Creative Works   

Partners (Part 3)
By Meg, Jen

Disclaimer: These characters belong to Joss Whedon and whoever else owns Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

. . .

Part 3

{Switch to hours later. The sun has set Giles is pacing with a book Willow is at the computer. Buffy is sitting on the table trying to read a book. Xander is sitting on the stairs away from the girls, and Cordelia is reading a large book on the table. Angel walks in he makes enough noise that Buffy hears him but no one else does.}

B: "Angel!"

{Everyone looks up but only Xander looks mad.}

A: "Hi Buffy."

{Angel walks up to Buffy. Picking her up off the table. He pulls her against him. Xander stares then looks away. He is watching Willow and Cordelia who look normal. Angel puts Buffy back down on the table. He then walks over to Willow.}

"Hello Will!"

{Willow tilts her head up and Angel bends down and kisses her. Her hands go up his back and his are in her hair. Buffy looks as if this were normal. Cordelia looks a little impatient. Xander looks mad. Giles is starting to look very worried. Angel then walks over to Cordelia who is now standing.}

"Hello Cordelia."

{He pulls her into his arms his hands across her back. Her hands are on his chest. Giles is about to say something but Buffy shakes her head at him. Xander is about to explode he stands up and when Angel releases Cordelia and she sits down. He starts to storm out.}

X: "Looks like you don’t need me around here!"

B: "I guess your right we don’t need you."

{Xander storms out slamming the door. Buffy, Willow and Cordelia look at each other, then they all start laughing. Angel smiles. Giles has obviously had enough.}

G: "What is the purpose of this . . . this . . . What ever that was!"

B: "Oh! I’m sorry Giles. You should know."

{Buffy nearly calms down then starts laughing again. Angel stops smiling then talks to Giles.}

A: "It’s payback for what he’s been doing lately. First he tried to break up me and Buffy. By getting me to think that Oz was mistreating Willow and that I could help Buffy out by beating him up a little. This would also have the effect of getting back at Willow for liking him. And Cordelia has felt ignored by Xander lately due to his obsession with Buffy and Willow. So we decided it was time that he learned a lesson."

{Giles still looks confused but relived.}

G: "So the kissing and the robes?"

B: "All part of the plan."

{Buffy walks over to Angel and slips her hand into his.}

G: "Well it sounds as if he deserved it. Just don’t get too carried away."

W: "We’re going to tell him tomorrow. We want him to stew for one more night."

{Willow smiles.}

G: "When did you become so vengeful?"

W: "When he tried to hurt my boyfriend."

G: "We really have to find out who this girl is before something happens."

B: "I’ll go patrol."

A: "I’ll walk you two home."

{He says this to Willow and Cordelia.}

"Then I’ll come help you patrol."

{To Buffy.}

"Shall we go?"

{He holds one arm out to Willow and the other to Cordelia. They walk out.}

G: "I’ll keep looking for anything useful. And be careful Buffy."

B: "I will."

{Buffy walks out as well. Angel, Cordelia and Willow are walking down a street. They come to a corner.}

W: "My house is just down the street. You two should go on."

A: "I really should walk you all the way home."

{Angel looks torn he is concerned for Willow, but he also looks impatient.}

W: "It’s alright I walk home alone all the time."

{Willow turns to the right waves and starts to walk away. Angel and Cordelia turn to the left and start to walk away. In the background Willow is grabbed by three vampires and pulled behind the shrubs. Angel turns around, as if he had heard something, but doesn’t see anything. He shrugs turns back to Cordelia, who is looking angry at the delay, and they walk away. Switch to graveyard. Buffy is patrolling. She hears something behind her she walks on a little to see make sure then, goes into a battle crouch spins around and trips Angel who was behind her. She has her stake up and is about to drive it down when she realizes who it is. She puts the stake arm down and lowers her other hand to help Angel up.}

B: "Sorry Angel! I guess I’m a little edgy tonight!"

A: "It’s okay. I really should know better. Old habits . . ."

{Buffy interrupts.}

B: "It's alright just try to make a little more noise. Actually strike that. Anymore noise and you’d have other people coming after you. I won’t have you lose your edge so I can tell it’s you."

A: "Listen to us. We sound like an old married couple."

{Angel changes his voice to that of an old woman.}

"I’m sorry."

{He changes his voice to that of an old man.}

"No, I’m sorry."

