Secrets Exposed: Discopulation
by Angeldove
Secrets Exposed: Discopulation
Chapter 20
“So, you’re surprised to see me?”
“Let’s just say the last thing I expected to see down here was a $3000 dollar suit.” Angel looked Hamilton up and down, his contempt for the man obvious in his appraisal.
“Who the hell are you? How did you get past all of those demons?” Connor had taken a defensive stance in front of Dawn, protecting her from this new threat that was obviously worse than the hoard of demons this one man had just defeated.
“Kid, you have no idea what you’re messing with.”
“Wait. Are you a lawyer? We were just saved by a lawyer? Is that why he’s so well dressed?”
“He’s not just any lawyer Connor; he’s the liaison to the senior partners. What the hell are you doing here Hamilton?”
“Well, I came about your son, and the girl, I may be forced to kill them.”
Connor attacked Hamilton, who responded by throwing him against the wall in a move that appeared to require no effort on his part. Angel and Buffy immediately came to Connor’s defense, but even a vampire and a slayer were unable to do more than knock him slightly off balance, to which he quickly recovered.
“I suggest none of you attempt that again. You know what they say about repeating the same task expecting a different outcome.”
“You’re the last person in this room who should be judging others’ sanity.”
“Angel, you remember that talk you and I had in your office after your son showed up unexpectedly at Wolfram and Hart? If not, perhaps you should review your notes for your own safety.”
“If you wanted to kill my son, why didn’t you just let the demons have us? It appeared we were running out of time waiting for reinforcements.”
“Oh, I apologize; I didn’t mean to jump ahead so quickly. Killing your son is a last resort. Let’s call it plan B.”
“OK, then why don’t you get to plan A.”
“Wow, no need to get testy, you just had to ask. It’s actually rather simple really. The girl and boy must never see one another again, no contact, or we will terminate one or the other.”
“No!” Dawn screamed and threw herself into Connor’s arms. “You can’t keep us from one another!”
“Oh, you misunderstand. I have no intention of being the one to see that you two obey. I am not a babysitter. No, Buffy and Angel will ensure this will happen. They are champions, devoted to saving the world. Used to sacrificing the one for the many. Even sacrificing love for the good of the world. It is really very touching if you go in for that sort of thing. No, by the time I leave this room, you will all agree it is necessary.”
Buffy stepped forward, positioning herself directly in front of Hamilton. He stood nearly a foot taller than she, yet her strength was palpable. If he had been an ordinary man or demon, he’d surely be backing down.
Buffy offered a derisive laugh as she stared hard into the cold eyes of evil. “Yeah, I’m just going to do this ‘cause you tell me to.” Buffy looked over at Angel waiting for him to chime in. But when she looked at him she suddenly became very still and a feeling of fear began to sink into her being.
He looked thoughtful, and a little resigned, and it occurred to her that he knew something, something that made this real and imminent.
“Angel, what is it? What’s wrong?”
“Ah, I think he may finally be catching on. Good for you Angel, figured you earned that CEO position on more than your looks.”
“OK, I’ve had enough of this bullshit! I want answers. Dad if you know what is going on tell us!”
“I think it would be best if we heard it from Hamilton. I have an idea of what the basics are, however I’m still a little confused on the Senior Partner’s motives. So Hamilton, lets get this done.”
“Well, it does kinda need some coaxing into, you know it’s really quite embarrassing that I have to have this conversation at all. Not having children of my own I figured I’d be able to avoid the awkward ‘birds and the bees’ speech.”
“Seriously Hamilton, no more games.”
“Oh, but this is not a game. Perhaps if I reminded you and provided them with some background information the ‘time-bomb’ that is this situation would become clear to all.”
“Hamilton.”
“Let’s start with Dawn being the key.”
“She’s not the key anymore, she’s human.” Buffy stepped in front of Dawn instinctively, hearing Dawn referred to as the key brought back anxiety she thought had long subsided.
