~~~Spoiler Alert for the end of season four of Angel~~~
Thanks as usual to Kirsty and Darcy two of the world's best Beta Readers, who help
and advice are invaluable.
***Chapter Eight ***
** Damaged Race**
"NO" Buffy screamed, "NEVER!!"
"You don't seem to comprehend what I am saying." Gemma's eyes fired pure gold in anger.
"You don't seem to understand the word no!"
"It isn't what you seem to think it is." Gemma warned the woman before her.
"Do you think that I will let you make me into that thing you call the First Slayer! Let you make me into a 'thing'?" Buffy stood in a classic defence mode.
"I'd like to see her try Buffy!" Spike's voice came from behind her, backing her in any course of action she choose.
"You are The Chosen One! You have exceeded what you were meant to be! You are the First Slayer whether you like it or not!"
"I am not the First Slayer!'
"You are the beginning now, and the last! You are one, but now you have many." Gemma recited her words back to her again, "You Humans rely too much on words and their literal meanings. I would have thought that the last few days would have helped you move beyond that hindrance." Gemma gestured with her hands towards the vampire.
"Meaning??" Buffy asked the being.
"You have seen beyond the internal demon, and found the spirit that lies inside. You have seen beyond the darkness that lies within, and learned that despite everything it can love and feel. You are moving beyond any damage that it may have inflicted on you, and you on it."
"Hey, 'it' has a name you know!" Spike spoke quietly.
"Yes I know that, but it is not that simple. Buffy you must move further than you have, a hard task lies before you, and you will require help. Help of a true Champion, one who will fight with, and for you, but one that you must totally accept."
"Meaning what? Spike is my Champion, he's proven it over and over again. Wasn't letting himself be sacrificed on your alter to kill the Legions of The First enough?" Buffy commented.
"I am talking about truly accepting him." Gemma replied.
"I don't understand?"
"You have accepted the man he has become, but have you truly accepted the demon?"
"I......I.." Buffy flagged in her reply, she just didn't understand, with everything that had happened lately it was just too much. The fact that the entity before expected her to go into battle with The Powers, was enough to make her head spin and she just didn't need any more complications.
"I cannot explain this to you, only you can work this out for yourself. It is through working it out for yourself, that you will truly accept your Champion." Gemma moved around the table, closer to the couple. "You must understand that we are the sum of all our damage, and it takes great courage to move beyond that concept. To see that we are the total of all our experiences, whether it is inflicted by us or on us. That is why you must move forward even more, take control of the Slayer line, before they do, or it will be lost forever and they will control it."
"Huhhhhhh?" Buffy asked bewildered and confused.
"Sod it! You sought it out! We want nothin to do with it!" Spike took Buffy's hand, and attempted to walk her away from the table.
"The Powers That Be want it back. They want to control the Slayer Line again, you destroyed their power base when you last came here and killed the Elders of the Slayer Line. If you don't take control, then The Powers will, and use it to take back what they think is rightfully theirs!"
"What?"
"The Human Race."
"But?"
"They have already activated the others, in hope to find another leader to take your place. One they can persuade, and control to their will. Why do you think there was so much unrest before your battle with The Legions of the First Evil ?"
Buffy stood down from her stance, and looked at the being before her, some of what she said made sense, but inside she knew some of it to sound true, but why? It took only a moment of reflection to answer her own question.
"To weed out the weak one's, ones that would follow, and ones that would lead."
"Exactly." Gemma smiled at her, she finally understood, "It is your right and place to take control of the Line. You are more than you were meant to be!"
"You said that our paths are crossed. What do you mean?" Buffy asked of her.
"Some of the older members of the Council will not leave and we cannot remove them..." Gemma started, but was interrupted by Spike.
"Members of what Council?"
"The Power is actually a body of different entities, that before even the formation of a single microbe on this planet, fought the 'darkness', fought for their freedom and liberty from others domination. A Council was formed to keep the balance of Power." Gemma looked onto the floor and refused to look up, "Until the scales were tipped, upon your return to this earth."
"Bloody hell! Consequences." Spike still spoke quietly. "I....they knew that there'd be consequences! But not this ....never this."
"It wasn't the only thing, time has caused memories to be forgotten, they now do as they please! They have become greedy, they now wish to dominate everything, rule everything and they would do anything to get it!"
"And your role in this?" Buffy asked of her.
"Not all of us are like that! The Powers have tried to gain power through other means. They failed. A civil war has erupted, fighting within the ranks is rife, and some of us, like myself will do anything to stop them. Even come here to you. Help you take the reigns of the Line before it's too late.............before it's too late for us all."
