~*Seven*~
"Live, for the one you love,
Love, as you've never loved,
Give, asking nothing in return…"
--Celine Dion
The sun had just set as Buffy walked out onto her balcony. The Chicago nightscape stretched out before her. Her eyes wandered over the building tops, not really even seeing anything. Her mind was numb. She had slipped into auto-pilot mode. It wasn't as if she'd never had her life threatened before; stopping the apocalypse was part of her job description. And yet, somehow, she was still scared out of her mind. For once, she didn't have the home court advantage. She was on someone else's turf, and she didn't even know the rules of the game. She felt as if it was her first time slaying again, where she didn't know what to do, how to act, or where to start… And then there was Angel.
Of course, she was relieved that he was there for her. She was glad that at least she had someone on her side; she wouldn't have to fight alone. But it was hard working with him again. It felt so weird, being side by side with him, planning strategies and discussing prophecies… it was just like it used to be. But things were different. She knew it. And he knew it. She couldn't just lean into his strength when she was tired, and when she talked face to face with him, she always kept a six-inch barrier. She pretended not to notice. When his hands brushed accidentally against her arm, she pretended not to feel it. But that didn't stop her heart from doing somersaults, or keep her breath from quickening. Though her mind knew that things were different, her heart refused to admit that it was true.
She shook her head, finally remembering why she had come out onto the balcony in the first place. She retrieved her cell phone from her pocket and turned it on, dialing Giles' number. Behind her, she could hear Angel entering her bedroom. She didn't turn around; she continued to stare out at the starry night sky as the ringing on the line droned on.
Finally, an out-of-breath Giles picked up the phone, "Hello?"
She blinked, finding her voice, "Um… hi Giles. It's me."
"Buffy…" His tone became immediately less formal, "How are things going in Chicago? Did you get in touch with some of the people at the Crown?"
"Yeah." She replied, "Yeah, I did. They were sorta helpful."
"Buffy? All you all right? You sound a little distant… did something happen?" His voice took on a tone of fatherly concern.
"I… uh…" She took a deep breath, "I ran into Angel here in Chicago."
Buffy could almost imagine Giles' bewildered expression in the silence that ensued. "You-you-you ran into Angel?" He stuttered.
"Yeah." She breathed again, rubbing her hand up and down her arm to keep herself warm, "Cordelia had a vision about some demon that was supposed to be here and so he came to investigate. Anyways… the demon that he was after is called a Lanthos, sound familiar?"
"Lanthos…" Giles repeated the name slowly, as if trying to jog his memory, "Yes. I believe I've heard of it before. Yes, yes… the Lanthos demon is a guardian demon."
"Yeah." Buffy replied, "Apparently, it's the Guardian Demon of the Journeyers… Anyways, Wesley found a part of a prophecy about the Klak and the Lanthos in one of his books. We were wondering if you might be able to find of the rest of it in some of your own books…"
"Well, I can't promise anything. I could search through what I have… Are you sure you're all right over there?" He was still stuttering.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Giles. Things are under control… for the moment. But the sooner we get the rest of that prophecy, the better I'd feel." She insisted.
"Yes, yes, I understand. I meant, are you sure you're all right… with Angel?" He asked, his voice becoming softer.
She paused, unsure of how to answer, "Yeah… things are OK. I'm," She took a deep breath, "I'm dealing with things." She turned around, peering through the curtains at Angel's figure inside the room. He was sitting on her bed, a pen and pad in hand. He was bent over it in concentration, his dark features dramatically lit by the golden yellow lamps in the room. She found herself becoming lost, just staring at him.
"All right." Giles' voice brought her back to reality, "Be careful, Buffy… I'll call back as soon as I find anything on this prophecy of yours."
"Thanks, Giles." She replied, forcing her mind off of Angel. She turned back around to look at the glittering lights on the street below, "I'll keep in touch." She waited until she heard him hang up before she turned and walked back into the bedroom, grateful to get out of the cold.
