***
New fic, completely unrelated to the SiT series. I started it a couple months ago, and finished the rough draft while I was taking a break from writing SiT. Don't worry, though, it won't interrupt the posting of SiT.
Anyways, this fic overall is pretty angsty. Read the author's notes below for more. I'll be posting chapters every few days.
Cliff!
Enjoy,
~Isis
***
Title: Falls Apart
Author: Isis Blue
Started: December 11, 2003
Completed: March 5, 2004
Feedback: vagabond_angel@comcast.net
Disclaimer: I certainly don't own them, thank you for asking.
Rating: PG 13ish for the most part, but R for some bad language
Pairing: B/A, A/?, B/?
Summary: Set a few years after 'Chosen'...Angel's gained his humanity, but that doesn't necessarily mean a happy reunion with his soulmate.
Spoilers: There's really not that many, basically through BtVS s7 'Chosen' (for mentions of the events in the finale), and some general for AtS s5 (mostly the W&H concept, and 1 other thing), but to be on the safe side, spoilers through AtS s5 'Smile Time'.
Distribution: my site (Vagabond Soul), and if you already have any of my fics, you may take this one, if not, please ask first.
Author's Notes: This is a future fic/Shanshu fic. It seems as though most times Angel Shanshu's then immediately goes to Buffy and everyone goes on their merry way. So with this fic I wanted to throw some angst into that scenario. There are actually two endings to this fic. The official one, and the one that I prefer, doesn't end with B/A together, but there is also an alternate B/A ending too. I know everyone prefers B/A together after all is said and done, but I hope you'll read both of them. This fic also has a rather unusual (though not unheard of in the fic world) pairing involving Buffy, but that's all I'll say about that. Oh, and also, yes Spike did come back as he did in AtS s5, but I'm just not going to deal with that.
Thank you: As always, to *Stars* for letting me bounce ideas off her and for beta'ing. And to Jade and Roz for doing a read through to let me know what they thought.
Warnings: angst (lots of it), one sex scene, and some bad language
^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^
Part 1
^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^
The taxi cab screeched to a halt, sending its passenger in the back seat lurching forward. Not caring about the annoyed glare from his fare, the driver mumbled the cost of the ride and grabbed the cash thrust at him. He didn't bother to help with the bags, just sat there until the door closed. The moment it did, the cab pulled away in a screech of tires, leaving his former passenger coughing over the smell of burnt rubber.
On the curb, Buffy stood shaking her head. She hated cabs, or more rather, obnoxious cab drivers. It probably would have been safer for her to walk from the airport to her hotel than ride with that lunatic. At least she'd made it in one piece. If only she'd told Willow she was coming, she probably could have gotten a ride. Instead she'd let her trip remain a surprise.
Sure, Willow had told her not to bother coming, but Buffy hadn't seen her best friend in almost eight months. The redheaded hacker was now living in Tempe, Arizona, working for an upstart software company. She'd taken the job about a year after the final battle with the First. It hadn't come as a shock, really. They were all tired and worn out.
Once they'd left the crater formerly known as Sunnydale almost four years ago, the group of bedraggled slayers, witches, a Watcher, and several civilians had piled onto the bus and headed for the nearest hotel. They stayed there for several weeks. How? Buffy didn't know. Giles had just told her he'd taken care of the cost but not where he'd gotten the money. She still didn't know for sure.
The core Scoobies, or what remained of them, had spent many nights talking during those days. Where were they supposed to go from there? That was the question of the hour, or as it had turned out, many hours. Not long after their arrival at the hotel, Xander had taken off, boarding a bus to wherever. No one had questioned it, knowing he needed some time after having lost so much in the previous months. Every few weeks he would call one of their cell phones and let them know he was okay. It was obvious he never planned on coming back. Eventually, he settled in a small town in Colorado and went back to doing construction work. They still talked to him, and visited, but he'd distanced himself from anything demon related.
With the Watcher's Council gone, Giles suggested finding a place to get things rebuilt. The slayers needed to be trained, and the few Watchers who hadn't been killed needed a headquarters. Somehow, he'd gotten hold of a large, almost compound-like place in northern California. Again, he said nothing about where the money came from, though Buffy began to suspect he'd managed to gain hold of Council funds. So the group took off from their motel and traveled to the new headquarters.
