Chapter Three
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Angel inhaled deeply. He felt the tang of the salty sea air and the warmth of the sunlight on his back. Upon opening his eyes, Angel saw a redheaded girl in white walking some length down the beach. She was wearing a simple long white dress, which sparkled whenever the sunlight hit it. He watched her as she sat down and held her legs to her chest and looked out at the sea. With a glance in his direction, Angel had a sudden recognition.
"Willow!"
The girl was startled, and stood as she saw the young looking man running towards her down the length of the beach. She stared at him, stunned.
"Angel? What are you doing here? In the sunlight even!" Willow backed away from him slightly, not knowing what to do about his sudden appearance in broad daylight. She looked down, away from him, as she continued, "I thought I was dreaming."
With a glance down at his appearance, Angel turned back to her. "You are dreaming. He betrayed me but I love him. Where is she? She never came." Angel sat, staring at the ocean as he continued to babble mindlessly, confusing Willow. "I don't know where she is, I couldn't find her. Why can't I ever protect her? He betrayed me but I love him still."
"Angel?"
"Willow? Why can't I protect them? They're all I have and he's all grown up now. She never came. Was she lost? She gave me directions. Was I lost? She couldn't have left me."
The distraught vampire was rocking on the beach now, while the redheaded girl stood slightly to his left, looking out at the ocean. She didn't understand why he was acting this way, being so incoherent. As she stared at his form the sky darkened, causing her to glance upwards. Blinking from the sudden rain, she reopened her eyes to see that she was standing on a ship. Willow turned around and gasped in horror. She saw a teenager and a young woman standing before a metal cage. Unable to hear them, she took a step foreword. Her eyes widened as she saw Angel in the box, pleading with the pair to let him go.
"You're still my son," she heard. She didn't understand. When did Angel have a son? Was it even possible? Her thoughts, however, abruptly halted as the saw the boy seal the box and help the woman dump it into the ocean. Willow closed her eyes again in an attempt to refocus, but when she reopened them the boat was gone and she was back on the shore, watching Angel's curled form rock as he mumbled incoherently to himself.
Squatting beside him, Willow tried to put a hand on his forehead. "Angel?" she tried, "Can you hear me?"
Abruptly the vampire stood, causing Willow to fall backwards into the warm sand. After untwisting the skirt that had become wound around her legs, the girl took off after his determined walk. Angel didn't pause when he reached the water, continuing with his swift pace. Willow ran after him, even standing in front of him to try to slow him down and get some sort of a response from him, but his only reaction was the gently push her off to the side and continue onwards, into the ocean.
When the water reached her waist, Willow stopped following and looked out after him. "Angel!" she cried in an attempt to halt his movements. "ANGEL!"
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"ANGEL!"
While most of the group sitting in the living room was startled to hear the strangled cry from above, Buffy jumped into action at the sound. Rushing past everyone, she darted up the stairs at a rate that even Spike couldn't keep up with. Fred and Gunn also jumped to their feet and rushed up the stairs, but only Fred managed to reach the landing before Gunn was pulled back by Xander's strong arm. At Gunn's outraged look, Xander released his shirt and gestured to the couch, on which the both sat in Buffy and Fred's vacated positions.
"What the hell was that?"
"That was Willow. She's another-"
"Willow, as in that chick that came to tell Angel about Buffy's death 'bout a year ago? That Willow?"
"One and only. She got into some dark magic. Long story. She's recovering now, kinda like a drug addict. Not that I'm comparing her to a drug addict, but she sorta was. Only with magic."
"Yeah, Fred and I had our own little run in with dark magic. That was awhile ago though, when Angel and Cordy were still with us."
"Huh. Anyways, I don't think it's good for too many people to go up there."
"I hear ya man, but-"
Gunn was cut off by the sudden appearance of Spike at the bottom of the stairs. He looked around the assembled group for a moment with a stern expression on his face before Dawn couldn't stand the silence. She rushed up to Spike's side and opened her mouth to speak, but Spike silenced her with a finger over her lips. Closing her mouth, she looked up at him in confusion. He looked past her and spotted Gunn and Lorne. Looking at the pair he stated four quick words before turning and retreating back up the stairs.
"She had a dream."
Gunn and Lorne glanced at one another before running up the stairs after him. Reaching that point they quickly darted into the room currently occupied with Buffy, Fred, and Willow. Tears were streaming down the redhead's face as she retold her dream to the five extra members of the room.
