The Next Night
Giles' Flat
"So G, what's the stitch?" Xander asked, plopping himself on the couch next to Willow.
"I'm pretty sure I told you to never call me that Xander." Giles said tiresomely.
"Sorry." Xander amended.
"The 'stitch' as you so eloquently put it, is there is a clan of demons after the twins." He informed the young boy and the red head.
"A clan?" Buffy asked. "Last night it was only two." She told him.
"Make that three. I fought one on my way home from patrol last night." Angel told her.
"What? Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because you looked tired and scared. I didn't want to further worry you." He said clasping her hand in his as he sat on the arm of the loveseat, she currently occupied.
"Still you should have told me." She said softly.
"I know." He said kissing her head. "I'm sorry."
Giles cleared his throat, trying to get the couples attention back to the matter at hand.
"Sorry Giles. Continue." Buffy said.
"As I was saying. A clan of demons is after Buffy and the children. Apparently you two were meant to get together and have children." Giles informed them.
"What? How, I'm not even supposed to be able to have children." Angel told the watcher.
"I'm well aware of that. Apparently this situation wasn't to come about the way it did." Giles told him.
"What do you mean Giles?" Willow asked.
"Well. Apparently you two were soul mates in the past." Giles said to them.
"Huh?" Xander asked.
"Well before Angel was born as a human, his soul belonged to another body. Apparently, the man was in love with a woman. Her soul, in my guess was what is now Buffy's." Giles said calmly.
"So you mean Angel and Buffy have been together for centuries?" Willow asked.
"Well there souls have. Unfortunately each time they met, something would happen and they would never get the chance to be together."
"How long has this, soul mate searching thing been going on?" Buffy asked.
"Well as far as I can tell? Since the beginning of time." He told them.
Angel and Buffy just stared at him in shock and then at each other and smiled.
"Unfortunately when Angel was turned that all stopped. The soul was gone. My guess is that it was reborn into another body, but when the gypsies called it forth, the person it inhabited died and it went back to Angel's current body. My guess is that Buffy's soul searched for it's mate, with little luck. When Buffy was born, well I guess the powers intervened."
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"Well as far as I can see? Since Angel's soul was now his and he is Immortal, the Powers must have realized that the soul may never find it's mate and therefore whatever destiny your children were to have would never come to past and so they made Buffy a slayer. Anyway they could to get you two to meet, I guess, they tried."
"So you mean if it hadn't been for me. Buffy would never have become the slayer?" Angel asked. Saddened by the idea the he was the reason his love, had suffered so much.
Buffy realized what he was thinking. "Stop it. It's not your fault." She told him.
"How could you say that?" He asked. "You're a slayer because I was to dumb to stay out of an alley."
"Angel, please. Stop. I don't care."
"What do you mean? Buffy, you died. And that could have all been prevented if I would have listened to my damned father."
"Angel, stop it!" She yelled standing up. "I need you to stop. I love you. I do not care about all that. As long as we're together." She said softly.
"Buffy I ruined your life." He whispered lowering his head.
Buffy lifted his head back up to hers. "You saved it." She told him. At Angel's bewildered look she continued. "Angel if I hadn't been the slayer, I would have never met Xander and Willow. Or Giles and Cordy or Oz. I would have never met my best friends, the people who are like my family." She told him.
"You'd have a real one if it hadn't been for me." He told her.
"Why do you think that?"
"If you hadn't gotten in trouble in LA, because of your slaying, your parents would still be together." He told her.
"Angel you don't know that. For all we know, my parent's weren't meant to be." She told him.
"Maybe not, but you'd at least still have you mother." He told her.
Buffy flinched at that. The topic of her mother was a tough subject. She had yet to speak to her mom since the incident in the hospital. "No. You are not the reason why my mother is a heartless bitch." She said.
"Buffy." He said softly. Sorry for bringing up the subject of her mother, but he just couldn't be fine with the fact that Buffy's life as a slayer could have been prevented if he hadn't been such and ignorant fool.
"Besides look at all the good I've done since I've been the slayer?"
