Part Two
Angel walked down the Hyperion's stairs toward his now silent friends. Little water droplets still clung to his spiky hair from the cold shower he had taken minutes ago. Now he was dressed in his usual attire, a black pullover and black slacks. Walking towards the lobby he could hear the occasional flipping of pages, which probably meant that Cordelia was looking through the newest magazine looking at the new "in-season" clothes. They change about as fast as Buffy's nail polish color. Buffy. His mind strayed back to her. It always did. He always wondered where she found time to paint her nails between slaying and school. Giving a mental shrug, he tried to push the thought of Buffy to the back of his mind, but it was hard considering his dream. When he was in the throes of slumber, she always showed, telling him she loved him. Always.
She's happy with Riley, he thought with a snort. A smile appeared on his face as he thought about his meeting with Riley and how he kicked his ass.
"What's with you?" a voice interrupted his trip down memory lane of replaying his ass kicking of Riley.
Angel turned to see Cordelia standing at the counter looking at him funny. "Huh?"
"You're smiling. You never smile."
"What? I smile!" Angel defended himself.
Cordelia gave an unladylike snort and replied, "Sure, about as much as Michael Jackson looks black."
Angel gave her a confused look, not knowing who Michael Jackson is.
"Nevermind. Still, you're smiling out of nowhere. Why are you? It's getting kinda creepy."
"Nothing. Just thinking." He smiled. His thoughts straying back.
"Oh, sure, because you don't do enough of that," Cordelia sarcastically replied.
Angel ignored the jibe, like he did most of her insults because he knew she didn't mean them.
"Also, getting up late now, are you? If I could be up and here at nine, the least you could do is the same!" Cordelia said irritated that her boss had just woken up. She had been here nice and early working. What had conveniently left her mind was that, so far, her work consisted of answering the phone and flipping through her magazine, with the occasional filing of her nails, since there were no visions.
Angel just looked at her then pointed to himself and said, "Vampire."
"Just because you're one of the undead, doesn't mean you have to act like them! Would it kill you to at least get up in the afternoon like the rest of us?"
Angel just ignored her question, not going to even dignify it with an answer.
"Where's Wesley?" Angel asked her, changing the subject.
"He went into the office before you came down to look over his books," she said making a face towards the door, confirming what he heard early. Those two were like 5 year olds with all their bickering.
"So any new cases or visions?" He asked.
Cordelia, now engrossed in her magazine, didn't answer, she just shook her head.
Sighing disappointedly, Angel walked away and looked out the window to see the sun finish setting. Wow, he had woken up late, he thought, late even for him. After the last rays of the sun dipped below the horizon he went out into the garden to sit on the bench. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply and the sweet smell of jasmine drifted toward him. Unbeknownst to him, he dozed off.
His eyes popped open as he looked around to find himself lying in some wooden box. Gasping for breath that he didn't know he didn't need, he pounded his fists on the top of the box until the wood broke free. Handfuls of dirt fell on him, but he took no notice. All he wanted was to reach the surface. So he kept digging. He finally felt the cool air brush his hand as it broke through the earth. Following his hand, his head pooped out and he coughed out dirt and gasped for air that he didn't know that he didn't need. As he pulled his body up, his eyes caught sight of her. His Buffy. His blonde goddess. Next, the sweet fragrance of jasmine hit him and he saw see was holding a bundle of them. He took notice that his senses were sharper, yet everything ached. He finally stood up in front of her. She smiled at him and began brushing the dirt out of his clothes and hair. He winced as his senses overloaded him and his body ached. He could hear the bugs crawling in the dirt. The smell of jasmine was so sharp. He could even smell the woman in front of him. The scent of vanilla clung around her. He could hear the groundskeeper in the distance.
Buffy smiled at her newest creation. "Welcome to my world. I know it hurts, but don't worry, love, it won't last long. Birth is always painful."
The former Liam gasped in breaths that he didn't need as an automatic response. "I could feel them, above me, as I slept in the earth. Their heartbeats, their blood, coursing through their veins."
Buffy's smile grew, but she said nothing.
"Was is a dream?" a disorientated Liam asked.
"A dream for you, but soon their nightmare."
A groundskeeper that Liam had heard before was suddenly a few feet away from him, holding his lantern up to see in the darkness.
Looking towards the two people he said, "You there!" his gaze went from the couple to the grave with the fresh dirt that was disturbed, "What have ye done?" his rhetorical question came out. Not waiting for a response he identified them as "Grave robbers!"
Liam looked at the old mans face, then towards his throat. He started towards the man, hungry, but glanced back at Buffy as if unsure.
