Disclaimer: Again, I own nothing. The Almighty Joss & Co. own it all.
Author's Note: I know what I said in the last AN, and I take it all back. This story is basically my rewrite/version of S7 Buffy and S4 Angel. Everything previous to those seasons has happened.
Also, I liked Riley, so there!
This time I am going to dedicate this chapter to my new pool, where I have procrastinated in it's 3ft deep waters instead of finishing the chapter. And also to my little sister who refuses to like anything Buffy/Angel related, but let me read a page and a half of this to her against her will. Yay Heather!
Oh, and thanks to gidgetgirl for showing me that I needed to change my summary. I didn't know about the other story at all, but they're both really different, so I don't know if it matters all that much. Oh, the wackiness!
~~~
She was falling. Falling fast. Falling helplessly, falling hopelessly, falling free.
It was strange that, besides how scared she was and despite the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, she felt liberated. Like she was headed towards what she had always been meant to do.
Around her was 'The Void'. It felt confining & expansive at the same time. There were no colors around her, but in the absence of color, it still exploded in riots. The over-stimulus wreaked havoc on her mind, and she drifted in and out of consciousness.
She landed abruptly. Pain shot through her. From her feet it coursed through her body, up her legs, along her spine...it traveled down her arms, through her wrists, out to her fingers, and finally up to her head and the very back of her skull. She felt a sharp ache in her chest and it was then that her knees gave way. She looked down at herself in the dark, and could see bits of blood trickling down her arm. She tasted blood in her mouth and it was now beginning to soak through her dress.
Sitting there on the cold, hard ground she gathered She inhaled the smog- filled air and, with a slight cough, noticed her surroundings.
All around her lay strange objects she could not recognize. Nothing was familiar. It was all cold, flat and foreign. She had landed on a large smooth rock that stretched as far as she could see, into the distance of the horizon. All around her buildings that resembled her little cottage, but resembled nothing she had ever seen, stretched to the sky.
Suddenly, around the corner, came a giant metal beast, aimed straight for her. Its eyes glowed red on either side of its head, and it's revolving legs spun faster than anything she had ever seen. Even faster than that one Rafark demon. Scrambling to her feet, she made a mad dash for the rock slab that lay slightly above the one she had been on. The creature hurtled by her, seemingly oblivious to her presence, the wind in it's wake ruffled through her long, scraggly blond locks.
Standing, the weight on her left leg was instantly too much and she collapsed under the pressure. She hit the hard pavement for the second time that evening. The pain shot through her and a small yelp of agony escaped her lips. Gritting her teeth in determination she tried again to rise to her feet. Falling once more, pain and an intense ache hammered its way throughout her body. Her jaw was clenched in a desperate attempt not to cry. On her way down she had felt her upper leg bone shift under the muscle and tissue. After a few more failed attempts, she threw herself onto the hard concrete.
The aches and pains of her botched attempts to stand upright gnawed away at every nerve in her body. Frustrated she became angry. She had been so optimistic. Now she ached all over, not even including her probably broken left leg. Overhead a street-lamp shone, and it reflected the terror in her eyes. What if she were to sit her forever, a disheveled mess, broken and vulnerable, a premium snack for any stupid demon who happened along? She couldn't very well protect herself this way. Nope. This would never do.
Crawling her way to the lightpole, she tried to pull herself into an upright position. With a margin of success, she stood. Very pleased, she looked about. Apart from a few streetlights, the occasional window-light, and more metal beasts, Angele saw nothing. No other people, not even any demons...excluding the metal beast. Getting up the courage, she took a small step away from the light pole with her right foot.
Balancing delicately with over-emphasized grace, Angele somehow made it over to the wall of a building. Easing her way around the corner, she continued to limp her way to...well she didn't really have a destination, she just needed to figure out where she was.
She was now almost all the way around the building, and looking it over, she noticed that beyond being just dirty, it was old, and unused. She stared up and saw the night sky reflected in the high windows of the building. It was about 2 or 3 hours 'til daybreak.
A flicker of light from inside the building shone through the windows and caught Angele's attention. Slowly, she creeped over, her leg still hurt, but not nearly as much as it had just moments ago. Inside, lay some men and two women. They all seemed to be sleeping, one was on a table, and blood slowly dripped from the arm hung limply over the edge.
Reaching for the rusted door handle, Angele was about to go inside when a voice, seemingly out of nowhere, growled "Just what do you think you're doing?"
She turned around quickly, at least as quickly as she could with her broken leg. A tall man with bushy black hair stared down at her from the shadows.
"No one's allowed in there. You know that, Angie."
Caught off guard, all Angele could reply was a feeble "I'm...I'm not Angie." She peered up at him, and deciding that he was human and to be trusted, she confided to him "I'm lost. Where are we? Can you direct me to a point of human authority?"
The man peered at Angele closely for a moment, then chuckled.
