Disclaimer: I do not own any of the BTVS characters in this story, they are the property of Joss Whedon and the WB.
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Christmas was now over in the small town of Sunnydale, California, the snow had finally cleared up and it was back to it's normal temperature outside. Angel sat alone in the old mansion thinking about a few nights ago when he had almost killed himself by waiting for the sun to rise on the hill.
*Maybe some strong power had prevented it from coming, * he thought. His mind then wandered what would have happened if he hadn't approached Darla.
"I never would have met her," He said outloud, referring to Buffy.
"Then again, Angelus, you actually would have met her but only in a different time," said a voice from behind him.
Angel turned around quickly in alarm to see a young girl between the age of 12 of possibly 13 years standing in front of him.
"Who are you?" He asked.
"Someone that's here to help you."
"Why?"
"If you think that I'm "The First Power" that had paid you a visit earlier then your wrong," She said, "I'm just here to show you what your life would have been like and how you can change the life that you have now."
"I don't understand."
"Take my hand," The girl said as she held it out to him.
He took her small hand in his and the room began to form into a different place.
-(Ireland, 1754, the year after his change.)
They now stood in front of the old church where a town picnic was being held outside. Angel was a bit surprised that the sun didn't burn him from where he was standing. He watched the scene that was played before him.
The young Angel stood with his friends, Harlen, Duncan, and Eric. Next to him stood his two younger sisters, Ingrid and Maeve who were talking about the new family that had just moved there.
"I heard that they had just moved all the way from London," Ingrid told them.
"Really?" Maeve asked.
"Yes."
"Do you really believe everything you hear?" Duncan asked the two girls. "It's probably just a rumor."
"Actually, it's true," Harlen said as he looked at a small girl and her mother, "Because they're right over there." Everyone looked to where Harlen was starring at.
A young woman approached the girl who was now standing alone, she had long brown hair and looked to be around the age of 18. Both the young and Angel and the old Angel couldn't keep their eyes off of her, and neither could Angel's friends. She looked beautiful.
"Now that's a pretty one," Harlen said, "She must be their older daughter that I heard so much about."
Maeve waved her hand in front of Angelus's face.
"Hello?!" Maeve said, still waving her hand up and down in front of her brother's face. "I think we seem to be missing a brother here," she said to her sister.
"What?!"
"Are you all right, Angelus?" Harlen asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Doesn't seem like it to me. Your eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets," Duncan said with a grin.
"Well, she's probably just another prissy noble woman," Harlen remarked. Ingrid shot him an annoyed look and hit in the arm. "What?!"
"Buffy!" Angel said as he walked up to her.
"She can't see or hear your. This is Buffy only this is one of her past lives. The two of you are soulmates but you were separated from her when you became a vampire. Your not a vampire now because you didn't go to the tavern that night that Darla had sired you."
The young woman kneeled down next to the little girl.
"Can we go home now, Sarah?" The girl asked.
"Ask mother," Sarah told her.
"Sarah..." her mother called softly. Sarah carried her small sister over to her mother.
"Mommy, can we go home now?" She asked.
"Yes, Elena, we're going home," her mother said with a smile.
Elena grasped Sarah's hand with her own tiny one. They went home after saying good-bye to a few new friends.
Later that day, Sarah went to the local bookstore. As she walked in she said hello to the book keeper and then went about her buisness, as did the bookstore owner. The young Angel had followed her into the bookstore. The book keeper nearly fell out of his chair after noticing that Angelus had walked in, he had never set a foot in that store in his life which nearly caused the other man to die of shock.
Sarah walked up to the man and handed him the books that she wanted to buy and the money. As he put the books down in a bag, he leaned in closer to the young woman, "Becareful, Miss. You might want to stay away from the likes of that lad," he said as he glanced at Angelus."
"May I ask why?"
"The local drunk, he is," the man said with a soft chuckle.