{Angel laughs, and so does Buffy. Then there is a thump behind them. They both turn instantly. Buffy’s hands go out in a karate like move. And Angel has his "game face" on and his hands are up. They look around and seeing nothing moving start to relax their guards a little. Then Angel sees a box on the ground. He walks over to it carefully. He picks it up gingerly. Buffy has walked over as well. Angel looks at Buffy. She is standing beside him. She nods her head as if to give permission. The box is a jewelry box. On the top is a inlaid heart. On the front there is a small golden clasp. Angel slowly puts his hand over the clasp. He opens the lid carefully. Inside is a lock of hair held together by a green ribbon. On the bottom of the box is a note. Buffy seeing that Angel’s hands are full slowly reaches in and picks up the note. She holds it up then reads it out loud.}

B: "If you wish to see the girl again you will come to the warehouses at the dockside. The girl!

The prophecy came true! We don’t even know who ‘the girl’ is! How can we find the one who

holds her heart if we don’t know who she is."

A: "Buffy, we do know who it is."

B: "What? Who?"

A: "Look at this hair. It’s Willow’s."

{Angel sounds guilty.}

B: "What!"

A: "It’s all my fault. I let her walk home alone. I wanted to get to you. I didn’t want you to be alone out here, what with the prophecy. I should have stayed with her!"

B: "You couldn’t have known. But right now Willow needs us to help her not place blame! We can talk about this after, now we need to tell Giles and find ‘the one who holds her heart’."

{Angel still looks guilty but he also looks determined.}

A: "Let’s go, we don’t have a lot of time!"

{Buffy nods and the run of into the night. Scene change to the library Giles is there with Oz. Angel and Buffy come speed walking in. Oz looks up from the book he and Giles were reading.

Giles is still studying the book. As Angel and Buffy catch their breath he says.}

G: "I think I’ve found something useful in our search for the girl. It might help us find out who

she is."

A: "We already know who she is."

{Angel is looking at Oz. Giles looks up from the book. He sees Buffy and Angel’s faces and the look of horror dawning on Oz’s face.}

O: "Willow!"

B: "Yes."

O: "But I thought you were walking them home?"

{Oz looks at Angel. Angel hangs his head.}

"How could you!"

G: "We can argue about this later. Now we need to think!"

O: "The prophecy says that only the one that holds her heart can save her. Now, I know that she holds my heart but I don’t know . . ."

{Oz trails off, embarrassed.}

B: "We understand Oz. The only other person I can think of is . . ."

A & G & O & B: "Xander."

G: "I’ll call him. I don’t think he’d talk to any of the rest of you."

A: "You might not want to tell him that the rest of us are here."

G: "You’re right you know. I’ll think of something to get him here."

{Giles goes to the phone. Angel, Buffy and Oz crowd around the book in the table. Time lapse.

Angel is sitting at the table his hair ruffled his feet on the table with a book in his lap. Oz is pacing with a book in one of his hands. Buffy is sitting on the stairs looking from Angel to Oz and pretending to read the book in her lap. Giles is standing by the front desk a book on the counter. His glasses are in his right hand with the end of one arm near his mouth. Xander walks in and right up to Giles.}

X: "What is it? What’s going on?"

{Xander then sees the others. He is very angry.}

"What are they doing here?!"

G: "We had to get you here. We knew you wouldn’t come if you knew they were present."

X: "What’s so important? Ya’ll want to rub it in a little more? Where are Willow and Cordelia? They’re going to miss all the fun!"

{Xander is getting very angry. Buffy stands up and walks over to Xander and Giles.}

B: "That’s what we’re trying to tell you Xand. Willow is the girl in the prophecy."

{Buffy waits for this to sink in.}

"We called you ‘cause we think it’s either you or Oz that holds her heart."

X: "What Angel’s not in the running?"

{Xander is more subdued but still angry.}

B: "That was all an act. To get you back for what you were trying to do to Willow & Oz."

{Buffy pauses again.}

"Right now we have to figure out which of you holds her heart. And how we can use the fact that they think Angel is the man. Any ideas?"

{No one answers.}

X: "Nothing? Giles? Buffy?"

{Each shake their hand when he says their name.}

"Angelus?"

{Xander is clearly angry at having to talk to Angel at all. And as he says Angel’s name he stresses the last syllable. At this Angel looks up. He looks like he has thought of something.}

A: "Giles do you have ‘Angelus’ Loves’?"

G: "I think I do. I’ll go check."

B: "What is it Angel? Did you think of something?"

A: "I might have what we need to free Willow."

X: "Free her? From the vampires? I’d say brute force is needed for that!"

A: "The vampires aren’t holding her. At least not that way. They’re using her to fulfill the prophecy. She’s most likely in a trance. If she is not freed, not only will she die. But she will come back again as the most powerful vampire since the first mingling of blood."

