DISCLAIMER: Joss is Boss…and he is so double rainbow =D (Extra points if you know what that means)
Ch15…
BA 3 CD
Kayleigh was already helping Willow by the time Dawn got back, people were shooting them weird looks although that could have been because of the grunting and sounds of destruction coming from within the lecture hall.
"Did all the kids get out okay?" Willow asked hugging Dawn quickly.
"They're fine." She assured her. "Though when we get back to Angel's you have to set up some files to make it look like Ethan Rayne has been stalking me for a few years."
Kayleigh looked over at her in confusion while Willow laughed softly.
"That was the best you could come up with?"
Dawn shrugged. "I was in a hurry." She peered towards the door. "How's it going in there?"
"Angel stormed in a few minutes ago and Ethan started screaming but he stopped pretty quickly, I think Buffy punched his teeth out." Willow confided. "I should call Giles and let him know what's going on."
"I'll find Spike and Illyria and catch them up." Kayleigh volunteered, anything to put off having to see Andrew again. "They're probably in my dorm, why couldn't you volunteer your room again?"
"Because we didn't want the whole building to burn down when I set Spike on fire." Dawn reminded her, forgiveness wasn't exactly her strong point. She'd only forgiven Faith since she'd been in prison and voluntarily risked her life to help them. But she'd never trusted Faith like she had Spike; it was a hell of a lot harder to forgive him since she actually cared.
"Dawnie, you find Connor and meet Gunn at the car." Willow ordered already pulling out her phone to call Giles, he got touchy when she just popped into his thoughts.
As she expected Connor was spying on the fight from the other door not doing a very good job of being inconspicuous. She found it easy enough to sneak up on him.
"Whatcha looking at?" She asked surprised when she felt him swing her around and pin her to the wall.
"Dawn! Sorry." He dropped his hand, which was at her throat immediately and blushed lightly. "Just a little on edge."
She rubbed at her throat, which was already sore from the grip Ethan had had on it.
"No kidding." She muttered. "Gunn's waiting to whisk us away to the safety of Angel's apartment."
"Can't we watch the fight?" He asked almost pouting, Dawn had already seen the Buffy and Angel show, it was a rerun in her house, she's almost forgotten how amazing it was to watch them fight together so in sync, no wonder Connor was so captivated.
"There'll be others." She dismissed tugging on his arm. "Besides Buffy's already onto a pun this fights almost over." She peeked and saw her sister deliver another blow to Ethan's face his whole body slumping over, Angel hoisted him onto his shoulder and turned to Buffy her cue to leave. "And now they're onto the soul mate eye gazing portion of the fight trust me you don't need to watch that."
Accepting her hand he laced their fingers and allowed her to pull him towards the parking lot Gunn always used, he was taking full advantage of the disabled parking while he still could.
"Bout time you two showed up." Gunn greeted as they slipped in the car. "Everything cool?"
"Well I think Buffy and Angel are bringing Ethan back with us but other than that it's peachy!" Dawn answered with faux cheerfulness. "At least we get to watch Giles lose his cool and revert to Ripper."
"English Senior is going to go mad?" Gunn scoffed. "No way."
"Wes did and he was way more uptight than Giles is. He used to wear suits and once he fainted when Buffy beheaded this demon in front of him. It was actually kind of funny. Oh! And the way he used to pant after Cordelia like a little puppy? Hilarious!" Dawn chatted; it was easier to focus on mindless gossip than it was to actually think about finding out what this damn prophecy was about.
"Wes and Cordy had a thing?" Gunn shuddered. "That just aint right."
"Yeah that was pretty much everyone else's reaction too."
Connor remained silent letting Dawn and Gunn joke, now that fight was over or at least suspended temporarily he was back to thinking about one thing. He'd kissed Dawn. There was no way that was going to end well for him.
BA 3 CD
Buffy glared at the unconscious lump Ethan made in the backseat of Angel's car, Willow had found duct tape and they'd wrapped around his body making sure to layer it to skin as much as possible.
"I still think we should have smacked him around a bit more." She pouted.
"Oh I'm sure you'll get to punch the rest of his teeth out at the apartment." Angel consoled, in their world that was consoling.
"Well Will put them back in so we can actually understand him when we get him to fess up but then I'm punching them out again. Ooh maybe he'll swallow some this time."
"That's if Giles doesn't beat you to it." Willow interrupted. "When I called I could practically see the smile on his face, he always loved seeing him in pain."
"I suppose it's only right he gets to hit him too." Buffy conceded. "What do you think?"
"I think once he's told us everything he knows Giles should be left in a room with him to do whatever he wants." His fingers tightened around the steering wheel growing whiter than they already were.
"Buffy check if he's wearing leather pants that sounded decidedly Angelus like." Willow joked still not used to the joking side of Angel, at least she hoped he was joking.
"He sent demons after Dawn and Connor, you don't mess with family and he's done it too many times for my liking." He responded. "And you guys don't have to worry about Angelus anymore."