*****************************************************
Willow called Angel as soon as the trio of herself, Dawn and Xander, had returned to the hotel they had been staying at since the destruction of The First. She had done everything that she could, tried every spell she could think of, and had looked at every book that she could get her hands on. They had nowhere else to turn, in truth Willow hoped that maybe Wesley had something she didn't, or that Angel may have a contact that could help them out. The conversation between herself and Angel, had been quick and straight to the point. Buffy's remains couldn't be found. This had prompted Angel to make a decision to come out himself, and help in the search. None of them aware of his change in position in the scheme of things, mainly his becoming the head of Wolfram and Hart, and the whole new resources he had at his finger tips.
"When's he coming?" Dawn asked Willow, as she put the phone down, as she listened to the conversation between the two.
"Tonight it would seem." A look of surprise covered Willow's face, laced with concern and dread.
"What Willow?" Xander could read his friend of many years, he just knew something was wrong.
"It's odd, but I called Angel Investigations only to be answered by someone at 'Wolfram and Hart'. I'm not sure, but I think I remember Wesley once mentioning them as 'the agents of evil', as I think he put it." Willow shook her head, unsure about this turn of events.
"Agents of Evil?" Dawn questioned her, "What's that supposed to mean? But with Angel who knows?"
Willow just shrugged her shoulders, "At this point I don't really care. If they can help thats all that matters. Are we agreed?"
"Yeah, just what we need 'dead boy's' help!", Xander looked at Willow with doubt in his eyes.
"Can you think of anything better?" Willow questioned him.
"No. So it's the 'undead' to the rescue!" Xander replied.
"I don't care who or what does the job, as long as it's done !", Dawn's voice was so quiet, that it was barely heard by them, the blank look in her face, showed the isolating wall that she was beginning to build, to shield herself from the world around her.
"We'll find her Dawnie. Don't worry about it." Willow went to comfort the teen, only to have her jump up and run past the two, trying to avoid either person. Opening the door, she ran out with streaks of tears running down her face, slamming the door behind in her wake. Her despair not missed by either two, it was so bluntly obvious.
"Well at least we didn't ring 'Captain Cardboard'!" Xander looked at Willow, "What?" His sense of humour always had such perfect timing, "What did I say now?"
"'Captain Cardboard', that's what Spike called Riley."
"And......" Xander losing the plot of this converstation.
"If, and just if we find Buffy's remains. Will Spike's be there as well?"
"Does it matter? His dust in the wind." Xander's dislike for the vamp rang in his words, he'd still never had forgiven Spike for what he had done to Buffy, and most importantly for sleeping with Anya.
"Xander it does matter! He did what he did, but he would have died for her! Done anything for her!" Willow chided her friend, and reminded him, "He also would have done the same for Dawn, and I don't know why, but for any of us I think."
"Willow, come on please!"
"No Xander! When will you finally accept the fact that, he changed. Spike changed for Buffy! He turned his back on everything he was, and tried to become more of a man. He would have died for any of us, even you"
"When did you come all 'Forgivey Willow' ?"
"Let's say that when I was all post 'Veiny Willow', I had a new perspective on the world, and trying to be all 'Redemption Willow', has opened my eyes a bit", Willow looked seriously at her friend, "We only have each other Xander, and we have to make it all count! Even Spike!"
Xander moved to sit down at the table in the hotel room, Willow had never really ever brought up the fact that she'd tried to bring on the next apocalypse, and knew that she was serious, and in a way made some sense. He had his own battles to fight within himself, he'd forgiven Anya for her little escapade with the vampire, but he just didn't know if he could forgive Spike, for all the damage that he'd brought onto Buffy. Yet it was clear to all in the last few months of their life that Buffy had learned to move on, and focus on the here and now. Maybe, just maybe, he needed to take a leaf out of her book, and move forward with his own life. As much as Spike needed to be staked before his 'I've got a soul now' show, Xander conceded that he'd changed a little for the better, and if a walking corpse can, than so could he.
*********************************************
Angel pulled up to the cheap motel, just before dusk, letting himself out of the limousine, he dismissed the demon driving the car. "I'll call when I'm ready." He stood and looked at the budget accommodation that the Watcher had marched his little soldier's into, shaking his head, he thought '~these girls deserve more~', even though some had fought with their last breath, and the rest ended here in a cheap nasty motel, in a cheap nasty town.
In a way it had seemed quiet unfitting, they had sacrificed their leader, rather than stay until the bitter end. Even though reflected in those thoughts, he could feel his consequence scream at him, '~who was the bitter one here? ~', it was obvious even to him. He'd lost so much in the last few months, one of his dearest friends, his first love, and his compassion somewhere along the way.
