Chapter 29

Nearly fourteen hours after the fire at Angel's house, Buffy was restlessly pacing on the soft, cream-colored carpet inside a downtown Los Angeles hotel suite. She couldn't seem to do anything but pace from one end of the room to the other. Considering the events of the past day, she should be exhausted, and she was tired. Sleep was just utterly impossible. There was too much going on, too much to think about.

After the fire had been dealt with the day before, Gunn had pulled every string possible to keep the situation under wraps. The FBI didn't want anyone to know about her existence until it was completely necessary. As a result, they had called in a helicopter to transfer her and Angel to a hospital in Los Angeles. It was the best way to keep her identity secret. If she'd gone to a hospital in Sunnydale, someone was bound to figure out who she was. In Los Angeles, the FBI had more control.

She and Angel hadn't had to stay long for treatment. The hospital had checked them over to make sure there weren't any serious injuries from the smoke inhalation, which there weren't, and kept them on oxygen for a little while. By mid-evening, they were released and checked into a hotel in LA under false names with orders from the FBI to stay put and not talk to anyone.

Her father had not been happy when Gunn asked him to stay in Sunnydale. Giles had been ready to leap into his car to be by Buffy's side as she was checked out by the doctors in LA. If he had done that, though, if he'd gone to LA and stayed there, it would have made the situation more suspicious than it already was. Giles eventually understood that. As did Willow and the others, but they weren't happy about it.

So it was just Buffy and Angel staying in the rather cushy hotel suite. Oh, and the guard posing as a bellhop outside in the hall. But it was just them inside, and had been just them since they were dropped off the night before. Oddly enough, they hadn't really talked much. Angel had insisted Buffy go straight to bed and said he was doing the same. Buffy went, but sleep never really came. She'd only stared up at the ceiling, thinking about the fire, and what it seemed to mean.

Though no one had actually said it, Buffy got a clear impression that everything was about to come down. The fire was by no means a good thing, but at the same time, it seemed to have set the ball in motion. From what Gunn had said yesterday in Sunnydale, the arsonist was under arrest. And she had a feeling that the FBI expected all the pieces to fall into place with that one capture.

God, what if that was true? she mumbled silently. What if all of this, all of the pain she'd lived with for the last seven years, was finally going to be over? Even if the people who had murdered her family, and tormented her for years were brought to justice, Buffy didn't lie to herself. The pain would never really go away. She would never be able to forget all that had happened in Sunnydale.

Her Mom. Dawn. Owen. The rape. Everything after it. The four years spent in seclusion. No, she'd never be able to ever put all of that out of her mind. It would always be a part of her.

A flicker of a memory flashed before her eyes. She saw her family as they'd lain in the den of her house, blood spattered around them. The image wasn't clear. It was clouded by a surreal fog that made everything fuzzy but did nothing to hide the grotesque scene. A shiver worked through her body, making Buffy rub her arms.

"Are you cold?" Angel asked, jostling Buffy out of the past. She'd almost forgotten he was sitting at the breakfast bar only a few feet away.

"No," she shrugged restlessly. "I was just...thinking."

Angel said nothing. He sensed Buffy wasn't in the mood to talk at the moment. She was wound tighter the a Hollywood starlet's enhanced face. Not that he was any less tense. Everything they'd been working for the past few weeks was happening. The arms of the law were about to close in around the creeps who had ruined Buffy's life. The truth was finally about to be told.

And then Buffy would be free.

For now, Angel was trying to ignore what all that might mean.

"When is Gunn going to get here?" Buffy growled as she paced from one end of the little living room in their suite to the other.

"Probably soon," he answered, wishing he could give her a more definite answer.

They were waiting for Gunn to arrive to give them an update on the case. All they really knew was that someone had set fire to Angel's house, and that the FBI believed they'd arrested the man responsible. Beyond that, they were in the dark as to what had happened afterwards. That was why Buffy was so anxiously pacing the room. Angel would be too if he felt he had the energy for it.

Angel could tell his response didn't please Buffy. She desperately wanted to know what was going on. He hoped Gunn arrived before she wore a hole in the carpet.

A solid knock sounded from the door just then and Angel almost sighed in relief. Finally. He stood and walked to the door. Surprisingly, Buffy stopped her pacing, but remained rooted in her spot. Tension lined her face, he noticed when he glanced at her. As much as Buffy wanted answers, he knew she had to be nervous. So much hinged on what happened from this point on.

