TITLE: Auspicious Borne [1/3] (Beast Within Part 22)
AUTHOR: Samantha McCullah
EMAIL: snm2761@cub.uca.edu
DISTRIBUTION: If you have the rest of the series, go ahead.
SPOILERS: All Men are Beasts, then it becomes an alternate universe.
RATING: R
CONTENT: Willow/Angel, Faith/Oz (it's actually heavy enough to warrant a
warning ;), violence, language.
SUMMARY: The Ascension comes and friends are won and lost.
DISCLAIMER: Not mine. Joss's.
NOTE: The rest of the series can be found at
http://www.crosswinds.net/~saintangelus/series/beast/index.html

Germ of new life, whose powers expanding slow
For many a moon their full perfection wait,--
Haste, precious pledge of happy love, to go
Auspicious borne through life's mysterious gate.
What powers lie folded in thy curious frame,--
Senses from objects locked, and mind from thought!
-- Anna Lætitia Barbauld, 'To an invisible being'

"You really love her," Cordelia commented, standing in the doorway of the
mansion, watching as Angel silently stroked Willow's face and hair as the
redhead slept cradled against him on the couch. The vampire's head shot up,
surprised at Cordelia being able to sneak up on him. "Sorry," she
apologized. "I knocked, but no one answered." Angel relaxed slightly,
maneuvering himself out of the tangle of limbs he and Willow had ended up
in. He motioned for Cordy to enter.

"I never expected to see you here," Angel stated as the brunette walked
into the living room and sat rigidly in one of the armchairs.

"I, uh," Cordy began, looking down at her hands. "Wanted to apologize." She
glanced up at Angel through the mass of hair that had fallen over her eyes.

"For what?" he asked, smiling slightly at the girl.

"For being a complete bitch," she stated, bluntly then sighed. "And for not
realizing how far this would go and not trying to stop it."

"I don't think you could have done anything," he soothed.

"But that's just it. I could have." She sighed again. "Xander asked that
night in the library what he should do, and I...I told him to just do what
he felt was right." She looked up and met Angel's warm eyes. "I didn't
think it would go on this long. I thought Xander would get over you and her
together eventually even if Buffy didn't."

"But he didn't," Angel stated. Cordelia shook her head.

"I underestimated his love for her," she whispered.

"For Willow?" Angel asked, his eyes narrowed at the prospect of competition
for Willow's affections.

"No, for Buffy," she replied, her voice quiet and small. Angel's deft ears
could pick up the faint hint of sadness.

"He's your boyfriend, Cordelia," he began.

"Was," she corrected, glancing up at him. "He couldn't get over the fact
that Willow would betray Buffy like that." She laughed bitterly. "I suppose
a part of me should blame Willow for our break up."

"But you don't," Angel commented. Cordelia shook her head.

"It was all Xander," she shrugged. "And Buffy."

"I'm sorry," he replied honestly.

"It's not your fault, and its not hers." As Cordelia motioned to Willow,
the redhead suddenly sat bolt upright, her eyes still closed.

"No!" she screamed, her arms wrapping around her waist, her breath coming
out in pants.

"Willow?" Angel questioned, hurrying over to the redhead's side. He touched
her arm gently, and she immediately thrashed away from him.

"No," she sobbed, her eyes still closed in sleep. He shook her slightly,
and her body tensed as her eyes flew open. She glanced around the room
trying to orientate herself. Her eyes rested on Cordelia briefly, and she
arched an eyebrow.

"Willow?" Angel questioned again. She turned to him, her eyes glistening
with unshed tears. "What happened?"

"I was dreaming," she whispered. Suddenly, she lurched forward, throwing
herself into his arms and clutching at him desperately. "God, Angel, I
don't want to die."

"Die?" he whispered to himself. "You're not going to die," he soothed,
gently stroking her hair.

"That's what I dreamt. The Ascension tomorrow, I'm not going to live
through it."

"Yes, you are," Angel growled, holding her tighter against him. She
remained silent, her body still shaking slightly from fear of the dream.

Graduation Day.....

"You look beautiful," Angel assured, watching as Willow twirled slightly in
the sunlight, modeling her graduation gown.

"No, I don't," she replied. "Maroon is the wrong color on me."

"I agree," Cordelia stated walking over to the side of the van. "I so
wanted the teal."

"Isn't the point to have the gowns be in school colors?" Angel asked from
his position in the van. He hid a grin as the cheerleader jumped and turned
venomous eyes on him.