"No, I guess you're not Angie. I should've noticed." The tall man circled around Angele, his voice taking a menacing edge.
"You can still be...useful"
Angele looked up into the demonic face of a Vampire.
~~~
"But Giles!"
"Absolutely not. Your sister left you in my charge, and I refuse."
"Giles! That's not fair!" Dawn used her whiniest voice to try and sway the ex-watcher. So far, it didn't seem to be working.
"Yeah, and it's only a couple of movies." joined in a potential from the corner of the kitchen.
"Well, and some popcorn and ice cream. Oh, and we can't forget the chocolate syrup. No slumber party is complete with out that trusty brown bottle." All of the girls turned to look at the one potential that had let her mouth run. Kennedy, who was closest, elbowed the young brunette swiftly in the side. "Ow, what wa-"
"You wouldn't have to worry about a thing. We'll behave" covered Kennedy, interrupting the other potential. Under her breath, she muttered "Do something right for once and just shut up!"
Brianna looked hurt. "You're such a bitch!" Her voice rang out and silenced the room
Kennedy walked over to her and got in her face. "Excuse me? You need to stop right there, and shut-the-hell-up." Her voice was slow and deliberate.
"You can't tell me what to do!" Brianna was now distraught.
"Oh, I can and I will."
One of the other potentials, a redhead from England spoke up. "Kennedy, "
Kennedy wheeled around to her. "Stay out of this." Her voice was unnecessarily harsh.
"You're not in charge here." Stated one of the newer potentials. "Buffy is."
"She's the only one of us who is most capable to lead us if Buffy is incapacitated or unable to..."
"Buffy is just fine!" Hollered Dawn above the crowd. She was worried, and probably not alone in being so. It had been hours since Buffy had gone out to patrol, looking for a particularly formidable demon with only a stake and a sword.
A chorus of voices filled the house as an argument broke out. Giles sat down and, taking off his glasses, rubbed his forehead in despair. Under his breath he muttered, "This is why I do not allow sleepovers. Too-" Suddenly the sound of something probably very expensive breaking with a harsh crash, followed by "You are SO gonna get it now!" could be heard throughout the house. It was Probably Brianna's voice. He needed a drink. His nerves and his patience were wearing thin. Getting up he went to the cabinet and found a glass, a jar of bourbon and some ice. He sat back down. All he could do now was to just wait it out.
There seemed to be a lot of that going on nowadays. Waiting.
As Giles sat there staring into his glass of bourbon, thinking, a miracle happened. Buffy came home.
Author's Note: I know what I said in the last AN, and I take it all back. This story is basically my rewrite/version of S7 Buffy and S4 Angel. Everything previous to those seasons has happened.
Also, I liked Riley, so there!
This time I am going to dedicate this chapter to my new pool, where I have procrastinated in it's 3ft deep waters instead of finishing the chapter. And also to my little sister who refuses to like anything Buffy/Angel related, but let me read a page and a half of this to her against her will. Yay Heather!
Oh, and thanks to gidgetgirl for showing me that I needed to change my summary. I didn't know about the other story at all, but they're both really different, so I don't know if it matters all that much. Oh, the wackiness!
~~~
She was falling. Falling fast. Falling helplessly, falling hopelessly, falling free.
It was strange that, besides how scared she was and despite the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, she felt liberated. Like she was headed towards what she had always been meant to do.
Around her was 'The Void'. It felt confining & expansive at the same time. There were no colors around her, but in the absence of color, it still exploded in riots. The over-stimulus wreaked havoc on her mind, and she drifted in and out of consciousness.
She landed abruptly. Pain shot through her. From her feet it coursed through her body, up her legs, along her spine...it traveled down her arms, through her wrists, out to her fingers, and finally up to her head and the very back of her skull. She felt a sharp ache in her chest and it was then that her knees gave way. She looked down at herself in the dark, and could see bits of blood trickling down her arm. She tasted blood in her mouth and it was now beginning to soak through her dress.
Sitting there on the cold, hard ground she gathered She inhaled the smog- filled air and, with a slight cough, noticed her surroundings.
All around her lay strange objects she could not recognize. Nothing was familiar. It was all cold, flat and foreign. She had landed on a large smooth rock that stretched as far as she could see, into the distance of the horizon. All around her buildings that resembled her little cottage, but resembled nothing she had ever seen, stretched to the sky.
Suddenly, around the corner, came a giant metal beast, aimed straight for her. Its eyes glowed red on either side of its head, and it's revolving legs spun faster than anything she had ever seen. Even faster than that one Rafark demon. Scrambling to her feet, she made a mad dash for the rock slab that lay slightly above the one she had been on. The creature hurtled by her, seemingly oblivious to her presence, the wind in it's wake ruffled through her long, scraggly blond locks.