They turned the place into what outsiders would think was an exclusive private school for girls. The entrance requirement was hefty: you had to be a slayer to get in. It was a bit picky, but it was necessary. Giles had high hopes for the new Council and the many, many Slayers. Having experienced so much during his tenure as Buffy's Watcher, he'd gained much insight into what worked and what didn't. The remaining Watchers bristled at his revised tactics, but without Travers' control they were forced to change, or quit. Some stayed, some left.
The new slayers were trained and schooled on the premises of the new Council until it was deemed they were prepared for field work. At that time, they were assigned a Watcher and sent somewhere with demon problems. It was a bit hard on the girls, but most accepted it. They were all pretty much flying blind at the situation they found themselves in. Never had there been so many slayers, and never had the Council been in ruins. So they just tried to do the best they could, making changes as needed.
For a while, Willow had stayed and been part of it all. Then Kennedy was killed not long after going on active duty. Buffy supposed it was the last straw for the oft afflicted witch. The demon world had in one way or another claimed all of her partners. First Oz and his need to deal with the wolf in him, then Tara to wanna-be villain Warren, and finally Kennedy to a hundred-plus year old vampire. It was just too much, so two months after her lover's death, Willow had come to Buffy and Giles to say she'd accepted a job at a software company and was leaving. On occasion, she returned when help was needed, but for the most part, she immersed herself in her new life.
As for Buffy, she too stayed for a while, not knowing what else to do with her life. She was the original Slayer after all. The life was wearing on her, though. Giles must have noticed because a year and a half after leaving Sunnydale he came to her one night and told her that maybe it was time she walk away. He stated that there were more than enough Slayers now, and that he hated seeing her forced destiny sucking the life out her. His words had shocked her and she didn't know whether to hug him or cry.
With freedom staring her in the face, Buffy had found herself clueless as to what to do. Who was she if she wasn't a Slayer? What was she if she wasn't a Slayer? Honestly, she had no idea. The last few years of her life hadn't afforded her a chance to be anything but a fighter. She wasn't quite sure she was prepared to leave the only world she knew. It was a tearful phone call to Willow that had pushed her to take the chance, to make a life outside of battling evil.
The peace and happiness in the redhead's voice as she spoke of simple things like going to work, watching tv, and hanging out with friends made Buffy yearn for what she had. She wanted to once again know what it was like to be just another person making their way in the world. The Slayer in her had been the dominant persona for so long, and she wanted more. She'd always been a Slayer, but there had to be more to life than that.
Unfortunately, the problem was that there didn't seem to be anything she could do. She was a college drop out with a trouble-maker reputation. What did she have to offer? Again, Willow had come to her rescue, pushing Buffy to pursue a hobby that she'd picked up after leaving Sunnydale: photography. It hadn't been an intentional hobby, rather it was something she stumbled into by accident.
Life on the Council compound had offered little privacy. Occasionally, needing time away from all the slayers, she'd begun taking long walks, and then at one point she'd started taking a camera with her because the grounds surrounding the 'school' were so beautiful. Willow apparently thought her pictures were great and told her she should find a job related to that. The hacker had then done what she did best; hacked. Buffy soon found herself with a college degree, and a rather nice resume. All courtesy of Willow.
Taking the opportunity presented to her hadn't been easy, though. She'd have been lying if she said she wasn't scared. It was ironic, really. She could slay a vampire, behead a demon, and other such stuff, but she was ~scared~ of going out, finding a job, and making a life. But she'd done it. Mere months after Giles' initial push, Buffy had a job at a small magazine in San Francisco, a cozy apartment, and a car (which she absolutely hated driving). It was all so foreign, but in the end, she loved it.
There were no more nightly patrols, no more plans canceled because of demon problems, no more strange looks from people, none of it. Giles had firmly ordered her to leave it all behind. So she had. Well, as best she could. There had been two times she'd returned to the 'private school for girls' in order to help, but that was it. Buffy Summers, the Slayer, was of the past. Buffy Summers, magazine photographer and average woman, was of the present.
