Chapter 10 Just Like You
What Angel had thought was just one giant vampire nest located on the outskirts of town was actually hoards of them scattered about. Xander placed a map on the large dinner table of the city as the entire hotel, Kate and even the children were up part taking in this. Angel reached over and began to mark places where they have already been. Evan and Levy both stood on a seat together but Isabella was jumping from spot to spot, running around the table trying to see the map. She was smaller than Evan and Levy and all the chairs were taken or an adult was in the way.
"Ok so sewer tunnels are probably how they are moving back and forth." Kate said as she pointed to one.
"Right." Angel confirmed.
"Well you just can't blow up the sewers." Anya stated.
"Yes because that would be too easy." Xander commented.
"Not mention we'd get into a lot of trouble." Cordelia added.
"Would be so much easier though." Gunn grumbled a little.
"Ok so blowing up the sewers is out." Willow stated. "What else can we do?" Isabella walked under the table and then jumped up and down trying to see anything. She hated being little. She then squeezed or at least tried to between Spike and Lorne but no luck. She was missing all the cool stuff she thought. She then walked over to her father, pulled his jacket forcing her way between him and Kate. She then pushed herself so she was standing in front of Angel but she still couldn't quite see. Angel looked down and smiled, reached for her and sat her on the table. Finally she thought. Angel wrapped one arm around her, kissed her head and continued on with the conversion. The girls all watched and thought that was just a sweet moment. Kate smiled as she connected sewers together on the building they hit and ones they suspected. She was really getting into this business.
"Massive blessing of the water?" Xander asked but that wouldn't happen plus Angel and Spike wouldn't be able to use the sewers for day light hours. Whatever they did to the sewers would affect Angel and Spike but then again these were the older sewers, the ones on the outside of town.
"What about charms?" Tara asked.
"That could work." Kate said. "We put the charms up on the nearby sewers we've hit already." She then pointed to a few. "That would seal off this entire section."
"Yeah," Angel agreed leaning in and pointing to a few more. "We place more here and here, and then this entire section is blocked off which means they have to use these sewers."
"Thus forcing them in fewer tunnels." Giles finished. "Good work guys." Giles congratulated them and everyone smiled.
"Yeah now all we need is a deck of cards." Angel stood up straight. "Alright let's move like we've got a purpose people." Everyone began to file out, Angel grabbed Isabella off the table and set her down and she took off running, she ran pass Kate and she smiled at the little girl. She was looking more and more like Angel but some of the others suggested she was looking more like Buffy. It all depended who you saw at a particular time. She had the best of both her parents. Angel then stood before Kate and there was an awkward moment of them standing there facing each other and then they went their separate ways. Angel knew Kate was interested in him but he couldn't will himself to like her beyond friendship.
"Kate wait," He said and she turned and faced him. She walked over to him and he stood there while grabbing something out of his pocket. "Here I want you to keep this on you." It was a small necklace with a pendant. Kate knew it wasn't a gift or even a small momentum of affection. "It's a locator something Tara and Willow can track especially when we go down into the sewers." He said and she turned around so he could put it on. All of them had something that they could track each other with. Isabella's was her mother's cross/ring necklace, Willow put a charm on it, Levy had a bracelet, the girls all had some kind of jewelry that can be tracked. The men had small trinkets like Angel's ring was one, Spike carried a stone, Wes and Giles it was their glasses. All little things so if anything happens to separate them they all could be found. This was done a long time ago when Isabella was kidnapped for the Cyberdemon feast. And now that Kate was teaming up with them more and more he needed her to have one. He locked the chain together and she let her short blonde hair down. "It's just a precaution." She turned and faced him and nodded with a little smile.
"Thanks." She said.
"Doesn't mean we're engaged or anything." Angel tossed it out there and Kate laughed a little. She would never be able to truly win his heart but just being around him was enough. Kate thought Buffy was one lucky girl to have him and that he was still completely faithful to her even in death. Then something latched onto Angel's leg and he looked down and saw two green eyes looking up at him. He reached down and picked up Isabella and kissed her check. "You like Kate's new necklace?" He asked and she nodded. Kate could see the resemblance between them.