Checking the peep-hole first, Angel saw that it was indeed Gunn. He felt his gut clench as he opened the door and let Gunn into the suite.

"I brought some coffee and bagels in case you guys hadn't eaten yet," Gunn held up the bag he had in his left hand and rattled it. "Why don't we go sit over there," he nodded to the conversation area made up of several plush sofas around a black lacquer coffee table.

After handing out the coffees, Gunn took a seat and crossed his legs. "I won't beat around the bush since you probably want to know what's going on."

"Thanks," Buffy breathed out heavily. She didn't know if she could wait much longer.

"I'll start at the beginning, then" he began. "Like I said yesterday, several suspicious phone calls went out from Wilkins and Walker. There were three to an unknown cell phone number. While I was at your house dealing with the fire, we had men trying to trace the number. They found that it belonged to a known thug so an A.P.B. was immediately issued for the guy. As luck would have it, a California state trooper spotted the guy's car on a highway leading out of Sunnydale."

"Did he put up a fight?" Angel inquired, thinking that catching the guy had been an extremely lucky break. He wasn't complaining, though. It was about time something went Buffy's way.

"No," Gunn shook his head. "He pulled right over and surrendered himself. The trooper held him in his car until one of our agents could take him into custody.

Gunn leaned back against the sofa and took a second to stretch his stiff shoulders. He was exhausted after having been up the whole night working. "We were worried that he would lawyer-up and keep his mouth shut. Unfortunately for him, we found the makings for the fire bombs in his car. Pretty much meant he was dead to rights."

"Knowing he was screwed," he continued, allowing for a slight dramatic pause. "He sang like a bird."

"You're kidding!" Angel exclaimed. Two breaks! Could they possibly be this fortunate?

"Not in the least," Gunn gave Angel a predatory smile. "He spilled everything he knew, and believe me when I say, he had a lot to tell."

"Was...was...," Buffy stumbled on the words. She took a deep breath, steadying her nerves. "Was he the one who killed my family?"

"No," answered Gunn apologetically. He knew how much she wanted the person who committed the actual act to be caught. "He's just an underling, for the most part. But he's got a pretty good idea who was hired to do it."

"So Wilkins and Walker really were the ones who ordered it," Angel mused. Even though he'd known the truth, it was strange hearing it all out loud.

"We're still working on putting all the details together. The guy who torched your house knows enough to keep us on that path." Gunn took a gulp of his coffee. He hoped the caffeine would give him at least a small boost. "But...unless this guy is lying his pants off, we do know that it was Mayor Wilkins who ordered your house to be crispy fried."

"Bastard," Angel muttered. Buffy could have been killed in that fire!

"I agree," concurred Gunn emphatically. "So I thought you would want to know that we have issued an arrest warrant for Mayor Richard Wilkins III on arson and related charges."

"That's it? Just for the fire?" Buffy's voice was almost frantic as she spoke. They couldn't just arrest him for that! What about what he did to her family?

"For now, but believe me, more will come," Gunn assured her. "Right now, that's the most solid charge we can go for. Our guys are still working on the rest. They've only gone through some of the files we seized from Sunnydale PD, but so far, there appears to be confirmation that the murders of your family weren't handled appropriately. Once we get everything put together, we'll know more."

"So what happens next?" Angel inquired, leaning forward to study Gunn.

"Right now, another agent is working on getting the arsonist's sworn statement of everything he knows about Wilkins and the police chief. We want it all on paper what he knows," Gunn laid out. "Someone is on their way to Sunnydale to pick up Wilkins and bring him to LA. I'll probably be questioning him later. We're also going to bring in Chief Walker for questioning. We can't arrest him just yet, but he seems to be the lesser of the two. If we put the pressure on him right, we may be able to get him to spill all he knows, too."

"Do you think they'll all go to jail?" Buffy wanted to know. She dearly hoped they would. They needed to pay for what they'd done!

"I wish I could promise you everything would go like clockwork," said Gunn. "We're pretty confident we're building a good case, but there's always a way for something to go wrong. We'll do our best to make sure that doesn't happen."

"Thanks," Buffy imparted softly.

"You're welcome." Standing, Gunn set down his coffee. "I need to get back to headquarters so I'll be there when Wilkins is brought in."

Buffy stood as well. She twisted her fingers together, debating whether she should ask Gunn the question that was weighing on her. Would he let her do it if she asked? She wouldn't know unless she spoke up.

"Gunn...I, um...there's something I'm hoping you can do. Actually two things..."

