Changes and Choices

Disclaimer: I do not own "Buffy: the Vampire Slayer," "Angel," or "NCIS."

AN: Thank you so much to my reviewers for the last chapter, all of whom have reviewed before: Nedy Rahn, sambam17, mardar, and hungrypiranha. Also, hungrypiranha, I completely agree with you.

Chapter 9

Help Wanted

"No," shouted Ellie again.

"Buffy, stop being so stubborn," yelled Angel. He could give just as good as he got.

"We'll find a way," she insisted.

"Yeah, we already did find a way—this way!"

Ellie let out a frustrated scream and stormed into the bathroom of Angel's motel room. Angel just wasn't listening to her. He always did this. He would make up his mind about something and then not listen to what anyone else had to say. It drove her crazy.

Meanwhile, back in the main room, Angel was pacing angrily. Ellie hadn't seen the Sargniss gathered in that warehouse. There had been close to fifty demons there. They needed help. He knew she didn't want to involve the NCIS team, but they needed the manpower. Tony and his coworkers were the only people they knew in DC who could help them. Sure, the army was there, but they did not have the connections there that they used to have … or that Buffy used to have. It wasn't like they could just call up Riley these days. As far as the information from Angel's underground network had told him, the Initiative had been radically restructured a few years ago. They were no longer even still part of the army. They were practically mercenaries now—mercenaries who weren't allowed to operate on American soil, like the CIA. There had been some sort of shake-up, worse than Adam, a few years ago and the U.S. government had basically disowned them. They couldn't just call up the Watchers' Council either. The new Council, run by the former Scoobies, had already shown their unwillingness to help Angel and his people. They had become so streamlined in the past few years that they just ignored anything that didn't fit neatly within their directives. They trained new Slayers; patrolled hotspots, like Cleveland and Helsinki; enhanced their Wicca network so they could control the world with just a nod of the head; and entirely forgot why they had gotten into this business. They had grown so large that they had forgotten the little people, the innocents who needed their help on a daily basis. They saw one victim killed by vampires as a casualty with which they couldn't waste their time. After all his years, Angel knew that there were casualties in war—this war against evil—but it didn't mean that he didn't mourn for each of those deaths. He may not be able to stop them, but he would never write off their deaths as mere statistics. And that was the Council's problem: hand-in-hand with their self-called "bigger picture" philosophy, they had grown pompous. They had grown so large and far-reaching that they assumed they knew everything. They hated getting tips from outsiders. In order for them to deal with the Sargniss, they needed to recognize the problem on their own. And he and Buffy just didn't have enough time for that.

Striding out of the bathroom, Ellie accused, "There must be someone you can call," and then she strode right back into the bathroom, shutting the door again.

Angel couldn't think of anyone … at first. Pulling out his phone, he hit his fifth speed dial, hoping she hadn't lost her phone. She wasn't always the most reliable person and she therefore didn't always answer her phone. He hadn't even spoken to her in six months. The mobile on the other end just rang and rang: no answer. Sighing, Angel sat down on the bed and stared at the clock. After five minutes he called again, hoping she had just been unable to reach her phone in time.

This time she picked up after the third ring. "Hello," she said. Her voice sounded tinny over the phone, but it was definitely her. Angel would know that odd inflection anywhere.

"Hey, Illyria. How are you?"

"I am adequate. Why are you contacting me?"

"What? I can't just call you?" asked Angel, trying to drag out the phone call. He honestly didn't know why he bothered. He continually tried to make a personal connection with her, but each time she just shut him down. She was all he had left of his team in LA, even if it pained him to see her wearing the face of his dead friend. He didn't want to give up on the last vestige of his team, not entirely. There was a long pause as Illyria waited for him to continue. Illyria often just waited out Angel's banter. "Where are you?" he asked.

"New York City. I have seen eleven Broadway shows." After a pause, she added, "Chicago was very agreeable."

"Of course," chuckled Angel. He didn't even bother asking her how she could afford to go to Broadway plays so often. "Look, we have a bit of a problem in DC, which is not that far from you. I'm here now. Do you think you can come down today? There should be a big fight tonight and we need some help."