"Can I go too?" She asked but Isabella was smart and knew the answer to that question.
"No babe you can't." Angel said and Isabella looked disappointed. "I need you here, it's not safe."
"When can go?"
"When you're older and world peace happens." Angel said as he set her down. She looked up at him and understood what he meant; it meant it would never happen. She scoffed when he said that and Kate smiled.
"But dad," She protested.
"Hey go play away with ya." He said falling into his Irish brogue which caused Kate to smiled and he lean over and tickled Isabella and she ran screaming in laughter as she went to find Evan and Levy. Kate smiled, he was a wonderful father.
"World peace?" Kate asked.
"Yeah just like she can date after she gets married." Angel said as he went to grab the map.
"But you have to date before you get married." Kate said and Angel nodded. "So that means she'll never date." And Angel nodded again rolling up the map. Kate smiled and knew what he meant, no boys. Oh she pity the boy who came around his daughter. Fathers tend to be protective of their daughters when it came to dating and Angel was no exception. "So no boys ever?" She asked.
"Yup," Angel walked began to walk away.
"So no one can court your daughter?"
"No, no one." Angel left the dining room with Kate smiling; he was so very different from the time they first met. He was more human now and more open. Buffy and Isabella made a huge impact on him. Kate went into the opposite direction holding her new necklace.
Angel sat on his bed reading as Isabella was at his side. He looked down and saw she was asleep. Her head was in his stomach and like always when she fell asleep on top of him she was curled up in a little ball. He didn't understand why she curled up on him and it only happened when he was around. He stroked her cheek and knew it was time to put her to bed. He placed the book on a nightstand that had a picture of Buffy and next to that picture was one of Isabella. He smiled looking down at her, she was completely asleep. He was half tempted to stay not wanting to move her; she was like Buffy when she slept curled up next to him and looked more at peace than ever. Angel slowly shifted and picked her up. Her head fell to his shoulder as he stood up and walked out of his room. She didn't stir not once. He walked into her room pulled back her covers and placed his hand on her head and gently laid her down. He pulled the covers over her. He took a second to just admire her; she was so beautiful like her mother. He leaned in and kissed her
Angel crept through the woods the only sounds he could hear was his footsteps as small twigs snapped under him and owls hooting. He held his crossbow hunting but he wasn't sure what he was hunting. But then he heard a snap and looked off into the distance and saw a hooded figure walking. He began to stalk it. But then he lost the figure but something told him to turn around. He did and the cloak figure stood there. He held up his crossbow aiming it but never pulled the trigger even though it advanced closer. The figure stood maybe three feet from him and then removed its hood. Angel dropped the crossbow to the ground and knelt before her. She walked closer and finally he could see under some of the heavier cloak a white robe. He looked up at her as she stood before him.
"Buffy," He said and she smiled at him and then held out her hands indicated she wanted him to take them. He complied and stood up. "I'm dreaming." He said, only in dreams could they be together.
"Yes you are." She confirmed with her smile and green eyes glittering. She placed a hand on his cheek resting her thumb on his lips. "But it is a good dream." Yes a dream with Buffy was always a good dream. She took a step back and then pulled the ties that held the cloak together and the huge thing fell to the ground. Angel knew what was about to happen. She then began to pull apart her robes and Angel advanced to her to help. He placed a passionate kiss on her lips and then made a trail of kisses down her neck as she held him.
Angel woke from that dream and rolled over to the empty spot on his bed but it wasn't empty Isabella was there asleep. He smiled she would find her way back especially when he was going to go on a dangerous mission. He reached over and gently touched her cheek. Buffy most defiantly gave him the best gift ever, a daughter her daughter, his daughter Isabella. He smiled back then it was about him being tortured then it turned into nothing else mattered but Buffy and now nothing mattered but her. Everything Angel was doing now and will ever do was for Isabella it was about her now and will always be.
