Pairings: B/Immortal, B/A(kinda)
Timeline: I've given up trying to figure it out. AtS Season 5 somewhere. Inspired by The Girl In Question, but otherwise it bears little resemblance to what happened in that ep or anything that happened after it.
Disclaimer: The characters in the story do not belong to me. They belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy, and no infringement is intended.
A/N: Inspired by the song of the same name sung by Kelly Clarkson.
I'm still working on Bella Mia, so don't think that's gonna fade away - it's not.
Angel felt every one of his 250 years. He was tired, and all he wanted was to be left to himself, in a quiet, dark room away from the rest of the world. The urge to brood in solitude had never left him, despite being forced more into social interaction over the past few years.
The noise was excruciating. Angel could feel his eardrums vibrating so hard they hurt. To humans it was verging uncomfortable; to Angel it was verging torture. He'd always been a big fan of silence.
There were people everywhere. So many that he couldn't have turned around without accidentally brushing someone. The need to escape was strangling him, and he prayed to the neon exit signs for salvation.
The smell clinging to Angel's nostrils was alcoholic, with human sweat and man-made perfumes as an aftertaste. His stomach roiled, but vampires didn't puke.
He could have asked himself what in God's name he was doing here, but it was a stupid question. There was only ever going to be one answer. His eyes drifted to them, although it hurt to look. The discomfort in his eyes from trying to peer through the flashing lights did not bother him at all compared with the dull clenching sensation in his chest as watched the tiny blonde girl and her male companion dance.
Angel couldn't dance. He could make do with slow songs, just holding her and following the sway of her body to the music. Angel's grace was limited to the fight - raw power, deadly accuracy and impeccable timing. In that dance he could partner Buffy perfectly. In this one he was a failure. It was just one more thing the Immortal had over him.
Angel could see the smile he loved, the light in her eyes and the glow of her skin. The Immortal could give her that, and all Angel could do was watch from the shadows. He knew that the Immortal had helped her to rebuild the Watcher's Council, both to cope with the increased Slayer numbers and to get rid of the practices Buffy had always hated. He'd seen the photo of Giles looking at the pair with a fond smile on his face. He'd also seen the photos of Dawn's birthday at EuroDisney, where Dawn had apparently insisted on getting a photo of the three of them wearing Mickey Mouse ears.
Angel had been watching them for six months. He'd thought it wouldn't last long, that the Immortal was only using Buffy to get at him, and that he'd have another girl by week's end. Angel was forced to admit that he'd been mistaken. Furthermore, he had to face the fact that it was time to stop watching. He was like a stalker courting a film star who did not return his desperate love, invading her privacy just for the thrill it gave him to see her. Self-disgust was an old friend to Angel and he did not push it away.
He silently waded through the crowd, making for the exits thankfully. As he slipped into the alley behind the club, his still-ringing ears were assaulted again by the sound of a woman screaming. Angel ran, rounding the corner to see five uniformed men dragging the screaming girl to a white, unmarked van, its back open and ready to receive the unwilling offering. Angel rushed them, discovering quickly that they were only human, and he knocked them out cleanly.
He crouched near the girl, concerned by the scent of blood in the air. She was wearing a straitjacket, and as she flinched away from him, the tangled dark hair across her face parted and Angel recognised her. Dana, the mentally disturbed Slayer who'd been forcibly taken from his care by that puffed-up little geek, Andrew. He could see the large red stain across her side, and his teeth gritted as he harshly expelled unnecessary breath.
"What are you doing?" Andrew's nasal whine broke as he rushed up.
"The question is, what are you doing?," growled Angel, turning and drawing himself up to his full height, muscles tensed. More uniformed guards took up position beside Andrew, and Angel stepped between them and Dana.
"You're not even supposed to be here, Angel. This doesn't concern you," Andrew opined.
"Doesn't it? I found her, and I asked for your team's help. This," he gestured to the girl on the ground, "really wasn't what I had in mind," Angel spat.
"Dana is extremely violent. She's uncontrollable even with the drugs, and she keeps running away from the institutions," Andrew defended.
The guards beside him watched Angel, waiting for the right moment to attack.
"And I suppose that wound on her side was self-inflicted too?" Angel shot back sarcastically.
"Dana is a Slayer. She needs to be somewhere where that can be catered for, and we are doing that," Andrew answered with the faith of a believer.
"By drugging her, stabbing her and throwing her in a prison?" Angel commented.
A soft whine from behind Angel distracted him and the guards took their opportunity. They were still only humans, and he finished them off as easily as the last lot, but when he turned back to Dana he saw what she had responded to.