"Yeah look at all the people she's saved." Willow chimed in, trying desperately to make the man her friend loved understand that none of this was his fault.
"Yeah, me and Willow wouldn't be here today if it hadn't been for Buffy." Xander chipped in. Though he and Angel were nowhere near being the bests of pals, he loved Buffy and wanted her to be happy. Even if that meant, cheering up her lover.
"See. No me. No Willow or Xander." She said.
"Or Cordy or well world." Willow said.
"Yeah if it hadn't been for Buff the Master would have taken over." Xander pointed out.
"If it hadn't been for you giving her CPR, the world would have been doomed." Angel replied to the brunette.
"If she hadn't saved me when she first moved, I wouldn't have been able to save her in the first place." Xander pointed out.
"And if you hadn't been turned, then she wouldn't have been able to save Xander and ultimately herself." Giles said.
"See. All good." Buffy said to him.
"I doubt that." Angel said softly.
"If you insist on brooding over this, I'm staying with Giles." She told him. "I refuse to stay in the house with a broody vampire."
"But, I need to brood about this. Can't you give me a day?" He asked pleadingly. It was almost humorous how his face looked so childlike at such an old age.
"Can you sleep one night with out me?" She asked with a smirk.
"Fine. I won't brood." He said knowing that if he did not have her warm body surrounding his cold one at night, he would get no sleep.
"Now that that's settled, may we continue with this meeting?" Giles asked.
"Right." Buffy said pushing Angel to take her spot on the loveseat, then making herself comfortable on his lap.
"As for the clan. Little is known." Giles started. "All that I could gather is that they are warriors of darkness. They take out warriors, like Buffy and Angel. Apparently since they learned of the prophecy, and the twins roles in the final battles ahead, have vowed to well destroy them." He finished.
"Destroy." Buffy asked fearfully.
Angel held her close to him as fear welled up inside him. "Nothing's going to happen to our babies. I promise you." He said. "Giles how do we stop them?" He asked the man.
"I'm afraid it's not that simple Angel." Giles answered.
"Why not?"
"Well, because these demons aren't easy to kill."
"They weren't all that tough last night." Angel informed him.
"How did you kill them last night?" Giles asked.
"Knife." Angel replied simply.
"Well unless you 'brought darkness to the thousand eyes', they are not dead." Giles said.
"Thousand. I only saw two."
"The jewel on their forehead is referred to as the thousand eyes." Giles told him.
"Great. So they're not dead."
"Well on top of that. They come back stronger and bigger then before."
"Oh joy."
Buffy grasped Angel's hand tighter. "I don't like the sound of this." She told him.
"It's okay Buffy."
"How is this OKAY?!? There are demons after our unborn children. Demons who get stronger and bigger if not killed right." She said, panic and fear welling up inside of her.
Angel sensed this and grabbed her face forcing her to look him in the eyes. "I promise you nothing will happen to you or our children." He swore to her.
Nothing Angelus echoed.
Buffy only nodded and leaned her head on Angel's shoulder.
"So what's the game plan?" Xander asked Giles.
"I don't know. This is really up to you two." He said looking at the couple.
"I'll hunt tonight, see what I can find." Angel said.
"Not alone." Xander said. "I'm coming with you."
"No. These guys are serious Xander. I don't want you getting hurt or worse killed."
"You're not going alone Angel. You get yourself killed and my best friend has to raise your two children alone. I refuse to let that happen. You are not leaving my best friend. She loves you too much and I refuse to see her hurt. I'm going whether you like it or not."
"No you're not. You're going to stay with Buffy at the house until I come home."
"Willow will. She could put a protection spell over the house."
"No. Xander you're not coming with me."
"You're not going alone."
"Angel and I will patrol tonight. Xander and Willow will stay with Buffy." Giles said sternly, letting them know there was no room for argument.
Everyone just nodded his or her heads.
"Let's go back to my house. Well pick up some weapons." Angel said.
"Okay. Willow do you have everything you need for a protection spell?" Giles asked the redhead.
"Umm. No." She said quietly.
"Well I think I should have the things you'll need." Giles said getting out of his seat and searching his home.
