A lone figure walked casually in and out of the shadows, as a half-moon shone down from above. A second figure followed, with dark intentions.
Evil travels fast, and the distance between the figures rapidly narrowed. The follower leaped into the air, impossibly high, hurtling down at his prey. The walker reached into his coat, swiveled with practiced ease, and thrust a sharpened stake into the body of his falling attacker, who cried out in terror in that split second before he crumbled into small particles that gently showered down on his intended victim.
Four other figures run towards the lone figure, as he dusted himself off. The only female of the four called out, "Angel!"
The lone male figure turned around, startled, and asked. "What are all of you doing here? I thought we were supposed to meet in the library."
"There's been a change of plans," said the eldest man of the group with a British accent. "The Watchers Council has decided to come here, to evaluate what is happening." The man paused, and said softly then firmly, "They do not know of your involvement, Angel. I would prefer it to remain that way."
"That may not be an option, Giles," said Angel quietly, as he gazed behind the group known as the Scooby Gang.
As one, the Scooby Gang turned to see what Angel saw. A group of ten men and women were walking purposefully toward where the five members of the Scooby Gang stood.
When the two groups were joined, a tall woman in her mid-thirties with flaming-red hair and piercing emerald-green eyes stared at Angel, and asked abruptly, "Who is this?"
Giles cleared his throat uncomfortably, and said, "This is Angel. He has…helped us on occasion, when the need arose for extra assistance concerning Buffy and her being the Slayer."
Angel's lips thinned at the mention of Buffy, and looked away, his heart burning with sorrow. His eyes narrowed, as he spotted something behind the group of Watchers. Before anyone could react, he slipped into the shadows, and quietly moved towards what he saw. He ignored the sudden exclamations, and Xander's snide remark of "I keep telling you, Giles, we need to put a bell on 'im."
A moment later, a demon was thrown towards the group, Angel closely behind. The demon quickly scurried to its feet, and ran towards Angel. Angel easily sidestepped the demon, and caught it before it could get further than his side. He threw the demon onto the ground, placed one booted heel on its chest, and leaned forward, making it impossible for the demon to move.
"Who are you following," Angel asked in a whisper with deadly calm, his eyes half-closed with dark emotions as he gazed at the demon.
The demon shuddered before answering in a high-pitched raspy voice. "You."
"Why?"
"Deliver message from Underground."
"What's the message?"
"You be hunted by Taraka Order if not stop hunting Underground."
Angel's lips thinned angrily, before he hissed darkly, "Tell the Underground that if they send the Order after me, they will truly learn what the Scourge of Europe can do." With those words, Angel released the demon.
The demon fled, knowing it had just barely escaped death. Angel watched the demon, his acute eyesight seeing further than the humans around him. He did not realize that he was growling, until Willow put her hand on his arm, silencing him. He looked at her, startled.
"Calm down, Angel." A pause, in which Willow studied Angel closely, removed her hand, then asked bluntly, "What did you do this time?"
Angel smiled coldly, as he turned his gaze back to where the demon had fled. "Nothing. I just stopped another attempt to open the Hellmouth. How I did it is what made them mad."
Willow blinked, then said nervously, "Um…ok. You don't need to say what you did. I'm sure it had to be pretty bad to get them to send the Order of Taraka after you."
Angel nodded, then said dryly, "Thanks."
"Who are you," asked a female voice behind Angel.
Angel turned around. He had forgotten about the Watchers Council. The woman who seemed to be the leader of this group of Watchers gazed at Angel darkly. She asked, "How did you defeat that demon? No human could have done what you did!"
Angel gazed at the woman, not answering.
"The Scourge of Europe: Angelus," whispered another shakily in the group of Watchers.
Angel flicked his eyes to the one who had spoken, then back to the woman. Inwardly he cursed his anger at accidentally revealing who he was.
It took only a moment for the woman to understand what the other person meant. The moment that the woman's eyes widened, she took a cross out from her pocket, and thrust it into Angel's face. He jerked back in reflex, barely controlling the urge to wear his vampiric face.
"Vampire," the woman sneered in disgust and hatred.
"Way to go, Dead Boy," Xander said with deep sarcasm.
Angel gritted his teeth, refusing to look at Xander. If he did, he knew he would be dead in less than a human heartbeat as he saw the woman take a stake out of another pocket in the coat she wore. With eyes locked onto the cross, Angel quietly said to the woman, "I will not harm you. I am not one of them."
"A vampire is a vampire," scoffed the woman. "There is only one kind."
"Not in the case of Angel," Giles said with conviction, startling the vampire. "He is in the possession of his soul. He will not willingly harm or kill a human being."
Confusion crossed the woman's face. "What?"
"His soul," Giles restated, "is bound to him through a gypsy curse placed upon him over one hundred years ago."
"But that is only a myth," murmured the woman in shock. "There were rumors of a vampire with a soul, but no proof was ever found."
"You are gazing at that proof," Giles quietly said.
"Surely he is only acting at having a soul," someone exclaimed among the Watchers.
"No," Giles said sharply, "he is not. We have…encountered the soulless version of this vampire, and there is a difference."
Xander snorted, then muttered loud enough for all to hear, "Not in my book."
Angel had had enough by this time. Swiftly, he moved away from the group of humans, and said as he slipped into the shadows, "You can discuss me without me being here. I'll see you all tomorrow night. At that time, I will answer whatever questions you might still have."