Thanks as usual to Kirsty and Darcy two of the world's best Beta Readers, who help
and advice are invaluable.
***Chapter Eight ***
** Damaged Race**
"NO" Buffy screamed, "NEVER!!"
"You don't seem to comprehend what I am saying." Gemma's eyes fired pure gold in anger.
"You don't seem to understand the word no!"
"It isn't what you seem to think it is." Gemma warned the woman before her.
"Do you think that I will let you make me into that thing you call the First Slayer! Let you make me into a 'thing'?" Buffy stood in a classic defence mode.
"I'd like to see her try Buffy!" Spike's voice came from behind her, backing her in any course of action she choose.
"You are The Chosen One! You have exceeded what you were meant to be! You are the First Slayer whether you like it or not!"
"I am not the First Slayer!'
"You are the beginning now, and the last! You are one, but now you have many." Gemma recited her words back to her again, "You Humans rely too much on words and their literal meanings. I would have thought that the last few days would have helped you move beyond that hindrance." Gemma gestured with her hands towards the vampire.
"Meaning??" Buffy asked the being.
"You have seen beyond the internal demon, and found the spirit that lies inside. You have seen beyond the darkness that lies within, and learned that despite everything it can love and feel. You are moving beyond any damage that it may have inflicted on you, and you on it."
"Hey, 'it' has a name you know!" Spike spoke quietly.
"Yes I know that, but it is not that simple. Buffy you must move further than you have, a hard task lies before you, and you will require help. Help of a true Champion, one who will fight with, and for you, but one that you must totally accept."
"Meaning what? Spike is my Champion, he's proven it over and over again. Wasn't letting himself be sacrificed on your alter to kill the Legions of The First enough?" Buffy commented.
"I am talking about truly accepting him." Gemma replied.
"I don't understand?"
"You have accepted the man he has become, but have you truly accepted the demon?"
"I......I.." Buffy flagged in her reply, she just didn't understand, with everything that had happened lately it was just too much. The fact that the entity before expected her to go into battle with The Powers, was enough to make her head spin and she just didn't need any more complications.
"I cannot explain this to you, only you can work this out for yourself. It is through working it out for yourself, that you will truly accept your Champion." Gemma moved around the table, closer to the couple. "You must understand that we are the sum of all our damage, and it takes great courage to move beyond that concept. To see that we are the total of all our experiences, whether it is inflicted by us or on us. That is why you must move forward even more, take control of the Slayer line, before they do, or it will be lost forever and they will control it."
"Huhhhhhh?" Buffy asked bewildered and confused.
"Sod it! You sought it out! We want nothin to do with it!" Spike took Buffy's hand, and attempted to walk her away from the table.
"The Powers That Be want it back. They want to control the Slayer Line again, you destroyed their power base when you last came here and killed the Elders of the Slayer Line. If you don't take control, then The Powers will, and use it to take back what they think is rightfully theirs!"
"What?"
"The Human Race."
"But?"
"They have already activated the others, in hope to find another leader to take your place. One they can persuade, and control to their will. Why do you think there was so much unrest before your battle with The Legions of the First Evil ?"
Buffy stood down from her stance, and looked at the being before her, some of what she said made sense, but inside she knew some of it to sound true, but why? It took only a moment of reflection to answer her own question.
"To weed out the weak one's, ones that would follow, and ones that would lead."
"Exactly." Gemma smiled at her, she finally understood, "It is your right and place to take control of the Line. You are more than you were meant to be!"
"You said that our paths are crossed. What do you mean?" Buffy asked of her.
"Some of the older members of the Council will not leave and we cannot remove them..." Gemma started, but was interrupted by Spike.
"Members of what Council?"
"The Power is actually a body of different entities, that before even the formation of a single microbe on this planet, fought the 'darkness', fought for their freedom and liberty from others domination. A Council was formed to keep the balance of Power." Gemma looked onto the floor and refused to look up, "Until the scales were tipped, upon your return to this earth."
"Bloody hell! Consequences." Spike still spoke quietly. "I....they knew that there'd be consequences! But not this ....never this."
"It wasn't the only thing, time has caused memories to be forgotten, they now do as they please! They have become greedy, they now wish to dominate everything, rule everything and they would do anything to get it!"
"And your role in this?" Buffy asked of her.
"Not all of us are like that! The Powers have tried to gain power through other means. They failed. A civil war has erupted, fighting within the ranks is rife, and some of us, like myself will do anything to stop them. Even come here to you. Help you take the reigns of the Line before it's too late.............before it's too late for us all."
