DISCLAIMERS ETC IN PART 1.
TIMELINE: AFTER "ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN" AND BEFORE "FIRST IMPRESSIONS"
ONCE UPON A TIME... NOT SO LONG AGO - PART 14
"This is a pure vampiric demon," Wesley walked with an open book towards
Buffy. She was busy nursing AngelBeast's wounds.
"What do you mean?"
"Before the last demon left our reality-"
"Oh, Giles told me this tale once." Buffy cut him out.
"So this is the true demon's face, without the human host's body."
"And why is he in his true demon form?" Buffy asked.
"Seems like the ritual has shelled Angel from his human body."
"But his human body was possessed by the demon. He was evil." Buffy said.
Wesley looked at the AngelBeast. "And his demonic essence is possessed by
his human soul."
"How can we cure him?" Buffy asked, taking her eyes off Angel's demonic
features. She grabbed Wesley's sleeve and pulled him into the kitchen.
"I don't think we can. I've never encountered such a case, and his body is
dust now."
"So he's stuck like that forever?"
"I'm afraid so." Wesley lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry."
"There has to be a way to fix this. I can't... after everything he has done
for me, I can't let him stay like that..."
"I wish I could point you in the right direction, Buffy, but I really have no idea what we
can do."
"That's not good enough. I don't accept that." Buffy folded her arms, looking sternly at Wesley.
He smiled wearily. "You sound just like him."
"You know he would never quit on us. We can't quit on him."
"You're right. I'll try consulting my books." Wesley turned around and walked out of the room.
Buffy went back to the lobby. She looked around, confused. "Angel?"
The monster that held her lover's human soul wasn't around anymore. "Angel!" Buffy walked around the lobby.
She spotted the paper on the near desk. She grabbed it, straightening the corners. The handwriting was shaky, but she could recognize it was Angel's.
'I don't want you here. Go home.'
Go Home. The words rang familiar in her head. She heard him say it before. She felt her heart sinking in her chest. It hurt her that he didn't want her help. He didn't want her near him. Nothing changed after all. Even now, helpless than ever, Angel didn't welcome her at his side.
Tears formed in Buffy's eyes. He only helped her because she was the helpless soul, the weekly damsel in distress. His words were empty, again.
She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and started walking towards the exit. "Fine, Angel. I'm going…" She said faintly. She thought she saw the monster move somewhere in the shadows. "But it's not a goodbye." She said more firmly, before walking out of the Hyperion.
The streets were cold and Buffy wished she knew the way to Cordelia's apartment. She could have stayed in Angel's hotel for the night; she could have called Wesley. But in the heat of the moment she could only storm outside and go wherever her legs lead her. She decided to take the first bus home. At least riley would be happy to see her.
She knew she was being followed. She could feel the fiendish eyes hunting her as she walked. Her senses were renewed and maybe even enhanced. Buffy's muddle of thoughts and feelings didn't daze her Slayer senses as much as it dazed her conscious mind.
She let the thing that was hunting her follow.
She counted to three in her heart. Like she thought, the vampire jumped stealthily from the rooftop, landing right behind her. She turned around sharply and blocked his attack. He roared and lashed out at her again. She flipped him onto his back and started beating the undead shit out of him with no mercy.
Buffy proceeded to attack the vampire with powerful blows. The vampire tried to run away from the angry bloodthirsty Slayer.
Finally, the vampire managed to push Buffy away from him for a moment. Before he managed to escape for his unlife, he was dusted.
Buffy, ready to charge, looked up at the tall black man.
"You again." She said in wonder.
"You're quite the fighting machine." The tall stranger commented.
"You're Angel's friend." Buffy scanned his face.
"More like acquaintance. The name's Gunn." He played with the stake, flipping it in his hand.
"I remember." She said quietly.
"Hey bro, what did you bring us?" One of Gunn's friends asked when Buffy followed Gunn into the warehouse. A safe roof for the rest of the night. Well, in theory anyway. She looked at the streetgang members. "Hi, I'm Buffy." She said.
"Oh the pretty white thing has a name!" One of them said.
"She was Angel's friend," Gunn explained. "Before he turned evil."
Buffy cringed at the words. Why couldn't anyone else understand that Angel wasn't evil? In fact, he was better than most of the so-called "good" people she known.
More gang kids came into the room. She scanned them as the came in. her stare stopped on one of the young white boys.
The boy met her eyes and looked at her confused.
"Buffy?" He asked after a beat.
"Oh my God!" She called and jumped on him. "I thought you were dead!!"
He hugged her. "I thought YOU were dead!"
"Hey, you know Pike?" Gunn asked in surprise.
Buffy touched Pike's face. "And you're not a vampire!"
He sneered. "I'd rather wear a Hanson shirt in a Marilyn Manson concert than become a vampire."
"Oh my God!" Buffy yelped again and wrapped her arms around him.