Giles' Flat
"So G, what's the stitch?" Xander asked, plopping himself on the couch next to Willow.
"I'm pretty sure I told you to never call me that Xander." Giles said tiresomely.
"Sorry." Xander amended.
"The 'stitch' as you so eloquently put it, is there is a clan of demons after the twins." He informed the young boy and the red head.
"A clan?" Buffy asked. "Last night it was only two." She told him.
"Make that three. I fought one on my way home from patrol last night." Angel told her.
"What? Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because you looked tired and scared. I didn't want to further worry you." He said clasping her hand in his as he sat on the arm of the loveseat, she currently occupied.
"Still you should have told me." She said softly.
"I know." He said kissing her head. "I'm sorry."
Giles cleared his throat, trying to get the couples attention back to the matter at hand.
"Sorry Giles. Continue." Buffy said.
"As I was saying. A clan of demons is after Buffy and the children. Apparently you two were meant to get together and have children." Giles informed them.
"What? How, I'm not even supposed to be able to have children." Angel told the watcher.
"I'm well aware of that. Apparently this situation wasn't to come about the way it did." Giles told him.
"What do you mean Giles?" Willow asked.
"Well. Apparently you two were soul mates in the past." Giles said to them.
"Huh?" Xander asked.
"Well before Angel was born as a human, his soul belonged to another body. Apparently, the man was in love with a woman. Her soul, in my guess was what is now Buffy's." Giles said calmly.
"So you mean Angel and Buffy have been together for centuries?" Willow asked.
"Well there souls have. Unfortunately each time they met, something would happen and they would never get the chance to be together."
"How long has this, soul mate searching thing been going on?" Buffy asked.
"Well as far as I can tell? Since the beginning of time." He told them.
Angel and Buffy just stared at him in shock and then at each other and smiled.
"Unfortunately when Angel was turned that all stopped. The soul was gone. My guess is that it was reborn into another body, but when the gypsies called it forth, the person it inhabited died and it went back to Angel's current body. My guess is that Buffy's soul searched for it's mate, with little luck. When Buffy was born, well I guess the powers intervened."
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"Well as far as I can see? Since Angel's soul was now his and he is Immortal, the Powers must have realized that the soul may never find it's mate and therefore whatever destiny your children were to have would never come to past and so they made Buffy a slayer. Anyway they could to get you two to meet, I guess, they tried."
"So you mean if it hadn't been for me. Buffy would never have become the slayer?" Angel asked. Saddened by the idea the he was the reason his love, had suffered so much.
Buffy realized what he was thinking. "Stop it. It's not your fault." She told him.
"How could you say that?" He asked. "You're a slayer because I was to dumb to stay out of an alley."
"Angel, please. Stop. I don't care."
"What do you mean? Buffy, you died. And that could have all been prevented if I would have listened to my damned father."
"Angel, stop it!" She yelled standing up. "I need you to stop. I love you. I do not care about all that. As long as we're together." She said softly.
"Buffy I ruined your life." He whispered lowering his head.
Buffy lifted his head back up to hers. "You saved it." She told him. At Angel's bewildered look she continued. "Angel if I hadn't been the slayer, I would have never met Xander and Willow. Or Giles and Cordy or Oz. I would have never met my best friends, the people who are like my family." She told him.
"You'd have a real one if it hadn't been for me." He told her.
"Why do you think that?"
"If you hadn't gotten in trouble in LA, because of your slaying, your parents would still be together." He told her.
"Angel you don't know that. For all we know, my parent's weren't meant to be." She told him.
"Maybe not, but you'd at least still have you mother." He told her.
Buffy flinched at that. The topic of her mother was a tough subject. She had yet to speak to her mom since the incident in the hospital. "No. You are not the reason why my mother is a heartless bitch." She said.
"Buffy." He said softly. Sorry for bringing up the subject of her mother, but he just couldn't be fine with the fact that Buffy's life as a slayer could have been prevented if he hadn't been such and ignorant fool.
"Besides look at all the good I've done since I've been the slayer?"
