Erinne is mine. Everything else is the property of Joss Whedon and his gang. :>
Author's note: This happens after Becoming. It's my take on what happens in the third season. And, as usual, means thoughts. This is my first fanfic, and I'd luv comments, so send 'em!¡!¡
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Part One
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Finally, things were getting back to normal...or at least whatever was normal for Sunnydale. Buffy had come back and was staying with Willow until things could be sorted out with her mom, Joyce. It was going well, just the occasional vampire wandering the streets. Everything, except the new kid.
No one was quite sure who she was, she didn't even have a school record on file. No one had seen her in class, just in the hall outside the library. It's not like her appearance was weird; red curly hair, blue-green eyes, average height, on the thin side. It was just the way she acted...mysteriously, secretively, strangely!
* * *
It was Tuesday. The normal gang - Buffy, Willow, Xander, Giles, and even Cordelia - were in the library after school when the new kid came in. She looked somewhat confused at first...just kind of stood there. Giles walked up to her and did his normal librarian duties.
"Can I help you?"
"Oh...um...no. I must have walked into the wrong room. Sorry."
She turned to leave, but the group was not going to let her go that easily. It's basically their duty to solve the mysteries of Sunnydale...and this was going to be an easy one to crack.
Buffy jumped up and took her arm. "You're new here...yes?"
"Yeah, I guess you could say that. I just moved here."
"Well, it's just, we haven't seen much of you at school and we were just curious as to who you are."
"I don't exactly go to school here....I was just looking for someone....and, well, he's not here....so I'll just be on my way."
"Who were you looking for?" Willow piped in. "Maybe we could help you find him."
"I don't think so. He's a pretty tricky guy to find."
Buffy pulled her over to the table and offered her a sit. The girl reluctantly took it.
"Well, we're pretty good at finding things," Xander said. "Giles is the bookworm, Willow is our computer genius, Cordelia can find any wrong matching sock, and Buffy...well, Buffy's just Buffy." He pointed each person out as he said their names.
"And what about you?"
"Xander's just the group idiot." Cordelia obviously couldn't miss yet another opportunity to crack down on Xander.
"And you are?" Buffy inquired.
"My name's Erinne. I'm obviously the new kid in town, and everyone's hot topic of gossip."
"Well, Erinne, it's nice to meet ya." Xander courteously shook her hand.
The group continued their conversation (minus Cordelia who didn't seem to like Erinne's outfit, and Giles who busied himself with a book). No one noticed the tall, dark figure lurking in the corner of the library. It seemed to just be standing, watching, listening to every word.
As if she sensed the figure, Buffy turned towards that direction, but the figure had disappeared.
* * *
Wednesday. Same old, same old. The group was once again gathered in the library. Giles came out of his office as the conversation had gotten going.
"I think she's pretty nice," said Willow.
"Yeah, she's nice. But what was with the secretive activity?" Buffy was not too sure about this new kid, Erinne. Giles noticed the look on her face and knew what she was thinking.
"I'll have to agree with your suspicions Buffy. It was quite strange, the way she was acting. Not to mention the fact that she seemed very familiar." Everyone gave Giles a quizzical look.
"Familiar how?" Buffy voiced everyone else curiosity.
Giles walked over to the counter and picked up an open book. He walked over to the table and placed it in front of the group. "Who does that picture remind you of?"
Buffy turned away from the picture. Everyone knew why. It was a picture of Angel...and Erinne. It resembled a family portrait, and below it was a caption that read:
'Angelus' sister, Erinne, was the first victim of the, then, newly made-vampire who later became a notorious killer.'
Cordelia was the first to break the silence. "Well, it figures." Every- one gave her a confused look. "Who else would willingly come into this library except us and those members of the living dead."
"That can't be right. Maybe it's just a coincidence that this Erinne and the Erinne here look alike," Willow said as she turned to see if Buffy was alright.
"There's only one way to find out," Buffy pointed out.
"And what's that?" Xander asked. "Stake her and see what happens?"
"No. Ask her." And with that, Buffy walked out of the library.
* * *
Thursday. Today was a little slower. Willow and Xander were in the library with Giles, Cordelia was off shopping or something. No one had seen or heard from Buffy.
"So." Xander seemed pretty bored, he had his head on the table.
"Giles, how did you know that Erinne was Angel's sister?" Willow was looking through a stack of books.
"It wasn't that I knew who she was. I had been putting all the books that we had used to find information on Angelus in a box and I had recognized her face from the picture."
"Maybe that was why she was being so secretive. She didn't want anyone to find out."