{Giles has come back in during this speech.}

G: "Where did you find that? I don’t remember reading it."

A: "That’s because it isn’t written."

{Angel pauses everyone looks at him. He looks guiltily at Buffy.}

"Way back when, I created a series of very nasty spells. They could only be broken by the

victims’ true love. Because they were created in hate. As a kind of cruel joke I wrote out all the counter spells in the form of poetry and printed them in a book."

G: "‘Angelus’ Loves.’"

{Giles nearly whispers.}

A: "Exactly. I thought that no one would ever look in a book of poetry for a counter spell."

{Angel sounds very guilty.}

"Giles open the book to page 15 it should say ‘Frozen Heart’ . . . in Latin."

{The last he adds as an after thought.}

{Giles opens the book and starts to hand it over to Angel. As he does Angel recoils and he has

his ‘game face’ on.}

"It’s been blessed. Probably to keep my from destroying it when I realize what I’d done. You’ll

have to read it."

G: "I found it! . . . The handwriting is horrible so bear with me."

A: "Sorry. At the time I wasn’t worried about penmanship."

{Giles looks up confused. Then he understands and looks embarrassed.}

G: "Well any way. ‘For the heart of ice . . . to come to life, . . . the one who held it in his hand . . . must give up something that . . .his heart . . . holds dear.’ That’s it except for an incantation which I assume is for the actual event."

{Giles looks to Angel for conformation of the last. Angel nods.}

X: "Well it’s nice to know that he’s not good at everything. That was the worst poetry I have ever heard." {When Xander says he’s he looks at Angel with a look of triumph and disgust.}

O: "It does have a double meaning Xand so it doesn’t have to be the best. Though I like the . . ."

{Oz’s face grows hard and he looks shocked.}

"How can I be saying such things when Willow is in danger? How could I?"

A: "Well I don’t think there’s any doubt who has his heart."

B: "But who has hers’?"

{Buffy thinks for a little then says.}

"How about this? What’s Willow’s favorite movie?"

X: "That’s easy! Star Wars."

B: "Which one? Return of the Jedi, or The Empire Strikes back?"

O: "Neither. Her favorite movie is Hackers."

{Buffy looks at Oz a little surprised then she nods.}

B: "Oz it is."

X: "Now wait a minute! He could have just made that up. If you’re so sure that’s her fav. movie, what’s her favorite line?"

{Oz changes his voice a little to mimic the character he is imitating.}

O: "‘The pool on the roof must have a leak!’"

{Oz says this quietly as if unsure of wether or not he should have spoken up.}

G: "I think we all know that Oz is the one. So we really should get working on a plan."

{Everyone is quiet for a moment.}

O: "Hey, I have an idea! What if . . ."

{Everyone goes into a huddle. The scene backs out then switches to a scene outside a warehouse on the warf. Giles car is already parked in the lot, and Oz’s van is pulling up. The van is parked then three figures get out of the van. Then they walk up to the nearest of the warehouses. They go around to the side door then disappear inside. View goes inside above their heads the people are Angel, Buffy & Xander. They stand to the side of the large warehouse in the back are large bundles and boxes. In front and to the left of Angel, Buffy & Xander is a large box covered by a dark sheet so that no light can get in and no sound can get out. Buffy and Angel lock eyes and nod. Almost invisible in the dark there are two figures bent over beside the box. One has a large book the other an electric guitar. They see Buffy , Angel & Xander, and give them a signal. Angel again nods.}

A: "We’re here Spike, might as well come out."

{Angel speaks in a loud voice that carries through out the warehouse. From the back of the warehouse one figure appears with another figure in a wheelchair. They continue to walk forward until they come to spot that is slightly in front of the box and in a pool of moonlight. It is Spike and Druscilla.}

S: "So you showed up old man. I didn’t think you had it in you!"

{Spike looks at Angel first then looks over at Buffy, he looks surprised. As soon as Spike starts to talk a background noise of chanting starts.}

"But then I also didn’t think you’d bring her"

{He gestures with his head towards Buffy.}

"To save your other love."

{Buffy looks surprised.}

B: "Angel, what does he mean ‘other love’."

{Spike and Druscilla look surprised. Then pleased.}

D: "He didn’t tell you love? He and your little Willow friend have been, what was that phrase? Oh yes! ‘Having smooches.’"

B: "Angel is that true?"

{Angel looks away.}

"When did this start? How long have you two been going behind my back?"

