Part 7
When Buffy limped back into the old Summers' house late that evening she couldn't help the frown that settled over her features at the tense atmosphere. Coming in the back door, she spotted Robin, Xander and Willow sitting at the kitchen table, and whilst the men looked concerned but not overly stressed, Willow looked like a pressure cooker of nervous tension as she fiddled distractedly with the cordless phone.
"Hey guys… no please don't tell there's an apocalypse, I have enough to deal with right now without one of those." Buffy groaned.
At the sound of her voice, the room's occupants turned to face her, and Xander stood up so fast his chair crashed to the ground behind him.
"BUFFY! Jeeze scare the hell outta us why don't ya!" Buffy blinked at Xander's outburst but was stopped from saying anything when a frantic Willow enveloped her in a hug.
"God, Buffy we were so worried!" Willow's embrace had only loosened for a second when a second pair of arms, this time Xander's came round her. Finally extricating herself from the duel embrace, Buffy looked between the pair in confusion. It had been a long time since she'd received such a reaction when coming back from unscheduled slayage, but then again, it had been a long time since she'd actually gone out to slay to let off steam; there just hadn't been anything that upsetting to cause it recently. She was just about to comment on this, when she was cut off again by Willow grabbing her injured arm. "Oh god, you're hurt!"
She let herself be lead to a chair, and watched in mute fascination as Willow fussed with the first aid kit. "Umm, Guys… I'm touched that you were worried and all, but really I'm fine. Just a couple of scratches, what's with the uber stress?"
Willow looked up from the first aid kit with a contrite expression, and then sat down opposite the blond. "Well… Dawn was here earlier, with Connor, and she told us how upset you were when you found out about him, and that's totally understandable, and well when we realised you weren't in your room, we figured you'd gone out slaying, which is fine, 'cause you're the slayer, but not recently, not like you can't look after yourself, but if you were upset…"
Buffy's eyebrows had begun to creep towards her hairline as Willow babbled, and had almost merged with it by the time the redhead trailed off with a slightly sheepish expression.
"I think what Wills here is trying to say is… from past experience, you're not always totally focused Buffy after a fight with the not so dead boy." Xander translated. "You were gone an awful long time Buff, we worry."
"Ah," Was all Buffy could think of to say in reply. After a second it sank in that Willow had mentioned Connor and she scowled. "So you know, I mean about Connor?"
"Yeah," Willow replied, offering her best friend a sympathetic look, "Big shock, and trust me, I'll have few things to say to Angel when he gets back, but mostly we were concerned about you."
Buffy returned the smile the redhead sent her way, but once again it took a second for her brain to process what had been said, and once again a scowl settled on her features. Buffy's mind began to whirl with panic. Angel had left not long before her; that meant he'd been out for hours. When she'd resolved to come home and hash out the problem, she'd just assumed he'd be there. And when Willow had mentioned that she'd seen both Dawn and Connor, she'd assumed Angel would have come back with them, but he hadn't, so where in the hell was he?
"Willow, where's Angel?"
Seeing the look of panic on her friend's face, the redhead was quick to reassure her.
"He's fine, Dawn said that they dropped him off at a motel, he wanted to give you some space, not that I think it's a good idea he's out right now, but apparently he wasn't feeling very welcome when he left." Now it was Buffy's turn to look contrite as Willow gave her a stern look. "Faith's calling him now."
"Good… that's good, then he'll come home and we can sort this out…." Buffy trailed off when Faith entered the room, a thoughtful expression etched on her face. Buffy rushed up to the brunette, demanding answers. "Well?"
"What? Oh right… no answer. He must have gone out or something. Left his cell behind, I'll try again later. I'm sure he's five by five," Faith said, but it was almost as if she was trying to convince herself of what she'd just said, rather than anyone else.
Buffy bit her lip, she had the sinking suspicion that, knowing her luck, especially when it came to Angel, something was terribly wrong.
Time was playing tricks on her, warping and distorting to make her world unbearable. Seconds ticked by like days, yet hours flew like minutes. As a new day approached, the tension in the house increased, and it didn't help that Buffy could feel Faith's hostile glare from the other side of the room. Hours had passed, yet no one could get in touch with Angel.
