The second major story in the arc.
Takes place in a large castle; partly in castle, partly in underground sewer tunnels and passages underneath.
You Thought Wrong - August 21, 2004
Then:
Buffy and Angel had been called in to help the new Slayers deal with a rising threat. A demon called Cerberus.
He wasn't a three headed dog like his namesake, but he was evil and powerful and needed to be put down.
The new Slayers at the Hellmouth had their hands full with the normal vamps and other assorted demons that frequented the area. Ever since Sunnydale's mouth to hell shut, the Cleveland one opened wider to accommodate the overflow.
And truth be told, there were still some threats best left to the professionals.
Giles had found some info on the demon in one of his texts, Buffy and Angel had throttled a few minions and gotten an address.
The two had been about to make their move when a trap was sprung. Cerberus sent them a message, he would open the Hellmouth unless they came to him alone and they had no choice but to comply.
The Scooby gang had been furious but understood the dangers. They banded together as they always do and set to work figuring out how to stop Cerberus from remotely triggering the Hellmouth.
It wasn't until Buffy and Angel were already gone, that they discovered Cerberus had been bluffing.
…
Now:
Angel felt the sword pierce his body, his living, breathing body.
"ANGEL!" he heard Buffy scream.
'No' he thought, 'Buffy, he'll kill her.'
Cerberus laughed in triumph as he savagely ripped the sword from the wound, leaving Angel to fall to his knees with a gaping hole in his side.
He gasped in shock more than pain, instantly becoming numb as his life's blood splashed onto the floor. The former vampire blinked and held his wound; fighting a losing battle for consciousness.
Cerberus reached down and grabbed a hold of Angel's shirt and yanked him up face to face, "The Slayer is a pretty little thing, I'll have hours of fun with her." he laughed and launched Angel across the floor.
He landed in a lifeless heap and didn't move.
...
Buffy sat frozen on the ground. She had been in shock since seeing Angel impaled; the wound in her leg prevented her from standing and her broken arm and lack of weapon sapped away all hope for any chance at defensive procedures.
Buffy gazed up at Cerberus, his sword rising above his head, ready to bring it down on her.
He grinned cruelly at her, "Thought killing a Slayer would be harder."
Her mind twitched, something rose up, 'First rule of Slaying, don't die.'
"It is" She spat as her good leg shot out and swept his feet from under him.
Cerberus crashed to the ground, Buffy rolled, an awkward and painful task with a broken arm, and reached the good arm for the sword that had clamored to the floor as he impacted.
He was faster.
His gauntleted hand latched onto the hilt seconds before hers; with his free hand he sent the Slayer a powerful backhand.
She recovered quickly, adrenalin screaming through her veins. With a ferocity she didn't know she could manage at the moment, she lunged forward, her body pinning his sword arm down and landed repeated blows to the demon's face.
Rage and fury spurred her. 'You killed my Angel you b stard!'
Each punch raining down harder than the last, she screamed at him, one word with each wallop "Nobody kills my boyfriend and lives!"
Cerberus laughed evilly; suddenly he shoved Buffy off of him, he flipped to his feet, and viciously kicked his armored boot solidly with her head.
"Foolish child, a mere human cannot kill me."
The sword raised high above the demon's head.
Her vision blurred, blackness threatened to consume her consciousness. She didn't want to die, but she was too dazed from the last blow to move. A single tear slipped down her cheek as she watched the blade begin its final decent.
'I love you, Angel' she thought and shut her eyes.
...
"HEY!" a voice yelled out from behind Cerberus.
He didn't turn fast enough as a hand locked around his closed fingers, that held the sword high above his head, and ripped downwards, dislocating both shoulders.
Cerberus screamed is pain and rage as the sword dropped from his numb fingers.
Suddenly Cerberus was swung around to face his attacker.
"Ya know that was rude," the man he thought he had just killed calmly taunted, "Walkin away before you're even done killing me."
Cerberus stood stunned for a second, "Vampire" was all he managed before the demon holding him grabbed his head and twisted to expose his naked neck.
"I'll make sure you don't try it again" he heard as fangs ripped deeply into his neck and he felt his life's blood drained from his body; seconds later Cerberus's corpse dropped lifeless to the blood speckled floor.
Buffy's eyes had snapped open at the sound of Angel's voice.
The fog cleared as her heart leapt to life with joy that he was alive.
She looked up in happy anticipation of seeing her lover kill that son of a Bleep.
Her joy turned to horror when she saw Angel appear behind Cerberus.
Relief was short lived as she heard the cold tone of his voice and watched his movements. She realized with dread that he wasn't the man she loved, but the demon that killed him and wore his face.
'No' she thought; fear filling her chest, 'it can't be…he's dead'.
The man behind Cerberus was not a man at all, she stared at the raised and bumpy brow, the sharp pointed fangs and the demonic yellow glow in the vampire's eyes. She watched in silent horror as Angelus savagely drained Cerberus.
...
Angelus licked his lips, savoring the taste of the demon's blood. He felt strength from the blood as it worked to repair the damage done to his body from the sword blow he received just minutes before.
A moment later his gaze fell upon Buffy, she started at him with wide confused eyes. His nosed filled with the scent of the Slayer's blood, it compelled him forward. He reached down to undo his belt.
Buffy saw his gaze fall upon her and her heartbeat increased as the horrible memories of Angelus flooded her brain.
'O god' she shuddered as she saw his hands move to his belt, 'Is he going to….rape me?'
A moment later Angelus was inches from her face, his intense yellow eyes holding her hostage.
She felt his cool hands trace up her wounded leg, and she couldn't help but shutter. Then she felt the leather belt rap tightly around her leg.
His eyes released her and she looked down in confusion as he tied the makeshift tourniquet in place.
