A/N: Sorry this is a day late, folks! I woke up yesterday with a fever, an itchy throat, and a runny nose. I really just wanted to crawl into a hole and slowly wilt away. BUT I took some medicine so I'm all good now...I just stare off into space for random periods of time...

Anywho, I'm real nervous today. All-Region Choir Try-outs are today! Ah! My voice is still all scratchy, and it's my senior year! I can't not make it! So your reviews today will REALLY help my mood (and mental stability). :D

Random Disclaimer: (I do not own Buffy).

Me: I have great news guys!

Angel: Which means that it's not good for us.

Me: (frowns) Have you no faith in me?

Buffy: After all the hell you've but us through so far? No, not really feelin' much faith.

Wesley: She does have a point. I mean, you tried to kill Angel...twice.

Buffy: Not somethin' I'm goin' to forget.

Me: (giggles nervously) But...I gave you and Angel fluffy moments!

Buffy: Really?

Angel: Yes!

Eye of the Beholder Chapter 17

The Review was adjourned so that Travers and a select group of Watchers could pour over the Scrolls to see if Wesley was indeed correct. The idea that Angel could be in a prophecy was shocking to them all. It made a lot of them question many of their feelings towards the vampire.

This wasn't necessarily because of the simple fact that Angel was mentioned. It was more that he had an entire prophecy to himself and what that prophecy could possibly foretell.

A vampire, a warrior for the Powers That Be—it seemed inconceivable.

In the Watcher's shock, they had not ordered that Angel be escorted back to the dungeons. Rather, they allowed him to be in Buffy's quarters, seeing as how it was as good as a cell anyway. Wesley and Giles had deferred to their shared quarters for a moment, allowing the couple some time alone.

The moment the door had shut, they'd both reached for each other.

Angel held her close and Buffy held him so tight that it almost hurt. She buried her head in his chest and tried not to cry in sheer relief at the fact that, for the moment, they were both alive and well.

"Buff—," Angel began, but he didn't get to finish as Buffy's lips were on his.

All thoughts fled from his mind as he poured all the love he could into the kiss. It was a more reassuring kiss than anything, making sure that both of them were there, that they were both alright, and that they still had each other.

When Buffy finally pulled away, she took his hand and led him to the small bed in the corner of the room. Angel sat down and looked at her curiously, wondering what she was planning to do exactly, because he didn't know if he was up to what it seemed like she had in mind.

"Buffy—," Angel hesitated when she ripped open his shirt and slid it off his shoulders.

Buffy smirked, "Relax. I'm just going to take care of you."

"How, exactly?" Angel said worriedly.

Buffy laughed, "I'm going to take a look at your battle scars," she clarified.

Angel relaxed, though he was still slightly disappointed. "Oh."

"Yeah," Buffy grinned, shaking her head as she wringed out a wet cloth and began to clean the wounds. Angel hissed when she began to clean the wound on his shoulder.

Buffy was no longer smiling. "What happened?" she asked softly.

Angel shrugged. "He didn't want to let go."

"You mean…" Buffy faltered as she comprehended what he meant. "He bit you?"

"Starving vampires will attack anything that has blood—even other vampires," Angel answered grimly.

"How many were there?" Buffy asked quietly.

"Eight," Angel replied. "It wasn't too bad—half of them ended up turning on each other."

They were both silent as Buffy finished cleaning out the wounds. Buffy left him sitting on the bed as she moved across the room to dig throug his bag. Finding the object of her search, she grabbed the clean shirt and handed it to him. Angel put it on, but left it unbuttoned, not wanting the material to stick to his wounds, particularly the nasty claw marks on his chest.

Buffy came over to stand in front of him. Wanting her closer, Angel put his hands on her hips and pulled her between his legs. He buried his face in her stomach as he felt Buffy gently run her hands over his shoulders and down his back in a soothing motion.

