Chapter three
"He's gonna what?," Willow asked, panicking. Giles looked over at the redhead from his place at the counter. "He's going to kill Faith," he said. Willow shook his head. "But he can't! I mean, he can, but...he can't!" Oz looked over at her. "Not exactly the winning argument, Will," he said. Willow looked at him, a scowl on her face, but it soon vanished as she realized he was right. "I know, but...if anything happens to Angel..." she trailed off. Xander looked at her. "What?" Giles answered his question. "It would kill her before the poison has the chance." Xander looked at him. "Oh." Giles walked to the table where everyone sat. "I suppose we should head over to Buffy's home. It's probably not very wise to leave her alone for long. Uh, Willow, Xander, gather the books. We'll continue researching when we get there."
Faith walked down the dark street, her long black hair framing her face. Safe to walk now that B's dropped, she thought with a smile. Now all I have to do is find Angel. Shouldn't be too hard. All I have to do is stay in the open. Footsteps behind her caught her attention. Showtime, she thought. She quickened her pace and resisted a laugh as the footsteps did the same. Just a few more steps, she thought, and I'll have Angel right where I want him. Faith swung a corner and pulled a stake from her coat. Someone followed her around the corner and she stepped in his path. It wasn't Angel. "Hey, Slayer. Nice, uh, nice to see ya." Faith looked at the short man with gelled back black hair. He was Willy, the bartender of the local demon haunt, the Alibi. "What the hell are you doing here?," she demanded, the stake still clutched tightly in her hand. Willy gulped loudly and kept his eyes on the stake. "Uh, well, ya know...I, uh, heard about your little ackcomplishment with the other Slayer. Ya know, poisoning her and everything. And, uh, I felt that it was my duty to let ya know, Angel's out for your blood." Faith smiled. "Yeah? Good to hear. Makes my job of hunting him down easier. He'll find me." Willy nodded. "Yeah, so uh, look out behind you." Faith stared at him a second then whirled around just in time to be punched by Angel. She fell to the ground, groaning. "You think you could just do what you did and get away with it?," Angel asked. He looked up at Willy. "Thanks. Now leave." Willy nodded and, sparing one last glance at the Slayer struggling to her feet, ran from the dark corner. Angel turned back to Faith, who staggered to her feet. "Is she dead yet," she asked. Angel smiled menacingly, the way Angelus did. "She's not gonna die. Can't say the same for you." Faith laughed, then swung her fist at his face. He dodged out of the way and grabbed her arm. He pulled it high in the air, then behind her back, slamming her agianst the wall. She shouted in pain. "What are you gonna do, Angel? Kill me? Isn't that agianst you cubscout code?," she taunted, struggling against his hold. "For you, I'll make an exception," he growled. Faith jabbed her elbow into Angel's chest, jerking him away from her. She whirled around and held the stake in front of her. "You think you can take me, Dead Boy?," she asked, using Xander's nickname for him. Angel vamped out. "You bet your ass I can." He attacked at the same she dove at him. Faith punched him; once, twice, a third time. He ducked on her fourth attempt, and jumped back up, throwing a punch at her. Faith recovered quickly and sent a round house to his jaw. She slammed the stake toward his chest but he grabbed her hand, an inch from his heart. He growled and snapped her wrist, relishing her cry of pain as the bones broke. She yanked her hand away, dropping the stake to the ground. She dropped to a crouch and pulled his feet out from under him. He fell to the ground with a grunt. Faith straddled his hips and punched him with her good hand, clutching the broken one to her chest. "You think you can take me?," she yelled. Punch. "No one can take me!" she raised the stake over her head and-- Thunk! She collapsed on top of him. Angel layed there a moment, then pushed her off. The back of her head was bloody, but she was alive. The clank of wood against the street made him turn around. A large wooden plank was on the ground. "Can't seem to EVER keep yourself out of trouble, can you, Liam?," a sweet female voice asked. Angel's head shot up. He recognized the voice. He hadn't heard it in over two and a half centuries. "Kathy?" The teenage brunette smiled. Kathy. His sister. Who he killed over two hundred years ago.