Standing, the weight on her left leg was instantly too much and she collapsed under the pressure. She hit the hard pavement for the second time that evening. The pain shot through her and a small yelp of agony escaped her lips. Gritting her teeth in determination she tried again to rise to her feet. Falling once more, pain and an intense ache hammered its way throughout her body. Her jaw was clenched in a desperate attempt not to cry. On her way down she had felt her upper leg bone shift under the muscle and tissue. After a few more failed attempts, she threw herself onto the hard concrete.
The aches and pains of her botched attempts to stand upright gnawed away at every nerve in her body. Frustrated she became angry. She had been so optimistic. Now she ached all over, not even including her probably broken left leg. Overhead a street-lamp shone, and it reflected the terror in her eyes. What if she were to sit her forever, a disheveled mess, broken and vulnerable, a premium snack for any stupid demon who happened along? She couldn't very well protect herself this way. Nope. This would never do.
Crawling her way to the lightpole, she tried to pull herself into an upright position. With a margin of success, she stood. Very pleased, she looked about. Apart from a few streetlights, the occasional window-light, and more metal beasts, Angele saw nothing. No other people, not even any demons...excluding the metal beast. Getting up the courage, she took a small step away from the light pole with her right foot.
Balancing delicately with over-emphasized grace, Angele somehow made it over to the wall of a building. Easing her way around the corner, she continued to limp her way to...well she didn't really have a destination, she just needed to figure out where she was.
She was now almost all the way around the building, and looking it over, she noticed that beyond being just dirty, it was old, and unused. She stared up and saw the night sky reflected in the high windows of the building. It was about 2 or 3 hours 'til daybreak.
A flicker of light from inside the building shone through the windows and caught Angele's attention. Slowly, she creeped over, her leg still hurt, but not nearly as much as it had just moments ago. Inside, lay some men and two women. They all seemed to be sleeping, one was on a table, and blood slowly dripped from the arm hung limply over the edge.
Reaching for the rusted door handle, Angele was about to go inside when a voice, seemingly out of nowhere, growled "Just what do you think you're doing?"
She turned around quickly, at least as quickly as she could with her broken leg. A tall man with bushy black hair stared down at her from the shadows.
"No one's allowed in there. You know that, Angie."
Caught off guard, all Angele could reply was a feeble "I'm...I'm not Angie." She peered up at him, and deciding that he was human and to be trusted, she confided to him "I'm lost. Where are we? Can you direct me to a point of human authority?"
The man peered at Angele closely for a moment, then chuckled.
"No, I guess you're not Angie. I should've noticed." The tall man circled around Angele, his voice taking a menacing edge.
"You can still be...useful"
Angele looked up into the demonic face of a Vampire.
~~~
"But Giles!"
"Absolutely not. Your sister left you in my charge, and I refuse."
"Giles! That's not fair!" Dawn used her whiniest voice to try and sway the ex-watcher. So far, it didn't seem to be working.
"Yeah, and it's only a couple of movies." joined in a potential from the corner of the kitchen.
"Well, and some popcorn and ice cream. Oh, and we can't forget the chocolate syrup. No slumber party is complete with out that trusty brown bottle." All of the girls turned to look at the one potential that had let her mouth run. Kennedy, who was closest, elbowed the young brunette swiftly in the side. "Ow, what wa-"
"You wouldn't have to worry about a thing. We'll behave" covered Kennedy, interrupting the other potential. Under her breath, she muttered "Do something right for once and just shut up!"
Brianna looked hurt. "You're such a bitch!" Her voice rang out and silenced the room
Kennedy walked over to her and got in her face. "Excuse me? You need to stop right there, and shut-the-hell-up." Her voice was slow and deliberate.
"You can't tell me what to do!" Brianna was now distraught.
"Oh, I can and I will."
One of the other potentials, a redhead from England spoke up. "Kennedy, "
Kennedy wheeled around to her. "Stay out of this." Her voice was unnecessarily harsh.
"You're not in charge here." Stated one of the newer potentials. "Buffy is."
"She's the only one of us who is most capable to lead us if Buffy is incapacitated or unable to..."
"Buffy is just fine!" Hollered Dawn above the crowd. She was worried, and probably not alone in being so. It had been hours since Buffy had gone out to patrol, looking for a particularly formidable demon with only a stake and a sword.
A chorus of voices filled the house as an argument broke out. Giles sat down and, taking off his glasses, rubbed his forehead in despair. Under his breath he muttered, "This is why I do not allow sleepovers. Too-" Suddenly the sound of something probably very expensive breaking with a harsh crash, followed by "You are SO gonna get it now!" could be heard throughout the house. It was Probably Brianna's voice. He needed a drink. His nerves and his patience were wearing thin. Getting up he went to the cabinet and found a glass, a jar of bourbon and some ice. He sat back down. All he could do now was to just wait it out.
There seemed to be a lot of that going on nowadays. Waiting.
As Giles sat there staring into his glass of bourbon, thinking, a miracle happened. Buffy came home.
