Part Nine
Wesley looked nervously toward the clock on the wall for the third time in as many minutes, as he waited for Angel to arrive at the office. It didn't matter how many times he glanced up at it, to him; it still felt as if time itself was standing still, prolonging the agony of what was to come.
Frustratingly, after winning the argument with Giles and Xander and deciding just what he would say, Wesley was crushed to discover that Angel was not in his hotel room. Cordelia had called more than once, and the longer it took for Angel to reply to the messages left, the more agitated he became.
As soon as the meeting was over, Giles, Xander and Anya had left immediately for Sunnydale, deciding that they didn't want to be around when Wesley broke the earth shattering news. The two Englishmen had managed to shake hands but Wesley was still left with the impression that, even though the older man had reluctantly agreed in the end, Giles would never really accept Angel knowing the truth. To Giles, telling Angel now, meant the last five years had all been for nothing and that was something he would always find hard to swallow.
Three hours later, Wesley sat annoyingly drumming his fingers against the polished wood of Cordelia's desk, his tired eyes never once moved from the telephone sitting a few inches to his left. The silence in the room was driving him crazy, if the phone didn't ring soon, Wesley feared he was in clear danger of having his own nervous breakdown.
As he continued to drum his long fingers against the hard wood, imitating a slow Chinese water torture, the other two people in the room looked sympathetically towards each other and resisted the urge to commit murder. As much as they supported their colleague, one hundred percent, neither truly appreciated the task Wesley was about to undertake. He was the only one who had spent the last five years with Angel, sharing his new life, watching him change and grow. Sadly, only Wesley would understand the real devastation he was about to deliver.
Cordelia and Gunn did understand one thing they didn't want to share with their friend, if all this went pear shaped, he was also the one standing in the main firing line.
Thump, thump, thump, thump. The gentle torture of finger tapping continued to bounce against the desk, tearing into their fragile nerves like nails on a blackboard.
Gunn was the first to break
"Sorry. but I'm out of here, I need some serious air" he grabbed his jacket from the back of a chair and waved over his shoulder as he walked to the door. For a split second, Cordelia considered begging Gunn to take her with him; the tension in the room was making the small hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. But the second quickly passed and, as the other man slipped off down the street, Cordy decided to break the tension herself.
**Tea, the British always drink tea to calm their nerves** she remembered and dived for the kettle, anything to take her mind off the atmosphere around her. When she returned, ten minutes later, Wesley was still unhappily drumming away and ready to rip the phone from the wall, his patience at an end.
"Here, drink this, it might...ARRRRR" She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence, the cup and saucer went crashing all over the desk as the painful visions flashed into her head. Wesley jumped to his feet in real concern; this was the first message they had received from the PTB in over five years.
Taking the shaking woman into his arms, he softly stroked her hair until the flashing behind her eyes subsided and her breathing returned to normal
"What, what did you see?" he asked lowering her still trembling form into the chair by her desk, all thoughts of his own problem were quickly forgotten by the paleness of his girlfriend's face.
Cordelia looked up through large frightened eyes, as the pain in her head continued to reverberate into her very soul. When she was finally able to form a coherent word she reached out and frantically grabbed for Wesley's sleeve.
"Brace yourself, we're about..." the words disappeared in a flash of blinding light as the pair were transported out of their office.
Wesley staggered forward as he found himself surrounded by light, when his eyes finally adjusted to the brilliance, he realised they were no longer in their office, come to that, they were no longer anywhere he had ever known. Reaching out for Cordelia, he clasped her hand tightly between his fingers.
"How dare you interfere with things that do not concern you?" the voice appeared from nowhere, startling the two nervous humans.
Wesley and Cordelia looked up just in time to see the Oracles move into the white marble room. The golden creatures were the same brother and sister that Wesley had witnessed five years earlier, when the hell mouth had been closed. Although Cordelia had missed that little battle, she too knew instantly that the beings in front of her were far from mortal. And, from the look on their brightly decorated faces, they were far from happy.
"I'm sorry but I don't understand" Wesley took a step forward but was automatically held back by his companion. It had only taken one quick glance for Cordelia to realise that these Oracles were extremely miffed about something.
**The fact they were summoned to a different dimension, probably meant it was them** she didn't need female intuition to know that much.
"We know what you are planning to do, lower beings. How dare you go against the Powers That Be!" again the icy tone of the female voice sent a shiver down the length of both human spines.
Although he was clearly worried, Wesley had fought too hard for Angel's rights, to give up easily.
"Angel needs to know the truth" he stood his ground and defended fiercely.
At the human's defiance the female Oracle moved closer, her usually expressionless eyes flashing with anger.
