in. He and Giles had wandered in a few minutes earlier, to a silence that could make you hear ants crawling up the walls in the next room.

"I will do it," Angel said determind, getting looks from everyone.

"No hang on.. Just because we couldn't do it, what makes you think you can?" Xander said, getting worked up. "Just because you're all big and macho-vampire.."

"Xander," Buffy warned.

"and there's nothing you can't do, is there? I mean, you're like.."

"Xander!" Seeing all the angry glances on him, Xander finally shut up, muttering a few things under his breath. But when they moved their glances from Xander, back to Angel, all they saw was the wall.

Angel was gone.

"Did I miss the party?" asked Spike, just entering, getting a load of angry stares.

"Giles, see what you can dig up about this guy.. I'm going to find Angel," Buffy announced, jumping off the table where she had been sitting.

Spike stared after her with a hurt expression.

"I was only asking!"

The graveyard was quiet. No birds, no animals, no living thing to make a sound. Dead quiet.

"Hello bro." Trey stepped out of a shadow, "long time, no bite."

Angel stepped out of the shadows as well, his face expressionless.

"Heard the gypsies gave you a soul," Trey continued, beginning to slowly circle his brother. Angel still said nothing.

"Speechless bro? No witty remarks, not even a "good seeing you again"? Shame on you."

"I know why Buffy can't kill you," Angel said slowly.

"You on first name basis with the Slayer? Good for you. Is she as good as they say she is?"

Angel twitched, but didn't reply.

"Maybe I should see if that charm of your will work for me too. After all.. brothers share."

A hard blow to his head was the answer. Angel's fist hit him straight on the nose and almost knocked him to the ground.

Trey touched his nose, wincing, his face now mirroring Angel's anger.

"You get that one for free bro. For old times. Next time.." The threat hang in the air.

"Buffy may not be able to kill you, but I am."

"Kill your own brother? Now, now. That's not a thing a man with a soul does."

With a small chuckle, Trey walked off, leaving Angel to stare at his hands. Could he?

"Angel?"

Buffy walked softly up to him, her face showing the slightest hint of concern.

"You can't slay him," Angel stated, not bothering to look at her. It was enough that he could smell her. An almost flowery smell she wore now and then.

"No. It's like staking air. Giles says it has to be.."

"A protection spell," Angel finished, "he helped a very old, very powerful vampire once, and the vampire gave him a gift. No human hand can kill him."

He smiled humourlessly.

"But I'm not human."

"So you're gonna slay him, then head home, that's it? I suppose I should be grateful you informed me you were in town this time over, right?"

"You asked me to come!" Angel finally looked at her, and felt his heart jump. She was beautiful even angry at him.

"No, I asked your for advice, I did not ask.." She trailed off as she spotted the three approaching vampires.

"Great, now you can't even have a normal argument in the cemetery without vamps showing up. Don't they teach them common decency any more?"

Angel didn't have time to comment as the first vampire lunged at him.

And in the bushes, three more vamps were approaching as well.

Ducking the first blow, Angel grabbed hold of the vamp's arm, throwing him against the wall. Tripping over a gravestone as he went backwards, the vamp fell, but was on his feet again in seconds.

Buffy were fighting off two vamps, holding her own easily, but clearly on the defensive.

The vamp set on Angel let out a groan as Angel hit him, throwing a punch back, but hitting only air.

"I need a stake!"

"I'm kinda busy!" Buffy shot back between hitting one vamp, and rolling away from the other one's vicious blow. And the three others were advancing.

Throwing himself out of the way of his attacker, Angel grabbed a branch, yanking it off the tree and stabbing it right into the vamp's heart. Moments later, only dust was left. In the corner of his eye he saw Buffy stake her two adversaries in one blow. He heard her mutter something, but could only make out "rude is that!"

He smiled despite himself. She was beside him in a flash, glaring defiant at the three newly arrived vamps.

They looked at each other - and ran. Buffy stared after them with smug satisfaction.

"You're never gonna get near Trey without me. I may not me able to dust him, but I'm sooooo good at taking out his fellow vamps."

"We work together," Angel reluctantly agreed.

"Like old times," Buffy said, then hurriedly added, "almost like old times. Without the.. well, you know."

"Oh yes," he thought sadly, "I know."

"Let's find his hideout," Angel suggested, taking the ofered stake from Buffy. Their hands touched slightly, but he didn't allow himself to feel the touch.

"Let's."

They walked into the night.

The first hint of sun came over the horizon, little orange streaks on the sky just above the mountain tops. The sun wasn't up yet.. but would be soon.

And the door to Trey's hideout flew open. Buffy stood there, holding a stake.

"Good morning guys," she said cheerfully, "this is your wake up call."

"You're dumber than I though," Trey said from somewhere inside, just as the wall beside him came crashing down. Angel stepped in.

Buffy had already engaged the other vamps in the room, so the two brothers stood facing each other, behind them, the sky beginning to light up.

"Let's get it on," Trey said finally, throwing the first punch. Angel took it, but didn't even groan in pain. Instead he tackled Trey, both falling through the damaged wall and into the beginning morning. Rolling on the ground, Angel tried to force the stake into Trey's heart, but he thought back fiercely, knocking the stake out of Angel's hand.

Getting up, Angel made a dive for the stake, but Trey was already there, grabbing it mere inches from his hand.

"No such luck bro," Trey teased, lunging for Angel.

"Angel! The sunrise!" Buffy's deseprate voice cried out, and both vampires froze. The sun was coming up. Every fibre in their body told them morning had come.

Trey ran. And Buffy ran.Grabbing a blanket off a chair, she ran towards Angel, who stood still, waiting for the sunrays.

"Damn you Angel!" Buffy cried out, "move!"

But he didn't. He just stared at the approaching van as it pulled up beside him, and the doors opened.

"Get in!" Giles urged.

Trey still ran. Towards the shelter, towards life. How had he let Angel distract him so far out from the shelter? And with a sickening feeling he realised there was no shelter. It would fall apart over his head. There was no escape. They had tricked him. Buffy had made holes in the walls everywhere while Angel had distracted him.

He was dead. Again.

He screamed as the sun began crawling up his legs.

Angel screamed. A silent scream, safe from the sun inside the dark van he saw his brother die.

Day left, leaving the night to embrace the world. And Angel was leaving too, going back to the city of Angles. His home now.

As he took one last look at his old place, Buffy walked in. She didn't seem angry, not annoyed, just.. sad.

"Many sad memories here," she commented lightly, walking up to him.

"And happy," he added, and their gazes locked. She nodded slightly, just barely a nod at all, but he saw it.

"So, back to LA?"

He looked down at her, fighting an urge to reach out and touch her. If he did, he would never let go.

"Yeah."

"Um.. Good luck."

Her hand was just an inch from his. Just an inch, and he could touch her again. Her eyes told him she wouldn't fight it. Just an inch.. but yet a mile away.

He walked away, not looking back to see the tears in her eyes.