Disclaimer: I own nothing…I'm serious nothing.
Spoilers: Nope…okay maybe a few…possibly…oh I don't know
Dedication: To anyone who sent me a review
AUTHORS NOTE: WHILE FANFICTION.NET WAS DOWN THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED FROM
CHAPTER ONE TO CHAPTER SEVEN. YOU MIGHT WANT TO START AT THE BEGINNING.
CHOICES – A Buffy/ Angel Saga
Chapter 6 – Survival
Buffy lay sleeping curled up beside Angel in his bed. She
hadn't wanted to leave his side and although Riley had wanted desperately to
argue this with her he hadn't knowing that she needed the peace of mind and
also knowing that she wouldn't find it in his bed. Angel however was awake and had
wandered out into towards the kitchen. He was hungry and thought it would make
everyone feel better if they didn't need to watch him eat. Besides Buffy's crew
weren't as understanding and accepting of him as his crew had become. Giles and
Wesley had slipped out and procured more than enough blood to keep the two
vampires sated.
He slipped past the great room where a handful of the
gang were scattered about all still deep in slumber including Spike. He slipped
into the kitchen and pulled a container of blood out of the fridge. He pooped
it into the microwave a minute and then sat down at the table to leisurely
drink his breakfast.
He didn't notice Willow until she was standing in the
doorway. He looked up and saw her tired sad eyes and motioned for her to have a
seat.
"Are you okay Willow? You look tired."
"Willow nodded and stared at his container a moment.
Angel followed her stare and then looked her in the face again.
"If this bothers you I can leave it till later."
"Huh? No Angel its fine. I guess I'm just a little
preoccupied."
"Preoccupied?"
"Okay scared. I'm so scared about this whole Ha Nachash
thing. Last night was weird. First Buffy's speech and then Spike told me what happened
with Buffy and when she was being killed so…so were you. This thing is strong
and the only thing that gives me hope is the connection that you and Buffy seem
to have, which happens to be getting stronger."
Willow's eyes suddenly went wide and she near jumped out
of her chair. The action startled Angel and Willow burst out into a fit of
giggles.
"Sorry Angel I didn't mean to freak on you but if your
feeding on her creates a stronger bond …"
"A bond that almost killed us."
"Yes true but it may also help to make you stronger, more
difficult for Ha Nachash to get to you. I have to do some research but if I'm
right about what I'm thinking then …"
With that Willow had run into the other room and began
grabbing books referencing and cross referencing in such a way that would make
Giles proud. Angel however finished his breakfast and headed back towards his
room knowing if Buffy woke and he was gone she would be upset. Buffy had
unresolved issues about waking up to his empty bed.
Before he could get there though Riley stepped out in
front of him. Angel was glad he just fed because this boy provokes something in
him. Angel knew his soul would take just as much pleasure as the demon would to
rend him limb from limb.
"I think you and I need to have a little chat."
"What is it that you think we could possibly have to talk
about?"
"Buffy."
"I'm not discussing Buffy with you."
Angel turned away from Riley and began to make this way
towards his room but Riley wasn't about to give up so easy. Riley foolishly grabbed
a hold of Angel by the arm and spun him round to face him.
"You will talk with me about Buffy because it seems that
we need to clear a few things up."
"If you like your hand attached to your body I suggest
you remove it from mine."
Riley ignored Angel's threat and pressed forward.
"Buffy moved on Angel and she doesn't need you pulling
any crap on her. You may need to be here but you don't need to be around her.
It's only going to rip out her heart when you decide you are going to hightail
it back to LA. Buffy has been through a lot and she doesn't need the heartache
of you again."
"What I'm hearing here Riley is that you don't
want to be taking a back seat to Buffy's feelings for me. That makes things
real easy for me since I don't give a shit about how you feel or what you
want."
Angel once again moved away from Riley.
"You walked away from her. She belongs to me now and I
won't give her up. I'll fight with my very last breath. You are nasty and vile and
unholy and Buffy deserves so much better than you."
Angel snarled and slipped into game face as he pinned
Riley to the wall by his throat.
"Listen carefully boy because I'm not going to repeat
myself. Buffy belongs to no one but herself. Whomever she chooses to be with is
her decision to make. You don't understand the reasons I had to leave and they
are none of your business but if you insist on losing your life over her then I
might just be tempted to take you up on that offer boy. Believe me I would love
nothing more to show you just how nasty and vile I can be."
Angel then tossed Riley to the side and walked down the
hall, stopping momentarily outside his bedchamber only to bring back his human
visage.
