Watchers parted and flattened themselves against the walls as Angel strode by, the look on his face one of death promised to any who stopped him. As he walked by the rooms assigned to himself and the others during their stay, Faith stepped out of her room, and looked at him.
With purposeful step, Faith moved into Angel's path, forcing him to stop. As she placed a hand on his chest, she said softly, "Don't."
Growling, Angel said, "Let me by."
Then, stepping further into his path, she looked up into his eyes and held his gaze. She placed her hands on his cheeks to make him keep her in his sights. "Remember who we are doing this for. No one can step in between that."
"Get out of my way!" Angel snarled, obviously not aware of who was speaking to him.
"Please, Angel, look at me... See me."
Angel looked down and realized it was Faith. It was as if he had never been able to hold anyone before in his life, as he grabbed Faith and held her. Shaking, Angel said with obvious effort and desperation, "Help me!"
Holding him tightly, the Slayer whispered, "I'm trying. I'm trying."
Noise in the study was rising again from Angel, Maeve, Dru, Faith and the rest of the Scooby Gang. There were only a few Watchers at the doors to keep security tight.
"Why is the loony here?" Xander exclaimed.
Dru snarled -- close to vamping out --, as Angel glared.
"Well, Xander," Willow said in exasperation, "she obviously knows something we don't!"
As Giles looked up from the scroll, he said, "This one is really out of my league, so I guess that is why she is here. Does that answer your question?"
Xander raised his hands as if he had been stabbed a few times, as Angel grinned. Maeve looked heavenward, then said, "Shall we get back to deciphering the scroll?"
Dru looked at Maeve "For once I agree. This is really boring, I would rather be doing something other than hanging around with things that I could be feasting on."
The room seemed to grow cold as the words fell from her lips. The smile on Dru's face only made the tension worse. Angel's jaw tightened with anger, as the hand he had resting on the seat of the chair where he sat tightened. The creaking of wood was heard by Faith in the tense silence.
Faith looked back and forth between Dru and Angel, then gently reached for Angel's hand, and gripped it as tightly as possible as she attempted to get the souled vampire to let go of the chair. Said chair creaked louder -- nearly breaking --, as everyone began to hear it. It startled Faith and Angel as they looked at each other. Faith pulled back her hand quickly, and looked away.
The Slayer then looked down and mumbled, "Sorry."
Angel's eyes were wide with bewilderment at what had just happened. With a faint sniff of disdain, Dru leaned over the table, and snatched the scroll from Giles.
Dru held the scroll close for a moment and ran her hands down the parchment. Then gently placed the scroll back onto the table, and -- as if a child opening a present -- shrieked with enjoyment. She giggled and looked at Angel.
"Daddy, it looks like you're on the front page!"
"Enough Drusilla!" Angel growled, as he grabbed her, and pulled her and himself out of their chairs.
Faith jumped up to stop them...but it was too late.
Angel and Drusilla were linked together looking directly into each other's eyes and -- in a trance-like state -- began to speak in the ancient Gaelic tongue. Around and around the words formed in their mouths and yet no one could understand what was being said.
Faith grew frantic, as something inside of her made her move towards them. "The sound is calling to me. Angel...what are you trying to say? STOP IT!"
But she still moved forward. Her hands reached up to touch them, as her body began to tremble. Her mouth opened and a shuddering and haunting sound came out of her as everything became clear. The words that Angel and Dru were speaking were now being translated into English. Faith began to float into the air as Angel and Dru separated from each other and stopped speaking.
Angel felt Faith leaving him. He looked up, and saw the Slayer up in the air. Her eyes were transfixed up into her head, and she was still trembling. Calmly, he gently raised his arms up to her shoulders and brought her down. They both began to shudder together. The souled vampire embraced the Slayer from behind, as she crossed her arms to accept the embrace.
All within the room watched, as a golden glow began to surround Faith, but not Angel. Suddenly, the sound coming from Faith stopped, as the light surrounding her focused on her stomach, brighter than the noonday sun. In the stillness, the light moved suddenly and forcefully from Faith to Angel, causing both to fall to their knees.
Spent, Faith leaned back against Angel, as Angel dropped his head onto Faith's left shoulder. Both breathed heavily, as if from exhaustion.
In the silence, Dru said smugly, "Daddy's better now.", as Maeve moved to a Watcher standing in the doorway, and whispered something.
Faith's body felt heavy in the bed where she lay. She felt Angel holding her hand, and opened her eyes to gaze at him. He looked at her with his gentle eyes and tightened his grip slightly on her hand.
"Are you feeling better?" Angel asked, as he pulled her hand close to his heart.
Faith felt the charge of strength in Angel. She looked around and realized that she was now in her room. She asked, "What has happened to me, Angel?"
