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Ambushed (Part 2)
By Cathi

Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me, they are the property of Joss Whedon, inspirational creator/director/exec producer - you name it! All I claim is the story - it belongs to me.

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"You never know when inspiration will hit." Willow encouraged Xander as he paced the floor of her bedroom, unable to come up with a rescue plan. "We will come up with something." She paused, "We just have to."

"Well we had better come up with something quick before mobile boy here makes me dizzy." Cordelia snapped, once again thinking only of herself.

Xander stopped his motion to throw Cordelia a disbelieving glare. "Oh yeah, like I am responsible for your dizziness. I think not!" Feeling quite pleased with his insult; he sat down on the bed next to a completely lost Willow. Xander put his arm around her and she snapped out of her trance. Cordelia looked on, now serious.

"Xander, what are we going to do? Buffy and Giles could be…" Willow paused not being able to complete her thought, then quietly continued, "We have always had those two to lead the hunt. How can we . . ."

"Well, I am going home." Cordelia cut in, getting up to leave. "I have no intentions of becoming that demon's next meal."

Xander jumped up and grabbed her by the arm; "No you're not! We are all in this together. You attempt to go out that door and walk home alone, I guarantee you don't make it. We are all the prey now, and there is strength in numbers. If one of us leaves we all leave together, unless the sun is high in the sky, which it is not. So I suggest you sit yourself down and help us come up with a plan, because you are not going anywhere, even if I have to restrain you myself."

Cordelia sat down quite shocked at Xander's authority. He went back and took his place next to Willow. "I suggest we head back to the library, the vamps should be gone by now. We need to find Giles' diary on Angel and find out what his quirks are. Maybe there will be some clue as to what he has in mind. He may have already killed them, I don't know, but there has to be a reason why he didn't just do us all in right there when he had the chance." Xander finished.

Neither girl said anything. They all just got up and headed out of the house toward the school.
Angel paused, then stepped into the shadow of a tree as he heard voices approach. He waited uneasily for his chance to get to the library and retrieve the watcher diaries, especially the one that was dedicated to him. Once Giles was eliminated, he didn't want any records or documents available to the next watcher, and there certainly would be another watcher. He listened closely as the voices came closer, and then a smile broke across his face. "Oh, this is just way too easy." He said out loud to himself, recognizing to whom the voices belonged.

Xander, Willow and Cordelia were walking toward the back door of the school, which would lead them to the library. They stopped and Willow and Cordelia kept watch as Xander worked the lock, completely oblivious to their observer lurking close by.

"Hurry up Xander," Cordelia spoke quickly, "I feel everyone in town is watching us commit a federal crime!"

Getting aggravated more and more by the second, Xander answered back, "Well, I have seen this done on TV dozens of…" His words were cut off as the door flew open and he fell forward, landing face down on the hallway floor. "…Times." Xander, quite proud of his accomplishment, finished his statement.

Willow rushed in through the door, stepping over him. "Come on, we have to hurry!" Xander finally sprang to his feet and he and Cordelia followed.

Angel slowly stepped out of the shadows and watched as the three good intenders disappeared into the building. He paused, accessing the opportunity, and the possible problem that just revealed itself to him, then walked to the door, disappearing inside.
Xander, Willow and Cordelia stopped dead in their tracks as they walked through the library doors. The place was trashed. Books, index cards, papers of all shapes and sizes and even tables and chairs were thrown all over the room. Willow slowly walked over to her favorite computer, the one she had spent countless hours researching the vamps, demons and any other villain that made it's way to Sunnydale. The monitor was in pieces and a stake was still half hanging out, obviously the weapon used to destroy it.

"Oh this is just great." Xander managed to speak. "They at least could have cleaned up a little before they left!" He finished.

"Hey guys, you had better come take a look in here." Cordelia calmly spoke as she stood in the doorway of Giles' office. Xander and Willow were soon standing beside her and they looked through the door. Not one inch of the office was recognizable. The vamps Angel had left behind must not have liked what they read in the diaries. Xander pushed his way through the door. The desks and chairs had been up-ended, the lamps broken, glass was everywhere. But the most disturbing sight was that of the many ancient looking, yellowed pieces of paper thrown about the room. The vamps destroyed every book in the office, including the watcher diaries.