'He's helping me…is he still Angel?' she thought and looked at him again.
"Angel?" she asked tentatively, hoping beyond hope she was wrong, praying that Angel didn't die and the demon hadn't taken control again.
"Sorry Slayer" he replied coldly, "he ain't available at the moment."
Her heart shattered.
'No' was all her mind could muster.
She didn't want to believe Angel was dead, they were finally happy together, he was human-ish, and everything was perfect.
'He couldn't have died. How could the Powers do this to us? How could they be so cruel? Finally give me Angel just to take him away, and leave me the monster.'
"What's the matter Lover? Not happy to see me?" Angelus taunted the shocked girl between his knees.
Her verbal paralysis broke over the word lover, "You're dead" she denied, "Angel was human, how can you…?"
He grinned, fangs still stained with Cerberus's blood. "Be a vampire?" he finished for her. "You were wrong. I didn't die. I've been in here all along Buff, waiting for a turn with this fascinating new body." He flexed his fingers for show.
"Imagine my surprise when I felt this heart beginning to beat, blood flowing freely, heated and alive. Talk about a warm tingly feeling" he laughed.
Buffy cringed at the laughter. For Angelus to be in control, Angel's soul must be gone; her world was now forever cold.
A threatening grown suddenly emitted from within the vampire and Buffy stiffened in fear, thinking his uncharacteristic moment of helping was over and now it was time for his M.O of torture and killing; but his eyes were focused on something behind her.
'Ok, not growling at me' she thought with relief.
He rose and stood protectively over her, keeping himself between the fallen Slayer and the approaching demons.
'12 vampires' she counted as she glanced around the large room, 'not great odds' she worried, especially since she was currently crippled and her 'partner' was not only battered but also a likely threat.
The first vampire charged towards Angelus, determined to finish off the strange warm vampire standing between him and a feast of Slayer blood.
Angelus stood his ground, never moving an inch until the vamp was nearly on top of him.
In one fowl swoop, Angelus plucked the vamp from his charge and twisted his head clean off. Dust exploded around him, signaling the rest of the vamps into action.
"Sorry guys, dibs on the Slayer." Angelus yelled to the advancing swarm.
Two vamps rushed in, trying to distract him with a tag team effort. However, Angelus was smart; he predicted the move and intercepted, sending a spinning kick to both vamps and tossing them into the crowd behind them.
The click of a crossbow echoed through the space and the master vampire snatched the bolt from the air over his heart. "That wasn't very nice." He growled and threw the bolt back, sending it hurling into its owner's heart.
The crossbow fell to the floor as the owner dusted. "Don't get up, I insist."
Three vamps charged, one went for Angelus's legs, and got a foot to the face complete with broken nose for its efforts.
The other two tackled him, sending him rolling to the ground, realizing too late the tactic to separate him from the Slayer.
Angelus punched and kicked with rage and fury, finally getting a break from the advancing vamps when he managed to rip a stake from one vamps hand and dust him with it. "Thanks for the tip."
Looking down he saw the crossbow that had dropped earlier and kicked it towards the fallen Slayer.
Seeing the approaching vamps, Buffy snatched up the offered crossbow and fired; the multi-barrel chamber spun each time she pulled the trigger, sending a wooden bolt into the hearts of each target.
She had dusted four when the cartridge clicked empty, leaving five vamps still lingering.
The first two vamps to rush Angelus tried again, this time he was ready with the stake, slamming fists and feet into tender body parts then delivering the wooden tip into the chest. "Am I making my point?" he taunted to the remaining three vamps.
Broken nose had retreated from the fight long enough to get his senses back, now he darted forward with a sharpened table leg to stab Angelus in the back while he was busy with the remaining two vamps.
"Look out" Buffy shouted in time for Angelus to back hand him, sending him flying to land in a heap next to Buffy.
She ripped the wood from the vamp's hand and stabbed him with it.
A moment later she threw the leg into the heart one of Angelus's final attackers.
With a sigh he watched the last vamp disappear in a cloud of ash. "Well that was fun" he groaned, and turned to face Buffy. His eyes fell upon the crossbow aiming for his heart, "and getting better."
"Don't move" she hissed, determined to keep the demon away from her.
She vividly remembered the last time they met, Angel was suffering from the poison that made him human, Angelus had broken free and tried to ripe her throat out. It had been a close call, she wasn't eager to give him another shot.
He grinned down at her, "Ya know Buff, those don't do much without bolts."
He darted forward and wrenched it from her grip, "I thought you had better manners than that Lover, threatening to kill me as I'm helping you. Tisk, Tisk."
"Save the act" she screamed back, trying to pull away from him. "And the damn mind games!" Tears streamed down her face as she broke down, "I can't go through it again. I...can't kill you…again. Just…kill me and get it over with." She suddenly felt like giving up, Angel was dead, she was trapping underground in this labyrinth with unknown numbers of other vamps and HIM; maybe death was better. Maybe she'd be reunited with Angel?
"Well now Slayer, what happened to you?" he asked as he knelt beside her, "You used to have such…fire. And if I wanted you dead darling…you'd be there already."
She glared at him, unable to make heads or tails of his actions. "What do you want?" she asked.
He laughed, "I wouldn't hate a gallon of blood and some female company"
She frowned.
"But since that isn't currently an option, I'll have to settle for saving your pathetic, yet firm, butt." He finished looking her over with a lusty grin.
She shook her head, "This doesn't make sense. Why are you helping me? You hate me."
"Listen blondie, I ain't got time for lengthy conversation, more vamps are coming." He reached for her and she punched him square in the face with her good arm.
"We don't have time for this," He repeated and pulled the stake from his pocket and slapped it into her hand, "If I try to eat you, stake me." She sat stunned for a second then yelped in surprise as he scooped her up into his arms.
