Two of a kind: Chapter 5
by i_hate_mornings

Disclaimer: I'm so sick of reminding everyone that i don't own the characters of Buffy and Angel. It's a curse we all have to bear though...

Chapter 5

Angel woke with yet another gigantic headache. His head throbbed, sending jackhammer like flashes of pain into his brain, and it took him only seconds to discover he disliked them enormously.

While he’d been carried upside down, he’d fallen unconscious as the blood had rushed to his head. It had been a new experience, one he never wished to repeat. Now, he was locked in a cage; one that smelt really bad. Someone one, or something, had more than likely died in this exact spot, he suspected.

The clinking of metal on metal reached his ears and second later, the door to the cell his cage was in, opened. A vampire Angel had never seen before swept into the room, his cape- he has a cape? - swirling majestically behind him. He fought the urge to laugh. Who wears a cape? Really?

The vampire stood silently for a moment- he probably thinks he’s letting me bask in his glory- before he threw back the cape and puffed his chest out. Angel stared at him. Is he for real? He could just hear Buffy’s snide comments echoing in his head and he was glad she wasn’t there. The stupid looking enemies were more often the more dangerous ones.

‘Greetings, Angelus,’ he pompously recited. Angel fully expected him to say something like, “I come from the planet…” Cordelia had him watching way to much TV, he realized with a scowl.

Pandemonium erupted as the door to the cell was ripped from its hinges. The vampire whirled around, not ready for the attack and Angel watched with wide eyes as he was reduced to ash in seconds.

Three figures stepped though the door. ‘Buffy was right. Vampires plus costumes equals stupid. Did you see how surprised he was? It was great.’

Angel knew that voice.

‘Xander…’ A female sighed.

Angel knew that voice too.

‘This is stupid. The vampire’s are dead. Can we go home now? You promised we’d have sex.’

He didn’t, however, know that voice.

‘Ahn,’ Xander whined. ‘What have I told you?’

‘Willow is not company, Xander. She has orgasms too. She doesn’t care if we talk about it. Right?’ She directed the last part at the unobtrusive redhead.

Angel saw Willow cheeks turn red and he smiled. He knew all about Willow’s new life, so he was pleased to see she hadn’t changed too much.

‘See?’ Ahn- was that her name? - waved a hand at Willow in a see? gesture. Xander sighed.

He placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder. ‘Anya look-’

It was then his eyes lit upon the former vampire in the cage. Angel didn’t like the look he saw in the boy’s eyes. What he saw there was pure hatred, something he’d only seen once before in the young man’s gaze; when he’d been Angelus.

‘Angelus,’ he spat and Angel frowned in confusion. Surely he didn’t think he was evil. He was human now!

The boy stalked towards the cage, a maniacal grin on his face. ‘What are you going to do now, Angelus? You’re all caged up.’

‘Xander,’ Willow warned. ‘Don’t get too close. We have to get Buffy. She wants him re-ensouled.’

‘Buffy’s not thinking too clearly right now,’ Xander shook his head, coming yet closer to the cage. ‘He needs to be put down, like all rabid animals.’

Angel bristled. ‘Listen to me, boy-’

‘No, you listen to me Angelus. I don’t know how it happened, and, let’s face it; I couldn’t care any less than I already do, but you hurt Buffy yesterday. I told you I wouldn’t let you do anything more to her.’

‘Xander,’ Willow began but quieted when Xander rounded on her.

‘You’d rather he be free, free for this to happen again? As long as he’s alive, Buffy is never safe. Angel will just sleep with someone else and it’s us dieing, all over again.’

Angel had heard enough. ‘I don’t know what the hell is going on, but I am not Angelus. What happened to Buffy? Is she okay? Was she hurt? Tell me!’

Xander sneered at him. ‘You’re not Angelus? Okay, we’ll just let you out then. Yeah… nice try. We’re not stupid.’

‘Really? You sure about that?’ Angel was getting irritated. Something had happened to Buffy and it was connected to his alter-ego.

Willow walked forwards, coming to stand beside Xander. She looked at Angel curiously. ‘Willow,’ he appealed. She had always been the reasonable one. ‘I’m not Angelus, I swear. I’m Angel. What’s going on?’

Her eyes widened and she stepped up to the cage. Xander made to haul her away but she stopped him. ‘Hi, Angel.’

‘You believe me,’ he sighed in relief.

‘No, I really don’t,’ she shook her head. ‘I recognize you energy, your aura. You’re not Angelus. But I don’t believe you and I don’t trust you. You really hurt Buffy yesterday.’

‘I didn’t,’ he told her urgently. ‘I only got here yesterday afternoon. Since then I’ve been locked in this cage. It wasn’t me. I would never do that to Buffy.’

‘You wouldn’t, Angelus did,’ Willow explained. ‘I don’t know how it happened, but Angelus attacked Buffy yesterday. How did he get free, Angel? Do you remember?’

‘No,’ Angel shook his head. ‘He wasn’t free. You’re mistaken.’

‘I really don’t think we are,’ Xander sneered. ‘Ahn, did you imagine the mass murdering vampire in the Magic Box yesterday?’

Anya glanced over Angel. ‘He looks like the vampire who cost me money,’ she shrugged. ‘You owe me two hundred dollars,’ she told Angel.

The ex-vampire frowned. He owed her?

Willow reached towards the lock on the door. ‘I don’t know what happened but he is definitely not Angelus right now. We’re taking him back to see Giles. He’ll be able to figure it out.’

‘Uh, Wills,’ Xander tried to stop her. ‘Do you think that’s such a good idea?’

‘No,’ she said as she dropped the lock she’d magically opened. ‘But it’s the best idea I have right now.’

Angel got out of the cage, hating the way Buffy’s friends backed away from him. There was no need for them to be afraid of him. Something had happened and he intended to find out what. Angelus had been here? How? Angel was human now. Didn’t that mean Angelus was gone?

Anya led them towards the front door, Xander keeping Angel between himself and Willow. Angel supposed it was so Willow could do something before anything bad happened.

They reached the front door and the procession halted. ‘It’s daylight.’

Angel smiled slightly. He stepped out into the light, face instantly warmed by the morning sun.

Xander swore.

Willow gasped. ‘He’s human.’





Gasp. Predictable plot line. Oh no.

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