"Buffy's fast asleep. I wiped off her forehead. She's burning up," Willow said, entering the living room. Giles nodded. "I'm not surprised." Willow sat down next to Oz on the couch and picked up a book. Xander dropped his down on the table. "This is a waste of time! There is nothing in these books!," he yelled. Wesley held up a hand. "Now, Xander, calm down" Xander glared at him. "Like hell I will!." Giles nodded. "Yes, he does have a point. We are all worried and frustrated. But, Xander, we must keep looking. If we are to help Buffy-" Cordelia cut him off as she came in from the kitchen. "Hey, if Buffy dies can I have her plane ticket to San Fransisco?," she asked, waving a ticket in the air. Giles sighed. "Cordelia, just once can you shut your blo-what plane ticket?," he asked, registering what she had said. Cordelia held the ticket up. "This one. Under the name Summers, Buffy. Dated for," she looked at it. "The day after graduation." Giles stood up and walked to her, plucking the ticket from her hands. "Hey!," she cried objectively. Giles ignored her as he looked at the plane ticket. "Where did you find this?," he asked. "In Buffy's packed duffel bag on the back porch." Everyone looked at her. "I thought there would be some lip gloss." Willow looked at Giles, then made her way into the kitchen. She emerged a second later with an overstuffed duffel bag in her hands. "This thing is pack with half of Buffy's wardrobe," she said, tossing it on the floor. Xander looked at Giles. "Giles, you don't think Buffy would...", he trailed off as Giles nodded. "I'm afraid so. It appears as if Buffy has decided to leave right after Angel." Xander sighed. "Oh, man." Willow walked to the couch and sat down, a frown on her face. Wesley and Giles looked at each other while Cordelia folded her arms across her chest. Oz stood up suddenly. "Listen, this may not agree with any of you, but...i think it would be best if Angel left." They all looked at him. He held out his hands. "Hey, don't get me wrong. I like Angel as much as the next, but...he is sort of the cause of all this." Xander nodded. "Dead Boy is the cause of all this." Willow nodded. "Yeah. He is." Giles sighed. "Perhaps it would be best if we asked Angel to leave." "Perhaps it's best if you all leave," a voice from the stair said. They all turned. Buffy stood on the stairs, her hands gripping the railing, her body trembling. "Buffy," Willow said in dismay. How much had she heard, she thought. "I heard everything and I want you all out of my home," she said, gritting her teeth agianst the pain of poison coursing through her body. Giles walked toward her. "Now, Buffy, try to calm down." She glared at him. "Don't tell me to calm down!," she yelled. "None of you have any right to say what Angel should do." "I think we do," Xander said. "He caused us all hell and we should have a say in it!" Cordelia nodded. "Yeah. And you should explain about the plane ticket to San Fransisco." "Why? You all figured it out already. And you're right. What's the point of staying when there's nothing to stay for?," she asked. Willow looked at her. "Of course there's something to stay for. Us. The people in Sunnydale." Buffy laughed. "'Us'? What 'us'? There hasn't been an us for a long time, Willow. You've been wrapped up in Oz. Xander, you've been too busy pointing out all of Angel's flaws that I could never talk to you. Cordelia, you don't really care. Giles, you and Wes have always disapproved of Angel. I couldn't come to any of you!" Giles pointed at her. "Now that's bloody not true! You could always come to me with anything! I would never turn my back on you," he yelled at her, his temper flaring. "Oh, yeah? Remember when Angel first came back? Or when Eyghon made his appearance? Where were you then? You had turned your back on me. So don't you dare stand there and tell me you never have. Because you sure as hell did." Everyone stared at her. The only sound was Buffy's panting. "All of you get out. After defeating the Mayor, I don't want to ever see any of you again." They all stood there. "GO!", she yelled. Willow was the first to move. She made her way to the couch, got her coat, and, with one last painful and angry look at Buffy, left the house. Oz followed a second later, wordless, but the look on his face was enough to tell he was hurt. Cordelia shrugged. "No problem for me. Wasn't planning on hanging around you after graduation anyway." Her icyness was more icy than usual, and they all knew she was hurt. She tossed her long black hair and with a cold shoulder, left the Summers house. Xander looked at Buffy. "Ya know, Buff. You've said some things that you never really meant. But I can tell you meant this. Just remember that you can't take this back. Ever." He stomped out of the house, slamming the door behind him. Giles looked at his Slayer, the one girl he considered a daughter. "I may have turned my back on you, Buffy, but when you're life depends on it, I never will. Not even now." He slowly walked from the house, his heart breaking. He had lost the one person wh meant the most to him because of some stupid things that had been said. I won't let her die, he thought. She may hate me, but I won't let her die. Wesley remained in the house. Buffy looked at him, tears streaming down her face. "That all goes for you too, Wes. Tell the Council I quit. Get out of my house." Wesley looked at the floor and walked to the door. He stopped with his hand on the knob. "I know I haven't been the best Watcher I could. But if you do this now, then you are a disgrace to every Slayer in history. I hope you can live with that." He didn't wait for an answer. He opened the door and walked out. As the door shut, Buffy let out a sob and fell to the closest stair. She rested her forehead on her hand. She cried long and hard. Not for the first time, Buffy felt truly alone.
