Not Too Late: Part Two
by Ahn
Joss and the WB own everything. I own nothing except my imagination and the characters and creatures that sprung forth from my imagination. (Sorry, been having too much Giles in my head)

Author's Note: This story takes place after "Becoming". Preferably after Angel is returned from Hell.



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Part Two

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It was nearly four o'clock in the morning when Angel walked back into his basement apartment outside of Los Angeles. He tiredly tossed his keys onto the counter and looked staright at the smiling picture facing him. He kept it there because, sometimes, when he came home to that empty apartment, he would pretend that she was there waiting for him to come home, safe and sound.

"Hey, there Buffy. It was a quiet night out there. I'm hoping that it was for you too," he said as he traced her smile with a finger. Angel's slight smile disappeared when he heard nothing except the faint humming of the refridgerator. "Hell, it's just another night like always. No one here except you, dead guy."

Angel's eyes looked around his apartment with little interest. There were pieces of furniture that he had aquired after he left Sunnydale. He really didn't take anything from his apartment there, for him it was all apart of his atonement. He left with Whistler, taking nothing with him, except for the clothes on his back and the one picture of Buffy. He still maintained the apartment in Sunnydale, though. He wanted it to be there for the Someday when he would return, whenever that was. It would have been wiser for him to give it all up, but he was still having a little trouble letting go. For now, he left the keys to Buffy, for her to use whenever she felt the need to be alone was strong.

Absently, he walked over to the armoire facing his bed and started changing clothes, He looked over to the sketch that he made of her and smiled wryly at himself. There was something of the Irish in himself still that he would want the picture of his sweetheart looking over him. For now, hers was the face that he wanted to see when he woke up and the last thing that he wanted to see when he was falling asleep. Not even Whistler knew that he had drawn the picture, he had always covered it with clothing that he deliberately tossed over it. It was a private thing.

Angel felt a chill go through him. Cocking his head, he waited to see if he could identify it. Sometimes he got a feeling when there was another demon near and sometimes whenever he sensed something was wrong. But now, after that chill, there was nothing. And that was odd.

< I should get something to eat. It's been two days since I had something. > thought Angel absently as he turned on the T.V. set on the way to the fridge. He picked a packet and started drinking with a faint look of resignation on his face. Angel started to drink again when his ears suddenly focused on the early morning news.

"And in the local news. Police have found the body of a young woman on the waterfront outside of Sunnydale. This young woman seemed to be the victim of a violent gang related crime. The young lady is beleived to be an Elizabeth "Buffy" Summers. She is the second of such crimes on the waterfront. Other news--"

"No! No!" hollered Angel at he grabbed the t.v. But Buffy's smiling face was looking at him. Grabbing it, he flung it against the wall as he ran to the stairs outside.

< I have to get to Sunnydale. I have to go to her! > he thought wildly as he ran upstairs. Flinging open the door, he was repulsed by the stream of sunlight. "No!"screamed Angel in agony. It was daylight, the sun was shining, the people were coming to life and his world was starting to crumble. It was the begining of hell.

"O.K. Angel, calm down. Gotta think this trough. Gotta get to Sunnydale alive, not as a pile of dust. She has to be alive. She just has to. Or God help the one that killed her."



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Cordelia looked at Buffy's bloody body and started to scream in earnest. Willow tried to look past the coroner's body, but was roughly shoved into Oz's arms. He forcefully pulled Willow's head down onto his shoulder. He saw what was left of Buffy on the table, and had no buring desire to let his girl see what was left of her best friend.

"Oz, let me go! I have to see!! Oz!" cried Willow from his arms as she struggled against her boyfriend's strength. Oz only heald her tighter, and facing away from the body.

"No, baby. I'm not gonna let you. You don't wanna see," he said softly. And then looked at Giles. The librarian looked as if he had aged overnight. His clothes rumpled and his glasses placed awkwardly on his face. The man did not look good, and he was still trying to block Xander from seeing what was left of Buffy.

Xander pushed Giles away and went to take Cordy into his arms, his eyes reflecting the horror of what he had seen. He stroked her head and turned her away from the sight. She quieted and muffled her cries into soft mews into his sweater. The coroner quickly covered Buffy with a sheet. It was then that Oz let go of Willow from his arms, but not from his hand. He stood close, ready to stop her should she even try to get to the body.

"What are you four doing in here?" he demanded, then looked at the man called Giles for an explaination."How the hell did you kids get in here? Mr. Giles, do you know who these people are?"

"They are-were friends of hers," he said tiredly. The coroner immediately softened his belligerent stance.

"Oh, god. You poor kids," he said softly. Xander looked at the man, his eyes pleading him to deny what he was asking.

"Was the body identified yet?" he asked in a wobbly voice. Xander looked at Giles, and knew by his stance what the answer would be, but was hoping that it wasn't.

