Faith rose up and brushed herself off. She was covered in scratches
and her clothing was all askew or in some parts torn. Willow, who was
closest to the slayer, rushed over to the dark haired woman and scanned her
to make sure she was okay.
"Nice to see you, I got ambushed by some Jesus freak with some serious firepower and superhuman strength."
"What happened?" Giles ran over to Faith, followed by the others who had been joined by a curious Xander, Connor and Dawn. The group circled around her, displaying a sense of curiosity at Faith's encounter.
"A fanatic armed with enough weaponry to wipe out Iraq attacked me while I was on patrol. He was dressed in this black armor and he said his name was La Morte. I bested him, but nothing seemed to hurt him and he chased me all the way back here. He was very resourceful and powerful, I mean this guy had fighting skills to make Caleb look like a scrawny wimp by comparison."
"Are you saying this man was human?" inquired Wesley with a skeptical look on his face.
"He looked like it until he went all bloodlust on me. His eyes turned a bright red and he fought with a superhuman strength and demonic savagery that I've never seen before. I beat him, but he sure gave me a serious challenge and worst of all, he knows where we are."
Giles nodded, "Willow, look up any information about this fellow on the web while Wesley and I will scour through the tomes and try to ascertain anything we can find."
"I'll check out the demon bars and try to see what I can obtain," Lorne headed past them towards the exit.
Connor interrupted the group as they broke up to pursue their duties except for a puzzled Xander.
"I remember this guy when I was in the hell dimension. The powers always talked about the black knight born of human, demon and angel. I never believed it until Faith just talked about her encounter with him," Connor's face was grim.
"Did you just say 'born of human, demon and angel'?" asked Xander.
"Yes, it was some failed ritual but it left him, a mighty paladin with both demonic and angelic powers. Unfortunately, I don't remember too much but I'm sure he's highly dangerous and powerful. We shouldn't risk going out on patrols tonight with this guy around."
Faith, "I can take him, I mean he wasn't invincible or anything. At least that's what I think. I'm all up for taking up a group and seeking him out. I'm sure he has some information about the new apocalypse."
Connor answered, "I agree with Faith, I think some of us should stay here and research while others go out and try to find this La Mort."
Gunn had disappeared off to the back rooms where the gang kept its weaponry. He returned and deposited them on the floor. Faith picked up a pair of curved blades, Xander seized an axe along with Gunn while Connor hefted a sword Faith nodded and the group marched out of the hotel. Wesley, Fred and Giles ran to the library collection and began scrutinizing through the vast array of tomes. Willow initiated a search on the web with Kennedy sitting beside her, watching Willow utilize her magic to hack through the restricted webpages she used as resources on demonic mythology and activity.
Meanwhile, Buffy decided to walk back to the hotel. She walked through a park as empty as the ghetto she spent most of the night ridding of vampiric activity. She passed by a beautiful fountain surrounded by benches and bushes, creating an eerily pristine sight amidst the dark urban environment. She felt a presence behind her and recognized the footsteps.
Angel stood beside her. He tried to form his speech in his mind before opening his mouth to the petite woman beside him. They had been lovers so long ago and still were, but he tried to forget the rift that occurred between them. The pain he inflicted upon her he knew could never be mended and he was sorry, but no apology could compensate for his reprehensible actions.
"Buffy, I know you probably hate me or at least don't want to remember me, but I'm sorry for leaving you. I had no choice. I still love you, you just weren't here and I'm sorry about Cordelia and the others, I honestly wish I could make it up to you" he stammered.
"If you love me, then you would leave me in peace," she answered him in a cold, emotionless tone.
"You've changed," he commented.
"It hurts deeply when your friends betray you. When you loose everything you hold dear. What's the victory in that?" she turned around to face him, her blue eyes meeting his.
"I know what you mean," he answered. Angel felt the feelings return, the lust, the desire for the luscious beauty standing beside him. She was his true love, and his only. He felt his control over his emotions begin to snap as his arm crept around her. Buffy allowed him to pull her closer to him, her mind giving way to the needs of her body.
"Angel, I can't do this," she tried to resist, pushing against his strong grip, but to avail.
"I can't let you go," he responded, his eyes saddened and his face twisted with raw, tender emotion.