"Kathy?" "That's right. Kathy. I know, total shock to see me. And why not? I mean, you killedme two and a half centuries ago. Oh, don't worry. I'm over it. Anyway, it wasn't you." Angel looked at her. He couldn't believe it. His sister. His baby sister. She was alive and grown up. Standing right in front of him. "Kathy," he said. He climbed to his feet and walked toward her. Her brown eyes watched him the whole way. Angel looked down at her. She looked exactly the same. The same brown eyes, the same sweet face, the same dazzling smile. He reached out and pushed aside her long brown hair and moved her turtleneck sweater aside. His mark was still there. "That never went away. It's still there," she said. He looked at her. "But...how?" Kathy smiled. "Long story. Let's just say it's a miracle." He nodded. "Damn right." Then he reached out and pulled her to him. "God, Kathy. God, I can't believe it." Kathy hugged him back. "I've missed you, Liam. You don't now how long I've looked for you." He pulled back and held her face between his hands. "Why? Why have you been searching for me?" His sister's big brown eyes looked up at him. "To help you save your soulmate. And receive your redemption."
Sorry it took so long for this chapter. School has been hectic. I wish Algebra would rot in a hell demension for ever and ever. Anyway, REVIEW!!!!! Let me know what you thought. With the grade I got on my last history test, I need some encouragement to keep on going.
"He's gonna what?," Willow asked, panicking. Giles looked over at the redhead from his place at the counter. "He's going to kill Faith," he said. Willow shook his head. "But he can't! I mean, he can, but...he can't!" Oz looked over at her. "Not exactly the winning argument, Will," he said. Willow looked at him, a scowl on her face, but it soon vanished as she realized he was right. "I know, but...if anything happens to Angel..." she trailed off. Xander looked at her. "What?" Giles answered his question. "It would kill her before the poison has the chance." Xander looked at him. "Oh." Giles walked to the table where everyone sat. "I suppose we should head over to Buffy's home. It's probably not very wise to leave her alone for long. Uh, Willow, Xander, gather the books. We'll continue researching when we get there."
Faith walked down the dark street, her long black hair framing her face. Safe to walk now that B's dropped, she thought with a smile. Now all I have to do is find Angel. Shouldn't be too hard. All I have to do is stay in the open. Footsteps behind her caught her attention. Showtime, she thought. She quickened her pace and resisted a laugh as the footsteps did the same. Just a few more steps, she thought, and I'll have Angel right where I want him. Faith swung a corner and pulled a stake from her coat. Someone followed her around the corner and she stepped in his path. It wasn't Angel. "Hey, Slayer. Nice, uh, nice to see ya." Faith looked at the short man with gelled back black hair. He was Willy, the bartender of the local demon haunt, the Alibi. "What the hell are you doing here?," she demanded, the stake still clutched tightly in her hand. Willy gulped loudly and kept his eyes on the stake. "Uh, well, ya know...I, uh, heard about your little ackcomplishment with the other Slayer. Ya know, poisoning her and everything. And, uh, I felt that it was my duty to let ya know, Angel's out for your blood." Faith smiled. "Yeah? Good to hear. Makes my job of hunting him down easier. He'll find me." Willy nodded. "Yeah, so uh, look out behind you." Faith stared at him a second then whirled around just in time to be punched by Angel. She fell to the ground, groaning. "You think you could just do what you did and get away with it?," Angel asked. He looked up at Willy. "Thanks. Now leave." Willy nodded and, sparing one last glance at the Slayer struggling to her feet, ran from the dark corner. Angel turned back to Faith, who staggered to her feet. "Is she dead yet," she asked. Angel smiled menacingly, the way Angelus did. "She's not gonna die. Can't say the same for you." Faith laughed, then swung her fist at his face. He dodged out of the way and grabbed her arm. He pulled it high in the air, then behind her back, slamming her agianst the wall. She shouted in pain. "What are you gonna do, Angel? Kill me? Isn't that agianst you cubscout code?," she taunted, struggling against his hold. "For you, I'll make an exception," he