"Yeah look at all the people she's saved." Willow chimed in, trying desperately to make the man her friend loved understand that none of this was his fault.
"Yeah, me and Willow wouldn't be here today if it hadn't been for Buffy." Xander chipped in. Though he and Angel were nowhere near being the bests of pals, he loved Buffy and wanted her to be happy. Even if that meant, cheering up her lover.
"See. No me. No Willow or Xander." She said.
"Or Cordy or well world." Willow said.
"Yeah if it hadn't been for Buff the Master would have taken over." Xander pointed out.
"If it hadn't been for you giving her CPR, the world would have been doomed." Angel replied to the brunette.
"If she hadn't saved me when she first moved, I wouldn't have been able to save her in the first place." Xander pointed out.
"And if you hadn't been turned, then she wouldn't have been able to save Xander and ultimately herself." Giles said.
"See. All good." Buffy said to him.
"I doubt that." Angel said softly.
"If you insist on brooding over this, I'm staying with Giles." She told him. "I refuse to stay in the house with a broody vampire."
"But, I need to brood about this. Can't you give me a day?" He asked pleadingly. It was almost humorous how his face looked so childlike at such an old age.
"Can you sleep one night with out me?" She asked with a smirk.
"Fine. I won't brood." He said knowing that if he did not have her warm body surrounding his cold one at night, he would get no sleep.
"Now that that's settled, may we continue with this meeting?" Giles asked.
"Right." Buffy said pushing Angel to take her spot on the loveseat, then making herself comfortable on his lap.
"As for the clan. Little is known." Giles started. "All that I could gather is that they are warriors of darkness. They take out warriors, like Buffy and Angel. Apparently since they learned of the prophecy, and the twins roles in the final battles ahead, have vowed to well destroy them." He finished.
"Destroy." Buffy asked fearfully.
Angel held her close to him as fear welled up inside him. "Nothing's going to happen to our babies. I promise you." He said. "Giles how do we stop them?" He asked the man.
"I'm afraid it's not that simple Angel." Giles answered.
"Why not?"
"Well, because these demons aren't easy to kill."
"They weren't all that tough last night." Angel informed him.
"How did you kill them last night?" Giles asked.
"Knife." Angel replied simply.
"Well unless you 'brought darkness to the thousand eyes', they are not dead." Giles said.
"Thousand. I only saw two."
"The jewel on their forehead is referred to as the thousand eyes." Giles told him.
"Great. So they're not dead."
"Well on top of that. They come back stronger and bigger then before."
"Oh joy."
Buffy grasped Angel's hand tighter. "I don't like the sound of this." She told him.
"It's okay Buffy."
"How is this OKAY?!? There are demons after our unborn children. Demons who get stronger and bigger if not killed right." She said, panic and fear welling up inside of her.
Angel sensed this and grabbed her face forcing her to look him in the eyes. "I promise you nothing will happen to you or our children." He swore to her.
Nothing Angelus echoed.
Buffy only nodded and leaned her head on Angel's shoulder.
"So what's the game plan?" Xander asked Giles.
"I don't know. This is really up to you two." He said looking at the couple.
"I'll hunt tonight, see what I can find." Angel said.
"Not alone." Xander said. "I'm coming with you."
"No. These guys are serious Xander. I don't want you getting hurt or worse killed."
"You're not going alone Angel. You get yourself killed and my best friend has to raise your two children alone. I refuse to let that happen. You are not leaving my best friend. She loves you too much and I refuse to see her hurt. I'm going whether you like it or not."
"No you're not. You're going to stay with Buffy at the house until I come home."
"Willow will. She could put a protection spell over the house."
"No. Xander you're not coming with me."
"You're not going alone."
"Angel and I will patrol tonight. Xander and Willow will stay with Buffy." Giles said sternly, letting them know there was no room for argument.
Everyone just nodded his or her heads.
"Let's go back to my house. Well pick up some weapons." Angel said.
"Okay. Willow do you have everything you need for a protection spell?" Giles asked the redhead.
"Umm. No." She said quietly.
"Well I think I should have the things you'll need." Giles said getting out of his seat and searching his home.