Hours passed, mostly in silence, as the group continued to research, looking for anything that might give them a clue to what the next evening would hold. In the early afternoon Cordelia and Gunn volunteered to get lunch. As they left, Buffy stood up and stretched. She put back the book she had been leafing through and walked back to her training room. She stretched a few more times, then crossed the room to the punching bag and gave it a few light-hearted fists full. This feels good, she thought, and kicked it. Moments later she was lost, pummeling the bag.
"You're leading with your right," Angel's voice came from behind her.
She jumped and turned quickly, her breathing hard. "Just working out the kinks," she said, facing the bag once again. She kicked it, then spun and moved around to the other side of the bag evasively.
Angel stood there, awkwardly. "You doing okay?" he asked.
She punched the bag again, ducked as it swung back at her. "Sure…never better," she said offhandedly.
Angel watched her for a moment as she attacked the bag ferociously. After a minute he walked over and stopped the bag from swinging. "Buffy, talk to me."
She stood in front of him, panting, a gleam of sweat on her brow. "I'm fine, really. Just needed to get away from dusty books and paper cuts for a while."
"I think it's more than that."
She reached for a towel and dabbed at her neck and face. "Angel, what do you want from me? Given the situation, I think I'm entitled to be a bit freaked. Two days ago I was living in my normal Buffy-world. Now, you're back in my life, my worst fear is coming true, we have no way to stop it, and tomorrow night one of us is going to die. Cut me some slack, would you?"
He looked frustrated. "Sorry. I was just afraid that some of the stuff Whistler said might have thrown you."
"Why would it have? I'm used to not knowing anything about your past. Nothing new there," she said bitterly.
"So that is it," he said, his attention caught.
She sighed and sat down on a bench. "Maybe a little of it is. Why didn't you ever tell me about Whistler?"
"You never mentioned him to me, either."
"It didn't seem important."
He stared at her. "Same here."
"But I want to know."
Angel crossed the room and sat opposite of her. "That's all you've ever had to do…just ask."
"It's hard to ask when I had no idea this even happened," she said pointedly.
He looked away. "I was living in New York…the Powers sent him to contact me, to show me what I could have if chose this path. They never showed me what could happen if I went the other way…didn't have to. What I was then, what I had been, was bad enough," he said, his voice full of self-loathing. Buffy watched him carefully, took his hand.
"So…you know this part. He took me to your high school in LA…I sat in a car outside and saw you for the first time. Your hair was longer then," he said, fingering the blonde strands that fell over her shoulders. "That night I watched you dust your first vampire. You weren't very good yet, but you got the job done."
She smiled ruefully, remembering missing the vamps' heart and stabbing him in the stomach the first time. It had gotten easier. She had gotten better.
"You went home that night. Your mom was upset because you were late and hadn't called. You told your first lie as the Slayer. Then you went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Your parents were arguing in the background. Your eyes filled with tears and I wanted to hold you. To wipe them away."
"That's nice," she said softly. "Why did that change you? Make you want to do something?"
"I felt this connection with you. The Powers had led me to you for a reason. I thought it was just to help you, to help me find redemption. I had no idea I would…we would…"
"Love each other," she finished.
He nodded, hunched over. "Yeah."
"And now Whistler says it was supposed to be that way, us together, a team. But not as lovers."
He looked up at her. "When it came to you…I never stood a chance."
She smiled at him. "Me either. From the moment you gave me that necklace…outside the Bronze. I knew you were something different."
He smiled, remembering how she had attacked him, thinking he was following her, which…actually he had been. He had been watching her for a long time, longer than she had known back then.
"I'd like to know why we're so special," she said. "And why they let us spend so many years apart."
"Not so far apart," he said softly.
"Far enough. Seeing you once, maybe twice a year…having to call Cordelia or Wesley to check on you, or to be told when things were bad in LA…I don't like it."
"We've been through this, Buffy. You know why I left."
"Does that make it any less painful?" her words weren't angry, but the hurt in her heart was still as strong now as it was then.
"No, it doesn't," he admitted.
She sat silent for a moment. "You don't get the only say anymore, Angel. I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm twenty-six years old. And I'm tired of my life."
He said nothing, just stared at his hands.
"If I win tomorrow night, if you're human, I want things to change. I want what we thought we could never have. I want what we've denied ourselves all these years. I'm done waiting."
He turned to her, looked into her eyes. She was right. The woman who sat beside him now was not the girl he had watched from afar so many years ago. Gone was the wide-eyed innocence she had possessed when first called. She was harder now, more serious than he had seen her in years. Being the Slayer had made her strong. Loving him had made her cautious. He saw that the guard around her heart was bending, loosening, for him. Slowly he cupped her chin with his hand and tilted her face. He kissed her gently, lovingly. Then the force increased, the power intensified. "No more waiting," he whispered, and continued sending little waves of pleasure throughout her body.
