I said in Part 1 that you should know who Penn is. In case
you don't, he's a vampire who was sired by Angelus.
Stunned by Angelus' presence, Spike lost his concentration.
Angelus swiped the stake out of his hand and snarled. "The
only reason you got the jump on me was because I was a little
tired from fighting a Rorian demon. Don't expect that to
happen again."
The only thing Spike could think of to say was, "How'd you
get rid of the soul?"
"Truce?" Angelus offered, rubbing his shoulder. Spike nodded.
Angelus went on, "It happened a few months ago. Wesley was
translating a prophecy about something called a shanshu. At
first he thought it meant Angel was going to die. Then he
realized he had made a mistake. It actually meant...."
Los Angeles, three months earlier...
Wesley explained, "The vampire with a soul, once he fulfills
his destiny, will shanshu. Become human. It's his reward."
"Wow. Angel, a human," Cordelia marveled.
Angel was stunned. He could hardly believe the words he had
just heard. He looked from Wesley's face to Cordelia's.
Eventually he would be redeemed and regain his humanity. Then
he could be with Buffy again. A surge of happiness overcame him.
Perfect happiness.
present time (Aug. 2000)
"So, you see, that's how I was able to come back," Angelus
concluded. "The soul was so overwhelmed with joy at the very
thought of becoming human and reuniting with Buffy that the
emotions were too much for it. The soul is gone, I'm back, and
this time I'm here to stay. No one is ever going to get close
enough to curse me with that damn soul again." He looked at Spike,
wondering if he could trust him. Angelus would never admit it to
anyone else, but he was kind of lonely. "So you came here to kill
me?"
"Came to kill Angel," Spike corrected. "You're not him."
It was a good answer but Angelus wasn't convinced. "We didn't
part on the best of terms," he recalled. "You helped Buffy fight
me."
"Not still mad about that, are you?"
Spike was wise to look wary. Siding with a human against another
vampire was usually a foolhardy move. But Angelus kind of
admired Spike for doing it. It had taken guts. "No, I'm not mad
anymore. You went after what you wanted and you got it. You've
come a long way since the old days, Spike."
The tension eased, Spike noted, "So you haven't burned the city
down to its foundations yet, I see."
"Times change, and I'm changing with them and picking my
battles. For instance, I'm keeping a lower profile these days.
I've kept Angel Investigations running as a front. Only now,
instead of saving all my clients, I eat some of them. Let me
show you where I'm living."
Spike joined Angelus in his car and soon they arrived at the
Hyperion Hotel. Angelus checked the mail and led the way inside,
studying the single envelope he had received. "Another letter
from Penn. He obviously still thinks I'm Angel and he's trying
to torment me by sending me little progress reports about this
woman he's stalking and plans to kill. If only he knew that I
don't care."
Angelus tossed the note down on the front desk. Spike picked it
up and skimmed it, reading, "She's a waitress. Works in a diner.
Her blood is pure. Soon it will run with fear and I will drink
it." The note was signed with a sketch of a cross rather than a
name. Spike discarded the letter and turned to Angelus. "You
alone here? What about Cordelia and Wesley?"
"They're long gone. Long, LONG gone. They would have cramped my
style, you know, so they couldn't stay." Angelus grinned at the
memory. Family tasted the sweetest, but friends ran a hell of a
close second.
"Didn't the slayer figure out something was wrong afterwards?"
"No." Angelus' face darkened. "I wanted to find her, but Buffy
left Sunnydale last year after a vampire killed her mother. No
one knows where she is now." He hadn't given up hope yet. Sooner
or later, he would hear of a clue to her whereabouts and then he'd
track her down. Soul or not, his feelings for Buffy remained
stronger than they had ever been for anyone else.
Santa Ana, California
He was a young-looking man with blond hair, a goatee, and glasses.
He could pass for just another student at any of the several
area colleges. He wasn't, of course, but for all any observers
knew he could have been.
He had been observing his target for the past couple of months.
Tonight, he planned to get closer and introduce himself. He
entered the Silver Knife Diner and chose a table in the blonde
waitress' area.
She slowly came over to him, holding her order pad poised and
looking detached. "Can I take your order?"
The man smiled and pretended to read the young waitress' tag even
though he had already learned the name she was using. "Hello, Anne.
My name is Penn."
"Can I take your order?" she repeated.
Penn's smile faded. "Coffee."
"Anything else?"
"Just coffee."
"All right." She walked away as slowly as she had approached the
table.
