Chapter 7
The bus rolled on, far ahead of the cracking earth. If any of the passengers had thought to look, they would have seen a black stretch limo speeding towards the Hellmouth a mile off their left side. But Faith crouched beside Robin, staunching his wound as Giles wrapped a tourniquet around a wounded Rona.
She was fading, and Vi was in her face, yelling at her, "Stay awake! Look at me! This is nothing!"
Andrew sat by himself, bewildered and staring ahead into space. "Why didn't I die?" he questioned.
Xander tended a Slayer, lost in his fears for Anya. Kennedy held Willow, who was still exhausted and drained.
Dawn wasn't looking to the side, didn't notice the limo rushing at break-neck speed for the collapsing building. She was worried that her sister had left her, as her mother had. That they were both gone.
And then she saw her sister running along the rooftops. Jumping off one building and onto another and the bus trundled down the street. Windows, beams, and girders began to crack and bend as their foundations crumbled. Buffy kept going, leaping like a free captive and landing hard on top of the bus.
Spike fell forward as the amulet's power released him. The power was transferred, to the only person who could have borne it. The only one who would have bothered to make such a dumb sacrifice for someone he hated.
Angel.
Making sure Buffy didn't know he was here, he'd patrolled the sewer tunnels leading to and from the school shortly after he left her – being trapped in by Faith and Robin. Action had been scarce until the ground began to shake. Angel had sped in the direction of the tremors, finding a way into the cavern courtesy of a crumbled wall.
The Powers had smiled on his venture, and his sewer tunnel exited eight feet from where Spike was pinned to the wall by the amulet's magic. Angel crawled over to his Childe, his thoughts filled with memories of his last glimpse of Connor.
His blood flowed now in two other men besides himself – much as he hated the idea. His love for Connor was unconditional. It came from the Dark Warrior regardless of all the pain the teen had inflicted on his father.
Spike, now that he had a soul, was a bit like that. Angel found himself – well, look where he was! – wanting to help his Childe get used to the burden of his soul. Spike was another person who needed help. His help.
And helping people in need was his mission in life.
Reaching out a hand, he stopped the amulet's process briefly before taking the burning energy on himself. He gritted his teeth as the strain of bearing the Power weighed on his body. The shaft of sunlight switched angles, beaming down on Angel as he tried to move Spike to the sewers. He screamed in pain, pushing the blond – who was partially eaten from the inside by the power – into the tunnel. Angel dived, and the world fell away behind him.
Buffy held onto the bus, looking over the back of the vehicle at the cracks chasing them. The entire town was sinking into a smoking black crater, a tiny bus just making its way to the edge of the town ahead of the destruction.
Inside the bus, Faith looked out and said to Robin, "Ease off. We're clear."
The bus screeched to a stop. Buffy jumped off and the occupants started piling out. Dawn opened the back door and jumped out. She ran to her sister and they embraced. Warmth, solidity.
Xander knew. The moment he saw Andrew, he knew. Still he asked him, "Did you see?"
Andrew was near tears. "I was scared. I'm sorry."
He pushed, harder than he had ever pushed for anything in his life. "Did you see what happened?" He searched Andrew's face. "Was she…?"
Andrew gazed at him. The tears were there, and so was the answer: "She was incredible. She died saving my life."
God, no. Oh, God, no… Xander put a hand on Andrew's shoulder. "That's my girl. Always doing the stupid thing." The tears were there, and so was the answer:
I do, Anya. I do.
Then it was just Faith and the guy who figured he was some big hot surprise. She checked out his big hot wound and lied through her teeth. "It's not bad. You just sit here."
"That's the plan," he gritted out.
Faith said, "I'll get someone to-"
"Did we make it?" He looked at her. "Did we make it?"
She gave him the word. "We made it. We won."
He smiled a little, and then he was just staring. And still.
Damn. Faith took a moment to contemplate what had been, might have been, and moved to close his eyes.
Then he coughed, spasming back to life. She drew back her hand, as startled as he was. "Surprise," he whispered.
Outside, Sunnydale was a smoking black crater. Buffy and Giles walked toward the edge of it, smoke rolling before them. "I don't understand," he said. "What did this?"
"Spike," she mourned. But she was glad for him. Glad of him. Rest, Spike.
But he couldn't. Not yet.
What was left of his arm – what hadn't been burned off by the amulet's spell – was slung over Angel's shoulders. The elder vampire – his Sire, now and forever – had one arm wrapped around his back and the other hand clamped on Spike's dangling wrist. With demonic speed coursing through his legs, his feet taking giant, leaping steps, Angel hurried to the end of the sewer pipe, the town of Sunnydale imploding into the Hellmouth crater behind him.