Buffy's mind raced. She was lying in Angelus's arms, he was rescuing her and he had armed her with a stake.
'Huh?'
He was hurrying down the tunnel, heading for the sewer entrance back to the castle, which by her determination was still at least a mile away. She looked down at the stake, then cast a quick glace at Angelus, he so far had ignored her as he walked, focusing on which direction to go and avoiding unwanted company.
"You're still vamped?" she asked casually, finding it odd since even Angelus rarely wore the fangs when not fighting.
He glared at her, "I am the vamp." He growled in annoyance.
Then it hit her, why Angel couldn't put on his game face, because it wasn't his to wear anymore, it belonged to Angelus, to the demon.
"Oh…right" she whispered in understanding.
A few seconds later she realized something, his chest was warm. Without thinking she placed her hand over his heart, shock filled her when she felt it still beating.
He cast a glace down at her then returned his attention back to escaping.
"You're alive" she whispered, unsure what it meant.
The only way for Angelus to be here is if Angel had died and lost his soul…or so she had thought. A beating heart crippled her original theory, unless only his soul was lost, not his life?
"How?" she asked, "How did he lose his soul if your heart still beats?"
He looked around, and then grimaced, he heard something approaching.
"He didn't" he grumbled, obviously unhappy about it, as he quickened his pace.
Her eyes widened at the thought, 'Angel's soul is still inside?' It would explain why he wasn't trying to kill her, but not why Angelus was in control in the first place. "I don't understand. How are you here then?" she questioned.
Before he could answer a hellhound shot from the left tunnel.
Angelus sat Buffy on a nearby alcove and turned to face the threat.
She looked down at her leg, loosening the tourniquet and wishing she could be more useful for these fights.
"Here boy" he called to the animal as it stalked him, "that's a good doggie", 'keeping facing me' he thought.
The hound darted forward unexpectedly, jumping into the air and crashing into Angelus, its jaws latched tightly onto his left arm.
The vampire growled in pain and slammed his right fist repeatedly against the hellhound's head, then swung the creature around, sending it crashing into the wall.
The animal bounced off the curved wall and landed with a thunk, only to recover instantly and prepare to attack again.
"Here" Buffy called as she tossed the stake to Angelus.
He caught the projectile as the creature pounced, and held it up, letting the hound's own weight drive it into its body.
The force sent both tumbling to the floor; the hound howled a death cry then went still.
Angelus pushed the corpse off and stood, "Play dead" he mumbled to the body as he brushed himself off.
"I think I've had enough fun for one day…" he grumbled as he handed the bloody stake back to Buffy.
"Your arm" she sighed, looking at the bleeding bite holes.
"Will heal" he said picking her back up before she could protest.
"Don't worry Buff, I won't go rabid on ya." he said with a smirk.
...
"You didn't answer my question" Buffy stated a few minutes later.
"Why am I here?" Angelus asked then laughed, "I've always been here, Lover."
She shook her head, "You should have died when Angel's heart started beating, we were better off with you gone." She professed.
He stopped walking and glared down at her, yellow eyes flashing with anger. "Listen princess, what you don't get is without me, Soul Boys as useless as he was with the Morah demon. He fights with my strength, uses my healing, my powers…without me, he's just a man…he's nothing." He hissed.
Her eyes widened at the confession, "You're the source of his powers?" she repeated back, stunned.
The last few months, they thought the demon was gone and Angel had just retained his strengths.
"Does that burst your happy little bubble? I don't fit into your fairytale ending with prince charming? Tough, cus I ain't going anywhere. Truth is Lover, I like this new body too much. I enjoy the feel of it, its warmth, and its blood…its life. You know what drives us vamps? What calls the need to feed? Life. We don't live, but we want to, but we're dead, so we need to take that life from others. When we feed, we're drinking life; the warm blood gives us the feeling of being alive again, if only for a moment."
"I don't understand" she started, "Angel can't drink blood anymore, it makes him sick, so how can you feed?"
He grinned down at her, "I don't need to drink from an outside source now, this body generates its own blood."
She looked at him, unsure whether to be relieved or horrified.
He smirked at her discomfort, reveling in it.
"Are you trying to say you…feed…off Angel?"
'Horrified' she decided, 'defiantly horrified'.
His smirk stretched into a full fanged smile, "I consider it an even trade, he nourishes me, and I lend him my strength so he doesn't get this body killed. Worked so far hasn't it?"
She shook her head, "But, if what you said is true, if his soul is still here, why are you in control?"
"I'm stronger in demon form; when that candy ass got himself skewed, he was dying, and I sure as hell wasn't letting him take this body with him. This heart stops beating Buff, it's bye-bye warmth and hello hunger. I ain't settling for that again. If I didn't take over, we'd all be dead. Well I'd be undead…again."
She looked down, her mind reeling, trying to process the information. "If he dies, his soul leaves too, doesn't it?" she asked.
He shrugged, "Probably, curse is gone."
"Without that, you go back to being evil?"She asked.
He glared at her, "This wretched soul may be floating around in me, but it sure as hell doesn't control me. If I choose to kill you, I can."
"Then why haven't you? Why be good to me?" she questioned.
She didn't like the smile he gave her.
"Because Lover, I'm always here. Think about it, when you touch him, you touch me too." He whispered seductively into her ear.
She pulled away, her cheeks grew ruby red and suddenly she felt sick.
He laughed, "What? You think I step out for coffee when you two get groiny? Fat chance. Besides, I let you die; I get stuck with the president of the brooding club, rotting in the dark, feeling guilty for the rest of this body's natural life. Been there, done that, I'll pass thanks."
