Chapter Seven: The Eye of the Storm
The master was still nowhere to be seen, but Buffy didn't have time to reflect on that now. They were all being swarmed by vampires, who were trying to protect their center. Buffy herself was trying to fend off atleast three at once. The box in the middle of the room was where the master was going to rise, but she was more preoccupied tryint o find out which vampire Giles had been talking about thatn trying to stop the raising.
When the winds began to blow strongly around the box they all realized the ritual had begun. Action froze for several moments before the master stepped out. He wasn't old anymore. He was young and even, one might say, attractive. He seemed to nod towards Buffy as if he knew she was going to be his opponent, but before Buffy could resume a fighting stance Victoria had charged the master and the vamps were on Buffy again.
"Angel!" she called out to him.
"On it," Angel said effectively ditching his vamps only to be asaulted by more as he tried to break up the fight between Victoria and her human enemy.
Buffy tried to twist and turn to see how the fight was going, but her own assailants demanded all of her attention... and they weren't nice about it. She could feel the blood dripping down her temple and had various bruises on her ribs, but her resolve was still strong and this fight was going to be one she won.
Meanwhile, Victoria tried to duck the master's blows, cursing herself for running forward in such haste. Why did he have to be so strong after being dead for so many years? Her back was turned to Angel, but she knew that any minute now he would be finished with his vampires and then he would help her, if only she could hold out that long. What she didn't realize was that for every vampire the scoobies staked two more came into the fray.
Angel watched in horror as the Master slowly weakened the Slayer. His own concern for her and how Buffy would feel if she died only made it more difficult to concentrate on the fight. Suddenly, an unlucky trip sent Victoria off-balance before she could regain it the master had his hands tightening around her throat. At first she kicked and wriggled to get free, but her disrupted supply of oxygen eventually made it impossible for her to do anything but hang there. Her eyes were wide with fear.
They bore into Angel's own. He morphed into game face and drew on an untapped reserve of strength to throw his attackers off him. He ran towards the Master, but, again, before he could get close enough heavy weights grasped him and held his arms and legs down. He couldn't move anything besides his neck and head.
Suddenly Giles's words came back to him. "You will know. Only you. And you must tell Buffy." But if he did it... It might result in the taking of a human life and how could he be worthy of humanity... But Victoria was so scared and so young and what did she ever do to deserve this?
"Buffy!" he called out helpless and lost, but it was too dangerous for her to even spare him a glance. So with no further thoughts he craned his neck and sank his fangs into the Master's neck.
"Just enough," he said to himself. "Just until he lets go of her. Then, you won't kill him... But what if they make you turn him?" Angel couldn't even think about that last thought. Even as he saw the Master's arm weakening and he realized that Victoria was on the ground coughing for air, he started struggling to break free of his captors. But there must have been at least five vampires holding him. They were taking no chances. Try as he might he couldn't shake any of them.
"Buffy!" he called again, too dazed to do anything else.
A sixth vampire produced a knife and made a small incision on Angel's arm and then guided the Master to drink. Angel couldn't think. He felt like he couldn't breath, but no amount of air would give him the oxygen he needed. When the vampires thought that the Master had, had enough a leader called for the other vampires to move out. They all left quickly hurling Angel against the wall.
The gang picked themselves up and looked around slowly. None, but Victoria and Angel saw what had happened. Victoria rose slowly, filling her lungs with deep breaths and gazing carefully at Angel.
He was also orienting himself. He placed one hand, the one with the cut, on the wall to steady himself. His foot hit something on the floor. It was a stake. "Kill the vampire and the master will dissapate," Giles had said.
Buffy was on him in seconds.
"What are you doing?" she said, prying the stake, which he had been about to plunge into his heart, from his grasp.
"I didn't mean to do it... Now I'll never be worthy... Never be worthy... Have to die to be worthy..." Angel mumbled incoherently. The dazed and confused look had not left his eyes.
Victoria spoke slowly and delibarately. "He turned the Master."
A look of shock lept into Buffy's eyes. Pain ripped across her face. She couldn't do it... Not again. This was too much... and she had told Giles that she would be okay without him...
"We'll work something out," she tried to tell Angel. "Don't worry. It'll be okay."
"What?!" Xander yelled. "He turned the master! What do you mean it will be okay?!" The room erupted inot anger, some defending Angel and others prosecuting him. Buffy tried to explain to Xander whiel making sure to keep stakes and all other pointy objects out of Angel's grasp.
"Stop it!" Victoria yelled suddenly. Her body was shaking with a mix of fear, anger and shock. "Just stop it," she said, more calmly, but also heart-breakingly sad. "He did it to save me."
