Angels never die
Angels never die
Disclaimer: The negotiations concerning my eventual joining of the Btvs writing team having not led to any interesting arrangement, I'm sorry to tell you that I'll have to stick to fanfiction. Yeah, I know, that's sad… LOL, I wish!! Let's remain serious here, I don't own them. Doesn't mean I can't play with them, now, does it?
Oh, and once again, this was inspired by Marc Levy's "Seven days for an eternity". It's very different from the book, but I borrowed some things (especially the whole agency thing) .
Author: BlackbAngeL
Summary: AU – Ever wondered how the forces up there lead their business? How they rule the world? Well, it's definitely not what you thought. Buffy, Angel, and friends are all members of the two opposite teams, special agents involved in the ageless war that has been tearing through generations of angels on both sides, ever since the beginning of time. A constant struggle for victory and leadership, working in cycles… One of the eras is about to come to an end.
Rating: Dunno… To be on the safe side, I'd say PG, I guess, for now at least.
Note: I know. Don't start to throw stones, I know I should be working on Broken Heroes instead of starting something new. Don't worry, I'm not giving up on WOAS, I'll keep up the regular updates (less frequent these days, granted) and I'll finish it soon. But concerning BH, I think I'll put it on hiatus for the rest of the summer. I'm on holiday in my family, I don't have much time to write, and I'd rather write something entertaining and easy for now… BH is my pet project, I promise I'll go on with it, but it's complicated and the first part of a very long story. I have it planned already, but it needs some more work. As the first episode of what is going to become a series, it has to contain a lot of information, and I have to make sure I make it right, in order not to have problems later. I know once I seriously start it, it's gonna take a lot of my time, so, for now, I'll stick to the other ones, my little baby WOAS and that new one I already love… I hope you'll enjoy it!!
o o o o o o o
Angels never die
Chapter One
Weather in Southern California, as was internationally known, was usually sunny and warm. Rain tended to be a rarity there, but that day was one of the few exceptions. Angelinos, who, unlike British citizens, weren't used to such occurrences, ran around wildly on the pavements, all over the city, while doing their best to shelter themselves from the curtain of freezing water that kept coming from the angry skies. Buffy, Californian girl in every sense of the word, wasn't faring any better.
She hurried out of her apartment and took a few courageous steps under the pouring rain. She was struggling to keep her balance, trying not to drop the purse, umbrella, and shoes that she somehow managed to hold in one hand, the other one too busy to get her car keys out of her jacket pocket to be really useful.
In a matter of seconds, she was soaked. She sighed in relief when she finally sat down on the driver's seat, and cursed under her breath as she got a glimpse of her rather dripping state in the rear-view mirror. She shook her head at her own words, and threw an apologetic look at the cloudy sky above her head, before running a hand through her hair. When she looked back in the little glass, her mass of wet blond strands was back to its usual shiny and smooth look. She gave her own reflection a satisfied, though a little dubious, smile, and turned on the engine, ready to break L.A's speeding limits to arrive at work on time.
She'd been a member of the organization for a little more than six years now. She had started like everybody else, a student in the AFC, Angels Formation Center, but she had only stayed there for eight month instead of the regular fourteen months the intensive preparation required. She had met most of her friends there, even if among them she was the only one who had managed to become a Feather. A special field agent, a guardian Angel, and one of the best ones they had at the time. Nobody had resented her for that rather quick ascension in the firm, on the contrary, she had been congratulated and rewarded, something she hadn't really expected. It was a well known fact that despite their supposedly holy nature, Angels were only people, with their many flaws, so, when she'd only gotten warm reactions, she had been more than surprised… and pleased.
When she thought about that first year now, it seemed to have happened in another life. She was an experienced agent with years of successful missions under her belt now… and she was still one of the best. Snapping out of her musings as she neared her destination, she parked her car quickly, and stormed out of the little mini without a look back, running carefully in her high heeled shoes on the dangerously wet marble floor in front of the entrance of the AIA – Angelic Intelligence Agency.
"Hey Bernie," she almost shouted once inside, a little out of breath, with a wave of her hand.
"Hey Buffy," he replied, looking up from the day's newspaper and giving her a warm smile. "Late again?"
She shrugged playfully as she searched through her purse for her identification card. "Crap" she muttered after a few seconds "I think I left it at home".
Bernie sighed, and got up from his chair with a grin. He passed his own card, and opened the door for her. "What would you all do without me?" he asked, and she just laughed. "What, indeed" she replied, then walked through the invisible barrier that had just opened in front of her. "Thanks, Bern, I owe you one," she told him, then did a double take "Or two… or three."