"Oh," she said grabbed her bag, "I'll keep that in mind." Then she left.
Angelus had walked out of the bookstore and then headed over to the tavern.
Hours later, he was stumbling home after a night of whiskey and cards. He shivered as he walked by the graveyard, and he told himself that the night was chilly, as indeed it was, but that wasn't why he shivered.
Then he heard an unearthly scream, the sounds of a scuffle, and footsteps, running towards him. A small fury of a cloaked figure hit him square in the chest and he grabbed it's elbows in an instant before impact.
The dark hood framed a face white with fear. Angel noted at once that it was a very pretty face and then as the hood fell back and revealed a mane of long brown hair, he recognized who she was.
"Whoa, there!" he told her, "What in Heaven's name is a young girl such as yourself doing in a place like this at night?"
"It's a quicker way home if I walk through the graveyard. There did seem to be another sort of a creature there tonight, and bent on no good. No matter, though. I hit him hard in the back of the head with a large stone and I don't think he'll be bothering me again."
Angel stood leaning against a tree as he watched and listened to his young self and the girl talk from the shadows. He didn't actually seem to be surprised that she could take care of herself. But the only thing was that she wasn't a Slayer but she was like the same person he new from his time. And he knew exactly what it was that she had encountered in the graveyard. He watched the couple with an amused grin on his face.
Angelus laughed. He wasn't used to such uprightness, or tenacity from woman, especially noble women. "As capable as you seem of taking care of yourself, still this is not the safest place by night. Might I escort you home, wherever home might be?"
She looked him up and down, and smiled back. "Thank you, but no," She said. "I can indeed take care of myself. And from what I've heard of you, sir, sure and I think I'd have to be much on my guard in your company." She leaned toward him an inch and sniffed audibly. "And I smell drink on you too. I don't need a protector whose senses are dulled by whiskey."
With a quick twist, she was free of his grasp. "Goodnight to you, then!" She said, and before he could think of a retort, she was off.
"I'd be offended, but I do believe the lass is speaking the truth," Angelus said to himself. "Perhaps I should have begged for her protection instead." He chuckled again, and set off at a quick pace--just in case her attacker should shake off the smack of the stone to his head and come after him, as well.
* * *
The whiskey kept him abed late the next day, but when Angel finally did wake, he lost little time in learning about the unusual young lady. It wasn't difficult to find those who knew about her-- a pretty young woman, new in town, will always attract attention.
Her name is Sarah, she lives with both her mother and father, and she has a young sister named Elena. Her father is rarely seen by anybody in town. He began to look for her about the town, but he hardly saw her. He even dragged himself to church that Sunday, hoping she'd be there. He was not disappointed.
"You'll smell not whiskey on me today, Miss Sarah," he greeted her. "Might I meet your high standard, and walk you home?"
"Well, it is Sunday, and early in the day at that. I guess you won't be tippling for a while. I'd be honored if you'd escort me."
He enjoyed Sarah's banter, as much as he appreciated her pretty, lively face. When they reached her house, Angel asked if he might see her again.
Sarah's expression turned serious, then. "I'm afraid it wouldn't be wise," She said. "I'm sort of a busy person and father...... I mean, I think you would prefer a different sort of girl instead of myself."
Angel studied her for a moment, she seemed a bit afraid. Possibly for herself or for him. "Why would I prefer someone else when I have already met you?"
She smiled at him, and squeezed his hand before releasing it. "But truly, it is better if I keep to myself. I am not an easy person to be with. Please let me say good day now, and thank you for accompanying me home."
She opened the door then, and turned away. But he though he heard her whisper, "Believe me, I wish it were not so."
Angel wasn't use to rejection.
Later that night, Sarah snuck out of the house through her bedroom window. Her father was having another one of his drunken fits. She witnessed him beat on her mother after he was done with her and then ran. Her younger sister laid in her bed crying her eyes out.