Five long, slow days passed before Gunn was able to fill the first of Buffy's requests. Both Angel and Gunn had tried to talk her out of what she wanted to do, but she'd been adamant. She'd told them it was something that she needed to do, as well reminding them that she was an adult and could make her own decisions. Angel could find little fault with her arguments. That didn't stop him from worrying about her.

The last week had been hard on her. Despite the fact that they'd been staying in a hotel suite together, and that they were around each other almost twenty-four hours a day, they hadn't spent much time doing any serious talking. Most of their waking hours were spent watching movies on the hotel's pay-per-view, or on the phone with anxious friends and family.

Giles, Willow, and the others from Sunnydale were under strict orders to remain where they were and to act like everything was normal. The only way they could contact Buffy was via the telephone, and the same went for Angel. He'd spoken to his sister, Fred, a few days earlier to assure her he was fine. She'd wanted the details of what was going on, but he'd had to put her off. Until Gunn gave him the okay, Angel had to keep the situation under wraps. Fred hadn't been happy with him about that.

All of that would likely change after today. What Buffy planned to do would make everything about her life, and what she'd suffered through, known. Well, not directly, but once she was through, it wouldn't be long before everyone else found out.

Angel watched Buffy as she stood at the window in one of the waiting rooms of the FBI Headquarters in Los Angeles. She hadn't said a word since they'd been told to wait in the drab, almost-empty room. All she had done was stare out the window. Angel wished there was something he could do to ease her nerves, but there wasn't anything. He would just simply have to be there for her if she needed him. She would be fine, though. She was strong.

When the door opened and Gunn stepped into the room, Buffy's head whipped around and her fingers tensed on the windowsill. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Gunn asked in as gentle a tone as possible. He couldn't imagine how she would deal with what she was about to do.

"Yes," she replied replied firmly as she turned and steeled her shoulders. There was no way anyone was going to talk her out of this. She HAD to do it.

"Okay," Gunn nodded once. "We're ready." Swiveling, he strode out of the room, leaving Buffy and Angel to follow behind him.

In less than a minute, Gunn led them into another room with a glass pane giving a view into another, smaller room. Several agents were milling around in the main room, and all eyed Buffy as she stood just inside the door. Gunn hesitated, and looked to Buffy again. "Do you want me to come in with you?"

Buffy opened her mouth to say 'no', but realized she didn't want to go in there by herself. "Yes, please."

"Okay. Let's do it. Just remember you can leave anytime you want," he told her before walking to a second door that led into the smaller room.

Angel could only watch as the door was pulled open and Buffy took a deep breath before following Gunn inside. He quickly turned his eyes to the glass pane that would allow him to see everything that happened on the other side. If that bastard did anything more to hurt Buffy, he would pay.

Standing behind Gunn, Buffy flinched as the door slammed closed behind her. Gunn's large form kept her hidden from view momentarily, but that would eventually end. She would have to stand on her own all too soon.

"I trust there is a valid reason you are still keeping me locked up in this filthy, germ-infested room, Agent Gunn," a man's voice spoke out loudly.

The sound made Buffy shudder. She had the tempting thought of turning and fleeing, but pushed it away. She wasn't a coward. She could do this. Taking one more deep breath, she side-stepped Gunn and allowed herself to be seen.

"What...what the hell...what's going on here!" Mayor Richard Wilkins stuttered as he leapt to his feet. "You're dead!"

Gunn viewed Buffy for a moment. "Nope, I think she's alive."

Silence descended as Wilkins' jaw snapped shut. Gunn could almost see the thoughts racing in the man's head. And he had a pretty good idea of what he would say next.

"Agent Gunn, I want you to arrest this woman! She's a known murderer!"

Yup, Gunn was right. Just as he'd expected. He leaned casually against the wall, enjoying this more than he should. "Murder, huh? I assume you mean the deaths of three members of the Giles family? Interesting thing about that. We have evidence that implicates you and your associates in their murders. So guess what that means? You're the murderer, not Miss Giles here."

"That's ridiculous! I'm a public official!" Wilkins roared.

"Sit down, and shut up!" Gunn ordered, snapping to attention. "Miss Giles has something to say, and then she is leaving. So you will keep your mouth shut until she's done."

Oddly enough, Wilkins complied, but Gunn had a feeling it had more to do with the shock of the situation than the command he'd given. "Go ahead, Buffy," he gave a quick nod.

