Part 5: The Diagnosis
Willow didn't stop running 'til she was at the library. As usual Giles was there. Without an explanation to him, she convened the Scooby Gang, minus Angel.
"Would you like to tell me what's going on?" Giles asked when Willow had finished calling everyone.
"Angel's still half evil," Willow said simply, plonking herself in a chair. Giles took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"How can that be? He's human now, we saw it ourselves," he puzzled to himself. Willow shrugged.
"I woke him, and first he didn't know how he'd gotten from the park to his bed. Then he complains of a headache and suddenly I'm being chased around the room. Not nice." Xander and Cordelia chose that moment to arrive.
"Hey gang, what's the newest evil we have to fight?" Xander asked cheerfully.
"Angelus," Willow replied matter-of-factly. Xander stopped dead in his tracks.
"Y'mean they got groiny already!?" Cordy exclaimed with disgust.
"No we didn't," Buffy told her quietly as she walked in. Everyone immediately bowed their heads in sorrow for the slayer. They moved to the table and sat, and Oz immediately did the same as he walked in.
"So if you two didn't, uh, y'know, then how is Angel evil?" Xander asked.
"He's not totally evil. Just half evil. And the evil half happens to get a spin in the body," Willow replied.
"Did Angel get a headache just before he turned," Buffy asked in a business-like manner. She couldn't let emotions get in the way again. Willow nodded. "Then at least we know when to steer clear. Or knock him out," she concluded.
"But what do we do now? We can't have him loose on the streets," Oz said. Everyone was silent a moment.
"I suggest we call him over. Then when he arrives we tranquillise him and, ah, lock him up," Giles suggested. Everyone nodded and the call was made. Then all they had to do was wait.
Angel immediately got the sense that something was wrong as he entered the library. They were all gathered around the table looking at him expectantly, except Buffy. She stared at the floor, not looking up once.
"Uh, hi?" he said nervously. He didn't have time to move as Willow aimed the tranquilliser gun and fired. He was out before he hit the floor. Buffy stayed seated as Xander and Oz dragged Angel's heavy body into the cage and locked him in.
"Buffy," Giles called from the stacks. There was no answer. "Buffy? Buffy!" On the third shout Buffy jolted herself to awareness.
"Huh? What Giles?" she asked.
"Did Angel tell you anything about his transition from vampire to human?"
"No," Buffy replied, "Just that it was a demon he saved on patrol." Giles sighed in annoyance. A groan suddenly came from Angel, and he shifted slightly on the floor before propping himself up on his hands. He looked about, blinking rapidly to clear his vision.
"Okay, does anyone wanna tell me why I'm locked in a cage?" Angel asked.
"Because you're evil. You can't fool us Angel," Xander started, receiving a glare from Cordelia and Willow.
"Half evil, you idiot," Cordy whispered loudly. Angel frowned.
"Half evil? How can I be half evil? I'm human!" he assured everyone. When no one answered him he turned to his love. "Buffy, what's going on? I can stand being locked in a cage, but I'd like to know why." Buffy remained silent, her eyes glistening in the light. Angel sighed, hurt. Giles came down the stairs, a book in his hand, chewing on his glasses.
"I have a book on this sort of thing but nothing specific," he told them all, before looking up and noticing Angel. "Oh good. You're awake. Perhaps you could answer a few questions?" Angel nodded.
"Where were you on the night of April 15th?" Xander joked, receiving a slap on the arm from Cordelia and a glare from Giles.
"This isn't the time to be funny, Xander," Giles chastised him. Turning his attention back to Angel, he began his questioning. "What did this demon look like?"
"Like an ordinary person. Teenager actually. She might come to this school."
"What did you do to earn your humanity from them?"
"I killed a few vampires that were going to kill her."
"What spell did she use? Did you recognise the language?"
"Don't know and no."
"Well that was helpful," Xander sniggered. Angel rubbed at his head.
"Why do I keep getting these headaches?" he thought aloud before his head rolled back. When he looked up again everyone noticed the hard edge in his smile. Stretching like a cat, he slowly stood up, observing the library. "Well now, doesn't this bring back memories. I love this school, it's so...inviting," he grinned at them all, before focussing on Buffy. "Aww, don't be sad Buff! Me and Angel are one and the same. More so now than before."
"Leave her alone!" Willow ordered, immediately regretting it. Angelus moved to get a better view of her.
"Well, don't you get braver every time I see you. How did you like that run earlier? I can make you go twice as fast if you like." Willow sank back behind Oz. Angelus looked him up and down. "Werewolf," he said with distaste, "What else needs to be said?"
"Hey, you two are more similar than you think," Cordelia exclaimed, "No offence Oz," she added. Angelus turned his stare towards her.
"And the dear Ms. Chase once again has my soul attention. Weren't you just the prettiest sight in the trash with all those body parts? I knew there and then that you'd forever be with trash." He looked at Xander on the last word. The boy just glowered at him. "What? No cutting remarks for me? You seem to be full of them for my soul. In fact, and don't tell him I told you, many a time Angel thinks about implementing a few of my...tricks on you. Only the blonde one stops him from doing them. Of course I, on the other hand, have no problems with it." He gave Xander a malicious smile.
"Enough!" Giles cried in anger. Angel sauntered over to the right, directly in front of Giles.
"What's the matter Giles? Do I bring back too many bad memories? I worked so hard to..." he stopped dead, and collapsed on the floor. Everyone looked at Buffy, standing there with the tranquilliser gun in hand.
"We split up and find this demon. Giles, Willow, try to do a locator spell, then beep me. Let's move out," Buffy ordered. Nobody argued.