The master was still nowhere to be seen, but Buffy didn't have time to reflect on that now. They were all being swarmed by vampires, who were trying to protect their center. Buffy herself was trying to fend off atleast three at once. The box in the middle of the room was where the master was going to rise, but she was more preoccupied tryint o find out which vampire Giles had been talking about thatn trying to stop the raising.
When the winds began to blow strongly around the box they all realized the ritual had begun. Action froze for several moments before the master stepped out. He wasn't old anymore. He was young and even, one might say, attractive. He seemed to nod towards Buffy as if he knew she was going to be his opponent, but before Buffy could resume a fighting stance Victoria had charged the master and the vamps were on Buffy again.
"Angel!" she called out to him.
"On it," Angel said effectively ditching his vamps only to be asaulted by more as he tried to break up the fight between Victoria and her human enemy.
Buffy tried to twist and turn to see how the fight was going, but her own assailants demanded all of her attention... and they weren't nice about it. She could feel the blood dripping down her temple and had various bruises on her ribs, but her resolve was still strong and this fight was going to be one she won.
Meanwhile, Victoria tried to duck the master's blows, cursing herself for running forward in such haste. Why did he have to be so strong after being dead for so many years? Her back was turned to Angel, but she knew that any minute now he would be finished with his vampires and then he would help her, if only she could hold out that long. What she didn't realize was that for every vampire the scoobies staked two more came into the fray.
Angel watched in horror as the Master slowly weakened the Slayer. His own concern for her and how Buffy would feel if she died only made it more difficult to concentrate on the fight. Suddenly, an unlucky trip sent Victoria off-balance before she could regain it the master had his hands tightening around her throat. At first she kicked and wriggled to get free, but her disrupted supply of oxygen eventually made it impossible for her to do anything but hang there. Her eyes were wide with fear.
They bore into Angel's own. He morphed into game face and drew on an untapped reserve of strength to throw his attackers off him. He ran towards the Master, but, again, before he could get close enough heavy weights grasped him and held his arms and legs down. He couldn't move anything besides his neck and head.
Suddenly Giles's words came back to him. "You will know. Only you. And you must tell Buffy." But if he did it... It might result in the taking of a human life and how could he be worthy of humanity... But Victoria was so scared and so young and what did she ever do to deserve this?
"Buffy!" he called out helpless and lost, but it was too dangerous for her to even spare him a glance. So with no further thoughts he craned his neck and sank his fangs into the Master's neck.
"Just enough," he said to himself. "Just until he lets go of her. Then, you won't kill him... But what if they make you turn him?" Angel couldn't even think about that last thought. Even as he saw the Master's arm weakening and he realized that Victoria was on the ground coughing for air, he started struggling to break free of his captors. But there must have been at least five vampires holding him. They were taking no chances. Try as he might he couldn't shake any of them.
"Buffy!" he called again, too dazed to do anything else.
A sixth vampire produced a knife and made a small incision on Angel's arm and then guided the Master to drink. Angel couldn't think. He felt like he couldn't breath, but no amount of air would give him the oxygen he needed. When the vampires thought that the Master had, had enough a leader called for the other vampires to move out. They all left quickly hurling Angel against the wall.
The gang picked themselves up and looked around slowly. None, but Victoria and Angel saw what had happened. Victoria rose slowly, filling her lungs with deep breaths and gazing carefully at Angel.
He was also orienting himself. He placed one hand, the one with the cut, on the wall to steady himself. His foot hit something on the floor. It was a stake. "Kill the vampire and the master will dissapate," Giles had said.
Buffy was on him in seconds.
"What are you doing?" she said, prying the stake, which he had been about to plunge into his heart, from his grasp.
"I didn't mean to do it... Now I'll never be worthy... Never be worthy... Have to die to be worthy..." Angel mumbled incoherently. The dazed and confused look had not left his eyes.
Victoria spoke slowly and delibarately. "He turned the Master."
A look of shock lept into Buffy's eyes. Pain ripped across her face. She couldn't do it... Not again. This was too much... and she had told Giles that she would be okay without him...
"We'll work something out," she tried to tell Angel. "Don't worry. It'll be okay."
"What?!" Xander yelled. "He turned the master! What do you mean it will be okay?!" The room erupted inot anger, some defending Angel and others prosecuting him. Buffy tried to explain to Xander whiel making sure to keep stakes and all other pointy objects out of Angel's grasp.
"Stop it!" Victoria yelled suddenly. Her body was shaking with a mix of fear, anger and shock. "Just stop it," she said, more calmly, but also heart-breakingly sad. "He did it to save me."