"Buffy," Angel whispered, his eyes closed as he soaked up her scent. Bits of the Review began to filter through his mind, and he was suddenly overwhelmed by how amazing Buffy truly was.

"I never wanted you to know," Angel said softly, his fingers digging into her hips slightly. "At least…not like that."

"I know you wouldn't do those things," Buffy consoled truthfully, though she had to fight back a shudder as Travers' tales flashed through her mind.

"Where you ever going to tell me?" Buffy asked. "About the Slayers you'd killed?"

Angel's fingers dug into her hips almost painfully before he relaxed. He pulled away to look at her face. Buffy was troubled. She was worried, she was concerned, maybe a little angry…but nowhere did he see revulsion at what he'd done. It shouldn't have surprised him, but it did. He'd killed three of her predecessors. Three girls that, like her, had given up their lives to fight evil—like him.

"I—," Angel thought about lying, but decided that Buffy deserved the truth. "No."

"Why?" Buffy asked hurt. "Don't you think I deserve to know?"

"I was afraid of what you'd think," Angel admitted quietly. "I'm selfish enough to want you to stay with me."

Comprehension dawned on Buffy, and she was awash with sympathy. Buffy didn't think she'd fully realized how lonely Angel had been until now. Well, she'd known subconsciously, but Angel himself had never really voiced it. "I wouldn't leave you," Buffy shook her head softly. "Wild horses couldn't pull me away."

A knock sounded on the door and both Buffy and Angel looked up as it swung open revealing Wesley and Giles. They both separated as the two Watchers came into the room. Angel got up and stood in front of the fire place, while Buffy immediately went to Giles and threw her arms around him.

"Don't scare me like that again," she scolded as she held her father-figure tight.

Giles held her for a moment, before stepping back slightly, his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry," he apologized.

"Remind me never to get you angry," Buffy joked half-heartedly, and Giles' lips quirked up in a barely-there smile.

Wesley stood in the room awkwardly for a moment before tentatively taking a few steps towards Angel and the fireplace. Meanwhile, Giles didn't hesitate to plop down in a chair at the table.

"There's another chair," Buffy hinted teasingly, amused by his awkwardness. Wesley smiled slightly. "I'd prefer to stand, thank you. It saves time should I feel the need to pace."

"You and Angel should get along great then," Buffy said, shooting a half-smile in Angel's direction that he didn't see because he was too busy staring broodingly into the flames.

Buffy frowned slightly, and Wesley spoke. "Well, we're sort of already acquainted."

"Huh?"

"Yes, well," Wesley looked a bit embarrassed. "After talking with both you and Mr. Giles I was…"

"Curious," Angel finished for him, though he was still staring into the flickering flames.

"Yes," Wesley conceded. "While talking with Angel I deduced that you were in a relationship."

"How'd you make that leap?" Buffy wondered. "You're a Watcher. You don't make those kinds of leaps."

"Ah, but Watchers are observant," Wesley replied, his eyes dropped to her hands. "Your Claddagh rings gave you away."

Buffy glanced down to her left hand. "Oh…I didn't even think about that."

"But no one else noticed," Giles spoke up. "Which is a good thing."

"We would have been screwed," Buffy agreed, but then revised her statement. "We're already screwed though. I'm really not likin' how things are going," she said looking at Giles. "You're fired, Angel almost got killed. Twice. And I really don't think they like me too much."

"Ah, yes," Giles said, nodding. "That would be true."

"But they also know that you're the best," Wesley informed her. "There hasn't been a Slayer in centuries that has done what you have managed to do in so short an amount of time."

"Yeah, but I live on a Hellmouth…really no shortage of action there," Buffy shrugged.

"While true, that doesn't detract from what you've done," Wesley returned. "When the Council admits that they're impressed, you should take it as a compliment."

Buffy scoffed. "I'll pass."

"I think we should discuss what we came to discuss," Giles interrupted, getting back on task.

"Yes," Wesley nodded. "You're right Mr. Giles."