When Connor and Dawn had left, shortly before Buffy's arrival, they'd neglected to mention which motel they'd left the ex vampire at, and all attempts to reach Dawn on her cell had failed. It appeared it wasn't the finest hour for the virtues of cellular communication. It was frustrating and deeply disturbing. Where was he? Was he all right? Was he hurt? Buffy had a clear mental image of him laying on his motel room floor, having got too upset, yet couldn't reach his meds in time. She tried to convince herself there was a rational explanation, that he'd left his phone on silent, that he didn't want to talk to her fearing another vitriolic rant and was therefore ignoring any calls from the house. But a voice in the back of her head told her otherwise; he wouldn't do that to Faith and Willow. His world didn't begin and end with her anymore, and so he wouldn't isolate himself after a fight.
Faith had been quick to point fingers, and Buffy could do little to defend herself.
2 Hours earlier
Faith threw the phone against he wall in frustration, as once again the ringing on the other end trailed off into a pre-recorded voice mail message.
"Damn it!" Faith swung round violently to face the rest of the room. Honing in on Buffy she hissed, her fear for her best friend, manifesting as righteous fury. "YOU! This is your fault! You Knew! You knew he couldn't handle stress, yet poor little Buffy, had to go off on one and upset him!"
"Faith I…" Buffy gaped at the brunette, not since the rouse to get information about the mayor, had she seen or heard such venom form her sister slayer.
"You what, B? Got all high and mighty coz he dared to have a life other than you? Dared to have secrets? New Flash Blondie! He isn't your lap dog any more!"
"I know that!" Buffy hissed back, glaring at the brunette. She was trying not to loose her temper, she knew faith was worried, but the accusations cut deep.
Faith got right in Buffy's face, her fists clenched at her sides, itching to vent her anger in a more physical way. "Really? And you proved that by…? What yelling? Blaming? Maybe you hit? Threw stuff? Not news that you're not afraid to use your fist when you don't get your way! Princess Buffy, queen of the hissy fit!"
"Oh this is cheap coming from you! Sorry faith, but I don't solve my problems with my fists!"
"Really? You wonna hit me… I can tell… maybe he ran coz he thought you'd hit him… wouldn't be the first time!"
"At least I've never tried to kill him! Then again which of your friends haven't you tried to kill!" Buffy hissed, eyes narrowed.
"SEPARATE!" Willow shouted, and the two slayers found themselves pinned to opposite walls, still glaring daggers at each other. "Either you both shut up, or I'm going to mute you. Stop it, now, its not helping!"
Both girls yielded to Willow's commanding tone, with one final angry look, they both nodded.
Now Buffy paced, her mind a mess of confusion and fear. She was well aware she'd overreacted. She was still hurt, but she had an inkling as to why he hadn't told her. Now all she wanted was to pull him into her arms and make sure he was ok. Fear for his safety overwhelmed any anger she felt.
Turning, she scanned the room's occupants. Robin sat with Faith I his lap, the brunette still shooting death glares in the blonde's direction. Buffy understood that Faith needed a focus for her fear; Buffy wished she had one too, but all she had was herself. Willow was the only other person in the room, Gunn had left with Connor and Dawn, and Xander had retreated upstairs, stating that, yes he was worried, but since he had to work, he would rather be worried with his eyes closed in a comfy bed than in a room with a lot of angry people. Buffy could tell from the set of the redhead's jaw that Willow was far from as calm as she outwardly would appear. She was hunched over her laptop, trying to feel useful, trying to find a trace on where Angel was on the net. Sadly, the credit card records hadn't come up with anything, so she was vainly searching hotel computers. They all knew it was fruitless, the likely hood being that the motel had computer records, or that if it did the computer they were using was connected to the net, were slim.
The truth of the matter was that they were all waiting for the phone to ring, either Angel or Dawn calling back in response to the numerous voice mails that had been left. All suggestion that they simply go out and look had been vetoed, and Buffy knew they were right; it would be a little pointless. LA was a huge city. She didn't have the faintest clue where to start looking.