"Yodel or hum, deadboy," she growled, "Do it or I stake you." She glanced
down at her own graduation gown. "As for the colors, maroon makes me look
like I weigh five hundred pounds, and yellow," she shuddered visibly,
"Let's just say, plague victim not a good look."

"Reasonable argument," he stated, leaning back against the side of the van
and turning his attention back to Willow. Angel's eyes trailed over her,
taking in the breathtaking sight of sunlight dancing in her hair. He
watched her and Cordelia talk animatedly as Faith and Oz walked over to
join them. Faith hoped up into the back of the van next to Angel.

"We need to go," Oz commented, and the two other girls nodded in agreement,
turning towards the front of the school.

"I've waited for this day my whole life," Willow whispered.

"So why aren't we excited?" Cordelia asked.

"Possible impending death," Oz shrugged.

"Be careful," Angel called. Willow turned around and walked over to the
van. Crawling inside, she reached for Angel, and the vampire embraced her
silently. His lips found hers, and he poured all of his worries and fears
into that one kiss.

Faith rolled her eyes in fake exasperation. Oz chuckled at her expression
but walked over. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, cradling the back
of her hand with his hand. He cocked his head and smiled at her before
pulling her forward into a gentle kiss. His tongue probed hers slightly.
They broke apart with a sigh to find Willow and Angel staring at them.

"I need to talk to you after...." Oz trailed off, never taking his eyes
away from Faith's. She nodded slightly.

"Ready?" Willow asked, and Oz nodded. "You'll be there?" she asked, turning
to Angel.

"As soon as that solar eclipse Cordelia talked about happens," he nodded.

"See you then," she whispered before she and Oz headed back to Cordelia.
The three of them walked towards the front of the school building with
Faith and Angel watching them in silence. As the three of them disappeared
into the building, Angel turned to Faith, grinning.

"First time, huh?" he asked, humor glinting in his eyes. Faith turned
slowly to face him, and he wiggled his eyebrows at her. She growled at him,
bringing her arm back and punching him in the shoulder with all of her
Slayer strength. "Ow," Angel stated calmly before breaking into completely
laughter.

************

The ceremony was boring. That was the only word to describe the extremely
long speeches made by first the valedictorian and now the mayor as his
speech neared its twentieth minute.

"C'mon, ascend already," Willow muttered. Cordelia nodded in agreement,
stifling a yawn. Willow sighed heavily, sinking farther down in her chair,
both out of boredom and out of trying to get the feeling of being watched
out of her head. She knew it was futile. Buffy had been staring daggers
into the back of her head ever since she walked into the courtyard, her
arms linked with Cordelia and Oz. Willow was brought out of her reverie
when the Mayor halted in his speech, his breath coming out in pants.

"We....must all....This is a little sooner than I expected," the Mayor
panted, just as the sun went dark in a sudden eclipse. "I'll just skip to
the end."

"'Bout time," Willow stated with a grin, rising to her feet with the rest
of the student body.

************

"Hey, Fang," Faith called out as the sky went dark. "Showtime," she stated,
hoping out of the van with Angel close behind her.

************

"Now, you kids, don't think about running," the Mayor ordered as his face
began to contort. He arched his back as new bones stretched into skin that
wasn't built for them. His human flesh ripped apart to reveal wet scales as
the demon came into full being. The sixty-foot snake creature roared in
triumph as it stretched to its full height.

"Okay, that's disgusting," Cordelia stated.

"NOW!" Xander shouted, standing on his chair, and the student body ripped
off their gowns to reveal an array of weapons.

"You get the feeling we're underprepared?" Oz asked, glancing over at Willow.

"Oh, yeah," she replied as the first wave of students fired up their
flame-throwers.

"Bow men!" Xander shouted and the last row of students turned around,
pulling bows and arrows out from under their chairs. "Fire when ready," the
teen ordered. Willow turned to the back of the courtyard to see the
vampires rushing the students.

"Vampires," she stated. "Those I can handle." She looked over at Oz and
Cordelia. "You two--"

"We'll find weapons," Cordy stated. Willow nodded and began pushing her way
towards the vampires. She barely got passed three rows before she met an
unmovable obstacle...Buffy.

The vampires quickly lost interest in the students as the rain of arrows
fell on them, destroying more than a third of the demons. The vampires
turned preparing to run only to come to face a vampire they had feared for
much of their unlives.

"Hello, boys," Angel greeted, smirking.

