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"Immortal Beloved..." XCIX...
PG-13
Disclaimer: If ya are fan-fic writers, where's your disclaimers? Disclaimers? We ain't got no disclaimers...I don' need to show you no stinkin'...No, Joss, no...I make no claims, put that thing down!
It's all yours and ME's...
Spoilers for Angel to the bitter end...Flee at once!...
Summary: Though the standard IB format, one of (99!) versions of events following the end of Angel S5 episodes from "Girl in Question" through to "Not Fade Away" and beyond, this one's sorta notoriously south by southeast...(C'mon, you're a Hitchcock fan, you get it...)
Credit for this one goes to Ms. Angela Dawson's suggestion...Thanks...
Archived (soon) at the 'Normal' Buffyverse page of the Buffy Rebecca verse at ., scroll down to "Immortal Beloved" series...
Been a bit of a while since I took this one up so you may need to view
Part A on...It is also now on .net as "Immortal Beloved.." XCIX... though the website has a bit more to offer...
Part W...
Drusilla looked at Emil...Emil at her from his screen...The Circle members on respective monitors staring...
Henri standing by the stricken Buffy...Staring at the pile of ashes...
"I wouldn't've believed it for the world, Emil..." Dru noted quietly to his image... "She actually did it..."
"I didn't...Henri..." Buffy turned to him, throwing herself into his arms... "I didn't want to kill him..." she was sobbing now, violently... "Poor man...Poor man..."
Hmmn...Dru sighed...On the one hand, as a member of this organization I suppose I must applaud such a feat...
Yet on the other hand, as siress mother...There is a sort of family vengeance responsibility here...She looked to the sympathetic Emil, regarding her gently...
Well, perhaps later when the Slayer's usefulness to our people has ended...
"A tragedy..." Matisse watching, only the faintest of sneers in his voice... "But we thank you, Countess...Your courage and sacrifice in this matter will be remembered with honor..."
"Buffy..." Henri turned her weeping face to his... "You had no choice in the matter...We knew from the beginning Walthrop would never agree to join us, even for you..."
"I still..." she shook her head... "I hoped, maybe..."
Hmmn...Drusilla eyed the ashes...
Size is about right...Aural pulse of the departing soul seemed correct...
"Well done, little Slayer..." she called...
"Henri, take me anywhere...Out of here, please..." Buffy whispered...
"Daughter..." the Countess eyed her from her screen... "I am sorry..."
Buffy nodded without a word and left the room, Henri helping gently...He pausing her movement a moment as she looked at him...
"I trust, ladies and gentlemen..." Henri faced his colleagues on their monitors... "My wife has proved herself to even your satisfaction..."
"A terrible tragedy, my poor dear..." Dr. Baumann sighed..."But his heroism will be remembered with all due honor..."
She stared a moment at the kindly face on screen and then Henri escorted her out...She turning back a second to look at the ashes...
"Drusilla...?" Emil urged from his screen... "You should leave at once, my dear...The Americans will be coming..."
"Yes, I'm going..." Dru nodded, wan smile at the concerned face watching her...Dear little Emil...Slight sigh at the ashes now drifting a bit...
My poor foolish one...Ludicrous though it might be considering I just made several attempts on him...
Say?...
"Did anyone dispose of Angelus?..."
"Pumpkin?..." Sam eyed Riley...Deep in thought as they sat in their van awaiting the predictable outcome of the raid on the Immortal's estate...
Predictable that is but for a few essential details...
Hmmn?...He stared... "Oh, sorry, Sam..."
"Do you think they're all right?..."
"I hope so..." he paused, seeing her worried face...Smiling...
"Sure...These guys?...Nothing takes them down..."
He drummed fingers on the dashboard...Eyeing his cell phone placed there...Willing it to buzz...
God, don't let it end here...
I'm a strong man...I can do what's got to be done for the greater good...But...Don't let me be responsible for this...He rubbed his forehead...
"It'll be fine..." Sam nodded, patting his shoulder...He returned the nod with another smile, a bit waner...
Buzz...
"Finn...Yes?...Good..." he traced an "A" in the air for Sam...
She smiled...Angel ok...
"Any other word?..."
"How does it match up with the readings Spike sent?...Good...All right, proceed as planned...Block the roads, cover the trains and airport...We can bet they'll be leaving from their own strip, probably by copter to an airfield in Italy...Take your pick, he owns about a dozen in Italy alone...And make sure nothing's handled until the radiation boys have gone over the whole house, we don't want to find any 'hot' booby traps...Ok..." he paused...Sam eyeing him...
"Any word on William?...Or..."
Knock on van door...Sam peering...
"Ok, hang on..." Riley told the phone, turning to face the door, gun immediately out...