She couldn't think for a while, his words had floored her. There was just too much involved, she pushed aside her feeling for the moment and focused on the situation at hand.
...
With all the distractions it had taken nearly an hour to get to the sewer exit.
Angelus lowered Buffy to the floor and glanced around the corner to the ladder. It was heavily guarded. He wasn't worried about the six vamps, we was worried about the two flamethrowers they held.
As he checked the guards, she unlatched the loosened tourniquet from her leg, and looped the belt into a sling for her broken arm. The gash had shut, but she still couldn't put weight on the leg.
His mind raced, 'How the hell do I take out the flamethrowers? The second I get in range, BBQed'
"How many?" she whispered, not being able to see around the corner, but knowing something was holding him back.
"Six" he whispered back, "Two flamethrowers."
Her eyes narrowed, 'damn'. She wished she had kept the crossbow, but not having replacement bolts, was useless; between the both of them they had only one stake.
An idea occurred to the vampire when he cast a glace at Buffy, sitting against the curved tunnel wall fiddling with the stake.
He walked over, and held open his hand.
She reluctantly handed him the stake. "You have a plan?" she whispered.
He tucked the stake into his coat, "Yeah, Die Slayer!" He yelled as he grabbed her around the throat.
Buffy instinctually fought back, kicking out with her good leg and punching with the unbroken arm.
He let himself take a few of her blows, hearing the six vamps guarding the ladder rushing towards the racket.
They found the Slayer fighting off a vampire.
They circled her as Angelus knocked her backwards against the wall, stunning her.
"Bitch is strong, but I'm stronger." He said wiping blood from his lips, "I'll get a huge reward for bringing in her head." he baited, walking towards the pissed Slayer.
The vamps next to him exchanged glances, suddenly realizing they had a shot at a huge reward too.
"Not so fast" a short round vamp piped up, "What's this reward you're talking about?"
'Hook, line and sinker.' Angelus thought as he shrugged, "Cerberus put a price on the bitch, said who ever brings her in, gets not only the credit of killin a slayer, but a position at his right hand, hell of a pay increase too. Blood and woman, what else is there huh? If you'll excuse me, I got a reward to collect."
Before Angelus could grab Buffy, the short round vamp descended on him, he expected it and attacked, punching the vamp into his two closest friends, the two holding the flamethrowers.
Fast as lightning, Angelus whipped out the stake, taking down the three unsuspecting vamps as they watched the three vamps tangled on the ground.
A moment later Angelus was kicking the flamethrowers away and staking the remaining vamps before they figured out they were setup.
"Like staking fish in a barrel" he muttered as he approached the extremely agitated Slayer.
"You could have warned me about your plan" she shot at him.
He smiled coldly, as he tucked the stake back into his coat, "What would have been the fun in that?"
He turned his attention back to one of the fallen flamethrowers, "Hello there." He said as he picked it up, "What's that you say? Take me with you? Well I think that can be arranged." He smiled as he slung the strap over his shoulder, letting the deadly weapon hang along his back.
Buffy struggled to stand, leaning heavily against the tunnel wall.
"Could you not break yourself further, I've got enough to worry about" he grumbled as he picked up the injured Slayer.
"I'm fine thanks" she mumbled sarcastically as he headed them towards the ladder.
"I'm sorry, did I ask?" he shot back.
At the ladder she looked up at the rungs, and thought of her broken arm and injured leg, 'crap.'
"Need my hands sweetheart" he said.
She reluctantly turned towards him, wrapping her good arm around his neck and her legs around his waists.
It felt both wonderful and horrible to be pressing up against him, the familiar heartbeat seemed surreal.
Once her weight was shifted out of his arms, he grabbed hold of the rungs and began to climb.
...
Angelus slowly lifted the heavy sewer cover, peering through the opening, checking for potential problems.
The large basement room doubled as a dungeon and a storage area. On the left, rusty chains hung from the walls and decades of ritual sacrifices had stained the floor by the alter a deep maroon.
On the right, boxes, barrels and various items lay strewn in half hazard piles.
The only thing Angelus cared about was the lack of bodies, living or undead.
Satisfied the coast was clear, he shoved the manhole cover aside, but dropping it slowly to prevent unnecessary noise; just in case.
He climbed up and out of the hole, glanced around again for good measure, and walked over to the alter.
Buffy unlatched her limbs from him as he helped her sit on the cold stone.
He put the flamethrower down next to her then headed back over to the manhole, quickly covering it back up and locking it shut.
'Should keep unwanted company from following for a while' he thought.
Buffy looked down at the old alter, an ancient skull sat on the edge, eyeless holes staring accusingly at her.
'Yuck!' she cringed then looked away, 'Just once, I'd like to battle a demon with some taste, I mean seriously? Is there a rule or something against hygiene and tact?'
Angelus wandered back over to her, dropping a crate on the floor at his feet and stomping it, creating a nice pile of sharp wooden stakes.
He stuck a few in various locations on his person; pocket, back of his pants, boots, then handed a few to her to stash.
"Most of Cerberus's men were stationed below in the main chamber and in the tunnels, but he liked to be prepared, probably has at least a half dozen lackeys guarding between here and the entrance." He explained.
She nodded, wishing she had been more conscious on the journey into the main chamber to begin with.
Buffy looked down at her leg again, wishing the gash would hurry up and heal already; while looking down she noticed a blood stain on her side, she looked but couldn't find a wound to match.
She cast a glance at Angelus and could see fresh blood staining his black shirt where he had been impaled.
"You're still bleeding?" Buffy asked concerned, if not for the demon then for the man who shared his body.
"Yeah, living bodies tend to do that when ya stab em." he replied sarcastically.
"Shouldn't you have healed by now?" she asked, knowing Angel healed quickly.