"But then the question that still hasn't been answered is, who was she looking for?"
That question would soon be answered. Buffy walked through the doors literally dragging Erinne behind her. She, gently, threw her in a chair and assumed a guard stance next to her.
"Just out of curiosity, could I ask what this is all about?" Erinne seemed out of breath, like she had been chased. By the looks of Buffy, she had.
Giles placed the book once again on the table in front of Erinne. She looked down at the picture and looked back at everyone staring at her. "And...you think this is me."
"We were kinda hoping you might tell us different." Buffy was still in her stance.
Erinne was about to answer when she noticed the same dark figure in the corner. As far as she knew, no one else saw him. He was just standing there. When he moved to the side, he passed through a bit of light, and she saw his face and knew immediately who it was. But what was he doing here?
"Well," Buffy said impatiently.
"Well, I don't know if I should really tell you. How do I know you won't just stake me?" The rest of the group now noticed the stake Buffy had behind her back.
"What makes you think I will?"
"You're the slayer. And as far as you know, I'm a vampire. Wouldn't that equal out to you slaying me?"
"I do believe she will give you a chance to explain yourself." Giles was quick to defend the slayer so they might get some answers out of her.
"I'll start talking after the warden here relieves herself of her duties." Buffy relaxed herself and sat down in a chair next to Willow. Erinne took a glance over at the figure and noticed that he was still there. "Now, you obviously want to know first about the picture. Yes...that is me. Yes...that is my brother. Yes...I was his first kill as a vampire. No... I did not die."
"Why not?" Again, Buffy was quick to speak everyone's inquisitiveness.
"Well, what my br...Angel...and most of my family...did not know is that I was...am...a druid. A priestess if you will."
"From Avalon." Giles looked up from his new book.
"Yes. My parents sent me to a tutor, as schooling for girls wasn't the best thing to do then. I, on the other hand, went to another tutor without them knowing. I lived on the island for almost ten years. I returned home the same night Angel was beginning to roam the streets of our village, looking for his first kill. We sort of....meet.....on the path towards our house, and the rest is history."
"And after he left you and continued on towards the house?" Giles seemed as interested in the rest of the story as the rest of the group.
"I laid there for about an hour or so and then somewhat crawled off the road and into the woods next to the path."
"And there you healed yourself with the power you had learned from Avalon."
"Yup. And that was it. I left the village, because everyone figured I was dead and I wasn't too thrilled about the idea of every having to explain myself to someone. Until now."
The room was silent. Erinne again glanced toward the corner where the stranger had been. He had disappeared during the story.
"Why exactly did you come to Sunnydale?" Buffy asked.
"Why else? To find Angel."
"Why?"
"Just to see what happened to him. I heard rumors about the gypsy curse and rumors of the hellmouth so I put two and two together and ended up here."
"Well, he was here. But he's not anymore." Everyone looked back and forth between Buffy and Erinne, knowing what would come next.
"Do you know where he is now?"
"Hell." Buffy choked out that one word, got up from her seat, and ran out of the library. Willow got up and followed behind her.
"I have a feeling I might have done something wrong."
Giles was the one to respond. "It's not you. The rumors you heard were true. He was cursed with a soul and in turn the two fell in love."
Erinne sat attentively as Giles told her the story of what had happened in the past year or so. Xander just sat staring out the door. And Angel, who had been standing out of his sister's sight during the end of her story slowly turned and walked out.
* * *
Friday. Once again, Willow, Xander, and Giles were gathered in the library. Cordelia had dropped by, but then had left to do what she felt were "better things". Willow had said Buffy might drop in, but she wasn't sure.
"What are we doing today?" Xander had his head on the table.
"I'm not sure there is anything to do." Giles was looking through a book (what else would he be doing?).
"There aren't any prophecies to be dealt with or anything?"
"Xander, you could go home. This isn't detention or anything." Willow was just as bored as Xander, but she was waiting to see if Buffy was okay. This would probably be the first place she would come to.
Erinne was in the hall outside the library. She was headed there to try and apologize, or something close, for what had happened yesterday. She had just reached the doors when something side-swiped her and pushed her over to a wall.
"What the heck?"
"Be quiet!" the figure snapped.
Erinne looked up to see who it was that had abruptly (and rudely) hit her. she thought to herself. Only an older sibling could do something like that and not expect anyone to really care.
"And what, may I ask, did you think you were doing?"
"I wanted to talk to you." Angel seemed very concerned about people coming up behind him.
