(Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I am just a fan.)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Season 8, Episode 3
The Reunion Part 1.
[-] Chapter 1
The silence of the clearing, that was Sunnydale, became almost deafening after Willow spoke. The wind that wisped through Buffy's' flowing golden hair became colder and made the fine hairs on her arms rise. She glanced over at Xander in the hopes that he might have an explanation but when he returned the look it was one of confusion and worry. Kennedy was shaking her head towards the floor in denial whilst Nicholas showed no emotion but simply looked as though he was helping. The dampness of the highway was beginning to properly soak into Buffy's' pyjama knees were she was kneeling. "What?" Buffy asked with a half-hearted smile.
"Do I know you? Do you know me? Me?... Do I know me?" Willow asked dazed. Willow lifted her head from Kennedy's' lap and bulked her knees up to her chest. She turned to Xander in the hopes of finding a familiar face but found none.
"Will, stop 'foolin around. It's us," Xander started. Willow shook her head at him in disbelief. Nicholas stood up and began pacing.
"Willow it's me. Buffy? 'C'mon we've been best friends for eight years," Buffy said to Willow as she fought the sting of coming tears behind her eyes and swallowed a sob that was about to erupt from her throat.
"We have?" Willow asked. Through the whole day's' journey of riding in Nicholas's' stuffy car and the amount of scenario's Buffy had composed in her mind this never made the list. It was so unexpected which made it the worst. Nicholas continued to pace up and down the small concrete cliff over the crater when he abruptly clicked his fingers and re-joined the group. He gestured Buffy, Xander and Kennedy to get to their feet and give him some room. Buffy did so immediately, Xander reluctantly and Kennedy not at all. Xander realised that she hadn't spoken a word or even raised her head after kissing Willow's' forehead. She seemed to be in some sort of a trance-like state.
"Kennedy," Xander uttered whilst outstretching his hand to help her up. She didn't react. Instead she shook her head again in disbelief. Xander hauled her up by her shoulders; her brunette wavy hair now wet with the dampness of the air, and leaned her against the car. She clutched to the door and scraped her back down the side of it until she was on the ground again with her knees up to her breast. "Kennedy is everything okay?" she didn't react but stared blankly across the desert plain of the highway that was lit partly by a rusted street lamp and the half moon above. "Kennedy," Xander said louder. She looked up at him.
"It's my fault, if I would have done something, said something before she left," she mumbled as she took one arm from around her calf's and used it to wipe her hair from her eyes.
"Don't talk like that, it's nobody's'..."- she cut him off before he could finish.
"In case you haven't noticed, I'm kind of a brat, and you're kind of a drunk. When things don't turn out how I like 'em I break down... I lose it. So don't you go spouting off that philosophical crap like everything happens for a reason because I've heard it all before, just face it, life sucks... and then you die." The wind whistled eerily in his ears as he tried to reassure Kennedy but he couldn't help but agree with her. Since Anya died he had only been a burden to his friends and those around him, so all he said in reply was,
"and you think sulking is going to help Willow, she needs you Kennedy, now."
"You're one to talk, where were you when Willow needed help? Off sulking somewhere over An"-
"Don't Kennedy, just... just... d-don't." He swished his fingers through his damp, dirty short black hair and turned his back on her. She was over whelmed with sudden guilt over the harshness of her words to somebody who was only trying to help; she got to her feet and said,
"Xander, I..." but he just slowly walked back to join Buffy, Willow and Nicholas. She dropped her face in the palms of her hands and fought the sting of tears behind her eyes. 'I won't let them see me cry, I won't,' she thought as she got to her feet and followed after him. Buffy was standing with her arms folded across the chest of her grey tracksuit sweater whilst Nicholas was kneeling next to Willow.
He started, "now Tabatha I'm..."-
"Huh?" she asked puzzled.
"Uh, Willow, What's the last thing you remember?"
"Um, I don't know, I guess uh... I just, don't know," she finished.
"Do you recognise the faces of any people here?" she looked around and pondered the worried faces of her friends and her girlfriend.
"Sorry, no."
How many states are there in America?" he asked inquisitively.
"Fifty."
"And what is the square root of eighty-one?"
"Nine." He stroked his stubbled chin and turned to Buffy.
"Well as far as I can tell your Ms. Rosenberg has a bad case of amnesia. She doesn't know anything about herself or her uh... friends. But she has common knowledge of the times and seems as intellectually capable as ever." Willow looked scared, somewhat like a small rabbit that had just heard a twig snap in the distance and suspected a fox.
"What does that mean? We take her to the closest hospital?" Buffy snapped impatiently.
"I'd suggest not. Perhaps Rupert can make out a better analysis than I could."
"Rupert?" Buffy smirked.
"Mr. Giles, whatever your preference." Giles and Nicholas had grown quite close in the recent weeks. Buffy just assumed it was because they were both from England but she thought it was a little creepy.
"But there's one more problem," Xander stated whilst adjusting the strap on his eye patch. They turned to look at him, Willow too. "We got us two cars here, and I'm 'bettin Giles will be pissed if we leave his car back in Sunnydale." Kennedy piped up then,
"I'm not leaving Willow," Buffy nodded in her direction in agreement.
"Sure. Willow, Kennedy and I will take Giles's' car and Xander and Nicholas will take his. Sound good?"
"Sounds like a plan," Xander agreed. Nicholas tried to conceal a weak laugh but Xander picked up on it and shot him a 'what's your problem' look.
"Just happy that I get to drive is all," Nicholas sneered.
"Wait hold up. Why do you get to drive?"
"Correct me if I'm wrong Alexander but you spent the good part of yesterday with your mouth around a bottle and your face in hard cement. Whereas I'm completely sober. The law is the law and rules are rules," he chuckled menacingly.
"Just get in the car scone head," Xander spat whilst tossing Nicholas the keys. Buffy grabbed the keys for Giles's' cherry red car off of the ground and headed towards the driver's' seat, Nicholas did the same and Xander loaded himself in the passenger side of Nicholas's' car. Kennedy went to help Willow to her feet when she thrust her arms up in the air in protest and shook herself out of Kennedy's' light grasp.
"Stop, just... stop," Everybody paused and turned to look at her. "Nobody has told me a thing you're all just ordering me around and frankly I'm a little scared. I don't remember anything and you guys are just assuming that I am going to accept that fact. You're all strangers to me. I mean put yourselves in my shoes for one minute!" Willow gritted her teeth in frustration.
Buffy began, "Will, I'm sorry but if you'll just get in the car we'll take you somewhere safe..."-
"Is that my name? Will? Willow? Please just tell me something, I need...something." Buffy was stunned; she had never seen her best friend look so confused and alone. Buffy walked back over to Willow and shot Kennedy an 'I got this' look. Kennedy took that to mean that she should go and start the car; besides it was sunrise in an hour or two. Buffy took her arms from around her chest and placed a hand on Willow's' shoulder.