He just shook his head. "Forget it… Have a nice day, princess."
"You too!" For as long as Buffy could remember, the middle-aged bald man had always been guarding the entrance of the building, and his rather big and impressive shape, his dark skin and friendly smile had become a part of the landscape for her… She couldn't recall a single day of work where she hadn't seen him.
After a fraction of second, she was gone. She crossed the door, now used to the strange sensation the somehow cold and liquid-like barrier induced.
When she finally entered the main hall, she was assaulted by the noise and livelihood of the early morning workers. The place was particularly impressive, and despite the fact that Buffy had been working there for years, the sight never ceased to amaze her. The ceiling was so high you could barely see it, and there were columns all around the place, showing pictures of the many victories of Angels through the centuries, and also some of their many failings. On top of the beautifully sculpted arch that was resting in the middle, you could read the Angel's oath, written in golden letters that always seemed to shimmer under the bright lights. The ensemble was beautiful, inspiring respect with its strong and straight lines, all the while making the whole room warm and inviting.
Buffy took a minute to appreciate her surroundings, and reading the last sentence of the Oath. "I shall protect and never destroy, no matter what the fight costs." She took a deep breath, and walked forward, ready to face the day.
People were laughing together, walking, drinking coffee before going to their own office… Cell phones and beepers were ringing everywhere, filling the large and brightly lit room with shrilling sounds that didn't even seem to bother anybody anymore. She nodded and smiled at a few people who waved their hand at her, and headed straight for the nearest empty elevator.
"Department of Guardians," she said absently, and the lift started to move up. She checked her appearance in the mirror, and, satisfied, got ready for the lecture that undoubtedly expected her.
The doors were barely open when a smiling voice rang up in her ears. "Buffy! That early? Wow… we weren't expecting you until… well… Half an hour ago!"
"Very funny, Xand…" she replied with a chastising look. "And what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in your own department at this hour?"
"What can I say… I just had to see you to start my day…"
She just glared at him, and he laughed. "Chill, Buff, your boss isn't here yet. And I'm here because, as you know it, I work in Internal Communication, so, here I am… communicating… internally," he finished with a frown, his joke falling flat. This wasn't what he'd gone for when he'd started it.
Buffy frowned at him, not even noticing his trouble. "I thought we had emails for that kind of thing…"
Xander quickly moved on from his failed pun, and brightened up immediately, going back to the topic at hand. "To deliver personally. Special request. You know how anal they get about all that crap… I guess Microsoft ain't the solution to every problem."
"Oh…"
He walked her to her desk, slaloming through the dozens of other boxes, and they chatted for a while, about his weekend, and about where they would go for lunch… Xander, along with Willow, was one of her best friends. They had met at the AFC, and something had immediately clicked between the three of them. He worked in Com now, and Willow, a pretty and sweet redhead, was theorist in Research Dept.
When the department's head, Deirdre, got out of the elevator, Xander immediately left Buffy's side with a smile. "We'll talk later" his friend told him apologetically as she got her stuff out of her purse. He shrugged, and gave her a mischievous look "Well, we're dead, I guess we'll be able to find some time to catch up at some point". She just chuckled, and shook her head. What could she say? It was true after all… They were dead, they had all eternity to talk.
She spent a few minutes checking her mail and the day's orders, and at five to nine, got up and headed for the reunion room.
"Buffy!" Deirdre's bellow echoed through the whole room. A few heads jerked up at the sound of their boss's words, and a few smiles lightened faces among the busy Angels.
The young woman stopped dead in her tracks, turned around and joined her superior in her office. "Deirdre?" she asked aloud as she entered the room.
"Yes, Buffy, I just wanted to tell you not to go to today's reunion, you're assigned to an emergency downtown…"
"How long?"
"Half an hour… The corner of 7th and Spring, a group of children, and a sleepy bus driver… you get the point," The older woman told her vaguely. Older only meaning she looked older, because in their world, age didn't really mean anything.
"Yeah, I do…" Buffy replied. Half an hour… "I'll be there, I leave now."
Her boss just nodded absently "Hmm…" she mumbled, already concentrated on something else. Buffy laughed inwardly, Deirdre was quite a piece of work at times, even if she had a heart of gold… and she had a rather interesting personality. Buffy felt like she'd known her forever, she was as much a part of her new life as her friends, and Giles, were. She had taken to her on her first day on that floor, liking her way of leading things with an iron hand in a velvet glove… and the kindness that was inherent to her nature. Sometimes, Buffy thought she was the kind of person Willow could become in the future.