"Don't call me Mr. Giles," Giles shook his head. "I am not that old. 'Giles' is just fine."

Wesley nodded, though it seemed as though he didn't quite want to relinquish the propriety. "My apologies…Giles."

"So what kind of prophecy are you raving about?" Buffy asked curiously, glancing at Angel out of the corner of her eye, but he was still staring into the fire.

"Well, it's really quite something," Wesley said excitedly. "The Scrolls themselves are an exquisite find, nearly priceless. I was translating them before you came here, you see. Just got my hands on them, and then Mr. Giles—"

"—Giles."

"Ah, yes, my apologies," Wesley said quickly, but sincerely. "As I was saying, Giles was brought to my room, because as you already know he's been rooming with me since you arrived. Anyway, we began to look over them you see…"

"These are the scrolls you mentioned?" Buffy interrupted. "Earlier today?"

"The very same," Wesley said excitedly. "Anyway, I was up most of the night translating, as Giles needed the sleep for the Review this morning. Then once, he, um, was removed from the Review, he sat down and began translating. I was down talking with Angel at the time, and then he was led up to the Review so I returned to my quarters and Giles is saying that there's a prophecy about a vampire with a soul—"

"Angel," Buffy finished, a light shining in her eyes. Of course, she'd already known this. Wesley had already told the Council when he'd arrived a dashing five minutes after the big fight. But now, away from all the chaos, the words seemed to ring truer than before. "It's about Angel."

"We believe so," Giles nodded.

"And then," Wesley continued undaunted, barely pausing at the interruption. He was like a child telling his parents about the coolest, most exciting new toy available. "And then he showed it to me, and I translated it myself and got the same thing! Although, we did have trouble with one word. You see, if it was all about 'Shanshu.' It's rooted in so many different languages, and most all of them mean 'death.'"

"Angel's going to die?" Buffy interrupted worriedly. "What? When? Where? How?"

"But then I remembered that 'Shanshu' was first derived from the Proto-Bantu who believed that life and death were the same thing! Part of a cycle, only a thing that is not alive never dies! It's saying that you get to live until you die!" Wesley explained excitedly.

Buffy was confused. Didn't everyone live until they died? Giles saw Buffy's confused expression, and made things simple. "What it's saying Buffy, is that Angel, once he fulfills his destiny, will become human. It's his reward."

Buffy gasped and looked at Angel, who had yet to look up during the entire conversation.

Angel had been listening, following every word, his mind reeling. But the moment Wesley had begun raving about living until you died…the different connotations had not gone over Angel's head. His thoughts had begun to slow when he'd comprehended. And then his thoughts had practically grinded to a halt when Giles had confirmed it. When he'd said 'It's his reward,' Angel's brain had ceased to function coherently.

Shanshu.

Human.

Buffy.

Destiny.

Human.

Shanshu.

Prophecy.

Human.

Buffy.

Human.

Shanshu.

Destiny.

Reward.

Human.

Buffy.

Reward.

None of it made sense. Why would he deserve a reward? How could he ever do enough good to even deserve a reward? It didn't make sense. It wasn't right.

But he could be human—one day.

Buffy. Human. Shanshu. Reward.

Gift.

Angel didn't deserve that gift though? Him? Human, with Buffy? Not after all he'd done.

After all, the prophecy apparently didn't give an exact time and date. Buffy could be long gone before it was fulfilled, if it ever was.

"Angel."

Angel looked at Buffy who had crossed the room to stand beside him. He could see it in her eyes. The hope. The hope that one day, maybe, possibly, they could truly be together. Human. Alive. He could give her everything he wanted to. The white picket fence, the roses, children, afternoon picnics…all the clichés that people laughed at or took for granted. They could have it all.

"Angel, say something," Buffy pleaded quietly. "Do you know what this means?"

"It could mean a lot of things," Angel answered looking away from her and staring into the fire.

"You could be human," Buffy whispered excitedly. "Isn't it great?"