Buffy began, "your name is Willow Rosenberg and you're twenty-three years old..."-
Xander cut in as he stepped out of Nicholas's' car, "you grew up here, with me Alexander Harris, in a town called Sunnydale in southern California. About a month ago you helped Buffy and me and Kennedy and so many others save Sunnydale from big daddy evil and that crater is what's left of it." Willow glanced at the abyss and then at herself, she didn't quite understand but she hungered for more.
Buffy continued, "You met me, here, in your junior year of Sunnydale High School when I asked you if you would help me catch up because I was new to the town. I'm originally a city girl from L.A. We've been best friends ever since."
"But even before that," he took Willow's' hand in his, "and no matter how many times you get lost; I will always tell you this story. On the first day of Kindergarten you cried all afternoon because you broke the yellow crayon and you were too afraid to tell anyone."
"And in your senior year of High School you went from breaking crayons, to floating pencils, restoring souls, talking to ghosts and eventually bringing me back to life. My name is Buffy Summers and I'm the Slayer, well a Slayer now, thanks to you," Buffy concluded.
"And my name is Alexander Harris, carpenter and pirate. At your service," he said with a giggle.
"And I'm K-Kennedy," Kennedy said from the trunk of the car with her hand wrapped around her mouth and tears streaming from her usually stern eyes. Their usual oak leaf colour now just a small rim around a wide and black pupil. "And I'm in love with you."
After that there was an awkward silence as Willow processed the fact that before she lost her memory she had a relationship with another girl. Nicholas broke the silence as he stuck his head out the driver's' window and called,
"Okay, I think Tabatha has heard enough, we really ought to get going."
Willow made her way over to the backseat of Giles's' car while Kennedy drove and Buffy rode shotgun. Xander slapped Nicholas over the head with his hand as he hauled himself into the passenger seat of Nicholas's sleek black car. None of them realised just how wet they were, Xander even had to ring out his shirt before they set off, somehow Nicholas remained dry except for the soles of his feet were the water had soaked through the pores of his pointed black leather shoes. Buffy was worst off and she was freezing; since she was only wearing the thin material of pyjama bottoms and a grey hooded tracksuit sweater. Willow's' white t-shirt was now an ugly yellow colour because of the amount of time she had spent laying on the damp concrete and the butt of her jeans was soaked right through to her underwear and the dye from her jeans ran all over the white leather of Giles's' backseat.
'That was a nice story they told me I guess, but it's obvious they left out a few details to get me in the car with them. I can't help but trust them.
Me, a witch? I say that like I know who me is.' Willow thought as they drove through the dusk of morning. As soon as Buffy got in the car she pulled her cell from her pocket and called Giles. She put the phone to her ears but only heard the beep beep beep beep that told her that she wasn't able to get signal. She would have to wait until they got off the highway and into the nearest town.
Hours earlier/ back at the mansion/ after Dawn got off the phone with Buffy,
Dawn dropped her cell in her lap and it collided with a light thud on her dark blue jeans. She was sitting on one of the steps of the main staircases in the entrance hall and had her other hand clutching to the dark pine wood banister. She exhaled heavily and used the banister to pull herself to her feet. Her hair was pulled back in a tight pony tail and she was wearing a loose black T-shirt. The smell of Andrew making the mornings breakfast wafted throughout the house and even though Dawn was hungry, she was too worried to eat. Most of the Slayers where sitting at the dining table talking, some were in the Kitchen helping Andrew and even though the Manor, even for its size, was bursting with people it felt empty without her sister. "Hey kid!" a voice called from the first floor landing. Dawn turned and met the appearance of a beautiful brunette girl. Faith. She looked like she had just hauled herself out of bed when she heard the girls getting up for breakfast. Plus there was the sound of Giles's' cursing in the library as he tried to find a way to help Buffy. Dawn didn't trust Faith, ever. Period. She knew that Faith only thought of her as a brat but after the Sunnydale 'sinkhole' slash 'bizarre alien activity', Dawn had learned a thing or two about being on Faith's' good side and its benefits. "What's with the mid-life crisis 'goin on in the book store?" she was referring to Giles in the library.
'Does she not know how to talk like a normal person? Or does she do it just to annoy people?' Dawn thought. "It's Willow, she's missing." Faith took a place next to Dawn.
Faith began, "Daammmnnn, red's gone and bailed Slayer central. Can't say it hasn't crossed my mind but I..."-
"Can we just...not...right now...please? I have to talk to Giles," Dawn mumbled. She got out of her position and walked through the closed door's corridor towards the library. Faith was a little confused,
'Now what did I say?' she thought. Dawn placed both hands on the closed old door leading to the kitchen, living room and library and pushed. Its creak echoed throughout the entire manor and the girls at the dining room table paused when they heard it. Dawn peered her head around the kitchen door and heard the loud clutter of pots and pans and something about Ninja Wisdom from Andrew. Chao-ahn, whilst muttering to herself in Chinese, was whisking what looked like pancake mixture. Then she stumbled into the library to find Giles, still wearing his night gown and fuzzy green slippers, surrounded by stacks after stacks of books and several empty tea-stained mugs.
"Any word?" he asked without lifted his head from his book to see who had walked in. "When she left this morning all she said was that it was Willow. I didn't have time to catch up with her."
"I know, I actually uh, just got off the phone with her," she replied casually. He met her gaze and stood up whilst taking off his glasses.
Giles started, "Got off the phone with whom exactly? Buffy or Kennedy or Willo..."-
"Buffy...actually, they uh, aren't quite there yet. They have a lead and she said she would call again when she can. She said the best thing we can do is sit tight." She glanced down at her fingers which she had unknowingly been playing with during hers and Giles's' brief and awkward conversation. All he said was,
"Ah, best just um...put my nose back in this book, so to speak," he placed his glasses back onto his nose and sat down. Dawn occupied the seat next to him and placed an empathetic hand on his shoulder.
"Look Giles, I know you 'wanna help but I'm pretty sure you've probably read this book over twice today and you're not going to find anything new on the pages, except maybe a tea stain," she said and they both laughed. "By the sounds of it, Andrew is making breakfast and I'm pretty hungry. C'mon, if you stick your nose into anymore books you'll probably suffocate." She gestured him to join her for breakfast and he met her gaze with a smile.
"When did you become the adult and I become the worried old English man?" he asked humorously.
"Well you've always been old," she replied with a laugh. He slipped his feet into his slippers, stood up and closed his book.
"Order up!" Andrew announced as he brought out a huge plate of pancakes, waffles the works.
Willow blacked out now and again during the ride through the desert plains of southern California. The continuous dry grey road with two metre yellow road dividers just seemed like she was staring at one picture and the car was standing still. They drove and drove and Kennedy occasionally looked into the backseat to check Willow was still there and Willow would just give her a weak awkward smile and gaze casually out the window. The clouds didn't seem to move across the velvet blue sky either; it was like your standard sixth grader had drawn a huge painting of the sky and stuck it there.