Willow didn't stop running 'til she was at the library. As usual Giles was there. Without an explanation to him, she convened the Scooby Gang, minus Angel.
"Would you like to tell me what's going on?" Giles asked when Willow had finished calling everyone.
"Angel's still half evil," Willow said simply, plonking herself in a chair. Giles took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"How can that be? He's human now, we saw it ourselves," he puzzled to himself. Willow shrugged.
"I woke him, and first he didn't know how he'd gotten from the park to his bed. Then he complains of a headache and suddenly I'm being chased around the room. Not nice." Xander and Cordelia chose that moment to arrive.
"Hey gang, what's the newest evil we have to fight?" Xander asked cheerfully.
"Angelus," Willow replied matter-of-factly. Xander stopped dead in his tracks.
"Y'mean they got groiny already!?" Cordy exclaimed with disgust.
"No we didn't," Buffy told her quietly as she walked in. Everyone immediately bowed their heads in sorrow for the slayer. They moved to the table and sat, and Oz immediately did the same as he walked in.
"So if you two didn't, uh, y'know, then how is Angel evil?" Xander asked.
"He's not totally evil. Just half evil. And the evil half happens to get a spin in the body," Willow replied.
"Did Angel get a headache just before he turned," Buffy asked in a business-like manner. She couldn't let emotions get in the way again. Willow nodded. "Then at least we know when to steer clear. Or knock him out," she concluded.
"But what do we do now? We can't have him loose on the streets," Oz said. Everyone was silent a moment.
"I suggest we call him over. Then when he arrives we tranquillise him and, ah, lock him up," Giles suggested. Everyone nodded and the call was made. Then all they had to do was wait.
Angel immediately got the sense that something was wrong as he entered the library. They were all gathered around the table looking at him expectantly, except Buffy. She stared at the floor, not looking up once.
"Uh, hi?" he said nervously. He didn't have time to move as Willow aimed the tranquilliser gun and fired. He was out before he hit the floor. Buffy stayed seated as Xander and Oz dragged Angel's heavy body into the cage and locked him in.
"Buffy," Giles called from the stacks. There was no answer. "Buffy? Buffy!" On the third shout Buffy jolted herself to awareness.
"Huh? What Giles?" she asked.
"Did Angel tell you anything about his transition from vampire to human?"
"No," Buffy replied, "Just that it was a demon he saved on patrol." Giles sighed in annoyance. A groan suddenly came from Angel, and he shifted slightly on the floor before propping himself up on his hands. He looked about, blinking rapidly to clear his vision.
"Okay, does anyone wanna tell me why I'm locked in a cage?" Angel asked.
"Because you're evil. You can't fool us Angel," Xander started, receiving a glare from Cordelia and Willow.
"Half evil, you idiot," Cordy whispered loudly. Angel frowned.
"Half evil? How can I be half evil? I'm human!" he assured everyone. When no one answered him he turned to his love. "Buffy, what's going on? I can stand being locked in a cage, but I'd like to know why." Buffy remained silent, her eyes glistening in the light. Angel sighed, hurt. Giles came down the stairs, a book in his hand, chewing on his glasses.
"I have a book on this sort of thing but nothing specific," he told them all, before looking up and noticing Angel. "Oh good. You're awake. Perhaps you could answer a few questions?" Angel nodded.
"Where were you on the night of April 15th?" Xander joked, receiving a slap on the arm from Cordelia and a glare from Giles.
"This isn't the time to be funny, Xander," Giles chastised him. Turning his attention back to Angel, he began his questioning. "What did this demon look like?"
"Like an ordinary person. Teenager actually. She might come to this school."
"What did you do to earn your humanity from them?"
"I killed a few vampires that were going to kill her."
"What spell did she use? Did you recognise the language?"
"Don't know and no."
"Well that was helpful," Xander sniggered. Angel rubbed at his head.
"Why do I keep getting these headaches?" he thought aloud before his head rolled back. When he looked up again everyone noticed the hard edge in his smile. Stretching like a cat, he slowly stood up, observing the library. "Well now, doesn't this bring back memories. I love this school, it's so...inviting," he grinned at them all, before focussing on Buffy. "Aww, don't be sad Buff! Me and Angel are one and the same. More so now than before."
"Leave her alone!" Willow ordered, immediately regretting it. Angelus moved to get a better view of her.
"Well, don't you get braver every time I see you. How did you like that run earlier? I can make you go twice as fast if you like." Willow sank back behind Oz. Angelus looked him up and down. "Werewolf," he said with distaste, "What else needs to be said?"
"Hey, you two are more similar than you think," Cordelia exclaimed, "No offence Oz," she added. Angelus turned his stare towards her.
"And the dear Ms. Chase once again has my soul attention. Weren't you just the prettiest sight in the trash with all those body parts? I knew there and then that you'd forever be with trash." He looked at Xander on the last word. The boy just glowered at him. "What? No cutting remarks for me? You seem to be full of them for my soul. In fact, and don't tell him I told you, many a time Angel thinks about implementing a few of my...tricks on you. Only the blonde one stops him from doing them. Of course I, on the other hand, have no problems with it." He gave Xander a malicious smile.
"Enough!" Giles cried in anger. Angel sauntered over to the right, directly in front of Giles.
"What's the matter Giles? Do I bring back too many bad memories? I worked so hard to..." he stopped dead, and collapsed on the floor. Everyone looked at Buffy, standing there with the tranquilliser gun in hand.
"We split up and find this demon. Giles, Willow, try to do a locator spell, then beep me. Let's move out," Buffy ordered. Nobody argued.