Part 7

Angel scowled. There was something niggling him. He was sat up in bed, a few books and the all the information on the three girls Willow could gather over the net, spread out in front of him. While he and Buffy had been out getting lunch, the identities of the other two victims had been released to the public, along with another plea for information and most tragically of all, the discovery of a fourth body. The news had left every one disheartened and shocked, until someone, he couldn't remember who, had mentioned that it was just going to keep happening. That had been the stroke of incentive they all and needed and they'd hit the books with a fervour like never before.

It was now gone midnight and he'd been sat studying the files for well over an hour. The walk earlier had tired him out and the girls had quite categorically shooed him off to bed as soon as he let out his first yawn. He fought of course, and that was how he still ended up in bed, but also had books and files to keep working. He had to admit he was more comfortable, the couch was giving him a bad back; lord knew how Gunn slept there every night since they started the research quest.

Rubbing his eyes tiredly he scanned the open file once again. He'd had Willow pull everything she could on these girls, luckily two had gone to the same school, so that marginally reduced the a mount of hacking Willow had to do. But it also ruled out one thing that all three, now four, had in common, apart from their age and their untimely death, that is. There had to be something, something that had made them targets out of all the other people in the city. Angel found himself wishing for the resources at Wolfram and Hart, but quickly dismissed the thought, those resources had come at too high a price.

There had to be a connection, and at the back of his mind Angel felt that maybe he'd already seen it, but he couldn't place where. All four girls were aged between nine and twelve, and were prepubescent; three had been found in an alley, the fourth in Griffin Park. Two had gone to the same school, the other two had lived on opposite ends of the city. The differences kept on going; they were different heights, builds and from different ethnic and social backgrounds.

Flicking through the numerous printouts in one girls file, he scanned each page before moving to the next, until he stopped. There it was again, that sensation that he'd missed something, something important. Turning back the previous page he found himself faced with a report from a school guidance councillor. He read the report carefully making sure not to miss a detail.

Throwing the covers off, Angel dressed quickly and grabbing up the three files, he headed downstairs. He had his connection.

Xander was dreaming, it was a nice dream and it was a hell of a lot better than reality, where he knew he was in fact, sacked out on the couch book probably now on the floor, after hours of tireless researching. By god was he jealous that Angel had the girls insisting he go to bed. But sadly he wasn't recovering from heart surgery so, no he didn't get special reprieve from the books. At least no one seemed to be in hurry to wake him up, and wasn't it strange that he knew he was asleep and knew he was dreaming, weird.

It was the sound of Angel's frantic entrance that jolted him from his cosy dream world.

"GHOSTS!"

The entire room jumped at Angel's out burst and entrance.

"Why aren't you in bed?" Buffy scolded firmly, but Angel ignored her and moved over the couch and sat down, spreading the files across the coffee table.

"The connection is ghosts"

Somewhat groggily the rest of the group gathered closer, waiting not so patiently for Angel to explain.

"Ok man, ghosts, and you know this because...?" Gunn said, trying to pull the information out of the ex vampire. Angel smiled, a cocky self assured smile and pointed to one of the files.

"Toya Williams, 2 years ago, had a psychotic episode where she collapsed on a school field trip to a Native American burial ground, she claimed to have been attacked by Indians."

Pointing to the next file he made sure he still had everyone's attention.

"Juliet Morse, 3 years ago, 6 months ago and 2 weeks ago, the day before she went missing, ran screaming from a room seemingly terrified of shadows. She even told a school nurse that the shadows talk to her."

"Willamina Onyemachi, has for the last 6 years claimed that her imaginary friend is in fact her late grandmother, she only started having an imaginary friend the day after her grandmother died, a grandmother she's never met because she lived and died in Nigeria."

"So what, your saying that all the victims were psychic?" Faith put in, mildly confused.

"No, not psychic," Willow spoke up and then looked to Angel to see if she was right, when he nodded she continued "But they have a connection to the dead. A link with the nether realms, so to speak."

"OH hey!!" Xander said excitedly, scrambling around for the book he had been reading. "I saw that... here! Tolezar... an ancient beast of darkness... umm... finds its power through a minion... who feeds on the seers of the dead."

"Sounds like our guy, or are we looking for the minion?" Buffy cast a look back and forth between Xander and Angel, as they seemed to have all the information.

"Can I see that?" Angel asked, reaching for the book. Once he had it, he studied the text in front of him for a second before looking at Buffy, his expression very serious and not a little concerned "We need to find both... and soon would be good."

With the name of the demon in their grasp the information soon began to pile up. Faith and Buffy were itching to go out and kill it; the only problem was no one knew where it would be. With every new titbit of information, the realisation that they needed a quick resolution was ever more apparent.

