Disclaimer: I own nothing but the ideas in my head. Saban, JK Rowling, and Joss Whedon own the characters and universes.

Whispers in the Dark – Chapter 5

*Kim and Kat's apartment*

Kim had been lounging around all day in her PJ's, taking the day off after their adventure in Sunnydale. Though she wanted to get right back to it, Kat convinced her instead to call a sub for her gymnastics classes. She spent the day unpacking all the things she bought in Sunnydale, doing the laundry, and then finally watching a couple TV shows that Kat had taped for her. When Kat finally walked in the door, Kim noticed the redness in her eyes, obvious that she had been crying for most of the day.

"Hard day?" Kim asked sympathetically.

"Yeah..." Kat spoke quietly.

"Want to talk about it?" Kim prodded gently, but Kat shook her head.

"No... I mean, it's the same thing again," she confessed guiltily. "I don't need to bore you again with how Adam and Tanya's deaths are so hard for me."

"You don't bore me with it Katherine," Kim affirmed. "I loved them too, you know? I still miss them, I know how you feel."

"I just wish that every time someone said something to remind me of them, I wouldn't just break down into a stupid mess!" She finally put down her bags and thrust herself into the chair across from the sofa where Kim had been sitting. She thought for a moment and let out a heavy sigh. "How are YOU doing?"

"Eh... I'm all right," Kim said, but it gave Kat the feeling she was a bit out of it, as if she were zoning out. Kat was about to ask another question, but then Kim continued. "Do you ever get the feeling someone is watching you? You know, not in the room with you, but from afar?"

"Well, there were all those times with Rita and Zedd, and the Machine Empire."

"Good point," Kim confessed. "Still... I don't know, it was just that while I was doing laundry, and then again as I sat down to watch the tv, I just felt really weird. Like someone was staring right at me."

"Do you think it's because of what you guys went through in Sunnydale?"

"Maybe... I'm still freaked out that maybe we didn't actually find the people who took apart Tommy's jeep in the first place. Maybe I'm just over-reacting."

"Well, for now maybe we can think that way. But if you keep feeling this way, Kim, we should check it out, see if someone really is creeping around. Until then, we can at least pray that it's just your imagination."

"Thanks Kat," Kim smiled warmly, with which the tall blonde reciprocated. The two women talked for a little longer, mainly about Kim's new wardrobe additions that she had purchased in Sunnydale, and typically much lighter conversation. It was nearing 10:00 PM, and Kim knew she would need to get some sleep to get ready for her gymnastics classes, so she got up from the couch and let out a big yawn. "I'll see you in the morning, Kat. I need to get some sleep."

"Sure thing," Kat replied, getting up from her comfy chair. "You know, you still need to fill me in on your discussion about the future with a certain Thomas Oliver." Kim grinned widely at her roommate.

"I can fill you in at lunch tomorrow," she said, winking at her.

*Sunnydale High School*

Buffy was part relieved, part scared-to-death, as she stared down one of her classmates. He had mutated himself into a vicious monster, both in appearance and in the depths of his soul, as his jealousy and fierce strength led him to murder his girlfriend, who he currently stood over in the spacious, dark, storage space that they currently found themselves in. Though Buffy didn't know what to do, she at least knew that Oz, who had been going through his monthly werewolf transformations, wasn't the cause of the random murder the night before. It was this creature. They started to fight, Buffy's enhanced strength barely able to handle the vicious slashes of the man's razor-sharp, extended, fingernails. His muscles and bulged, his veins popping out from his face, his shirt torn just slightly. It was as if he had become a demonic version of the Hulk. He caught Buffy with his knee right into her mid-section, and she flew into wall, breaking shelves that held anything from books to beakers. Blood was trickling down her back, as shards of glass had punctured her just enough. She tried to move but it was too late... the creature caught her by the neck. She struggled against his tight grip, but to no avail, feeling the sharp nails starting to dig into the skin of her neck. And then it happened... she was free. She spun to the hard floor. Before she could get up and see her savior, she heard gruesome, animal like tearing and grunting. 'Oz?' She thought. However, as she turned to look, it was a man who was naked, tearing into the other man, and then finally snapping his neck. She looked to see a tattoo, one she was all too familiar with. He turned to see her, blood dripping from his lips.

"Angel?" She gasped, not knowing whether to hug him strongly or to run away in fear. But he growled, and then ran out of the room, like a caged beast who had just been let free. She followed him from a far distance. Her slayer training had helped her track vampires, so she was able to stay far enough behind to keep him from noticing her. They went through the woods, until her eyes landed on the mansion. She saw him go into the building, but she decided to wait, seeing that dawn was beginning to come. 'Did the night go by that quickly?' she thought. As daylight began to pierce through the night, she approached the mansion. She breached the threshold of the entrance, to see the tormented ensouled vampire whom she loved, writhing in agony on the floor and in his nakedness. She dared to keep inching closer, not knowing what to expect. He looked up, sensing her presence, and began to calm.

"Bu... Buffy?"

"Let me take care of you," she whispered, and went and found clothes and put them on him carefully. Though she knew he recognized her, he had never seen him fight like he had, or be in such agony, as she had just seen him in. What if he snapped? It was like Angel read her mind as he responded to her.

"Cuffs... in the closet. Lock me up." Buffy retrieved heavy, steel handcuffs, and fastened them to his wrists, and then fastened them to a pipe on the wall. As Buffy observed the vampire she loved, she noticed him go through a myriad of emotions. It was odd that he hadn't clothed himself before, but it seemed that without her presence, he would go completely berserk. Between his short moments of coherence were outbursts of grunts and growls, and then moments of extreme pain and agony. It was like he was remembering intense torture, which then turned him into an animal of rage and primal instinct. But when Buffy came near, the affect on him was undeniable. As she came close to him again, he reacted strongly, with deep growls and the appearance of bloodlust in his eyes, forcing the shackles on his wrists to tighten. Buffy gasped and stepped back, allowing this latest bout of fury to run its course. He finally stopped, gasping for air as he collapsed, his arms gone taut by his restraints. It took time, but he finally succumbed to exhaustion. Buffy stood and stared for a while, and then finally chose to leave, figuring she would return. Maybe, she could restore him to sanity long enough to understand what was going on.

She went home, where Joyce had all ready left for the day. She went to her room and, despite the fact that she had school that day, laid down on her bed and drifted to sleep from her battles and emotional strain. All she could think about was that Angel, the vampire she loved, had comeback from the dead. The question she now had was 'how?'

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- Googz333