"What do we do now?" Cordelia asked in a surprisingly sympathetic voice.

"My God…all of Giles work … destroyed." Willow was obviously upset. "If he were to see this, he would just…" She cut off her statement when she realized what she was about to say. "Never mind." She quietly finished as Xander looked at her.

Xander bent over and picked up a few of the pages around his feet to examine them closer. "Hey, look." Showing the papers to Willow. "Not all the pages were ripped up, these are still legible." He handed them to Willow and continued to pick up the pages scattered within his reach. Cordelia also began to search through the scattered papers, looking for any survivors.

"There are some over here too that look salvageable." She added as she waded into the trashed room.

"We are going to need a box or something to put this stuff in. Willow, see if you can come up with a couple boxes. We need to keep the pages from Angel's diary separate from the others since we need to go through those first." Xander ordered as the pieces of paper began to accumulate in his hands.

"Ok, I will see what I can find." Willow responded and headed out of the office.

She carefully walked around a pile of chairs and a mound of books that she recognized as once belonging on the other side of the library, and headed for the door. Then she stopped, unable to move, as she looked up to find Angel standing right in front of her, blocking her exit.

"Well, isn't this an unparalleled delight." Angel spoke when he saw that Willow was not able to. "But don't worry, because lucky for you," he continued as he took a few steps through the library door toward her, "I've already had my meal for the day." He lied, stopping to flash her a smile.

Willow backed up, looking around frantically for something to use for a stake. She knew by Angel's statement that he must have killed Buffy and Giles, and her fear now turned to anger. The best she could find was the mound of books at her feet, so she picked a couple up and started throwing them at him. Angel was easily able to avoid being hit by the slayer books and took a few steps backward.

"Xander!" Willow yelled as she threw another book. A crash was heard coming from Giles' office, which momentarily distracted Angel, allowing Willow to hit him in the side of the face. "Good! I hope I broke a fang!"

Xander and Cordelia made it out of the office in time to hear Willow yell.

They all watched as Angel slowly moved his hand away from his face where the book had hit. He was furious and his lip was clearly split open. Angel looked down at his hand to see it covered in blood, his blood. He almost looked surprised.

Realizing he no longer had a handkerchief in his pocket, Angel dropped his hand to his pant leg and removed the blood. At the same time, he looked up at the three standing before him. They watched in amazement as the cut on Angel's lip slowly healed right before their eyes.

"Amazing isn't it?" Angel bragged as he licked the edge of his lip, removing the last traces of blood, revealing that there wasn't even a mark left as evidence of Willow's attack.

"Where is Buffy and Giles?" Was the first thing that Xander could spit out after the shock of what he had just witnessed. Taking a deep breath he continued, "Where did you take them?"

"Now Xander, I really don't think that should be your first priority right now. I'd be more worried about my own life if I were you." Angel warned, with that now familiar threatening obnoxious tone to his voice.

"What do you want?" Cordelia asked, taking a step behind Xander, peeking around his shoulder waiting for a response.

Looking annoyed, Angel answered, "Gees, people keep asking me that. From what I heard, we want the same thing." He walked over to the computer counter and leaned against it, watching Xander as he bent over to snap off an already broken wooden table leg. "I want the watcher diaries. More specifically, I want the one, or ones, on me."

"Well you do now? That just might be a problem seeing that your illiterate posse destroyed every book in the…." Xander cut his words off as he noticed Angel get a strange look on his face, then grimace in pain, "…Office." He finished as Angel doubled over, grabbing his side.

"What is wrong with this picture?" Xander turned to ask Willow who was just as confused as he was at what was happening. Angel, now in obvious pain, tried his best to keep his attention on the three staring at him. He kept his eyes on the makeshift stake in Xander's hand as he fell to his knees, moaning from some invisible pain.

"What the . . ." Xander whispered, half to himself, as he walked toward Angel, who was now sitting on the floor with his knees tucked up to his chest, protecting his heart. He was clearly still in pain and the perspiration began to collect on his face. Angel struggled to keep his now attention on the stake that was now approaching him.