Upon hearing the balcony door close, Angel looked up from his work. His eyes immediately found her and he rose. "Did you get in touch with Giles?"
She nodded, fingering her cell phone, "Yeah, I did. He said that he'd look through his books and see if he can find anything useful. He promised to call back as soon as he gets anything."
Angel nodded, throwing the pad onto the mattress and running a hand through his hair. "That's good… Hopefully, between him and Wesley, someone will find the rest of the prophecy."
Buffy shrugged, half-leaning, half-sitting on the desk behind her. "What should we do till then? I don't like just sitting around waiting to be killed… it generally makes me jittery."
He sighed, walking over to stand next to her, "Buffy, we can't run into this thing blind. For all we know, the Klak don't even know you're here. The longer we can keep it that way, the better."
She shook her head, looking at him, "I'm the Slayer, Angel. I don't hide. I fight. I'm going to have to face them sooner or later, why not now?"
"What?" He asked, slightly exasperated, "And get killed? That certainly won't help…"
"I'm a big girl." She replied, her voice rising, "If you haven't noticed, I've dedicated six years of my life to this stuff. I'm not some reckless little high schooler anymore. I know what I'm supposed to do, and I know how to do it."
He looked at her, shifting his weight slightly. "I know that, Buffy. I just think we should wait until we know a little more about what we're up against. It'd be nice to at least know how to kill this Lanthos demon if we come up against it… we have to be prepared. This isn't just a couple of vamps we're talking about…this is big."
"I've done big before, Angel." She retorted, her voice steady. "I've done the Apocalypse, I've done the End of Days, I've done the whole Ascension deal… I can handle it. I'm not your responsibility… I'm not some helpless innocent that you have to protect. I'm the Slayer. Sacrificing myself for the world isn't just my job; it's my Destiny… Why can't you see that? You didn't see it two and a half years ago, and you don't see it right now… You told me when you left that you wanted me to find a normal life…" She gestured wildly with her hands, indicating the whole room with her arms. "Well this is my normal life." Her voice hardened and her eyes became steeled with determination, "I'll never be a normal girl, Angel. I have to live my life as if I'll never see tomorrow… cause chances are, I won't…"
"And that's why I don't want you running into this!" He said, cutting her off. He grabbed her by the shoulders, his hands firm. "I can't lose you again, Buffy. I can't. I know you've changed and I know you've grown… I know that you've become ten times the girl that I used to know… but that doesn't change anything." He shook her, his finger tightening around her arms, afraid to let her go.
She found herself at a loss for words, her thoughts lost in the emotions that were tumbling in his chocolate eyes. She had never expected this from him. She had always been the one to lose her temper and start the tirades; she had never expected him to come back with such passion. He was supposed to be the rational one, the one that thinks things out before taking action. He was supposed to be scolding her for being rash… not spilling out his feelings.
His voice continued to go on, dropping to a softer tone now. His eyes never left hers, "When I look at you, I still see the same passion and courage that I saw six years ago when you were called. I lost that once, I don't want to lose it again. When Willow told me you had died, I didn't know what to do with myself. I don't know how to live without you, Buffy. And I'm scared. I'm scared that if I let you go out there, you won't come back. And I can't live with that…"
He trailed off, the anger and tension in the air replaced by the hum of the lamp. They were both breathing hard, and neither of them were quite sure of what they had just said. She felt as if she were dreaming, she wanted to say something… but she found that her lips refused to move.
"Anne!!"
A figure came running through the door to her bedroom and she could hear the hotel door bang loudly against the wall, as if it had been thrown open.
The two were torn away from their thoughts. Buffy blinked, forcing her eyes off of Angel. She whipped her head around, her gaze landing on the boy who had interrupted their conversation. Without another thought, she shook Angel's firm grasp from her shoulders and ran towards the young man.
"Matt?" She asked, picking up a small bag of weapons that she had packed earlier, "What's going on?"
