TITLE: Destiny's Child
AUTHOR: sugarwater
E-MAIL: DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except Breanna, all bow down to the mighty Joss
TIMELINE: Begins mid Season 2
SPOILERS: Probably just about everything
SYNOPSIS: B/A! The Powers That Be have a surprise in store for Buffy and Angel. Btvs re-write – Angel doesn't leave. Whole lot of Fluff and little bit of Angst.
DISTRIBUTION: Anywhere, if you want it, take it, just let me know!
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Very very long epic type story, Chapter 13 takes place around the time of "Beauty & The Beasts".
FEEDBACK: Craved, oh please, please, please, REVIEW! Reviews make me write faster! ;-)
RATING: T
"So Faith just lost it?" Willow asked as she idly kicked some leaves on the path.
"Totally lost it, she had a lot of issues to work out, but she got it together in the end" Buffy replied honestly while pushing Breanna's stroller through the park.
Xander furrowed his brow in confusion. "And now she has no watcher, right? So does this mean she's gonna be staying longer?"
"Giles said indefinitely. He's in charge of both of us now" Buffy answered as she sat down on the bench by their chosen picnic table.
Willow opened up the basket and began serving the food. "This is a good thing though, I mean you don't have to slay anymore right?" she queried.
"Not exactly, I'm still the slayer, nothing can change that. Faiths taken over most of the patrols but I've still been going out really late at night on occasion. I'm actually starting to miss it" she told them ironically.
"Yeah but you've got a lot more time to spend with Bree now" Xander said through a mouthful of apple.
Buffy rolled her eyes and looked over to her baby who was happily sucking her pacifier. "In theory? Yeah. In reality? No. I don't think my mom could do more active parenting if she tried." She responded disdainfully.
"I'm sure she's just trying to help" Willow suggested.
"And help I very much appreciate, but mom looks after her during the day, is it too much to ask that I'd like to take over when I get home? The only time I really see her is on weekends when my mom isn't around" Buffy whined.
"It could be worse, you're lucky that she's cool with the whole idea" Xander replied.
"I know, I know, I just wish she'd back off a little" Buffy sighed.
A group of kids nearby were playing baseball. Suddenly, one of the kids hit the ball way too hard in the wrong direction. It soared through the sky and was heading right for the picnic table. Buffy reached out and caught the ball just inches above Xander's lunch.
"Geez! Thanks Buff" Xander said gratefully.
"No problem" Buffy replied with a smile.
A twelve year old kid came running up to the group looking slightly embarrassed. "I'm sorry! Can we have our ball back please?" he pleaded.
Buffy handed over the ball to the kid. "Sure, just be careful, k?" she asked.
The kid nodded and ran off.
"So anyway, as we were saying before we were rudely attacked by a flying baseball…" Xander joked.
"Your mum enjoys looking after Breanna. Lots of grandmas do that, Buffy it's only been two weeks, I'm sure things will settle down soon" Willow told her friend, trying to cheer her up.
"Yeah you're probably right." Buffy replied, slightly happier than before.
Xander downed the last of his drink and threw the can into a nearby trash can. "Do we have any more sodas in that basket?" he asked Buffy.
"Think so, hold on" she said as she reached under the table. As she did this, the baseball once again glided through the air, heading right towards them. This time it was heading for Breanna's stroller.
All of a sudden, the ball stopped in mid air, only inches above the baby's head. Xander and Willow both turned their heads when they saw the ball, both staring wide eyed as they watched it float.
"Uhhh…Buffy?" Xander said, not taking his eyes off the ball.
"Hang on, I got one!" Buffy replied as she pulled herself back up into a sitting position.
Willow continued to stare in awe. "Oh boy" she said in surprise.
Buffy put the can of coke down in front of Xander and looked between her two best friends. "What are we staring at?" she asked before following their gazes.
Breanna lay in her stroller waving her arms about happily while watching the floating ball. Buffy simply stared in amazement with her friends while viewing the display before them, not believing her eyes.
Giles frowned and sat down on the sofa. "Hang on, are you sure the ball hovered above her head?" he asked, needing clarification.
Xander was exasperated. "Yes! It was creepy, it just floated" he replied.
"What are you saying, that something, some other force stopped it?" Giles asked.
Buffy sighed loudly in frustration. "We're saying that Breanna stopped it. It was her, she floated it herself" she told him while pacing her front room with her baby in her arms.
"Are you absolutely certain?" the watcher asked again, dumfounded.
"Well maybe she could do it again, we could try holding something above her head and letting it go" Willow suggested.
"I don't want to hurt her" Buffy worriedly said.
"You won't! Here, we'll use her little stuffed rabbit" Willow explained while motioning Buffy to put Breanna down in her bassinet.