"Well undead liar guy, do you plan on filling us in on this act or do I just finish you off right now?" Xander was now just inches away from the shivering pile of demon on the floor.

Willow grabbed Xander by the arm, never taking her eyes off Angel. "No wait a minute, something is happening here. I saw something about this in the journals." She whispered to Xander then disappeared back into Giles' office.

"Think about it Xander, you kill me," Angel gasped as the pain was increasing, "And you never find out where your sweet little Buffy is."

Xander froze at his words, trying to comprehend the idea that Giles and Buffy were still alive. "You know, a person, or whatever, will say anything when their life is about to be involuntarily ended." Xander went down on one knee, forcing his forearm up underneath Angel's chin, holding the stake firmly against his chest, just over the heart. "So if there is something you need to tell me, I suggest you do it now."

Angel just looked at him, not saying a word. Then he shifted again in an attempt to relieve the pain that was attacking his body and the keys to his apartment fell out of his pocket. Xander was distracted and looked down at the keys. Angel saw this as an opportunity to get away but as soon as he attempted to struggle, Xander knocked him back against the wall by pressing the stake harder against his chest. Looking back to Angel, he knew that Buffy and Giles must be at the apartment.

"Cordelia!" Xander called and she cautiously walked up behind him. "Take the vamp's keys and go to his apartment, they have to be there. And hurry! Bring them back here as soon as you can." Xander never took his eyes off Angel.

"But what if they are…" she protested, but Xander cut her off.

"Just do it and now!" He yelled with the power of a thousand demons.

She hurried past him to retrieve the keys and ran out the door. Angel just looked at him, secretly impressed with Xander's authority, a side of him he had not seen in the year they had known each other.

"Do you really think that is wise? You have no idea what she will find there." Angel sneered, eagerly awaiting a response from Xander. But the only response he would get was a shove to the floor. Xander stood up, hovering over the crippled vampire. "Hurry up Will!" He called to her, never taking his eyes off Angel.
Giles and Buffy had sat in silence for some time. Neither one could bring themselves to begin the discussion that plagued both of their minds. Realizing that Angel had been gone for over half an hour, Giles decided it was time to break the silence.

"Buffy?" he started, "For the first time since beginning our quest to rid the world of these demons, I don't know what to do." He spoke softly, "He has left us with an impossible decision that . . ." Giles stopped as Buffy cut him off.

"Giles, think about it." She intruded, "He is going to kill us both. There will be no choice made, he is just playing a game with us. You said yourself that he was prone to psychological mind games." She looked for approval from Giles that she was right. "Well, he is using mental torture on us, trying to get us to turn against each other. Nothing would please him more than to come back to the two of us fighting."

"Yes, Buffy, I . . . I know but . . ." Giles stopped in mid-thought as he heard the lock on the door turn. Buffy watched as his face turned six shades of pale.

"Well, he is back. Are we ready for this?" Buffy added as she once again tried to free her now almost numb arms from the restraints.

Giles' eyes were glued to the door as it slowly swung open. No one was there. Buffy noticed the look of confusion on his face where she was expecting fear. "What is it?" She questioned since she couldn't see the door.

"There's no one there." He whispered back. Then his face brightened as he saw Cordelia poke her head through the door.

"Cordelia!" He exclaimed with relief and uneasiness. "Over here, quickly!" he urged her. "Angel could be back any minute."

"Oh thank God you guys are ok. I just couldn't stand walking into a room full of dead bodies." She finished, looking over at Buffy. "Oh my God!" She exclaimed as she walked to the bed and began to untie the restraints. "Looks like he had some fun things in store for you. Are you ok?"

Buffy let out a soft cry as she lowered her arms and the muscle under the cut began to retract. "Oh gees, did he bite you?" Cordelia lifted the bandage and examined the gash.

"You could say that." Buffy quietly answered back, avoiding her gaze. Giles was getting aggravated with Cordelia's small talk. "Cordelia, untie me quickly. We don't know when Angel will return and . . ."