He was out of breath. He put one hand on the chair next to him to steady himself. He was bent over, gulping in breaths of air as he peered up at her. "There's never been so many of them… they… they attacked a few blocks from here. They took us completely by surprise…"
"Who?" She asked. Her hand flew to his arm as she tried to will him to speak faster, "Vampires?"
He nodded vigorously, "There were only three of us. I… I didn't know what to do… my friends are still down there. I…I…I came to get help…"
"You came to right place." She said, already heading out the door. "We'll take care of this. Get yourself cleaned up and wait here at the hotel. Don't worry about your friends; they'll be OK. I promise."
She rushed out of the hotel room. Angel quickly caught up to her, matching her stride for stride as they walked towards the elevators. Without even thinking, she took a large stake from within the bag and held it out towards him as they walked. He took it, pocketing it in his coat without even a glance, their previous conversation already forgotten in light of the new emergency. A part of her marveled at how easily and fluidly they had slipped back into their old routine. But she turned that part of her off. It was time to get down to business.
* * *
A sound high kick followed immediately by a right jab brought the vampire down to its knees. With one fluid motion, Angel staked it and whirled around to face his next opponent.
There were a little over a dozen vampires when they had arrived, and the dust that covered the freshly fallen snow seemed to speak of others that had already been destroyed before their entrance. The vampires had taken two humans, a young woman and an older man, as hostages. Angel let his gaze wander towards them now, trying to assess how much distance he'd have to cover.
A roar next to his left ear warned him of an impending attack. He struck out with his left arm, while throwing another opponent a few yards with his right. A twinge of pain shot up his shoulder, reminding him of his last encounter with this group. He swore, shifting his position to favor his right arm. He switched the stake to his left hand easily.
He delivered a sharp roundhouse to the vampire behind him, his stake already coming in fast towards the enemy's chest. Before it could even let out another cry, it was turned swiftly into a pile of dust.
"Angel!"
He turned, seeing a flash of blond hair run past him. Buffy's slight figure was lithe and graceful as it landed a strong punch into another vampire's chest. A growl behind him grabbed Angel's attention for a moment. Without even thinking, he jabbed out with his left arm, taking out the vampire that had attacked.
"Get the humans! I'll clean up here!" She ordered him, already moving away from him and towards the horde before her.
He nodded his acknowledgement, realizing that she wasn't even looking at him. He turned his attention to the two hostages that had been thrown against the wall to his right. They were battered and beaten and sported a few nasty looking bruises and cuts. He ran towards them, listening to the roar of fighting behind him. Somehow, he knew his back was safe with Buffy protecting it. He didn't stop running until he reached the two humans. A sweeping kick and a sharp elbow to the ribs took care of the vamps that tried to get in his way and some unlucky vamp got a sharp stake in the heart.
"You have to get out of here." He said to humans once he was in hearing distance. He whirled around, shoving off a persistent vampire that didn't seem to want to give up. He turned back around to face the humans before him.
The girl was looking at him with frightened eyes, her fingers clutching at the remainder of a wooden stake. The older man just nodded, putting a firm hand on his companion.
"Now!" Angel persisted, trying to get them to move, all too aware of the dangers that surrounded them.
Without another word, the two turned and ran towards the corner where the hotel lay only a few blocks away. He watched them leave, waiting until they had gotten a few yards out of danger before turning his attention back to the fight.
The remaining vampires were crowding around Buffy but none of them were able to get within an arms reach of her. They had formed a crude circle around her, practically surrounding her, but she didn't look worried. Mechanically, she took them out one by one. He could see some of their courage begin to falter and the weaker ones began to fall back in fear. A smirk of pure foolish pride crossed his expression as he watched her fight. There was one vampire who kept himself withdrawn from the group. He was dressed very differently, his body clad in a long, red robe. His face was vamped out, and yet he did not join the fight. He stood off the side, silently appraising the whole situation with golden eyes.
Angel ran towards the observer, whom he decided was their ringleader. His fingers tightened around his stake and he formed a fist with his other hand, ready for an encounter.