Xander and Nicholas were leading the way in his car while Buffy, Willow and Kennedy trailed behind in Giles's'. Nicholas's' sleek black car flashed its rear lights and pulled over to the sign of the road. Kennedy shot Buffy a look and they pulled over alongside them. Willow piped up from the backseat just as Buffy began to pull the latch on the door to climb out. It must have been about 8 am. "Huh? Bukky, what's going on?" Buffy rolled her eyes to the high heavens and said,
"It's Buffy, and I don't know. Sit tight, I'll be back." Xander rose from the car door and leaned on the hood. He used one hand to shade his eyes from the sunlight. "What's wrong? What happened?"
"Buff calm down, it's just that scone heads GPS says that there's a small town up ahead. I'm 'bettin on there being a gas station and a payphone because it doesn't look like we get signal out here," he announced. "And I could murder a Starbucks."
"Alright well good, what time is it?" she asked. Xander looked at his blue Tweety Pie watch that he'd had since High School and said,
"Just after... 8:30. We should make it back on time, we're almost to L.A but we won't get that far without any gas." Buffy ran her hands through her crumply hair and let out a breath that she wasn't aware she was holding. She simply nodded in agreement and climbed back into Giles's' car.
"Xander says that there is a small town up ahead, hopefully one with a gas station and a payphone," she announced addressing Kennedy.
"How far?" Kennedy asked.
"Uh about two miles, maybe two and a half."
"I'm on it." This time Giles's' car led the way down the road and surely enough about a mile in a sign appeared in the distance.
'Welcome to Golden Pines!'
When Xander said a small town he certainly wasn't joking. There had to be only around ten rows of houses, each with the shutters and curtains drawn. The church looked as old as the parts of the manor from the times of the boys boarding school and the High School was unnaturally small, but then again it was probably proportional to the amount of students that attended it Nicholas thought.
'A Tavern is a bar right?' Xander thought as they drove passed a small building labelled 'Milton Pines' Irish Pub & Tavern'. The gas station was just up ahead. They pulled over next to it. The town seemed deserted except for an elderly lady walking her dog and quiet music coming from the bar. At the gas station nobody was behind the counter and even though Buffy argued, Nicholas just encouraged them to take the gas and go and that nobody would miss it. While the others went to go and get food from the closest grocery store Buffy and Willow, Willow oddly didn't feel safe without Buffy, went to find a pay phone. The payphone itself was a small, over-heated and transparent glass box. Willow and Buffy had to leave the door open to fit them both in. Being with Willow seemed to be like she was taking care of a child. She seemed so innocent, lonely and frightened but it seemed natural to Willow. And the fact that when the gang told her that she was a witch and she didn't run screaming for the guys in the white suits with the big needles to come and save her was a good sign that somewhere deep down she was still Willow. Buffy fished around for change in her hooded sweater and came up short but Willow had some in her jeans pocket. The phone itself had old dried up gum on the end which Buffy flicked off before she held it to her ear. It rung and rung for about forty-five seconds before a British man answered and said,
"Hello?"
"Giles? It's Buffy," she replied relieved that Giles finally picked up. He exhaled heavily before replying.
"Buffy...thank god. Are you alright? Have you found Willow?"
"Oh we found her alright," Buffy looked Willow up and down, "just not all of her."
"You're saying that she has lost limbs or something?" Giles sounded alarmed.
"No no no," Buffy reassured him. She felt she had to tell Giles everything even with Willow listening to her every word. 'Besides, she doesn't even know who Giles is let alone Anya or Tara or whoever it was that she wanted to bring back'. Buffy told him about everything that had happened since she left the manor. All about the Osiris worshipping Spanish demon to finding Willow on the edge of the Sunnydale crater.
"Good lord Buffy. And you're saying she has no memory of her life, at all?" he asked.
"None," she replied. "But after she did the spell to bring me back she never mentioned anything about losing her memory, temporarily or not. Which means..."-
Giles finished her sentence for her, "She was interrupted."
"My thoughts exactly." Willow did her best to understand but in the end gave up. Eventually she backed out of the payphone box and sat on the floor outside waiting for Buffy.
"Where are you? I've called many times but you were out of range," he asked.
"Yeah I know, sorry about that, there's no cell service out here, I'm using a payphone. Uh, Nicholas says were a couple miles from L.A."
"And Willow is with you now?" he questioned.
"Yeah, just outside the booth, why?" she replied.
"And there is no physical damage that may have caused her to lose her memory? Possibly a blow to the head?"
"Again I say no Giles. Are you going to play Oprah Winfrey some more or can you give me some kind of explanation?" Buffy asked in an impatient tone.
"There are just so many crucial questioned that need to be answered for me to determine who, or-or w-what could have done this Buffy. Too bad we don't know somebody very close to your location who can access Willow's' mind..."
"Lorne?" she suggested but was positive that it was Lorne whom Giles was referring to.
"Lorne," he agreed.
[-] Chapter 2
"You think he'll help us?" Buffy asked Giles through the phone in the over-heated phone booth. Willow was sitting outside the booth, legs crossed and arms in her lap.
"You don't?" Giles replied. He was sitting in his office after spending most of yesterday with Dawn.
"Well I don't know, I mean the last time we saw Angel was over a month ago and when I tried to call him after we got to the manor I got the machine at the Hyperion and Wolfram and Hart have been rejecting my calls," she said worryingly.
"Buffy…I'm sure Angel has just been busy, just as you have. And Lorne loves Willow, they got along well w-when we w-w-were in Los Angeles and I don't see any reason why he w-wouldn't help us," he said in finality.
"But I…"-
"Trust me Buffy."
She exhaled heavily in defeat and said, "Fine, give my love to Dawn?"
"Of course," he said.
"Thanks Giles, Bye." She hung up the phone and slid the door of the payphone to the side and stepped out. Willow got to her feet and said,
"Did everything go okay with that British man? Do you know how to get my memory back?" She looked at Buffy with stern prying eyes. They were filled with hope and Buffy felt awful for having to crash them.
"No Will, I'm sorry," she stroked her fingers through Willow's' hair, "but I can take you to somebody who might." Side by side they walked down a quiet street, too quiet, until they met Kennedy, Nicholas and Xander sitting on a curb outside a small corner store with a bag of soda cans, potato chips and fruit. Nicholas was enjoying a shining red apple and Xander was licking the cheese flavoring of the edges of his fingers and crumpling a bag of 'Cheesy Chips'. "Let me guess, nobody behind the counter in the store?" she was addressing them all but it was Xander who answered.
"Nu-uh. Everything is just there for the taking here, does anybody even live here? I mean where is everybody. This place really gives new meaning to the term Five Finger Discount. It's like a 'freakin video game."
They must have been on the road for about thirty-four hours in total in the space of around two days and during that time Buffy had noticed that Xander had sobered up and became…well…Xander. He was cracking jokes and talking and acting like he used to. She thought about the fact that she had to lose one friend to get the other back. "So Buff, what did Giles have to say?"