"Well if it didn't keep ripping open with every new batch of fun we hit…" he growled.
"Maybe you should rest, give it time to…" she tried but he cut her off.
"Come on Buff, you should know better than that, there's no rest for the wicked." He said sweetly as he slung the flamethrower back over his shoulder, then picked her up and headed for the left staircase.
...
The castle ground floor was virtually one huge rectangular room; eight pillars, staircases on the left and right to the upper levels and lower levels, and a few doors that led to other rooms along the back.
The front and sides of the castle walls were lined with boarded up windows.
The most eye-catching attracting for Angelus was the two and a half dozen or so vamps wandering freely around the area.
"I hate it when I'm wrong." He grumbled when he saw the competition.
"Anyway we can sneak past them?" Buffy asked.
"No" he said blankly.
"Why not?" she asked, offended he would even consider her opinion.
He didn't reply but nodded his head towards the right.
She turned and saw a group of vamps heading towards them, they had already been spotted.
"Oh" she breathed dejected.
"Know how to use this thing?" he asked as he set her down and thrust the flamethrower into her hands.
"Pull the trigger and watch the fire show?" she asked.
"Pretty much" he said, "Good luck" then he turned and charged past the vamps.
"What?" she stuttered while staring at his retreating form.
'He left me here?!' her mind screamed in anger.
The near dozen vamps inched closer, intrigued by the injured little girl swaying in front of them.
She let them approach, knowing full well the reach of the flame when it ignited.
"Hey guys," she taunted, "You here for the BBQ?" She lit torch and fired away.
Most of the vamps dusted in a wall of fire, the rest had a short but unforgettable introduction to her stake.
...
Angelus dove head long into the thickest mass of vamps, "Here I am, time to start the party." He yelled, stake nothing but a blur as he moved. Five, six vamps fell, leaving at least a dozen circling around him.
One vamp charged, Angelus grabbed him and threw him, sending the unfortunate demon crashing through the barred castle doors and into the sunlight.
Suddenly the vamps fell back, leaving a large gap between themselves and him.
"What's the matter guys? Do I smell?" he asked the vamps, making a gesture of lifting his arm and taking a whiff.
"AROOOO!" The cries echoed off the high stone walls, as two huge hellhounds descended from the upper decks, both beasts focused their attention on Angelus.
'Oh crap, those things are bigger than Clydesdale horses.'
"Sorry guys, think I'm more of a cat person."
...
Bright morning sun flooded in through the newly broken open castle doors, a welcoming invitation to the Slayer.
She searched the chaos for Angelus, easily spotting him, caught between a dozen vamps and two giant hellhounds.
He was holding his own for the moment, but she realized he was wearing down…fast.
She looked down at the flamethrower, not much fuel left, but she had to do something.
The fighting vamps seemed to have forgotten about her and she used that to her advantage on sneaking up behind them. Her leg was stiff and sore, but it seemed to be holding her weight for the moment, as long as she moved slowly anyways.
After two vamps were dusted, a few others caught on to her presence, "Hey guys." She said sweetly with a smile and a wave, "I saw your little party, hope you don't mind I invited myself"
She whipped the flamethrower around when four of the vamps stalked towards her, "I even brought a little something for ya" she added as she hit the trigger.
Flames shot forth from the gun, bathing the three closest vamps in a lethal cloud of fire. The forth managed to leap away, cursing and patting out his flaming arm.
The screams of the dusting vamps caught the attention of the six remaining vamps facing Angelus. They had been idly watching Angelus fight the hellhounds, none of them eager to get between the beasts and their prey.
The flamethrower spit and chocked, the fuel gauge falling to empty.
'Damn' Buffy thought and she glanced around at the seven angry demons.
She chucked the heavy weapon, knocking down two vamps, and plucked the stake from her boot.
"Anyone care to dance?" she asked with a grin.
...
Angelus focused on the two hell beasts as they circled him, his cold yellow eyes darting back and forth between the two.
The beasts seemed smarter than the one he faced in the sewers earlier; they kept an even distance apart, forcing his attention to remain divided.
The female lunged first, just as Angelus's gaze turned towards its mate.
He spun and ducked as he saw the movement in the corner of his eye, but not fast enough. Her jaws clamped onto his left elbow, ripping the arm back and dislocating his shoulder.
The stake in his right hand lashed out, stabbing into the animal's eye.
The male charged at his mate's cries, jaws snapping for his neck.
Angelus dropped and rolled, sending waves of pain through this shoulder as it snapped back into the socket, pain he didn't have time to think about.
He pulled another stake from his boot, but lost it as the male pounced on his back, forcing him to the ground under his crushing weight.
The female stalked forward, fangs still dripping with his blood, the stake protruding grotesquely from her eye. Angelus struggled under the heavy enraged animal, claws ripping painfully into his back, and lungs struggling for oxygen as his chest was crushed painfully into the cold stone floor, ribs cracking under the pressure.
Adrenalin flooded his system, giving him a burst of strength, he reached his right arm up behind him, grabbing the beasts head and yanked his arm down, smashing the animal's snout into the floor.
"Bad dog" he growled as he pushed the stunned animal off.
The female rushed forward, tackling him to the ground, once again forcing the air from his tortured lungs. She shot her jaws forward, intending to tear out his neck, but he twisted away and sent a powerful punch directly into the stake protruding from her eye.
The female hound's yowl of pain ended as it fell dead atop the struggling vampire, the stake finally hitting the brain.
Maddened by his mate's death cry, the male charged at Angelus.
He kicked the dead beast off of him and rolled to his feet, fury and pain increasing his strength.
When the male reached him, Angelus punched with all his strength, sending the animal crashing into the group of vampires encroaching on Buffy.
...