She just nodded and said, "You know what to do."
Liam glanced back at the man's throat which looked so appetizing. This hunger was unbearable. His faced morphed into the visage of a vampire, and the groundskeeper gasped as he saw. Fearing for his life from this demon, he started praying, but didn't get very far until Liam bit into his throat, gulping the blood to appease his hunger. He stopped for a second to look back at the blonde a few feet away, but then turned back to finish his meal and let the meaningless body drop towards the earth. He took a few unneeded breaths as he felt the taken blood flow through and warm him, taking the edge of his hunger for blood off for now. He looked back towards the woman waiting for him and a new hunger arose.
"It makes sense now, doesn't it?" she asked.
Looking her up and done with lust filled eyes, he asked "Perfect sense."
"You can do anything, have anyone in the village. Who will it be?"
"Any one?" he asked her. Smiling, she nodded.
"I thought I'd take the village, but first." He put an arm around her waist and crushed he towards him while claiming her lips as he slowly lowered her towards the earth. He planted kisses all over her face, occasionally nipping as he moved lower.
Angel was awoken by the sound of the raising voices. Shaking his head, he signed as he heard the two in the hotel go at it again, all the while thinking about the latest dream.
"In Sunnydale, you acted as if you had a big stake up your butt" Cordelia said to Wesley.
"Well, as I recall, you were enthralled with me even though I, as you say it, had a big stake up my butt," Wesley replied.
"Yeah, well, back then, I dated Xander Harris, that should tell you something."
"Xander is not that bad," Wesley defended Xander and indirectly, himself.
"Not that bad? I bet right now he is out getting donuts for the Scoobies, which was the most he could do."
****************
"I come bearing donuts," Xander announced as he entered Giles apartment, his arm around a pink donut box, the other hand hold Anya's who was coming in with him.
"Finally, did you remember to get jelly," Giles asked.
"Yeah, yeah, don't get your tweed underwear in bunch," Xander responded ignoring Giles' glare and the fact that Giles hardly wore tweed since he got fired from the Council, "I got the whole selection, although I don't know how many are left because I ate some on the way," he ended sheepishly.
After each person in the room grabbed a donut, he grabbed another one for himself.
"So, we know anything yet?" he said with a mouth of donut and some white powder on his lips.
Nobody answered, but the looks on their faces said it all. They knew nothing.
Angel walked down the Hyperion's stairs toward his now silent friends. Little water droplets still clung to his spiky hair from the cold shower he had taken minutes ago. Now he was dressed in his usual attire, a black pullover and black slacks. Walking towards the lobby he could hear the occasional flipping of pages, which probably meant that Cordelia was looking through the newest magazine looking at the new "in-season" clothes. They change about as fast as Buffy's nail polish color. Buffy. His mind strayed back to her. It always did. He always wondered where she found time to paint her nails between slaying and school. Giving a mental shrug, he tried to push the thought of Buffy to the back of his mind, but it was hard considering his dream. When he was in the throes of slumber, she always showed, telling him she loved him. Always.
She's happy with Riley, he thought with a snort. A smile appeared on his face as he thought about his meeting with Riley and how he kicked his ass.
"What's with you?" a voice interrupted his trip down memory lane of replaying his ass kicking of Riley.
Angel turned to see Cordelia standing at the counter looking at him funny. "Huh?"
"You're smiling. You never smile."
"What? I smile!" Angel defended himself.
Cordelia gave an unladylike snort and replied, "Sure, about as much as Michael Jackson looks black."
Angel gave her a confused look, not knowing who Michael Jackson is.
"Nevermind. Still, you're smiling out of nowhere. Why are you? It's getting kinda creepy."
"Nothing. Just thinking." He smiled. His thoughts straying back.
"Oh, sure, because you don't do enough of that," Cordelia sarcastically replied.
Angel ignored the jibe, like he did most of her insults because he knew she didn't mean them.
"Also, getting up late now, are you? If I could be up and here at nine, the least you could do is the same!" Cordelia said irritated that her boss had just woken up. She had been here nice and early working. What had conveniently left her mind was that, so far, her work consisted of answering the phone and flipping through her magazine, with the occasional filing of her nails, since there were no visions.
Angel just looked at her then pointed to himself and said, "Vampire."
"Just because you're one of the undead, doesn't mean you have to act like them! Would it kill you to at least get up in the afternoon like the rest of us?"
Angel just ignored her question, not going to even dignify it with an answer.
"Where's Wesley?" Angel asked her, changing the subject.
"He went into the office before you came down to look over his books," she said making a face towards the door, confirming what he heard early. Those two were like 5 year olds with all their bickering.