Buffy lay her down and the gang crowded round to watch. Willow handed Buffy the toy and she took it tentatively. Buffy hesitantly held the rabbit above Breanna's head for a few seconds before cautiously letting go. For a moment it began to fall and then stopped in mid air, twirling round. Breanna smiled happily as she floated her stuffed rabbit in mid air.
A huge grin broke out on Willows face as she was mesmerized by the baby's abilities. "Wow" she exclaimed.
"It's extraordinary!" Giles said in wonderment as he removed his glasses and leaned closer.
"Can I say I told you so?" Xander said indignantly.
"Thank you Xander" Giles replied dryly.
Buffy slowly reached out and took the rabbit from Breanna before turning round to face her watcher. "So what does this mean?" she asked in uncertainty.
"It means she has powers, she's not like other children, but then again we already knew that." He said with a smile.
"Well do you think that's it? Is that all she can do?" Buffy asked.
"It's very probable that in time more abilities will be revealed but I guess we'll just have to wait and see." He said with an element of excitement in his voice. "Anyway I must go or I'll miss visiting hours at the hospital." He said as he glanced at his watch.
"Well thanks for coming by" Buffy said honestly as she led him to the door.
"Will you be slaying tonight?" he asked.
"Negative, moms in LA buying art so I can't" Buffy explained.
"Alright, well I'll see you Monday" he said before leaving.
Willow jumped up and walked towards Buffy. "You know if you wanna go out I could baby-sit! I could stay over!" she said giddily.
"Are you sure?" Buffy asked.
Willow smiled brightly. "I'd love to!"
"Ok, cool" Buffy said happily, glad to have the opportunity to go out and slay again.
Willow and Buffy had enjoyed a girls' night in with Breanna and chilled out with some films and popcorn. It was now after midnight and Buffy had left both Willow and Breanna asleep in the house.
The slayer slowly shuffled through the graveyard, watching as the moonlight danced off the headstones while enjoying the way the midnight breeze caught the wisps of hair around her neck. Buffy thought she heard something nearby and felt a shiver go up her spine. She stood deadly still for a moment and listened for the tiniest of noises. Everything was silent again. Buffy continued on through the cemeteries and staked two vampires before heading towards the woods.
As she reached the clearing she was suddenly caught off guard as she was attacked from behind. Buffy flipped her assailant over her head with ease and threw his body to the ground.
The slayer froze as she saw the familiar face looking up at her through an aggressive, animalistic façade. Angel growled loudly and clenched his teeth before jumping to his feet and punching Buffy hard on the jaw. Still in shock, she allowed herself to be hit but quickly regained her composure and struck Angel hard across the face, causing him to slump to the ground, quietly growling.
Tears began to fall onto Buffy's cheeks as the situation sunk in. Angel was back. But there was something wrong with him, he wasn't himself, he didn't recognize her. Before she could figure out what was going on she knew what she had to do. At that moment he was acting like a monster and was probably a threat, she had to tie him up and she knew just the place.
Buffy lifted the shaking, semi-unconscious Angel from the ground and placed his arm around her neck. She dragged him to the mansion and locked him in Drusilla's shackles.
For the first time in a long time Buffy felt truly scared. She watched her lover as he lay on the stone cold floor of the mansion, shivering but still out of it from the blow to the head he had received. Buffy knelt down beside his glistening form and gently stroked his cheek lovingly as she cried. A minute later his eyes began to flutter open and he looked up towards her.
"Angel?" she whispered through her tears. For a moment there was silence and Buffy hoped he had recognized her but an instant later he jumped up and viciously hissed at her. Buffy jumped back quickly, almost knocked off her feet by his defense. He locked his gaze with her and Buffy looked deep into his eyes to search for some shred of love. All she could see was hostility. As Buffy realized this she turned and fled from the mansion, too distraught to look back.
Giles was surprised when he heard the knocking on his door early the next day and slowly opened it. A tired looking Buffy was standing on the other side with Breanna sleeping in her baby carrier that Buffy was wearing.
"Buffy, good morning, is something wrong?" he asked worriedly.
Buffy shifted uncomfortably and walked past him into the house. "We were just passing by your house and thought we'd come say hello" she said unconvincingly.
"Ahh, I see, and since when do you walk past my house so early on a Sunday morning?" he enquired.
Buffy looked worried and sat down on the sofa. "I just wanted to ask you some stuff" she nervously began.
"About what?" Giles asked as he sat down opposite the slayer.
"I've just been thinking, about Angel, and Acathla" she slowly explained.
"Yes…" he said, motioning for her to continue.
"Well it's just, Acathla was going to suck the world into hell, but instead he took Angel…so this means that Angel's in hell right?" Buffy asked.
Giles sighed and met her gaze. "It would seem so, yes"
Buffy nervously played with her fingers "And time moves a lot faster there, right? So when he comes back, he'll have been there for thousands of years…" she said.
