Giles plunked a book in front of David.
"Are these your demons?"
David nodded.
"One in the same."
"Ah... the K-- Ch-- B--" He stopped, trying to figure out how to say the name "From the clan of--" His eyes widened as he looked at the page, then turned away. "They're warriors. Brutal."
"You sure know how to pick 'em. Huh David?" Angel asked
He shrugged.
"Yeah. I guess so."
Angel smiled.
"But, we'll take care of this, together. I we know everything there is to know on these guys, enough to wipe them out..."
David stood.
"You're not comming with me."
Angel stood.
"What?"
David stared back at him, decked out in black, black jeans, jacket and tee shirt. Black boots that Angel could've sworn where his.
"You're not comming with me."
Angel laughed.
"You're kidding right?"
"No."
Angel laughed again.
"Oh." He said "But... I have to go."
"No, you don't."
"Not this again."
"Liam." He said, softly "Back in Galaway, there was this huge Weeping Willow, must've been at least 30 ft. God, about 200 hundred years old. And the branches were all weird and twisted. Do you remember that?"
"I remember."
"Yeah, if you climbed to the top, you could see all of Galaway, which then, and possibly now, wasn't much to see. All the big boys used to climb it, make bets on who could go the highest. You always won."
Angel laughed softly, remembering.
"And... I was... always to little to climb. Always too small. And I got sick of it. So, one day, to prove that I was just as tough as you, I climbed. And climbed. But what I didn't know, and didn't think to find out, was that, what made that tree so terrifing to climb, was the fact that it was so old, and that half of the branches were rotted, and I, unlike you, didn't know which ones. So, I'm up there climbing and climbing. Thinking this is so easy... and sure enough, the branches gave out, and I fell."
David paused for a moment, staring off into no where.
"I would've broken my neck, but, somehow you were under the tree, and just before I hit the ground, you caught me." David brought his true blue eyes up to Angel's dark brown "Do you remember that?"
Angel nodded.
"I remember."
"I never told anyone. Not a soul. But for some reason, all my life I keep thinking about that moment. And what would've happen if you hadn't been standing at the bottom, if you hadn't caught me, and I caught myself. I keep wondering how I would've felt. So for once, could you just let me stand on my own?"
Angel stared blankly at him.
"I'm grateful, I really am. I just need to learn to catch myself. Ya know?"
There was silence between the two brothers. No one knew what to say. Angel felt obliged to take care of him, to tell David to just shut up and let him deal with this. But then again. David wasn't a little boy any more. He was a man and Angel had to let him stand on his own.
"This is just something I have to do myself."
Angel nodded in agreement and respect.
"I get that."
And with that, David turned to leave.
"I didn't say I wasn't going to follow you."
"I know. And knowing you, you probably will."
And he kept walking. After he left, Angel stood, slid into his coat and began to follow. Once again, no one objected.