Angelus watched her and then followed her into an alley. He noticed that just about every night she went out and on one of those nights he had encountered her. As she turned a corner, someone grabbed her arm from behind and drew her closer. She opened her mouth to scream but they had covered it with their hand.
She was whirled around quickly and when her eyes had met her attacker's, a wave of relief washed over her.
"Angelus?"
"Shhh," he said as he silenced her with a finger to her mouth, "Walk with me."
"Why are you here?"
"Let me ask the questions," he said, "Why are you running and what are you afraid of?"
"I'm not running."
"Yes, you were. What is it that you're not telling me?"
"I can't....." She said, tears welling in her eyes, she looked so frightened and so lost.
He couldn't take it anymore, he turned her towards him taking her in his arms and kissed her long and hard on the lips, she responded instantly.
"Sarah, tell me," He said as they broke away."
"Angelus, please....."
Tears ran down her cheeks, not wanting to push her anymore he wrapped his arm around her tiny waist and said, "Follow me."
Angel and Sarah walked slowly side by side as they stared at the stars and each other. Finally they reached a small cliff. Looking down, Sarah saw the sea glittering with moonlight, like a dark jewel. Angel stood behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist and she leaned up against him as they both looked at the breathtaking view.
"It's so beautiful," Sarah breathed.
"like you," Angel quietly. He took his gaze off of the sea as he stared at her face as intently as she stared at the view below her. "This is where I come when things get too hard or when I want to be alone."
Sarah turned her head slightly and kissed Angel passionately on the lips
Meanwhile, the other Angel watched the young couple from afar, wishing that he could have this kind of relationship with Buffy, no worries or complications. Then again with this couple their was a few complications. He had witnessed Sarah's father beating on her. He wanted to protect her but he could only stand there helplessly as he watched the scene. He couldn't blame Sarah for being frightened or too scared to tell Angelus., her father was a big crazy man who obviously liked to beat on women when he's drunk, but he also wanted Sarah to get help.
* * *
As The moon began its descent into day, and Angel walked Sarah home, even though she begged him to stay with her. They kissed under the light of hte moon, their lips passionately declaring devotion. They promised to meet the next night, and Sarah slipped inside her house and headed for the stairs, she found her path blocked by the clad form of her father. His mouth pulled down into a scowl, and his arms crossed angrily in front of him.
"Where were you?" He asked angrily.
Sarah swallowed hard and replied, "Out."
"And why?"
"You know why," She answered, "You're temper."
"Don't you smart off at me," He said angrily and slapped her across the face.
Sarah slowly got up off of the floor and faced her father again.
"Where were you?!"
Sarah stormed past him but he grabbed her by the arm and slammed her into the wall and then hit her hard across the face again.
"Answer me!"
As her father yelled, Sarah tried to fight the blackness that was beginning to surround her.
"I said answer me!"
When she didn't respond, he grabbed a long strap of leather and whipped her across the back. She fell to the floor after a few wacks and as she began to lose consiousness, she heard a bottle being smashed and her sister's cries.
Sarah woke up slowly to find herself in her own bed and heard the soothing voice of her mother.
"Where is he?!" Sarah asked in alarm.
"It's okay," her mother said, "I knocked him out by smashing a whiskey bottle over his head. He'll be out could throughtout the day. Are you all right?"
"No," Sarah said quietly. She winced in pain as she tried to get up but her mother stopped her. "Stay in bed. You need your rest."
"Is she going to be okay?" little Elena asked worriedly from the doorway.
"Yes, she'll be all right. She just needs to rest."
Sarha took her mother's advice and stayed in bed. Every once and a while her mother would come in to treat her wounds.
It was dark out and her father woke up and he was once again drunk and crazed, he had taken out another bottle of whiskey from the cabinet. He stormed out of the room and into the kitchen with every intention of making sure that whoever hit him in the head was going to pay and he knew exactly who to blame for.
