Part Three

The Scoobies sat in shocked silence. Even Giles couldn't believe what he'd heard. Vampires were either there or dust, they didn't have an in between stage. A thought suddenly occurred to him and he stiffened.

"Well I don't know what you think we can do, If Angel is as you say, dying, then I take it, it's a poison of some kind and therefore there is nothing we can possibly do to help. I assure you there is no cure for a vampire poisons" 'liar, liar pants on fire.' A voice sung in his head, but he wasn't going to let his slayer any where near Angel only to have him savage her like last time.

"Giles!" Buffy barked. She was furious; the same thoughts had crossed her mind only much like the last time, she knew she would do what had to be done to save him. "You know very well there's a cure for vampire poisons, slayer's blood."

"Yes and now Angel knows this, how long do you think you'll live if you go near him? I'm sure it was only by chance you survived his attack last time."

"Attack?? Angel never attacked me! I made him drink! I had to beat him senseless just get him to do it!! How could you think Angel would ever hurt me? God, are you that blind?"

Giles stared incredulously at his slayer, but before he could reply Gunn jumped in. As fun as it was to watch them bicker, it really wasn't the point.

"Hold up, no one said anything about poisons, or slayers blood or any of that shit. Man I thought you knew, I should have guessed when you asked if he was evil but, damn. Angel don't need no Mystical cure, he needs a medical one, not to mention someone to convince him to go get it. Our boy's human, been like that for six months."

Again the Scoobies were gob smacked, for six months they had searched for information about an Evil Angel and now they realised it had been wasted time.

"He's Human?" Buffy asked quietly, her voice laced with shock, "How?"

"Big prophecy, said it was some kind of reward, but seeing him now I'm thinking its more a punishment, the guy looks like shit."

Willow was the first to speak. "What's wrong with him then?"

Gunn sighed; this was the hard part. "The change was brutal, I mean jump starting organs that haven't been used in centuries ain't easy. Man's heart couldn't take it, had three heart attacks in 20 minutes, and died once in the ER. Now his heart's weak, but he won't do shit about it. The doctors told him with medication he could lead a normal life, and there's a procedure they can do to fix it, good as new, but he just doesn't care. He's given up, completely. Without the meds or the op he's got a year, maybe 18 months at the most."

"Shit" Faith exclaimed.

"yeah that's my feeling, so I figured the best bet was to bring in the old flame, maybe put bit of spark in his ass so he'll go sort this out. I had to do something, he's all that's left."

"All that's left?" Willow enquired.

"It's a whole long story, short version they're all dead, Wes, Fred, Cordy, Spike, man even Lorne's disappeared without trace. Me and the ex-vamp are all that remains of the once mighty Angel investigations," Gunn said mockingly. "Yeah we're so very mighty, him with a dodgy heart and me with no legs."

"Where is he now?" Buffy spoke for the first time since hearing of Angel's poor condition.

"Where he always is, in his apartment, boy can't walk too far, too much strain on the ticker." Gunn tapped his chest to emphasise his point.

"Does he know we're here?"

"Nah, and bad heart or no, he's gonna kick my ass for this."

"I have to see him."

"Sure, but I warn you, he ain't a pretty sight."

In the end it was only Buffy and Gunn who made their way to Angel's apartment. Gunn had been adamant that Angel didn't need to be faced with 'Stuck up Englishmen with issues' and 'sci-fi nerds who couldn't keep their mouths shut.' Willow and Faith had already decided that it was for the best if Buffy went alone, and Robin didn't know Angel, so saw no need to go with out his girlfriend.

Buffy couldn't believe the state of the building that Angel lived in. The hallways stank of urine and refuse, the paintwork had long since pealed away beyond repair and only about one in four lights worked in the hallways. She was amazed that the elevator actually worked when Gunn called for it, but didn't say anything. Neither spoke until they stopped outside a battered looking door on the third floor. Gunn fished in his pocket for the key, but hesitated before putting it in the lock.

"You sure you wonna do this? Look, if your gonna back out, do it now. Don't let him see you then disappear ok? I don't think he could take it. The man's not well."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Glad to hear it," he was about to put the key in the lock when he paused again. "You know, for the record, I think Cordy had it wrong about you, I don't know what you were like back in the day, but you seem to care and that's what my boy needs right now."