The Immortal stood behind him with several demon lackeys, and Buffy. They had Dana.
Angel lunged at him, but he already knew this would be a tougher fight. These demons were strong and he was outnumbered. The memory of Dana's terror spurred him on, as did the guilt he felt at having let her go last time he'd been responsible for her safety.
Angel feinted right, then dodged left and grabbed Dana, pushing her behind him. He sandwiched her between himself and the side of the van, determined not to be surprised from behind again. He found himself surrounded and staring down several loaded crossbows, all aimed at his heart.
Andrew walked over and stood at the Immortal's other side.
The Immortal sized Angel up. He'd known Angel was there, watching, in the club. Just as he knew that Angel had had himself and Buffy followed. He knew that Angel wouldn't intervene, however. The vampire had always given up too easily, losing faith like most people lost socks. He was self-indulgent, wallowing in his misery, the Immortal thought. So insecure, yet so egotistical, thinking it had all been about him. And now, he had shown himself unexpectedly, putting a wrinkle in his plans for the evening and his relationship with Buffy. But the Immortal was confident that he had enough hold over Buffy now that the speedy arrest of her vampire ex should not be a problem.
"I appreciate your intention, Angel, but this girl needs expert psychiatric care, as well as immediate attention for her wound. You know that. And we here," he gestured to himself, Buffy and Andrew, "have her best interests at heart," the Immortal soothed.
"Doesn't look like it to me," Angel said, standing his ground.
"We may have had our differences, Angel, but please, I implore you to put these aside. You have no reason to distrust Buffy, surely," the Immortal pleaded.
Angel's gaze flicked to Buffy, then turned back to the Immortal.
"I trust her. I don't trust that you've let her in on what's really going on here," Angel stated coolly. He shifted his weight, and the crossbow bearers instantly readied themselves.
"You are outnumbered, Angel," the Immortal pointed out silkily, changing tack. "This does not have to become unpleasant."
"It already is, for one of us," Angel indicated Dana. "I let her be taken from me once before, against my better judgement. I'm not doing that again. You want her, you go through me," Angel resolved, daring the Immortal to respond while Buffy looked on.
"Angel, stop this," Buffy stepped in. "Andrew's not trying to hurt her, he's trying to help her. We all are."
"You condone this?" Angel asked her with a quiet anger. "Dana's not an animal that's escaped from the zoo, Buffy. She's a human being, a Slayer like you are. She was Called for a reason. You fought to change the way the Council treated 'problem' Slayers. Don't let them do this," he pleaded softly.
She held his gaze, her eyes shining with tears as she was torn between two men and two courses of action. She could hear Giles in her head scorning her unpredictable ex and warning her about Wolfram and Hart. And she could hear her heart calling out to the defenceless girl and the Angel she knew.
The Immortal took advantage of the distraction and discreetly signalled his men. Angel had only a split second to react, the crossbow bolts hitting him just shy of the heart. The impact was brutal, and he staggered back, but as he did so he grabbed Dana and jumped onto the roof of the van, exploiting the brief moment before the bows reloaded and the demons reached him.
Angel ran across the roof, hotly pursued, and jumped again onto the roof of the building the van was parked by.
Buffy stood stock still as the others raged around her, unable to tear her eyes from Angel's hurried retreat.
Still pursued, Angel ran, his mind frantically trying to hit upon somewhere he could take Dana where they could both recover from their wounds. He didn't even realise that Dana wasn't fighting him. She had laid her head on his shoulder, and was clutching a handful of his shirt through her torn straitjacket, careful to avoid the bolts still embedded in his chest. She clung tightly as Angel hurried on.
He refused to let her go even as the Immortal's men appeared in front of them.
Her wails this time were of mourning as well as terror as they took her away.
The End.
|
|
|
|
Rave
Barbie Girl (Becca)
biscuit07
Filmtheory (Jim)
Malice (Jess)
MebbtheScribe (MichaelB)
Reset (Allie)
Shay (Marrisa)
somnambulist29 (Shea)
Stephanie Loss
Wendyness (Wendy)
Questions?Contact Us
|
|
All stories on this site have been archived with the authors' consent. Do not copy these stories for your own uses without the express consent of the author themselves. Buffy the Vampire Slayer TM and Angel TM are © UPN, WB, Fox and its related entities. All photos on the site are © UPN, Fox, Warner Bros, and/or their respective owners. No profits are being made by use of these images.
Powered with the assitance of eFiction.
|
|
|
