Angelus

Author: Joy

Email: Julianna@ziplip.com

A/N: I repeat REVIEW!

The revolving doors to the Hyperion shifted as Will carried his duffel bag as well as his sister's, Gabriella carried Joy, Buffy toted her belongings and Spike handled his and Gabriella's things. "Hello," Buffy called.

Fred yawned as she sat up from the lounge. "Hi there. I'm Fred…Gunn…Wake up. They're here."

Gunn sat up slowly. "Wesley is in the office."

Gabriella handed Joy to her brother and told him to introduce them to Charlie's friend. Once the children left the room she took charge. "Alright…I'm Gabriella. Those were my children William and Joy. You know Buffy or at least know of her. And this is Spike…William's father."

"And your fiancée," Spike noted with a smile.

"That will only complicate things for now…" Gabriella insisted with a smirk. "I know you love Angelus and think the world of him… but I will say this only once: My children are to never hear him referred to as Angel. Do you understand?" she spoke very calmly and without harshness.

"Why? It's his name," Gunn snapped not liking being told what to do.

"No. His name is Liam. His little sister let him in his house after he was turned and thought he was an angel. That is how he got the name. He slaughtered his entire family including his little sister…Now in my family we believe in heavenly creatures and he is not one so he will not be honored by that name!" Gabriella snapped back.

Gunn stood abruptly, "Who the hell are you to be giving orders?"

Gabriella faced off with him, "The only hope you've got of getting him back." They stared at each other for a long moment.

Fred cleared her throat. "Miss…I'm sorry if Angel did something to you when he was evil but…"

"You mean before his soul?" Ella questioned. Fred nodded. "No dear. Angelus made me a vampire while he had that soul. And as for evil…you won't convince me he's not… even now…I know too many things that he has done."

Gunn almost growled, "You're lying. You couldn't have that cross around your neck if you were a vamp."

Gabriella let her fangs descend for the first time since she arrived in California. "No I am a vampire. I assume the fact that Angelus had his soul let me keep mine."

"I don't understand," Fred said confusedly.

Gabriella shifted back as she gazed directly into Gunn's brown eyes, "Twenty five years ago Angelus went a bit off his nut. He became obsessed with this small, young blond woman who completely shunned him. He got drunk one night, chased her down before he raped and killed her." She paused to gage their reactions. "Then it became a habit. He would go get slightly tipsy and find a young, small, blond girl at a bar. She could be a waitress or a singer…or a customer. He would stalk her for a few days then get drunk so later he could rationalize his behavior. Angelus would corner them in a dark out of the way place, terrorize them, beat them, rape them, and then kill them. From my count just of Angelus's memories…I was at least number five. The police had a serial killer and they didn't know it. Now he made the mistake of deciding at the last minute to turn me… In the morning as always there was regret but this time he had taken someone's soul…or at least he thought he had. He just left me there…The soul part deterred him from continuing…I think. Can't really tell since he did find Buffy…short, blond, young…stalked her for a while. Even went so far as to move to Sunnydale with her when she left LA." Gabriella's eyes met Buffy's; "You were lucky."

"I know…I've met Druscilla remember?" Buffy quipped eyeing his employees. Gabriella's existence clarified a few things that Angel had made reference to while they had dated. He had been more than careful with her sexually. Angel needed to know she was different. Buffy was…she was different. He loved her…completely.

Gabriella smirked then turned back to Gunn. "He is your friend. You love him…He is my abuser, rapist, and murder. My daughter is cursed with his memories and thoughts. She isn't even six years old yet. I really would rather her not have to hear that the name of the man that she has watched beat, rape and murder her mother time and time again… He relives it when he feeds sometimes… that his name is Angel. I hope you can understand that."

Fred's eyes were wide with terror and disgust. Gunn was angry and ashamed. As Wesley brought the children back out to the lobby Gunn asked, "Is she telling us the truth?"

The former watcher sighed. "I'm afraid so…That is why the Powers took an active roll with Angelus," he said out of respect for his friend's wife. "He could go either way and he was heading down the wrong path. You can see now how Darla could be that distracting to him."