"Oh don't worry about that. Angel is at the library with Xander and Willow." Cordelia assured him. They both threw her a questioning glance, but she didn't notice and continued. "It was the strangest thing. He walks into the library, makes all these threats, then falls to the floor in pain or something." She filled them in on the details as she finally freed Giles from his restraints. "Wow, that guy can really tie a knot!" She observed.

"You mean that Angel is at the library with Xander and Willow?" Giles questioned not believing what he had been told.

"Yeah, I grabbed his keys and when I left, Xander was holding a stake to his chest and . . ."

Giles cut her off, "Let's go." He instructed Buffy and assisted her out the door, leaving Cordelia standing alone in the middle of the room.

"Um . . . A 'thank you Cordie for saving my life' would be nice!" She yelled after them. Realizing they were already out of screaming range, she threw the ropes she still held in her hands to the floor and stomped off to follow them.

Giles, Buffy and Cordelia entered the library to find Willow reading information out of a ragged looking book to Xander. The two had taken some time to straighten the library up a little. Now there was room to walk in and a few tables and chairs set up to sit around.

"Oh my!" Were the first words Giles could force out as he observed the mess in his library. Willow slammed down her book and ran to Buffy and hugged her, easily when she saw the blood on her shirt.

"We thought you guys were goners." Xander added and he was right behind Willow to give out hugs. "Vamp boy wouldn't tell us much."

"Where is he?" Buffy asked as she pulled away from Xander's embrace. The tone of her voice was calm and unfeeling. "Cordelia filled us in on what happened." She turned to Willow. "Did you find out what is wrong with him?"

"Well, I think I have an idea what happened." Willow instructed as the others moved around the table to listen. "I wasn't completely sure until I saw the blood on your shirt Buffy. I assume he bit you," she hesitated, "again, or something, and tasted some of your blood right?" She waited for an answer. Buffy raised her hand to the wound and nodded her head.

"Ok, then according to this journal, here is what I think happened. A vampire gets its energy from those it feeds on right? Well, Buffy, you were bit by the Master which means that your already 'abnormal' slayer blood was enriched by the saliva from the Master's bite. Now, just follow me on this," she continued as she observed the confused faces before her.

"When I split open Angel's lip and he licked his own blood, which is not normal for a vampire to consume it's own blood, the combination of the two bloods inside him started fighting each other. It is almost like the effect that two different blood types would have on a normal human body. Since he consumed the two bloods over such a short period of time, be basically made himself sick." Willow finished with a hint of questioning in her voice.

No one said anything. That explanation sounded too easy. Buffy finally broke in.

"Are you sure Will? I didn't think vampires could get sick. He barely took a drink from me." She questioned.

"I am pretty sure, plus he had bit you earlier. It doesn't matter how much he took. According to the journal, if he had consumed a lot of both, the damage could have been a lot worse." Willow answered.

"I can't believe I didn't know about this." Giles was finally able to admit. "Willow, where did you find this information?" He questioned, picking up the journal Willow had been reading from.

Buffy turned to Xander, taking the makeshift table leg turned stake out of his hand. "Ok, where is he?" She asked him calmly.

Xander hesitated, but knowing that he couldn't keep Buffy distracted for long, he answered. "I went to the drama department and found a couple pairs of handcuffs. Will and I cleared a path in Giles' office and set the couch back in it's place. We carried him in and cuffed him to the arm of the couch."

Buffy almost smiled, "I don't think those handcuffs will hold him for long."

"He was pretty weak, it didn't take much to restrain him." Xander finished looking down at the stake in Buffy's hand. "I thought for sure you guys were dead. If it hadn't been for Will, I would have dusted the bastard."

Buffy smiled and put her hand on Xander's shoulder. The look on her face was thanks enough for him and he smiled back. "If you all will excuse me." Buffy got up and addressed the group.

"Buffy, I don't think…" Giles tried to interject but she was already up and on her way to the office.

"I'll watch her." Xander assured Giles as he went to follow her. Giles nodded and went back to looking over the journal, frequently looking up to glance through the window of his office.

