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~*Four Years Later*~
Willow sidled up next to Buffy, casually chewing on a piece of celery. "Was
that Angel's voice I heard?"
Buffy's mouth was open, but she was silent. She touched the answering
machine carefully, with a trembling hand, tracing over the speaker lightly.
After a moment, she answered with a whispered, "Yes."
Willow looked at her in concern. "And we're not happy about that?"
Buffy finally looked up. "Oh. No, it's not... I'm not *unhappy* about it.
Not really. I just... I didn't expect..."
Willow laid a hand on her shoulder, her eyebrows knitted. "Expect him to
call, right? How long has it been, Buffy? I know you haven't forgotten him."
"It's been... A little over four years, I think. Since I saw him for those
few minutes in LA." Her eyes were bright, shimmering with tears. Her voice
shook. "I thought, maybe, that I was... You know, over him. I didn't think
I would feel like this, and all I did was hear his voice."
She turned to Willow, who frowned, in anguish. Willow studied her for a
moment. "What did the message say?"
Buffy cracked a tense smile. "What else? Big trouble. Naturally. I guess
too big for him to just come to Sunnydale and watch over me in the dark..."
She trailed off.
"Did he say what *kind* of trouble?" Willow pressed.
"No. Just to get Giles-- Angel couldn't reach him-- and everyone, and to
come to LA as soon as possible. And that we should pack to be there for at
least a week," Buffy explained, calming. Her smile this time was a little
more relaxed. "He really loves going all Cryptinator on us, doesn't he?"
Willow laughed. "He always has," she agreed. Then she tugged on Buffy's
hand. "Come on. We need to pack, get Giles... You know, assemble the
troops."
Buffy nodded, took one last lingering look at the answering machine, and
then
followed Willow to the closet.
* * * * * * * * * *
"I had taken some cold medication!" Giles protested for the umpteenth time.
"How was I supposed to know that it would make me sleep so heavily?"
"You weren't." Xander smiled. "That's why people read the labels on the
bottles before they take it. If not, we'd all walk around in a coma."
Giles grumbled something under his breath, falling silent when they reached
the sign that read that LA was less than twenty minutes away. He took a
sidelong glance at Buffy, his eyes worried. "Are you doing all right?"
She bit her lip. "Yeah. A... little nervous, I think. I'm pretty
different, it's been a long time. But overall, I'm fine. At least, I'm
pretty sure that I'm fine."
Xander reached over the seat to rub her shoulders for a moment, calming her.
She threw a smile behind her shoulder in thanks, and he pulled his hands
away, looking at her contemplatively. "You're not *that* different, you
know."
"Please," she muttered. "Even I see it."
"Buff, your hair is longer and you're thinner, but that's all," he pointed
out.
Willow shook her head. "No, I can see it, too," she said softly. "I don't
think that's what she means. It's... something inside of you, right?
Something older?"
Buffy nodded. "Right. Sort of like I'm not who I was, who I've always been.
I've changed a lot in that respect. I've been planning on meeting him again
someday, you know, when I was all pulled together and could control myself...
And now I don't know if that'll be possible." She gave a tight laugh. "Look
at me. The Slayer afraid of a vampire. Who *isn't* even evil," she added.
"It's just weird."
Giles smiled compassionately. "Well, perhaps this is just nerves talking.
You never know; you may see him and be completely at ease with the
relationship you two once shared. It *has* been a long time."
Buffy straightened her spine, sitting up. She nodded again, decisively.
"You're right. I shouldn't stress. I should just... Take things as they
come, and live with whatever happens," she said resolutely.
The only problem was, she didn't believe her words.
* * * * * * * * *
They slowed and halted in front of Angel's detective agency. The group piled
out, but Buffy remained seated for a moment, gathering her courage, banishing
the thoughts and dreams of him that had haunted her in the four years they
had been separated. It wouldn't do any good to think of those things now.
All it would do was bring heartache. And she figured that she'd had enough
heartache in her life.
Willow glanced at her as she, Giles, and Xander made their way up the steps.
She nodded in Buffy's direction, but as Giles and Xander turned to go back,
Willow shook her head, indicating that they should go on in. After
hesitating for a moment, they nodded their heads back, and went inside.
Willow hopped down the steps and approached the car. She knelt down, opening
the door. "Come on out," she encouraged quietly.
"Are you sure I can't just stay in here and come out when it's time to
fight?" Buffy asked in a small voice.
