Surrender

---

CONTINUED FROM "IN A WORLD OF HIS OWN"

SPOILERS: If you haven't watched THE GIFT then there's a big spoiler here.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters. They belong to Joss & Co.

---

"What's the plan?" Spike asked desperately. Angel had been so quiet that it was started to make Spike tense.

"I don't know" Angel replied in a small expression.

"What do you mean you don't know? I've been standing here for bloody god knows how long and then you just come out with "I don't know"? You KNOW that's not good enough!" Spike yelled furiously and he kicked the leg of the wooden table.

Angel was started to get angry too and he thumped his hands onto the table. This got Spike's attention.

"Listen here. If you want to help then I warn you to keep your mouth shut until I get a resolution, okay?" Angel spoke calmly, "This is Buffy we're trying to get back here. Remember?" he added.

Spike nodded and agreed.

"I'm sorry"

It wasn't easy for the two to comprise, but they had to if they ever wanted Buffy back.

"Guys?" Gunn's voice shook both of the vampires, "Um... I think Wesley has a solution"

Angel and Spike's eyes skimmed for Wesley and their ears were determined to hear something that could help. They were full of hope.

"Erm..." Wesley hesitated to lift up the frame of his glasses and started to read out of a large hardback book, "Buffy A. Summers. She has the gift of death. She must perform this gift and use it for a purpose. When she does then she'll begin her life. She will rebirth. She will have a new beginning".

Wesley looked up from the book to see a smile from everyone. Angel's eyes gleamed.

"So, she's not really gone forever?" Angel asked.

"No, she'll be back, but..." Wesley's eyes scanned the content of the book again, "In order for the Slayer to rebirth, one friend must make a sacrifice. If this isn't possible, some tasks are in hand. The friend of the Slayer must go to the forewarning and they shall receive the information that they need from there".

"What a drama!" Cordelia cried out from the middle of the room, "It has to be something or another, doesn't it? Well, who's it going to be?" She enquired as she looked at Angel and then Spike.

"Me" They both replied at the same time, "NO, ME!" The two vampires gazed evilly at each other.

"Don't start fighting!" Cordelia yelled loudly, "DON'T!"

Angel and Spike looked at Cordelia with a curious expression. They were waiting for an explanation.

"Look, what's the point? You both want to get Buffy back, don't you? So, does it really matter who takes up tasks? No... it doesn't, does it?" Cordelia explained.

"I agree with Cord. You both want to look like heroes, but come on guys this isn't the time. If you want your love back, you've gotta cooperate, right?" Gunn chipped in with his point of view.

Angel and Spike nodded and turned to each other again.

"So, we're friends?" Spike questioned as he put his hand forward.

"Yes, friends" Angel replied and shook Spike's hand.

It was amazing. The two use to be sworn enemies. They would kill each other in less than 10 seconds flat, but this wasn't about being friends at all.... This was about Buffy and Buffy only.

---

"So?" Angel waited for an answer from the forewarning.

The forewarning were the Oracles. The last two Oracles got killed, but another two were born.

"We think that this is too dangerous for both you and your friend to handle" Lillian, the female Oracle, spoke.

"We think that neither of you can handle the strength of the tasks and we are surprised that such weaklings are even daring to jeopardize their own life" Salos, the male Oracle, told them.

"We don't bloody care!" Spike yelled.

"Calm it" Angel whispered, "They can help us, so don't start putting on an act here".

"Sorry, but we BOTH love this girl... Slayer. We BOTH want her back, so does anything else really matter?" Spike asked.

"No, but it seems extremely juvenile that you want to bring this girl back when you possible won't be alive yourself. What's the point of that?" Salos questioned.

"No, there's no point and it sounds stupid, but have you ever been in love before?" Angel's eyes were started to water again, "Because I believe that you haven't and until you do, you'd understand why two weaklings want to risk one of their lives to save this.... Girl. In fact, she's not even a girl, she's the point of love" Angel spoke his last sentence in a whisper that Spike was unsure of what he said.

"I suppose we'll let you perform your best in these tasks," Lillian agreed, "But who's taking the challenge here? You do understand that one of you can only take part, don't you?"

Angel nodded, "Yes, that's me" he told Lillian, "Show me the way".

Spike didn't stop Angel. They had agreed to work together and he didn't want to start a fight with Angel now.

"Follow us" Salos ordered, "And prepare for death".

"I carry luck," Angel told him and he followed the two Oracles. As he looked back, he saw Spike's eyes tell him a lot.

"You can do it. I believe in you" They seemed to tell him. Spike's expression was full of hope too.

"I can do this. I can do this" Angel kept repeating to himself until he was standing in a mysterious room.

"Here" Lillian pointed to a table, "Here you will stay until the sun comes out. Here you will recline"

"That's- that's not a task" Angel pointed out.

"Oh, yes it is. The doors will close. You will be lying on top of the table until the sun comes out. We told you that you possibly wouldn't live. It's such a shame you're a vampire too, because you really could complete this task easier if you weren't one" Salos smiled and left the room with Lillian.

Angel walked towards the table.

"I can do this" Angel whispered to himself once more, but how the hell was he going to do it? He was a vampire. He couldn't do this. What chance did he have of survival?

---

It was getting light now. Angel could smell the sun coming and then, suddenly, tiny holes starting to come out of nowhere in the room.

"NO!" Angel started to cry out as the sunlight touched his skin, but then he restrained himself as he remembered that he was doing this for Buffy.

The skin was burning up madly. He was dying and he couldn't do a thing. The space was so small that the table- (that Angel was lying on) could only fit into the room.

The holes were appearing everywhere now and Angel didn't scream. He kept thinking of Buffy and imagining that he was with her.

"Buffy" he whispered softly to himself.

Then.... Something. Something landed next to the table. It just appeared and Angel was curious to know what it was. He was hardly here anymore. His skin was getting dreadfully scorched.

"Angel?" A small voice, that Angel had missed so much, spoke to him.

Angel turned his head to see glistening blonde hair and the face of an angel. He was looking directly at love. He was looking at Buffy.

"Buffy" Angel whispered softly again.

"What are you doing?" Buffy questioned him as she saw the horror that was placed in front of her. Her first love was burning up. His beauty was vanishing away. The sunlight was taking away her love.

"I'm- I brought you back" Angel began to cry again, "I brought you back".

Buffy didn't understand what he meant, but then she started to have flashbacks of her death and then it hit her.... Angel was sacrificing himself for her new beginning. It worked, but now he was dying. Buffy couldn't do anything.

"Angel.... Please. God, there has to be a way out of here!" Buffy yelled as she searched the tiny room. Nothing. Nothing could help.

Buffy started to cry and she sat in the tight corner of the room with her arms around her legs. She couldn't do anything. All she could do to help was watch....

TO BE CONTINUED....