Buffy stood at the doorway looking at Angel lying on the couch. His cuffed arm was flung up over his head and he had a peaceful look on his face. He appeared to be sleeping, but Buffy wasn't fooled, even though she could feel the tug on her heart.

"Sleepy little demon." She spoke quietly to Xander as he came up behind her. "Doesn't look like he could hurt a fly." She said in a more motherly tone.

"Well, don't let his looks fool you," Xander added as he reached around to point to the injury Buffy had received. "I'll be right here if you need me." He finished and took a few steps back to lean against a table, keeping Angel in sight just in case.

Buffy walked into the office and sat on the edge of Giles' desk. She just sat there looking at him, not really knowing what to do next. After weighing her options, she stood up and slapped him lightly across the cheek. His eyes flew open and he immediately sat up to face her. He was not surprised to see her there; knowing what Cordelia would find when she reached his apartment. Angel's eyes immediately went to the familiar looking stake she held in her hand, but he showed no emotion as his eyes worked their way up to the wound on her chest, then up to meet her eyes.

"Looks like the tide has turned." He spoke with the smallest amount of defeat in his voice. "So, what do you plan to do? You can't sit there and look at me all night." His words challenged her.

Buffy began to respond but was distracted when she looked over to see Giles standing in the doorway. She had never seen a more serious look on his face.

"Buffy," he paused, not able to force himself to look at her just yet. "You… we can't let him go on like this. If there was any way to recast the curse you know I would do it right now, but it just can't be done." Giles now looked at Buffy, but her eyes were glued on Angel. "He is just too dangerous. I'm sorry, but there is no other choice." He finished.

Angel was growing more nervous as he looked from Buffy to Giles and back again. He really did not believe Buffy could kill him. At least not until he saw her emotionless response to Giles' words.

"I know." Buffy answered after a long silence. "Giles, would you guys leave us alone." She asked, looking Angel square in the eyes.

"Buffy, I . . . I don't think this is a good idea." Giles added. Xander, Willow and Cordelia were all now standing behind Giles, listening to the conversation.

Buffy broke off her stare-down with Angel and walked over to face Giles. "Please, this won't take long."

Giles looked at her and thought he had a pretty good idea what she had planned, and he didn't like it. "Buffy, don't do something we all will regret later." He instructed her, gave Angel one last look, then escorted Willow and Cordelia out of the library. Xander stood motionless, in a stare-down with Angel. He would obviously feel no loss with this vampire gone.

Buffy turned and went back to her place on Giles' desk. She knew how nervous Angel was; not even the demon deep inside him could hide that emotion from her. Buffy interrupted the anxious look on his face when she finally spoke.

"You can't really tell me that those handcuffs are holding you there. They are stage props." She said with an accusing tone. "So now what are you planning Angel? Waiting to get us all together and have a mass feeding? Well, you had your chance - what were you waiting for?" She questioned keeping her slayer cool.

Angel gave her a smile, a cryptic smile, then tightened his fist and snapped the handcuff that held him to the couch. Buffy jumped, but she kept calm. Their eyes locked as he stood up and faced her, grabbing her hand that held the stake and held it tight, pressing into his chest above his heart.

"No Buffy, I think the question is, what are you waiting for?" He asked in that low, loving voice Buffy was so used to her Angel using. He waited for an answer but all Buffy could do was stare at the point of the stake as it pressed into his chest. Angel backed up and her hand fell to her lap, the stake followed.

"You see, I told you that you couldn't kill me." He joked as he backed his way to the office door.

"Angel," Buffy stopped him. "The next time will be the last time." She firmly whispered, not looking up at him. No tears came to her eyes this time and she knew the moment would soon come to end the charade. The thought of killing Angel was getting easier, but tonight was not the night.

Angel turned and started to walk away. Then he turned and with that deceptive, all too familiar grin on his face, and called back to Buffy. "I'll be seeing you. And by the way, tell you mom I said hi."

Buffy snapped to attention at his words and looked at him just in time to see him smile at her. Then he turned and disappeared out the door, leaving Buffy to deal with the demons of the choice she had just made.

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Page 2 of 2
The End

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Send feedback to Cathi at Cate68(at)hotmail.com. All comments are welcome!

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