"I know," she answered. She stopped resisting and clutched him as her lips connected with his and they engaged in a passionate kiss. The vampire and the slayer embraced each other and rolled to the ground. Buffy undid her shirt while tossing around in the grass with him. Nothing bothered her now. She had nothing except Angel and she knew it was time she'd forgotten Spike and Riley. Memories of them became nonexistent as she engaged in passionate lovemaking with Angel. She knew she must prevent Angel from achieving a moment of true content, but superficial love could at least allow them to express their fervor.
Yards away from them, standing in a copse of trees, Robert La Morte watched them. His black cloak and armor blended in with its surroundings while his haggard, gaunt face stared in fascination at the scene in front of him. He grasped his bearded, scarred face with one hand in contemplation. He recalled the dreaded vampire Angelus who terrorized the world. He was sent to hunt down and dispatch the scourge at the orders of the Pope himself, but the elusive predator had always evaded him. Ironically, La Morte assumed Angel's old profession and terrorized the continent at the orders of the church. He slaughtered any villages that displayed any sign of heresy or any protestant leader who tried to launch an uprising against the Catholics. Thousands died by the hand of his blade, but he never felt any compassion for them, but now he seemed to feel a tinge of sympathy for the short blonde and her taller vampire lover. To another side, it seemed almost pathetic how the dreaded vampire he had hunted for so long was now passionately in love with a slayer and now fought his own kind for the sake of humanity. He decided to leave the lovers in the park and walked back towards the Baptist church located in the lower east side of the city The Pope told him personally that once he arrived in LA, he would take orders from only one man: Micah Luke.
In the highways outside the city, a motorcycle sounded as it raced towards its destination. Its rider, a short, slender built man stared at the route ahead of him through sunglasses. His purple hair danced in the wind while his thoughts were filled with memories of the friends he left behind in Sunnydale years ago. It would be an interesting homecoming, Oz thought as he drove towards LA. After all, Sunnydale was gone and he heard all about Buffy's death and resurrection, the First and the potentials. He figured the gang needed his help during its relocation and he was tired of living a bohemian life in Australia, roaming the landscape for gigs and avoiding the populace on full moon nights. Oz was sure that his friends would give him a warm welcome, but he was slightly apprehensive about Willow, after all, she was now a lesbian and had already lost her lover. Well, he could at least give it a try, he was a different man anyway.
"Nice to see you, I got ambushed by some Jesus freak with some serious firepower and superhuman strength."
"What happened?" Giles ran over to Faith, followed by the others who had been joined by a curious Xander, Connor and Dawn. The group circled around her, displaying a sense of curiosity at Faith's encounter.
"A fanatic armed with enough weaponry to wipe out Iraq attacked me while I was on patrol. He was dressed in this black armor and he said his name was La Morte. I bested him, but nothing seemed to hurt him and he chased me all the way back here. He was very resourceful and powerful, I mean this guy had fighting skills to make Caleb look like a scrawny wimp by comparison."
"Are you saying this man was human?" inquired Wesley with a skeptical look on his face.
"He looked like it until he went all bloodlust on me. His eyes turned a bright red and he fought with a superhuman strength and demonic savagery that I've never seen before. I beat him, but he sure gave me a serious challenge and worst of all, he knows where we are."
Giles nodded, "Willow, look up any information about this fellow on the web while Wesley and I will scour through the tomes and try to ascertain anything we can find."
"I'll check out the demon bars and try to see what I can obtain," Lorne headed past them towards the exit.
Connor interrupted the group as they broke up to pursue their duties except for a puzzled Xander.
"I remember this guy when I was in the hell dimension. The powers always talked about the black knight born of human, demon and angel. I never believed it until Faith just talked about her encounter with him," Connor's face was grim.
"Did you just say 'born of human, demon and angel'?" asked Xander.
"Yes, it was some failed ritual but it left him, a mighty paladin with both demonic and angelic powers. Unfortunately, I don't remember too much but I'm sure he's highly dangerous and powerful. We shouldn't risk going out on patrols tonight with this guy around."
Faith, "I can take him, I mean he wasn't invincible or anything. At least that's what I think. I'm all up for taking up a group and seeking him out. I'm sure he has some information about the new apocalypse."
Connor answered, "I agree with Faith, I think some of us should stay here and research while others go out and try to find this La Mort."