growled. Faith jabbed her elbow into Angel's chest, jerking him away from her. She whirled around and held the stake in front of her. "You think you can take me, Dead Boy?," she asked, using Xander's nickname for him. Angel vamped out. "You bet your ass I can." He attacked at the same she dove at him. Faith punched him; once, twice, a third time. He ducked on her fourth attempt, and jumped back up, throwing a punch at her. Faith recovered quickly and sent a round house to his jaw. She slammed the stake toward his chest but he grabbed her hand, an inch from his heart. He growled and snapped her wrist, relishing her cry of pain as the bones broke. She yanked her hand away, dropping the stake to the ground. She dropped to a crouch and pulled his feet out from under him. He fell to the ground with a grunt. Faith straddled his hips and punched him with her good hand, clutching the broken one to her chest. "You think you can take me?," she yelled. Punch. "No one can take me!" she raised the stake over her head and-- Thunk! She collapsed on top of him. Angel layed there a moment, then pushed her off. The back of her head was bloody, but she was alive. The clank of wood against the street made him turn around. A large wooden plank was on the ground. "Can't seem to EVER keep yourself out of trouble, can you, Liam?," a sweet female voice asked. Angel's head shot up. He recognized the voice. He hadn't heard it in over two and a half centuries. "Kathy?" The teenage brunette smiled. Kathy. His sister. Who he killed over two hundred years ago.
"Buffy's fast asleep. I wiped off her forehead. She's burning up," Willow said, entering the living room. Giles nodded. "I'm not surprised." Willow sat down next to Oz on the couch and picked up a book. Xander dropped his down on the table. "This is a waste of time! There is nothing in these books!," he yelled. Wesley held up a hand. "Now, Xander, calm down" Xander glared at him. "Like hell I will!." Giles nodded. "Yes, he does have a point. We are all worried and frustrated. But, Xander, we must keep looking. If we are to help Buffy-" Cordelia cut him off as she came in from the kitchen. "Hey, if Buffy dies can I have her plane ticket to San Fransisco?," she asked, waving a ticket in the air. Giles sighed. "Cordelia, just once can you shut your blo-what plane ticket?," he asked, registering what she had said. Cordelia held the ticket up. "This one. Under the name Summers, Buffy. Dated for," she looked at it. "The day after graduation." Giles stood up and walked to her, plucking the ticket from her hands. "Hey!," she cried objectively. Giles ignored her as he looked at the plane ticket. "Where did you find this?," he asked. "In Buffy's packed duffel bag on the back porch." Everyone looked at her. "I thought there would be some lip gloss." Willow looked at Giles, then made her way into the kitchen. She emerged a second later with an overstuffed duffel bag in her hands. "This thing is pack with half of Buffy's wardrobe," she said, tossing it on the floor. Xander looked at Giles. "Giles, you don't think Buffy would...", he trailed off as Giles nodded. "I'm afraid so. It appears as if Buffy has decided to leave right after Angel." Xander sighed. "Oh, man." Willow walked to the couch and sat down, a frown on her face. Wesley and Giles looked at each other while Cordelia folded her arms across her chest. Oz stood up suddenly. "Listen, this may not agree with any of you, but...i think it would be best if Angel left." They all looked at him. He held out his hands. "Hey, don't get me wrong. I like Angel as much as the next, but...he is sort of the cause of all this." Xander nodded. "Dead Boy is the cause of all this." Willow nodded. "Yeah. He is." Giles sighed. "Perhaps it would be best if we asked Angel to leave." "Perhaps it's best if you all leave," a voice from the stair said. They all turned. Buffy stood on the stairs, her hands gripping the railing, her body trembling. "Buffy," Willow said in dismay. How much had she heard, she thought. "I heard everything and I want you all out of my home," she said, gritting her teeth agianst the pain of poison coursing through her body. Giles walked toward her. "Now, Buffy, try to calm down." She glared at him. "Don't tell me to calm down!," she yelled. "None of you have any right to say what Angel should do." "I think we do," Xander said. "He caused us all hell and we should have a say in it!" Cordelia nodded. "Yeah. And