“I know this is what you like to tell yourself about your little sis. It helps you feel she is finally safe now that Glory is gone and there is nothing for her to open. But just because she doesn’t work, doesn’t change who and what she is.”
“What is he talking about, Dawn’s a what?” Connor pulled Dawn away from him so that he could look into her face, scanning it as if trying to see that which he could have missed before.
“Kid, unless you’re crazy, she looks human to you. Hell, she may look human to the crazy people now too. Quick, anyone here crazy, raise your hand, tell me if she’s glowing.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Oh, so I was right, you don’t know it yet, should I tell it or does someone else want to? This is just fascinating, really, getting to watch it all unfold. Better than any reality show out there.”
“Would you stop making jokes about our lives and the pain that we have had to endure?” Buffy turned her attention from Hamilton to Connor.
“Connor, it’s a long story -” She began the statement but was interrupted by Dawn.
“You see I was a ball of energy that was a key that opened the door to other dimensions. This evil God Glory wanted to use me to get back to her dimension, so some monks hid me by using Buffy’s blood to make me her sister. When Glory tried to use me, Buffy saved me and the world and poof, I was no longer a key. Just a girl that is like only three years old in actual time, but obviously not in our time reality.”
“Well, when you ramble and don’t take a breath, I guess it’s not as long as you think,” Buffy mumble under her breath.
“So, were you a demon?”
“Oh, no kid, she definitely is not nor was ever a ‘demon’. No, just a key, and on a more interesting aside, ambiguously good or evil. Her use was the determinant; it was not an inherent part of her.”
“OK, fine, this doesn’t change how I feel about her, I’m not exactly normal myself.”
“Enter the anything but normal kid who’s what, nearly the same age, about three, right? Now how interesting is that? Anybody? No matter. Thus we come to the second part of the debacle of this relationship. Connor is the child of two vampires. One evil as they get, and I’ve seen the film on Darla’s past. She was a nasty thing wasn’t she? I get all hot and bothered just thinking about her. The other an ensouled evil thing, now considered good. The resulting child, you Connor, have all the abilities of a vampire but none of the weaknesses. And because of your soul, you are inherently good. Yet it is ambiguous as to whether you are truly human or a demon.”
“You know, this story hour has been great, but the time to reminisce is over. Cut to the chase, Hamilton.”
“And to the ‘Chase’ we are. You are already there Angel, you just don’t want to admit it to yourself. Think Cordelia. Think Jasmine.”
Angel swore and turned his attention to Dawn and Connor who sat wrapped in each other’s arms against the far wall. A look of resignation and sadness had passed over his features before he was able to hide it.
“You fear what a child of the two would be, good or evil, human or a powerful being.”
“Very, good, you go to the head of the class. Yes, you see, there is no prophesy that we have been able to locate thus far. But make no mistake. We are looking and we do expect we will find one. Everything’s prophesized you know. We just tend to misplace the documents every now and again. You think with something so important we’d be a little more careful, get a safety deposit box or something. Ah, well, the Senior Partners are doing there darndest to find the answers. But until then, we really can’t risk unleashing some great good into this world that we know nothing about. You know like Jasmine, that damn ambiguous, ‘is she evil, is she good’ being. It happened we lucked out and we both didn’t want her and you were able to find a way to destroy her. There is no way of knowing if we will have such luck in the future.”
“OK, this is stupid they are just kids, and no one is talking about children here-”
“Well, we’ve been surveiling them for some time, and I’ve seen the footage. I’m sure we would all agree that the possibility is there.”
“God, I can’t believe we are even talking about this.” Hesitantly Buffy offered her solution. “You know, it isn’t as if there aren’t precautions.”
“Nothing’s 100% and we are talking the mystical.
“Fine, even if she were to get pregnant. Nothing says she has to have the baby, we have options.”
“Angel, Connor, you want to field this one or should I?” Hamilton was now leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest with that annoying smirk still in place.
