Chapter Four: Shelter from the Storm
He had spent years not seeing her, hours telling himself that on any given night she could die and not come back this time. Yet, even after all that he couldn't stop the pain from ripping through him as he heard the prophecy of her death. It was only seconded by the torment of knowing that Buffy wanted to die and fufil the prophecy instead of Victoria.
"Maybe I should go in alone?" Buffy said, turning to the group that had followed her from the motel to Giles room at the old age home.
"Let me come with you," Angel said, suddenly. He had no consiousness or register of the chatter that Grace and Cordelia had tried to maintain in the car. He couldn't feel the pressure of Grace's hand in his. The only sensation he could grasp was that of Buffy's eyes digging into his face, trying to read the depths of his emotions. It was something no one had tried to do to him in a while and he let her see everything that he felt. Most of it was concern for her... A wish to see Giles... The pain of realizing that old times were gone and all that was left were those old bittersweet feelings of regret that time hadn't been spent more wisely...
"I'd like that," Buffy said, quietly.
"Me too," Victoria mumbled. "I want to go in too." Buffy turned to appraise the younger slayer.
"Are you sure?" she asked her.
"Yes." Buffy reached out to take her hand as the three of them dissapeared into the room.
"Yes I was wondering when you were going to realize," Giles was saying to Buffy. "The master will rise again, but he'll be human."
"That's what happened to Darla," Angel said quickly. "Wolfram and Hart, this law firm, brought her back to life, literally."
"The master will be human, but he won't have human strength," Giles said. "In fact he will probably be stronger than he was as a vampire." Buffy and Victoria had their eyes hanging on every word from Giles mouth. "There's one vampire who will have the chance to make the master a vampire again. If you kill him then the master will have no more power and he will dissipate."
"How do we find that vampire?" Angel asked.
"You'll know," Giles told Angel. "Only you will know and you must tell Buffy." Angel nodded.
"If the master becomes a vampire again he will be very difficult to defeat," Giles continued. "They want to open the Hellmouth."
"Figures," Buffy said wryly.
Suddenly his tone changed. "This is your end of days," he said suddenly to Angel.
Angel seemed slightly shocked.
"What does that mean?" Buffy asked.
"It means... If we win... If I'm worthy... I get to be human," Angel said, staring down at his hands. Buffy took them into her own hands and turned them over. She could see the claddagh ring that he had always worn ever since that night...
"You're going to be okay now," Giles said. It was more of a statement than a question. "I can go now?" he said, looking up at her.
"What?" Buffy said, kneeling in front of the chair Giles occupied.
"You told me after Angelus killed Jenny and I tried to kill him and almost died that you needed me and you couldn't do it without me. You'll be okay now?"
The tears had come into Buffy's eyes. "Yeah," she barely managed to say. She stood up and bent over his elderly frame and dropped a kiss on his forehead. "Bye Giles. Thank you," she said, "for staying with me."
Victoria went out first to join the group that had wisely moved down the hall. Then Buffy went out with Angel following and closing the door behind them. They stood for a minute in silence as they watched Victoria walk down the hall.
Slowly the trickle of tears from Buffy's eyes strengthened and Angel drew her into his arms. They stood for another minute in a tight embrace. Angel trying to give strength to Buffy and stop his own heart from breaking because of the scenes that had just passed in front of him. Then, she drew back, dried her eyes and tried to look commando Buffy again.
"I've learned how to stop," she told him. Angel only nodded.
He had spent years not seeing her, hours telling himself that on any given night she could die and not come back this time. Yet, even after all that he couldn't stop the pain from ripping through him as he heard the prophecy of her death. It was only seconded by the torment of knowing that Buffy wanted to die and fufil the prophecy instead of Victoria.
"Maybe I should go in alone?" Buffy said, turning to the group that had followed her from the motel to Giles room at the old age home.
"Let me come with you," Angel said, suddenly. He had no consiousness or register of the chatter that Grace and Cordelia had tried to maintain in the car. He couldn't feel the pressure of Grace's hand in his. The only sensation he could grasp was that of Buffy's eyes digging into his face, trying to read the depths of his emotions. It was something no one had tried to do to him in a while and he let her see everything that he felt. Most of it was concern for her... A wish to see Giles... The pain of realizing that old times were gone and all that was left were those old bittersweet feelings of regret that time hadn't been spent more wisely...
"I'd like that," Buffy said, quietly.
"Me too," Victoria mumbled. "I want to go in too." Buffy turned to appraise the younger slayer.
"Are you sure?" she asked her.
"Yes." Buffy reached out to take her hand as the three of them dissapeared into the room.
"Yes I was wondering when you were going to realize," Giles was saying to Buffy. "The master will rise again, but he'll be human."
"That's what happened to Darla," Angel said quickly. "Wolfram and Hart, this law firm, brought her back to life, literally."
"The master will be human, but he won't have human strength," Giles said. "In fact he will probably be stronger than he was as a vampire." Buffy and Victoria had their eyes hanging on every word from Giles mouth. "There's one vampire who will have the chance to make the master a vampire again. If you kill him then the master will have no more power and he will dissipate."
"How do we find that vampire?" Angel asked.
"You'll know," Giles told Angel. "Only you will know and you must tell Buffy." Angel nodded.
"If the master becomes a vampire again he will be very difficult to defeat," Giles continued. "They want to open the Hellmouth."
"Figures," Buffy said wryly.
Suddenly his tone changed. "This is your end of days," he said suddenly to Angel.
Angel seemed slightly shocked.
"What does that mean?" Buffy asked.
"It means... If we win... If I'm worthy... I get to be human," Angel said, staring down at his hands. Buffy took them into her own hands and turned them over. She could see the claddagh ring that he had always worn ever since that night...
"You're going to be okay now," Giles said. It was more of a statement than a question. "I can go now?" he said, looking up at her.
"What?" Buffy said, kneeling in front of the chair Giles occupied.
"You told me after Angelus killed Jenny and I tried to kill him and almost died that you needed me and you couldn't do it without me. You'll be okay now?"
The tears had come into Buffy's eyes. "Yeah," she barely managed to say. She stood up and bent over his elderly frame and dropped a kiss on his forehead. "Bye Giles. Thank you," she said, "for staying with me."
Victoria went out first to join the group that had wisely moved down the hall. Then Buffy went out with Angel following and closing the door behind them. They stood for a minute in silence as they watched Victoria walk down the hall.
Slowly the trickle of tears from Buffy's eyes strengthened and Angel drew her into his arms. They stood for another minute in a tight embrace. Angel trying to give strength to Buffy and stop his own heart from breaking because of the scenes that had just passed in front of him. Then, she drew back, dried her eyes and tried to look commando Buffy again.
"I've learned how to stop," she told him. Angel only nodded.