"I don't want to fight," Gabriella stated to the tall dark man. "We have a few hours left of darkness. There is a boat waiting to take us out. With Spike and I together we should be able to find Angelus fairly easily. Buffy will protect the children while Wesley continues to research. If you want you can either sleep or come with us. It is really up to you."

"This isn't some elaborate attempt to kill Ang…elus is it?" Gunn asked.

"I could leave him in the bottom of the ocean to go mad," Ella snapped.

"Fine…I'm going, just to make sure you don't accidentally stake him," Gunn stated.

"I'll help Wesley," Fred commented. "By the way who are the children in danger from?"

"Uh…so not a child here," Will griped little sister asleep on his shoulder.

Gabriella chuckled, "Will and Joy have the Watcher's council actively desiring to put them in pickle jars."

"Oh…Wasn't your friend a…" Fred began to question.

"Yes…The Wanker's council kept tabs on all of us through Charlie," Will sniped. "They offed him too when they realized he loved us more than their precious objectives."

"The more I learn about the Watcher's council the less I like them Wesley," Gunn commented.

"I totally agree with you on that one Charles."

"Will?" Gabriella said. "Wesley will show you to your room." She then turned to the former watcher. "If we could all be on the same floor that would be nice."

Buffy and Will eyed one another. Will carried Joy, her bag, his bag, and both of his parents' bags up the stairs. "Man," Gunn exclaimed. "That is amazing."

Buffy nodded. "Now if only I can keep from saying anything stupid maybe he won't try to kill me before day break."

Gunn sat in the middle of the fishing ship, which was actually an Oceanographer's boat with the necessary equipment, as Spike and Gabriella reached out with their minds to find Angel below. They found despite their time apart they could still climb into each other's minds. Gunn respected Gabriella's reasoning enough not to call him Angel in public but in his mind his boss's name was Angel. "Right below!" Ella called.

The ship slowed as the radar picked up on a large metal box on the ocean floor. They were lucky; it appeared the box had rested on a sand dune not far from the surface. The large magnetic arm in the boat submerged to attract Angelus's resting-place. The box was drawn out of the water draining quickly the water that had seeped into the compartment.

"Gunn?" Gabriella called. He stuck his head out. "You'll probably need to stay back until we get him sufficiently fed. Spike will work on the bonds until then."

"Promise you won't stake him," the young man said.

"I have come a long way to ensure he stays alive…I'm not going to mess it up now." Gunn still looked annoyed. Gabriella sighed, "I promise."

The box was laid flat on the deck. "Bloody Hell!" Spike snipped.  "He looks so feral. He would never stay vamped for long unless he was in a fight."

Gabriella looked down at her sire's vampire face and actually felt peace. She was doing what was right. The lid was cracked and opened. Angelus looked terrified. "Eat," she said opening a packet of hot blood to his opened mouth. He looked like a baby bird as he ate and swallowed convulsively.

It took three bags before there was any recognition in Angelus's eyes. They clouded over in lust. Gabriella grabbed him by the throat and began to crush his esophagus. "If you picture for one second what you did to me I will hurt you in ways you can't imagine."

Spike nudged her with the torch. "Switch." She growled but let go. "Gunn…Come help."

Gunn came out and saw his friend still in game face. "Why hasn't he?"

"He hasn't fed in what two months…and he has been at the bottom of the ocean with no one to talk to. Angelus is a bit mad right now," Spike informed the young man.

"Angel," the vampire whispered. Both men looked down at him. "My name…is Angel."

Spike and Gunn looked at each other then eyed Gabriella who had the lit soldering torture in her hand. "Sorry Angelus. As long as you are in my presence you will be called by your right name… You can lie to your friends. You can't lie to your Childe." Angel and Gabriella stared at one another for a long moment. "Now I can reseal this box and drop you back or you can work with me and find Connor. Your choice. But I will not negotiate on what you are called."

"Get me out of the box," Angelus called.