Buffy raised her stake, ready to take on the first vampire when her prey was suddenly bowled over by a screeching hell hound.
The hound lashed out at the nearest moving body, tearing the limbs off an unlucky vamp. The remaining vamps scurried out of the path of the raging beast, one backed up towards the Slayer, and she quickly took advantage of his mistake.
Buffy looked over at Angelus, he looked awful, and pissed…very pissed.
...
He walked straight towards the beast, staking two vamps mercilessly in his way.
The hound turned its attention back to Angelus when the vamp it had been tearing apart finally dusted.
Its lips curled back in a feral snarl, an equal snarl appeared on Angelus's face.
He raised his stake, wagging it like someone preparing to throw a stick for their dog, "Wanna fetch" he taunted.
The beast charged, but Angelus was ready, he stood frozen, and at the last possible second shot forward, dropping to one knee and bracing. The impact sending the wood crashing into the animal's chest.
It screamed in fury as it tried to tear out the object, as it tried Angelus punched it several times, causing it to fall backwards.
He reached down, grabbing the creatures head in his hands and twisted. An audible crack was heard as its neck snapped, it didn't move again.
...
As Angelus fought the remaining beast, Buffy faced the last three vamps.
"Still waiting for that dance." She taunted as the first rushed her, she side stepped and spun, sending her stake into the vamps back as it flew past her.
Pain shot from her leg as the vamp dusted, the quick spin aggravating the gash.
The burnt vamp and the last charged together when they saw her pain, thinking she would fall easily.
They were mistaken; she punched the closest one, and then sent her elbow backwards into the other. Her stake lashed out, slamming into the burned vamp when he turned, his dust filled the air seconds later.
Clawed hands grabbed around her throat, the last vamp pulling her backwards against his chest.
"I'll dance Slayer, on your grave." He snarled as his fangs descended for her throat.
"Like I haven't heard that before" she sighed as she shot her head back into the vamps nose, shattering it.
At the momentary distraction she spun, punching him in the gut for good measure, and then slamming the stake home. He puffed out of existence, leaving her alone in the great room with a barely standing Angelus.
She limped over to him, cringing at the torn shirt, revealing a multitude of scratches and bite marks.
If she hadn't been looking directly at him, she would have missed his instant check to see if she was Ok.
"I think we've worn out our welcome, come on" she said as she reached for his right arm, both leaning on each other for support, she headed them towards the door.
Angelus had shut his eyes, barely hanging on to consciousness.
As they stepped into the sunlight he yelped and flew back into the shadows, his right hand smoking where she had held it in the sun a few moments before.
"You trying to kill me Slayer?" he growled back in pain, full consciousness being pulled back to him abruptly.
Her eyes widen in horror, having spent so much time with Angel in the sun, she hadn't realized his demon side was still allergic.
"Sorry" she winced, "I didn't think…" she started but he cut her off.
"No shit." He snarled, and then closed his eyes. "It's been great fun Lover," he opened them again, "but let's not do it again."
With that said, his demon features receded, and Angel's brown eyes blinked at her in confusion.
"Buffy?" he whispered as he dropped to his knees.
She limped forward, wrapping her arm around his neck, "Angel?" she asks, a tear of relief rolled down her cheek.
"Yeah" He said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face into her shirt as she hugged him against her.
"I thought I lost you" she whispered, voice cracking as she held back tears.
They stayed hugging for a minute, and then a wave of pain hit Angel, he groaned and sank back sitting on his feet.
Buffy painfully dropped down after him, "Angel!" she cried, seeing he was fading fast.
"Hey" she rubbed her hand along his cheek, "Stay awake for a few more minutes, OK?"
He managed to focus his eyes on her, and weakly nodded.
"Come on" she urged, tugging at him to stand.
With help from her, he struggled back to his feet; she wrapped his good arm around her shoulders and headed outside. She paused a moment to make sure the sun didn't burn him, it didn't.
They stumbled into the bright warm morning, both shielding their eyes from the blinding light. She led them to a large oak tree and motioned for Angel to sit.
He dropped; sliding painfully down the tree, his back resting against the warm bark as Buffy carefully settled down and curled up against him.
Within seconds, both were unconscious to the world.
...
"Over here!" Willow called out, alerting the others that she had found them.
"Buffy? Angel?" the redheaded witch asked the unmoving forms lying together in the shade of a large oak tree.
She reached her hand out, quickly checking each for a pulse.
Buffy's was strong and steady while Angel's was fast and weak.
Willow looked down and noticed the blood staining his shirt in various locations.
"Guys hurry!" she yelled again.
Oz, Giles and Xander reached them a moment later, Xander picked up Buffy and carried her into the awaiting van, Willow following close behind. As Willow began treating Buffy, Xander ran back to help Giles and Oz carry Angel.
"What is this guy? Solid muscle? Geez, he doesn't look that heavy." Xander complained about Angel's weight as he dropped him down next to Buffy in the van.
...
Two hours later both heroes were lying in their bed, both still unconscious, but cleaned and bandaged.
Xander flopped down in Angel's reading chair, put his legs up on the ottoman, and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Why don't you get some rest Will, get something to eat maybe, I'll keep watch over them for awhile." He said to the witch.
"Are you sure? Aren't you hungry? I could bring you something."
He shook his head, "I'm good Will." She looked him over, knowing something was bothering him, but decided not to press the issue, if Xander didn't want to talk, Xander didn't talk, the end.
"I'll be up to relieve you in a few hours then" she said as she shut the bedroom door behind her.
Once she was gone, he stood and walked over towards the bed, looking down at Buffy and grimacing over her injuries. He sent an evil look towards Angel, silently cursing him for not doing a better job protecting Buffy.
He sat on the bed and picked up Buffy's good hand, and just held it awhile.
