Pyrrhic Victory

Disclaimer: Characters and Premise are borrowed from the show "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel".

I didn't think it would hurt, this being fired thing. Sure it tore up Cordy and Wes, but they were old guard, knew Angel since back when. Me, I just got here and, damn, he's a vampire, why should I care if he self-destructs.

Except I like the guy, or I did like Angel. I liked the guy who stood there with a crossbow bolt through his hand and an annoyed expression on his face while he explained our mistake to about a dozen armed, scared kids who'd been forced to become demon hunters. It took guts to do that. I liked guy who checked on me after Alora and managed not to say anything stupid. I liked the guy who was ready to do whatever it took to protect his friends.

The Angel I got to know had his priorities straight: first you protect the innocent then you worry about taking out the bad guys. I didn't used to see that, Alora knew it though. She warned me, I was more caught up in killing than protecting, and that was gonna lead to trouble. It took her death to make me listen to what she'd been saying. Angel used to get that; he let that nest of vamps walk because it was more important that my people got out alive. Now I wonder what he'd do if we were in that situation again. Angel had good friends to fight beside and a worthwhile cause to fight for; I thought he had it all together.

Then this Darla chick came along. At first I could follow, he wanted to help her. That was our Angel. Maybe he went over the top, but I got that too; she'd been his lover for what, a hundred and fifty years? It would of bugged me more if she hadn't meant anything to him.

So I helped find her for him. Darla's his blood and you've got a duty to protect your family, even when they don't want you to, even from themselves.

I don't get him now. Angel's lost his perspective. He isn't protecting anyone now; he's going for vengeance. He's acting out of anger not reason. I thought he knew better than that.

We could help him find his way back to his purpose, if he'd let us. Cordy and Wes are more than just friends to him, they're family of the heart if not the blood. And I understand why he's doing this, at least in part. I don't really know how them all being vampires changes things, but I can see that killing either Darla or Drucillia means killing family to Angel. Just because it's necessary doesn't make it right, if you'd done it right the killing wouldn't be needed. Who cares if you did everything you could, facts don't change how you feel.

Plus Angel's got more problems than just the emotional, there's two of them, working as a team, and they're experienced. He's gonna have to fight them for the kill, they know better than to trust his feelings for them to stay his hand.

From what I know of vamps any two of the three of them would be fairly matched in a fight. If Angel's feelings make him hesitate he'll be the one to end up dust.

No part of killing those two is going to be easy for Angel, but that ain't what he's meant to do either. They aren't what Cordy's visions are aiming him at. He sees dealing with them as his duty; he needs to clean up what he sees as his mistakes, his failures. I understand why he thinks he has to but Angel's gonna give up his mission to kill those two and maybe a whole bunch of dealing-with-the-devil-lawyers, but when that's done and they're all gone he'll have nothing. No friends, no goals, no future, no sense of self. In the end he'll have nothing but ashes.

Notes: Pyrrhic Victory - Winning but at such a high cost that you might as well have lost.

Home

Next

Please Send Feedback