"Angel?...Thank God..." Sam opened the door...Two team members in assault garb supporting a rather groggy Angel on unsteady feet...
"Bring him in..." Riley told them...
"What about Will...?" Angel managed to gasp out as he was helped in... "Buffy was..."
"We're waiting to hear..." Sam told him... "Get him settled over here..." she indicated a bench next to her seat on the side...
"Drugged..." Angel noted...Waving hand... "Can't quite figure..."
"Any idea what it was?..." Sam asked the two team members who shook heads... "Help me get a sample...Angel, give me your arm..."
"They didn't need you dead..." Riley told him with smile... "They probably hope to make use of you later when they take over..."
Angel nodded...
Another buzz...Riley accepted the call...
"Finn?...Ok...Ok you've secured the interior?...The security cameras?...Good...What?...Ok...I see...All right, secure the tapes and bring them out to me...And say nothing pending my instructions..."
He punched a number quickly... "This is Finn...Our operative Countess D'Vestigy has been confirmed as a double agent..."
Angel staring...Sam as well...
"...Mr. Walthrop has likely been destroyed...Send word to all units that the Countess is not to be trusted and should be arrested or shot with the others...That's my direct order..."
Angel frowned, shaking head...Sam sighing...
"Lord..."a voice on the opposite bench... "What a head..."
"Lie still, William..." Sam called... "That teleportation spell really wasn't designed for such short leaps..."
"You're tellin' me...I've a mind to send Willow a complaint notice...Angel?..." William looked over... "You look nearly as bad as I feel..."
"Nearly..." Angel grinned... "Just lucky the Immortal decided not to try a more permanent solution just then..."
Will sat up, wearily... "What was that about Buffy?..."
"Riley put out the phony alert on her..." Sam told him... "Don't worry, she's away with the others..."
"How was she?..." Angel looked at him, curious...
"Our girl deserved the Oscar for that one..." Will smiled... "Wish you could've seen her performance..."
"We can...In ten minutes..." Riley cut in... "They're bringing the security tapes..."
"Finn..." Will tried to rise...Groaning...
"Give it a minute..." Sam patted his arm...
"You better be right about this...If anything happens to blow this one...If they catch on..."
"Then your job is to keep outta sight..." Riley frowned back... "And remember, this is Buffy Summers..."
"When we will know...?" Angel looked at him...
"They'll want to get the last of the stuff out asap...As well as themselves...But they'll have to be careful...The Immortal's extensive holdings and rep are working against him here, his brand is too well-known, he can't just leave from any heli-or airport...They may have to lie low before they make their final dash..."
"They claimed they had everything out that they needed...In transit to their contact..." Will noted...
"I doubt they got quite that far...Probably wanted to exaggerate a little in case we got any info, get us to jump the gun and show our hand...Baumann only got back from Siberia the other day or so...Still, they probably are very close to getting all they needed out..." Riley pondered...
"If she can just get a message to us as to who and where the receiver is..."
"I hate this...Damnit, Finn...You all told me she wouldn't have to go ith them..." Will sighed... "She's totally alone and once they're aloft, God knows what they might do..."
"I warned you it might not be that easy...We thought they'd tip their hand after she destroyed you, before they left the chateau...We had to get this info, Will...And she wanted to do it, to end this one without having to put you in any more hot water..."
"Yeah, I see...Damned clever of my little minx to put me where I can't do a thing to help her without putting her in danger...What an idiot I was to agree to this..." he turned to the door...
"Will!..." Riley, sharply... "You go dashing out that door and the game's over...And maybe Buffy with it..."
"He's right Will..." Angel put a hand on his shoulder... "She can deal with the likes of these clowns..."
"No..." Will sighed... "You don't understand Angel...This one's different...She may not be able to deal...I didn't realize until tonight..."
Angel looked at him...
"He loves her...He really does..." Will eyed him... "And I don't think she can bear to kill another of us..."
Speeding ambulance...A winding, dangerous road not much changed since Roman days when it had been a marvel of engineering skill...
"Alls secure, your Benevolence...The staff was fully evacuated..." one of the phony ambulance attendants informed him... "We should have you all safely at the clinic within thirty minutes..."
"Excellent...Darling?..." Henri patted Buffy's hand... She smiled up at him...
"It's better now..." she nodded... "It'll pass..."
Drusilla, sitting across from them...Eyeing Buffy carefully...
I think I need to talk once more with my dearest little Emil...Metallurgist...
"Drusilla...?" Henri eyed her...
"Sir?..."
"I trust you're ready to handle this next phase?...Do feel up to it, dear girl?...Everything may hinge on it should our other operatives meet with trouble..."
Buffy sat up a bit, eyeing the vampiress...
"Of course, Your Benevolence..." Dru nodded... "I observed her very closely from the conference room..."
"...And I love playing human..." smile...