"He… uh, doesn't think that there's anything he can do to help Willow," Willow looked up at the mention of her name.
"So what then? We just wait around for scraps of Willow's' memory to come back? Not a chance in hell there has to be something," Kennedy added in an aggressive tone.
"There is something but you may not like it…" Buffy replied addressing them all. "He thinks we should go and see Angel, see if he can help us." She half expected Xander to start punching walls at the mention of Angels' name but he just looked at the floor. Kennedy seemed to think it was a good idea and it was Nicholas who stood up in protest.
"There will be no such thing!" he exclaimed. Buffy furrowed her brows in reply and put her hands on her hips.
"And just why not?" Buffy asked through gritted teeth.
"Because it is in violation of the contract you signed with me exactly three weeks and two days ago when you accepted the building." He puffed his chest out as to make himself look bigger. He was taller than Buffy anyway but he for some reason thought this would help his case.
"You never said anything about that to me or Faith when we signed that contract with Wolfram & Hart," she retorted.
"And it's my fault you never took the time to read the contract before you signed your name at the bottom, in blood I might add." Willow couldn't take the confusion, all the way through the argument she kept asking herself questions like,
Who the Hell is Angel? Why would we find help at a major Law firm like Wolfram & Hart? "Wait!" she exclaimed, "Somebody is going to have to explain all this to me; I mean it's my head that these lawyers at Wolfram & Hart are going to be playing around with."
Kennedy mumbled under her breath, "Lawyers my ass. I wouldn't be surprised if they had Teen Wolf do it, or Godzilla, or Big Foot or…"-
Willow cut her off, "What?" Xander jumped in then, he placed his hand on Willow's' shoulder and she took the hint that she should shut up now and ask questions later.
"Nicholas get your head out your ass, without Willow we have no way of knowing were any new Slayers are, they could be in trouble and they have no idea what's happening to them. We're going, end of story," Buffy argued. Nicholas shook his index finger from side to side in her face and said,
"Ah, ah, ah," he clicked his fingers and a bright spark erupted from them. He held out his hand and they glowed the same colour as the spark. Within seconds the contract Buffy signed three weeks ago smoked into Nicholas's' hands. It looked brand new and he began flipping through the pages.
'I guess I could just grab it, I could do it before he turned another page, and then I could just tear it up? Contract-Smontract' she thought.
"I wouldn't if I were you, I'll just conjure another copy," he mumbled as he flipped aside page nineteen. He must have heard what she was thinking. "Ah, um'hm, this is it. According to the contract:
Wolfram & Hart gives Ms. Summers full the rain of (add building address here) to use as she wishes for as long as she deems it useful. Blah, blah, blah, Ms Summers must house Nicholas Reynolds as the buildings liaison to the Senor Partner's blah, blah, blah..."-
"Are you done playing Law and Order? We have somewhere to be," Buffy scoffed interrupting him.
"Here it is: Ms. Summers must accept the fact that Wolfram & Hart is a multibillion and multi-dimensional company with clients that she would deem to be 'evil'. The Senor Partner's offered her (add building address here.) as compromise to acquire the new CEO of the Los Angeles branch of Wolfram & Hart. She is strongly advised to refrain from entering all Wolfram & Hart branches unless invited to do so by we The Senor Partners. We cannot be held responsible for our client's, at any branch in any dimension, attempts to kill, torture, hurt and or annoy any resident of (add building address here.) if you were to enter Wolfram & Hart.
Buffy Anne Summers.
"Y'know Nick, I'm 'gettin the impression you need to add that building address," Xander said.
"Ha ha," Nicholas replied sarcastically, "I've been somewhat pre-occupied helping Tabatha and Rupert that I haven't had the time."
"Well the contract said 'she is strongly advised' not to go in. It doesn't say anything about keeping the hell away right?" Kennedy added.
"She's right, and besides... I mean, it's Willow you guys. We have to go," Buffy said. Nicholas let the contract disappear leaving just a small puff of smoke hovering above their heads. He admitted defeat but he had one more problem to bring to everybody's attention. But before he could bring it up everybody was walking back to the car.
"Wait!" he exclaimed. They turned around to find Nicholas with his hands on his hips and tapping his foot.
"Now what?" Buffy asked in annoyance. Nicholas gestured his hands out towards everybody and said,
"Well I'm not going to let you go dressed like that, the Senor Partners will have my head." The gang looked down at themselves and they had to admit, they did all look like they had just broken out of Shaw-shank prison. Xander looked down at his shirt and combat pants and they were damp and smelling. Kennedy had a small bleeding wound on her upper arm from her fight with the demon while they were on their way to Sunnydale and Willow's' jeans' legs were a darker shade of blue to the colour on her butt because the dye had ran from the water. And Buffy's grey tracksuit hooded sweater was torn and dirty and her sushi pyjama bottoms were soaked right through.
"What do you expect us to do?" Kennedy asked.
"I bet there's a store around here somewhere," replied Xander. Sure enough Xander was right but calling it a store would be like calling a rat Godzilla. Nicholas and Xander found themselves a men's store on the corner near the bar and Buffy, Kennedy and Willow found a small boutique next to the church. Buffy managed to find herself a pair of black pants and boots, an 'I Heart NY' t-shirt and a dark coffee coloured leather jacket. Kennedy went with the more casual look, sneakers, army pants and a black vest top. Poor Willow just picked exactly what she was already wearing. White t-shirt and light blue jeans with black boots, except she got a new hair bobble to make her hair into a pony tail.
Xander picked himself out a black t-shirt and a plain white shirt to put over it while Nicholas picked out a whole new black Armani suit with a pale pink tie. He spotted a sunglasses rack and couldn't resist so he grabbed his favourite pair of Ray-Bans and headed for the counter. But in both store there again was nobody behind the counter. The town was badly deserted; the only other person they had seen was the old woman with the dog. They had agreed to meet up back at the food store. Buffy had combed her hair so it was down and wavy on her brown leather jacket. Willow and Kennedy had they hair up in a pony tail. Buffy guessed by Nicholas's' attire that there was nobody behind the counter in their store either. "Buff, lookin' good," Xander greeted.
"Thanks Xand, you too," she replied. "And Nick you look... uh..."-
"Smashing? Ravishing?" he said with a devilish grin as he played with his sleeves.
-"I was going to go with slightly over-dressed," she concluded. He shot her a look and she turned to Xander. "I guess we should get going then huh?"
"Works for me, where did we leave the cars?"
"By the gas station I think," Kennedy added. Buffy and Xander walked linked by their arms to the gas station while Kennedy, Willow and Nicholas trailed behind in polite conversation. Xander looked at Buffy.
"So Buff, what's the plan? I mean Nicholas said that going into Wolfram and Hart is dangerous, do we saddle up?" he asked concerned.
"Uh, I don't know. I mean if Angels running it then I don't think he'll let anything get too out of hand." 'That's assuming he lets us through the door.' Buffy thought. Surely enough the group found the cherry red car standing still right next to the sleek black car. Nicholas glanced down at his new watch; it read 8:58 am.
