Part 3

"So, let me get this straight," Pacey was saying, "you're telling me that
Sunnydale is located on top of a hellmouth, which is actually under the
school library. Not only that, the town is infested with vampires,
werewolves and various other demons." The teenagers from Capeside looked
pale as he took in everything that he had been told.
"Yup, although the only werewolf we knew about left town," was Willow's
reply. "Aren't you glad that you came here for school?"
"Oh yeah, lucky me," he answered sarcastically. "Just out of curiosity, I
know why Faith has to stick around, but why don't the rest of you leave?"
"Well, most of Sunnydale doesn't even know about the things we do. They
kind of just ignore everything that happens. As for us, we can't. Not
knowing what's out there," Willow explained. "Someone has to help everyone.
Besides, this is our home. It's where most of us were raised."
"Makes sense, I guess. So how long have you been doing the whole slaying
thing anyway?"
"Me," Faith replied, "I've been at it for a few months. Willow and the
others have been going at it a lot longer."
"Sophomore year to be exact," Willow said proudly. Pacey was stunned.
Everything that he had grown up believing to be myths and legends, he has
just been informed were true. Not only that, but the people that were
sitting opposite him fought that evil. It made him appreciate the
simplicity of his life in Capeside.
"How did you find out about the vampires and Slayers if Faith just came to
town?"
"Buffy."
"That's the girl who you said was your best friend, right?" Pacey looked
over at Angel. "And your ex-girlfriend." Angel and Willow both nodded
their heads.
"Right. She's also a vampire Slayer, or was," Willow whispered the last
part, still refusing to truly believe that the blonde girl who had helped
her so much wasn't coming back.
"But I though you said that there was only one Slayer at a time. How came
Buffy still be alive and Faith be here?"
"Buffy died once, but only for a minute. It was enough to activate the
next one, though, who was Kendra. She was killed a few months ago and that
brought us Faith," the hacker explained.
"So why did Buffy leave anyway? I mean, if she had friends and a boyfriend
and all, why did she feel the need to take off when she did?" Willow, Faith
and Angel all grew quiet and Pacey could fell the tension in the room
increase tenfold. He watched as Willow took Angel's hand in her own,
apparently offering him comfort for something. Faith also saw this and
decided that she should say something about Angel and Buffy's past.
"It was because of Angel," she stated. "But not because of any of the
normal things that come between a guy and a girl. Angel and Buffy's
relationship, from what I've heard, was anything but normal."
"How so?"
"There's a certain history between us that prevented our relationship from
truly working out," Angel took over the explanation.
"Okay, you'll excuse me if I sound like a broken record, but that would be
why?"
"Okay, first you have to promise that you won't freak." Pacey went to ask
another question when Willow stated her request again. "You have to
promise."
"Fine, fine, I promise I won't freak," Pacey relented.
"Okay. If you're going to live here, there's a few things that you have to
know, especially about Angel. First off, he isn't like other guys." When
Pacey stayed silent, Willow continued. "He's a vampire also, but he's not
evil," she rushed to add.
"A good vampire," Pacey asked in disbelief. "I didn't know there were such
things as good and evil vampires. But then again, I didn't know there were
really vampires in the first place."
"They aren't really good and bad vampires. Angel's unique, but that's why
I love him." Angel leaned over and kissed the petite red-head.
"I love you too, sweetling."
"Oh god, why don't you two get a room or something. You're nauseating,"
Faith quipped, smiling at the couple.
"At least we aren't practically doing it in front of everyone in the
library like you and Xander," Willow shot back, causing everyone to laugh,
including Pacey.
"Okay, so you're a good vampire," Pacey said again, getting back to the
subject. "Is there a particular reason for this or do you just like being
different?"
"About eighty years ago, Darla, my sire, brought me a gift. A gypsy girl,"
Angel went on to explain. "What neither of us knew was that she was a
favorite among her clan and the somehow found out that it was me that had
killed her and cursed me with a soul as retribution."
"That must have been a bitch."
"It was. Especially because I had all the memories of my time before that
and all of the people I had killed. You have no idea how tempting it was to
just meet the next sunrise. I couldn't even feed because I refused to kill
anymore people." Willow moved closer to the tortured vampire, offering her
closeness as a comfort to him. She wrapped her arms around him.
"I'm glad you didn't."
"And yet you and Buffy were together. Did she know you were a vampire?"
"Not at first. I actually hadn't planned on telling her at all, but that
was before I had found myself being drawn in by her and her friends." Angel
gave Willow's should a little squeeze. "They offered me something I hadn't
had since I had regained my soul. Acceptance and friendship. I couldn't
walk away from that."
