Angel's Return: Part 5
by Angelica Fire
Spike, Dru, Buff, Xander, Cordy, Willow, Giles, Oz, Sunnydale etc. belong to the omnipotent WB, Mutant Enemy and Joss. All hail Joss!!!~
I am but an insignificant fan fic writer. I own only Syphil, Angelica, and Zenora and Billy and Jane.
Oh, and check out my site: http://fireworkz.cjb.net. There, you'll find an *epilogue* to this story... plus sneak previews and more!
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Part Five
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She felt the whole wooden structure she was imprisoned in shake. She heard the knife slicing air, creating a unique, death-bringing sound. Then, she heard silence.
Yet, again, she was not dead. She could feel, and... think. And see. She opened her eyes.
She found Xander kneeling by the Jane. She found Oz? punching Billy? She found Giles, saving her life, watching out for the slayer, holding up the blade of death.
Yet, she did not see Willow. Nor Cordelia.
"Willow!" Giles yelled.
Willow did not come.
Instead, Xander rushed over, tired of staying around an unconscious girl (too unlike Xander). He took Billy's knife and started cutting the ropes bounding Buffy. Then, he unlatched the wood encrusting Buffy's neck and wrists. Buffy struggled out.
Giles was about to let go of the blade, when Xander reached out and stopped him.
"Xander! You could have lost your arm!" Giles exclaimed.
"Just checking your reflexes." Xander replied. Then he placed an apple on the board of the gilloteen. "I've always wanted to try this!"
Giles let go of the blade, and it fell. It daintily sliced the apple in half.
"That could have been your head." Xander said to Buffy, gesturing to her as he spoke.
"Her neck." Oz said. He winked at Buffy. Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't Billy look better now?"
They all turned to Billy. He was bound and gagged. At least he was gagged rather than silenced with tape. With Billy trapped, the foul-deathlike smell loitering in the air seemed to have evaporated. A lacking feeling filled the room, touched with an uneasy silence.
"Hey, where's Cordelia?" Xander asked. He looked around.
"She got too freaked out and bailed." Oz replied.
"Then, where's Willow?" Xander asked.
"D-did either of you see Cordelia or Willow come out of the car?" Giles asked.
"I got out of the car and-- Oh sh..." Xander trailed off.
"You mean they were abducted?" Oz completed Xander's thought.
"Y-yes, that would seem logical. But, what's not is why Drusilla would want to enable us to save you, then kidnap Cordelia and Willow." Giles said.
"Dru's weird." Oz stated. He pointed his forefinger and made a counter-clockwise rotation around the side of his head.
"That's still... unusual. You'd think that she wanted to eliminate the slayer." Giles said.
5 "*"
"Then, why'd she tell us where she was in the first place?" Xander replied.
"Why'd we believe her?" Oz added.
"Wait..." Buffy said. "Drusilla told you of all this, of where I am and the danger I'm in?"
"Yes." Giles, Oz, and Xander replied simultaneously.
"And you trusted her?" Buffy asked, her voice sounding astounded.
"We were desperate." Xander replied. "Without the Slayer, Sunnydale suffered. Hellmouth opened fire and charred Sunnydale like a merciless barbeque."
"Yes, it was quite hot." Giles commented.
Xander shot him a bewildered glance.
"Listen, Buffy. We need you back at Sunnydale. The battles and supernatural attractions there are gone because of you. I figure that if you went back, the evil would follow you, and action would come back to Sun town." Oz winked again.
"Yes, it has been more still than usual." Giles added.
"So... does that mean the Hellmouth's relocated?" Buffy asked. "Here?"
"It seems like the best possible solution for our dilemma." Giles said. "But that still doesn't give a satisfying solution to why Drucilla saved you."
"There's a few facts you might want to know." Buffy said.
"We're all ears." Oz said. He pointed to his shirt. Coincidentally, it had an ear-patterened design. "It's anti-rock day." Oz explained.
"Angel's back." Buffy tersely stated.
"What? Didn't he live? Wasn't he with you the whole time?" Xander asked, concern and joy mixed in a creepy combination in his voice. Xander would be glad that Angel's dead.
"No... I-I... killed him." Buffy said. Then she turned around, buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
"I guess Willow wouldn't make too much of a witch after all." Oz joked.
"I'm sorry." Giles said. An age-old darkness swept across his eyes. It was almost as if he was re-living the moment he was told he was destined to be the Watcher... and nothing else.
"A-hem. So, do you think we're here because of some spooky vampiric-ghost wanting to take revenge?" Xander said.
"A poltergeist?" Giles started.
"Hey Angel!" Xander yelled. "You cree--"
Giles put a hand against Xander's mouth. "If he really was here, it wouldn't be such a good idea to insult him like that."
"He can't be." Oz said. "If he was, he would have prevented us from saving Buffy. He'll want revenge. We probably wouldn't even be talking now."
"That's right. You'll be in hell, now." Came a voice from above.
All five consious people, including Billy, turned to meet the voice.
It was Spike.
Spike smoothly advanced down the stairs. He walked to Billy, ungagged him. He whispered a few words to him. Then, twisted his neck, killing him in one move.
"Angel's spirit would be so ravenous, so reckless, so cruel, so 'Angel,' that you would all be dead. Dead!" Spike laughed.
"What has he failed in?" Buffy demanded. She had read Spike's lips while he whispered to Billy.
"He failed in killing you." Spike said, simply, his finger pointed at Buffy. He walked closer.
"You hired Billy to kill Buffy?" Xander asked, outraged.
"He was easy to motivate. He was actually glad to be receiving money for inflicting death." Spike explained. "Quite unlike regular people."
"Do the words, 'Angel's Back' hold any meaning to you?" Giles suddenly asked.
"Of course, but that doesn't concern you." Spike replied. He edged closer.
"What about the murder?" Buffy asked.
"Murder? In the poorly-equipped restroom?" Spike asked.
"Yes, the death of Shelby Lamb." Buffy confirmed.
"Oh, that. That was all a set up. Remarkable, wasn't it?" Spike said. He seemed to be abundant in ego tonight.
Buffy delivered a kick to his chest. "Yes, very remarkable." She kicked him again, till he fell. "Why?" She demanded.
"I didn't kill her." Spike choked.
"I know." Buffy said. She prodded him for more information. "Who did?"
"Dru did." Spike said.
"Me?" Came a voice from above again. This time, it was feminine. "I killed that girl?" The voice continued in a bewildered tone. "You're covering up for her."
Drusilla climbed down the steps. She took one look at Spike, and her face crumpled up with grief. She started attacking Spike.
Buffy jumped back, bewildered.
"I eh-think we should get out of here." Xander said.
The four left, leaving the basement, forgetting about the unconscious girl.
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