"Uh, guys?" Willow's voice came from the doorway. They broke apart and stood up quickly.
"Found something," she said. They followed her quickly. Cordelia and Gunn were back; another box of food sat on the counter next to the cash register.
"What do we have?" Buffy asked, striding purposefully to the table.
"Nothing about the spell, I'm afraid, but we did find a reference to the Champion and the Chosen again," Giles said. "A prophecy, actually," he said, handing her the book.
Buffy read aloud. "'In the final days the Champion and the Chosen will be called upon to lead in the Battle of Ten-cai against the Voloch,'" she said, "What's a Voloch?"
"It's a they, actually. The Voloch are an ancient army, destroyers of the universe. They reigned for thousands of years in the underworlds, under the leadership of Durge, and eventually broke free in to our world," Wesley told them.
"Does it say you win? What stopped them before?" Willow asked.
"Ancient magics," Anya spoke up. "I was there," she explained off their surprised looks.
"Yes, ancient magics," Wesley said, picking up the book and scanning it. "The Rumani Elders worked their most powerful spells to push the armies back into Hell."
Angel's eyes widened. "Rumani? Gypsies?"
Anya nodded. "The Rumani have been around for hundreds of years. Their spells are some of the first documented. Really strong magics, obviously, to push armies back into Hell. They never called on me much…what with being able to exact their own revenge and all."
"The same Rumani who cursed you?" Buffy asked Angel.
He nodded. "They were around way before my time. When is this battle supposed to take place?" he asked Giles.
Giles took the book from Wesley. "It doesn't really say. It could be tomorrow, it could be fifty years from now. It says the 'final days'…perhaps that's an indication of Armageddon."
"The End of Days," Angel said, realized.
"What?" Buffy asked.
"The End of Days. The Oracles told me, long ago, that the End of Days has begun. Warriors will flood our dimension, more and more coming, never ending."
"When did they tell you this?" Buffy asked, her memory stirring. She stopped, stood still as a voice filled her head. What will happen to the Slayer?…What happens to all mortal beings…albeit sooner for her… She shook her head, pushing the voice out of her mind, and turned back to Angel.
Cordelia, Gunn and Wesley exchanged glances, knowing the answer. No one spoke.
"Years ago."
"So the End of Days has begun?" Giles asked.
"Apparently," Angel said, avoiding Buffy's eyes.
"Doesn't seem so different to me," Xander said.
"Why didn't someone tell me this?" Giles demanded. "This gives us a whole new realm of things to look for in our research!"
"Giles, it's okay," Buffy said, still shaken by the voice that had sounded in her mind. "What's the End of Days? Is it exactly what it sounds like?"
Wesley cleared his throat. "In a way, yes. It's the mark of the final countdown. To the End of Days. No one knows how long it might last. It could be ten years, a thousand, ten-thousand."
"How long ago was it that they told you this?" she said, turning to Angel.
"About six years."
"You've known for six years!" she cried. Rolling her eyes she turned away from him. "Fine, not the point right now. Wesley, what happens when the End of Days…ends?"
"Again, no one knows. Very little is written. Some say it's the biblical Revelations…the end of the world. Some say it's the end of dimensional barriers, worlds bleeding into each other, mixing. Still others think it might be the end of the demon worlds all together, which is why demons would flock here, to try and win the battle, fight anyone who might try to bring the End of Days forth."
"Fun," Oz said. "I take door number three."
"Angel, Wesley, why didn't anyone tell us about this? I mean, obviously, you all knew," Willow asked.
The four from LA exchanged glances. "It…skipped our minds?" Cordelia offered weakly.
"Not buying it," Buffy said tersely. She looked to Angel for answers. He offered her none. She stared at him, disbelieving that he couldn't provide her with an explanation.
"You're not going to tell me, are you?"
He looked at her uncomfortably. "I can't."
"Why? Would it help if I said 'please'?" she asked sarcastically.
"Buffy, I can't. Tomorrow night I'm willing to tell you anything you've ever wanted to know, but right now I can't. Don't ask me to," he said firmly.
She took a step towards him. "You told me, back there in that room, not a half hour ago, that if I ever wanted to know anything about you all I had to do was ask," she said, her voice low, hurting.
He glared at her, knowing what she said was true, but not wavering. "Not this."
Her eyes never left his face, and he saw the raw hurt fill them. She stepped back from him. "Fine. Tomorrow night," she said quietly, coldly.
"Secrets don't make fri-ends," a voice singsonged from behind them. They turned suddenly to see Spike standing at the back of the shop.