“Uh, Buffy, in my past experiences with Cordelia, in both of her mystical pregnancies, the only cure in the first case was to kill the father, and in the second it was to kill her. It’s possible that once it starts, we won’t be able to stop it without hurting Dawn or Connor. Even Darla was unable to . . .” Angel trailed off and looked over at his son guiltily.
“It’s ok Dad, I know she tried to get rid of me but couldn’t, and then had to sacrifice her life to give birth to me.”
Dawn jumped out of Connor’s arms, tears pouring down a face twisted in anguish. “So, that’s it. We can’t be together?”
“Ah, the irony of the situation. Buffy and Angel can’t be together because of that pesky curse, and now your sister and son suffer the same fate. Very poetic. Very Shakespearean tragedy.”
“This isn’t funny; you can’t just play with people’s lives this way! It’s just not fair!” Dawn was sobbing now, crumpled in the corner, every part of her body racked with the weight of it all.
“I’m sorry, did anyone else miss my earlier statement about this not being a game? Sure it would be a fun one, and yes one I would line up to play, but no this is your reality. Sure glad it ain’t mine.”
“Buffy you promised me! You promised I would have a normal life.”
“I know baby, I’m so sorry.” Buffy tried to take Dawn into her arms but she pushed her away.
“Dad, you can’t expect us to honor this, this, bullshit”
“Son, you saw what happened to Cordelia. I know that you wouldn’t want that to happen to Dawn. If there was even a chance, you wouldn’t take it, because you love her.” Angel looked over at Buffy as he said the last.
“We can’t risk unleashing another Jasmine or worse upon this world. You know that I could never let that happen.”
“Dad, I know but, I love her.”
Angel walked over to Connor and rested his hand on the boy’s shoulder, now hunched in resignation. “With power, with who you are, comes responsibility, and sometimes sacrifice.”
Connor threw Angel’s hand off his shoulder and anger filled his body once more, “Fuck responsibility! I’m sick of it! I won’t leave her.”
“Connor, I’m not saying it’s hopeless, there may be a way, we just have to find it.”
“Oh, it’s looking pretty bleak from where I’m standing, and I’m at the door of the most powerful evil. Yep, pretty damn bleak.”
“Hamilton, don’t you have an elsewhere you could be? You’re done here, now get out.”
“Yeah, I’m leaving. But only because I know you will do the right thing. Champions. Not a single selfish bone in their bodies. It’s just so endearing to see in today’s empathetic social climate, that there are still of few of you left.”
“And what exactly are you Hamilton? Who is it that you fight for?”
“Why, the winning team of course. Evil’s hung around for a long time.”
“And so have those who fight it.”
“Yeah, well, we’ll see how long that will be. You know, there’s a prophesy out there that says we may end up on the same team.”
“I don’t believe in prophesies.”
“Sure you do.” Hamilton looked over at Buffy as he finished, “You live everyday hoping that one particular prophesy comes true. She’s your biggest reason for fighting the good fight.”
Angel looked over at Buffy, unable to deny that Hamilton was right.
“Well, I hear an apocalypse brewing.” The Wolfram & Hart helicopter could be heard approaching mere minutes from their location.
“Or perhaps it’s just a chopper. No matter, the Senior Partners keep me in nice suits, and hot cars. What more could an immortal ask for? Oh, and you four, take care. Remember, it’s better to have loved and lost.” Letting the proverb hang in the air, Hamilton smiled and left, his whistling floating in his wake.
“Dawny, listen to me, we will find a way. But for now, from what they’ve said, for your safety as well as Connor’s, the two of you must stay apart.”
“No!” Dawn screamed and ran towards the door. But when she reached it she stopped short at the pile of mutilated bodies on the floor. She looked back unsure of herself, but then stepped out over and around the bodies in her haste to get away from the horror of the harsh reality that clouded the room.
Connor started to go after Dawn, but was stopped by Buffy. “Connor, let me go to her. She needs her sister right now.”
“I’m not going to let her go. I love her.” Tears welled up in his eyes as he said this.
“I know you do. But she needs me right now. She’s mad at me. She thinks it’s my fault. I need to go talk to her.”