The gang had taken out more vampire nests but they had a long way to go. One building concerned them in the fact they didn't know if there was a nest or not. One day Isabella peeked at the map as there were marking indicating where they had been and what sewers were now cut off.
"What are you doing?" Evan asked as he saw Isabella looking.
"Just looking." She replied but Isabella knew she wasn't supposed to be looking this was all grown up work.
"I'm going to tell you know they don't want us to look." Evan said.
"I'm doing anything wrong it's not like I'm going anywhere." Isabella said although she wanted to go out on these missions with her father. Then Levy came in.
"I want to see." She said and stood up on a chair looking at the map. "One day we'll get to help. Willow and Tara have shown me some spells."
"We should go outside and practice maybe on one of these places they already went through." Isabella said and Levy smiled nodding.
"Yeah," The two girls were getting excited.
"Guys we aren't even suppose to be looking at the map." Evan stated.
"Fraidy cat." Isabella mocked Evan.
"I am not." Evan protested.
"Prove it." Levy said while placing her hands on her hips. Evan got up on one of the seats and pointed to a building.
"Let's go here." He said.
"Yeah and we can be like heroes like my dad." Isabella said.
"Or like my dad." Evan added in but Isabella laughed.
"My dad calls your dad a whimp." Isabella said and then the two tussled a little.
"Hey guys." Levy got in between them. "So when are we going?"
Spike drove them to a store. This store wasn't far from the building that they wanted to practice magic and sword fighting. It would be like an adventure to them much better than the mansion. The four got out of the car and headed inside the little shop. It was a small toy store but the three kids had a plan to ditch Spike and run. They were small easily to stay out of site. Actually the idea of running and hiding from Spike sound like a lot of fun. The three walked together nodding at one another to split up. Spike scoffed, he didn't want to play this game, whatever game it was.
"Ok little buggers we do this we go home and no one gets a toy." He said thinking that would work but not one kid came out to protest. "Izzy?" He asked and then he knew something wasn't right. Spike began to look around the little store but couldn't find any child. "Great I'm dead."
The three kids ran down the streets laughing as they got away. It was rather easy much easier than they thought. They headed down a back road and there was the outer parts of town.
"Whoa," Isabella said as they walked closer to an empty building. It was much bigger and a little bit more menacing than they thought. They got closer to the building and could hear the creeks and low moans it gave off as the wind passed through it. The three walked in and smiled, they all thought this was cool. Why couldn't they come on the adult's missions, this was so much fun.
Isabella pretended to fight with a pole some invisible thing.
"Oh yeah well my daddy is a vampire which makes me half vampire." She said and jabbed into thin air. Evan was doing something similar and Levy sat on the ground whispering incantations and little bubbles of light would appear. Then something caught their attention. Some sort of noise. They stopped their playing and headed further into the building. Isabella and Evan kept their poles they found as they headed further in.
"You know Isabella maybe we shouldn't." Levy said and the three of them stopped in their tracks.
"It's probably the wind but let's check it out." She said but then something came out and the kids screamed but once he came into better lighting they stopped. "Spike." Isabella groaned.
"The only checking we will be doing is checking out of here." He said shooing them to the other direction. "This building hasn't been cleared of any nest." He said and the kids were confused. It was dark out if vampires were lurking they would be out by now. "It's not safe here." Spike said looking around; he could feel eyes watching him.
"Looks like blondie bear is scared." Isabella mocked Spike and he shot his eye to the seven year old Angel and Buffy look alike.
"It's mister blondie bear to you nibblet now let's go." He said and the kids could tell he wasn't joking now. But just as they were about to leave they were snarling and laughs. "Oh great." Then out of the shadows came three vampires sniffing the air. The kids all took their place behind Spike, Evan and Isabella dropped their poles.