So that's how she'd been living her life for the last two years. Adjusting hadn't been easy, but her new life was now second nature. And now she found herself in Los Angeles to surprise Willow with a visit. Her best friend was in LA on business for a few days and Buffy had decided to fly down to see her. When Buffy had suggested to Willow she come down, the redhead had told her no, that she'd be too busy, but Buffy hadn't listened and planned her little trip unbeknownst to her friend. She needed a few days off anyway. Work had been keeping her extremely busy lately.
With a final shake of her head, Buffy finally left her spot on the sidewalk where the cab had left her. She carried her bags into the hotel, checked in and paid for her room. Silently, she thanked her decently-paying job that allowed her to get a nice room to stay in for the few days she'd be in LA.
After unpacking, and taking a short nap, she decided to go for a walk since it'd been so long since the last time she was in LA. Grabbing her camera bag, she strolled out of her room and headed for a park that she vaguely remembered was nearby. Maybe she'd be able to get some shots for an article the magazine was working on about nature conservation.
Walking down the busy sidewalks of LA was strange, yet familiar. This place had once been her home, but that time seemed so foreign. Since then she'd only been back to LA three times, all because of Angel. His name brought a pause to her steps. She was back in his territory. She hadn't really considered that before leaving San Francisco. Not that she didn't think about him often, though.
They hadn't spoken since just after the big battle had occurred. Before the group began their sojourn to the Council headquarters they'd stopped in LA to let him know they'd won the battle. They stayed only a few hours, during which Buffy spoke few words to Angel. As much as she wanted to take comfort in his arms then, she'd known it would only make things harder. They couldn't be together, and as she'd told him before the battle, she wasn't yet ready to consider the future.
Since then, she'd not spoke to him, hearing only occasional news through Giles about his triumphs in LA. Maybe she would stop in and see him while she was in town. Her life had greatly changed the last few years and maybe it was time for the two of them to face all of the things they continuously pushed aside. She'd have to debate that for a while, Buffy thought as she arrived at the park.
Wandering around the recreational area under the bright sun and clear blue sky was refreshing after the annoyance of traveling from San Francisco. Every so often, she took a few shots with her camera of the dichotomy between the busy city streets and the peaceful quiet in the seemingly out of place piece of nature situated mere feet from the hustle and bustle of LA. The kids playing and couples having romantic picnics also provided nice pictures, but she probably wouldn't be able to use them without consent forms.
Watching the happy couples feeding each other strawberries gave her pause for a moment. A deep longing stirred within her over the blissful lovers. Her new life was great and all, but she shared it with no one, at least not on a romantic level anyway. Well, not that she'd tried to have a relationship, or even date. There just always seemed to be something holding her back, memories of true love and baking cookies, that prevented her from getting close to a man. It wasn't exactly intentional, but it was done nonetheless. Who needed men anyway? All that angst, and hurt, and leaving. No, she didn't need that.
Finding an empty bench, she sat herself down and gazed around the park. It was a pretty nice place for being in a city. A small pond sat off to her left, a playground directly in front of her, and then a picnic area to her right. The trees were kind of small, but that was to be expected since they were probably only planted a few years before.
As she let her eyes rove over the varying sights, she spotted a man taking a seat on a bench in front of the small pond. With casual interest, Buffy watched as the unknown man seemed to stare up at the bright mid-day sun glaring down at him. He looked so peaceful enjoying the simple pleasures of the natural world. It piqued her curiosity.
Slowly, she raised her camera, intent on capturing the image as it would go nicely with the article on the benefits of preserving nature. Snapping a few wide pictures, taking in the man and the elements surrounding him, she finally allowed herself to use her zoom lens to take a peek at the 'sun- bather'. Just as she was focusing the camera, the man's head turned and looked straight at her.
The stunned gasp that crept past her lips seemed inordinately loud to her ears. It couldn't be. There was no possible way she could be seeing what it was that she was seeing. There had to be an explanation. She was going nuts. She just had to be. Maybe she'd spent too much time around the photo-developing chemicals. If she was hallucinating, though, it was a damn good one.
Unable to move, she just stared, completely not comprehending the reality of the moment. At least not until the man stood and began taking steps towards her. It was then that the truth sunk into her dazed mind.
"Angel?" she whispered in the barest of voices as her camera fell from her hands, held up by only the strap around her neck.
^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^
TBC!