She didn't waste any minute dwelling on her thoughts, and ran towards the elevator. 7th and Spring, half an hour… It wasn't going to be in the realm of the possible if she took her car, it would take her forever to reach the place. And in that particular case, she didn't have forever.
Good thing Angels had more than one way of transport. She entered the elevator after taking her purse, and squeezed her eyes shut as the doors closed in front of her. She pressed the white button without even looking, and announced her destination. "7th Avenue". The world spun a little around her, and when she opened her eyes again, she was staring at a public phone. She looked up and down the street, making sure nobody had noticed her apparition out of nowhere, and sighed happily as, just like every other time, nobody even blinked. People were so concentrated on their own lives and on trying to escape the storm that they wouldn't have noticed an elephant if it danced in front of them…
She looked at her watch, she still had fifteen minutes to wait. She took in her surroundings, sheltered under a bus stop, trying to figure out which way the bus would come… after only ten minutes, she spotted the group of children walking towards her, and three minutes later, the bus. She didn't do anything, one of the rules in her job was to let things happen, and act at the last moment if the need presented itself. She watched as the kids stopped on the pavement, waiting for the green light that would tell them they could cross the road. At that precise moment, she turned around to look at the bus, and saw the driver start to doze off… A kid put a foot on the road… She concentrated hard on the bus…
The driver would never know what exactly had happened, what went wrong with his radio that morning… But the sound was suddenly turned up, so loud it made him jump, and when he opened his eyes he realized that he was driving in the middle of the road, half a dozen of kids walking in front of him. He grabbed the wheel and stepped on the brake, stopping just in time. None of the kids even noticed the last minute sort of miracle that had just saved their life.
Buffy smiled, helped the children cross the road despite the fact that once again, her hair was going to be totally ruined, and a few seconds later she was in the bus, chatting with the driver to make sure he would make it to the station safely with his passengers. He didn't even question her presence there, and talked happily about his family and how he hadn't had a good night's sleep for over a week… It was his last course, he had worked all night and couldn't wait to go back home. When they finally came to a halt and got out in the rain, she patted his shoulder and walked away… The driver watched her go, a feeling of peace filling his mind. That girl really was something…
The young woman walked to the nearest public phone, whistling quietly, happy with the success of her mission, not even minding the water on her clothes… until a man walked right into her, bumping in her shoulder. He was dressed in black, and she just knew she'd seen him in the bus out of the corner of her eyes. "Hey!" she shouted "you could at least say 'Sorry'!". The man turned around, walking backwards, and she drew in a sharp breath when she finally recognized him. Blue eyes, messy hair… "Lindsey".
Of course. Figured. That day decidedly couldn't possibly get any worse.
"You won this battle, Buff, but you won't win the war."
"I gather you were on that case… Killing a bunch of kids, way to start a day…" she replied with false cheerfulness.
He just shrugged, smirking at his nemesis. "See you around…"
And in a flash, he was gone. She sighed, and headed back to the phone. She had met Lindsey some four years earlier. He was the other side's little favourite, arrogant, annoying as hell – no pun, and deadly good at what he was doing. The both of them had been on constant competition, trying to break each other's plans for years on end. He hated her, and she knew it. But then again, Lindsey hated a lot of things.
Buffy didn't know hatred. It just… wasn't in her. She pitied him sometimes, and he always annoyed the hell out of her. She didn't like him, despised his methods and motives, but him as a person… she couldn't find it in her to hate him. Being an Angel certainly played a part in that, but she didn't want to dwell on that fact. She picked up the phone, pressed a few keys, and in a matter of seconds, she was back in AIA's main hall.
She walked straight to the elevator, ready to report to her superior… and ask how come that kind of thing could happen. Lindsey was supposed to be watched.
o o o o o o o
"I can't believe it… She was here, again, and she screwed the whole mission."
Lindsey was pacing around in Ethan's office. Ethan was his superior, the best Curse they'd ever had. He was twisted, pervert, and incredibly smart… everything the service loved. He had become head of the Curse Dept some six years earlier, after joining what they liked to call 'the dark side', a recurring joke among the personal of the firm. One mission, only one successful mission had propelled him to the highest seat available. Travers, the former head of that service, had been kicked out and sent to archives without warning, and Rayne had become the President's new favourite toy.
"And could you please tell me what exactly happened?" he asked in his falsely calm voice.
"What do you think? She was there, again, fucking do-gooder with her fashionable skirt and shoes, all blond hair and sugar-sweet aura… Sickening. When will we finally get rid of her?"