With that said he unlocked the door and wheeled himself through followed by Buffy. The apartment was dark, the curtains were all open but the windows all looked onto the building opposite and very little light filtered through. The front door opened onto a living area with a kitchen, to her right Buffy could see two doors she assumed were the bathroom and bedroom. What struck her the most however, was how un-Angel like the place was, the furniture was mismatched and tatty, the carpet was stained, the curtains that hung in the window could have been from the previous tenant or from one who had left at least 3 decades earlier judging by the hideous floral design just visible despite the fading and ground in dirt. The whole place smelled stale and lifeless. In short it reeked of illness.

"Yo Angel? You here?" he wasn't sure why he asked, but he always did, maybe because it implied that Angel could be somewhere else if he wanted or maybe it was just for a lack of something else to say.

There was the sound of movement behind one of the doors; as it opened, but before the person behind it could be seen or had seen those in his sitting room, a voice devoid of feeling, life and hope replied to Gunn's cheerier greeting.

"Where else would I Be?"

"Well get your ass out here, you have a visitor."

As Angel stepped into the room Buffy gasped, it was Angel, she knew it was, but what she was seeing bore little resemblance to the man she'd seen 18 months before. His hair was longer, too long and hung limply around his head, where before his posture had been confident and strong, now it was crumpled and frail, but most of all he was thin, dangerously thin. His cloths hung from his frame like rags on scarecrow, his face was pinched and tight, ashen grey with dark circles under his eyes. Gunn had said he looked ill, Buffy thought he looked dead, more dead than he ever had when he actually was.

"Buffy" Buffy snapped out of her thoughts and met his eyes. She really wished she hadn't. They were blank, even from the other side of the tiny room she could see the absolute nothingness in them. Not the Angelus-No–soul-evil-maniac nothing, but vacuum nothing, complete devoid of anything tangible nothing.

"Why are you here?" Again the voice was vacant, like he didn't care either way. He didn't even sound curious.

"I um..." She faltered for something to say. What could she say in the face of such a blunt question?

"What? a girl can't come visit an old friend?" Gunn spoke up for her, sensing that the wrong thing said at this point could be disastrous.

Angel let out a chuckle, a dry raspy sound like sandpaper on gravestones. "Not this Girl, any way, we're not friends."

"Yes we are." Buffy objected, and she truly hoped they were, 18 months was a long time not to talk to someone except for the occasional postcard, but this was Angel, surely they'd always have some kind of connection even if was just friendship?

"Really?" The voice was even, showing no hope or annoyance just plain straightforward inquiry. "Go home Buffy, you've become very good at staying away and I wouldn't want to keep you away from your life."

The first thing she was tempted to throw at him was that her life was standing in front of her, but his comment had also made her angry and she chose to follow that line of conversation instead.

"Don't you dare throw that at me! You left remember!" She argued taking a step closer towards the ex-vampire.

"Yo, I got places to be, I'm sure you two crazy kids can cope without me. I'm gone." When no one responded he shrugged and wheeled himself out in silence.

Buffy hadn't really heard Gunn's exit she was staring intently at Angel. As she'd spoken something had flashed across his face. It was only there for the barest fraction of a second but it gave her hope, hope that she could somehow break through the walls of ice that seemed to have wrapped themselves around Angel's soul.

Angel watched Buffy dispassionately as she stared at him. He saw Gunn leave but didn't want to break off his study of the girl in front of him. For years he had dreamed of her, his heart had longed for her and his soul had cried for her. Now he felt nothing, except cold, he always felt cold. As he looked at her he didn't see the same girl he had loved with his entire being all those years ago, he saw a woman, a temptress. He saw the embodiment of all his delusions. She had been his reason, but his cause had been a false one. She'd made a fool of him without being there to witness it, but he couldn't even muster the anger anymore. Anger didn't change facts, you made mistakes and you paid for them, he just didn't have the time he used to have.

Sighing he lowered himself into a chair, he'd been standing too long and it made him dizzy. He must have stumbled slightly because Buffy quickly rushed to his side to help him sit down. Once she had seated herself opposite him he spoke again.

"Why are you here Buffy? and the truth this time."

Buffy bit her lip a moment, she couldn't very well tell him she came because they thought he was evil and they were geared up to kill him. But she could tell him the partial truth that was better than lying outright, wasn't it? "Gunn called me, he said you were sick, so I came."

Angel just stared at her, almost pinning her to her seat with his eyes. She squirmed under the intense look.

"Try again."

Buffy gaped at him, he knew she'd lied but didn't seem upset, in fact he didn't seem to have any emotions at all.