{Again Angel doesn’t answer. Spike and Druscilla look very pleased.}

"Xander did you know about this?"

{Xander looks guilty.}

X: "Yeah Buffy I did."

{Buffy looks even madder. In the background the chanting is still going on. The figure holding the electric guitar loses it. It goes up in smoke.}

B: "You knew and you didn’t tell me! What kind of friends do I have?"

{Xander looks mad. You can almost seem him smiling underneath.}

X: "Would you have believed me?"

B: "I guess not. I’m not mad at you any way. I’m really mad at you!"

{Buffy turns to Angel who has been watching all of this warily.}

"How could you?"

{Buffy launches herself at Angel. Angel has his ‘game face’ on. Spike and Druscilla are looking very pleased with themselves. In the background three figures are quietly leaving the building. Buffy lands two good punches and then kicks Angel in the groin. Angel goes down then just before she kicks him.}

"I trusted you!"

{Angel rolls up out of the way of Buffy’s kick. He looks surprised and a little hurt. He then smiles when he sees the look Buffy’s giving him. He launches himself at Buffy. Buffy fights back. When she gets him on the floor again.}

"Both of you!"

{As Buffy draws back her foot to kick Angel.}

A: "Wait!"

{Buffy stops, puts her foot down and puts her hands on her hips.}

"We can fight about this later. Right now we have to fight them."

{Angel then looks over at Spike and Druscilla.}

D: "It’s a little late to be thinking of that love."

{Spike smiles.}

S: "Yeah, by now your friend is the ultimate vampire."

{As Spike speaks Druscilla walks over to the box. She puts her hands on it and as she pulls it

off.}

D: "Tah dah."

{Off comes the sheet but the box is empty. Druscilla and Spike look at each other. Then at Angel and Buffy. Angel no longer has his ‘game face’.}

"How?"

A: "I’m not Willow’s true love."

S: "Then you made it all up? The fight and all?"

{Buffy and Angel both nod.}

"Very good old man. As I said I didn’t think you had it in you."

A: "And as I said before, now we fight you."

{Angel has his ‘game face’ back on, and Buffy is ready to fight. As they start to advance.}

S: "Love to. But we really have to go now."

{Druscilla takes the back of Spike’s chair and wheels him out. Angel and Buffy start to follow, but Buffy falls down. Angel runs over to her.}

B: "I guess, I really wasn’t recovered enough to fight like that."

{When Buffy is done talking Angel helps her up.}

A: "I should have remembered you weren’t up to a real fight."

{Angel sounds guilty.}

B: "Let’s not get into that again."

{Change to outside of warehouse Oz is in his van Willow is standing with Xander.}

X: "You O.K. Will?" {Xander sounds sad.}

W: "Yeah, I am Xand."

X: "I always thought you’d be there for me. I guess I took you for granted."

{Xander starts to walk away. Willow reaches out and puts her hand on Xander’s arm.}

W: "I’m still here for you." {Xander looks unconvinced.}

"I’ll always be your best friend, your Willow."

{Xander smiles.}

X: "Will Oz mind if I give my best friend a kiss good bye?"

W: "On the cheek?"

{Willow is a little suspicious.}

X: "On the cheek."

W: "Nah it’s O.K."

{Xander leans forward and kisses Willow on the cheek.}

X: "Too bad we couldn’t get our timing right."

{Willow gives Xander a reproving look.}

W: "Xander you never even wanted me till I was gone. Let’s not over dramatize."

{Xander smiles.}

X: "Your right as always."

W: "See you at school."

{Willow turns and doesn’t look back. She walks over to Oz’s van and jumps in. Xander watches for a moment then turns away. As soon as his back is turned Willow and Oz kiss in the back ground. Xander walks away towards Giles’ car. Switch to scene in the graveyard. Buffy and Angel are walking holding hands. Angel stops and pulls Buffy’s hand so that she’s facing him.}

A: "I wish you hadn’t found out about that part of my past."

B: "Angel, I know you’ve done some horrible things in your past. But you aren’t the same Angel you were when you did those things. I know that."

A: "How can you be so sure?"

{Angel sounds worried.}

B: "Because there is no way a slayer could be in love with someone like that. And I am definitely in love with you!"

{As Buffy says this she smiles. She starts to reach up to kiss Angel. He reaches out to stop her.}

A: "What?"

B: "I’m in love with you Angel."

{Buffy says it softer the second time. Then she looks down. Angel puts his hand under her chin and makes her look up. Then Buffy and Angel kiss passionately.}

. . .

Page 3 of 3
The End

. . .

Fanfiction Index