"The body of Ms. Summers was identified through the license that she had in her jacket," the coroner said coolly. Willow looked at him pleadingly. Her voice holding a false hope. "But jackets and id could be stolen. It happens all the time!"

Giles' weary voice sounded loud in that quiet little room that had the generator working."Willow, Buffy's mother and I identified the body. It was her."

Xander's eyes grew round at the implication. Cordelia's head looked at the Britian in shock."Buffy's mom?"

"Yes, Ms. Summers identified the jacket and body with Mr.Giles before she was sedated,"the coroner said softly. Never had he seen such looks of utter devastation on five faces. The mother's he could understand, but these five. The Englishman was only a librarian and bookstore owner, while the others seemed to be close friends. It looked like they had lost the most important person in the world, and the end of the world would be near."Mr. Giles, now that you have signed the papers, I think that it would be best if you took a look at Ms. Summers. She would have come out of her sedation right now. Tell her that her daughter will be released in two more days."

The Englishman tiredly nodded his head as he indicated for the four young adults to leave with him. The coroner looked at them and nodded his heald in pity. So young and too pretty to die. At least, from what he could of what was left of her. It was a pity that one Buffy Summers was dead. He absently wondered if she had a good life and had said all that she wanted to say to her friends. If she hadn't, it was now too late.



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Buffy shook her head groggily before she too a mental inventory of how she was feeling. < I think a mack truck hit me. I haven't felt this way since Willow got engaged to Oz. >

"Oh, are we up yet Slayer? I dreamed you were going to be here and that you were going to hurt," cooed a voice that made Buffy's blood freeze. She sharply lifted her head which immediately caused it to go spinning. "Oh, yes! We are up! Now for the fun to begin!"

"Not in this lifetime, Drucilla,"muttered Buffy. She tried to move to attack her, but found that her arms and legs were chained to the wall. Buffy looked at the vampric form of Drucilla in the dim light. The mad vampire was wearing a leather outfit with a pair of cowboy boots that made her look like a pale cowgirl biker babe. "Don't you have anything else to wear? Those boots really don't match the outfit."

"Shut up!" said Drucilla sweetly as she slapped Buffy hard in the face repeatedly. "You've been a naughty Slayer! Naughty! You deserve to die for what you and Spike did to my Angel! I took care of Spike before I left him and now I'll take care of you-"

Buffy looked wide-eyed as Drucilla was flung to the far wall by some mysterious force. Well, not as mysterious, for Lady Lilith was standing right behind her with a pack of vampires. She had an annoyed look on her face. "I told you Drucilla, there was no harm to come to the Slayer! Now be good or else I'll eat you!"

Drucilla wimpered ,"I didn't mean to disobey you, my lady! I was-" "I am not interested in you exscuses, Drucilla," said Lilith coldly as her hair swirled around her like angry snakes. One strand grabbed Drucilla and started to choke her."I think that you should learn a small lesson, my insane pet."

Instantly, Drucilla started to struggle madly. But before Buffy's widened eyes, she saw the insane vampire weaken abruptly in the glowing tentacles of hair and saw that the vampire's skin turn to a sickly green. Just as abruptly the glow stopped, and the tentacles threw Drucilla again against the far wall,

"I only took some of your energy as a lesson to you, Drucilla," said Lilith coldly. Then she looked at the other vampires who started to cower away from her."Let this be a lesson to all of you. Anyone who hurts this Slayer before the full moon, I will eat. Is that understood?" The vampires all bowed their heads in understanding. Lilith looked at Buffy with kinder eyes."Are you all right Slayer?"

"Who are you? What's with the Medusa look?"asked Buffy angrily.

"I am Lady Lilith, not Medusa," she said calmly,"And you are safe enough for now."

"Until the full moon."

"Yes."

"What happens then?"

Lilith smiled sadly at her. A sad smile that only Buffy could see."Then my little Slayer, you and this whole world shall die."

Buffy looked at Lilith defiantly."My friends will come and find me."

Lilith gave her a small smile."No, Slayer, they think that you are dead. It is safer for them to think that, because you will soon be."

"What-" Buffy started to say, then she remembered what happened at the pier. The girl's body. Her jacket. The gunshots to the dead girl's face."No."

"Yes. And even if they do know that you are not dead. It will be too late. I have waited for you for ten thousand years, Slayer. I will not let you go, and you will help me destroy the world."

Buffy nodded her denial. Lilith turned to the other vampires."Take her, we must move from this place at once. We cannot have our plans be interrupted even for the slightest moment. Be gentle with her."

Lilith turned to walk away, then faced the still crumbled form of Drucilla."You may follow, but do not anger me or touch the Slayer again. Defy me if you will, and I will make you suffer."

Drucilla wimpered her answer."Yes, my lady Lilith."

Buffy started to struggle against the vampires, but it was to no avail. There were too many, and she didn't even have a toothpick on her.





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