"Hey" Buffy said entering Angel's bedroom. He opened his eyes and looked at
her. He tried to speak but all he could manage was a weak smile. She sat
next to him on his bed and she stroked his hair trying to comfort him. She
kissed his forehead and then his lips and he kissed her back.
"I... I don't think I can last much longer Buffy." Angel said seeming in more pain than he ever had been. "It hurts so much. I can't... I can't Buffy." Angel's eyes filled up with tears.
"No!" Buffy protested. "You have to be strong." She started crying. "You can't leave me. I need you. I can't do this alone Angel." She said weeping. She whispered, "I love you."
A tear rolled down Angel's face, "I love... love you Buffy. But it's too much-the pain. It... It's worse." He said barely able to get his words out.
"You're not gonna die. Not like this! Besides, we've almost got it now. We just a day-two at the most. I need you to hold on. I need you to be strong for me. Please." She pleaded in floods of tears.
"I've lived a long time. I've done so many horrible things to so many innocent people. I... I don't deserve to... to live. I should have died along time ago Buffy." Angel said.
"But you didn't. You didn't. And you're not going to die. I won't let you." She said.
"You have to let me Buffy." Angel said with tears streaming down his face.
"No!" Buffy said trying to shout but the tears preventing it. She got up and marched out of the mansion. She ran to Giles's apartment and banged on the door until he opened it. He stood in the doorway-still in his pyjamas, as school didn't start for another 2 hours. "Buffy? What are you doing here at this hour?" He asked.
She just hugged him and cried in his arms. All he could do was comfort her. He sat her down and she told him everything that had just happened with Angel.
"Oh Buffy, I'm terribly sorry." He said concerned.
"Don't be." She said. "I'm going to save him. I don't want to lose him Giles. Not again."
"Well, I was up until God knows what time last night researching the amulet further using the Rumadien Thesis scroll. It proved most helpful. It also mentions that destroying the stone will destroy the demons power." He said.
"So that's it? All we have to do is destroy that stone on the amulet?" Buffy asked.
"No, I'm afraid it's rather more complicated than that." Giles said.
"How? Why?" Buffy asked.
"Because destroying the stone only destroys the demons power you see. It won't cure Angel or actually kill the demon itself. It may even hinder Angel's cure if you do destroy it now." Giles said.
"Hinder his cure? How?" Buffy asked.
"Well, you may need the amulet to cure him. The thesis mentions the amulet being in a ritual but there's no detail." He said.
Buffy suddenly remembered her dream. "I had a... a dream. Last night. About Angel and the Syrma-Matis demon." Buffy said.
She told Giles all about it and about the man Willie had recommended who knows about curses and poisons.
"I think you should go and see this... person Willie told you of." Giles said.
"You do?" Buffy asked surprised.
Giles nodded.
"How do we know he wasn't lying? I mean the guy could kill me or something." Buffy told him.
"I doubt it. I think Willie knows enough about your strength and what you could do to him if he did lie! I don't think you've got anything to worry about." Giles said. "Do you want to help Angel or not?"
"I... I don't think I can last much longer Buffy." Angel said seeming in more pain than he ever had been. "It hurts so much. I can't... I can't Buffy." Angel's eyes filled up with tears.
"No!" Buffy protested. "You have to be strong." She started crying. "You can't leave me. I need you. I can't do this alone Angel." She said weeping. She whispered, "I love you."
A tear rolled down Angel's face, "I love... love you Buffy. But it's too much-the pain. It... It's worse." He said barely able to get his words out.
"You're not gonna die. Not like this! Besides, we've almost got it now. We just a day-two at the most. I need you to hold on. I need you to be strong for me. Please." She pleaded in floods of tears.
"I've lived a long time. I've done so many horrible things to so many innocent people. I... I don't deserve to... to live. I should have died along time ago Buffy." Angel said.
"But you didn't. You didn't. And you're not going to die. I won't let you." She said.
"You have to let me Buffy." Angel said with tears streaming down his face.
"No!" Buffy said trying to shout but the tears preventing it. She got up and marched out of the mansion. She ran to Giles's apartment and banged on the door until he opened it. He stood in the doorway-still in his pyjamas, as school didn't start for another 2 hours. "Buffy? What are you doing here at this hour?" He asked.
She just hugged him and cried in his arms. All he could do was comfort her. He sat her down and she told him everything that had just happened with Angel.
"Oh Buffy, I'm terribly sorry." He said concerned.
"Don't be." She said. "I'm going to save him. I don't want to lose him Giles. Not again."
"Well, I was up until God knows what time last night researching the amulet further using the Rumadien Thesis scroll. It proved most helpful. It also mentions that destroying the stone will destroy the demons power." He said.
"So that's it? All we have to do is destroy that stone on the amulet?" Buffy asked.
"No, I'm afraid it's rather more complicated than that." Giles said.
"How? Why?" Buffy asked.
"Because destroying the stone only destroys the demons power you see. It won't cure Angel or actually kill the demon itself. It may even hinder Angel's cure if you do destroy it now." Giles said.
"Hinder his cure? How?" Buffy asked.
"Well, you may need the amulet to cure him. The thesis mentions the amulet being in a ritual but there's no detail." He said.
Buffy suddenly remembered her dream. "I had a... a dream. Last night. About Angel and the Syrma-Matis demon." Buffy said.
She told Giles all about it and about the man Willie had recommended who knows about curses and poisons.
"I think you should go and see this... person Willie told you of." Giles said.
"You do?" Buffy asked surprised.
Giles nodded.
"How do we know he wasn't lying? I mean the guy could kill me or something." Buffy told him.
"I doubt it. I think Willie knows enough about your strength and what you could do to him if he did lie! I don't think you've got anything to worry about." Giles said. "Do you want to help Angel or not?"