SEIZE THE NIGHT (6/?)
 

Angel felt her before he saw her. He had known she was in town. Had felt
the pull as soon as she stepped foot in Sunnydale. His sire. His lover.
His mother. He turned, his face expressionless as he regarded the woman
who had helped make him what he had been. A soulless, ruthless bastard.
 

"You felt me" Darla said, smiling slightly.
 

"What do you want?" Angel asked, his voice even.
 

"What? No hug and kiss? My dear boy, it's been eighty years." Darla
said, laughing. "Not a good way to greet dear old mum."
 

"I don't want to play games right now. What do you want?" Angel asked
again, his irritation beginning to show through the cold facade.
 

"We need to chat, my boy. Lovely apartment you have, I'm sure" Darla
said, her eyes flashing annoyance when he failed to move inside. "Get
your ass inside now."
 

Angel reacted to his sire's words, moving inside. Only once he was in
the apartment did he feel silly for listening to her. He glared at her
for making him betray his intentions. Darla had always managed to make
him do what he didn't want to do. "Now, you're inside. What do you
want?"
 

Darla sighed, "You should think of getting that emblazoned on a T-shirt
or something. Then you can not even speak. Just point to your chest and
spend the rest of the time brooding silently."
 

Angel felt anger swell inside him. Taking a calming breath, he just
looked at her silently, not giving her the benefit of his emotions.
 

"See you are getting friendly with the slayer" Darla said
conversationally.
 

Angel stiffened, looking at her beneath lowered lids. So that's what
this was about. A warning not to assist the slayer against the master.
He should have known. She wouldn't have come to see him without a
reason. "Yes."
 

Darla shook her head slightly, "The master isn't happy. He has placed a
bounty on her head as well as yours for aiding her."
 

"You're joking?" Angel said, upset. Suddenly, he looked at her, "Why are
you telling me this?"
 

"Angelus, my love. You're my favorite childe. The eldest now. I
selfishly don't want you dead" she said, her eyes serious.
 

"You know that with this information I can help save the slayer from the
assassins." He said, watching her face.
 

She grimaced, "I would prefer that she die, but I know we need a slayer.
She's as good as any. Not as good as I was, but, then again, none have
been."
 

"Why?" Angel asked.
 

"I told you. I have plans for this town. I want you on my side...like it
use to be. Slayer or no slayer, I will not allow that bastard to kill
you." She added, her eyes ruthless.
 

Angel nodded, wondering why he felt grateful for her loyalty. He hadn't
need his sire's approval for two hundred years. Yet, this was the first
time they had spoken since that night...since the curse. He shook his
head of the thoughts, smiling slightly, "Buffy is going to defeat him."
 

Darla regarded him carefully, "You think she is that good? I don't see
it. They are so lax with training now. When I was called, I was ten. I
had no chance to learn anything except fighting. I survived until I was
twenty three. The oldest slayer still on record. She has none of my
discipline..none of my intelligence. She seems strong, but she won't
defeat the master. Not even I could do that....then."
 

Angel picked up on the last word. Looking at his sire more closely, he
saw the plan in her eyes. She intended to kill the master herself. In
some ways it seemed justified. His sire had been a slayer more than
eight hundred years before. The final battle of her life had been
against the Master. She had lost not only her life but her soul. A
vampire slayer. The only one on record. Not something the council
announced, if they were even aware of it anymore. That had been a very
long time ago. Records had been lost. Her strength and slayer training
had carried her through several centuries. "You plan to kill him."
 

"Yes. My daughter and I are going to take over Sunnydale" Darla said,
smiling fondly at the thoughts of Willow.
 

"Daughter?" Angel said, looking surprised and a bit jealous at the
loving way his sire spoke of her...this sister.
 

"My newest childe. Reminds me of you, my Angelus. She is very strong.
Very young though. Only a few weeks old. But, give her time. She'll be
as good as you ever were." Darla couldn't resist pricking that massive
ego her son had. Smiling as he blanched, she added, "You'll have to meet
her after the master is destroyed."
 

"Why are you telling me this?" Angel asked, ignoring her barb.
 

Darla sighed, "I miss you. I also know that I will be far nicer to this
place than he would be. You have to make a decision my boy. Does the
slayer back him or me? Which is the lesser of two evils?"
 

"She is a slayer. She'll kill you all." He said, rolling his eyes.
 

"We'll see" Darla said softly. "But, I must go. My lovey is waiting for
me. It has been nice, my boy. You must not tell anyone we spoke. He'll
kill me if he knew I warned you. This paper has the names of the demons
he hired. Be careful. Protect your slayer while you can or he may try to
make her like me. You don't want that."
 

"She isn't my anything, but I will help her kill him." Angel said,
looking at her. He had no idea when he would see her again and wanted to
remember her just in case it was another eighty years. Strangely, he had
missed her too.
 

Darla kissed him gently before biting his lip. She licked his blood, a
smile in her eyes, "If you change your mind about being by my side, you
can find me. I'll introduce you to Lovey...you two would hit it off I
know. Well, until we meet again, my Angelus. Forget we spoke."
 

Before Angel could respond, she was gone. He sat down, his mind thinking
over what she had said. He took the piece of paper and put it on the
table. Tomorrow, he would find Buffy and let her know the warning. They
could prepare for the assassins and be ready and waiting.
 

He found himself wondering about this new sister of his. Darla seemed to
like her, which was something unusual. He had been the only childe of
his sire's that she had liked. Until this lovey came along. Shaking his
head, he decided that he was not jealous. He was just trying to figure
out if his sire was going to get herself killed for protecting him and
if so why she would risk that. He laid down, thoughts whirling through
his mind as he remembered what had been at one time.
 

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