As the hall clock chimed midnight, Buffy's eyes caught Faith's and Buffy knew the threat had just gone from bodily harm to death.
As the service drew to a close, Angel remained in his seat as people filtered past and out into the night. He wasn't sure why he was reluctant to leave. Maybe it was the peace that the church offered, or maybe he was just desperately clinging to the escape from his problems. Either way soon he was the last one in the church, and feeling a little conspicuous, he stood to leave.
Much like before, the priest was there, yet he hadn't heard or seen him approach. But this time the man's face was slightly hard around the edges. He seemed to be contemplating something, and after a moment he spoke.
"Angel right?"
Angel nodded; slightly unnerved by the look the older looking man was giving him. The priest pursed his lips and seemed to study his face in minute detail. Then he delved into his pocket and pulled something out of it, a small rectangle of slightly battered card with a stylised angel on the front. Catching Angel's eye, he spoke clearly.
"Do you believe in vampires, Angelus?"
Angel studied the book in front of him, running his fingers over the picture on the page, lightly tracing the features of the people in it. After the priest had almost knocked him off his feet with by using his demon's name, he'd been lead to the vestry and given a seat, too stunned to protest. Father O'Neil had taken a book and opened it in front of him to the page with the very old photograph.
Now the father watched Angel from his position leaning against the sideboard, a glass of whiskey in hand. He studied him curiously for a minute, before clearing his throat and approaching the table.
"It didn't click at first, well I recognised your face, I couldn't place where from. You are him aren't you?"
Angel didn't look up, just nodded. He could feel his heart pounding, and he willed himself to calm down, but it wasn't easy. He felt the priest move away, and heard the chink of glass as he refilled his tumbler. He tensed for the blow, for the priest to start cursing him, screaming at him, he could almost hear the words already, 'How dare you desecrate this house of god! DEMON!' But the words never came; instead the priest continued talking in a mildly curious tone.
"You're probably wondering how I know about vampires?" When Angel didn't answer, the priest cocked his head on one side and continued regardless. "When I was training, the seminary was attacked, the leader was a vampire named Penn, I believe you've met."
"I'm sorry…" Angel said despite the lump in his throat, he couldn't stand it, couldn't understand the priest's calm attitude. Coming to sit opposite him, the priest gave him a compassionate glance.
"Please, I didn't ask you here because I wanted to make you feel bad. I heard about your soul, and now it seems you've gained humanity. I like to keep my ear to the ground. Churches are often made targets and it never hurts to keep a watchful eye for your congregation. So when I heard about you… I always wondered… A human soul, cut off from God's grace by the shell it inhabits, where would such a soul turn to for comfort? Direction? And then here you are, in my church… I don't know if you are man of faith but, I wanted make the offer anyway."
"The offer?" Angel repeated, defensively curious.
"To join our congregation."
"Oh," Angel replied, stunned by the offer. It came as the complete opposite of anything he expected the older looking man to say.
"The only reason I'm making the offer like this is… I wanted you to know that I knew who and what you once were, so if you needed an ear to bend. Or perhaps a priest who wouldn't run screaming should you feel the need to come to confessional…" Father O'Neil trailed off with a raised eyebrow.
Angel smiled sheepishly, and looked down. But he couldn't help the feelings that blossomed in his heart. He didn't need to lie anymore, and it felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his over burdened soul.
Tick
Tock
Tick
Tock
The hall clock seemed to resound in Buffy's ears as she sat on the couch in the sitting room, her head in her hands. Just a couple of minutes more, and that very clock would chime for 1am and Angel would have been missing for nine hours, nine long, anxious hours since anyone saw him. She felt like crying, she felt like screaming, but mostly she felt like hitting herself around the head with a big stick.
Tick
Tock
Tick
Tock
Willow had long since given up on her computer search, but had been banned from and had returned to alternately calling Angel and calling Dawn, in the hope that at least one would answer. Every time she dialed, Buffy would stare holes in the back of her head, waiting on bated breath for her to say she'd got through. So far she'd had no luck.