New fic, completely unrelated to the SiT series. I started it a couple months ago, and finished the rough draft while I was taking a break from writing SiT. Don't worry, though, it won't interrupt the posting of SiT.
Anyways, this fic overall is pretty angsty. Read the author's notes below for more. I'll be posting chapters every few days.
Cliff!
Enjoy,
~Isis
***
Title: Falls Apart
Author: Isis Blue
Started: December 11, 2003
Completed: March 5, 2004
Feedback: vagabond_angel@comcast.net
Disclaimer: I certainly don't own them, thank you for asking.
Rating: PG 13ish for the most part, but R for some bad language
Pairing: B/A, A/?, B/?
Summary: Set a few years after 'Chosen'...Angel's gained his humanity, but that doesn't necessarily mean a happy reunion with his soulmate.
Spoilers: There's really not that many, basically through BtVS s7 'Chosen' (for mentions of the events in the finale), and some general for AtS s5 (mostly the W&H concept, and 1 other thing), but to be on the safe side, spoilers through AtS s5 'Smile Time'.
Distribution: my site (Vagabond Soul), and if you already have any of my fics, you may take this one, if not, please ask first.
Author's Notes: This is a future fic/Shanshu fic. It seems as though most times Angel Shanshu's then immediately goes to Buffy and everyone goes on their merry way. So with this fic I wanted to throw some angst into that scenario. There are actually two endings to this fic. The official one, and the one that I prefer, doesn't end with B/A together, but there is also an alternate B/A ending too. I know everyone prefers B/A together after all is said and done, but I hope you'll read both of them. This fic also has a rather unusual (though not unheard of in the fic world) pairing involving Buffy, but that's all I'll say about that. Oh, and also, yes Spike did come back as he did in AtS s5, but I'm just not going to deal with that.
Thank you: As always, to *Stars* for letting me bounce ideas off her and for beta'ing. And to Jade and Roz for doing a read through to let me know what they thought.
Warnings: angst (lots of it), one sex scene, and some bad language
^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^
Part 1
^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^
The taxi cab screeched to a halt, sending its passenger in the back seat lurching forward. Not caring about the annoyed glare from his fare, the driver mumbled the cost of the ride and grabbed the cash thrust at him. He didn't bother to help with the bags, just sat there until the door closed. The moment it did, the cab pulled away in a screech of tires, leaving his former passenger coughing over the smell of burnt rubber.
On the curb, Buffy stood shaking her head. She hated cabs, or more rather, obnoxious cab drivers. It probably would have been safer for her to walk from the airport to her hotel than ride with that lunatic. At least she'd made it in one piece. If only she'd told Willow she was coming, she probably could have gotten a ride. Instead she'd let her trip remain a surprise.
Sure, Willow had told her not to bother coming, but Buffy hadn't seen her best friend in almost eight months. The redheaded hacker was now living in Tempe, Arizona, working for an upstart software company. She'd taken the job about a year after the final battle with the First. It hadn't come as a shock, really. They were all tired and worn out.
Once they'd left the crater formerly known as Sunnydale almost four years ago, the group of bedraggled slayers, witches, a Watcher, and several civilians had piled onto the bus and headed for the nearest hotel. They stayed there for several weeks. How? Buffy didn't know. Giles had just told her he'd taken care of the cost but not where he'd gotten the money. She still didn't know for sure.
The core Scoobies, or what remained of them, had spent many nights talking during those days. Where were they supposed to go from there? That was the question of the hour, or as it had turned out, many hours. Not long after their arrival at the hotel, Xander had taken off, boarding a bus to wherever. No one had questioned it, knowing he needed some time after having lost so much in the previous months. Every few weeks he would call one of their cell phones and let them know he was okay. It was obvious he never planned on coming back. Eventually, he settled in a small town in Colorado and went back to doing construction work. They still talked to him, and visited, but he'd distanced himself from anything demon related.
With the Watcher's Council gone, Giles suggested finding a place to get things rebuilt. The slayers needed to be trained, and the few Watchers who hadn't been killed needed a headquarters. Somehow, he'd gotten hold of a large, almost compound-like place in northern California. Again, he said nothing about where the money came from, though Buffy began to suspect he'd managed to gain hold of Council funds. So the group took off from their motel and traveled to the new headquarters.