The demon with the face of an angel – a face now burned horribly – looked on in astonishment as he saw a gray-clad figure waving at the end of the tunnel.
"Mr. Angel!" he heard. "Mr. Angel, down this way! Hurry!"
"Simpson? What the hell are you doing here!" He staggered under Spike's weight. "Never mind! Come help me!"
"Yes, sir. I'm trying to, sir." The chauffer picked his way, somewhat comically – like a blond bimbo in five-inch spiked heels and a mini-skirt – over some rubble in the sewer. When he reached the two vampires, he took charge of Spike, saying, "Wolfram and Hart would terminate my contract of employment if you died out here, Mr. Angel. It just wouldn't be suitable."
They made it to the end of the tunnel, and to the black limo. Angel dove inside, then held out his hands and gently pulled his brother-in-arms – his Childe – into the backseat.
Checking over Spike, he made sure the blond had stopped burning and was stable as Simpson peeled out of the shadows and raced to safety. Bouncing in the back seat, Angel opened the chilled mini-bar. He pushed some things around, then called to the front, "Don't you have any blood bags?"
Anthony called back over his shoulder, "I'm sorry, sir, but the heated dispenser is still hooked up to a human blood bank. Our mechanics hadn't stored up enough porcine blood to fill it when you called for a car and driver."
"Dispenser?" He looked around.
"Lift the door above the mini-bar, sir."
Underneath, he found what looked like a coffee machine. He grabbed the ceramic mug and held it under the spout, pressing a button with a cup icon on it. Hot, thick blood filled the mug.
Angel drew it to his lips, being careful not to spill it with the rough ride. He drank it quickly, then poured another cup, feeling the hot plasma restore his energy and being to work on healing his face. With two cups of hot B-negative in him, he turned to Spike.
Angel cut a slit in his wrist and presented it to his Childe. Spike's mouth latched onto it, and Angel grunted. The blond fed greedily, the Blood of his sire's Sire working its magic on him. Internal organs knit themselves back together, the metaphysics pushing buried skin cells to the surface, making his burned, sun-eaten flesh look like new.
Spike felt the change, and pulled away abruptly. He banged back against the seat. "Why?" he managed weakly.
Angel poured another cup of blood for himself, and one for Spike, too. He gave his fellow warrior the only answer he could. The only one that mattered: "Fathers'll do stupid things like that when their child is in danger."
Spike stared at him, stunned. Angel continued, "No matter how much they may not like their sons, no matter that their sons are trying to take away the woman they love, the feeling of fatherhood is still there."
As Anthony Simpson drove the limo away from the circular edge of total destruction, Angel told Spike about Connor. Told him about how the teen had not been raised in a loving environment, and how Angel had almost gotten through that exterior – and how Justine had ruined that growing bond.
"You were that same way," Angel commented. "I mean, we were demons, yeah, but still…"
"My mother didn't love me anyway," he remarked softly.
"And now you're stuck with a soul. I had a hundred years to get used to mine, and things are still new. I feel like a father all over again. Or, maybe a big brother. I feel like I'm supposed to show you how to cope with this change, just as I would show you how to be a proper vampire."
"Buffy helped a lot," Spike said.
"Probably, but she doesn't know what it feels like to sink your teeth into a beautiful neck and how to taste the difference between innocent blood and scum."
The conversation slowed to a stop in tandem with the car's momentum.
The sign that read Welcome to Sunnydale toppled backward into the crater, the fillip on the town's demise. Girls milled about, counting their losses and checking in. Processing that they had not only survived, but prevailed.
Buffy and Dawn stood with Giles, Xander, and Willow, a bit apart. Then Faith came up to join them as they all gazed out at the end of Sunnydale.
"Looks like the Hellmouth is officially closed for business," Faith commented.
"There is another one in Cleveland," Giles observed. "Not to spoil the moment…"
"We saved the world," Xander breathed.
"We changed the world," Willow corrected him. Her eyes were shining as she looked at her best friend. "I can feel them, Buffy. All over. There are Slayers awakening everywhere."
"We'll have to find them," Dawn said.
"We will."
Giles sighed theatrically. "Yes, because the mall was actually in Sunnydale, so no hope of going there tomorrow."
Dawn choked. "We destroyed the mall? I fought on the wrong side."
"All those stores gone," Xander waxed sadly. "The Gap, Starbucks, Toys 'Я' Us… Who will remember these landmarks unless we tell the world of them?"
"We have a lot of work ahead of us," Giles said.
Faith appealed to the group. "Can I push him in?"
"You got my vote," Willow said, grinning.
Faith yawned, stretched. "I just wanna sleep, yo. For like a week."
"I guess we all could," Dawn said. "If we wanted to."
"Yeah. The First is scrunched, so…" Willow looked at Buffy. "What do you think we should do, Buffy?"
