Title: Dark Lines Crossed
Author: txalb
Rating: PG-13 (to be on the safe side)
Spoilers: Pretty much all of 'The Thin Dead Line'
Summary: Buffy comes to LA to help Anne and her kids during Angel's 'dark period.'
A/N: This is my response to a challenge sent out by Rachel. I hope I did it justice. The challenge requirements will be posted at the end of the story.
A/N 2: I am a B/A shipper, and this will be a B/A story. Please don't flame me because of that…although now that I think about it, I've never been flamed before, so bring it on.
A/N 3: Please, let me know what you think. Tell me what you think works, and doesn't work for the story. I want to become a better writer and letting me know what I need to do to become better would really help me out. There's also that really big plus where my writing becomes more entertaining for ya'll. Thanks.
Chapter 1
/ Buffy, hi. It's Anne. I know it's been a while since we last spoke but…I kinda need your help. Something's goin' on with the police in this area and I think it's your kinda help that we need. I understand if you can't come, I'll just get the boys to handle it. You know where we are if you change your mind. Bye. /
Buffy stood in the kitchen listening to the message Anne left her. The decision to go and help was not a difficult one. She and Anne had been exchanging letters since the summer Buffy ran away. Anne kept her updated on everything that was going on and Buffy left an open invitation to come and help if she was ever needed.
The only problem was the timing. With Glory on the loose, her mother's illness, and her sister just having found out that she was the key, it couldn't have been worse.
All this was compounded by the dreams about Angel that she had been steadily ignoring since they began. Dreams of him being swallowed by inky blackness. Of shadows surrounding him and becoming him. She was forced to constantly remind herself that they decided it was better not to see each other ever, even for those brief moments. It dredged up too many memories and left her in emotional turmoil. Of course the call gave her an excuse to actually go to LA without the added complications of confronting her friends with the fact that she was needed.
Her decision made, she picked up the phone and quickly dialed the number to the Magic Box.
"Thank you for calling the-"
"Giles it's me," she interrupted.
"Oh Buffy. Yes, what's the problem?"
"Is it at all possible for me to leave for a little while? I have a friend that needs my help."
"Now? Buffy, I would think that with what is going on here-"
"I know, and I wouldn't normally ask with everything that's going on but it's important."
"Are you sure that this is wise? You have responsibilities here."
She brushed off his protests, thoughts of those she left in LA in her mind, "But I have obligations other places as well. Other people need me, not just the Hellmouth."
He sighed, "Where will you be going?"
"LA."
"Buffy-"
She cut him off before he could begin his protestations, "Giles this has nothing to do with Angel. The fact that my friend lives in LA is a coincidence. Nothing more."
"I thought you didn't believe in coincidence."
She paused and thought about the statement for long moments. "Well you got me there, but Giles I promise. This has nothing to do with him. I probably won't even see him the entire time I'm there."
She heard another sigh over the connection and could practically feel him cleaning his glasses.
"Alright," he conceded. "But what are you going to do about your sister and mother."
She smiled when she realized she had won him over, "Ok, well, I've thought about this, and if I can I'm gonna take them with me."
"Hmm, that might be for the best. Where will you stay?"
She chewed on her lower lip, "Well, with dad gone, I figured we'd stay at his house. I still have a key and it's not like he'd even notice if we were actually there."
"Very well. Make sure you leave a number where we can reach you just incase."
"Sure. And Giles, you're the best."
In his typical British way he ignored the last part of the sentence, "Anytime. Goodbye."
She placed the phone on the hook when she heard the dial tone and sighed. Now all she needed to do was convince her mom that they needed to go to LA.
xoxox
Anne looked at the address written on a piece of paper she carried in her hand before quietly entering the new Angel Investigations building. Although she didn't want to admit it, she was worried. Her friend's opinions of her had always mattered, and she was scared he would look down on her for what she had done. It was a foolish thought, she knew, but she couldn't help the doubts that swamped her. Sometimes she was only the scared waif of a girl living on the streets…no matter how far she had come.
As soon as he saw her, Gunn jumped up, "Annie! What's up, girl? I haven't seen you in a while. Come here!" She smiled at him and opened her arms for a hug. He grasped her tightly before letting her go, "So, what brings you to this neck of the woods?"
"Well, I just thought I'd see how the other half lives," she looked around, "and strangely enough, it's not that different."