Nicholas began, "we should reach Los Angles at about 11:30 am and then Wolfram & Hart at lunch if we hurry. Did I mention I'm not on board with this plan, the consequences could be bruta..."-
"Nick, we overruled you already buddy, just accept defeat man," Xander said mockingly. They were about to climb into the car when in the distance the sounds of an enormous bell ringing echoed through the entre small town. Kennedy turned around to find out the origin of the noise and noticed a huge bronze bell perched on top of an old run down church with a bad white paint job.
"Hmm, must be a wedding?" Buffy guessed, "That would explain why there's nobody around."
"No I don't think so, my guess would be the 9:00 am service," Nicholas said as he stroked his chin, "but why would the shop keepers not lock the doors of the shops?"
"Well we are in the middle of nowhere," Kennedy said, "I mean how many robbers can a town this small get?" They all looked at her and shot her a look that meant 'Duh!' "Well...except for us... I mean." They were all about to let it go and get in the car when Willow suddenly spoke up,
"Wait!" she announced.
"Will, what is it, what's wrong?" Buffy asked getting back out the passenger's seat of Giles's' car.
"Something's wrong... this town and the people... they're um..." Willow was frantic, she was shaking her head from side to side so her pony tail swished about until in the end she grabbed her head and forced it to look at Buffy. "It's the church, something's going on in the church!"
"Are you sure?" Buffy asked. Buffy considered, if only for a second, that Willow was delusional. 'Her memory has gone AWAL; maybe her magic is the same? No, if Willow says that there's something wrong then I believe her. Even if she's close to being in the loony bin if this whole Angel thing doesn't work out'. Willow nodded her head. They all exchanged a worried look and waited for Buffy to give the usual orders. "Nicholas, you stay with Willow," she turned to Willow, "you'll be safe with him," she said convincingly. She turned back to Nicholas, "Look after her, I mean it." She turned to Xander and Kennedy, "you guys are with me. Go!" Buffy and Kennedy shot off at breakneck speed towards the sound of the ongoing gong of the church bell while Xander trailed behind and Willow stood awkwardly next to 'The suit guy' as she now called, him outside the gas station.
They arrived at the church gate; it was similar to the one at the manor except the churches' was a smidge smaller. The walkway up to the main double doors was littered with blood and several garments of clothing. The double doors were large in size and sort of a wooden/metal material. Buffy tried cautiously to open the gates without them creaking. When inside, Kennedy stalked up to the main double doors and found the left one was open just a crack. She could make out several nicely dressed church goers on one side but she couldn't see the other side without moving the door further open. The Alter and priest or pastor or whatever, wasn't in view either. Kennedy signalled Buffy and Xander to make their way passed the gate and up to her. "Okay so what's the sitch?" Buffy asked.
"I don't know, seems pretty normal to me except for... y'know...the blood spatter on the front lawn," Kennedy stammered.
"Well what's 'goin on inside?" Xander asked.
"Nothing out of the usual I don't think, but my guess isn't a good one. I've never been to church," Kennedy announced allowing Buffy to look through the crack between the doors.
Buffy began, "Looks like the whole town is in there..."-
"Shushhhhhhh!" Xander said interrupting her. Buffy and Kennedy looked at him and he pointed to the church. The girls heard it then too. The priest had started speaking.
The preacher guy started, "Well I think I've out done myself. Hahahahaha! Don't you? I've never taken so much Holy Blood and I couldn't feel...hungrier!"-
"Holy Blood? Vampire?" Kennedy suggested.
"Maybe, but that could be the wine too," Buffy added. They continued to listen.
"This is truly a special day, for all of the people in this room. A new chapter in the bible, magnificent isn't it? Shall I tell you my story of how our lord accepted me alone into his light? Of course you can't control yourselves can you? You're dying to hear it. I awoke this morn in my crypt in the graveyard out back with such hunger it was unbearable..."-
"Vampire," Buffy affirmed. "We have to get in there, but we have to be sure." She put both hands on the left door and tried to open it further but it was no use, it wouldn't budge even with hers and Kennedy's' combined Slayer strength. Then they thought to try the right door and it glided open without making the slightest of sounds, they could see everything now. But they slightly wished that they couldn't. Behind the left there was a litter of bodies of every age group...even children. Each body, from what they could see, had to puncture wounds in their necks and the blood from the bodies ran out from under the door and onto the walkway.
'How did we miss that? I think I'm 'gunna be sick'. Xander thought. Wooden benches stood in line stretching up to the Alter from the back door where Buffy was kneeling. It looked like an army ceremony with everybody in the room so still. The two rows of dark wooden benches had red blood stains on them in certain places. The church goers where shaking and holding their loved ones to their chest at a foolish attempt to protect them. Then Buffy spotted him, he was sitting on the Alter wearing black jeans and shoes and a tight black wife-beater vest top. His mouth was smeared with blood but he wasn't wearing his vamp face. He had a poor African American teenage girl by the throat and was forcing her to kneel beside him. The church had a huge stained glass window that portrayed what Xander thought was Jesus at the last supper. The sunlight shone through the window onto the centre isle in a sort of triangular shape. The vampire continued his speech.
-"I mean y'know I had to do something right? I hadn't fed for a night or two and it was either feed then or become a lunatic. A thought crossed my mind, I can make a break for the church and get good old father Thomas as he gets ready for this morning's service..."-
"Buff we can't wait any longer, that vamp could snap that poor girls neck while we just kneel here," he informed.
"I know, but don't you think this whole situation in bizarre? I mean its daylight," she exhaled and turned to Kennedy. "Okay um, Kennedy and I will take out the vampire, hopefully before he can kill that poor girl, and Xander you do your best to get the people out of there." Kennedy nodded in agreement.
'I've been cooked up in a car for about two days with ail breath here, I could use a tussle'. Kennedy thought.
"I concur," Xander said in response to Buffy's' orders.
"I'll go in first and get the vamp talking, and then when the fight breaks out Kennedy you come running and Xander you heard the townspeople 'outa there." Buffy got to her feet and pushed the door wide open so it banged against the nearest wall and would get the vamp's' attention. She glided up the isle with such grace, beauty and elegance...she had earned to be cocky too in her eight years of doing this. The church people turned around. The women's' make up had ran down their faces from possibly sweat or tears and the men just stared at Buffy in hope. The children didn't lift their heads from their mothers' chest. The vampire looked up and smiled at her devilishly. She stopped dead before she passed the first row of benches and put her hands on her hips. "Oh damn, am I late?" she asked childishly. The vampire released the girl from his grip and she scampered back to her grandparents. Kennedy and Xander watched from behind the half open right double door.
"Not by much, you can still join the party," the vampire smiled.
"Oh goody, I hate when I'm left out of things," she said in retaliation. The vampire gestured her to come closer but she just furrowed her brows and flicked her hair out of her eyes with a quick swish of the head.
