"So who want's to ask Deadboy a question?" Xander asks once they're all seated.
"Xander! You were dared! In fact we need to come up with a punishment in case he slips." Buffy says, then thinks for a moment. "Oh I know! Every time you slip you have to do the snoopy dance. In front of everyone."
"Okay, sorry. It wont happen again." Xander apologizes. Buffy looks at him expectantly and crosses her arms. Xander groans and commences to perform the snoopy dance.
"As entertaining this may be, I do believe we have some pressing matters at hand." Giles reminds them.
"Okay I have a question from Dawn. Will we age, or will we stay like this forever?" Buffy asks, starting the round of questions.
"They said that you should stop aging around the same age I was when I was turned, so around 25. Giles should start aging backwards every year until he's 25." Angel explained. Giles frowns at that and removes his glasses, cleaning them.
"They? They who? You haven't told us where you got this information yet. How do you know they're trustworthy?" He asks as he puts the, now clean, glasses back on.
"Yeah! Giles is right, we don't know where you got this information, how do we know it's true? They could be pranksters!" Xander agrees. Buffy and Angel wince at the word choice, both thinking of the forgotten day.
"So, Angel, who were these mysterious informants?" Giles asks again.
"The Oracles." Buffy and Angel supply as one.
"And these Oracles are?" The Watcher prods.
"They're a way of contacting the Powers That Be. They have a connection that allows them to communicate with the Powers. They're higher beings, but can be contacted through the 'Gateway For Lost Souls', which is under the post office for some reason." Angel explains.
"And how do you know them?" He prompts. Angel pauses and looks over to Buffy. She nods at him, silently telling him that it was okay.
"Doyle had a vision of someone in trouble. I went and helped them out, and then they came to find me to ask why I helped them. While we were talking a demon crashed through the window. It escaped, I tracked it to the sewers and fought it. I had thought I killed it, but I didn't. But while I fought it something happened, something amazing. It made me human. Doyle took me to the Oracles to determine whether it was real or not. It was, and I spent the rest of the day the happiest I had ever been. But the demon had regenerated itself and I had to go find it. Afterwards I realized that I couldn't help people the way I was, so I asked the Oracles to take it back. They did and now I'm the only one who remembers." He tells them vaguely.
Buffy leans over and whispers into his ear. "You're not alone anymore, lover." Angel leans over and takes Buffy's hand, squeezing it slightly.
"Interesting." Giles mumbles to himself. He looks up at the group in front of him and raises his eyebrows. "Does anyone else have a question for Angel?" He asks them. Everyone answers in the negative. "Very well, in that case I would like everyone to please exit my apartment, now." Giles ushers them all out the door and locks it behind them.
"What's his deal? He's been acting all recluse-y lately. Something's definitely up." Buffy mutters, glaring at the locked door.
"I think he has a new orgasm buddy." Anya states in her tactless way.
"Remember what we said about censuring your thoughts Ahn? Well that would have been a good place to do that." Xander tells her, wrapping one arm around her shoulders.
"I did. I was thinking of describing what he would be doing, but decided against it." She tells him, proudly. Everyone shudders at the mental image that followed that statement.
"Okay, raise your hand if 'ew'?" Buffy asks them, grimacing. Everyone raises their hand.
"Right. Why don't we wash this scaring mental image away with coffee or something?" Angel suggests, grimacing himself.
"Good idea. Why don't we go to The Bean and figure out our next course of action." Buffy says, everyone nodding in agreement. They walk back to town and got a table at The Bean, the local coffee shop. They sit and chat, deciding to go to the Bronze and spend a little pent up energy. Oz and Tara both get up and leave, Tara to go to class, Oz to go… do Oz things.
'God, it's been so long since we went to the Bronze, or at least it feels like it. Everything is so different. I wonder who's playing?' Buffy thinks to herself.
'Dingoes.' A voice responds. Buffy's head snaps up. Did she just say that out loud? No, everyone else is still caught up in their conversations. Everyone except Willow. She's staring at Buffy with a smile on her lips.
'Willow? Is that you? Since when are you telepathic?' Buffy's thoughts go straight to her brief time as a telepath.
'Oh it's just a spell. Don't worry, it's not an "aspect of the demon" thing. I can control it.' Willow replies in her head. Buffy blinks a few times at her friend.
'Oh. Okay. Just don't snoop! I have private thoughts that are private! They should not be snooped upon!' She tells her, a blush creeping onto her face.
Willow laughs in her head, a smile spreading on her face. 'You're thought-babbling.'
'Oh sorry!' Buffy apologizes, her blush deepening.
'You don't have to worry Buffy. I can only hear the surface thoughts and the ones you want me to hear. Some people have really loud thoughts, so it's harder to tune out their subconscious thoughts, but you have Slayer control. You should be fine. So, no. I can't hear your secret "Angel" thoughts.' Willow teases her.
'Is it possible to mentally blush? 'Cause I think I am.' Buffy sends back to her friend.
A voice from the real world interrupted their conversation. "Buffy? Are you okay? You haven't said anything in a while."
"I'm fine Angel. Just thinking." Buffy replies, sending a secretive look to Willow.
"If I didn't know better I'd say you were brooding." Xander teases. Buffy laughs at him.
"Nah Xander, that's Angel's job. I'm supposed to be the preppy blonde who comes up with the witty one-liners. Willow's the computer nerd, you're the goofy sidekick, Anya's the socially awkward one, and Giles is they fatherly figure. We're a set. All we're missing is our slutty brunette friend." Buffy reminds her friends.
"Which one? Cordy or Faith?" Willow asks, grinning herself.
"Either one." Buffy says, deadpan. The group laughs and continue to drink their coffee, catching up. They leave after they finish their coffee and separate to change into their 'Bronzing' clothes.
Angel walks Buffy home and leaves, promising to see her later that night. He walks around town, reacquainting himself with it. He notices that the town is rather empty of both vampires and demons. Which means, unless Buffy was doing a really good job Slaying, which didn't seem very likely (hey, he loves her, but she gets distracted easily), someone else was doing her job for her. The Initiative.
He rounds the corner and catches a glimpse of people in military garb entering the mansion. He hesitates a second before continuing after them. He enters the mansion from the front door and tenses, preparing to fight. Slowly he makes his way to the living room. He rounds the corner...
And freezes.
A dozen guns are pointed straight at him.
"Do you always welcome new people this way, or am I special?" He asks them with a sly grin.
"I think we all know you're not a person." One of the soldiers, probably the leader, responds. Angel growls at him, recognizing his smell.
"Let me guess, Riley. Of course. It figures that I would run into you eventually." He mutters to himself.
"I'm sorry, do I know you?" The soldier questions him.
Angel smirks. "Let's just say we have a mutual friend." He replies, cryptically as always.
"I don't remember having friends that fraternize with vampires." Riley growls, hefting his gun higher.
"To bad your friends can't say the same." Angel responds.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Riley demands. Angel just smirks and raises an eyebrow.
"Ri are we going to banter all night, or are we going to bag this HST?" A different soldier asks.
"Bag him." Riley responds. All the soldiers fire at once. Angel goes down, stunned. Before he completely blacks out he manages to say something.
"Buffy really isn't going to be happy with you when she finds out I'm missing. She really doesn't like people kidnapping her boyfriend." Then everything goes black.