"Well, well isn't it William the Bloody." One vampire said. "Looks like trespassers to me."
"Accidently we accidently found our way here." Spike said.
"Stepping out of the city lines William, stepping out of your zone you know how bad that is." Another vampire said.
"Psh," Isabella said. "You can't do anything to us."
"Actually they can so Izzy just be quiet." Spike begged, she was just like her mother babbling.
"But Spike you told me they were nothing but stupid oversize dogs." Isabella added.
"Right oh look at the time." Spike said looking at his blank wrist. "It's way passed their bed time, time to go kids." He ushered them out but one vampire cut them off and the kids went behind Spike again.
"Oh come one William join us for some dinner." One vampire said as the vampires laughed among themselves Spike had the kids leave quietly. Spike smiled and would try to entertain them as long as possible. But then a vampire growled noticing the children were running away. Spike vamped out and punched a vampire and ran after the kids. If there were anymore vampires here the children were just happy meals on legs. The three of them ran as fast as they could and then stopped and turned around.
"Did we lose them?" Levy asked and they looked around.
"I think so wait where's Spike?" Evan asked, they were alone, Spike didn't know what direction they went and couldn't find them. "Let's just go home." And the girls nodded. But then a vampire from the group swung down.
"Boo!" The kids screamed and ran. They headed up a flight of rickety stairs. The vampires had no need to run fast, they were just children, they would be able to cover much ground. One vampire grabbed Levy and Isabella picked up a pole and swung it at the vampire's face knocking the vampire off of her. The vampire shook it off thinking that was a strong kid. The children ran and shut a door behind them and kept running until they hit a wall. All they could do was jump and try to climb the steel wall. But the weight of all three of them the floor collapsed under them and they fell. They slowly sat up looking around and up, they all fell from one story. Evan coughed from the dust and they all slowly stood up. But then they heard little growls and laughs. The three kids backed up to the wall as close as possible, they were trapped.
"Three kids one for each." A vampire said. Another vampire got into what looked like a pouncing position and began to drool. The kids closed their eyes, there was no escape.
"Daddy!" Isabella yelled just then there was a roar, a very angry roar. The three vampires looked to the direction and someone came out of the dark. The vampires try to scramble away but this vampire was stronger than all three combined. Spike came up to the kids and created a barrier as the kids watched. Angel pinned all three vampires up against the wall. The vampires screamed as they looked at Angelus.
"Quiet!" Angel roar and they looked into his yellow eyes as he showed his fangs. He was morphed into his vampire self. "If you ever come near my own again." Angel threaten.
"Oh this is your daughter?" A vampire asked. "None of us knew right?" Thinking if they played it off Angelus might let them off this once. But Angel didn't buy it. He roar again grabbed one vampire by the mouth and ripped it's jaw from its face and sliced it's head off with a sword. The kids jumped and closed their eyes. Angel slammed another vampire's head into the wall. He took another vampire and twisted it's neck and then staked him. The vampire that had his head slammed in limped away. Angel took the stake and threw and the vampire turned into dust. Angel grunted a little in anger. Spike walked over to his Sire.
"Good job mate." Spike said but Angel flashed his yellow eyes to Spike and growled a little. Isabella stood up all the way and walked over to her father. Angel morphed back into his human face.
"Dad?" She asked.
"You deliberately disobeyed me." He said and didn't even look at her.
"Dad I'm so sorry," She was trying to apologize and tears formed in her green eyes but Angel was beyond upset.
"Let's go home." Angel said and walked out of the building. Spike ushered the kids out and they walked into the cool night. The little group stood outside the building.
"Spike." Angel said and he walked up to his Sire a little timid. The children stayed back. "Burn it and take Levy and Evan home I have to teach my daughter a lesson." He said and Isabella took a step back. Spike nodded and walked up to the building where he found some old rubble and lit it with his lighter. The build was made out wood at least half of it and it began to burn. Spike walked passed Angel and to the children indicating for Levy and Evan to follow. He placed a hand on Isabella's shoulder saying good luck. The three left and now it was just Angel and Isabella and burning building.