The souled vampire sighed, as he murmured, "More than you know, Little One."
"Huh?"
Angel sighed again, then stood and began to pace, as he said, "It seems you are the final key needed to get the last item required to destroy my great-grandfather."
Faith tried to sit up. Angel was instantly as her side, helping her. Making sure that she wouldn't fall back down.
She asked, once she was sitting comfortably, "St. Vigeous, right?"
In the background, Maeve listened in on the conversation. She was growing increasingly impatient with the situation. Her eyes narrowed. She motioned to the two Watchers keeping watch in the room to stand outside and let no one else into the room.
As the Watchers were about to leave, another Watcher burst in. The Watcher spotted Maeve, went over to her, and whispered into her ear. Maeve looked over at Angel, as said vampire gazed at her curiously. With a cross look at the vampire -- as if what she had just heard was his fault --, she mouthed, "Drusilla."
Maeve's heels echoed down the hall as she walked briskly towards her destination. Angel followed closely behind.
The Watcher that stood at the door of the room assigned to Drusilla told them that it had been too quiet in there for a while. Angel -- grim-faced -- gazed at the Watcher guarding the door, until he moved aside. Silently, Angel opened the door to see Dru sitting on the bed draining the last drops of another Watcher that was posted on the inside. She looked up, stood, dropped the now drained body, and giggled.
"Hungry...I didn't want the cold, old blood in that bottle. I am not a baby. I am not a baby any more!" Dru insisted, as she began to stomp her feet crossly.
Then she began to wail and scream at the top of her lungs. Angel ran to her, to hold her down and calm her. She began to cry: "I'm sorry Daddy! I dirtied the house didn't I?" She then began to slide to the ground. He held onto her till the cries were just a whimper.
He held her tighter, as he murmured soothingly, gently stroking her hair, "It's Ok. Everything's gonna be alright."
Angel continued to stroke Dru's hair, until she began to giggle. She said in delight, "I want more like them, Daddy!"
For a moment, Angel was absolutely still, then with speed born of pure rage, he stood up -- still holding Dru --, and stormed out of the room. A Watcher tried to stop him, but was throne harshly against a wall. Once out of the room, Angel slammed his childe against the opposite wall, and hissed in full game-face, "I know!"
Maeve stood behind Angel, and said quietly and calmly, "Angel, think about what she is saying. It must be some side-effect of the blood moon."
Without looking away from Dru, Angel snapped, "I know that! Don't you think I feel it too!"
Dru grinned innocently, as she said to Maeve then Angel, "Don't worry, Daddy is the last person who would want to hurt me. He still has to take me to the park to play. He promised me that for so long. Daddy doesn't break a promise. Do you Daddy?"
Dru turned her head to get a clearer look in her sire's eyes. What she saw made her grin even more.
Fire seemed to dance in Angel's eyes, as he growled out, "One more word, Dru, about your...hunger..."
With a faint glimmer of mischief, Dru slowly enunciated, "Hun-gry."
With a roar, Angel threw back his right hand...then punched the wall by Drusilla's head. His hand went through the wall -- halfway up the forearm --, as Dru turned her face. Angel breathed heavily, letting his childe go, as he freed his arm from the wall...and fled.
Drusilla slid to the ground in helpless laughter, knowing she had won.
Angel headed down the hallway, not seeing anything around him, his mind swirling with emotion. Watchers seeing Angel coming towards them with his game-face on, ran out of the way. Suddenly -- as he neared the end of a hallway --, he saw a light that irritated him appear in front of him. His hand went up instinctively to cover his eyes. At that same exact moment, a sense over-came him, as the familiar voice of his beloved filled his mind.
"Angel! STOP! You've gone too far!"
"Why shouldn't I!" Angel snarled, sensing Buffy within the light. "Everyone's been playing me, and I'm not being allowed any choices in what must be done! I'M TIRED OF IT!"
As Angel glared at the light, he began to see Buffy within it. He listened, as she said softly, "Beloved, breathe for a moment. Look at where we are...and where we are going. There are going to be tougher things than this that could tear us apart. I LOVE YOU! Look at the one before you now...look how far you have taken her. You can do this my love. I believe in you...and so does she."
Angel looked at Buffy and realized that it was Faith, and that his soulmate's shape was only super-imposed over the other Slayer's. It all became clear to him at that moment, as he realized that it was Faith that seemed to keep to it all together for him right now. With a shuddering breath, Angel's vampiric face vanished, as he reached out and touched the Slayer.
Instantly, the light around Faith disappeared, as she gasped and collapsed into Angel's arms. Shuddering, Faith asked in terror, "Wh-what happened?"
"Everything," Angel said grimly.