"He needs to know no such thing. How many times do you stupid mortals have to be told. There are no memories, they were washed clean. Angel can search until the end of time and he will remember nothing. If you tell him about his demon's past, it will not only destroy the man that he has become; it will destroy the man he is to become. The Slayer understood this!! Her sacrifice will not be diminished by your foolishness"
From a female perspective, Cordelia could have sworn the Oracle actually sneered in disgust at the humans. If Wesley noticed, he paid it no attention
"It's wrong to let it continue like this, the man's tormented, damn you" he let the anger that had been building inside him, flash to the surface, with no fear for the ramifications.
"And if you carry out this plan of yours, you will be the ones that damn him. We have been watching and waiting for five years, things are moving in the right direction. You do not have the right to interfere, we will not allow that to happen!!" the threat in their voices was frighteningly clear. **Liam was never to be told and that was the end of it.**
Always the peacemaker, Cordelia took this opportunity to step forward
"We don't want to hurt Angel, we want to help him. Tell us what to do?" she asked, trying to pacify the situation. Wesley was becoming a liability, if he continued to piss these creatures off, they could be in serious trouble
At this point the male Oracle walked past his sister, the anger didn't shine so brightly in his face as he faced the female human
"Give him the information *he* seeks, not what you think he seeks" came the cryptic reply.
Cordelia's forehead crinkled slightly as she tried to decipher the puzzle
"I don't understand," she asked and turned her head towards Wesley, he shrugged his shoulders indicating that the meaning had passed over his head as well.
"Sunnydale, send him to Sunnydale. That's all you need to do, the PTB will do the rest " the Oracles then turned their backs, dismissing the lower beings without a second thought.
Wesley and Cordelia didn't get a chance to ask any more questions, with a second flash of blinding light they found themselves thrown back into their own dimension, and their own office.
As the pair looked at each other, trying desperately to understand what had just happened, things took a turn for the worse, as Angel's hire car pulled up outside the office door.
"Oh, shit! He can't find me here" Wesley moved quickly towards Buffy's old office, leaving a startled Cordelia to face, not only Angel but also, the task of telling him what they had found out.
"Great, just great" she muttered under her breath as the door behind her slammed shut and the glass office door in front, slowly opened.
Angel pushed open the door and walked into the office beaming the largest smile she had ever seen. His large dark eyes were positively shining with happiness as he approached the desk
"I just got your message, I can't tell you what this means to me. Where is she, where's Buffy?" he asked in a rush of excitement that made the light in his dark brown eyes shine even brighter, if that was at all possible.
**Sunnydale, send him to Sunnydale**
Remembering the words of the Oracles, only too well, Cordelia Chase tried to return the smile as best as she could.
"Sunnydale. You'll find Buffy Summers in Sunnydale"
****
Buffy Summers stood motionless on the top of the hill over looking Sunnydale. She could no longer feel any part of her body but that was okay. Feelings were bad, they made you weak and Buffy had no time for weakness, not today.
Today, Angel was coming. Buffy hadn't needed the warning from her friends to know; she could feel him moving toward her with each step he took. Hiding was no longer an option, destiny had caught up with her and now it was time to face it head on.
Standing on the very hillside where she had first witnessed the meteorite all those years ago, Buffy had lost track of all time. A multitude of colour had drifted across the sky as the bright pink of dawn was replaced by the soft orange glow of sunset. And when there was no longer the light, the stars had sparkled out their brilliance, not wanting to be left out of the picture of perfection. Tiny diamonds on a vast ebony blanket had wrapped its comfort around the Slayer's shoulders, as she continued to stand a solitary vigil.
Then finally, when it seemed as if the night would last forever, the pale pink of morning had completed the earth's circle and a new day had washed up over the tragic figure, still standing on the hill. Still hardly breathing as she waited for her love and their final confrontation.
**Soon, the wait would be over soon**
As Buffy stood on the hillside completely oblivious to the outside world, she watched the small town of Sunnydale, spread out far below her, slowly wake up and greet the new day. What was left of the pathetic demon population quickly slunk back into the dark undergrowth as the human race and the sunlight reclaimed its' world.
The first rays of morning always brought normality back to the town, even in a world where demons were no longer a serious threat. The warm rich sunlight was the blessing that brought the unsuspecting humans their salvation.
Buffy had, on more than one occasion, considered moving on from this town but Sunnydale was as good a place as any to live; especially as it was no longer a hellmouth, just a small town trying to survive the best it could.
Nowadays nothing much changed in Sunnydale.
In the hospital nursery a baby would be born and, a few wards down, an elderly soul would slip peacefully away, once again balancing the scales of humanity
In the end that's what it all boiled down to, balancing the scales. Save one, lose one and the world keeps turning, a never-ending circle....
Buffy smiled as her mind continued to dissect the meaning of life.
**A Never ending circle**
Five years ago she had stood on the same hill waiting for the world to end.
**Five long lonely years and now where was she? **
She was still standing on the same hillside, and she was still, in her own way, waiting for the world to end - only this time she was the meteorite, this time she would be causing the destruction.