What they knew, painted a grotesque future-scape of death and destruction. Tolezar was powerful and old, not quite an old one, but close. He slept beneath the city, waking only once every few centuries in order to feed, and each time he fed he tried to gain enough power to rise. He couldn't feed himself however, so he used a minion, and it was here that the information seemed to run out. There were no pictures, no descriptions, not even a clue as to whether there was more than one. What ever the minion was, it was pretty clear that it had been what had killed the girls, and the race was on to find it and stop it before it killed again, and before Tolezar rose.

The sun was peaking over the horizon and the faint twilight drifted through the sitting room window, alerting Willow to the late hour. Stretching stiff muscles, she pushed away from the computer and glanced around the room. Xander had retreated upstairs shortly after Angel had announced his breakthrough, no one commented, he was one of only two people in the house that actually worked. The other employed member of the group was fast asleep in an armchair, Faith curled up his in lap, her head tucked into the crook of his neck, looking more innocent and young than Willow had ever seen her. Gunn was asleep on the couch, and glancing at the space in front of it, Willow smiled. Angel was the only one still awake; he was sat with his back to the couch, one knee bent up, deeply engrossed in the book he was reading. But what made the scene so unusual yet so heart warming, was Buffy, she had fallen asleep and had drifted sideways; so she was now resting her head on his shoulder, it was like looking into the past.

Moving as quietly as she could Willow crossed the room and sat down beside the ex vampire. Angel looked up as she sat, offering her a tired smile.

"Hey."

"Hey"

"You ok?" Willow asked before Angel could return to his research, keeping her voice low in order not to wake the rooms sleeping occupants. Angel closed the book, marking his page with a sheet of notepaper and looked at the redhead.

"I know, I know. I shouldn't strain myself, but really I'm fine." Angel replied his voice equally quiet. Willow raised her hands in supplication, she knew that their constant mothering made him uncomfortable, problem was, without it they all knew he would push himself too far, too fast.

"Any progress?" Willow offered as a change of subject, but since he hadn't said anything, knew there wouldn't be much if anything.

"Nothing we didn't already know." After a beat Willow nodded, and simultaneously Buffy grumbled in her sleep, snuggling closer to Angel's side. Willow couldn't stop the grin spreading across her face.

"She seems very comfortable there."

Angel turned and looked at the blonde head resting on his shoulder. He'd been so hurt and so defeated not so long ago, that a scene like this would have disturbed him. But the more time he spent with Buffy the last couple of days, the more old feelings were yelling for his attention. Not only that, but he found himself willing to believe her, to trust her. Did that mean he wanted to start something with her all over again? He wasn't sure, she hadn't said she still loved him, she'd said that she still cared, but not love. Then again neither had he, add to that the myriad of issues they still had unresolved between them. Old resentments that could destroy anything before it even started, her inconsistent treatment of him after his return form hell, his leaving, Parker, the day that wasn't, Riley, Faith, Spike, Darla, Nina, god the list was endless.

They'd already started the process; they'd talked a few times the last couple of days. And he realised that was something they'd never really done, talked as friends. Their relationship in the past had been fire, passion, love and pain. No trust, no friendship, not really. So now the friendship was there, it was only a week, maybe less since that had happened but it was bright and new and refreshing. All that was left was the trust, and that had to be relearned, on both sides.

"I didn't have the heart to wake her." Angel said softly, not turning to face the redhead, but she heard any way.

"You still love her." Now Angel did turn to face Buffy's best friend, a scowl spreading across his brow.

"Willow.."

"Just listen. When Buffy had to kill you I never understood what she was going through, then all theses years later I lose Tara and I finally understand. I would give anything to have Tara back, but I thank goddess that we made up before she died, because if I had to spend the rest of my life not knowing... you've both died and come back but you still don't get it. If she dies tomorrow you'll never know IF. Can you spend a mortal life time living with IF?"

Angel turned back to gaze at Buffy's sleeping form. Willow gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze before standing to leave. She was almost out of the door when Angel's soft call halted her progress.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you want us back together? You're her best friend... after everything I've done, all the hurt..."

"Because I miss Buffy." Angel looked her strangely, so she explained. "The Slayer stayed in Sunnydale for seven years Angel. But Buffy left when you did."

Angel sat watching Buffy sleep for what seemed like hours. His talk with Willow gave him a lot to think about. He new about Tara, over the last weeks he'd learned a lot about hr events in Sunnydale since he left, the more personal things, things he hadn't heard through rumour and gossip in the demon world. To learn that Willow had been the rage driven which that had terrorised the town for those short few days was should have been a shock, as should have been learning she had killed a man. But having met her vampire self he wasn't surprised. The darkness that the once shy and introverted hacker was capable of was more than evident in her vampiric, leather-clad doppelganger. The circumstances that had lead to its revelation were heart wrenching though. The three of them now shared a common bond, he, Willow and Faith. Recalling Buffy's words from her brief and painful visit seeking vengeance on Faith, he realised that they now had a third member in their club. And although it was nice to have people that understood, he was still grateful that Buffy was not a member, that she had retained that last shred of innocence.