"Who are you?" he asked, he knew that she weren't just another girl from Milton Pines.
"I love it when they don't know me, just adds something to the situation don't'cha think," she grinned childishly.
"Slayer..." he hissed. He shot off of the Alter and stood at the side of the first bench.
"Aren't you going to shout bingo?" she suggested tauntingly. The vampire growled and flinched. He turned his back to her; he was wearing his vamp face when he turned back around.
"So which one might you be? Faith? Buffy? Or one of the others? Since you bitches did your spell it's hard to keep up," he smirked. Buffy was stunned that he knew about the potential slayer spell after only about a month or so. She was stuck for words.
"What? You got nothing else? Word travels fast y'know. Most vamps are talking about what happened in Sunnyville..."-
"Sunnydale," Buffy corrected.
"Same difference. For a while I was scared that I might run into one of your slayers as I go about my business...but then the lord accepted me into the light." Buffy grabbed her stake from her jacket pocket and assumed her fighting stance.
"Let's see what we can do about that," she said as she ran at him. She ran through the sunlight patch on the centre aisle and was almost blinded it was so bright.
"Ah just like chess, the pawns always go first," he mumbled as her got himself ready for battle. Xander and Kennedy rushed in then, Kennedy shot up the centre aisle to Buffy's' aid and Xander began clearing the people off of each row in turn and leading them out of the church. When Kennedy arrived Buffy had scissor kicked the vampire across the room so he was sent tumbling over a bread and wine tray near the Alter. He got to his feet and lunged for Buffy. He managed to get her to the ground and started throwing continues fists at her face. She endured them all until she got the chance to lift her leg from under his body and catapult him into the confession box. Before Buffy could get up Kennedy was already going at the vampire like a cat to a mouse. "Two slayers," the vampire said as he dodged Kennedy's side-kick and elbowed her in the face, "the lord has truly blessed me today!" he exclaimed. Buffy flipped up from the floor and ran at him. She ducked under his attack but he was quick and he swirled around and bolted Buffy in the stomach leaving her winded on all-fours. Kennedy tapped him on the shoulder and when he turned around he was met by her first and he was sent sprawling onto the Alter. He stumbled to his feet. Kennedy knew that he was going to lunge at her from on top of the table and she didn't even have a stake. She spotted the triangular sunlight patch on the floor and she knew she was ready for him.
He plummeted onto Kennedy but she gripped him by the fibres of his vest top and launched his down the aisle, he skidded up the carpeted red street until his body was fully amerced in sunlight. She helped Buffy up and the two stood waiting for him to burst into flames. Instead the vampire just lay there laughing infamously.
"Buffy, what's going on? I thought vampire plus sunlight equals dust?" Kennedy said with a hint of worry. Xander had just finished clearing out all the townspeople at that moment and was standing at the door just as stunned as they were.
"Stupid, dirty whores! I told you, I have transcended to a higher being. Our father has accepted me into his light and his will be done!" He exclaimed.
"Buffy, what's going on!" Kennedy said loudly
[-] Chapter 3
Buffy was crumbling inside as Kennedy exclaimed at her for advice. All she had known for eight years seemed to be a lie, the rule was that vampires go boom in sunlight and she wondered what changed? When did it change? The vampire was still laughing standing in direct sunlight and everything seemed to be moving in slow motion to her. It sped up eventually though as she spotted Xander at the back of the church rummaging through broken benches to try to find a pointed shard of the wood. He got his hands on a large thin rod of wood and whacked it against the church walls so it shattered into two different individual pieces. The vampire heard the whack and spun around to find the source of it. He spotted Xander. "Well, well, well... look what the Slayer brought. And it took away all the sinners. Such actions should be punished..."-
"Can it padre!" Xander ordered aggressively, "Buffy, heads up!" He tossed the two stakes towards Buffy and Kennedy. She watched as it rolled up to her and thudded against the toes of her boots. What if stakes don't even work? She thought. Xander watched as Kennedy picked hers up and grasped it in her right hand but Buffy just remained hunched over holding her stomach from the blow she received moments ago. She stared at the stake. The vampire began to glide towards Xander. "Buffy! Are you serious! You've faced Giant snakes, Gods, uber-vamps and more and your still standing," he backed up towards the wall in an attempt to add more distance between himself and the vamp, "and you've gone all frozen 'cozza this guy. Buffy, he's just another vampire, and your..."- the vampire gripped Xander by the throat and lifted him off of his feet so that just the toes of his shoes lightly caressed the bloody floor, "your Buffy Summers!" he managed to get out.
"Hey!" Buffy shouted. The vampire smiled to Xander and turned around. Buffy was standing up-right and looking mighty fine. She had picked up the stake and was gripping it loosely in her right hand which she let casually dangle beside her torso. "Didn't you hear him fangy?" Kennedy went to charge but Buffy pulled her back and she took the hint. She backed away but not too far in case Buffy had bitten of more than she could chew. No pun intended. Buffy continued, "You had me scared there for a moment. So what are you? Some warlock vampire who thinks God has blessed you personally? Cute." The vampire growled and released Xander. Xander dropped to the floor and took refuge next to Kennedy.
"You need to learn some manners little girl!" the vampire scolded. Buffy chuckled tauntingly.
"And you," she stepped into the patch of sunlight, "need to learn a few life lessons too, guess it's kinda' late now huh?" Buffy charged at the vampire and began with a scissor kick that he dodged and ducked under. He swerved under her back hand attack but he didn't account for the back kick to his chest that sent him hurtling into the benches.
I almost feel sorry for the bastard Xander thought. They fought until they were both directly under the sunlight patch. The vampire catapulted himself off of one side of the bench and caught Buffy square in the jaw with the heel of his boot. She twirled around with the force of his kick and gripped her jaw. She jumped into the air and caught the vamp in the nose with a back hand. She back flipped over his entire body until they were back to back. She inhaled deeply to rely on her senses to find the vampires heart. She thrust the stake behind her and she felt it enter the vampires' body. She released her hold on the stake and turned around. It had gone right through the vampires' heart.
"Dust, you're just like the rest of 'em," Buffy spat. The vampire fell forward and that familiar sight of him exploding into dark bread crumbs soothed Buffy. Kennedy and Xander rushed to her aid and they eventually left the church and headed back to the gas station.
"So Buff what d'we tell the town about yeno...the vampire who walks around in sunlight?" Xander asked puzzled.
"Uh, drugs?" she suggested with a mumbled chuckle.
"Ah good o'l drugs," Xander replied. They returned to the gas station to find Willow fumbling with her fingers sitting next to a gas pump and Nicholas playing with the car wash hose.
"Ah you're back and rather...battered," Nicholas greeted.
"Nice to see you too," Buffy retorted.
"You know what I mean, what happened in there?"