As Sarah's mother saw her angry husband she yelled at her younger daughter, "Elena, get out of here!"
Elena obeyed her mother's orders, but not really, the little girl took her place down in the cellar.
After he knocked his wife into unconsciousness, he headed towards Sarah who had just exited out of her room after hearing the commotion. As her father approached her, Sarah took her chance by bolting to the nearby door. She ran out of the house, with her father on her heels. As she ran through the yard, she spotted the woods and ran into it, hoping to some how lose him.
It was dark and that made it even more difficult to see where she was going. As she ran, extensive branches twisted themselves throught her dress, causing it to rip through the material.
Far back behind her, she could hear her drunken father yell her name and threatened to kill her when he caught up to her. She had finally been able to lose him and now she just had to find that cliff.....
Angelus sat on a large rock, looking at the sparkling sea. He stayed up most of the night thinking of Sarah. She was just the kind of girl he wanted. She was smart, beautiful, and fun to be around. Was he in love with her? It was a question that he had asked himself through out the day. Maybe he was.
His thoughts were interuppted when he heard the footsteps behind him. He turned around to see Sarah. He noticed that her dress was torn and that she had cuts and bruises on her skin, he also noticed the limp in her walk. He walked up to her and embraced her, she immediately collapsed into his arms as she tried to catch her breath.
Angel broke away from her. "What happened? You're hurt...."
"We need to get out of here. He's after me and he's trying to kill me," She cried.
Angel believed her, she looked terrified. "All right, but you're not walking," he said as he scooped her up in his arms. She looked too weak to even walk or run. He didn't know who it was she was running from but later on they were going to get what was coming to them, Angel promised.
They were half way to his home and he gently set her down on the grass. "I think we've lost him. We need to discuss this later," he said.
Sarah simply nodded in agreement. He had a right to know what was going on with her.
"Are you hurt?" He asked her.
"No, I'm okay," she said, "for now."
He lifted her chin and forced her to look at him. "Nobody's going to hurt you, I won't let them."
She looked into his dark eyes and told him softly, "I love you."
"I love, too," he said, "And no one's going to touch you."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that, boy," said a deep voice from behind that made Sarah jump.
Sarah got up quickly and backed up away from the man in fear. Angel immediately got the hint that Sarah was afraid of this man.
"Sarah, run!" Angel ordered.
"I won't. I can't leave you here," Sarah said.
"You don't have a choice, now get out of here!" Angel's eyes pleaded her to leave and she obeyed, running off in a different direction.
"This shouldn't take too long," the man said, "After I kill you, she's next."
"I wouldn't count on it if I were you."
The older man threw a punch towards Angel's head, but he blocked it and kneed him in the gut.
"Oh, you're going to pay for that one," he said angrily and lunged at him.
* * *
Sarah ran from her father and hid in a nearby barn. It was dark and as she passed the stables, she spotted a lantern. After she had lit it, she sat down on a bench and waited. She was worried about Angel. Where is he? She hoped he was okay.
The Barn doors suddenly opened.
"Angel?" She asked.
"Sorry, wrong person," Said a voice that Sarah knew all too well.
She stood up and backed away. "Where is he? What did you do to him?"
"Where we were at before. He put up one hell of a fight though but in the end he didn't win."
Tears welled up in her eyes and she tried to run but before she could leave he grabbed her tightly by the arm.
"Let go of me!" She yelled and then managed to get herself out of his grasp.
As she tried to run out of the barn, she felt something hard hit the back of her head and everything went black. The lantern fell out of her hand and rolled over into the hay, catching it afire. Sarah's father exited out of the barn, leaving Sarah in the barn to burn.
Angel woke up slowly and began to survey his surroundings. Where was he? then the memories hit him, the fight with that other man and...
"Sarah," he said and got up to find her. What got his attention was the smoke going up in the sky, he ran towards it.
He reached the barn to see it start to go up in flames.
"Sarah!" he yelled.
