The Big Payback

Chapter 9 – Unwanted Interference

Part 1

It was time for the final showdown, time for him to mete out his own brand of justice.

Angelus stood at the edge of the podium in front of the presentation room of the Watchers' Council with his arms folded across his chest; he was flanked on one side by Penn and on the other side by Gretchen. On the floor shoulder to shoulder around the entire room were vampires, all in game face just waiting for Angelus to give the signal to attack. This time they wouldn't be just feeding; this time they would slaughter every human being in the room.

Huddled together around the middle of the large room in small groups were between two-hundred-fifty and three-hundred terrified naked men and women - watchers and the Council's retrieval and elimination squads - weakened from blood loss and fear; most of them had never seen a real live (undead) vampire before; after all, it wasn't their responsibility to face these deadly creatures, that's what slayers were for.

Someone yelled, "Look!" and their attention was drawn from the vampires surrounding them to overhead screens that showed various groups of their family members surrounded by vampires and demons of all sorts as cameras scanned the rooms where they were being held. One of the watchers spoke up; what did he have to lose?

"Why are you doing this?"

"Would you like to have your leader explain it to you?" Angelus asked in reply. He turned around, grabbed Travers by the throat and threw him none too gently to the floor in front of them. His voice was pleasant, almost teasing, when he said, "Go ahead, Mr. Travers, tell your friends what you've been doing to bring us to this point."

From the crowd voices demanded, "Quentin what have you done?" "What have you gotten us into?" "I told you he should never have been head of the Council."

"Enough!" Angelus in full game face roared and the room silenced. "I met with each of you over the last few days. You know exactly why you are here. Travers' recent actions were the last of many that brought us here and I find each of you and your families guilty, either by your actions or your lack of action. All of you in this room and on those monitors will forfeit your lives. My decision is final."

Part 2

A chorus of whimpering, begging and pleading could be heard from the floor and just as Angelus was about to give the signal for the demons guarding the families to attack, he heard,

"Stop!"

He turned in the direction of the voice and saw two robed blue and green skinned beings step out of a bright light in mid-air and approach him. Angelus knew them to be the Oracles with whom Angel had had dealings his first week in LA.

"You can't do this," the female Oracle told him.

"And why not? They are all guilty of untold crimes against slayers and most recently against my mate. They will die as I see fit."

"You cannot just wipe out one-third of England's leading families for the sake of vengeance."

Angelus was adamant. "I can and I will."

"No, warrior, you will not."

Angelus rolled his eyes and gave a snort. "Oh, don't mistake me for that weak, spineless soul; I'm not your warrior."

"You are. Why do you think you have survived this long? Why do you think we returned you from hell? Why do you think we allowed the slayer to sacrifice herself to save you from certain death after you had been poisoned?"

Angelus had no answer to these questions, but there was no way he was going to keep quiet about the Oracles' interference. "You can't just let them go; they must pay for what they've done. They are all guilty."

"Yes, and they will all get what they deserve."

With that all of the prisoners disappeared, first the families on the monitors, then the council members in the presentation room, next the demons guarding the families and finally the vampire guards in the presentation room.

Angelus got the impression that all of the demons and vampires were terminated, but he didn't know for sure. "You have no right to interfere," he growled, "no right whatsoever. For thousands of years you have not protected the slayers from humans such as these; you have allowed people like Quentin Travers to treat slayers, your warriors, any way they saw fit and you did nothing. Now, when I finally step in to exact justice against them, you decide at last to interfere. Why? Why now after all this time?"

"We cannot allow you to continue on this course because it is contrary to the destiny that the Powers have planned for you."

"Pfft. Since when are the Powers concerned about a destiny for a demon?"

The female answered softly, "Since before you were born they determined your destiny – to meet and fall in love with this slayer and to protect her for the rest of her life from the day she was called. The soul has failed to do that; we knew that you would not fail. We sent you here to rescue her, not to punish the guilty. The right to punish belongs to the Powers alone."

The two Oracles walked over to Penn and Gretchen; each touched a single finger to the temples of the vampires. Penn and Gretchen each took a strangled breath and fell to the floor. "No, no, no," they wailed over and over as their pasts replayed in their minds.

"Rise," the female Oracle said gently. Again they touched a single finger to the temples of the vampires. "Remain with your sire and his mate and follow their lead. Such is your destiny."

This time Penn and Gretchen just looked at the Oracles with sad eyes. "Thank you," they both said finally and looked downward.

The Oracles nodded at them and turned to Angelus. "From this day forward you, your mate and your childer along with your seer and a witch will fight to protect the earth from evil," the female told him.

The male spoke for the first time. "You and the soul shall become one warrior with one purpose and one destiny at the end of your life."

Panic struck Angelus. The ache in his dead heart was pain like he had never felt before. They were taking Buffy away from him and giving her to the soul; the two of them will go to heaven and he … Angelus couldn't bring himself to even think the words.

"You would take my mate from me?" he whispered.

Again the male Oracle spoke. "Have you not heard anything that was said? You and the soul shall become one warrior with one purpose and one destiny."

"Yes, I heard that, but I'm a demon and demons don't go to heaven," Angelus answered softly.

The male Oracle's patience was wearing thin; he repeated the phrases slowly, counting them off on his fingers to make sure that Angelus understood. "One warrior. One purpose. One destiny."

The light came on and Angelus' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, "You mean … ?"

The male Oracle smiled briefly before returning to his normal emotionless state. "I mean. Your mate and your childer will be restored to health and your greatest wish will be granted, eternity in paradise with your mate by your side."

For the first time in his very long existence Angelus felt humble and tears sprang to his eyes. "I will do whatever you ask of me," he said softly; "you have my word."

"We know, warrior."

Elated as he was with the news of his future, Angelus still could not give up on vengeance. "Did you see what they did to my mate? You can't just let them go. They have to pay," he demanded.

"Those responsible will get what they deserve, but not by your hands, warrior," the female Oracle replied as she and her brother started to disappear.

"Spoil my fun." Angelus growled his complaint.

The last thing he heard from the Oracles was a chuckle as they vanished from his sight.

He walked over to his childer. Their heads remained down; they could not look at him. "Penn, Gretchen, what is wrong? What did they do to y...?" Then it dawned on him what had happened. "They restored your souls."

Penn looked at his sire briefly and then down again; he could not face anyone, not even his sire, knowing the things that he had done.

Angelus put his arms around Penn and Gretchen hugging them. "We are family; we will get through this together."

Gretchen hugged Angelus. "Thank you, sire." She then turned and hugged her mate. "We don't have to be alone anymore; we have our family again."

Angelus smiled, a true smile, his first in a very long time and with an arm around each childe, he said, "Let's go home."