****************
Buffy followed Dawn out into the night to find her sitting on the grass with her knees tucked up under her chin and crying. She attempted to pull Dawn into her arms, but Dawn pushed her away. Buffy’s only choice was to use her slayer strength to get the girl to accept her comfort.
She pulled the struggling Dawn into her arms and settled her head in her lap. She then began stroking her hair, waiting for her sobs to calm enough for her to talk.
“It’s just not fair Buffy. Oh God, it hurts to breathe. Why does it hurt to breathe? I feel like I’m breaking inside. How can all this be happening? Just yesterday he was a normal guy, and we were happy and we were in love, and now this. It’s just not fair!” Her sobs increased with fervor now, the strength of them nearly sending her into convulsions.
“I know this doesn’t help, but I’ve been where you are right now. And it does get better. You’ll never stop loving him, but the pain will ease.”
“You’re making it sound like it’s over. It’s not! You promised me a normal life! You said I could have it, that I wouldn’t have to go through what you had.”
“I know baby, but this is out of my control; out of all of our control. You have to let him go for now, until we can find a way to fix this.”
“Buffy I can’t!”
“Dawn you are one of the strongest people I know, and I know you can do this. If anyone can get through this it is you. And it isn’t forever I promise you that. I know Angel. He will find a way around this. He loves his son and he loves you. He’ll find a way to ensure that you are both happy.”
“And he’d do anything to make sure you were happy.” Dawn said looking pointedly at Buffy.
“Yeah he would. He even left me to make sure I would be happy. And I believe that Connor also has your best interest at heart. But he may have to choose the same path his father chose. He knows that there is a great chance that your relationship could hurt you, possibly even kill you. As well as endanger the world. But he’d never leave you forever and he’d never forget you. I see it in the way he looks at you, the way he touches you. He wants you in his life. The two of you will find your way back to each other, just as I know one day Angel and I will also find our way back to one another.”
Buffy placed a kiss on Dawn’s forehead and let her continue to cry it out. It would be a long time before the tears would dry.
****************
Angel and Connor filed out of the sewer just as the chopper landed and Wesley, Gunn, Ilyria and Spike filed out, weapons ready for the fight that was over.
Spike strode over to Angel, battle axe in hand, looking the area over for any threat. Confusion soon filled his face when he realized there wasn’t any.
“So, where’s the evil you needed the big bad to help you fight?
“Dealt with.”
“Well then, to the important matter. Where’s Bu-”
“Spike, don’t even go there.”
“I bloody well will go there.”
“Seriously Spike if you really,” Angel had to fight to get the word out, “love her, you’ll let her be.”
Angel looked pointedly over at the girls across the green who were still wrapped up in each others arms.
“What’s happened? Are they hurt? Why aren’t you helping them?”
“Because it’s the kind of hurt neither you nor I can fix.”
“What the hell are you talking about. I have no idea what’s going on here.”
“Big surprise there.”
“Yeah, that’s right, insult the man with the very large axe.”
Angel stepped forward. “You threatening me Spike?”
“Yeah I suppose I am.”
Wesley stepped in between them. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but your son looks like he could use your support right now.”
“The air reeks of sadness. Such a useless human emotion.” Illyria was now circling Connor who didn’t even appear to notice her. “He no longer warms to me; he’s drowned in love loss over that girl.”
“Wes, take Illyria and put her back in the chopper. Actually, everybody get back on board. We will be leaving soon.”
“Angel, isn’t there something we’re here to do?”
“Things have changed.”
Angel quickly filled Wesley in on the situation with Dawn and Connor, and the Senior Partner’s interest in it all.
“Well I have to say, this is all very intriguing. I mean, what are the odds that your boy and Buffy’s sister would ever even meet outside of you and Buffy, let alone fall in love? Just amazing. And this new situation. Simply extraordinary.”
“Wes, stop sounding so damned excited about our problem, and get to work on solving it.”