...
Buffy slowly opened her eyes; she could feel someone holding her hand.
"Angel?" she asked, but then noticed who it was "Xander? What?" she looked around, noticing she was in her and Angel's bedroom.
'Angel!' her mind yelled.
She turned her head and saw him lying next to her, bruised and bandaged, but breathing. It was weak and labored, but there.
"Hey Buff, how are you feeling" Xander said when she woke, "He'll live." He added, noticing her eying Angel.
She turned her eyes back to Xander and smiled, "I feel like I got hit by a flaming bus, twice."
He grinned, "Yeah those pesky buses, never know when they'll strike"
She groaned as she stretched, taking a mental inventory of her body.
The leg seemed OK, the gash was closed, still red and sore, but mostly healed. Her arm throbbed, it was bandaged in a temporary cast but felt good under the circumstances.
She figured the bones would heal in a day or two, and she could resume punching demons by the end of the week. The rest of her body was sore and stiff, but she could deal with that.
"You guys rescued us?" she asked him a moment later. "Yeah, surprised? The old Scooby gang still has its moments." He defended.
"No. no. you guys did good, great even. I know you guys always come through in the end." She told him in earnest.
"Do you need anything?" he asked, ducking out of the flattery limelight.
"Ahh…water would be great. If my mouth gets any drier I'll have cactus growing soon."
He stood and went to grab a glass from the bathroom.
Once he moved away she sat up and turned to Angel, she looked over his wounds the best she could and frowned. She ran her hand along his brow, 'Please be Ok' she thought.
Xander came back with the glass, he sat back down next to her and she graciously accepted the cup.
She drank the cool water down greedily, savoring the feel of it as it traveled down to her stomach.
"You hungry?" He asked, "I could run down and get you something."
She finished off the water and handed him the glass, "No, not yet. I will though. I think I'm going to sleep for a little longer. You know unconsciousness doesn't really fill the sleep quota."
He nodded.
"You don't need to sit with us Xander. We'll be Ok. I yell if we need anything alright?"
He understood it wasn't a suggestion and stood, "Ok, if you insist. I'll leave another glass of water here, in-case you want more." He refilled the cup and placed it on the bedside table.
"Thanks" she smiled and he opened the door and sent her a matching smile.
"Sleep tight." He added, playing off her tightly bound wounds.
"I will" she smiled.
...
Once she was alone with Angel she began her own investigation of his wounds.
She wasn't happy that he still had the injuries; she had hoped he would have healed by now; his vamp powers normally worked faster than her Slayer healing.
She remembered the condition Angelus was in just before he relinquished control back to Angel; he was very weary and must have needed time to recharge.
She snuggled up to Angel, she wanted to rest her head on his shoulder, but she was on his injured side.
That and the bandage around his chest signaled possible broken ribs, she didn't want to cause him any more pain or injury. She felt content just being next to him, and closed her eyes and listened to his shallow but steady breaths.
...
Buffy woke five hours later, she sat up and yawned.
Angel shifted in his sleep but didn't wake.
She smiled as she looked down at him, happy he had made the transition from unconscious to sleeping naturally. His breathing was better, clear and even.
She quietly got out of bed and put on her robe, the cast making changing to other clothes a daunting thought.
Her stomach growled loudly and she slipped on her slippers.
She limped over to Angel and noticed his bruises looked better, less bruisey. She placed a quick light kiss on his forehead then headed downstairs, she was starving.
...
Her muscles were still sore, but the painful walk down the stairs helped loosen them.
She noticed Xander was passed out on the couch as she past into the kitchen.
Willow and Oz were seated at the table talking as Giles stood by the stove, preparing tea. They turned went she entered. "Buffy! You're up!" Willow beamed as she leapt up to give her friend a hug.
"Yup, alive and kicking" She said happily, "Well alive anyways" she amended as she remembered her sore leg.
"Buffy. How are you feeling?" Giles asked as he handed her a fresh cup of tea.
"Stiff, sore, starving…my feelings are officially sponsored by the letter S today."
Willow walked Buffy to the table and Oz pulled out a chair for her.
"Thanks" she said as she sat and took a sip of the tea.
"What would you like?" Giles asked, as he opened the refrigerator.
"Food. Anything fast. Now please?" she said as she sipped the tea.
Willow, Buffy and Oz chatted as Giles made her a sandwich.
"How's Angel?" Willow asked.
"Sleeping" Buffy replied. "His healing kicked back on."
Willow nodded, "Yeah we were really worried about that...It being off and all. He was in pretty bad shape when we found you."
"Yeah, rough day for both of us." Buffy muttered as she thought of Angelus.
She thought about telling them the full story, but decided against it. Angelus was something she didn't want them to know about. Not yet anyways. She didn't need any lynch mobs heading after Angel right now.
Her attention fell to the sandwich on the plate Giles had placed in front of her, "Yeah food!" she said as she hungrily attacked it.
"Careful, she might take the hand too" Oz commented as Giles pulled away.
"What? Yes. Perhaps so." Giles replied as he went to make Buffy another sandwich.
After her second sandwich, Buffy sighed contently and leaned back in her chair.
"You make a mean sandwich Giles" she said rubbing her tummy.
"It's angry with you?" he asked, not quite getting the compliment.
She looked at him a moment, then he seemed to realize what she had said, "Oh, yes, well, umm…your welcome." He stuttered.
Xander woke up and wandered into the kitchen, and the five sat around talking for a while.
...
Buffy glanced up when she heard the creaking of the stairs, a minutes later Angel walked into the kitchen.
He looked surprised to see them all sitting around, but he smiled and waved, "Hey."
The gang greeted him in response.
Buffy was next to him in a second, injured leg be damned.