"So any new cases or visions?" He asked.
Cordelia, now engrossed in her magazine, didn't answer, she just shook her head.
Sighing disappointedly, Angel walked away and looked out the window to see the sun finish setting. Wow, he had woken up late, he thought, late even for him. After the last rays of the sun dipped below the horizon he went out into the garden to sit on the bench. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply and the sweet smell of jasmine drifted toward him. Unbeknownst to him, he dozed off.
His eyes popped open as he looked around to find himself lying in some wooden box. Gasping for breath that he didn't know he didn't need, he pounded his fists on the top of the box until the wood broke free. Handfuls of dirt fell on him, but he took no notice. All he wanted was to reach the surface. So he kept digging. He finally felt the cool air brush his hand as it broke through the earth. Following his hand, his head pooped out and he coughed out dirt and gasped for air that he didn't know that he didn't need. As he pulled his body up, his eyes caught sight of her. His Buffy. His blonde goddess. Next, the sweet fragrance of jasmine hit him and he saw see was holding a bundle of them. He took notice that his senses were sharper, yet everything ached. He finally stood up in front of her. She smiled at him and began brushing the dirt out of his clothes and hair. He winced as his senses overloaded him and his body ached. He could hear the bugs crawling in the dirt. The smell of jasmine was so sharp. He could even smell the woman in front of him. The scent of vanilla clung around her. He could hear the groundskeeper in the distance.
Buffy smiled at her newest creation. "Welcome to my world. I know it hurts, but don't worry, love, it won't last long. Birth is always painful."
The former Liam gasped in breaths that he didn't need as an automatic response. "I could feel them, above me, as I slept in the earth. Their heartbeats, their blood, coursing through their veins."
Buffy's smile grew, but she said nothing.
"Was is a dream?" a disorientated Liam asked.
"A dream for you, but soon their nightmare."
A groundskeeper that Liam had heard before was suddenly a few feet away from him, holding his lantern up to see in the darkness.
Looking towards the two people he said, "You there!" his gaze went from the couple to the grave with the fresh dirt that was disturbed, "What have ye done?" his rhetorical question came out. Not waiting for a response he identified them as "Grave robbers!"
Liam looked at the old mans face, then towards his throat. He started towards the man, hungry, but glanced back at Buffy as if unsure.
She just nodded and said, "You know what to do."
Liam glanced back at the man's throat which looked so appetizing. This hunger was unbearable. His faced morphed into the visage of a vampire, and the groundskeeper gasped as he saw. Fearing for his life from this demon, he started praying, but didn't get very far until Liam bit into his throat, gulping the blood to appease his hunger. He stopped for a second to look back at the blonde a few feet away, but then turned back to finish his meal and let the meaningless body drop towards the earth. He took a few unneeded breaths as he felt the taken blood flow through and warm him, taking the edge of his hunger for blood off for now. He looked back towards the woman waiting for him and a new hunger arose.
"It makes sense now, doesn't it?" she asked.
Looking her up and done with lust filled eyes, he asked "Perfect sense."
"You can do anything, have anyone in the village. Who will it be?"
"Any one?" he asked her. Smiling, she nodded.
"I thought I'd take the village, but first." He put an arm around her waist and crushed he towards him while claiming her lips as he slowly lowered her towards the earth. He planted kisses all over her face, occasionally nipping as he moved lower.
Angel was awoken by the sound of the raising voices. Shaking his head, he signed as he heard the two in the hotel go at it again, all the while thinking about the latest dream.
"In Sunnydale, you acted as if you had a big stake up your butt" Cordelia said to Wesley.
"Well, as I recall, you were enthralled with me even though I, as you say it, had a big stake up my butt," Wesley replied.
"Yeah, well, back then, I dated Xander Harris, that should tell you something."
"Xander is not that bad," Wesley defended Xander and indirectly, himself.
"Not that bad? I bet right now he is out getting donuts for the Scoobies, which was the most he could do."
****************
"I come bearing donuts," Xander announced as he entered Giles apartment, his arm around a pink donut box, the other hand hold Anya's who was coming in with him.
"Finally, did you remember to get jelly," Giles asked.
"Yeah, yeah, don't get your tweed underwear in bunch," Xander responded ignoring Giles' glare and the fact that Giles hardly wore tweed since he got fired from the Council, "I got the whole selection, although I don't know how many are left because I ate some on the way," he ended sheepishly.
After each person in the room grabbed a donut, he grabbed another one for himself.
"So, we know anything yet?" he said with a mouth of donut and some white powder on his lips.
Nobody answered, but the looks on their faces said it all. They knew nothing.