"Glad we understand each other," she said sweetly.

Gunn continued to feed Angel as Gabriella and Spike freed him from his bonds. First his hands and chest came lose so he could sit up and watch. Angel saw Spike and Gabriella work in perfect syncopation as they moved. Angelus kept sweeping his eyes over Ella's form. In one moment both Spike and Gabriella reacted at once. Ella began to growl showing her teeth while Spike fixed his thumb over Angelus's eyeball. "Keep it up mate and you won't be seeing anything."
            Angel began to growl; "She's mine!"

That was more than Gabriella could take. In a burst of motion Angelus found himself flat down again in searing pain. His face pressed flat against the metal back of the box while his neck bled profusely from the gauges she ripped through his skin. "I," she spat in his face, "am no ones… You are the pathetic little man who can only get off when deflowering some blond virgin. You are nothing but a serial rapist in vamps clothing." Gunn watched closely as Gabriella dug her heal into Angelus's crotch and said softly. "I brought Buffy… She knows all about you now. She knows about us…all of us…and how you picture us as you feed… Your precious little slayer knows all about your twisted mind…and how she was next in line."

Angelus began to roar struggling to break free of Gabriella's hold. He clawed and pushed but nothing helped. "How is this?" he growled. "How are you stronger than me?"

"Powers like me best," she laughed in his face. "Call it another way to remind you how impotent you really are." Angelus went to bite Gabriella's arm only to have his teeth nearly knocked out. "Hush now. Sun will be rising soon… I would really rather not have to sweep you up after having gone to the trouble of finding you."

Angelus continued to huff. Gunn sidled up to his friend. "Time to calm down, Angelus. Need to have a little less volatile to get you home…From what I have seen man, you don't want to try a dominance display with that one."

Angel breathed deeply looking his friend in the eyes. "You won't have pulled me out if there wasn't a reason."

Gabriella let Angelus up slowly as Spike continued on his leg shackles. "You are absolutely right." Ella began to sing, "It's the end of the world as we know it…and I feel fine." She chuckled, "Need Connor to stop the Apocalypse. Need you to find Connor… Keep up the cave-vamp crap and I will happily help Connor…I mean Steven… put you right back into the ocean."

"There!" Spike announced having freed Angelus completely. His eyes trained on his grandsire. "Listen here mate. You aren't the only vampire with a soul in these parts… but don't go pushing it. We all know that even with a soul we can do some pretty awful things." Angelus just stared at his Childers. "Take us in!" Spike shouted to Gunn. Gabriella wrapped an arm around Spike's middle as he leisurely draped his arm over her shoulder. The couple turned from the vampire and left him sitting in the box.

Angelus kept turning back to the couple in the car. He felt like screaming watching Spike touch his Childe. Gabriella snuggled into Spike's embrace feeling warm and protected while Spike stayed very aware of Angel. Gunn lean over to his friend and said, "Quit growling. Get it together man. She's not yours and never will be. I don't care what kind of vampire sire crap you got going on in your mind but you need to get your head on straight. She will kill you in a heartbeat…Don't even get me started on what her son has plotted to do to you."

"Son?" Angelus gasped.

"Sure…William…Will… Spike's son. I thought you would have known."

Angel glared, "Right… I thought Connor was unique."

Gunn chuckled, "Not for Gabriella I'm guessing. She has a beautiful little girl too."

Spike had been listening in, "And if you get within five feet of her little blonde head I will eviscerate you."

"That doesn't even begin to tell you what I will do if I catch you looking at her," Gabriella piped in. "My children are not to be spoken to. Joy has to deal with you enough on a daily basis without having to deal with you in person."

"What are you talking about?" the vampire snarled.

"Little pixie knows what you know, sees what you see, remembers what you remember, and hears what you think. In other words she is cursed with your mind…your thoughts play through her head all day long every day… She is how we knew you were in the bottom of the ocean and that Connor put you there," Spike stated plainly. 

Angel just swallowed shallowly trying to take in all he was hearing.

TBC…