"Ah...there's no one here by the way. Just the gang in the library and a janitor down the other hall." He still continued to look around suspiciously and then turned back to her. "You could've just said 'I need to talk to you' instead of coming at me like a freight train."
"Sorry. I didn't want anyone to see me."
"I could take care of that."
He turned and gave her a stern look. "I don't want anyone to see me for now."
"That's lovely. Hide and seek. I gotcha. The one question I have for you is....why aren't you in hell?"
"That's what I needed to talk to you about. I thought maybe you would know." Angel heard the janitor coming up the hall. He pushed her (a little softer this time) out the door. When they reached outside, Erinne was ready for a walk, but Angel once again pushed her up against the wall.
"You really gotta stop doing that."
"Look, you have to help me out here." He seemed almost worried about something.
"I'll think about it...if you stop the older sibling - younger sibling beatings."
"Fine, whatever."
"You mind if we walk. I seem to have acquired a nice cramp in my back." They started to walk around the corner just as Buffy made her way into the school. "Now, how did you get out of hell? Good question. Maybe Alex Trabek could help."
"Enough of the games!" Angel barked. Erinne jumped a little and turned back to him.
"Just tell me what happened."
"There's not much to tell. One minute I was in hell, the next I was standing next to Acathla's statue in the garden."
That must have hit home, because Erinne's face turned from anger (Angel was kind of getting on her nerves) to recognition. She had been in that garden a few days ago, when she had been looking for him. Had she let him out of hell?
"So...what do you think?"
"I'm thinking whatever you're thinking isn't a good idea."
"What?"
"First off, don't go anywhere near anybody!"
"Why?"
"Because anything could happen. Look at you, you're pretty messed up. And you're not the nicest smelling dead boy on the block." She waved her hand in front of her nose.
"Look. I don't know what you're thinking, but nothing could possibly happen if I went and talked with them."
It was Erinne's turn to do the pushing. She pushed him up against the nearest wall and held him there. "Listen to me. Don't do anything. Just go sit in your apartment and don't move. Unless of course you would like me to kill you...for good."
He broke out of her grip and pushed her backwards. She balanced herself, but didn't bother with another push-and-shove battle.
"You have no right to tell me what I can and can't do."
"You're wrong dear brother, I do. You go and do something stupid and there's no telling what would happen."
Angel turned to say something else, but changed his mind. He started walking back into the school. Erinne followed close behind. Before he reached the doors, she waved her hand in his direction. He reached for the handle and was shocked to see his hand go right through it.
* * *
Buffy had walked directly to the library. When she walked through the doors, everyone jumped.
"Buffy. I'm glad to see you're alright. We were getting worried that...." Giles trailed off. He didn't want the slayer, his pupil, to see him, the watcher, get any ideas about her regular life.
"I went home." At this, there were more confused looks.
"Does that mean everything's okay between you and your mom?" Willow asked.
"I talked to her...and boy do I mean talked. All night basically. I told her everything, straight from the beginning through to yesterday's happenings. She was pretty confused and unsure about the whole thing, but she didn't kick me out."
"Well, at least that is settled." Giles seemed almost relieved.
"I don't know about settled...but it's in the process. And I'm sure it will be a long, slow process. But enough of that. Anything new and exciting happen today?"
"No." Xander had resumed his bored position.
"Okay. What's on the agenda then?"
"Nothing." Again, Xander didn't seem to thrilled about the night's plans.
"I believe Xander is right. There isn't much of anything to do tonight. I guess you get to have a night off." Giles again seemed relieved as he shut the book he had been reading.
Buffy, Willow, and Xander were all about to head out when Erinne came walking through the doors. Following close behind was Angel, but no one saw him.
"Sorry. Library's closed. Maybe Monday," Buffy snapped as she was about to walk past Erinne, but was stopped by her instead.
"I just came to apologize. I didn't mean to do any harm. I was just looking for Angel." Buffy broke free from Erinne's grasp.
"I'm sure." She continued towards the door when she walked...through Angel. She stopped and turned, looking around for what she thought was there. Angel tried to get her attention by waving his hands in front of her and yelling to her. Nothing worked. Buffy just shrugged her shoulders, and walked out.
"Buffy is just upset about the whole Angel deal. She doesn't really like thinking about it. Especially if it deals with Angelus," Willow explained and then rushed after Buffy.
"Bye." Xander followed.
"Well, good night." Giles was about to turn into his office when Erinne came up to him.
"I was wondering if you could help me. I need some information."
"About what?"
