Part 5

Book after book Giles searched but could find nothing to shed light on the recent events.  He'd gone home and slept for a few hours, but all he could think about was finding answers, and hopefully, his Slayer.  So he'd returned to the library and thoroughly gone through his most reliable resources.  But none of them were of any use.  He continued to search though, praying with each turn of a page that the next one might hold the answers he sought.  Page after page after page.  The words were beginning to look like a mass of black lines with no meaning.  He laughed to himself…that's exactly what they are, useless symbol…he took his glasses off, running his hands over his face, and then glanced down at his watch.  It was about 3:30pm.  The group would be arriving soon and he had nothing to tell them on the research front.

Giles looked up when he heard the doors to the library open not long after that and saw Willow and Oz enter the room.  They didn't look much more rested than they had when they had left earlier.  Of course, he imagined, he probably looked about the same.  Their current situation wasn't exactly conducive to a peaceful nights sleep.

"Good after noon you two, I hope you were able to get some sleep," asked Giles.

"Yeah, a little, but Angel suddenly reappearing isn't exactly good for the sleein'," stated the red head with a mild bit of sarcasm.  Unfortunately, she hadn't realized that someone else had heard her statement.

"WHAT?!?!," screeched the brown haired boy, rage burning in the pits of his eyes.

"Xander, when did you get here," questioned Willow.  It figured the one time he was early for a meeting he'd walk in on what she'd just said.

"Xander, please, just come in and sit down and we will explain the situation," the librarian said trying to maintain control over the situation.  The one person who hated Angel's alter ego more than him was probably Xander, and he knew this wasn't going to be easy.  The boy was going to want to kill him despite the information he might be able to provide.  As much as he wouldn't mind seeing Angel turned into a pile of dust, he couldn't let it happen. 

"Ok, so there's a homicidal vampire, well all vampires are homicidal but this one even more so, stalking the people of Sunnydale and you want me to sit down and chat about it.  I don't think so.  What he needs is a good old fashioned wooden stake right in his cold, undead heart," Xander said forcefully, almost shouting.

"Xander, shut up and sit down," ordered the beauty queen.  She stared at him, giving him the look that said he better do as she told him.  A smiled formed internally as he begrudgingly did as she asked.

Giles and Willow carefully, and thoroughly explained the previous nights events to the two who had not been witness to them.  Both knew they had to make Xander understand the implications of the vampire's return.  That he might, and hopefully would, be able to provide them with the information they'd so desparately wanted for the last few months. 

During the whole speech, Xander, amazingly, had not said a word.  Rather he just said there, listening to what they were saying and trying not to let his rage take control.  At some point he realized why the others appeared to be happy, in a grotesque sort of way, that his arch enemy, in more than one way, had returned.  Because, it wasn't about him, it was about Buffy.  About what had happened to Buffy.  He'd give anything to see the evil creature of the night turn into a big pile of dust, but he knew it couldn't happen.  Thankfully, for once, his logical side spoke louder than his emotional side.  But that didn't keep a million ways to kill Angel from zipping through his head.  He smirked inwardly at some of the ideas that came to him.  He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he hadn't realized his friend and, for all intensive puporses, his only father figure had finished speaking and were staring at him. 

"Umm, huh?," he asked, realizing they'd wanted him to say something.

"Are you okay Xander?," said Willow, in her soft best friend voice.

"Yeah, don't worry, I won't stake the evil undead boy, as much as I want, I know, I mean I understand, I get why I can't.  That doesn't mean I have to like it," the boy stated.

"Fine, now that that's settled, there is an immense amount of research that needs to be done, but first I suggest we go to the mansion and check on Angel.  He needs to be and his wounds checked.  And I think it would be best if we kept his sedated until we have a better understanding of the situation.  I don't believe he will hurt anybody, but we can't be sure that he won't, or that he won't run.  Oz, do you suppose we could all go in your van to the mansion?  And we will need to stop for some more blood," the Britism man said.

"Yeah, sure.  We already stopped and got some blood on our way here," replied the currently blonde haired boy.

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The group of 5 stood outside the bedroom where they'd left the vampire earlier that morning.  Some stood there with hope of what the words the vampire would speak could tell them, while others barely managed to hide the rage they felt toward the cold body on the other side of the door.  Regardless, all knew that at the moment it didn't particularly matter what the vampire had done when he was Angelus.  They had to put that aside in order to possibly find their cherished loved one.

"Perhaps it would be better if we all didn't barge in there staring at him.  He seems rather frightened.  I don't think it would help him for us all to go in.  At least not yet.  I need to tend to his wounds.  Oz, would you mind terribly taking on the task of feeding him?" asked Giles.

"No, I think I can handle that," replied the boy in typical monotone fashion.

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A half hour later the two exited the vampires room, showing no sign of being attacked or frightened, which to Xander's eyes, was quite a relief.  It didn't matter that they had told him Angel was not Angelus and wouldn't hurt him.  He would never trust the man, or whatever he was.

"Oz, Giles, how did it go," Willow asked nervously. 

"About as good as could be expected," answered Giles.

"He pretty much didn't move, didn't talk, kinda acted like we weren't there," said Oz.

"You did get him to eat, though, didn't you," questioned the red head.

"That was about all we could get him to do.  I gave him another sedative that should keep him knocked out for quite some time.  As much as I know we need to do research, I think it would be best if we all went home and got some rest.  The three of us especially.  Angel will be fine until tomorrow, and the research can very well wait.  We aren't going to get anything done in the condition we're in.  Oz can drop us all off at our cars at the school and we can meet tomorrow in the library at 2pm," Giles stated.

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TBC – at some point, feedback helps motivate…