"Isabella Buffy O'Brien." Angel said in a stern voice which cause Isabella to jump. She had never been so afraid, she knew she was in more trouble than ever. She rarely got into trouble so this was very knew. She slowly walked up to her father and took her place by his side. He was so tall, she barely reached his waist. Angel was massive compared a lot of vampires and people. Isabella took a big gulp and looked up her father who closed his eyes. "Isabella I'm very disappointed in you." He wasn't mad but disappointed that cut deeper than being mad. It meant she had shamed him, shamed herself.
"I know." She said.
"You could have been killed you disobey me and what was worse you but Evan and Levy in danger." He noted and Isabella felt hot tears forming and running down her cheeks.
"I'm so sorry." She said hiccupping. "I just wanted to be brave like you daddy. I just want to be like you." She said as she began to cry. Angel closed his eyes and repeated those words she said to him is mind, she wanted to be like him. Now his heart ached hearing that and hearing her little whimpers. He knew she was sorry and understood what she had done. He stabbed the sword into the ground and knelt before his daughter and placed both hands on her shoulders. He could see the tears.
"Izzy being brave doesn't mean you go out and look for trouble. I do it because I have to not because I want to." He said and she nodded and sniffed.
"But you're not afraid of anything." She stated and he smiled. She looked up to him so much, he was her hero. He wiped a tear away with a small smile.
"I was tonight." He said and she looked up. Her father was afraid.
"You were?" She asked and the tears stopped and she began to calm down. He nodded as he wiped more tears away.
"I thought I was going to lose you." He stated. The small thought of losing her made him tremble.
"Oh," She said and smiled. "So I guess even you get scared." And he nodded, she then leaned in closer. "But you wanna know what?" She asked and he leaned in.
"What?" He asked.
"They vampires were shaking." She said and he smiled.
"Because no one messes with your dad." He pulled her into his arms and tickled her. She giggle trying to pull away, he placed kisses on her cheeks and then let up. Angel then stood up and she held his hand as the building was now completely on fire. The two watched it for a moment and then the flames reflected off of the blade of the sword than Angel held. She had seen him train with it all the time. He noticed she was looking at it and smiled. Maybe it was time to train her. Angel then handed it to her and she grabbed the handle with both hands and held it and was in awe. The sword was almost as big as she was and Angel was impressed at her strength to hold it. Most kids would struggle. Angel then took the sword away and looked down at her with a smile."First learn to use this," Angel poked her head and she smiled "And then I'll teach you to wheeled this." He then twirled the sword and she smiled even more. She was excited, he was finally going to teach her, something that she had been waiting for, for so long. Soon she would be able to fight like him. Angel knelt down as she crawled into his arms and he held her with one arm and the sword in the other. She rested her chin on his shoulder as he walked away. She looked to the burning building know why it was being burned, it was another warning sign to the underworld, don't come near her ever.
Angel was before Buffy as she smiled.
"Never thought you would train her." She said and he was confused. "Thought I was just going to half to tell you it's about time." He then smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and placed a kiss on his forehead.
Isabella sat in the training looking around at the weapons. Angel was at the doorway just staring at her. She was meant to fight. He knew that, she was only created out of a vampire and a slayer. But he loved her and didn't want to risk losing her. But last night proved that she needed to learn because one day he might not be there to save her.
So Isabella will train. Again can you guess where I got the little talk from that Angel and Isabella had, the movie ends with the word king. But typing it made me tear up a little, Isabella just wants to be like her father…how sweet is that how can you be mad at her don't you just want hug her. And what do you think of Angel's parenting skills? Isn't he just the coolest father? If you have read the Gift did you pick up on some familiar scenes or "echoes"? Anyways hope you like. More on the way. Comments and reviews are most welcomed.