"Well, everyone that is, but Xander," the red head reminded him.
"True, but I think that had more to do with the fact that he had a thing
for Buffy and was jealous of the two of us," Angel told her. "He's a lot
better now."
"Okay, back to Angel being a vampire and in love with Buffy," Pacey once
again brought the conversation back to the original subject.
"Sorry. Well Buffy and Angel worked through that whole vampire/Slayer
thing and got together. Unfortunately the gypsies placed a really stupid
clause in the curse they did," Willow went on. "Basically it went that if
Angel were ever to find a moment of true happiness, where the guilt over his
past no longer haunted him, then he would lose his soul once more."
"Don't tell me. You found that one moment."
"Yes," Angel nodded his head and Pacey could see the guilt that Angel felt
over his actions in the man's eyes and found himself feeling sorry for what
the vampire had to go through. "It wasn't pleasant for anyone. I had
always been a murderous bastard, but this time around I was downright
sadistic. I spent months toying with everyone, especially Buffy and
Willow."
"Okay, tired argument here," Willow interrupted. "Do I really have to say,
once again, that it wasn't you, it was Angelus that did all of that because
you do remember what I said I would do if you did the guilt thing again."
"What did you threaten him with Red?" Faith leaned forward, intrigued with
what the petite teenager had to threaten Angel with. Pacey also found
himself interested.
"He knows what I'm talking about."
"Willow, I know you like to think that Angelus and I are two separate
people, but we aren't. He is a part of me."
"That's it. You asked for it." Quicker that Angel could react, Willow's
hand moved from his back and the vampire began to howl with laughter as his
girlfriend began to tickle him mercilessly. "Tell me I'm right." Angel
shook his head as blood tears began to roll down his face. Faith and Pacey
both sat by, cheering the hacker on. "Come on, Angel. You know you're
completely helpless like this. Tell me I'm right."
"Fine, fine, you're right," he fumbled through his laughter. "We aren't
the same person." Willow stopped her tickling, allowing Angel to take in
some unneeded air to calm himself down. He smile lovingly at Willow. "That
was completely unfair." Willow beamed her brightest smile at him.
"But it worked."
"I can't believe it. Fang is ticklish. Priceless," Faith continued
laughing.
"And his girlfriend is using it against him," Pacey added. "My sympathies
man."
‘Yeah, yeah, yeah," Angel grumbled good naturedly. Once everyone settled
down, Pacey asked another question.
"So if you lost your soul, how come you're back doing the good fight?"
"Well, I," Willow glared at Angel again, "I mean, Angelus had a plan to
suck the world into hell. Buffy went to stop me while Willow tried to
restore my soul."
"I'm guessing both worked since we're still here and you're a good guy,"
the teenager observed.
"Partially." At Pacey's confused look, Angel continued. "Willow did
restore my soul, but the portal to hell was already opening so Buffy did the
only thing she could to close it."
"What?" Pacey could see that it was difficult for both Willow and Angel to
talk about whatever had happened and decided to give them an out. "Look
man, if this is too difficult to talk about, you don't have to. It's cool
with me."
"No. You'll be staying here with Willow, so you have a right to know.
Especially since that means that you and I will see each other often."
Angel looked over at Willow and continued his story. "The only way for the
portal to close was by the blood of the one that opened it. My blood.
Right after my soul was restored, Buffy had to shove a sword through me.
She sent me to hell, literally."
"I'm sorry," was all Pacey could say, understanding now all the pain that
he had seen in Angel's eyes. And in Willow's. "I take it that's why Buffy
left town." Willow nodded her head.
"Yeah, she left a note for her mother and mailed one to me, just to let us
know about what had happened with Angel," Willow told him. "That's the last
we have heard from her. She doesn't even know that he's back or that his
soul is permanent now. And, before you ask, we don't know how or why Angel
was brought back and we don't care. Not anymore."
Pacey absorbed everything that had happened that night, especially Angel.
After the attack earlier, he was surprised at how comfortable he felt in the
vampire's presence. Maybe it had something to do with the guilt that was
present in his eyes. Or maybe, it had to do with how Willow and Faith both
accepted him. Or maybe it had something to do with the fact that Angel was
just as ticklish as he was, although Pacey was going to do his damndest now
to let anyone else find that out. He also realized that, not only had his
leaving Capeside given him a chance to experience life, it also enabled him
to do something no one would have expected from Pacey Witter. It gave him
the chance to help people, even if they didn't know it.
"So what can I do to help?"
 

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