Buffy and Willow exchanged looks, not worry about Angelus right because that would ever happen.
"Care to get with the meaning of that?" Buffy asked very interested in his response.
"When we took down the Black Thorn." He begun inwardly sighing, he had been dreading this conversation. "To convince them I had no desire to ever be human I signed away my shanshu."
Shanshu? Willow mouthed to Buffy who ignored her; she had a feeling this explanation was about to get violent.
"I was in the hospital waiting to hear about Gunn, when he came."
"Who?" Buffy asked softly completely enraptured in his story.
"Doyle."
FLASHBACK
"He's going to be fine you know."
Angel saw the ugly brown leather shoes and his eyes quickly travelled up past the matching jacket thrown over a bowling shirt, Doyle.
"Doyle?"
He hugged the part demon not really caring in that moment that it was not his nature, Doyle had been his first friend, the one that had set him on his path and made sure he stayed on it.
"Easy there big fella, I may be a higher being but you're still a hell of a lot stronger than I am."
"How are you here?" He asked the reality of the situation hitting him.
"Well let's just say the Powers That Be realized princess wasn't the only one they owed." He smiled to himself, she'd screamed and caused quite a scene at not being able to join him for this. "They owe you Angel, more than they could ever repay."
"I signed away my Shanshu, if it ever really was mine to begin with." He said despondently earning a chuckle from Doyle.
"Who peroxide punk? He doesn't want to fight the good fight, he wants to make Buffy love him. He's not their champion you are. There's still more to come but you've earned this."
"Earned what? Doyle? And people say I'm cryptic." He mumbled to himself when Doyle didn't respond.
"They're calling me back but you'll understand soon, we'll be seeing you."
There was no flashing lights or harps he was just there one moment and then gone the next. He'd started to wonder if he'd imagined the whole thing, it wouldn't be the first time his mind had conjured his friend.
"Where did your friend go?" The nurse manning the desk asked. "I didn't see him leave."
"But you saw him?" He asked his voice strangled with hope.
"Of course I did. Maybe we should get you checked out honey."
Angel waved off the nurses concern and retreated back into his seat and that's when Doyle's words hit him. Well to be more accurate their meaning, his whole body tightened and filled with a warmth he'd only felt thrice in his life. The little voice that used to scream at him was silenced and he felt whole. Or as whole as person without their love could be.
END FLASHBACK
Buffy was silent while Willow cried softly in the back, she'd always been a softie when it came to their relationship; it was just so tragic.
"You're not going to hit me again are you?" He asked nervously.
"No." Buffy answered curling her hand around his. "But we are definitely adding it to the list of things we need to talk about."
"Agreed. Just, I didn't tell anyone, no one knows except for you two." Angel warned. "I guess a part of me still thinks I imagined it."
"If you want I can do a spell and see if it's really yours you know curse free." Willow offered.
"Maybe later, I think we have more important things to focus on right now." Angel pulled the car to a stop and hefted Ethan over his shoulder walking briskly into the building ahead of the girls.
"What's a shanshu?"
"That's a story for another day Will." Buffy promised. "You'll need a new box of Kleenex trust me."
Then it must be really tragic, Willow could already feel her eyes brimming with tears.
BA 3 CD
Gunn whistled appreciatively at the violence being bestowed upon the rather sleazy looking guy, he kind of reminded him of Merl if he'd been human of course. Dawn had been right about one thing, that Giles dude did get freaky scary when he'd dumped the for all intents and purposes hostage on the ground, he'd decided not to ask what that annoying kid meant when he boasted how happy he was to not be the hostage for once.
"So you think he's going to kill him?" Gunn asked Dawn who was watching Giles taunt the hostage about something he was trying really hard not to understand.
"Not right away." She replied wincing, had Angel really just suggested hot pokers? "I personally would help dig the grave if it meant Ethan Rayne was gone from our lives permanently."
"There goes our security deposit." Gunn noted, Buffy had just punched the dude who spat what had to be a lungful of blood on the carpet."
"It's okay we have a foolproof way of getting blood out." Willow reassured him looking up from her laptop.
"Cool, how much longer you think it'll be till he gives it up anyhow?"
"Ethan's a wimp just give them a few minutes, after he caves they may want to smack him around a bit more." Dawn rolled her eyes; he always had been an Andrew when it came to pain.
"The miracle children; Dawn and Connor are destined to conceive a child that is the saviour of mankind!"
Ethan's voice rasped out through the apartment rendering it silent. Connor froze where he was, his eyes turning to Dawn who was staring back wide-eyed.
"She's the virgin Mary?" Spike snorted unable to help himself.
"Spike not now." Buffy said in even tones walking over to her sister. "Are you okay Dawnie?"
"Peachy keen jelly bean." She replied quietly. "Buffy?"
"Yeah sweetie?"
"Catch."
And with that the taller of the Summers women promptly fainted.
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Yeah I suck. I blame all the awesome new DVD releases for my lack of updates. If it helps at all there are only two chapters left. And they will both be up before December if I have helpful people reminding me!