"I guess you could say there was a very pale drug addict wearing mounds and mounds of sun screen," Buffy said. Kennedy and Xander laughed. It's good that they learned to laugh about it. Willow and Nicholas were baffled. Buffy told Willow the story while they were on their way to L.A. She guessed Xander had too. Although Kennedy made it sound a lot more dramatic than it actually was.
So Vampires' are real then...great, Willow thought sarcastically. They failed to mention that one. "Well why didn't you call the British man? I mean if vampires are supposed to y'know," she made and exploding gesture in her hands, "and t-this one didn't..."-
Buffy cut her off, "his name is Giles, Will and because that's going to have to be another days' problem. Right now you're priority one okay?" Willow smiled weakly and nodded her head.
Giles is going to kill me when he finds out that I didn't call him right away Buffy thought. It must have been around 10:00 am and Buffy had had barely more than an hour's sleep for two days. She rested her head on the car window and took one last look at the desert image in front of her through the wind screen before closing her eyes and hopefully drifting to sleep. She was overwhelmed with thoughts of Angel.
Over a month ago at the Hyperion Hotel...
Angel had been known for his brooding; it defined him amongst other things. He'd just got back from Sunnydale a couple of hours ago and was sitting alone in his room wearing black pants, boots and a black long sleeved t-shirt. He was sitting in a red arm chair with his nose in Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte for the hundredth time. Fred, Gun, Wesley and Lorne had already caught the limo that was waiting for them outside to take them to Wolfram & Hart. Angel laughed at how they tried but failed to be quiet. He had been watching CNN on his out-of-date T.V for hours now just waiting for news about Aliens coming from the earth in the quiet suburban town of Sunnydale, California or Mass bodies of dead girls found in Sunnydale High. But instead he watched reporters report on whales being harpooned and government scandals. He finished the book and tossed it onto his bed. He knew his colleagues were going to fall in love with Wolfram & Hart and that they would argue with him that they should take Lilahs' offer so about an hour ago he had began sorting through his old novels and memento's and packing them into cardboard boxes. He got out of his chair to put Wuthering Heights in the 'keep' pile.
He heard a muffled voice on the T.V, probably some reporter doing a story on Niagara Falls, he thought. It was when he heard the voice of an African American woman that the vampire with a soul stopped dead and revolved to face the T.V. He sat himself back in his chair and listened contently to the woman speak.
"Breaking News!" read the headline. The woman was wearing a red suit and was sitting behind a white desk. She began:
"Well this just in that the suburban town of Sunnydale in southern California has been wiped off the map. Our reporters where sent there initially to surprise a lucky prize winning campaigner when they came across this astonishing find." CNN showed a picture of the Sunnydale crater and Angels' insides felt like they had just been frozen with liquid nitrogen and shattered. He was shaking his head from side to side and fought back the sting of tears. "Archaeologists' are calling it the strangest phenomenon since Stonehenge. The entire town has been swallowed by a huge sinkhole that goes on for miles. Others are calling it Alien activity and the government have not yet made a statement. What is most bizarre I think is the fact that according to airline, bus station and train records almost every single resident of Sunnydale had fled the town days and even weeks before. They small highway leading into Sunnydale that was not in fact 'swallowed up' however has been marked with large tire marks matching that of a bus or coach..."
Angel stood up and pinched the root of his nose in-between his eyes with his index-finger and thumb. His beloved Buffy, his little blonde world, his reason for existence had been stolen from him for third time and this time there was no Xander to revive her and no Willow to do another ritual. She was gone. He was alone. Alone. For eternity.
He sat back down on his bed and fumbled with the remote to switch off the T.V. The room was encased with darkness but Angel could see perfectly fine. His vampire hearing picked up the sound of a long car, maybe a van, pulling up outside the hotel. He suspected that Fred, Wesley, Gun and Lorne had just got back from Wolfram & Hart. He heard the front doors swing open and to him it sounded like a bit of a struggle. But he couldn't care. Buffy was dead. Then he smelt it, minutes later he smelt it. The fresh smell, like ocean air sweep into him. It has to be my imagination he thought. He flew off of the bed and swung open the door to his suite. The hallway light shone in the room and things in it became clearer.
She was the last person he expected to see, even though he knew her scent like his own but he could scarcely believe it. She was standing there just looking at him with those beautiful wide rainforest green eyes. Her blue jeans where torn around the knees and her white blouse and beige jacket were all ruffled and dirty. She had her tiny fist raised to about his chest like she was about to knock but he opened the door before she got the chance.
"Hey," she said as she exhaled. She was relieved that Angel was home. Angel threw himself around her and buried his head in her hair. He pulled her inside his room and knocked the light on. She spotted the boxes on his bed out of the corner of her eye just before she buried her head in his chest and returned his embrace. He almost crushed her but he feared that if he let her go she would dissolve or something.
"Buffy...thank god. I thought I'd lost you again," he said. She hugged him for a moment longer.
"Angel...oxygen, becoming an issue," she said to his chest.
"Oh, right," he released his hold on her and he led her to the bed were she sat down amongst the boxes and he sat in his armchair. They sat in silence for a while just staring at each other. She eventually smiled and dropped her gaze to her thighs which draped over Angels' bed.
"I can't imagine what you're thinking right now," she said.
"I'm thinking I'm happy to see you and think god you're alive," he replied.
"That's good, I guess. And of course you too. You're in need of a serious explanation huh?"
"It can wait." She stood up and paced up and down the room. He spotted the bleeding wound in her white blouse. He got up to and took a look at it.
"You can explain this though, what happened?" he asked. She looked down to where his familiar fingers were tracing her stab wound. She barely felt the pain from it anymore, it was numb.
"Oh trust me this is like a paper cut compared to some of the others." He stood up and held her by the hips.
"Others? Xander and Willow and the potentials? They're all here?" He asked.
"Those that made it through the fight, yeah. Angel there's something you should know about the potentials." Buffy took him by the hand and led him out of the room. She led him to the first floor balcony where there was around twenty or thirty slayers, some more injured than others and some without barely a scratch. Willow was tearing up bandages for an Asian girl who lay down on one of the lobby couches unconscious. She smiled up to them as she spotted them on the landing. Xander was huddled in a corner alone and Faith was working with Kennedy on Mr. Wood. She spotted Buffy and Angel on top of the stairs and walked over to stand at the bottom.
"Well look at'chu big cheese, all no broody now B's here. Got room for a few hormonal teenagers?" she winked. Angel smiled and hid his face as it went a tiny shade of red. Faith went back to Kennedy.
"And Willows' spell worked then," he said.
"Looks that way," Buffy replied. Angel ushered her back to his room so they could talk some more and she could get a cleaned up. He took a few bandages from the first aid kit from his floor and after Buffy got out the shower he tried to stop the bleeding from his wound. Buffy had no clothes so she just through on one of Angels' t-shirts which was way too big and a pair of his boxers. They sat back down on the bed together. "Well these are oddly comfortable," she smiled, her hair dripping on his duvet cover. He didn't care, he was with his Buffy. He looked at her sternly and she recognised the look. "What is it?" she asked stroking his cheek.