"Hey, You're up? Are you ok? Hungry? Are your wounds healed yet?" She rambled as she checked him over; he quickly pulled her hands from under his shirt and held them still.
"I'm fine Buffy." He said looking into her eyes.
"You're pale." She said looking up at his face.
He half chuckled, "I've been paler."
She frowned, "Not with a heartbeat."
"Guess I'm a bit anemic at the moment." He admitted.
She moved him to the table and Oz stood to give him his chair.
Angel nodded in thanks and sat, Buffy plopped down into his lap, wrapping her good arm around his neck. She could tell something was bothering him, but decided to wait until things between them could be discussed in private.
The gang sat around and talked more as Giles and Oz made sandwiches for everyone.
...
An hour later the gang said their good-byes, seeing the couple were fine and everyone else was eager to get home and wash up, perhaps get some sleep after a long few days.
Once alone, Buffy wrapped her arms around Angel's waist, "Come on, we both could use a bit more sleep."
He nodded and followed her up to their bedroom.
"Buffy" he said, looking like he was going to start a very long and probably heart wrenching conversation.
"Later. Please?" she asked as she pulled him into bed.
He looked like he was going to argue, but nodded instead. "Later" he agreed.
Once he was horizontal, Buffy slid in next to him, resuming her normal position, head resting on his chest, her cast lying across his abdomen.
After a moment he wrapped his arms around her, she sighed contently and let sleep pull her down.
...
He lied awake for a while, his mind shuffling through the events of the past night, the memories of Angelus.
It had been several hours since Buffy fell asleep, very gently he slid from under her, and left the bedroom.
...
Buffy awoke alone. She looked around but didn't see Angel. She called his name but got no response.
'Damn' she thought, 'Angel why do you do this to yourself?'
She figured the whole Angelus thing was giving him a major wiggins and he wandered off to brood somewhere.
'Not tonight Buddy' she thought as she got up and began the search and recovery operation.
...
Buffy descended the stairs, eyes immediately focusing Angel standing by the couch, his back to her, unfolding the blanket that usually decorated the back of the sofa.
"What are you doing?" she asked when she got close, knowing the answer but needing to bait him into a conversation.
"I'm going to sleep here tonight." he answered not meeting her gaze as he spread the blanket down on his makeshift bed.
'Like hell you are' she thought but said, "Why?"
He didn't want to talk about this yet; he just wanted to get some sleep, but he also knew she wasn't going to let this just drop.
"You know why." He whispered with shame, still not facing her.
"No…I don't." She reached out and spun him to face her, "You haven't done anything wrong." She stated staring directly into his sad brown eyes; he caught her gaze then looked away.
"He's still in here" he began, "I…thought he was gone, but he's not. He can still get to you."
She pushed herself closer as he tried to pull away.
"It doesn't matter" she said looking up at him.
He looked down at her, confusion in his eyes. "How can it not matter? Angelus is still here, he's inside me…."
"He's always been inside you, Angel" she shot before he could finish, "From the day we met till now. I accepted that the moment I learned about the curse. I loved you anyways…and always will."
He closed his eyes and let her words sink in, "I'm not cursed anymore" he opened his eyes, "what's to stop him from breaking free?"
She smiled and placed her hand over his beating heart, "This" she reached her other hand up and caressed his cheek, "and you."
The hand on his cheek moved back behind his neck as she stretched up to kiss him.
He didn't move away but he also didn't kiss her back.
'Damn it, Angel why do you have to be so damn stubborn?' she thought with annoyance.
She ended the one way kiss by shoving him backwards, down onto the couch. A second later she was straddling his legs, successfully trapping him between her and the sofa.
"What is it going to take to convince you?" she demanded.
"It's not that" he answered quickly, then looked away, not really wanting to continue.
"Then what?" she insisted.
"What…what about those things he said to you...how he…feels what I feel." He cringed.
"So what," she shrugged, "let him feel…I'm not making love to him," she leaned in close, rapping both arms around his neck, "I'm making love to you."
She said as she kissed him again, a moment later he kissed back.
'Gotch ya' she thought happily.
...
"Are we…staying here…or…going upstairs?" she asked between passionate kisses.
He stood, lifting her easily as her legs rapped around his waist, and headed for the stairs.
'Best go now while I can still walk' he thought as he climbed the stairs towards their bedroom.
A few minutes, and several kisses later, Angel stepped over the threshold of the bedroom and kicked the door shut with his foot.
When he got to the bed Buffy pulled him off balance and they toppled, still tangled and kissing onto the bed.
Her hands had unbuttoned his shirt on the way to the bedroom, and she even managed to untie his sweatpants.
She rolled on top of him, pulled off his hanging shirt then started to slowly undress herself, making him wait.
The few times his hands reached to help her, she slapped them playfully away.
'She's torturing me for trying to sleep on the couch.' He figured, 'but two can play at this game' he finished thinking with an evil grin.
Once she was undressed she leaned in close, resuming their lip war, and finally giving him permission to touch, and he did.
'Oh you brute' she thought as his hands moved along her body, giving her just enough to make her need increase, but not enough to fulfill it.
'Enough waiting' she thought and rolled again, this time dragging him on top of her.
Using her feet and legs, and some serious Slayer agility, she pulled off his pants as her busy hands tangled in his hair and along his back.
Both of their needs for one another outgrew the petty revenge game they had been playing.
Her leg wrapped around him as she pulled him into her.
...
*Hours later*
Buffy listened sleepily to the heart beating beneath her ear; her body happily spent for the night.
She smiled as she felt Angel's fingers trace patterns on her naked back.
She turned her head and looked up at him; he was looking down at her with a sly smile.
"Uhh…don't you ever get tired?" she mock complained into his chest.
He laughed, "Nope."