you should explain about the plane ticket to San Fransisco." "Why? You all figured it out already. And you're right. What's the point of staying when there's nothing to stay for?," she asked. Willow looked at her. "Of course there's something to stay for. Us. The people in Sunnydale." Buffy laughed. "'Us'? What 'us'? There hasn't been an us for a long time, Willow. You've been wrapped up in Oz. Xander, you've been too busy pointing out all of Angel's flaws that I could never talk to you. Cordelia, you don't really care. Giles, you and Wes have always disapproved of Angel. I couldn't come to any of you!" Giles pointed at her. "Now that's bloody not true! You could always come to me with anything! I would never turn my back on you," he yelled at her, his temper flaring. "Oh, yeah? Remember when Angel first came back? Or when Eyghon made his appearance? Where were you then? You had turned your back on me. So don't you dare stand there and tell me you never have. Because you sure as hell did." Everyone stared at her. The only sound was Buffy's panting. "All of you get out. After defeating the Mayor, I don't want to ever see any of you again." They all stood there. "GO!", she yelled. Willow was the first to move. She made her way to the couch, got her coat, and, with one last painful and angry look at Buffy, left the house. Oz followed a second later, wordless, but the look on his face was enough to tell he was hurt. Cordelia shrugged. "No problem for me. Wasn't planning on hanging around you after graduation anyway." Her icyness was more icy than usual, and they all knew she was hurt. She tossed her long black hair and with a cold shoulder, left the Summers house. Xander looked at Buffy. "Ya know, Buff. You've said some things that you never really meant. But I can tell you meant this. Just remember that you can't take this back. Ever." He stomped out of the house, slamming the door behind him. Giles looked at his Slayer, the one girl he considered a daughter. "I may have turned my back on you, Buffy, but when you're life depends on it, I never will. Not even now." He slowly walked from the house, his heart breaking. He had lost the one person wh meant the most to him because of some stupid things that had been said. I won't let her die, he thought. She may hate me, but I won't let her die. Wesley remained in the house. Buffy looked at him, tears streaming down her face. "That all goes for you too, Wes. Tell the Council I quit. Get out of my house." Wesley looked at the floor and walked to the door. He stopped with his hand on the knob. "I know I haven't been the best Watcher I could. But if you do this now, then you are a disgrace to every Slayer in history. I hope you can live with that." He didn't wait for an answer. He opened the door and walked out. As the door shut, Buffy let out a sob and fell to the closest stair. She rested her forehead on her hand. She cried long and hard. Not for the first time, Buffy felt truly alone.
"Kathy?" "That's right. Kathy. I know, total shock to see me. And why not? I mean, you killedme two and a half centuries ago. Oh, don't worry. I'm over it. Anyway, it wasn't you." Angel looked at her. He couldn't believe it. His sister. His baby sister. She was alive and grown up. Standing right in front of him. "Kathy," he said. He climbed to his feet and walked toward her. Her brown eyes watched him the whole way. Angel looked down at her. She looked exactly the same. The same brown eyes, the same sweet face, the same dazzling smile. He reached out and pushed aside her long brown hair and moved her turtleneck sweater aside. His mark was still there. "That never went away. It's still there," she said. He looked at her. "But...how?" Kathy smiled. "Long story. Let's just say it's a miracle." He nodded. "Damn right." Then he reached out and pulled her to him. "God, Kathy. God, I can't believe it." Kathy hugged him back. "I've missed you, Liam. You don't now how long I've looked for you." He pulled back and held her face between his hands. "Why? Why have you been searching for me?" His sister's big brown eyes looked up at him. "To help you save your soulmate. And receive your redemption."
Sorry it took so long for this chapter. School has been hectic. I wish Algebra would rot in a hell demension for ever and ever. Anyway, REVIEW!!!!! Let me know what you thought. With the grade I got on my last history test, I need some encouragement to keep on going.