Summary: It's 1968 and Angel has found a moment of perfect happiness. Just what it means for Buffy 30 years later remains to be seen. Not happy with the title, so this may change. Will take place at the beginning of Buffy/Season 2, but will deviate from original story line. Almost totally AU. Buffy/Angelus. And Darla's still alive.
Disclaimers: Mutant Enemy and Joss Whedon own it all. I'm just doing this for fun, and hopefully entertainment
After a very quick and cold shower, Angel left Buffy getting ready for patrol. She stopped him before he opened the door. "Thank you. For the beautiful ring." With a blush on her cheeks, "For everything." She reached up and pulled him down to her for a kiss. "I'll miss you."
He returned her kiss, "I'll see you in about an hour and a half." He gave her a fast hug, not really trusting himself with her and despising himself for that, he left. The courtyard was in the shade and dusk was fast approaching. Angel was safe. On the way to his car, he met Giles coming in.
"Hello Angel." The watcher wasn't sure how to react to the vampire leaving his slayers' apartment. It was obvious he had been there for awhile. Although, Giles thought, maybe just to himself. "How is Buffy feeling?"
Angel looked at the watcher and answered. "A little tired, but better. She's getting ready to go out on patrol and I'm off to pick up her cake and deliver it before I take her over to the Bronze. She's feeling a little guilty about missing her patrol last night and decided to make it up by doing it twice tonight. Maybe you can talk her out of it." And, by the way,I fucked her brainless last night, how about that? Angelus would do that, but he wouldn't. He inwardly groaned.
"Yes, well I shall drop in on her and see how she's holding up. You know, she's never sick. All those slayer healing powers. I was a bit concerned, but I am glad to hear she's feeling better." Giles started to walk away, and then turned back to Angel. "You know, for all her powers and abilities, she's still just a girl Angelus."
"I know exactly what she is Rupert. She's a girl who has been forced to grow up because of her calling and because of a mother who decided she couldn't cut as a mother. Buffy needs people around her who support her. Not admonitions and judgments." He came closer to Giles and spoke softly. "I'm in her life watcher. It wasn't a choice, there was never a choice. You have to deal with this. She'll choose me over you and I do not want her in that position. If you care about her you won't put her in that position either." With that statement Angel turned and left.
Giles watched him leave with a mixture of concern and confusion. What was this that was happening between his slayer and this master vampire? Angel himself seemed unable to fathom his own feelings in the matter, this much was apparent to the watcher. But one thing that was abundantly clear was that Angel did have feelings, enormous feelings for Buffy. He shook his head and went to Buffy's apartment to see how she was doing.
Angel stood in line at the teller machine, needing to get cash for his ice cream cake purchase. He had to laugh a little at himself. Who would ever have thought Angelus, the Scourge of Europe would be buying a birthday cake for his seventeen year old girlfriend. The only constant in his life seemed to be change these days.
After he put his withdrawal in his wallet, he turned to make his way to the ice cream shop. He felt a familiar presence. Then he saw her. Fuck.
"Hello lover."
The drawl was unmistakable. Angelus growled. The beauty was still there, even after a century. So were the cold eyes, so calculating, so hard. And the humorless smile. All of it so different than his slayer.
"Hello bitch."
"Is that anyway to greet your sire after, what? A hundred years?" Darla was genuinely surprised by his response. Dru had said he had taken up with the slayer, but she couldn't believe it. Something would have to be done about this.
"And you expected what? Open arms and roses? Think again."
She sauntered up to him and took a deep breath. "Oh, I see. What they say is true. You traded in your testicals for the slayer bitch. I can smell her all over you." She laughed. "Oh well, I suppose I can live with this lapse in judgment as long as you make it up to me." She ran her hand along his crotch. "And I mean in a very big way."
He laughed as he pushed her away. "You have nothing to offer. The slayer has you beat. And I do mean in every way." He gave her a disdainful appraisal, from the top to bottom and chuckled. "Must be her youth or her slayer stamina, but I had to beg the girl for a rest. She can fuck twenty-four hours and still be lubed for more."
Darla's eyes narrowed. "I don't believe you. You want your pound of flesh for my deserting you? Fine, you've hurt me. But you just can't forget 150 years Angelus. We have history."
"Well, I think that century of separation rates it as ancient history. You'll never be what she is to me. Never have what she has. I'm her first Darla and her only. Blood on the sheets, you have no idea what that means to a man. Buffy is mine until the end of her days. And she knows it." He laughed cruelly. "Face it Darla, you were already quite worn in when we met. Now Buffy, she's fresh, young, tight. No amount of vampire healing could take you back that far."
"Okay lover. Have it your way. But once I've turned her, she becomes mine. If you want her, you'll have to come through me."
"Oh Darla. You underestimate my girl." He walked up to her and in a fluid motion had her back against his chest, a stake pressed to her heart. "And you underestimate me. Attempt to touch her or anything that's hers, friends, family, pets, plants, you'll wish you were back in that brothel you came from." His voice was deadly serious.
"I don't believe this!" Darla was incredulous. "You'd kill me over a girl? A mortal? She'll age and wither and what will you be left with? Not me. Not Dru. Not Will. Choices Angelus. Make the wrong ones and you are fucked for a very long time."