“Well, it is strange that I am about to research a way for two teenagers to engage in safe sex, didn’t see that happening. However, remember that problem Cordelia had with Groo. That potion she sent you to get, perhaps. I mean it isn’t nearly the same situation, but it could be a good sign, you know, that there’s hope.”
Angel looked over to see Connor standing almost catatonic, watching Buffy and Dawn across the field. “Great,” Angel said distractedly, “Let’s start with that.”
Angel walked away, leaving Wesley just standing there. When he reached Connor he simply placed a hand on his shoulder, Connor jumped, but still didn’t look away from Dawn.
At Angel’s gentle prodding, Connor slowly turned his head toward him, a single tear now slipping out of his eye, which he quickly wiped away.
“You’ll help me. Help me find a way to fix this.” It was barely a whisper, but Angel caught every shaky word.
“Yes. And we will. I promise you.” Angel looked longingly across the field, his own anguish visible.
“Because you never want me to feel the way you do right now?” Connor said. Angel looked at him questioningly. “You know, hopeless. The way you look at her, like it’s impossible. I never want to feel that for Dawn. I never even want to think it.”
“I wish none of this were happening to you right now.”
They were both silent for what seemed like forever. Each of their gazes locked on their lost love. Finally, Connor spoke. It was a quiet voice full of resignation.
“I don’t know how to say goodbye to her.”
“You definitely are my son.”
Connor looked at him not understanding his comment.
“Let me give you a piece of advice that comes directly from my own personal experience. They don’t like it when you just leave. It may be less painful that way, but a goodbye is absolutely necessary.”
“What wuss wouldn’t say goodbye? I never considered just leaving her. Seriously who would do that?”
“Well in my defense I did tell her in advance that I wasn’t going to say goodbye-”
“Whatever Dad, I think I’ll field this one on my own.”
****************
Connor walked over to Buffy and Dawn. When he got there, Buffy pealed Dawn out of her arms and moved her into Connor’s, and slowly walked away, hoping her sister would make it through this as she listened to her burst into heavy tears all over again. She lowly walked across the field, and fell into Angel’s arms, still reeking of her sister’s anguish; he held her and gently stroked her hair and whispered words that were not about meaning but about the soothing tone of his voice, until she was able to calm down. Buffy looked up at him and he wiped away her final tears and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead.
“Angel, this has all happened before except it was me crying into Willow’s lap, trying with all my will to just breathe and it was you I was grieving for. I can’t stand that she has to go through this. I wanted her to have the life I couldn’t, never my exact life!”
“Well, if it helps, I don’t think you turned out so bad, and although we were apart I never stopped loving you.”
“What has our love ever gotten us but continued pain? I just can’t stand for them to suffer the same fate.”
“I promise you, I will use every resource Wolfram & Hart has to ensure that doesn’t happen.”
Just then Spike cleared his throat, gaining both Buffy and Angel’s attention. Buffy’s eyes lit up slightly, while Angel’s got dangerously darker.
“Hello Love.”
“She’s not your love.”
“Angel, can I please…I haven’t seen him since I watched him die. I need to see that he’s ok.”
“He’s fine.”
“Don’t give me a hard time about this; you know how I feel about you. I love you. You and I have a connection no one will ever be able to break. But he and I are connected in a different way and I need.”
“Go, please! If it means I won’t have to listen to you talk about your feelings for Spike, then just go. Any more of this and the likely-hood Spike will be returning with me in any form other than a pile of dust is pretty non-existent. I’ll be in the chopper.” He grabbed her then for one last long deep kiss. She moaned and instinctively moved in closer to him, attempting to draw every last inch of his body against hers, for who knew how long it would be before they saw each other again. Angel pulled away slowly, not wanting to break the contact, yet at the same time knowing he must.
Buffy dazedly looked up at a satisfied Angel. “So, was that for me, or Spike?”
Angel smiled wryly. “I just think of it as a win-win.” He let go of her and turned to walk toward the chopper. He stopped mid-way and turned back to look at her one last time before he got on board.