When there was no answer he decided to go into the barn. When he was inside, he saw the limp form of Sarah lying on the floor, he ran to her and gathered her up in his arms as he carried her unconscious body out of the burning barn. He laid her gently on the ground, still cradling her small frame in his arms. From the corner of his eye, he saw Sarah's father. He slowly stood up and turned towards the older man.
"I thought I killed you," he said, "Next time your not going to be so lucky." He pulled out a sharpe knife. "Up for a second round?"
Angel glanced at Sarah worriedly.
"Oh, don't worry about her. She's not going anywhere," he said and then he charged at him.
Angel sidestepped him and punched him hard in the nose. Blood trickled down his nose.
"Is that all you got boy?!" He said and popped him in the jaw.
As the man threw another punch towards Angel's face, Angel blocked it and flipped him over onto his back. The man took the knife and made a large sut into the flesh of Angel's arm. Angel twisted his wrist around, forcing him to drop the knife. After he lost his knife, he punched Angel in the gut and got out of his grasp.
While the fight went on, Sarah awoke, moaning in pain. She looked up to see Angel and her father fighting one another.
Her father noticed that she had just woke up. Angel seemed to be beating her father into a bloody pulp. In desperation, he quickly grabbed his knife after knocking down Angel and grabbed Sarah. She struggled wildly under his grasp and he held a knife to her throat. Angel was up on his feet in seconds.
"I wouldn't move if I were you," he said, "If you do, I'll slit her throat."
"Father please...." She cried.
"You would kill your own daughter?" Angel asked.
"Of course I would. She means nothing to me," he said.
"Let her go! and maybe I won't kill you," Angel said angrily, hiding the fear in his voice.
"Now who has the upperhand?" he laughed. Sarah closed her eyes, waiting for the knife to slice the flesh of her throat. But before he could, he felt a sharp pain in his back and he dropped to the ground as the darkness took over him.
Sarah felt his grasp on her loosen and she turned around to see her father lying on the ground with a knife poking into his back. As she stared at her father's dead body, she felt Angel's arms wrap around her.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
She nodded her head 'NO'.
Angel looked up to see two young men standing a few feet in front of him. "What are the two of you doing here?" Angel asked.
"Sarah's mother told us what was going on," Harlen said.
"We thought you might need a little help," Duncan told him, "I guess I was right."
"Here," Harlen said and handed Angel a cloak. He wrapped it tightly around Sarah. "We'll see you tomorrow, Angelus." The two friends made their way home.
"You can stay with me tonight," Angel said.
"Okay."
Angel and Sarah walked together through the dark night.
* * *
Angel watched the couple walk together hand in hand. Angel saw the small girl approach him.
"You see, Angelus, the two of you were meant for each other. Since you became a vampire she was later reborn as a Slayer so the two of you could meet, you were introduced to her by Whistler.
"Sarah ran from her father and hid in the barn. Since you weren't there to save her, she perished in the fire. I suppose you remember hearing about the barn fire in town shortly after your change..."
"Yes, I do," Angel answered sadly.
"The two of you in this time had many children and grandchildren before you parted from this life."
"If I wasn't a vampire in the future then what happens to Buffy?"
"The two of you were reborn, but as normal human beings. Another Slayer killed the Master before she herself had been killed, Rupert Giles was her Watcher. You see, evil was never meant to triumph over Good, but it will never stop coming. Somehow the two of you got involved in this battle. There is a cure for you. Maybe one day you'll find it."
"What cure?"
"If you become completely human again you won't be able to aid her in a fight but there is a way for you to become human and retain your vampiric strenth."
"Do you know how to cure me?"
"Here," She said and took off her necklace that had an odd shaped symbol engraved on it. "It will help you find the key."
Moments later, Angel was back in the mansion. He looked around to find no one other than himself inside. He held the necklace in his hand.
*Maybe there is a way....*
THE END
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