But that was probably the only innocence she had left, the world and her duty had taken its toll, he'd have to be blind not see it. She wasn't a naïve teenager any more, and even back then she hadn't really been. But he felt like he'd grown up too; looking back, his time in Sunnydale seemed like a painful second adolescence, learning to live and love for the first time. Like an adolescent he'd had to work out how society worked, what was expected and what was not. How to interact with people, hadn't Doyle said it 'High School's over, boy. It's time to make with the grown up talk'. He'd left Sunnydale and he'd had to do what Liam never had, he'd had to grow up.

So here they were, two world weary warriors, one old before her time and the other far older than he looked; both heart sick, both alone and if what Willow inferred was true, both still in love.

Taking a deep breath he dropped all the walls that guarded his heart and just felt, for the first time in years. All the hurt and the pain, all the miscommunications and mistrust, he just let go and it was if it was a lifetime away. He let his head rest on top of hers, the smell of her hair, the feel of her so close, and was in the moment. He could feel it like ribbons of finest lace, like a coil of multi-coloured smoke from sandal wood incense, infusing his system, healing old wounds, a balm to his ever weary soul.

There would be time for everything else later. His heart was tattered and torn, as was hers, but maybe they could heal together. He'd told her he had nothing to offer, but it wasn't about what he had to offer by himself, but what they could create together, if she was willing to try. But for now he was in the moment, content to just be.

The sound of someone descending the stairs finally broke the perfect moment. Lifting his head, Angel scrubbed his face tiredly; a part of him berated himself for being so selfish, for worrying about personal issues when there was an evil demonic 'thing' slaughtering young girls all over the city. But another part of him, the selfish part, wanted to get himself sorted, to resolve the countless issues clouding his thoughts, before he even thought about anything or anybody else.

The clink of porcelain alerted him the presence at the door to the room. Looking up he saw it was both Xander and Willow, he'd had no idea it was that late, he knew Xander worked Saturdays, but only a couple of hours and he had to be in the office at 9, So it had to be close to 7am. Willow cast the pair a smile and crossed the room to put the tray covered in cups of tea and coffee on the coffee table. Leaning forward, Angel quickly cleared files and book s out of the way for Willow. The movement woke Buffy, who grumbled groggily. Willow and Angel both turned to look at the sleepy blonde and smiled.

"Morning" They said in unison, causing them both to chuckle.

"uhhhggg already?" Buffy blinked a couple of time then frowned at Angel "Why do I get the feeling you haven't been to bed?"

"Because I haven't?"

"ANGEL!" Buffy scolded a little too loudly jerking Gunn form sleep behind them. Spooked from sleep, he momentarily forgot his recent affliction and tried to sit up using now nonexistent legs, and collapse awkwardly onto the couch.

"Aghhhmmmfpt, dammit"

"You ok Gunn?" Angel asked worriedly "need a hand?"

"Nah, man, I'm cool." Levering himself upright, this time on his arms, he moved to the end of the couch, but stopped and frowned. "Where the hell is my chair?"

As Xander, who had been stood in the doorway drinking his coffee, unfolded Gunn's chair and parked it where the once street kid had left it; Buffy turned back to Angel with a deep frown.

"What part of looking after yourself did you miss?"

"Buffy..." Angel went to argue his case, but before he could, Willow fished in her pocket and began to line up a row of small bottles in the table. Seeing all his meds lined up before him, Angel closed his mouth with an audible click. He was loathed to admit it, but being sat on the floor all night had made him ache all over, and he was feeling slightly short of breath; fatigue, the doctor had warned him. The medication for the pain made him drowsy, but he'd fought it, deciding to live with the onset of pain rather than drift off to sleep. He usually took his meds in private and now it looked like he'd been caught out and they were going to make sure he took them. He was being silly about it, he knew, but he wanted to be useful and for the last couple of days he felt truly alive and he didn't want the feeling to end.

Looking at the bottles he sighed, this was his life, true there was only one bottle he would be familiar with the rest of his life, the just in case medication. The others were postoperative meds, painkillers (three different kinds), drugs to lower the risk of thrombosis (which heart surgery patients were susceptible to) and others to counter act the side effects of the pain medication, well all the side effects except drowsiness.

Seeing how uncomfortable this was making him, Buffy and Willow backed off, each reaching for their coffees. Angel picked two bottles, tipped a couple of pills from each and washed them down with the juice Willow had brought out with the coffees. He knew they worried, and their over protectiveness was heart warming most of the time. But now he had started to make real decisions about his future, it was disheartening to be treated like an invalid. But he wasn't going to prove he wasn't if he didn't start behaving like the grown up he professed to be.