*****************************************************
Willow called Angel as soon as the trio of herself, Dawn and Xander, had returned to the hotel they had been staying at since the destruction of The First. She had done everything that she could, tried every spell she could think of, and had looked at every book that she could get her hands on. They had nowhere else to turn, in truth Willow hoped that maybe Wesley had something she didn't, or that Angel may have a contact that could help them out. The conversation between herself and Angel, had been quick and straight to the point. Buffy's remains couldn't be found. This had prompted Angel to make a decision to come out himself, and help in the search. None of them aware of his change in position in the scheme of things, mainly his becoming the head of Wolfram and Hart, and the whole new resources he had at his finger tips.
"When's he coming?" Dawn asked Willow, as she put the phone down, as she listened to the conversation between the two.
"Tonight it would seem." A look of surprise covered Willow's face, laced with concern and dread.
"What Willow?" Xander could read his friend of many years, he just knew something was wrong.
"It's odd, but I called Angel Investigations only to be answered by someone at 'Wolfram and Hart'. I'm not sure, but I think I remember Wesley once mentioning them as 'the agents of evil', as I think he put it." Willow shook her head, unsure about this turn of events.
"Agents of Evil?" Dawn questioned her, "What's that supposed to mean? But with Angel who knows?"
Willow just shrugged her shoulders, "At this point I don't really care. If they can help thats all that matters. Are we agreed?"
"Yeah, just what we need 'dead boy's' help!", Xander looked at Willow with doubt in his eyes.
"Can you think of anything better?" Willow questioned him.
"No. So it's the 'undead' to the rescue!" Xander replied.
"I don't care who or what does the job, as long as it's done !", Dawn's voice was so quiet, that it was barely heard by them, the blank look in her face, showed the isolating wall that she was beginning to build, to shield herself from the world around her.
"We'll find her Dawnie. Don't worry about it." Willow went to comfort the teen, only to have her jump up and run past the two, trying to avoid either person. Opening the door, she ran out with streaks of tears running down her face, slamming the door behind in her wake. Her despair not missed by either two, it was so bluntly obvious.
"Well at least we didn't ring 'Captain Cardboard'!" Xander looked at Willow, "What?" His sense of humour always had such perfect timing, "What did I say now?"
"'Captain Cardboard', that's what Spike called Riley."
"And......" Xander losing the plot of this converstation.
"If, and just if we find Buffy's remains. Will Spike's be there as well?"
"Does it matter? His dust in the wind." Xander's dislike for the vamp rang in his words, he'd still never had forgiven Spike for what he had done to Buffy, and most importantly for sleeping with Anya.
"Xander it does matter! He did what he did, but he would have died for her! Done anything for her!" Willow chided her friend, and reminded him, "He also would have done the same for Dawn, and I don't know why, but for any of us I think."
"Willow, come on please!"
"No Xander! When will you finally accept the fact that, he changed. Spike changed for Buffy! He turned his back on everything he was, and tried to become more of a man. He would have died for any of us, even you"
"When did you come all 'Forgivey Willow' ?"
"Let's say that when I was all post 'Veiny Willow', I had a new perspective on the world, and trying to be all 'Redemption Willow', has opened my eyes a bit", Willow looked seriously at her friend, "We only have each other Xander, and we have to make it all count! Even Spike!"
Xander moved to sit down at the table in the hotel room, Willow had never really ever brought up the fact that she'd tried to bring on the next apocalypse, and knew that she was serious, and in a way made some sense. He had his own battles to fight within himself, he'd forgiven Anya for her little escapade with the vampire, but he just didn't know if he could forgive Spike, for all the damage that he'd brought onto Buffy. Yet it was clear to all in the last few months of their life that Buffy had learned to move on, and focus on the here and now. Maybe, just maybe, he needed to take a leaf out of her book, and move forward with his own life. As much as Spike needed to be staked before his 'I've got a soul now' show, Xander conceded that he'd changed a little for the better, and if a walking corpse can, than so could he.
*********************************************
Angel pulled up to the cheap motel, just before dusk, letting himself out of the limousine, he dismissed the demon driving the car. "I'll call when I'm ready." He stood and looked at the budget accommodation that the Watcher had marched his little soldier's into, shaking his head, he thought '~these girls deserve more~', even though some had fought with their last breath, and the rest ended here in a cheap nasty motel, in a cheap nasty town.
In a way it had seemed quiet unfitting, they had sacrificed their leader, rather than stay until the bitter end. Even though reflected in those thoughts, he could feel his consequence scream at him, '~who was the bitter one here? ~', it was obvious even to him. He'd lost so much in the last few months, one of his dearest friends, his first love, and his compassion somewhere along the way.