"I shall procure a motorcycle and see you in two hours."

"It's a four-hour drive, Illyria," reminded Angel. She didn't respond. "I'll text you the address."

"With whom do you fight?" asked Illyria.

"They're called the Sargniss; they're trying to end the world," answered Angel. "But I'll tell you more about it when you get here."

"No, you misunderstand," clarified Illyria. "Who fights alongside you? You said 'we.'"

"Oh, yeah," said Angel. "Buffy's here."

"I believed she had retired."

"She did, but we need her. I'll explain more when you get here. Goodbye."

Illyria just hung up, not bothering with the pleasantries of a farewell.

Angel grinned briefly to himself and then rang another number.

"Yo," answered a scratchy, sexy voice on the other end.

"Hey, Faith. It's Angel."

"Angel! How's it hanging?"

"Not so great," admitted Angel. "I'm in DC and I need help with some demons. I would call the council, but—"

"But they wouldn't help you," interrupted Faith. "Yeah, I know."

"I was hoping you could come and help us—me and Buffy."

"You're with B? No way. How is she?"

"She's good," answered Angel, choosing his words carefully. "She's married."

"Well, well, what do you know? B got herself a meat-stick. Good for her."

"So, can you come?" Angel asked hopefully, ignoring Faith's crude language.

"I might be able to get there in a few days," said Faith regretfully. "I'm dealing with some stuff here in Glasgow right now."

"It's OK," said Angel disappointedly. "It's kind of a now-or-never deal. We'll get it done."

"All right," said Faith. "Just, please call me when whatever you guys are doing is over. I want to know you guys are OK."

"Will do," promised Angel. "Take care."

"I always do," responded Faith. "Stay good."

"Bye, Faith."

"Bye."

Hanging up, Angel walked over to the bathroom door and rapped gently on it. "What do you want?" asked Ellie irritably.

"Our duo is now a trio," he told her, hoping the news would improve her mood.

Opening the door, Ellie asked, without leaving the confines of the bathroom, "Who did you get?"

"Illyria's on her way down," he answered. "I tried to get Faith but she was busy." Shrugging he added, "But we definitely have Illyria."

"Good," said Ellie, nodding. She knew that Illyria was a good fighter and her superhuman strength was always welcome. Additionally, Illyria rarely cared about the fight enough to stray; she didn't follow her emotions, she followed the plan. She had done what she had been told in the battle against the Senior Partners because she had felt the loss of Wesley so acutely. With Wesley, her Quahazan, gone now, she had latched onto Angel enough that when he told her to do something, she did it. "When will she be here?"

"I don't know. Soon," he answered. "She's in New York now."

"OK," said Ellie slowly, looking at the wall behind Angel. "So, that means the fight is now eighteen-to-one. That's better." Seeing the look on Angel's face, Ellie continued more quickly, "I mean, it's not ideal, but it's better than twenty-five-to-one."

Taking a deep and unnecessary breath, Angel plowed on ahead, "Seven-to-one—about—would be even better."

"Angel," Ellie said, taking a deep breath herself. She needed to remember to keep her cool and just explain to Angel why Tony and his team couldn't help. If she could just explain, he would have to understand. He just had to. "Tony and Gibbs and the others just weren't trained for this. They don't have any experience with this kind of thing. They could die."

"Buffy," argued Angel, "Nobody has experience when they begin. That's how you get experience. Willow and Xander didn't have any experience when they began either, but they ended up being a big help to you."

"Yeah, until they kicked me out of my house."

"I'm sorry that happened, Buffy; I really am," said Angel sincerely. "But you know Tony well, right? I mean you married him."

"Yeah," said Ellie softly.

"So tell me: Would he do that to you?"

"No," said Ellie, near tears.

"Isn't that really what you're afraid of?" asked Angel. "You know that Tony, Gibbs, Ziva, and Tim can all handle themselves in a fight, but you're scared the fight will change them, turn them into what Xander and Willow became. You shouldn't be."