Giles cleaned his glasses tensely "I'm afraid so" he quietly said, knowing exactly where this was going.
Buffy gradually looked Giles in the eye and gulped. "What will he be like?" she finally asked outright.
Giles looked past Buffy for a moment, recalling his research. "Well from what I've heard, he would be animal like, a monster, devoid of all human emotion, all human feeling. He wouldn't be the person you once knew. To be honest, this is something that's been bothering me" he uneasily told her.
"How long" Buffy quickly said, holding back tears. "How long would it be until he got better"
Giles looked unsure for a moment. "A very long time, if ever. It would take a person of immense strength and willpower to return to their former self after such an ordeal."
Buffy looked away, trying to hide her anguish and quickly wiped a tear from her eye. "Ok, thanks, I just needed to know" she said as she got up from the seat and began to walk towards the door.
Giles jumped up and followed her. "But Buffy I'm sure it will be fine, remember the powers that be need Angel, they won't let him be a lost cause" he explained, trying to console her.
Buffy turned around to face him, her hands shaking. "Big prophecy, I got it" she said as she reached for the door handle.
"Why don't you stay a little longer, I'll put the kettle on" Giles suggested, clearly worried about Buffy.
"No thanks, I really have to go" she said as she wiped a few more stray tears from her cheeks.
"Buffy are you alright?" Giles worriedly asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll see you later k?" she said as she disappeared down the path, leaving Giles watching her go, wondering if there was something she wasn't telling him.
That night, Buffy cautiously entered the mansion and pulled back the curtain. Angel was lying on the marble floor, a low growling emanating from the ground. He spun around when he heard her and leapt forward, hissing loudly as he dangled from his chains. Buffy remained still and composed herself before carefully walking over to the wall opposite the fireplace and sitting on the floor watching him.
Buffy sat for hours with him, keeping a watchful eye, looking for some sign of recognition. Eventually he calmed down and lay on the floor once again. Buffy inched closer as he rested and began to talk to him.
"Angel?" she said through her tears. "Do you know who I am?" she desperately asked.
Angel did not respond or even flinch. Buffy moved a little closer and spoke to him again.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry that I did this to you." She began, her voice cracking. "I haven't been able to live with myself." She cried with tears flowing freely down her cheeks and onto the marble floor.
"But I've hoped and prayed every day that you would come back to me, because I can't live without you. Angel, I don't want to live without you. You have to be strong, not just for me, but for our baby. You have a daughter, and she's the most amazing thing you've ever seen." Buffy sobbed, her body shaking from the crying.
"I love you so much, Angel. I love you so much, it hurts so bad that I wish it would stop. I've been through so much and I've waited so long for you to come back to me." she cried, moving even closer.
"There must be some part of you that remembers me, some part of you that still loves me. We can get through this, you can get better, just please Angel, let me in" she wept, her eyes red with tears.
"I need you, I can't do this without you" she told his still form. Buffy glanced over to the curtain and noticed a tiny beam of light creeping through, it was morning and she had to go.
Buffy leaned forward and gently kissed Angel on the cheek. "I love you" she whispered softly before pulling herself to her feet and slowly walking towards the exit, emotionally drained.
"Buffy?" Angel's voice called out from behind her. She stopped dead in her tracks and spun around. Angel was lying on the floor looking towards her with pleading eyes.
"Angel!" she breathed as the feeling of relief washed over her. She ran back to him as fast as she could and threw her arms around him. Angel held onto Buffy tightly and cried in her lap as she kissed his head and hugged him close.
Buffy knew then that Angel was going to get better and silently thanked whoever was listening for returning him to her.
The monotonous beep of the heart monitor was the only noise in the otherwise deadly silent room. There was no light except the dull rays from the hall that peeped through the blinds. Jenny lay still on the bed, her chest steadily moving up and down with every shallow breath. The clicking of heels on a cold hospital floor could be heard in the distance coming closer.
A minute later the door swung open and a small nurse breezed in. She changed the bag on the drip and began scribbling down notes on a chart before hurriedly leaving the room and closing the door behind her.
The room was silent again. A minute later the sound of the heart monitor seemed to quicken as Jenny's heart beat faster. In her mind Jenny was dreaming of her encounter with Angel and was reliving it over again.
"Oh goody, it's the watcher. Two for the price of one. And guess what, you get to watch your girl here die!" she recalled Angel viciously sneering. A finger flinched as she reenacted the moment in her head, her heart rate becoming faster.
In her dream Angel sent Giles flying across the landing maliciously and laughed. "Sorry Jenny, I'm going to have to get rid of you quick, watcher boys gonna be way more fun. Hey Watcher, watch this!". Angel taunted in her dream.
A moment later she felt Angel once again thrust her violently through the window and drop her to the ground. As she hit the ground she gasped loudly and her eyes flew open. She could hear the monitor beeping incessantly and began to panic. She was awake.