"Vampire."
Ah Hell. Her again, Angel thought, then asked curtly, "What do you want?"
The Head of the Watchers leaned insolently against a table, and commented, "Tell me this, Vampire: What makes you think you can come here--freely--when everyone here hates you? Do you not think that they will take action against you, as we will?"
Angel started to protest, then jerked back, nearly colliding with Willow, as five crosses were suddenly placed before his face.
"You cannot do this, Maeve," Giles said tightly in anger. "He is needed in the battle against those who would open the Hellmouth."
The Head of the Watchers stood up straight, turned, and faced Giles. "Yes. I can. Brother. There is naught that you can do." She paused, a strange glint appeared in her eyes. She said with authority, "Rupert Giles, as a Watcher, you should have recognized and taken care of the dangerous beings you have allowed to interact with the Slayer. A werewolf, a witch, and of all things…a vampire! As Head of the Watchers Council, you have given me no choice, but to do what I now must do."
Calmly, Maeve turned and gazed at Angel, then said in a flat voice, "Destroy him…and take the witch and werewolf captive."
In another place, inside a mansion, Buffy stopped pulling on her chain, and became absolutely still, her eyes widening in sudden fear. She cried out what suspiciously sounded like "no," and began to pull on the chain with sudden urgency.
Within seconds, the chain snapped, making Buffy crash to the floor. She scrambled up, and ran out of the mansion. As she ran, she made sounds that strangely sounded like: "Angel. Save Angel."
Angel cried out as a cross was pressed to his arm, sizzling against his skin. He jerked his arm away, and punched the Watcher with the cross. As Angel dodged a punch to his face, he took a quick assessment of what was happening.
Xander was starting to rouse near the checkout counter, from being knocked out earlier. Oz and Willow had locked themselves inside the book-cage, away from the Watchers. Giles, he could not see.
Angel staggered as he was suddenly pushed from behind by Giles, who shouted, "Run!"
Angel ran.
Five feet from the library doors, Angel crashed to the floor, as three Watchers grabbed him. Struggling, Angel was roughly hauled to his feet.
"Well," murmured Maeve smugly, as she casually moved in front of Angel, "the mighty Angelus has been brought down." She showed Angel the stake in her right hand. "To bad you can only be staked once."
The Head of the Watchers raised the stake higher, and started to plunge it down into Angel's heart when the library doors exploded and shattered inward.
Maeve turned around sharply, blocking Angel's view, as everyone froze.
In shock, Giles whispered questioningly, "Buffy?"
Buffy crouched in front of the now obsolete doors, growling lowly, her eyes wild and unfocused. Slowly, her eyes focused on Maeve. With a scream of maddened rage, Buffy launched herself at the Head of the Watchers, grabbing for the stake.
Maeve screamed in fear as Slayer and Watcher slid to the center of the first-level of the library.
Buffy wrenched the stake out of Maeve's hand, and raised her own, ready to plunge the stake into the Watcher's heart in rage.
Angel, pulling out of the stunned Watchers' hands, cried out, "Buffy! NO!"
Angel's words echoed in the silence of the library. Buffy dropped the stake, backing away from the Head of the Watchers, and shook her head back and forth, as though she were clearing it. Angel took a step towards Buffy, and stilled as her head rose suddenly. Buffy breathed heavily, as she turned to gaze at Angel. Her eyes slowly went from a blank maddened rage to a calm lucid understanding.
"A-Angel?" Buffy asked, her voice halting and rough, as if from disuse.
"Yes," Angel answered quietly, soothingly.
"H-h-help. M-me," Buffy struggled to say more, but found she could not speak.
With a strangled cry of pain and anger, she clutched her head. Angel rushed to her side, and held her before she collapsed. He gently lowered her to the floor, and rocked her as she cried, clinging to him.
THE END…or is it the beginning?
P.S.: The story continues in A Challenge Fic Answered 2, which can be found with my other stories.
THE CHALLENGE (which started this whole fic):
Challenge by Lady Destiny of the eGroups (now Yahoo!Groups) List: AlwaysBA
Starts off when Angel came back from Hell, but it wasn't Angel who came back. It was Buffy. Somehow (you don't have to explain it or anything), Buffy saved the world by going to Hell herself, instead of Angel. Buffy is returned, the same age and all, but totally senseless, animal-like. Just like Angel was.
Must haves:
· Angel finding Buffy first
· Angel taking care of Buffy
· Buffy having to be put in chains because of her behavior
· No Faith
· A strained relationship between the Scooby Gang and Angel, all except for Willow.
· Some kind of spell (have some kind of plot, you know)