Gunn laughed and turned her towards Wesley and Cordelia.
"We like to think of it as early American dilapidation," Cordelia said and shook Anne's hand. "Hi. I'm Cordelia."
"Anne."
"Wesley Wyndham-Price. Nice to meet you."
"Anne here runs a teen shelter over on Crenshaw, not too far from my hood," said Gunn.
She lightly slapped his arm, "Oh Gunn, all this time and you still remember!" Anne said mockingly.
He chuckled, "Alright, alright, I get it. But I've been busy. I've been working."
"Well, if you're not too busy, mind if I run something by you?"
xoxox
Buffy swung the doors to her dad's house open and stepped inside, "Finally," she sighed in relief, "ten more minutes in that car and I would have been walking."
Dawn snorted and rolled her eyes, "Oh yeah, like you were any better with-"
"Girls could we please not do this now, I really just want to lie down and rest for a few hours," Buffy looked at her mom worried.
"Sure Mom, come on. There's a spare bedroom down the hall. I probably won't be here when you wake up-"
"It's ok. We'll be alright. You go help your friend."
"Thanks Mom."
Once her mother had walked off she turned to Dawn, "I have to go. Will you be ok here?"
Dawn nodded, "Yeah, if I remember right dad had like a gazillion channels. I'll be fine."
"Ok, just keep the volume down and try not to wake mom up."
"I wasn't going to," Dawn said defensively.
Buffy looked hard at her sister, "Dawn, I need you to stay here, please don't leave this apartment. You know the danger now, and I've got to go. I'm trusting you to do this."
"Buffy it's fine, just go already."
"Ok, here's my friend's number. If you need anything or if there's any trouble, just let me know."
She handed Dawn a slip of paper before quickly hugging her sister and turning to leave.
xoxox
"Kenny's not the only one. I've talked to some of the others and they all say the same thing. No provocation, no reason, the police are just terrorizing them." Anne looked over at Gunn while she spoke. Cordelia and Wesley were still researching the third eye and not paying much attention to anything else.
"Renegade cops. Not exactly my usual."
"Oh, that's right. You used to hunt-" she broke off, looking over at Wesley and Cordelia, still researching at the desk.
Gunn followed her gaze and clarified, "Oh, it's cool. It's cool. They know what's what."
"What?" Cordelia asked, looking up from her research.
"I still hunt vampires, but if this job has taught me anything, it's that there's things a lot worse out there than a set of teeth."
Anne nodded, "Like a bunch of overzealous cops beating on my kids." She glanced at her watch, "Speaking of which…I should really get back. The shelter's been getting jammed after sunset, and somebody's got to keep them reined in."
Gunn stood with her, "I'll go with you. I don't think it's safe for you being out there by yourself." He turned to Cordelia and Wesley who were now listening, "I'm gonna head over to the teen center. See if I can figure this thing out."
"Oh, gee, and miss out on this exciting case we're working on?" Cordelia said sarcastically. Anne looked at her for clarification, "One of Wesley's wealthy acquaintances got bit by a demon."
Anne looked taken back, "Are they okay?"
"Uh, for the most part," said Wesley.
Cordelia snorted, "Except for where she grew another eye in the back of her head."
"Oh, that sounds…handy. What kind of demon does that?"
"That's what we're trying to figure out," said Wesley. "Once we know we should be able to deoculate her. I mean, just the one in back."
Cordelia rolled her eyes, "Oh, yes, Angel Investigations, home of the wicked high creep factor."
Anne looked up startled, thoughts turning to the brooding vampire who had…helped her, "Angel?"
"Oh, our company," said Gunn. "It's named after our former boss. We're planning, uh, on changing it to the Gunn Agency…"
"No, we're not," Cordelia and Wesley said at the same time.
Gunn continued as if he hadn't heard them, "As soon as these two narcissists come to their senses."
"But Angel," Anne questioned, "that…this isn't the guy in the long, black trench coat, is it?"
Gunn looked down at her, "You know him?"
"Yeah," she said. "He tried to help me out a few weeks ago."
Gunn looked over at Cordelia and Wesley who rose up from the desk.
"He did?" Cordelia asked.
"Really?" said Wesley.
They both moved closer anticipating her answer. "But it turned out it was just a scam to screw this law firm."
"Well," Cordelia said brightly, "he hasn't changed a bit."