They turned the place into what outsiders would think was an exclusive private school for girls. The entrance requirement was hefty: you had to be a slayer to get in. It was a bit picky, but it was necessary. Giles had high hopes for the new Council and the many, many Slayers. Having experienced so much during his tenure as Buffy's Watcher, he'd gained much insight into what worked and what didn't. The remaining Watchers bristled at his revised tactics, but without Travers' control they were forced to change, or quit. Some stayed, some left.
The new slayers were trained and schooled on the premises of the new Council until it was deemed they were prepared for field work. At that time, they were assigned a Watcher and sent somewhere with demon problems. It was a bit hard on the girls, but most accepted it. They were all pretty much flying blind at the situation they found themselves in. Never had there been so many slayers, and never had the Council been in ruins. So they just tried to do the best they could, making changes as needed.
For a while, Willow had stayed and been part of it all. Then Kennedy was killed not long after going on active duty. Buffy supposed it was the last straw for the oft afflicted witch. The demon world had in one way or another claimed all of her partners. First Oz and his need to deal with the wolf in him, then Tara to wanna-be villain Warren, and finally Kennedy to a hundred-plus year old vampire. It was just too much, so two months after her lover's death, Willow had come to Buffy and Giles to say she'd accepted a job at a software company and was leaving. On occasion, she returned when help was needed, but for the most part, she immersed herself in her new life.
As for Buffy, she too stayed for a while, not knowing what else to do with her life. She was the original Slayer after all. The life was wearing on her, though. Giles must have noticed because a year and a half after leaving Sunnydale he came to her one night and told her that maybe it was time she walk away. He stated that there were more than enough Slayers now, and that he hated seeing her forced destiny sucking the life out her. His words had shocked her and she didn't know whether to hug him or cry.
With freedom staring her in the face, Buffy had found herself clueless as to what to do. Who was she if she wasn't a Slayer? What was she if she wasn't a Slayer? Honestly, she had no idea. The last few years of her life hadn't afforded her a chance to be anything but a fighter. She wasn't quite sure she was prepared to leave the only world she knew. It was a tearful phone call to Willow that had pushed her to take the chance, to make a life outside of battling evil.
The peace and happiness in the redhead's voice as she spoke of simple things like going to work, watching tv, and hanging out with friends made Buffy yearn for what she had. She wanted to once again know what it was like to be just another person making their way in the world. The Slayer in her had been the dominant persona for so long, and she wanted more. She'd always been a Slayer, but there had to be more to life than that.
Unfortunately, the problem was that there didn't seem to be anything she could do. She was a college drop out with a trouble-maker reputation. What did she have to offer? Again, Willow had come to her rescue, pushing Buffy to pursue a hobby that she'd picked up after leaving Sunnydale: photography. It hadn't been an intentional hobby, rather it was something she stumbled into by accident.
Life on the Council compound had offered little privacy. Occasionally, needing time away from all the slayers, she'd begun taking long walks, and then at one point she'd started taking a camera with her because the grounds surrounding the 'school' were so beautiful. Willow apparently thought her pictures were great and told her she should find a job related to that. The hacker had then done what she did best; hacked. Buffy soon found herself with a college degree, and a rather nice resume. All courtesy of Willow.
Taking the opportunity presented to her hadn't been easy, though. She'd have been lying if she said she wasn't scared. It was ironic, really. She could slay a vampire, behead a demon, and other such stuff, but she was ~scared~ of going out, finding a job, and making a life. But she'd done it. Mere months after Giles' initial push, Buffy had a job at a small magazine in San Francisco, a cozy apartment, and a car (which she absolutely hated driving). It was all so foreign, but in the end, she loved it.
There were no more nightly patrols, no more plans canceled because of demon problems, no more strange looks from people, none of it. Giles had firmly ordered her to leave it all behind. So she had. Well, as best she could. There had been two times she'd returned to the 'private school for girls' in order to help, but that was it. Buffy Summers, the Slayer, was of the past. Buffy Summers, magazine photographer and average woman, was of the present.