"We don't know a time," Angel told her, a hint of sadness in his voice. "It could be centuries from now."

That seemed to deflate Buffy's enthusiasm a little. "Don't be like that."

"It's a possibility," Giles spoke up, and Buffy shot him a betrayed glare, like she thought he was siding with Angel. "The prophecy does not specify the date."

"Would it kill you two to be just a little optimistic?" Buffy asked exasperatedly.

"I don't deserve it Buffy," Angel said quietly, yet resigned. "It must be talking about someone else."

"No other vampire has a soul," Buffy glared at him, anger building in her veins at his refusal to be happy.

"That we know of," Angel replied easily, not looking at her, continuing to stare into the orange flames.

"It might just be me, but I'm rooting for Angel," Wesley spoke up, offering his opinion.

Angel suddenly turned to face the new Watcher. "Why are you helping us anyway?" he asked. "You have no reason to, yet you're talking to all of us. You went down into the dungeons to talk to me and found out that I loved Buffy, but you didn't tell anyone. You translated this, stopped the Review…why?"

Wesley suddenly grew serious. "When I became a Watcher, I wanted to do good. The supernatural had always interested me as a child. I knew of the evils in the world. I wanted to be able to do something about them, whether by translating a vital piece of ancient text or literally fighting them head on. That's what I thought I was doing, and I was. But…this Review, seeing the real world, so to speak. Seeing that real life doesn't adhere to the rules you make…I'd become closed off I think. I'd forgotten what it was like to be open to…everything really."

Wesley seemed to square his shoulders. "I'm loyal to the Council. I believe in what they do…but I must be loyal to myself—something I think I'd forgotten."

"So…friends?" Buffy summarized.

"I'd like to think so," Wesley smiled nervously. "I haven't really had a friend in some time…"

"Well we can't have that," Buffy smiled. "Welcome to the Scooby Gang."

Wesley looked puzzled at the name, but grateful nonetheless.

"Yes, well, I suppose it's time we leave," Giles sighed as he got up from his chair. "Travers and his minions will be working for hours checking and quadruple checking our translations. We're right of course, but they will try and find every way to prove us wrong. I suspect you can count to sleep in late tomorrow."

"My favorite pastime," Buffy said with a smile as she saw Giles and Wesley to the door. It swung open, and Buffy saw a Watcher on the other side. Wesley and Giles walked through the barrier and the door immediately slammed shut.

Angel was still standing at the fire place when Buffy turned around. She walked over to him and placed a gentle hand on his chest, conscious of his wounds. "I wish you'd be more optimistic."

"I don't deserve that gift Buffy," Angel shook his head sadly. "I've done nothing—I will never be able to do enough to be granted that gift."

"Don't you want it?" Buffy questioned softly.

Angel raised his hand and caressed her cheek. "To be human? With you? It's the best dream."

"Dreams can become reality," Buffy said knowingly.

"Maybe," Angel conceded. "I just don't deserve it."

Buffy shrugged. "No, you don't deserve it," she agreed.

If Angel was going to be difficult, so was she. Honestly, she believed he deserved Shanshu now. But what was more important was that Angel realized he deserved it. In a moment of insight, Buffy realized that Angel needed his own quest, his own journey of self-discovery. He needed to grow to believe in himself. Maybe when that happened...maybe that was when he would Shanshu.

Buffy was torn from her thoughts when she registered Angel's confusion by her sudden change of opinion.

Buffy smiled softly to assauge him and added, "But one day...one day I think you'll do something truly great. And then when you've overcome all that you can...then you'll deserve it."

Angel stared at her in wonder for a moment, amazed at her faith in him. "You're amazing."

"So are you," Buffy returned sincerely, but with a hint of a knowning smile playing at her lips. "You just don't know it yet."

Can everybody go "AWWWW?" Aren't they just sweet as can be? I figured we needed a little bit of fluff. After this maelstrom of drama...yep, fluff was needed!

Review and make my day,

ArthursCamelot