"Oh I made the right choices. It's you who continually make the wrong ones. First one? The gypsy girl. Second one? Deserting me. Third one? Coming to Sunnydale. Leave me and leave mine alone. If you do, maybe I'll let you live. If not, you are dust. I'll give you a chance Darla, out of respect for you as my sire, but don't push your luck. It's your choice." She stumbled back as he pushed her from him and walked away from her.
"This isn't over Angelus. I will make your life and theirs a literal hell." She bit out.
"Please Darla, can't you think of a more original parting remark?" He laughed cruelly, "Get some new writers."
Arriving at the Bronze with the birthday cake Angel was sure he had just totally fucked up. He should've just staked the bitch while he had the chance. What was he thinking? He so could not tell Buffy he let her walk. He would just leave that part out.
Xander was hanging balloons when the vampire entered. "Boy, is Giles here yet?" Angel needed to talk to the watcher about his run in with Darla. Dru and Spike were dangerous, but Darla was deadly.
"Well, hello to you to dead boy. And no, Giles is not here yet and you can set the cake down on that table." Xander looked over at the table that was supposed to be decorated and wasn't. "Yeah, the birthday table that Cordelia decorated, isn't it lovely?"
Cordelia looked up from the magazine she was thumbing through. "Hey nerd-boy. Zip it. Willow forgot the tablecloth and went to get it out of the car." Casting a glance at the hottest guy in town, vampire or not, and the one Buffy had, she nodded toward the bar. "Just put it over there, next to the chips and dips that I made, thank you very much. We'll put it all on the table, if Willow ever decides to come back in."
Angel set the cake down and decided to check on Willow. "Yeah, I'm going to go get Buffy. I'll see what Willow is up to as well."
He looked over at Cordelia's car. The trunk was open, but no Willow. Damnit! Didn't any of these idiots realize how dangerous it was at night? And they all knew the slayer. Oh well, culling of the herd, he supposed. Turning to leave, he turned around again, Damnit! What was this ridiculous compulsion to help Buffy's friends? She was the only one he cared about. That's why he was going to see what the hell was up with Willow.
"Well, you really are a tasty little tidbit, I can see that love. I can smell the fear and the innocence, such a lethal combination, for you." Spike ran his tongue over the vein that was popping out of her neck, so enticing he thought.
"I swear, I don't know where Angel is. Really, I so don't lie well." She was holding her breath, praying that someone would notice she hadn't come back. Knowing Xander and Cordelia, they were either fighting or making out. If she lived though this, they were so going to pay.
"If you want me Willy m'boy here I am. Let the girl go or Dru loses her lap dog." Angel was in no mood for this tonight. After Darla, he had a very bad taste in his mouth and he resented the hell out of these assholes that were ruining his very erotic memories of the past 24 hours.
"Oh Angelus, would you begrudge your grand-childe such a luscious treat?" He gave his grand-sire a very insincere smile.
"Let her go and we'll talk. Don't test me boy." He was fastly losing patience and he might just beat Spike to a pulp for the hell of it.
Spike shrugged. "Whatever, peaches." He released Willow. "I'll see you around Red, you can count on it." He took in her scent one last time. Delicious.
She ran over to Angel and latched onto his arm. "Go inside Willow. Seems Cordelia needs help with motivation."
She looked up at him, gratitude and worship emanating from her eyes. "Will you be okay?"
He had to laugh at her concern. "Yes, now go. I'm a big, bad. Remember?"
She squeezed his arm, mouthed a thank you and ran inside, tablecloth forgotten.
"You're getting' a bit soft, aren't you?" Spike lit a cigarette and chuckled. His grand-sire, protecting a little bit of fluff like that. "So, what gives? Are you really with the slayer?"
"You should've tried fucking 'em instead of killing 'em, Spike." He walked over to the younger vampire. "So, you tell me, what gives with Darla being in town."
"Oh, the great and mighty bitch graced us with her presence and took over. Dru only too happy to have 'mummy' here. She thinks Darla will bring you back into the fold." He took a long drag and threw the butt onto the ground. "I just want to get the hell out of this place, but the girls think they can figure out how to wake the sleeping giant."
"Have they?" Angel was staring hard at Spike.
"What?"
"What do you think? Have they figured out how to wake up Acathla?" The boy was pretty but he could be so thick sometimes.
"No. And now they have an army of stupid minions to protect the damn rock. Your friends are going to find several of their classmates missing come Monday morning. And they all seem to have a bit of an ax to grind with the dark haired beauty." He laughed.
"Spike, neither of us wants Acathla awake. So for the time being, we work together on this. I need to know what's going on with the girls. If they discover anything I need to know right away. Are we in agreement?"
Spike was confused. His grand-sire would never ask, just demand. What was his game? But he didn't want Acathla to pull them all into hell, so he'd play along. "Fine, but nothing happens to Dru. I could give a shit what you do with Darla, but Dru she stays alive."
"Fine. I have to go. Come to my place tomorrow night, say around midnight."
"Your place? You have a place in town?" He questioned Angel.
"Um, yeah, you remember. The place you had staked out? Really William, you need to practice your undercover skills." He turned to go, but over his shoulder he left a warning. "And leave Willow alone Spike. She's death for you and Dru."
"What's she to you?" Confusion on Spike's face.
"She's the slayer's best friend. If anything happens to her, Buffy suffers and that will not happen."
Spike was speechless. He just stared at his grand-sire with his mouth agape.
Well, Angel chuckled. This whole experience was worth it to see that expression on Spike's face. "Close your mouth boy. Not an attractive look for you. Tomorrow night, my place."