"Why shouldn't I be?" asked Ellie, openly crying now. "G-d, Angel, when Xander, Willow, and I were teenagers, everything seemed so great. I had made these great friends who stood by me, no matter what. They didn't care that I was the Slayer because, to them, I was just Buffy. I was their friend. I was a fashion-obsessed, bottle-blonde cheerleader, who, on occasion, killed some demons and saved the world. But then things changed. The darkness got them. And I was too wrapped up in my own problems even to see it happening. When Willow first began the magic, it seemed great. I had a Wicca on my side, something I had really needed. She really helped in the fight against evil. And then, I just missed the signs. It was like, one second she was sweet, shy Willow, and the next she was this junkie. She slipped into this darkness and I didn't even notice. And Xander: Working with us was destroying him. He just lost his ability to see the good; all he could see was the bad. He was going to marry Anya and then, instead of focusing on the good—like his love—all he could see was the bad: What could happen—not what would have happened. He curdled inside and there was nothing I could do. They wouldn't have ended up like that if it hadn't been for me. It was my fault. I dragged them into this world that they had no right being in. I destroyed them—their bodies and souls. And I lost them. Not only did they change, but it got to the point that I wasn't their friend anymore. I was the Slayer first and their friend second. I hated that. I was their weapon. What if that happens again, Angel? I couldn't bear it."

"That won't happen," assured Angel, his voice catching. He felt like crying. Despite the fact that Buffy had gotten married to this Tony guy, Angel still loved her. Angel would always love her. He didn't like seeing her in so much pain. The worst part was that he knew she was right. Who knows how Willow and Xander would have turned out if they hadn't gotten involved in the slaying, if they had just had that one brush with the supernatural and then gotten the hell out? "That won't happen," repeated Angel. "Willow and Xander were young when they began slaying. They couldn't properly cope with everything. They were just children."

"Children who I dragged into a war," interjected Ellie glumly.

"And you were a child, too," Angel reminded her. "You were sixteen, Buffy. You made mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes at that age."

"But I couldn't afford those mistakes!" cried Ellie.

"You can't control everything, Buffy. They weren't only your mistakes," yelled Angel. "Everyone messed up. Giles never should have let them help with the slaying. He was the adult; it was his responsibility to protect you and your friends. You always blame yourself for everything. When are we going to blame Willow and Xander? They chose to fight alongside you. Yes, they were children, just like you, but they still made that choice. You may not have seen what was happening to them, but they did. I know what happened in those years after I left, Buffy. Willow was warned again and again that she was becoming too involved in the magic and she kept going. She knew the consequences and by that point she was an adult. And Xander? He let his anger fester. He could have walked away at any point. Instead, they both decided to blame you; they made everything seem like it was your fault. And the worst part is that they made you believe it."

"It doesn't matter whose fault it is," said Ellie. "What matters is that the Slayer affected them."

"Yes," said Angel, "it affected them. Your husband and his people are federal agents. They are used to high pressure situations and they are used to fighting and death. It hasn't destroyed them yet. One more piece in the puzzle won't break them."

"But one more straw can break the camel's back," intoned Ellie.

"Buffy, what it really comes down to is how much faith you have in your husband. We're over and I know that. It's about you and Tony now. Can Tony handle our world? And, more importantly, is he the kind of man who would leave you because of it?"

Ellie thought back to her conversation with Tony the day before and the look in his eyes when he saw her kill those demons. But the memories didn't stop there. She remembered the previous Valentine's Day, when he had bought her a dozen roses. She remembered their wedding, one of the best days of her life. She remembered their first date. "No," she said, all the waver gone from her voice, "he wouldn't leave me. He loves me and I love him."

"So call him. We need him."

"OK," agreed Ellie. "Thank you, Angel."

"Yeah, sure, it's what I do," he responded. Before he could say anything else, the small Slayer had wrapped her arms around him and was hugging him in a bear hug that would hurt a normal man. He returned it, relishing the feel of her arms around him.

The hug ended all too quickly though and Ellie pulled out her mobile to call Tony. "Gather your team and bring them to Angel's motel room. We need your guys' help."

x TBC x

It's time to pay the devil his due,

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