Gunn had disappeared off to the back rooms where the gang kept its weaponry. He returned and deposited them on the floor. Faith picked up a pair of curved blades, Xander seized an axe along with Gunn while Connor hefted a sword Faith nodded and the group marched out of the hotel. Wesley, Fred and Giles ran to the library collection and began scrutinizing through the vast array of tomes. Willow initiated a search on the web with Kennedy sitting beside her, watching Willow utilize her magic to hack through the restricted webpages she used as resources on demonic mythology and activity.
Meanwhile, Buffy decided to walk back to the hotel. She walked through a park as empty as the ghetto she spent most of the night ridding of vampiric activity. She passed by a beautiful fountain surrounded by benches and bushes, creating an eerily pristine sight amidst the dark urban environment. She felt a presence behind her and recognized the footsteps.
Angel stood beside her. He tried to form his speech in his mind before opening his mouth to the petite woman beside him. They had been lovers so long ago and still were, but he tried to forget the rift that occurred between them. The pain he inflicted upon her he knew could never be mended and he was sorry, but no apology could compensate for his reprehensible actions.
"Buffy, I know you probably hate me or at least don't want to remember me, but I'm sorry for leaving you. I had no choice. I still love you, you just weren't here and I'm sorry about Cordelia and the others, I honestly wish I could make it up to you" he stammered.
"If you love me, then you would leave me in peace," she answered him in a cold, emotionless tone.
"You've changed," he commented.
"It hurts deeply when your friends betray you. When you loose everything you hold dear. What's the victory in that?" she turned around to face him, her blue eyes meeting his.
"I know what you mean," he answered. Angel felt the feelings return, the lust, the desire for the luscious beauty standing beside him. She was his true love, and his only. He felt his control over his emotions begin to snap as his arm crept around her. Buffy allowed him to pull her closer to him, her mind giving way to the needs of her body.
"Angel, I can't do this," she tried to resist, pushing against his strong grip, but to avail.
"I can't let you go," he responded, his eyes saddened and his face twisted with raw, tender emotion.
"I know," she answered. She stopped resisting and clutched him as her lips connected with his and they engaged in a passionate kiss. The vampire and the slayer embraced each other and rolled to the ground. Buffy undid her shirt while tossing around in the grass with him. Nothing bothered her now. She had nothing except Angel and she knew it was time she'd forgotten Spike and Riley. Memories of them became nonexistent as she engaged in passionate lovemaking with Angel. She knew she must prevent Angel from achieving a moment of true content, but superficial love could at least allow them to express their fervor.
Yards away from them, standing in a copse of trees, Robert La Morte watched them. His black cloak and armor blended in with its surroundings while his haggard, gaunt face stared in fascination at the scene in front of him. He grasped his bearded, scarred face with one hand in contemplation. He recalled the dreaded vampire Angelus who terrorized the world. He was sent to hunt down and dispatch the scourge at the orders of the Pope himself, but the elusive predator had always evaded him. Ironically, La Morte assumed Angel's old profession and terrorized the continent at the orders of the church. He slaughtered any villages that displayed any sign of heresy or any protestant leader who tried to launch an uprising against the Catholics. Thousands died by the hand of his blade, but he never felt any compassion for them, but now he seemed to feel a tinge of sympathy for the short blonde and her taller vampire lover. To another side, it seemed almost pathetic how the dreaded vampire he had hunted for so long was now passionately in love with a slayer and now fought his own kind for the sake of humanity. He decided to leave the lovers in the park and walked back towards the Baptist church located in the lower east side of the city The Pope told him personally that once he arrived in LA, he would take orders from only one man: Micah Luke.
In the highways outside the city, a motorcycle sounded as it raced towards its destination. Its rider, a short, slender built man stared at the route ahead of him through sunglasses. His purple hair danced in the wind while his thoughts were filled with memories of the friends he left behind in Sunnydale years ago. It would be an interesting homecoming, Oz thought as he drove towards LA. After all, Sunnydale was gone and he heard all about Buffy's death and resurrection, the First and the potentials. He figured the gang needed his help during its relocation and he was tired of living a bohemian life in Australia, roaming the landscape for gigs and avoiding the populace on full moon nights. Oz was sure that his friends would give him a warm welcome, but he was slightly apprehensive about Willow, after all, she was now a lesbian and had already lost her lover. Well, he could at least give it a try, he was a different man anyway.