TBC...
TBC....
TIMELINE: AFTER "ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN" AND BEFORE "FIRST IMPRESSIONS"
ONCE UPON A TIME... NOT SO LONG AGO - PART 14
"This is a pure vampiric demon," Wesley walked with an open book towards
Buffy. She was busy nursing AngelBeast's wounds.
"What do you mean?"
"Before the last demon left our reality-"
"Oh, Giles told me this tale once." Buffy cut him out.
"So this is the true demon's face, without the human host's body."
"And why is he in his true demon form?" Buffy asked.
"Seems like the ritual has shelled Angel from his human body."
"But his human body was possessed by the demon. He was evil." Buffy said.
Wesley looked at the AngelBeast. "And his demonic essence is possessed by
his human soul."
"How can we cure him?" Buffy asked, taking her eyes off Angel's demonic
features. She grabbed Wesley's sleeve and pulled him into the kitchen.
"I don't think we can. I've never encountered such a case, and his body is
dust now."
"So he's stuck like that forever?"
"I'm afraid so." Wesley lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry."
"There has to be a way to fix this. I can't... after everything he has done
for me, I can't let him stay like that..."
"I wish I could point you in the right direction, Buffy, but I really have no idea what we
can do."
"That's not good enough. I don't accept that." Buffy folded her arms, looking sternly at Wesley.
He smiled wearily. "You sound just like him."
"You know he would never quit on us. We can't quit on him."
"You're right. I'll try consulting my books." Wesley turned around and walked out of the room.
Buffy went back to the lobby. She looked around, confused. "Angel?"
The monster that held her lover's human soul wasn't around anymore. "Angel!" Buffy walked around the lobby.
She spotted the paper on the near desk. She grabbed it, straightening the corners. The handwriting was shaky, but she could recognize it was Angel's.
'I don't want you here. Go home.'
Go Home. The words rang familiar in her head. She heard him say it before. She felt her heart sinking in her chest. It hurt her that he didn't want her help. He didn't want her near him. Nothing changed after all. Even now, helpless than ever, Angel didn't welcome her at his side.
Tears formed in Buffy's eyes. He only helped her because she was the helpless soul, the weekly damsel in distress. His words were empty, again.
She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and started walking towards the exit. "Fine, Angel. I'm going…" She said faintly. She thought she saw the monster move somewhere in the shadows. "But it's not a goodbye." She said more firmly, before walking out of the Hyperion.
The streets were cold and Buffy wished she knew the way to Cordelia's apartment. She could have stayed in Angel's hotel for the night; she could have called Wesley. But in the heat of the moment she could only storm outside and go wherever her legs lead her. She decided to take the first bus home. At least riley would be happy to see her.
She knew she was being followed. She could feel the fiendish eyes hunting her as she walked. Her senses were renewed and maybe even enhanced. Buffy's muddle of thoughts and feelings didn't daze her Slayer senses as much as it dazed her conscious mind.
She let the thing that was hunting her follow.
She counted to three in her heart. Like she thought, the vampire jumped stealthily from the rooftop, landing right behind her. She turned around sharply and blocked his attack. He roared and lashed out at her again. She flipped him onto his back and started beating the undead shit out of him with no mercy.
Buffy proceeded to attack the vampire with powerful blows. The vampire tried to run away from the angry bloodthirsty Slayer.
Finally, the vampire managed to push Buffy away from him for a moment. Before he managed to escape for his unlife, he was dusted.
Buffy, ready to charge, looked up at the tall black man.
"You again." She said in wonder.
"You're quite the fighting machine." The tall stranger commented.
"You're Angel's friend." Buffy scanned his face.
"More like acquaintance. The name's Gunn." He played with the stake, flipping it in his hand.
"I remember." She said quietly.
"Hey bro, what did you bring us?" One of Gunn's friends asked when Buffy followed Gunn into the warehouse. A safe roof for the rest of the night. Well, in theory anyway. She looked at the streetgang members. "Hi, I'm Buffy." She said.
"Oh the pretty white thing has a name!" One of them said.
"She was Angel's friend," Gunn explained. "Before he turned evil."
Buffy cringed at the words. Why couldn't anyone else understand that Angel wasn't evil? In fact, he was better than most of the so-called "good" people she known.
More gang kids came into the room. She scanned them as the came in. her stare stopped on one of the young white boys.
The boy met her eyes and looked at her confused.
"Buffy?" He asked after a beat.
"Oh my God!" She called and jumped on him. "I thought you were dead!!"
He hugged her. "I thought YOU were dead!"
"Hey, you know Pike?" Gunn asked in surprise.
Buffy touched Pike's face. "And you're not a vampire!"
He sneered. "I'd rather wear a Hanson shirt in a Marilyn Manson concert than become a vampire."
"Oh my God!" Buffy yelped again and wrapped her arms around him.
TBC...
TBC....