Faith grinned at the Slayer. "Yeah, you're not the one and only Chosen anymore. Just gotta live like a person. How's that feel?"
Buffy looked at the Slayer.
"Buffy?" Dawn asked her big sister. "What are we going to do?"
Buffy looked at her loved ones, then back at the crater. As she considered the question, she noticed the black stretch limo skirting the far edge of the crater and driving in their direction. Where the hell did that come from?
She realized she'd spoken aloud when Faith said, "I don't know. It ain't Angel's car; he's got a convertible."
Buffy said absently, "But he didn't drive here, he got a ride."
They all waited for the limo to reach them.
Shortly after it pulled to a stop, a very proper, very English chauffer opened his door. He doffed his hat and came towards the group.
As he neared, Buffy raised an eyebrow at his pants – the bottom of each grey cuff was dusted with dirt. She looked back up at his face as he walked up to her.
"Miss Summers?" he asked in a cultured voice.
"Yes?"
"Yeah?" Dawn echoed.
Buffy glared at her little sister, but Dawn just gave her a look.
"My name is Simpson," the driver said. "If you two ladies will join the gentlemen, we will lead you to a hotel you can use for your comrades."
Buffy frown and uncrossed her arms. She and Dawn exchanged glances, and they moved as one to the rear door of the limo.
The window powered down, and Buffy poked her face inside the dark interior. "Angel?" she squealed, and she dove in to give him a kiss.
He caressed her face, then looked pointedly at the seat opposite him before she could speak.
Her jaw dropped when she looked. "Spike?" she whispered, leaning in to touch him, reassure herself he was real. She was stopped by the car door, and backed up. She opened the door, telling Dawn to get in.
Her little sister did so, squealing and giving each vampire a hug. "Hiya squirt" and "'ello Nibblet" reached Buffy's ears as she straightened up and looked back at the bus.
She trotted over to the group. "It's Angel," she explained. There were smiles all around, although Chao-Ahn looked on blankly. "Is the bus ready to go?" she asked.
Giles nodded. "I'll drive."
"Good." She addressed the girls. "We've got a free place to stay for a while. Let's all get back on the bus and head for LA."
Angel tried not to move as Buffy entered the limo and stooped, giving Spike a brief kiss on the cheek. She then sat next to him, leaving Dawn to take the seat behind the driver.
The elder vampire smiled down at the blond goddess nestled in his arms. "What are you doing here?" she asked, basking once more in his presence.
"Had to save a comrade."
She raised her eyebrow and glanced at Spike. "What's the real reason?"
The two vampires looked at each other, and in that gaze an understanding came to pass – one both of them could live with. It wasn't something that required words. Just a look, and decades of clan living.
"It's too weird," Angel said, at the same time Spike said, "It's too strange, pet."
The Sisters Summers looked back and forth between the vampires, who suddenly seemed to have turned themselves into a stereo system. Buffy frowned and traced the line of Angel's jaw with one finger. He smiled down at her, and she gazed at him with love and happiness.
"Wake me in a week, 'kay?"
He rested his head on hers as she shifted to a more comfortable position. He softly ran his fingers through her hair on the drive to LA.
Spike moved Dawn slightly so she wouldn't be jostled when he joined Angel in looking forlornly out the window. The afternoon smog wasn't quite enough to block out the sun shining down on Norton Avenue.
"Won't be able to go that way," Spike commented.
"No," Angel replied. After a while he said, "Simpson?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Tell the girls to unload here, and then take us down that alley," he pointed. "I'll show you the back entrance."
"Certainly, sir." He got out of the car and walked over to the bus, where he spoke to Giles and Faith. When he started walking back to the limo, the Slayers were stepping off the school bus, some talking, others looking up at the Hyperion.
The limo turned down the side street and pulled into a covered parking area. Each vampire emerged with a Summers girl in his arms – Angel cradling Buffy, and Spike gently tossing Dawn over his shoulder.
They went up through the hotel, and Angel put the girls in Connor's old room. Then he headed back downstairs to make introductions.
He found Giles and Wesley deep in conversation, and Fred was trying to get room keys straightened out while talking on the phone – presumably to Gunn.
Angel stepped behind the desk and took over for Fred. He gave Faith and Willow the keys to the rooms they'd had in March, and figured things out from there.
When all was said and done, he tossed a wave to the two Watchers, who were still talking, and headed upstairs to his own room.
Angel let Buffy sleep for the entire week following the destruction of Sunnydale. Meanwhile, he slipped into the Scoobies' talks, merging the Fang Gang in. He offered the resources of Wolfram & Hart in finding the other Slayers out there, also calling his contact there to get Spike put on the payroll.