After a moment of stunned silence following the conclusion of Willow's tale, Buffy was the first to speak. "He just walked off? Into the water?"
Willow nodded, unable to take her eyes away from her hands. "It was awful."
Fred jumped in next. "What I'm more interested in was his babble. You said it sounded incoherent and he said something about 'him betraying me', right? Also something else about 'she never came'? May he was talking about Cordy! Just on the last part of course cause she's not a him, obviously." she trailed off, mumbling to herself. The Spike and Buffy merely looked at the girl in confusion, not understanding the babble. Gunn on the other hand, seemed to be considering it.
"You may be right gal. He was gonna meet her at a beach- Point Dume. Whatever happened to her prolly was before she got there. There goes the idea that they're together. Huh." Shaking his head, Gunn looked back down at the crying girl. "Remember anything else that sounded like nonsense?"
"Something about a son and betrayal? When I saw them putting him into that metal box thing there were two people," she answered, reverting back into her catatonic state at the end of her spiel.
"Conner did this? No way!"
Buffy jumped in. "Wait, wait, wait! Son? Who's son? What's going on? I think it's about time that we get filled in on everything that's been going on!" She seemed to have gotten more and more agitated as her tirade continued, but slumped back over into her chair when she concluded, "Why are we talking about Angel having a son?"
Fred and Gunn glanced at each other, unsure of how much information they should give the small group assembled before them. Fred sighed and looked down. They had even seemed to peak Willow's interest, which had seemed before to prove close to impossible to accomplish.
Lorne, silent up to this point, chose that moment to enter into the conversation. "This isn't information that you need to find him. Judging from Willow's dream Angelcakes is alive and we'll be able to unearth the lug. When we get to him we'll deal with this son business. It's not really our place to tell you unnecessary information. Sorry toots."
Fred smiled at the demon, and mouthed a silent 'thank you' to him. He simply smiled softly and nodded his head back towards her. The interaction only lasted a second, but the silence in the room lasted a full moment before Gunn slowly got to his feet from his kneeling position beside Willow's bed.
"Let's get us some vampire ass then."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Angel inhaled deeply. He felt the tang of the salty sea air and the warmth of the sunlight on his back. Upon opening his eyes, Angel saw a redheaded girl in white walking some length down the beach. She was wearing a simple long white dress, which sparkled whenever the sunlight hit it. He watched her as she sat down and held her legs to her chest and looked out at the sea. With a glance in his direction, Angel had a sudden recognition.
"Willow!"
The girl was startled, and stood as she saw the young looking man running towards her down the length of the beach. She stared at him, stunned.
"Angel? What are you doing here? In the sunlight even!" Willow backed away from him slightly, not knowing what to do about his sudden appearance in broad daylight. She looked down, away from him, as she continued, "I thought I was dreaming."
With a glance down at his appearance, Angel turned back to her. "You are dreaming. He betrayed me but I love him. Where is she? She never came." Angel sat, staring at the ocean as he continued to babble mindlessly, confusing Willow. "I don't know where she is, I couldn't find her. Why can't I ever protect her? He betrayed me but I love him still."
"Angel?"
"Willow? Why can't I protect them? They're all I have and he's all grown up now. She never came. Was she lost? She gave me directions. Was I lost? She couldn't have left me."
The distraught vampire was rocking on the beach now, while the redheaded girl stood slightly to his left, looking out at the ocean. She didn't understand why he was acting this way, being so incoherent. As she stared at his form the sky darkened, causing her to glance upwards. Blinking from the sudden rain, she reopened her eyes to see that she was standing on a ship. Willow turned around and gasped in horror. She saw a teenager and a young woman standing before a metal cage. Unable to hear them, she took a step foreword. Her eyes widened as she saw Angel in the box, pleading with the pair to let him go.
"You're still my son," she heard. She didn't understand. When did Angel have a son? Was it even possible? Her thoughts, however, abruptly halted as the saw the boy seal the box and help the woman dump it into the ocean. Willow closed her eyes again in an attempt to refocus, but when she reopened them the boat was gone and she was back on the shore, watching Angel's curled form rock as he mumbled incoherently to himself.
Squatting beside him, Willow tried to put a hand on his forehead. "Angel?" she tried, "Can you hear me?"