Hands trembling, Buffy stepped forward and stared Mayor Wilkins squarely in the eyes. She didn't quite know what she wanted to say, but it would come to her.

After another moment's silence, she spoke.

"I know what you did, to my family, to me, to my friends. There's a word for people like you: evil. And someday, maybe soon, you'll end up where all the other murdering bastards go: to hell. I'll do everything in my power to see that you are never free again, that you'll never be able to hurt another person like you did the people I love. I hope you enjoy prison and that you have a nice roommate named Bubba who'll make you his playmate," she threw in at the end just because it made her smile to think of him being treated like someone's bitch.

Finished doing what she needed to do, Buffy swiftly pivoted and headed toward the door.

"You better watch you're back, missy! You'll pay for this insolence!" Wilkins shouted at her back.

As she left the room, she heard Gunn say, "That's not a threat, is it? That's not smart, Richie-boy."

The moment Buffy made into the outer room, Angel was at her side. "You did really good," he said and pulled her into a tight hug, sensing she needed it.

Buffy latched on to him and held tightly, her body still shaking over the encounter. She felt liberated, though. She'd faced her past and one of the men who had ruined her life and taken her family away from her. It was like a weight had lifted off her back, making her feel lighter than she had in years.

"I wasn't sure I could do it once I got in there," she murmured against his shoulder.

"But you did, and stood up to him. I'm really proud of you," he whispered back, not wanting the others in the room to hear their private conversation.

"Thanks." She pulled back and smiled slightly at him "I'm glad I did it."

As she stepped out of Angel's arms, Gunn reentered the room, leaving a pacing Wilkins behind. "You did great, Buffy," he relayed, giving her a slight pat on the shoulder. "Ready for round two?"

Rolling her shoulders and blowing out a breath, she walked toward the door. "Yep." She was ready for anything, now. It was time to face door number two. So she followed Gunn to the interrogation room where Sunnydale Police Chief Walker was being held. One down, one to go.

Two hours later, Buffy and Angel were back in their hotel suite with Gunn. The meeting with Chief Walker had gone similar to the one with Wilkins. Except for the fact that Walker had seemed absolutely stunned to find her among the living. His face had bleached white at the sight of her and he'd nearly fallen off his chair. Gunn had a feeling the meeting would serve two purposes. One: Buffy would get some much needed closure. And two: the honorable Chief Walker had a lot to think about. Gunn hoped the man made wise decisions.

"It's not such a great idea to go back to Sunnydale," Gunn said to the pair sitting at the little breakfast bar. "Once the press gets a hold of this story, they'll be all over you."

"I know," Angel sighed, thinking about the mess that was to come. "But we both need to go back."

"I want to see my father and my friends," Buffy added softly, her mind still on the two encounters she'd had at the FBI headquarters.

"All right," Gunn relented, not liking the idea. "Just remember to not say anything to the reporters. Tell them 'no comment' or something. They don't need to know anything we don't want them to know."

"Okay," they both agreed.

"And try to keep out of the public eye for a while. We're still trying to round up all of the Mayor's lackey's and I wouldn't want to see anything happen to either of you," Gunn issued another order.

"Do you think there will be trouble?" Angel asked, tensing at the thought.

"It's possible, but not likely. Wilkins is the leader of this ring, and he knows we'll be watching him closely." Twisting his wrist, Gunn looked at his watch just as a knock sounded on the door. "Right on time.

Striding over to the door, he peeked through the spy-hole to confirm the visitor then turned the knob. He greeted the guest and allowed him to enter the room. When the door was shut again, he led the man to the silent pair on the other side of the living area.

"This is Agent Graham Miller. He'll be accompanying you to Sunnydale and staying with you until we're sure that there won't be any revenge from Wilkins," he explained the presence of the other agent.

"Staying with us?" Buffy mumbled as a sudden though occurred to her. "I don't even know where I'll be staying." Angel's house had been damaged in the fire.

"We can't go back to my house yet," confirmed Angel. "The fire wasn't able to do much damage, but some repairs need to be made before we can go back."

"I took the liberty of speaking to you father, Buffy," Gunn responded and shrugged when Buffy's eyes narrowed at him. "It's the best place for you to go right now. It's away from the public, and there's room to bring an agent in. He's expecting you tonight."

Angel took Buffy's hand and held it in his. "You don't have to go back there if you don't want to."