Tick
Tock
Tick
Tock
Just audible over the almost deafening sounds of the clock, Buffy could hear Faith pummeling the punch bag in the basement, venting her frustration the only way she knew how. Buffy found herself infinitely jealous of Faith being down there, but she couldn't be there herself. Partly because putting Faith in the same room as Buffy with weapons at that moment would have lead to bloodshed, but mostly because Buffy didn't want to stray to far from the phone.
Tick
Tock
Tick
Tock
Buffy was about to throw caution to the wind and run out of the house when the phone rang. Diving from the couch, she failed to reach it before Willow picked up and then stood not two inches from the red head's shoulder as she spoke.
"Hello?"
"Dawnie! Thank god! Where have you been?"
"FOR ALL THIS TIME?" Willow turned a bright shade of red, then mumbled, "Right, vampire stamina…"
Buffy paled, but didn't move away as Willow interrupted whatever Dawn was saying.
"Dawn, we really need to know where Angel is!" Willow scribbled something down on a bit of paper. And turned to Buffy only to find her already at the door, her coat half on.
A quick good-bye, a yell for Faith, and they were on their way.
Buffy had to fight back tears as she slammed her fist ineffectually against the door of Angel's motel room. When they'd arrived, they hammered for ages on his door before Robin had suggested they get the manager to open it for them. Convincing the fat, balding and bio coated man, that they knew the occupant, that he had a heart condition and they were worried when he didn't answer his phone had taken some time. But eventually he'd given in, only for them to find his room empty.
Now they were truly out of options, except for one, but no one really wanted to be the one to suggest they start calling hospitals to two obviously distressed slayers. Buffy suddenly straightened, sniffed and then silently left the room. Once outside she leant against the wall and tried to regain some composure.
"Buffy?"
Her head snapped up at the sound of her name, said in that special way that only one person could say it.
"Angel," It was barely a whisper. There he was, walking cautiously towards her across the motel parking lot, his coat wrapped around him to fight of the slight chill in the November air, his head cocked on one side as he studied her.
Stopping halfway across the asphalt, he bit his lip. Despite all that had transpired, all the revelations and reassurances, his time inside the church had yielded no answers as to the pressing issues in his life. The most important of which were Buffy and Connor. He wasn't sure how to proceed, what mood she'd be in, or how to approach her, so he just waited. He didn't wait long.
"ANGEL!" Buffy yelled in pure relief, after a second of stunned disbelief. Pushing off from the wall she belted across the lot towards him, throwing her arms around is neck and crushing to her when they met, and raining kisses on his face. Instinctually Angel wrapped his arms around her in return, staggering slightly with the force of the impact.
"Whoa."
"Oh god!" Buffy yelped, pulling back. "Where have you been? I was so worried, you weren't answering your phone, and we didn't know where you were! God! You stupid, stupid man!"
Angel pulled further out of her embrace, confused and alarmed at her reaction. The last time they spoke it had been angry bitter words and harsh accusations, but his love looked close to tears of a different kind.
"I… I…" Angel stuttered hanging his head. He was exhausted; it had been a long hard day, filled with turbulent emotions and too many shocks to his weakened system. His plan had been to return to his motel room and sleep. He hadn't planned to do much of anything until the next day. Glancing over his shoulder, and realising he was embarrassed by what he would say he coughed. "I was at the church."
"The church?" Buffy parroted incredulously, then followed his look to the building opposite. "You went to church… for 9 hours?"
"Seven, but yeah."
Buffy stepped back and ran her hand tiredly across her face. "Angel, come home… we can talk… but not now… GOD! I was so worried, we thought… I thought…"
"Hey…" Angel said, stepping closer and raising her chin so their eyes met. "I didn't mean to worry you, I just… I thought you'd want some space after…"
"Not now..." Buffy stepped back once again, raising her hand as a clear signal for him to back off, too exhausted to deal with all their issues. When she hadn't known if he was all right, the issues, the anger, the resentment, had been pushed aside. Now however, they returned full force, and combined with her exhaustion she just couldn't offer the patience and understanding she'd planned earlier that evening. She wouldn't shout or yell or repeat her rant from earlier, but they wouldn't talk either. It was enough for her to know he was safe, for now.
Tbc