Abruptly the vampire stood, causing Willow to fall backwards into the warm sand. After untwisting the skirt that had become wound around her legs, the girl took off after his determined walk. Angel didn't pause when he reached the water, continuing with his swift pace. Willow ran after him, even standing in front of him to try to slow him down and get some sort of a response from him, but his only reaction was the gently push her off to the side and continue onwards, into the ocean.
When the water reached her waist, Willow stopped following and looked out after him. "Angel!" she cried in an attempt to halt his movements. "ANGEL!"
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"ANGEL!"
While most of the group sitting in the living room was startled to hear the strangled cry from above, Buffy jumped into action at the sound. Rushing past everyone, she darted up the stairs at a rate that even Spike couldn't keep up with. Fred and Gunn also jumped to their feet and rushed up the stairs, but only Fred managed to reach the landing before Gunn was pulled back by Xander's strong arm. At Gunn's outraged look, Xander released his shirt and gestured to the couch, on which the both sat in Buffy and Fred's vacated positions.
"What the hell was that?"
"That was Willow. She's another-"
"Willow, as in that chick that came to tell Angel about Buffy's death 'bout a year ago? That Willow?"
"One and only. She got into some dark magic. Long story. She's recovering now, kinda like a drug addict. Not that I'm comparing her to a drug addict, but she sorta was. Only with magic."
"Yeah, Fred and I had our own little run in with dark magic. That was awhile ago though, when Angel and Cordy were still with us."
"Huh. Anyways, I don't think it's good for too many people to go up there."
"I hear ya man, but-"
Gunn was cut off by the sudden appearance of Spike at the bottom of the stairs. He looked around the assembled group for a moment with a stern expression on his face before Dawn couldn't stand the silence. She rushed up to Spike's side and opened her mouth to speak, but Spike silenced her with a finger over her lips. Closing her mouth, she looked up at him in confusion. He looked past her and spotted Gunn and Lorne. Looking at the pair he stated four quick words before turning and retreating back up the stairs.
"She had a dream."
Gunn and Lorne glanced at one another before running up the stairs after him. Reaching that point they quickly darted into the room currently occupied with Buffy, Fred, and Willow. Tears were streaming down the redhead's face as she retold her dream to the five extra members of the room.
After a moment of stunned silence following the conclusion of Willow's tale, Buffy was the first to speak. "He just walked off? Into the water?"
Willow nodded, unable to take her eyes away from her hands. "It was awful."
Fred jumped in next. "What I'm more interested in was his babble. You said it sounded incoherent and he said something about 'him betraying me', right? Also something else about 'she never came'? May he was talking about Cordy! Just on the last part of course cause she's not a him, obviously." she trailed off, mumbling to herself. The Spike and Buffy merely looked at the girl in confusion, not understanding the babble. Gunn on the other hand, seemed to be considering it.
"You may be right gal. He was gonna meet her at a beach- Point Dume. Whatever happened to her prolly was before she got there. There goes the idea that they're together. Huh." Shaking his head, Gunn looked back down at the crying girl. "Remember anything else that sounded like nonsense?"
"Something about a son and betrayal? When I saw them putting him into that metal box thing there were two people," she answered, reverting back into her catatonic state at the end of her spiel.
"Conner did this? No way!"
Buffy jumped in. "Wait, wait, wait! Son? Who's son? What's going on? I think it's about time that we get filled in on everything that's been going on!" She seemed to have gotten more and more agitated as her tirade continued, but slumped back over into her chair when she concluded, "Why are we talking about Angel having a son?"
Fred and Gunn glanced at each other, unsure of how much information they should give the small group assembled before them. Fred sighed and looked down. They had even seemed to peak Willow's interest, which had seemed before to prove close to impossible to accomplish.
Lorne, silent up to this point, chose that moment to enter into the conversation. "This isn't information that you need to find him. Judging from Willow's dream Angelcakes is alive and we'll be able to unearth the lug. When we get to him we'll deal with this son business. It's not really our place to tell you unnecessary information. Sorry toots."
Fred smiled at the demon, and mouthed a silent 'thank you' to him. He simply smiled softly and nodded his head back towards her. The interaction only lasted a second, but the silence in the room lasted a full moment before Gunn slowly got to his feet from his kneeling position beside Willow's bed.
"Let's get us some vampire ass then."