"It's nothing," he replied.
"No you have something face," she argued. He looked into her eyes and then down into his lap. They both sat up and pushed a few boxes on the floor to give themselves more room. They sat facing each other cross-legged. Angel began,
"I, uh...noticed that...um, that spike wasn't among the fray downstairs," He felt miles better for getting that off his chest but the look in Buffys' eyes made him want to stake himself right there and then.
"Spike...uh," she stuttered a bit and Angel suddenly wished he could rewind time, "he's not in the picture anymore. He...um... wore your necklace thing and he sacrificed himself to save us, to save the world." The commotion downstairs had died down by now and a lot of the Slayers had chosen a room and gone up to bed. It was probably likely that Angel and Buffy were the only two awake.
"Did you love him?" Angel asked. Oh god, I didn't mean to say that out loud, it just burst outa me. She looked up at him, she had a hint of shock and anger in her eyes but he couldn't look at her without feeling insane guilt for asking that question.
"How can you ask me that now?" she spat.
Angel began to try to defend himself, "I know, I'm sorry. I d-didn't mean..."-
"No I think you did mean it. Angel we haven't been together for a very long time. What gives you the right to ask me things like that and expect an answer?" she got off the bed and paced up and down the border of the bed.
"I'm not expecting an answer from you Buffy..."-she stopped abruptly and looked at him and cut him off from finishing his sentence.
"So what? You were just going to ask me that and let it float around in the atmosphere until I felt it was a good time to answer you?" Buffy was angry now, she didn't want to be but she couldn't control herself.
"So you do have an answer but you don't feel like sharing?" Angel was getting upset now and he threw back at her whatever she threw at him.
"Who do you think you are Angel?"
"I just wanna know where we stand here Buffy because I'm walking on egg shells right now."
"No Angel you've pretty much crushed them into little tiny pieces by now."
"Buffy it's a simple question, yes or no..."-
"Do you love Cordelia!" Angel was stopped in his tracks. He just looked at her. "Yeah Angel, I've heard the rumours."
"You mean did. Past tense," the mention of Cordelia put knots in Angels' stomach. He felt like he failed her, failed to protect her but he'd never say it, to anyone. Ever.
"Huh?" Buffy was confused.
"Cordelia's in a coma." Angel hid his face and put his back to her on the bed.
"W-what happened? Was s-she s-sick or..."- Buffy stuttered.
"Demon got her. Not long ago." Angel understood now why Buffy reacted to his question like she did. She must've felt the same for Spike as he did for Cordie. He turned back to Buffy who was sitting upright in the armchair with her head in her hands. "Buffy I'm sorry, I d-didn't mean..."- she lifted her head from her hands.
"Yeah, I uh didn't mean... either. I'm sorry too."
Angel scratched the back of his neck while trying to figure out how to tell her about Wolfram and Hart. "Yeah, I guess we, uh, have some catching up to do," he said finally.
"We really do," she replied. None of them said anything after that, they just looked at the floor and basked in the silence. Buffy finally said, "I think one of us should say something before Willow starts wondering where I am in the morning." Angel laughed.
"Who goes first?" he asked. It turned out that Angel went first. He began talking about when Buffy left about four years ago after Faith came to town. He lingered the longest on the whole Darla incident and dreaded when he would have to tell her about Connor. He told her how Wesley had gotten his throat cut open by the Slayer who was called after Buffy died last, Justine, after Wesley stole Connor. Then how Connor was taken to a hell dimension and returned six months later as a teenager. Then there came the incident with Cordelia and Jasmine and how Cordelia became a higher being. He left out a few hazy need-to-know details and then that was it. He left out the part were Connor left him at the bottom of the ocean for a whole summer just so she wouldn't freak out if she ever met him. Then there was Lilahs' offer about Wolfram & Hart. He told her about the deal he was going to make with the firm to give Connor a normal life. She protested at first but he convinced her that he was doing the right thing.
And then it was her turn.
She began after he left after graduation. She explained the situation with Riley and the Initiative and how they met Adam. Then she explained that that's how Spike got his chip so he couldn't harm anybody.
Then she realised that as far as Angel knew, Dawn was actually Buffys' kid sister. He had trouble taking in the fact that most of his memories were created by monks but he promised Buffy that he would treat Dawn no differently. Then there was Glory slash Ben and she explained how she had to sacrifice herself to close the portal that Dawn was the key too and his grip on her hand tightened.
He laughed quite a bit when she told him about the song and dance demon but then he got all serious when she mentioned that that is when she told her friends that she wasn't in a hell dimension at all, she was in heaven. Or her conception of heaven anyway. He had another hard time believing that Willow went super evil and almost destroyed the world but Buffy explained about Willow and Tara and he began to understand. He defiantly saw Willow in a different light after that.
He pretty much knew all there was to know about the potential Slayers and the First. She cleared a few hazy details up about Caleb though.
"There's a brunette girl down there called Kennedy who is Willows' new girlfriend. Faith made with the smoochies with the High School principal and it turns out Spike killed his Mom. She was one of the two Slayers he killed when he was all y'know...Spike."
"Well if we're keeping score I think it's pretty safe to say you've blown me out of the water," Angel said. "I don't know how you do it Buffy, you're so strong..."-
Buffy started, she took her eyes out of his gaze out of embarrassment, "I'm really not, I have to be honest. There were times this year when I finally got a turn to use my own bath tub, and I'd dunk my head under the water to wet my hair and face and the thought that I could just stay under the water and in about five minutes my problems would just go away. I mean I've drowned before. A second time would've been..."-
"Yeah but you got your head out of the water. There's the strength." She met his gaze.
"Yeah I guess."
"You know you could stay here tonight?" Angel proposed without looking into her eyes. A night in Angels' arms seemed like the perfect reward for her, "if you want?"
"That would be perfect." Angel cleared the boxes off of the bed and climbed into bed with his darling Buffy. Her soaking wet hair was only damp now but he didn't care. Her hair could be on fire and he wouldn't let her out of his arms for anything. He kissed her on the head and said something into her ear.
"Buffy?" he asked in an almost in-audible whisper.
"Um-hm?" she replied. Her eyes were closed and she felt herself drifting to sleep.
"Do you um... think you might be cookies?"
Everything got fuzzy after that, the feel of Angels' body next to hers dissolved and the hotel room went along with him. She felt her head vibrating as the car she was in pulled up into a stop. Kennedy was nudging Buffy on the shoulders and Xander was knocking on the window. She didn't want to open her eyes, she just wanted Angel.
"Buffy wake up?" Xander said loudly from outside the passenger window. Buffy reluctantly and groggily opened her eyes and she was met by the sight of a huge parking lot filled with expensive cars that was surrounded by tall skyscrapers.
"What is it?" she mumbled.
"We're here," Nicholas announced. Buffy turned around and looked out the rear view window and spotted a black rectangular sign with huge white letters that read,
Wolfram & Hart
Attorneys at Law.
To be continued...