"Don't vampires sleep during the day anymore?" Xander asked, looking around for confirmation.
"Tsk tsk, now, Harris. I expect a little better treatment for someone who's got some information on your little conundrum here," Spike said, sidling up to the counter and poking through the box of food that remained untouched.
"What information?" Willow asked.
Spike glanced at her. "Good stuff. Valuable to someone in a losing your soul situation. But it's got a price," he said, pulling a bag of blood from the box. He went to bite into it and Angel grabbed it.
"Hey! Not my price! I'm clean here. I'm helping, for the love of God."
"So help already," Buffy said threateningly.
Spike rolled his eyes. "Lay off Slayer. Just because Soul-boy here isn't forthcoming with the information doesn't mean Spike's gonna leave you high and dry."
She cocked her head and raised her eyebrows impatiently.
"Right, get on with it," Spike said, jumping onto the counter top. "Does the word Codex mean anything to you?"
Cordelia glanced sideways at him. "Feminine hygiene products?" she asked.
Spike rolled his eyes. "God, it's good you're a looker. Pergamum Codex, Co-Dex," he enunciated for her.
Buffy shook her head, but Angel, Wesley and Giles looked curious. "The Codex? The prophecy book on the Slayer?" Giles asked and Spike nodded. "But I have it. Angel, had it actually, gave it to me years ago."
"And how complete is that book, mate?" Spike asked.
Giles looked confused. "Complete?"
"Exactly. Did you know," he said, winding up, "that when the book was lost it was divided in two? You have the first half."
"The first half…?" Giles said, wondrously.
"What does the second half contain?" Wesley asked.
Spike's eyes glittered. "Don't know. But I'm willing to bet it has some answers to this little poser though."
"Where?" Angel asked.
"Not far. We can go at sundown," Spike said, plucking the blood bag from Angel's hand. He ripped into it and picked up a 'Have You Hugged Your Wiccan Today?' mug.
"We?" Angel asked.
Spike took a drink and looked at Angel over the lip of the mug. "Yeah, we. You may have a problem with me, but the Slayer and her Scoobies don't."
"I wouldn't go that far," Xander said.
Spike ignored him. "It's been a good long while since you've had to fight side-by-side with them, hasn't it?" he goaded Angel. "Slayer's a little stronger, Red's a bit more powerful. And Spike's a new man. Part of the inner sanctum now. Took your place."
Buffy stepped in between Angel and Spike. "Shut up," she said to the bleached vampire. "Where is this book? And how do you know about it?"
"Word's out about Angelus' revival. I'm really out of the loop…they knew before I did. Apparently some bloke's had the book for years. He let it be known, got everyone together to prepare, which begs the conclusion that it mentions the big showdown tomorrow night. Angelus is supposed to be their leader once the big presto-chango occurs. Vamps aren't exactly known for their hush-hush abilities. Big talkers down at Willie's."
"Where's the book?" Angel asked.
"Few blocks from here, by that warehouse on Orchard."
Buffy and Angel exchanged a glance. "Where we got attacked last night," she realized.
"How many vamps?" Angel asked.
Spike actually looked nervous for a moment. "All of them," he said. "Every one in town. More pouring in as we speak."
The group stood, stunned. "Is this the battle? Of Ten-cai?" Willow asked.
Angel shook his head. "I don't think so."
"Either way, this is bad," Buffy said, looking slightly shaken. "Everyone, you're staying in one place tonight. Safety in numbers. My house. Vamps can't get in there uninvited."
"Oh, goodie. A slumber party. Only if you girls promise to wear your nighties and high heels…and have pillow fights," Xander said.
Cordelia smacked him across the head, "What do we do now?" she asked, not missing a beat.
"Keep researching. I'm going to look for the book," Buffy said.
"Buffy, no. It's not dark yet. You can't go alone," Angel said, putting his hand on her arm to stop her. "I'm guessing if this guy is spreading the word about me, asking him politely for the book isn't going to work."
She looked to the window, saw the sunlight. "Right. Still a few more hours to go."
"So we keep researching," Willow said, taking charge. "Now we can cross-reference. We have two laptops. Oz, start checking the search engines for anything that references Ten-cai and Buffy and Angel. I'll look on the Net for the End of Days and Voloch."
"Everyone else, back to the books," Giles said wearily.
"Spike, can you go back out and keep your ear to the ground?" Buffy asked. He nodded, throwing a scorning smile at Angel.
"'Course, pet," he said, and walked to the back door, giving Angel a pat on the shoulder. "Good to have you back," he said, mockingly.
"Anyone mind if I actually eat some of the food we brought back?" Gunn asked.
Lunch was eaten, research resumed. Eventually, darkness fell.