Sighing she ran her fingers through her hair. If she was going to tell the truth she may as well do it properly. "We heard stories, stories that you'd gone evil, lost your soul, gone evil but not lost your soul. We'd hear one and then next would contradict it. Giles did this whole reunion thing and we decided to try and work out what was true before we did anything, believe me when I say we got nowhere fast with that."

She watched Angel's face as she spoke but he seemed to have no response to what she was telling him. Sighing again she continued. "Then a couple of days ago I get this call, from Gunn. He said I should come. Giles and everybody said it was a trap but I had to come, we had to sort this out. So we came."

"You came to kill me." It wasn't a question but the voice remained impassive and emotionless.

"What?? No! I never, never for minute believed that you'd turned."

Again came that laugh, that cold dry humourless sound. "Why do I find that hard to believe?"

Buffy sighed in defeat. "Well I'm here now, and I want to help."

"Do you now?"

"Yes! Tell me, please Angel, tell me how I can help you?"

"Go Home"

Giles paced furiously inside his Hotel room. Things were going down hill fast. Once they had returned Willow and Faith had cornered him, demanding to know what his argument with the ex-demon hunter had been about. Put on the spot by two very powerful and angry young women he caved and told them about Angel's desperate call for aid. What he hadn't realised was that both Women knew and liked Fred, the woman he'd refused to help. Willow had become enraged and had to retreat to her room until she had her magics under control, Faith had just shaken her head in disgust and walked away. He wasn't sure how to feel, for years he had held the moral high ground over Faith, but now the tables had turned. She had hurt people, sure, but never under the guise of doing the right thing.

Glancing over he stopped and studied the young man sat in one of the over stuffed chairs that littered his hotel suite. Andrew, his partner in crime, his overly willing little helper who had done as told just so he felt he fitted in and could be given the mantle of watcher. When had he become so cold that he would recruit impressionable youth to help him carry out his vendettas? When had he grown so bitter and angry that he had vendettas at all?

Catching Giles watching him, Andrew stopped chewing his nail. "They're all really mad."

"You don't say."

"I thought Buffy loved Spike?"

Giles blinked at the change in topic, then scowled. "Buffy is a fickle young woman who likes her men dangerous and unpredictable. I'm not sure Love has anything to do with it."

"Willow told me that Buffy and Angel are soulmates."

"Yes well, Willow is a hopeless romantic, she'll see the silver lining on the darkest of clouds, she can also be incredibly stupid at times." Giles Huffed. "Soulmates, most the bloody time he doesn't even have a bloody soul."

"Why does Faith trust him?"

"Angel is, in a way, her mentor, and of course they have a lot in common." At Andrews questioning look Giles continued. "Didn't you know? They're both cold-blooded Killers. Always were and always will be. The sooner he's dead the better, the world will be whole lot better off because of it."

Faith stopped outside the watcher's door on her way to see Willow. The two weren't the best of friends and probably never would be, but they had a common cause right now. They were both pissed as hell at Giles. She paused a moment and thought about going to speak to the Englishman, she'd been too angry before, but she was calm enough now, to give him a piece of her mind without punching him. She was about to knock when she heard voices on the other side. She could hear quite well thanks to her slayer status, and once she understood the topic of discussion she had to hear more.

"Willow told me that Buffy and Angel are soulmates."

"Yes well, Willow is a hopeless romantic, she'll see the silver lining on the darkest of clouds, she can also be incredibly stupid at times." Pause "Soulmates, most the bloody time he doesn't even have a bloody soul."

"Why does Faith trust him?"

"Angel is, in a way, her mentor, and of course they have a lot in common." Pause "Didn't you know? They're both cold-blooded Killers. Always were and always will be. The sooner he's dead the better, the world will be whole lot better off because of it."

Faith felt like she had been punched in the gut, all this time she'd laboured under the impression that she could earn back the trust the watcher had once had in her. And what he said about Angel, she was furious, livid. She may have been destructive and jealous as hell at the time, but she knew the relationship Buffy and Angel had shared was special. Now with Angel so ill, but human, she hoped he and Buffy could work it out, at least then if he did die, he'd die happy and with the woman he loved by his side. Angel had done so much for her, believed in her when no one else would, if she could do one small thing towards his happiness it would repay at least a tiny part of the debt she owed him.

She backed away from the door in confusion. Now it looked as if the watcher was not only against the relationship but could possibly be conspiring to sabotage it. She wouldn't let it happen. First she'd talk to Willow, and then they'd both talk to Buffy. And maybe then Buffy could kick her watchers ass, as he rightly deserved.

tbc