So that's how she'd been living her life for the last two years. Adjusting hadn't been easy, but her new life was now second nature. And now she found herself in Los Angeles to surprise Willow with a visit. Her best friend was in LA on business for a few days and Buffy had decided to fly down to see her. When Buffy had suggested to Willow she come down, the redhead had told her no, that she'd be too busy, but Buffy hadn't listened and planned her little trip unbeknownst to her friend. She needed a few days off anyway. Work had been keeping her extremely busy lately.
With a final shake of her head, Buffy finally left her spot on the sidewalk where the cab had left her. She carried her bags into the hotel, checked in and paid for her room. Silently, she thanked her decently-paying job that allowed her to get a nice room to stay in for the few days she'd be in LA.
After unpacking, and taking a short nap, she decided to go for a walk since it'd been so long since the last time she was in LA. Grabbing her camera bag, she strolled out of her room and headed for a park that she vaguely remembered was nearby. Maybe she'd be able to get some shots for an article the magazine was working on about nature conservation.
Walking down the busy sidewalks of LA was strange, yet familiar. This place had once been her home, but that time seemed so foreign. Since then she'd only been back to LA three times, all because of Angel. His name brought a pause to her steps. She was back in his territory. She hadn't really considered that before leaving San Francisco. Not that she didn't think about him often, though.
They hadn't spoken since just after the big battle had occurred. Before the group began their sojourn to the Council headquarters they'd stopped in LA to let him know they'd won the battle. They stayed only a few hours, during which Buffy spoke few words to Angel. As much as she wanted to take comfort in his arms then, she'd known it would only make things harder. They couldn't be together, and as she'd told him before the battle, she wasn't yet ready to consider the future.
Since then, she'd not spoke to him, hearing only occasional news through Giles about his triumphs in LA. Maybe she would stop in and see him while she was in town. Her life had greatly changed the last few years and maybe it was time for the two of them to face all of the things they continuously pushed aside. She'd have to debate that for a while, Buffy thought as she arrived at the park.
Wandering around the recreational area under the bright sun and clear blue sky was refreshing after the annoyance of traveling from San Francisco. Every so often, she took a few shots with her camera of the dichotomy between the busy city streets and the peaceful quiet in the seemingly out of place piece of nature situated mere feet from the hustle and bustle of LA. The kids playing and couples having romantic picnics also provided nice pictures, but she probably wouldn't be able to use them without consent forms.
Watching the happy couples feeding each other strawberries gave her pause for a moment. A deep longing stirred within her over the blissful lovers. Her new life was great and all, but she shared it with no one, at least not on a romantic level anyway. Well, not that she'd tried to have a relationship, or even date. There just always seemed to be something holding her back, memories of true love and baking cookies, that prevented her from getting close to a man. It wasn't exactly intentional, but it was done nonetheless. Who needed men anyway? All that angst, and hurt, and leaving. No, she didn't need that.
Finding an empty bench, she sat herself down and gazed around the park. It was a pretty nice place for being in a city. A small pond sat off to her left, a playground directly in front of her, and then a picnic area to her right. The trees were kind of small, but that was to be expected since they were probably only planted a few years before.
As she let her eyes rove over the varying sights, she spotted a man taking a seat on a bench in front of the small pond. With casual interest, Buffy watched as the unknown man seemed to stare up at the bright mid-day sun glaring down at him. He looked so peaceful enjoying the simple pleasures of the natural world. It piqued her curiosity.
Slowly, she raised her camera, intent on capturing the image as it would go nicely with the article on the benefits of preserving nature. Snapping a few wide pictures, taking in the man and the elements surrounding him, she finally allowed herself to use her zoom lens to take a peek at the 'sun- bather'. Just as she was focusing the camera, the man's head turned and looked straight at her.
The stunned gasp that crept past her lips seemed inordinately loud to her ears. It couldn't be. There was no possible way she could be seeing what it was that she was seeing. There had to be an explanation. She was going nuts. She just had to be. Maybe she'd spent too much time around the photo-developing chemicals. If she was hallucinating, though, it was a damn good one.
Unable to move, she just stared, completely not comprehending the reality of the moment. At least not until the man stood and began taking steps towards her. It was then that the truth sunk into her dazed mind.
"Angel?" she whispered in the barest of voices as her camera fell from her hands, held up by only the strap around her neck.
^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^
TBC!