**And why?** What a question that was. Buffy knew the answer only too well **Because she was too damn scared to take another chance, that's why.**
**Five years, it felt more like a lifetime**
"Does it seem a long time to you?" Buffy asked the question aloud without moving her eyes.
"Where I am, there is no time Buffy. It might as well have been yesterday or then again, an eternity" the soft familiar voice caressed Buffy's tired body and wrapped its feather light touch around her soul.
Buffy sighed deeply as she watched the streets below fill with people living their everyday lives.
"Are you happy?" This time Buffy did move her eyes and her heart lurched at the sight of the translucent spirit standing by her side.
Willow shimmered in the early morning light and smiled softly as she looked back at her friend.
"I'm at peace Buffy, I have no responsibilities, no needs, no dreams" the gentle voice floated on the breeze between the two girls bringing the comfort the Slayer had desperately reached out for.
"What a life" Buffy sighed again, almost enviously at the thought of such a carefree existence.
Willow's soft laughter filled the air and Buffy was immediately reminded of days long gone by. Days when the two best friends had laughed together and, on occasion, cried together. Days when the world was constantly in danger but, it was all right, because in those days they still believed in their dreams. ** Days when they were young and foolish and dreams came true, if you just wished hard enough**
"It's not life, Buffy. I have no life, I'm not real any more." There was no pain in the words, only honesty. Willow had been dead and buried these last five years and unlike the undead, she had ascended to a higher plain.
As the words washed over Buffy's heart, she looked closer at the image of her friend and marvelled at how translucent she was.
"You're not really here at all, are you?" the reality of what she was seeing seeped through her loneliness, making the picture slightly blurred.
The smile on her ghostly friend's face never faltered.
"You needed me, Buffy. I was always there when you needed me" this time her lips twitched in amusement.
Buffy smiled, a gentle understanding smile, as she acknowledged the truth in the statement. She had needed Willow, she had desperately needed somebody to tell all her fears to, somebody who wouldn't judge her, just love her unconditionally. It didn't matter if it was all just an illusion; Buffy had known worse things in her short life. The fact that her dear friend had been lying in her grave these last five years meant she couldn't possibly be standing there, in the early morning sun. But, in Buffy's mind, she could see her. In Buffy's mind, when she reached out for her friend, she found support, she found comfort.
**I was always there when you needed me**
"Yes you were, you were always my best friend" the sadness in her voice only highlighted her pain.
Willow shimmered in the growing sunlight and moved slightly
"No I wasn't. Angel was. He was your friend, your lover; he was your life, Buffy. " For a second the voice seemed to grow stronger as Willow struck the statement home.
Buffy turned her gaze back down to the town below
"He's almost here, I can feel him moving closer, and I don't know what to do. I'm scared, Will. I'm so scared he'll hate me for sending him away or worse, that he'll leave me again...What should I do?"
"He doesn't know, Buffy. The Powers wouldn't let it be. This is your chance now, If you're strong enough to take it, strong enough to carry the memories for both of you"
"What! But, I.. He. Oh, God." Buffy really hadn't been expecting this little bombshell. When Giles had called her from LA, it had already been decided that Angel would be told the truth. Buffy had exploded in anger that her friends had gone behind her back and, torn by the frustration that she couldn't prevent them destroying Angel, she had run until her heart had almost burst.
When there was no more running left in her legs, Buffy had stopped and found herself standing alone on the hillside. That's where she had spent the last twenty four hours, trying desperately to escape facing up to the pain that would scream from her ex lover's eyes and yet knowing that no matter where she went, he was still moving closer.
** But for some reason they hadn't told him, he still didn't remember her**
"It's over, Buffy. You no longer have to fight, it's Faith's turn to watch over humanity" Willow's smile seemed to dance softly across her lips as she delivered the news straight from TBTB themselves. The spirit might have been brought forward into this world by the Slayer's desire for a friend, but TPTB had taken full advantage of the situation and used the ghostly image to vessel their final message to their warrior
As the new information filtered through the haze of her mind, Buffy felt as if she'd been knocked over the head with a large brick.
**She was now able to have a normal life, a life with the only man she had ever truly loved. It only she wasn't so afraid to trust fate. Fate had a nasty way of giving with one hand and smacking her in the mouth with the other**
" One second with or a lifetime without" Willow's soft whisper somehow melted into Buffy's thoughts as the spirit started to evaporate, the light of her essence blending with the glow of early dawn.
Still fighting with the enormity of what her friend had just told her, Buffy's eyes pleaded for understanding.
"What does that mean?"
"Wouldn't one more second in his arms be worth all the risk? Even if he does leave again, that one second will live in your heart forever. Take a chance, Buffy. Life is so short and you really are a long time dead" The voice then disappeared as if it had never seen the light of day
Buffy turned as her friend's fragile outline faded slowly from sight, and came face to face, with the most beautiful brown soulful eyes that had ever graced her world...
"Hello.. Buffy?"
TBC