****************
Buffy ran towards Spike nearly knocking him to the ground as she threw herself into his arms.
“So, you’re glad to see me?”
Buffy let go and punched him in the face.
“Or not.”
“I’m pissed as hell! What was that dying production? Then I find out, by the way not from you, that you are alive and in LA. And you didn’t even bother to call and let me know that you weren’t dead.”
“Actually, still dead. But thankfully no longer ghostly.”
“You know that’s not the same thing, and don’t use that ‘I wasn’t corporeal so I couldn’t make a phone call’ crap on me.”
“Well, I thought I’d done one better, when I came to Rome to see you, but you were too busy shagging the immortal to see me, us, whatever.”
“Don’t you start with me too. Every girl’s allowed to make a few bad romance choices in her life.”
“And where do I fall on that list, love?”
“It’s hard to say, I pretty much have you straddling the middle.”
“So there’s straddling eh?”
“Don’t start with your dirty innuendoes.”
“Fine, fine. Well, nobody wants to be the good guy, so I guess that will have to do. Anyway, it may not seem it but I was hoping this would be a good meeting, well after the rescuing you ended up not needing I mean. But it’s not going so good with the smootchfest I just had to witness.”
“Oh, yeah, sorry about that. Things have just been, well, intense is an understatement.”
Spike looked over at Dawn and Connor who still sat on the ground entwined in each others arms. “So I see. Is there anything I can do?”
“Spike I-”
“Don’t worry slayer, I know the score, you and Angel, the love that will never die, Romeo and Juliet never had anything on the two of you.”
“But I want to explain, about what I said-”
“I knew then, just as I told you, that you didn’t mean it. You thought I was dying. It’s no bid deal.”
But Buffy could see as he looked away from her as he said the last that he was lying. It was a big deal.
“I meant it.”
He looked at her questioningly ¡V intensely into her eyes. She loved that look, the one that she could actually feel penetrate her. However, it didn’t affect her in the same way it once had.
“We became so close that last year after you got your soul. Fighting together, working side by side. You were my strength and the closest friend I have. You hold a piece of my heart that no one will ever be able to touch, not even Angel.”
Spike took a step closer to her so that he was standing just a breath away, his head bent down towards hers, their lips mere inches apart. “A friend, Slayer? Are you sure that’s all I am to you? That it’s all you want?” He didn’t move as he spoke the words in a slow sexy whisper.
Buffy stepped back away from him, hoping the distance would help her regain her senses. As much as she knew she was in love with Angel, she still felt her skin excite at the nearness of Spike. But it didn’t mean she was in love with him, just that a part of her would probably always lust for him in some way. No man had ever touched her the way Spike had, the darkness in her, only to her innate slayerness did it feel right. But it wasn’t right for the person she wanted to be. Not a slayer, but a woman, free of the ties to such darkness.
“Well, I guess that answers that.”
“Spike, are you going to be ok.”
“You know, I kept telling myself it was always going to be him, but I think deep down somewhere inside I held out hope, ya know, as crazy as I knew it was.” Spike drew himself up and seemed to come to terms with her decision.
“Yeah, well, I think it only fair that I be allowed to continue torturing Angel on this subject. Sadly, some days it is the best part of my day watching him squirm over images of you and me together.”
Buffy looked past Spike to see Angel sitting in the chopper watching them closely. “You two are awful. Half the time I don’t think it’s me at all you are arguing about. I’m just one of your excuses at your attempts to continually one up the other. So have your fun, just leave me out of it.”
Buffy leaned forward and gave Spike a kiss on the cheek before she allowed him to fold her up in his arms for a proper good-bye.
When he jumped up into the chopper, the only ones left on the green were Dawn, Connor and herself. She stood a good distance from them, and wasn’t sure they were ever going to let go of one another. That is until Buffy saw Angel climb out of the Chopper and start to make his way towards them.
****************
TBC
This story archived at: The Slayer\'s Fanfic Archive
The Slayer\\\\\\\\'s FanFic Archive - http://www.slayerfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=10291