What You Are (Part 7/?)
AUTHOR: Rebecca Parker
EMAIL: LaVelleBelle@aol.com
RATING: PG-13
SUMMARY: The Rogue Watcher's Council is after Buffy because of her power to
heal instantaneously. Xander fetched the gang from LA but the Council has
kidnapped Cordelia and promised to kill her if Buffy doesn't turn herself in.
FEEDBACK: Yes please! The lack of feedback lately has been both depressing
and discouraging.
DISTRIBUTION: At my brand spanking new site
(http://www.geocities.com/rebeccafic) and also at FINNatics. Anyone else,
please ask!
DEDICATION: Simply put: To all those who gave me feedback on the last part,
and sadly, that's not many. Thanks for making me feel like this story counts.


Angel looked up at the sky, frowning as he made his way around the South
wall of Giles' apartment. The sun was almost coming up and he had to make his
way inside before it happened. Unfortunately, the two men with rifles in the
bushes in front of the entrance could be a problem.
He crouched down low, edging his way towards the door. There was no time
to lose, and he wasn't about to let a few gunshots stop him- they would be
painful, but not fatal. Not getting in the house was a different story
altogether.
"Hey," Angel called out, standing up in front of the entrance. "Now I'm
gonna walk in the house and you're gonna let me through."
One of the masked gunmen stood up, swinging his rifle towards Angel's
head but missing it as Angel swerved his body to the right, landing a punch
in the man's stomach.
"Somehow I thought that idea wouldn't go over too well," Angel said,
grabbing the man by his shirt and tossing him over the bush.
The second raced towards Angel, his gun pointed squarely at the vampire.
"You're not going in there," the man said, his British accent thick.
"Yeah well, we'll see about that," Angel said, grabbing the gun from him,
but not before a shot was let off, ripping a hole in Angel's shoulder.
"Damnit," he said, wincing as the blood began to flow down his arm. "Now you
pissed me off," Angel said, smashing the gun at the man's nose, the audible
sound of cracking bones filling the air.