As if sensing the impending attack, the vampire suddenly looked over in Angel's direction. His eyes grew wide for a moment, as if realization dawned upon him. Angel expected him to brace for a fight. But to his surprise, the vampire turned and began to run away.
"Fall for the Klak!" The vampire was screaming over his shoulder as he fled. Angel persisted in the chase, rapidly gaining distance on his victim.
Another rush of speed and a kick of pure adrenaline awakened in his body. Something inside of him was telling him he couldn't let this one go. He felt himself change and with the change came a heightened awareness of the need to hunt. He growled, his mind concentrating on the task before him.
"Angel!"
Her voice penetrated his thoughts and brought his feet to a rapid halt. He turned, his sharp night eyes finding her form quickly. For some reason, the vampires had suddenly started to attack even more vigorously. Now, they held nothing back. It was as if they were on a suicide mission. There were at least six of them and Buffy couldn't hold all of them off in this heightened state.
Angel swore, throwing one more glance down the dark street towards the rapidly shrinking figure of the vampire who had given the order. A low growl came from Angel's throat before he turned and ran back towards Buffy. By the time he got there, there were only four vampires left.
With the element of surprise on his side, he managed to stake one of them without even slowing his momentum. He rammed another one to the ground with the sheer force behind his charge. His stake found its target within seconds and he twirled, all too ready to face what came next.
Buffy had taken down one more during his attack, leaving only one poor, unfortunate vampire to face the wrath of both of them. Buffy kicked the vampire squarely in the chest, sending its body flying in Angel's direction. He tightened his grip on the stake, holding it out before him. The wood slid fluidly into the vampire's back and soon what remained was only a large pile of dust.
The lust for the kill began to calm in his veins and he looked around, finding that they were now alone in the street. He kicked at the fine layer of dust that had accumulated atop the trampled snow. He slowly changed back, and he felt himself coming down from the high that was rushing through his body.
"You all right?" He heard Buffy's voice close to him and he turned to face her.
He nodded, "Yeah. The leader got away." He pointed towards the direction in which the vampire had fled, "But we got the rest. The hostages are safe, I think they went back to the hotel."
She nodded, flipping the stake in her hand a couple of times, "Maybe we should go join them." She grinned, her eyes glistening with mischief, "That was fun!" She walked past him towards the hotel, a bounce in her step.
He watched her go, his eyes trained on her small form retreating into the dark. He allowed himself a small chuckle and shook his head before he rushed to catch up with her.
* * *
"Mistress!"
Celesta looked up, her expression one of pure annoyance, "What is it, Fiore? Where have you been?"
The vampire was out of breath, his red robe covered in snow, "Mistress, I have news for you."
"Have you taken care of the disturbance?" She asked, clasping her hands in front of her as she watched her servant bow before her.
He paused, hesitating before speaking, "I… I was unable to dispatch of the interference. They were both there this time… the girl and the vampire. They were too strong… we lost more of our servants."
She growled, seizing the vampire by the folds of his robe. She glared at him with golden-green eyes, "I hope… for your sake, Fiore… that you have something better to tell me than this."
His mouth flapped open and closed a few times before any words came out. "I… I do… Mistress. I have good news for you… one of them was the One."
She let got of him immediately, her mood becoming complacent. "The One?" She purred, "You've found the One that the Prophecy speaks of? The One we are to kill to achieve Elevation?"
He nodded numbly, pleased that at her apparent satisfaction, "Yes…yes… I am sure of it. I have found the One… But… the girl… the girl was strong. Stronger than other humans… She is different…"
"A Slayer…" Celesta whispered; her eyes alight with pleasure, "All the more fun for our little game." She grinned, "The Slayer and the One all wrapped up into a nice little package… how nice." Her eyes glowed with anticipation, "You have served me well tonight, Fiore. I am pleased with you. You shall be rewarded for this. Go now. I will come to you shortly."
The vampire bowed, turning around and scurrying into the darkness. Celesta watched the retreating figure with detached observation. A small smirk passed over her lips, "Our Elevation draws near… all the pieces have fallen into place…"
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