"Well, I'm not sure yet. I'm trying to figure out how Angel could possibly get out of hell."
"Oh. I'm not sure where to look."
"You have books on the druids, right? Their magic and such."
"Yes, back here. That brings up a question that's been bothering me." Giles stopped short and almost ran into Erinne. "I can see how you healed yourself that one night. But how is it that you have been able to survive this long?"
Erinne looked down at the floor and then back up to him. "Well, let's just say that besides what I learned in Avalon...I learned some black magic along the way."
Giles gave a sign of understanding and they continued on into his office.
Angel stood next to the doors, staring out after Buffy, trying to under- stand what had happened. Then he looked back towards where Erinne was and knew exactly what happened.
* * *
All that weekend was pretty dull for the group. Willow spent most of it with Oz at concerts and such. Xander slept (to catch up from the week). Cordelia was away in Los Angeles for some big thing. Giles was home, most likely reading. And Buffy and her mother were trying to straighten out their lives, for the second time.
Even Erinne was taking a break from life...or reality anyway. She had just curled up with a book and a drink when Angel came 'floating' through the front door.
"Ah, my big bro. Care for a spot of tea?" she asked (with a British accent) without even looking up.
"What did you do? Why can't anyone see me?" He looked as though he was ready to rip her head off.
Again, she answered him without looking up from her book. "I warned you that it would bring trouble. You didn't listen to me, so I gave you the ghost-effect to help keep that trouble at bay."
"What trouble? Nothing could come from me talking to them. What if I know something important that they should know?"
"And what would you know that I don't. That Spike and Drusilla are back in town. Sorry bub. You aren't going to tell anybody anything. There's too much at risk."
"Like what?!?!" He was getting pretty angry now. Erinne could see the smoke pouring from his ears. He inched towards her, but she didn't flinch. Both of them knew he couldn't do anything.
"You remember Angelus don't you? You know what he's like, you know what kind of destruction he can do. I don't think you or Buffy's little gang would like to see that side of you again, would they."
"Well, you seemed pretty knowledgeable about what has happened in the past hundred years or so. I have this little curse that keeps Angelus from coming out."
"'Except when you enjoy one moment of happiness.' I know nitwit! But once again I point out your lack of....well, everything. You just spent sometime dwelling in the pits of hell, and right now, a peck from your love would bring Angelus back to Sunnydale quicker than you can say supercalifragalisticxbealidotious!" Her voice assumed an angry tone, yet she remained quite calm, still not looking up from her book.
Angel had begun pacing the floor. "We still don't even know how I got out. Maybe I'm still there."
"No. You're here. I got you out...completely on accident, trust me."
He rolled his eyes. "How?"
"I was in that garden a few days ago looking for you. It must have been then. According to some books Giles gave me, a druid can bring certain people back from certain places by just their presence, and their will to see them."
"Oh. I see." He stopped pacing and stared down at the floor. "Well, I guess that requires an apology and a thank you...."
"No need. It's not like I'm happy for what I did. I would have loved you to stay in there." She had finally looked up from her book.
He looked up also. "Why? Why were you looking for me in the first place?"
"To see the look on your face when you saw that I was still somewhat alive. And to chew you out for what you did. Almost 300 years have gone by, and there's not a day that goes by without me thinking of our family. Destroyed by a son they honored and had so much pride in." She looked back down.
"You'll never know how much I'm sorry for that. It's not like I don't think about it too."
"Just leave." She began busying herself with the book when she realized he hadn't heard her. "Am I speaking a language you haven't learned yet? Go away!" He still didn't hear her. "Great."
"What?" Angel gave her a quizzical look. He thought maybe she found another bit of trouble for him to worry about.
"I'm guessing you didn't hear me say go away, did you?"
"No."
"Oh goody. This is just peachy. Now, I'm stuck with you! All the billions of people in the world, who may know more than I do, and you pick me to help you! Why?!?!" She got up and tossed the book on a nearby chair.
"What is your big problem? I didn't pick anybody."
"No. You just asked me to help you."
"And this is a problem because?" Angel was still puzzled.
"When I came back from the dead, I promised that I would spend the rest of my afterlife helping people. I even made it so that if any person asked me for help, I couldn't get rid of them until I helped them. And it was good and well until you came along!" She was now pacing across the floor.
Angel saw this as a good thing. Now he knew she would help. Neither one of them could stand each others company and she would want to get rid of him as soon as possible. "Well, that's not that bad. Just help me out and I'll be gone."
"It's not that easy."
"Why not?"
"Because. I hate you!"
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