"Buffy." Willow became stern. "You're twenty-two years old. You're the
strongest Slayer in history. If Angel gets saucy, I'll stake him for you,
okay?"
A smile flickered around Buffy's lips. "He *does* like to get saucy," she
agreed. "But he does it in a subtle way, so that you're not sure if he's
joking or not. Are you sure you'll be able to tell?"
"I have a saucy meter. It'll range his sauciness. Come on." Willow
extended her hand, and Buffy took it, stepping out of the vehicle and closing
the door behind her firmly.
"All right. But beware of the backhanded insult to Xander. Wouldn't want
to
stake Angel when you think he's being saucy and really he's just putting
Xander in his place," Buffy laughed.
She took a deep breath, and looked over at Willow, who smiled.
They started up the stairs.
* * * * * * * * * *
When they got there, the two men and one dark vampire were sitting in awkward
silence. It had only taken Giles a moment to realize that he had nothing
to
say to Angel, unless he was talking about Buffy, and that Buffy wouldn't
appreciate him talking behind her back when he had barely been forgiven for
concealing Angel's presence at Thanksgiving all those years ago.
And Xander, well, he left Angel alone, recognizing the sadness in his eyes.
Xander had finally matured enough to see that they had a lot in common, each
loving women who were out of their reach. Each loving a woman who was
perfect in their sights, but someone they didn't dare try to have. Xander
saw something else in his eyes, too, some deeper memory buried there, but
he
chose not to comment on it.
And Angel... Well, he was barely able to keep from screaming in the
anticipation of Buffy's arrival.
He smelled her before he saw her. That light and airy scent of vanilla and
roses, as if on a breeze, floated into his office, and he looked up, stunned
with her beauty.
She smiled hesitantly, her eyes large and sad. The blue was darker, touched
by a longing that he, too, was feeling. He stood when she stepped into the
room, accompanied by Willow, and felt his heart tighten as her smile grew.
"Hi," she murmured, almost shyly.
He cleared his throat. "Hi. It's... Good to see you," he lied gently,
knowing that he couldn't tell her of the hope and joy that shot through his
heart at setting his eyes upon her fresh face. She was like the sun to him,
something else that he wasn't allowed to be around. Love filled his throat,
and it tightened, and he paused, not knowing what to say next.
Buffy threw a glance to Willow, who was looking at her cautiously, and seemed
to find strength in her friend's concern. She stepped forward, embracing
Angel with a quick, over-too-soon, maddeningly warm hug.
Angel started in surprise, then folded his arms around her for a moment
before she pulled away. He could hear her heartbeat beating rapidly, could
smell the blood that was now racing through her veins. He took a small--
very small-- comfort in knowing that he still had some effect on her life.
After the hug, she looked at him seriously. "So," she said without any
preamble. "What was it that you needed us to come up here for?"
Angel nodded, regaining his wits, and turned away from the appeal of simply
gazing at her. "I didn't want to waste time explaining this over the phone,"
he apologized. "But, apparently, Buffy and I killed a demon last week, at
the same moment... At least, that's what I'm assuming." He turned his eyes
on her, pierced her with his gaze. "Did you meet a Kantchra demon last week?"
She nodded, confused. "Yes."
"Do you remember when you killed it?"
"Thursday night," she told him. "Midnight, I think."
Angel sighed, and lowered himself into a chair. "It's was done necessarily.
Don't get me wrong. And when one is about to die, the other-- it's mate--
feels it and finds death on itself. I'm guessing that that's why the other
found me. They mate once in their life, to reproduce-- Which is interesting,
considering that not many demons reproduce through the act of sex... I mean,
sexual acts, yes, but not the actual--" he broke off when he realized
everyone was staring at him. Angel gave an embarrassed smile. "Anyway. So
I kill the demon, you kill the demon, at the same time, and the world as
we
know it falls apart."
Giles leaned forward, taking off his glasses. "What do you mean, falls
apart?" he asked seriously.
"I mean," Angel said slowly, "That the humans of this world become food for
Kantchra demons. All of them." He hesitated. "With the exception of the
Slayer."
"What happens to me?" Buffy asked against her will, not really concerned
with
her life but instead with the lives of her friends. "How can I stop it?"
"I'm still working on that," he told her gently. "But you...." He trailed
off, the words caught in his throat, causing him pain.
"What??" Willow stepped forward, her eyes bright with tears.
"The Slayer will die on the first night of battle," he whispered, tears
closing his throat, "And become one of them when the sun sets on the next
night."
CONTINUE