*

Giles heard a gunshot outside and was up from the couch in an instant,
staring out the window. He couldn't see anything and an awful feeling of doom
filled his stomach.
"Giles?" Willow called out, racing down the stairs. "Was that what I
think it was?"
"I believe so," Giles said, moving to another window and peeking outside.
"I just don't know who was hit," he said. "Damnit! I can't see anything!"
"You don't think-" Willow started, but a violent knock on the door
interrupted her.
"Giles!" Angel called out, continuing to knock with his right hand. "It's
Angel, let me in!"
Giles rushed over to the door, pulling it open. Angel quickly stepped
over the threshold, closing the door behind him.
"You're shot," Willow said, frowning as she wiped the last remnants of
sleep from her eyes. "Are you OK?"
"Yeah," Angel said, removing his jacket. "It smarts like hell but I'll be
healed up soon. I just need someone to remove the bullet," he said, looking
up at Giles. "Feel up to it?'
"I suppose," Giles said, rolling up his sleeves. "Willow, would you fetch
the brandy?"
Willow started to head towards the kitchen, but Angel called out to her.
"No. No brandy. I need to be alert. We've got a lot to deal with. But, uh,
before we begin can we close the curtains so I can still be around to tell
you about them?" he asked, wincing as he sensed the sun about to rise.
"Oh!" Willow said, turning around. "Sorry!" She ran towards the windows,
quickly drawing the curtains so that most of the sunlight would be blocked
from entering the room.
"Thanks Willow," Angel said, removing his shirt and dropping it to the
floor.
"What of the two men outside?" Giles asked, applying alcohol to Angel's
wound.
"They'll be out of commission for a bit," he said, sitting down in the
chair so that Giles could have better access. "I think there are more out
there tho."
"You saw more?" Willow asked.
"No. I could, um, hear their blood pumping," Angel said, looking away
from her, embarrassed.
"Oh," Willow said, sitting down on the couch and picking up the last book
she had been looking through before she had headed to sleep. "That's a handy
trick."
"Sometimes," Angel admitted, jumping a bit as Giles cut into his skin.
"It's also very distracting. I can't do crossword puzzles with anyone else
around."
Giles smiled as he opened Angel's wound up, carefully digging inside for
the offending bullet. "Where are the others?" he asked. "Did they not come
with you?"
Angel frowned, looking over at Willow who had moved herself nearer to
them. "Our situation just got a little more serious," Angel said, gritting
his teeth against the pain. "Cordelia has been kidnapped by associates of the
men outside. They said they are going to kill her if Buffy does not turn
herself in."
"Dear God," Giles said, removing the bullet and placing it into a glass
of water that sat beside him. "Where are Xander and Wesley?"
"Xander was stabbed by the men," he started, looking at Willow whose face
had become ashen in the last few seconds. "Nothing too serious, but Wesley
took him to the hospital."
"Damnit," Giles said, applying a bandage to Angel's wound. "How did it
all fall apart so quickly?"
"I don't know but we're going to fix this," Angel said, picking his
tattered shirt from the ground and placing it back on his chest.
"How can you be so sure?" Willow said sadly. "One friend is in the
hospital, one is in the hands of the enemy and one is God knows where hiding
out from a bunch of heavily armed men who want her dead. I don't know which
issue to worry about most and which to deal with first."
"Well, first of all, we need to take care of the men outside and get out
of this house," Giles said. "We're just sitting ducks until then and I'm sure
Angel's tirade against them will only serve to anger them."
"OK," Angel said, standing up as he felt the wound already begin to
repair itself. "This is the plan. We have about an hour before the two
outside wake up. We need to need now if we stand a chance."
"But it's daytime, Angel," Willow said. "What about you?"
"I'll do it the old-fashioned way," he said, looking to Giles. "I assume
you don't mind lending me a large blanket?"
Giles nodded. "I'll go get one ," he said, running up the stairs.
Angel turned to Willow. "We're going to need a diversionary spell. Can
you do that?"
"Sure!" Willow said, perking up a bit. "I can summon a mist outside the
apartment so they can't see too well. Would that work?"
"It sounds perfect Willow, thanks," he said. "I'm not going to be much
help with a blanket over my head so we're going to have to try to sneak past
whoever is left out there."
Willow nodded, heading towards her bag. "It's a simple spell. I think I
have all the ingredients on me, luckily enough.
"Good. Start working on that now. The sooner we get outta here, the
better."
Giles walked down the stairs, a heavy blanket in hand. "Here," Giles
said, passing it to Angel. "It's quite thick. No sun should get through.
"Thanks," Angel said, unfolding it. "Willow's going to create some mist
outside so we can get past them. I say we leave now."
"Yes," Giles said, "I think that's an excellent idea. We need to find
Buffy and tell her what is going on."
"Do you know where she is?" Angel asked, slipping on his jacket.
"No," Giles said, sighing. "I was hoping you might know where she would
go."
"I might," Angel said after a moment. "I can't be sure but it's worth a
try."
"Well, it's better than nothing at all," Giles said, opening his trunk
and pulling out a few weapons. "Willow, how is that spell coming?"
"Just about there," Willow said, readying the ingredients around her. A
few words of Latin later, and Willow nodded to them. "We're good to go."
"Straight to the car and as quickly and quietly as we can," Angel said
before shrouding himself in the blanket and headed towards the door, Giles
and Willow directly behind.
Once outside, Willow worried that she did TOO good a job- she could
hardly see Giles and Angel in front of her but didn't dare to call out to
them. She simply walked in the general direction of Giles' car.
A hand grabbed at her and before she had a chance to scream, Giles' face
appeared out of the mist, his finger on his lips.
She nodded, letting him pull her to the car. She quickly jumped in the
front seat, and looking behind her saw Angel huddled under the blankets in
the backseat.
Giles slipped into the driver's seat and started his car, making sure to
pull away immediately. He looked back in the rearview mirror and saw an armed
man in the street behind him, his gun aimed at them. "Get Down!" Giles
commanded, ducking himself but unwilling to stop the car.
Willow crouched down just in time as a bullet ripped through the rear
window, piercing the front window where her head had been only seconds
earlier. "Oh my God," she said as the glass landed in her lap.
"Willow, are you OK?" Angel asked worriedly from the backseat.
"I...I'm OK," Willow said, sitting back up as Giles turned a corner.
"Giles? Are you alright?"
"Yes," he said. "I cannot believe the lengths to which they are going
to."
"Where are we going?" Willow asked, brushing the glass off her.
"My old apartment," Angel said from beneath the blanket.
"Where you and Buffy-" Giles began.
"Yes," Angel said and although they could not see his face, they could
hear the pain in his voice. "I think that's where she is."
Giles glanced at Willow, the same look of worry on her face. "OK," he
said, aiming the car towards Angel's old place.

******

"Riley?" Buffy called out, her eyes opening wearily. She could hardly
remember what had happened- all she recalled was a large bright light and
falling on top of Riley's unconscious figure.
She started to shake, worrying about him. "Riley!"
"Buffy, I'm here," she heard from behind her. A hand was on her shoulder
then and she reached up to hold it. "Are you ok?" she said, turning around,
her arms pulling him into an embrace. "Where are we?"
"I don't know," Riley said, looking around, his arms still encircling
Buffy. "What happened?"
Buffy shrugged, struggling to get to her feet. Riley was beside her in a
moment. "I know this place," Buffy said, looking around. "I've been here
before."
"You have?" Riley asked. "Where are we then?"
"Wait a minute," Buffy said, confused. "Let me think." She looked around,
trying to remember. "Oh my God," Buffy said, realization setting in. "This is
their place- the Watcher Council- they brought me here when I was in Faith's
body- they brought me here to kill me."
"We gotta get outta here," Riley said, grabbing hold of Buffy and walking
towards the door.
"You can't leave," a female voice said from behind them.
Buffy turned around, shocked at who she saw before them. "Tara?"

To Be Continued.....