Wesley, Gunn, and Angel took turns throwing weapons in the back of the van on a darkened street. Grabbing a large black duffle bag, Angel threw the bag in the trunk and stopped, turning to face Wesley and Gunn still loading the trunk. "We better load up a few of Wesley's books too. We might need them."
Also stopping after throwing in a weapon, Wesley asked, "What type of books do we need?"
Throwing in the last bag of weapons, Gunn began to close the doors of the trunk. "Yeah. What are we going up against?" Gunn asked as he prepared his fighting fists.
Angel glanced down at Gunn's tense hands and replied simply, "Magic."
Approaching the others, Lorne dragged another black duffel bag along the ground. Once with the group, he dropped the bag at his feet, causing a loud clank of metals. He rubbed his chin lightly and gave off a nervous chuckle. "Ooh. Magic means witches. I don't mesh well with witches. Maybe I could—"
Without hesitation, Angel interjected. "You can stay, Lorne. We could actually use someone to stay and watch Fred. Make sure she's safe."
Lorne nodded his head in agreement while Wesley and Gunn moved forward to get in the van. "I'll make sure she's ok," Lorne answered in an understanding voice. "Is there anything else you guys need before you hit the road?"
Walking directly between Angel and Lorne, Cordelia held a smaller black bag easily over her head. "I packed the snacks!" she announced to the men. Cordy continued forward towards the van as Angel watched her from behind.
He turned his attention back to Lorne and said with a touch of sarcasm, "I guess not."
Rolling down the window of the driver's seat, Wesley stuck his head out and looked towards the back of the van where Angel stood. "We better head out then. It'll be at least two hours before w his Sunnydale." Wesley returned to his seat and closed the window.
Lorne made his way back into the hotel as Angel gave him a wave of the hand before taking his seat in the van. He fastened his seatbelt across his lap and looked up to see Wesley watching him. "As long as we beat the sun..." Angel commented in a low voice.
Their surroundings are dark, but the land is plainly visible to Angel. The van zooms past a sign reading "Welcome to Sunnydale" and Angel sighs deeply as he stares out of the window. Wesley hears him, but only glances over his shoulder. Angel continues to stare, almost in a trance. Noticing the fenced area with shapely gray stones and various small statues, Angel realized where they were. "Wes. Stop the car."
"But we're—"
Sternly, Angel never took his eyes out of the window frame. "Just stop the car."
Pulling the car to a screeching halt, Cordelia and Gunn's bodies flew forward with the stop, waking them from their naps. Angel quickly opened his door, but took his time leaving his seat. He glanced around before he entered the gated area, figuring out which direction he wanted to wander towards. He started walking, never taking his eyes off of a certain stone until he reached it. He lowered himself to kneel at the stone on one knee. He ran his hands across the smooth, simply cut stone, reading the engravement like brail. He read in his head, "She saved the world a lot," remember the last time he saw it in near daylight.
Behind him, the flowing image of Buffy returned. Without having to turn around, Angel could sense her. He knew that her body lay underneath him, but her spirit was near him. He moved his hand upwards over the name "Buffy" and whispered softly, "…Always…"
The image of Buffy shattered, and Angel could feel it in his heart. Cordelia walked through her and stood behind Angel with her head down. She gave Buffy a moment of silence, then placed a hand on Angel's shoulder. "I know she misses you where she is—"
Angel leaned forward, brushing Cordy's hand off of him. He stood and turned around to face her as he replied, "She's in the ground." He took a few steps away from Cordelia, not able to face her and added, "That's where she is."
Angel passed Cordelia harshly, almost pushing her to the ground with his cold attitude. Without being obvious, Angel quickly wiped a single tear from his fae and made his way back to the van.
"Angel!" Cordy called after him.
He ignored her words, but she couldn't let him leave with a volcano of emotions about to erupt. She ran to catch up with him, reaching him as he reached the sidewalk the van was parked along. Cordelia grabbed his arms and turned him around. She opened her mouth to speak, but Angel beat her to it. "I'm fine, Cordelia. Just fine."
A little hurt, but understanding he didn't want to be vulnerable, Cordelia released her grip and bit her lip. "Okay."