Alone, Penn said to himself, "It won't be long now, Anne. Or
should I say, slayer."
you don't, he's a vampire who was sired by Angelus.
Stunned by Angelus' presence, Spike lost his concentration.
Angelus swiped the stake out of his hand and snarled. "The
only reason you got the jump on me was because I was a little
tired from fighting a Rorian demon. Don't expect that to
happen again."
The only thing Spike could think of to say was, "How'd you
get rid of the soul?"
"Truce?" Angelus offered, rubbing his shoulder. Spike nodded.
Angelus went on, "It happened a few months ago. Wesley was
translating a prophecy about something called a shanshu. At
first he thought it meant Angel was going to die. Then he
realized he had made a mistake. It actually meant...."
Los Angeles, three months earlier...
Wesley explained, "The vampire with a soul, once he fulfills
his destiny, will shanshu. Become human. It's his reward."
"Wow. Angel, a human," Cordelia marveled.
Angel was stunned. He could hardly believe the words he had
just heard. He looked from Wesley's face to Cordelia's.
Eventually he would be redeemed and regain his humanity. Then
he could be with Buffy again. A surge of happiness overcame him.
Perfect happiness.
present time (Aug. 2000)
"So, you see, that's how I was able to come back," Angelus
concluded. "The soul was so overwhelmed with joy at the very
thought of becoming human and reuniting with Buffy that the
emotions were too much for it. The soul is gone, I'm back, and
this time I'm here to stay. No one is ever going to get close
enough to curse me with that damn soul again." He looked at Spike,
wondering if he could trust him. Angelus would never admit it to
anyone else, but he was kind of lonely. "So you came here to kill
me?"
"Came to kill Angel," Spike corrected. "You're not him."
It was a good answer but Angelus wasn't convinced. "We didn't
part on the best of terms," he recalled. "You helped Buffy fight
me."
"Not still mad about that, are you?"
Spike was wise to look wary. Siding with a human against another
vampire was usually a foolhardy move. But Angelus kind of
admired Spike for doing it. It had taken guts. "No, I'm not mad
anymore. You went after what you wanted and you got it. You've
come a long way since the old days, Spike."
The tension eased, Spike noted, "So you haven't burned the city
down to its foundations yet, I see."
"Times change, and I'm changing with them and picking my
battles. For instance, I'm keeping a lower profile these days.
I've kept Angel Investigations running as a front. Only now,
instead of saving all my clients, I eat some of them. Let me
show you where I'm living."
Spike joined Angelus in his car and soon they arrived at the
Hyperion Hotel. Angelus checked the mail and led the way inside,
studying the single envelope he had received. "Another letter
from Penn. He obviously still thinks I'm Angel and he's trying
to torment me by sending me little progress reports about this
woman he's stalking and plans to kill. If only he knew that I
don't care."
Angelus tossed the note down on the front desk. Spike picked it
up and skimmed it, reading, "She's a waitress. Works in a diner.
Her blood is pure. Soon it will run with fear and I will drink
it." The note was signed with a sketch of a cross rather than a
name. Spike discarded the letter and turned to Angelus. "You
alone here? What about Cordelia and Wesley?"
"They're long gone. Long, LONG gone. They would have cramped my
style, you know, so they couldn't stay." Angelus grinned at the
memory. Family tasted the sweetest, but friends ran a hell of a
close second.
"Didn't the slayer figure out something was wrong afterwards?"
"No." Angelus' face darkened. "I wanted to find her, but Buffy
left Sunnydale last year after a vampire killed her mother. No
one knows where she is now." He hadn't given up hope yet. Sooner
or later, he would hear of a clue to her whereabouts and then he'd
track her down. Soul or not, his feelings for Buffy remained
stronger than they had ever been for anyone else.
Santa Ana, California
He was a young-looking man with blond hair, a goatee, and glasses.
He could pass for just another student at any of the several
area colleges. He wasn't, of course, but for all any observers
knew he could have been.
He had been observing his target for the past couple of months.
Tonight, he planned to get closer and introduce himself. He
entered the Silver Knife Diner and chose a table in the blonde
waitress' area.
She slowly came over to him, holding her order pad poised and
looking detached. "Can I take your order?"
The man smiled and pretended to read the young waitress' tag even
though he had already learned the name she was using. "Hello, Anne.
My name is Penn."
"Can I take your order?" she repeated.
Penn's smile faded. "Coffee."
"Anything else?"
"Just coffee."
"All right." She walked away as slowly as she had approached the
table.
Alone, Penn said to himself, "It won't be long now, Anne. Or
should I say, slayer."
