The End and Beginning
Chp.1
L.A. Bound
Distribution: Spikes Crypt, B/S Diaries. All others please ask for my
permission.
Disclaimer: I don't own them. Only the concept of the story, and what happens to
Joss's characters.
They all stand there, staring at the big crater, and watch as the Welcome to
Sunnydale sign falls haphazardly into it.
Dawn turns to her sister, and places a hand on her shoulder. "What do we do,
now," she asks.
Buffy still stares blankly out over the vast nothingness, as a small almost,
imperceptible smile falls across her features. "We're gonna go to L.A."
"Buffy you can't be seriously thinking of going to Angel," Dawn replies with
surprise and alarm. "Spike just saved the world for your worthless hide. I can't
believe you." She crosses her arms over her chest, and sighs a deep huffing
sigh. "He's the only person that loved you enough to even try, and all you can
think about is running back to the Great Lummox? Huh!" She turns a cold shoulder
on her sister, her hair slapping against the side of Buffy's face.
Andrew hearing the whole conversation runs over to the sisters. Adoration for
his hero shines brightly in his eyes. "What are you? Crazy? Spike..." His hero
worship comes through in his squeaky voice. "The reason he even tried was
because it was YOU. He went in and did his Luke Skywalker part, and all you can
do is run to the one person he'd rather you not?" His arms cross over his chest
in protest, trying his best to give off the air of attitude that Dawn achieves
with the tossing of her hair, but fails miserably at it. "He loved you. You daft
bint." He tries for the English accent of the vampire, but with the squeakiness
of his voice it comes out not as it was supposed to.
Buffy's ire is peaked at the nerd. "I know that Andrew. I'm not running to
anyone. I going to find someone, and that's the only reason we're going anywhere
near where Angel is." With the vague explanation she turns on her heel and
marches over to the bus.
The Scoobies, potentials come slayers, and Andrew all look stunned at the one
true slayer. As a group the word "Huh?" is heard in an echo out over the giant
sinkhole.
Buffy turns to the assembled montage of humans. "We're going there so that we
can get him back. Angel has resources, big resources. We're going to use them to
our advantage. He took an offer at Wolfram& Hart."
A loud gasp comes from the vicinity of her watcher, and she looks at him with
defiance.
"Angel has the means, Giles. If there's a way to get him back, Wolfram and Hart
will have it." She turns to the door and starts up the steps. "All aboard who's
coming aboard," she yells over her shoulder. She hears the feet of god only
knows how many people as they make their way over to the bus, and start to climb
on.
The nearly two-hour ride to L.A. had been spent in near silence. The only noise
being the wind rushing through the open windows, and a whisper from a new slayer
every once in awhile.
Buffy sits in a front seat as the bus pulls up in front of a huge, almost
completely made out of windows, building. Everyone stares, awestruck at the
monstrosity.
Xander looks with fascination at his best friend. "Buff, where in the great
googly mooglies are we and why in the heck are we here?"
Dawn moves from a seat near the back to the one directly behind Buffy and
Xander.
"We're where we need to be, to get what was lost back." It's the only
explanation that Buffy gives, her sister, and best friend shrug their shoulders
in acquiescence.
"Uh, okay Buff. Was just wondering, is all." Xander mumbles.
She slides from the seat. Standing she turns to the menagerie. "Okay, people."
She calls for their attention. "We're here."
Everyone scuttles to the exit and out onto the sidewalk.
Buffy walks in the forefront with Xander, Dawn, Willow, Kennedy, Andrew, and
Giles at her flanks.
Entering the building, they walk by a sign that says, Wolfram and Hart:
Attorneys at Law.
Dawn pushes her way over to her sister. "Buffy, what are we doing in a law firm?
I can't see that a lawyer can help to get Spike back."
Buffy looks over at Dawn. "It's complicated, Dawnie. The only thing that I know
is that they have the capabilities to bring a vampire back from the dust, and
from what I've heard through the grapevine, a.k.a Willies bar, the returned
vampire will be alive, as in human."
Giles having heard the words between the sisters, steps over to them. "Dear
lord, Buffy. Why didn't you tell me this?"
"Didn't seem all that important two years ago. Remember Glory the hell-bitch
that was after my little sister? It really wasn't priority one there Giles." Her
answer is flippant, as she strides purposely forward.
Giles jogs to catch up with her. "But how can they do it? I've never heard of
such a thing ever being done."
Buffy abruptly stops, making Giles run right into her.
"I'm terribly..." His sentence trails off as he notices a familiar face
approaching them, and then turns into a completely different expletive. "What in
the bloody hell is he doing here?"
"Hello, to you too, Rupert," Wes sarcastically says, as he comes to a stop in
front of the slayer and her watcher. "Why do we have the pleasure of your
presence?"
Buffy's eyes bore into the ex-watcher as she interrupts the malice-ridden
conversation. "Where's Angel?"
"I'm quite positive he's in his office."
"And just where might that be?"
"On the Twenty-third floor. Take the lift up, and you should step out at the
entrance to his office."
"Thanks" She throws the word over her shoulder as she rushes over to the
elevator and pushes the button to go up.
Everyone watches as the slayer climbs in the car, and the doors close.
"Well, that was quite...Interesting," Wes says, as he turns back to Giles. "Does
anyone care to elaborate on what just happened here?"
"My best guess is that you'll find out shortly." Giles glibly answers.
The elevator travels onward and upward as Buffy ponders. How the hell am I going
to ask Angel? Tell him that I fell for yet another one of his kind, and it isn't
him. Oh, God OH, GOD! She nervously bites at her torn nails. He's sooo gonna
freak.
The little bell dings telling her it's time to get off of this ride, and Wes had
spoken the truth. Right in front of her is a huge, solid oak door, with a brass
nameplate beside it. She stops to read it, and grins at the engraving. Mr.
Angel, President and C.E.O.
She taps lightly at the door, trying her best not to laugh at the ridiculousness
of the whole situation. She hears a muffled "Come in." from the other side, and
pushes the door open slowly.
She's alarmed at the sight she sees. Angel sits at a big, wooden desk, the
windows at his back are open, sunlight streams through them, and they are
directly caressing his skin.
"A-Angel?" She stutters, not believing her eyes for a second.
The dark vampire looks up from the papers sitting in front of him. "Buffy?" He
rises from the plush, leather chair, and approaches her. "What are you doing
here?" A small smile comes to his face. "Not that I'm complaining or anything.
Happy that you made it out, ecstatic really." He tries to hug her, but she steps
away from him. "What's wrong?"
"You, you were sitting in direct sunlight, and you're not all dusty."
His smile widens at he astonishment. "It's nothing really. All of the windows in
the building are treated with some kind of special UV filter. The sun doesn't
harm vampire's while they are inside the firm." He explains, and tries to
approach her again. She still won't let him touch her.
He sighs in exasperation, "Buffy there's more wrong than the sunlight issue."
Her eyes find his. "Uh, huh." She's still stunned, even after the explanation.
"So, why are you here?"
She shakes her head to get the world to make sense again, and looks him directly
in the eye. "I need your help. I came here, because I know that you can return
to me what I've lost."
He looks at her in confusion, clearly not understanding what she's saying.
"Buffy?"
She explains what happened, how they'd lost a lot of people. Including Spike and
Anya. That the amulet that he'd given to her, had saved the day, but only with a
price that she didn't know she was going to have to pay.
As she ends the story, she looks at him imploringly. "So what I came here for is
to ask if..." Her voice cracks. "I want to get Spike back, will you please help
me?"