She didn't answer right away as she thought about the notion. Finally she shook her head. "No, it's okay. I need to go back there sometime. And it would probably be good to talk to my Dad." She'd faced two of her demons already. Now she needed to make peace with her father. They needed to talk about all that had happened and get on with their lives. She may not be happy with what he did, but he was still her father and she loved him regardless. Just like he'd still loved her when he'd thought she had murdered his wife and two other children.

"Good. It's settled then." Gunn pulled out a card and handed it to Angel. "That has all my numbers on it if you need to contact me in an emergency. Graham will be driving you back to Sunnydale as soon as your ready."

"We don't have much to pack, so we'll be ready soon" Angel told the agent.

"Take your time," Graham replied

"It'll only take me a few minutes to throw my stuff in a bag," Buffy suddenly said and nearly jumped off her stool. She hadn't been all that anxious to go home, but now she was.

"Are you okay?" asked Angel, staring at her with a frown on his face.

"Fine," she mumbled more to herself than to Angel. "There's just one more thing I want to do today." One more thing to make peace with her past.

After a quiet drive from Los Angeles, the car carrying Buffy, Angel and Agent Graham Miller entered the Sunnydale city limits. Instead of turning left and heading in the direction of the Giles house, the car went right, heading to an alternate destination. They would arrive at the Giles' eventually. There was just one stop to make first.

Beside Angel in the back seat, Buffy sat watching the scenery passing by her window. Most of it was familiar, but hadn't been seen in many years. Other than the trip to Santa Monica with Angel, and the hectic helicopter trip to LA after the fire, she had not seen any parts of Sunnydale besides her father's house, the beach, and then later, Angel's home. It was strange to be seeing it all again.

"We can do this tomorrow," Angel broke the silence in the car. Buffy looked exhausted. He was worried that she was pushing herself too hard.

"No, today," she answered simply and went back to staring out the window.

Within minutes, Agent Miller was pulling the car into a parking lot set in a quiet area on the southern end of town. He shut off the engine and twisted his body to look at his passengers. "I'll wait here. Take your time," he relayed, seeming to understand the gravity of what Buffy had decided to do once back in Sunnydale.

"Thanks," Buffy responded softly and opened the door to step out of the car. Though she hadn't asked him to, Angel followed. She was grateful for his presence, but she wanted to do this alone. So after she reached the grass at the edge of the parking lot, she looked at Angel. "Could you wait here?"

"Sure," he gave her a small smile, telling her without words that he'd be right there when she got done.

Buffy mumbled thanks and walked away, staring down at the piece of paper in her hand with the directions she'd gotten from Willow by phone before leaving Los Angeles. It didn't take her long to reach the place she sought. Her heart clutched when she found herself gazing down at three headstones that bore the names of her mother, brother and sister, none of which she'd ever been able to see before.

Dropping to her knees before the middle grave – that of her mother – Buffy felt tears gathering in her eyes. She didn't try to stop them from falling. It would have been impossible.

"Hi, Mom," she began, her voice just above a whisper. "I'm sorry I haven't been here before. I would have come if I could." She paused to swipe at the tears falling steadily down her cheeks. "I miss you so much, and I'm so sorry that this happened to you. Willow and everyone tell me that what happened to you wasn't my fault, and somewhere inside I know that, but I still feel responsible. This wouldn't have happened if it weren't for me. I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry and I love you."

Her eyes shifted to the right, to Dawn's grave. "Dawnie...you used to drive me nuts. Always following me around and wanting to borrow stuff. I miss walking into my room and seeing you digging in my closet. I never thought I'd miss things like that, but I do. And who's gonna watch E.R. with me and ogle the cute doctors?"

Sniffling heavily, Buffy's eyes moved to the last headstone. "You never got to go to Europe and back-pack through fifteen countries, did you? I remember how much you wanted to do that, but Dad was making you work and save up to pay for it yourself. I was kind of jealous that you were going to do something so adventurous, but I was always happy in Sunnydale." She sighed. "Now this place is just a ton of bad memories."

Glancing at all three graves, Buffy bowed her head, tears falling to the ground below her. "I love you all and I miss you."

With one final look at those she'd loved and lost, Buffy stood and returned to Angel. As he had back at the FBI headquarters after she'd confronted Mayor Wilkins, he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. Her heavy sobs shook both their bodies and her tears soaked the front of Angel's shirt, but he didn't mind. There was little Buffy could do that would offend him

He would hold her as long as she needed to be held. He'd let her cry as long as she needed to. And he'd been there for her as long as she wanted him to. He wasn't sure he'd be able to leave her even if she asked.

TBC