They both moved back to the table where they continued researching. Gunn turned to Anne, "Come on." And they left for the shelter.
xoxox
Buffy walked down the street slowly, the only sound the clicking of her heels. She knew from Anne's letters where the shelter was, but she figured she could get a quick patrol in before meeting her. And, although she refused to give voice to it, she also wanted to see Angel. The dreams had been getting worse. At first she thought it was because her birthday had just passed and was bringing with it unwelcome memories, but when they didn't fade, she knew that it was something else. He needed her.
She lost herself in the memories as she walked, never noticing that the tingling in her stomach was getting stronger. Something grabbed her arm and forcefully spun her around. Reacting without thought, she swung her fist and connected solidly with the person's face. They stumbled back giving her a chance to grab the stake that was tucked into her jacket sleeve.
She looked up at him and sighed, lowering her stake, "Angel! I'm so sorry, you startled me."
"What are you doing here," he growled.
"Well hello to you too." She didn't show it but she was taken back by the hostility in his voice.
"Why did you come here?"
She put a hand on her hip, the right still loosely clutching the stake, "Not that's it any of your business, but I'm here for a friend."
"You don't know anyone here," he sneered, "Try again."
She looked at him long and hard, "What is this Angel? What's wrong with you?" The confusion was plain on her face. If she didn't know any better she would be worried that she was facing Angelus, not Angel. But Angelus had never lashed out at her in hatred like Angel was doing now. His cruelty was never forcefully thrown at her, it was more casual and thoughtless, a smoother seduction. She was more worried than she would like to admit.
Angel on the other hand was in turmoil. He had meant to warn her off, tell her to get out of his town. But now, seeing her here in front of him, he found his resolve fading. Her presence alone was breaking down the walls he had built around himself with no effort on her part. All she did was stand there. He didn't want her to see him like this. He didn't want her to see what he had become.
While he was lost in thoughts of her, she had moved closer to him and was reaching out to touch his arm. At her touch his eyes snapped to hers and a look of pure fury flashed across his face. In the blink of an eye he moved several feet away from her.
"What are you doing here?" he questioned again, ice in his voice.
She crossed her arms over her chest in a defensive gesture that he knew all to well, and raised an eyebrow giving, him a stern glare, "I told you. But some of us, and lets be clear on this, it's not me, have chosen not to believe the answer they've been given." Her expression softened and her arms lowered, "What happened to you Angel? Talk to me, please."
The laugh he emitted went straight through her. It chilled her to the marrow of her bones. She hadn't heard that laugh in so long. Memories she thought she had dealt with and boxed away rose to the surface. She was back in the mall with the water pouring down on her. You made me the man I am today. That laugh was pure Angelus.
"This coming from you," he laughed again, "That's rich." His voice dropped lower and he stated very slowly and deliberately, "I think you should turn around, go back to the Hellmouth, fuck your little toy soldier senseless, and never come back."
His words shook her to her core, "Angel," she said hesitantly as she stepped towards him.
"Come near me and I'll repay you for what happened with Acathla."
His words stopped her dead in her tracks. He could have punched her in the stomach and it would have had less impact. "What?" it came out in a breathy whisper.
"You heard me," he sneered. "I believe I still owe you for hundreds of years of torment bestowed upon me because of you." The last words were more of a growl as he reached out and grabbed her by the arms, ignoring the spark that flared up between them at the sudden contact, and ignoring the memories of what she had said to him the last time he had held her in this position. When you kiss me I want to die. He loomed over her and she cowered before him, just like before, "Leave now."
And with that he turned and walked away.
A small whimper escaped her throat and her legs collapsed under her without his arms to support her. She fell to the ground in almost physical pain. The stake was clutched in her hand so tightly that it cut into her skin and blood ran between her fingers to drip onto the street. But she never noticed. Her mental anguish was too great to take in anything else. Silent sobs shook her tiny frame and she tried hopelessly to hold them back but they still managed to escape tightly closed eyes.
She didn't understand how he could so hurt her after being away from him after all that time.
Long minutes later she climbed to shaky feet, wiping her face. She had a friend to meet and she would be damned if she let his words to her stop her. After several deep breaths she began to walk towards the shelter, unclenching the stake in her fist. The pain was a welcome distraction from her thoughts.
Her decision made she began to build up the wall that would keep her feelings for Angel at bay, at least until she could deal with the situation here.
She would deal with him later.
Tbc…