Angel slipped quietly into the room and made his way back
towards the bed. He slipped his feet out of his slippers and climbed in beside
Buffy. Buffy immediately moved towards him, snuggling close to his chest and
tucking her head beneath his chin. Angel wrapped an arm around her securely
encompassing her in his embrace. The corners of his mouth tipped up in a smile
as he heard the small sigh of contentment escape her lips.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was hours later when everyone finally began coming
back into consciousness. Everyone had slept well except for Riley who was too
angry about the whole Angel thing and Angel who was worried about the whole Ha
Nachash thing and Willow who had been trying to back up her theory with
documented proof.
Everyone was sitting in the great room of the mansion
when Buffy walked in. She still looked tired but for the most part she looked
better. Angel handed her a cup of coffee and she smiled gratefully at him. It
had been so good to wake up beside him. She couldn't even begin to explain what
it felt like to sleep wrapped up in his embrace and just know that he was
there. She didn't dare let those feelings show because she didn't know what
would happen with Angel after this and she had seen Riley hurt enough since the
beginning of this.
Gratefully no one had questioned her on her outburst yet,
not even Angel. However she knew that eventually they would. She knew they all
had questions and she just hoped she had the answers.
"So guys do we know anything further about our demon?"
Buffy asked.
"Well we are getting closer to finding out how to make
him visible to you so you can kill him." Giles said wearily.
"And do we know how to kill him?" Angel asked this time.
"Yes a blessed dagger through the heart, chant a little
and then voila dead demon."
"I know how to make you stronger you know so you're
better able to fight this thing." Willow said.
"You do?"
"Yeah there's this ritual I found that will bind you and
Angel together almost combining your essences, your souls, your powers together
to make you impenetrable. The demon won't be able to get into your heads and
mess with you like he has been doing."
Everyone seemed impressed with what Willow had found
except Riley. He had paled at the idea of Buffy, his Buffy becoming even more
tied to one another. If he let this happen he might truly lose Buffy for good.
"What exactly does the ritual involve Willow?" Giles
questioned.
"Well it seems that every time Angel feeds off of Buffy
their connection gets stronger. In the binding ritual I found if Buffy and Angel
feed off of each other then they become part of one another and strengthen one
another. The incantation is simple enough and the ingredients need for this we
have at the Magic Box. This might be the only way Buffy can go up against Ha
Nachash and win."
"Feed off of each other? You mean Buffy has to drink
Angel's blood too?" Riley all but screamed.
"Yes the sharing of blood is essential for this binding
spell to work. The blood is mixed with magical herbs and powders and …"
Riley started pacing and he wouldn't let Willow finish
explaining.
"And she won't become a vampire because I thought that
was how you made a vampire." Riley was thoroughly freaked out now.
"I won't be taking enough blood for Buffy to be turned. A
person needs to be near death, the heat almost stopped before a vampires blood
would turn them."
"Buffy do you really want to do this?" Angel asked.
Buffy looked at Angel hesitantly. She was willing to do
whatever would help them to fight but things with Riley were tenuous at best
and she wasn't sure they could survive this. She knew she had been really
unfair to Riley since this whole thing began. Actually if she wanted to be
honest she would have to say that she had never really been fair to Riley at
all. She had so wanted to believe that she could have normal that she didn't
care who was getting hurt in order for her to have it.
"Giles I want you to look over this ritual with Willow
and make sure it's going to do what we want it to. I need to talk to Riley and
Angel."
"All right Buffy. Let us know when you are ready."
Buffy held her hand out to Riley and he stared at it a
minute before taking it in his own. Buffy started to lead him away from the
group.
"Angel is there a room we can use?"
"Second room on the right is fine."
Both Buffy and Angel knew Buffy needn't have asked she
just wanted to show respect for Angel by asking his permission.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Buffy led Riley into the bedroom Angel had said to use
and she closed the door behind her. She motioned for Riley to sit but she remained
standing. Being here with Riley felt like such a betrayal to Angel in her
heart. She knew this conversation was going to hard and she knew it might get
ugly but she was about to lay it all out on the line for the both of them and
she just prayed that they came out of this relatively unscathed.
"Riley I…I don't know exactly how to do this. I uh…"
"You want to do the ritual with Angel? You want to be
bonded to him?"
Buffy nodded as the tears welling up in her throat
prevented her from speaking.
"I'm losing you here aren't I? Not that you were really
mine to begin with."
Buffy looked straight at him in disbelief. Tears now
starting to fall.
"I never meant…I never wanted to hurt…I have to do this
Riley. I have to do the ritual with Angel. It may be our only way of beating Ha
Nachash and I have to defeat him. I have to protect the world, it's my legacy,
my destiny, my eventual undoing."
"Are we going to survive this Buffy?"
"I don't know. I…I don't want to lie to you but I …I just
don't know. I'm sorry you deserved so much better than what I ever could give
you. You deserve someone who can give you her heart and soul. I can't do that.
I tried, I really tried but…I really wanted this to work but …"
"Yeah I know Angel owns your heart. Spike was right then.
You will always be his won't you?"