"At this rate, if you keep on screwing your missions, certainly not in the next, say, century or so…" a third voice said from behind them.
Three heads turned towards the corner of the office, and Lindsey snorted. "Here's one thing I'd like to screw… Any interesting suggestion, Lehane?"
Faith just shrugged, and threw a strand of her long dark brown hair behind her shoulder, a smirk on her face. "I'm just saying… you haven't been that useful, as of late. The last mission you didn't fuck up was, what, the one in the Balkans? With the soldiers? It's the only one she didn't arrive on time for… And as for the screwing me part, in your dreams, Linds."
"Well… I guess I could have my way with St Buffy instead… She looks like one frustrated chick…"
Ethan cleared his throat. "So delicate of you, Lindsey… But Miss Lehane here definitely made a point."
Lindsey was about to reply when another voice, male and deep, rang up from the other side of the dark office.
"Maybe it's time to retire, Mac Donald…"
There was a long silence, as they all turned towards the seat in front of Ethan's desk. The man sitting on it rarely talked, and hadn't opened his mouth since the beginning of that debriefing. They hadn't even noticed he was there, actually. He was sitting casually in a red armchair, his legs crossed and his hands joined, elbows resting on his knees, his face sporting an intense and somehow disturbing look.
"Et tu, Callahan?" Lindsey said with a sneer, finally breaking the silent spell.
"Like Faith here… Just saying," the man replied.
"And you think you'd have done better, maybe?"
"She's just a girl, Linds, and you're getting all worked up every time you cross her path… If I didn't know better, I'd say you were smitten."
Lindsey just snorted. "You don't know her… You've never even seen her."
The taller, handsome man just shrugged. "What difference does it make?"
"It makes one hell of a difference… She's good, Angie boy, a real, well trained, Guardian Angel, a Feather… But maybe you would handle this better than me? Why not organizing a meeting? Who knows, maybe you'd do it better than me…"
"Maybe…"
"Enough!!" shouted Ethan. The three Curses heads jerked up and turned towards him. "There will be no such thing as a meeting. The fact that she knows your face, Lindsey, is already bad enough. I don't want her to see you with any of your co-workers. Especially not with Angel."
The veins on his face were pumping under the strength of his anger. He rarely lost his temper, and they all frowned inwardly. This was unusual…
"Got it, Boss…" Lindsey said.
"Fine… you're all dismissed."
The three agents left the office, and headed towards their own desks. Angel quickly walked away from them, putting on his black coat, and Lindsey ignored him. "Got ten minutes, Faith?" he whispered in a suggestive voice.
She just raised her eyebrows. "You need a therapy, Lindsey. And badly so…"
"Bitch."
She shook her head and walked away, swaying her hips on purpose. He watched her go with clenched teeth, his eyes following her form until she disappeared in the elevator.
o o o o o o o
Buffy was just stepping out of the elevator when Deirdre called out for her. She headed for her boss's office, and sat down on the chair in front of the desk.
"Mission accomplished, and successful!"
"I wasn't expecting any less" Deirdre told her with a smile. "You just saved a kid who's gonna become quite important in the future… something about a cure for some illness…"
Buffy smiled, but didn't wait for her superior to go on. "Mac Donald was there" she said. Deirdre raised her eyebrows "Really?"
"Yeah… I thought Faith was supposed to watch him"
The older woman sighed, and sat back in her chair, joining her hands in front of her. "You know she's in a delicate position… being a double agent is not exactly a picnic, one wrong move and she's finished."
The blonde sighed, and shook her head in apology. "I know… sorry. It's just, I really don't like to see him on a mission like this, popping up out of the blue. I know how dangerous he is."
"That, he definitely is. And that's why we have to let Miss Lehane do her job, she knows him and knows how to deal with him. She's the one who warned us for this one today…"
"Yeah, I thought so. Thank her when you see her."
Deirdre smiled warmly at Buffy. "I will… now, go out a little. It's almost lunch time, and you haven't had a single day of rest.
"Well… it's not like I need to eat or sleep to survive…"
"True, but you need it to live."
Buffy just stared at her for a second, before smiling a little. "Thank you Deirdre". She walked out of the office, grabbed her jacket, and decided to go pick up Willow on the third floor.
TBC
o o o o o o o
So? What do you think? It's only the beginning, and I promise it's gonna get more interesting in the future!! Should I go on with this? ;)
Oh, and, sorry, I don't have the time to send it for beta-ing, maybe the next chapters when I'll be at my father's, but for now, I apologize for the mistakes!!