It was a time of business for the crew members of Angel Investigations, and Fred left for her apartment each day bleary-eyed and tired. Lorne's first appearance might have shocked the Sunnydale contingent had he not entered singing "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!" from the musical Oklahoma!.
Angel had smiled as the Pylean native's voice echoed through the spacious lobby. Some of the girls had cried out in surprise, but they had first looked at him as though he were wearing a costume. When Willow had explained, the Slayers were slightly wary. But Lorne's infectious good mood had quickly caught on.
Angel hoped it would last. Because when Buffy woke, explanations were in order. And then, the business of Slayers, Inc. would begin.
"You signed on with what?"
"Buffy, calm down," Angel tried.
"Angel, didn't' you once tell me that law firm is Evil, Incorporated?"
"Yes, and with us at the helm, we can fight the system from within. Buffy, listen." He paused while she took a deep breath and uncrossed her arms. "Come with me, have a look for yourself. It's what convinced everyone else."
Seeing she was still unconvinced, he said, "They're who I got the amulet from."
She immediately deflated. They might not have won the battle under Sunnydale quite so decisively if not for Spike and the amulet.
"Besides," he continued, smirking, "there's this one room you really have to see." He leaned in, grasping her shoulders and running his hands down her arms.
She frowned at him, but soon gave in and let him hug her.
"Now, you've had your time to sleep. Why don't you come downstairs and hear what's been suggested?"
Buffy blearily stepped back, sluggish with too much sleep. She took Angel's arm and was led on a brief tour.
Several of her friends – Dawn, Xander, Willow – teased her as she walked through the halls of the Hyperion. Faith gave them a little wave, which Angel returned, and called over to Buffy, "It was a good idea, B, wasn't it?"
The blonde nodded. "How long did you sleep?"
"Four days."
"What's the sitch?" They moved over to where the brunette was standing.
"I'm not sure. Red and Lil' Sis are gonna stay here for a while, get some kind of center up an' runnin'. Giles and Andrew are going to London to try and rebuild Council Headquarters. Some of the girls are making arrangements to get back home, but a lot of them are just hanging here."
Buffy nodded and was going to ask about Spike, Xander, and Robin, but Faith continued: "Angel's made us a pretty sweet offer. Me and Red are all for it, but Giles doesn't like it at all. He's got issues with the…" She trailed off, looking over at Angel.
He finished, "He doesn't like the deal I made with Wolfram& Hart."
"Yeah, they're evil. We just got done fighting evil," Buffy commented.
Angel gave her a look she didn't catch. "You're never done fighting," he said.
"Well…" She thought. "Can't you take a break for a while?"
"Yeah. Just as soon as Jenny Calendar walks through that door."
Buffy snuggled closer to his side and said softly, "That wasn't you and you know it."
"That doesn't stop me." Stop him from feeling remorse, from feeling guilt, from remembering every vivid detail, from wanting to atone. Or from trying. "And you know that."
She nodded sadly. "That I do." He let her into his office and she asked, "So, what's this grand proposal Faith was talking about?"
"I'd like to sell you guys the hotel and help you set up a business organization to handle the aftereffects of Willow's spell."
"You want to sell us this? For how much?"
"Oh, about twenty dollars."
She smiled at him. "I don't know if I want to run a business. I think I want to see the world, keep my promise to Dawn and show it to her."
He was silent for a long moment, swinging slightly in his chair and staring into space. "That might be good for you," he said finally, trying to support her decision. "There's a lot of world out there to see, and some of it's quite beautiful." He murmured quietly, "I'd like to see it with you, but that's your decision."
She walked around the desk and stood by his side. "It'll be nice to just … be a person for a while, you know? Not The Slayer, or The Chosen One, of the head of the household, but … Buffy. It'll be nice to do things without worrying again."
He was quiet. He doubted she'd be able to stay away from the game so completely – the cry of the helpless was too entrenched in her blood. But, she would certainly try, and he couldn't fault her for that. "When do you think you'll leave?"
"I don't know. When I'm ready?"
Angel smiled at her, his eyes softening with love.
Buffy beamed back at him, and wrapped her arms around his neck. His arms came up around her waist, and he kissed her collarbone.
They had time, she repeated to herself.
They had all the time in the world.
fini
Author's Note: That's it! That's the end of my involvement. Did Dawn stay in LA, or go with Buffy? What did Buffy say/do upon seeing Angel in the sunlight thanks to the necro-tempered glass? Did she actually leave LA to go see the world? Did the Slayers ever find out about Angel being a vampire?
These are all good questions, but none will be answered by me. I have no thoughts on the answers to those questions. I am not going to write a sequel to this. I "pass on" permission for anyone else to pick up the baton and take this story to the next level, but I consider it finished. Maria P.