"Let's play," Faith stated, adrenaline pumping through her body as she
rushed forward to meet the vampires. Angel prepared to follow suit, but
before he could move, more students rushed out of the building behind him,
joining the fray. He grinned as he watched the students fight.

"They're aren't as dumb as we credit them," he smirked.

"You are Angelus," a British voice stated from behind him. Angel turned to
face the new man that had recently joined Buffy and company. For the life
of him, Angel couldn't remember his name.

"And you are?" the vampire asked, studying the man.

"Wesley Wyndam-Price, Ms. Summers' Watcher," the man stated. Angel blinked
at him, slightly bored. "It is my duty to kill you." He started forward.
Angel rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," he murmured, lashing out and knocking the man to the ground
unconscious. Angel turned, preparing to join the fight when another sight
stopped him. Willow facing Buffy. Both of the girls had fallen into
fighting stances, but neither had made a move.

"Oh shit," he hissed, running through the fighting students. Faith caught
sight of the hurrying vampire, and she tracked his movements until her eyes
too rested on Willow and Buffy.

"Fuck," she growled, plunging her stake into the vampire she was fighting's
chest. It exploded into to dust as she started running, towards Angel and
the two girls.

*************

"Well, well, nice of you to show up," Buffy stated, grinning at Willow.

"Buffy, this is neither the time nor the place," Willow stated, glancing
over at the snake-demon that was in the process of devouring Mr. Snyder and
a biology teacher.

"'Cause of Dick?" Buffy asked, "He'll be there when I'm done," she stated,
still grinning, her hand going to the small of her back. She pulled her arm
away revealing an ornate dagger. "Like it?" she asked. "Gift from Giles to
make up for Angel," she stroked the blade. "Didn't help. But soon," she
stalked forward, causing Willow to step back. "I'll have him back."

"We've been over this," Willow hissed, anger flooding into her system. "He
doesn't want you."

"Oh, but he will," Buffy smirked. "Once you're gone."

"You know, Buff," Willow stated, contempt shining in her eyes, "You
desperately need a new theme. So tired of this one."

"Bitch," Buffy hissed.

"Yes," Willow agreed, falling into a fighting stance and trying to remember
the self-defense taught to her by Faith and Angel. Suddenly a howling
filled her head, and she knew what it was. Ever since the night in the high
school when their power had been awakened, Willow could sense him whenever
he was near. Her mate was coming.

She grinned at Buffy, her teeth glinting and her eyes feral. Buffy leapt
for her, and Willow met the Slayer blow for blow, not caring about anything
but the surge of power flowing through her.

***********

Angel tried to reach Willow just as the two girls leapt at each other, but
he was suddenly stopped when hands grabbed his arm and swung him around. He
came face to face with Xander.

"No," the boy stated.

"You gonna stop me?" Angel growled.

"Yes," he replied, pulling a stake out of his pocket and advancing towards
the vampire. Suddenly the boy's eyes widened and he slumped forward.
Cordelia stood behind him, triumphantly holding the folding chair she'd
just hit Xander with in her hands.

"Been wanting to do that," she grinned. Angel nodded before turning back to
Willow. The sight before him stopped him bodily. Willow was bleeding from a
multitude of cuts, but she didn't seem affected by the wounds as she fought
Buffy inflicting just as much damage on the Slayer as the Slayer inflicted
on her.

He pushed two students out of his way, trying to get to his mate. Then the
unthinkable happened. Buffy drew her arm back, the knife in her hand
glinting, and slammed the blade into Willow's stomach.

"NO!" he screamed, surging forward as the world slowed. Willow's eyes
widened as she fell to the ground.

**********

Willow's whole body hurt as the power seemed to leak out of her along with
her blood. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but nothing
would come. She saw Buffy grin triumphantly as Willow's blood dripped from
the dagger. The world began to go white at the edges, but she managed to
catch sight of Faith's arms encircle Buffy's neck, pulling the blonde into
a sleeper hold. She tried to smirk at her ex-friend as the Slayer fell into
unconsciousness, but she found she couldn't move. Cold hands touched her
shoulders, pulling her into a lap.

"A-Angel?" she managed to choke out.

"I'm here," he whispered. She smiled then her hand lifting off of her wound
and gently touching his cheek, leaving a trail of her blood running down
his face.

Then she died.

**********

"No," Angel denied.

"Willow?" Faith asked, pushing Buffy's unconscious form away from her body
as she hurried to the redhead's side.

"Faith, go take care of the snake," he ordered softly.

"But--" she tried to argue, but Angel lifted his yellow eyes.

"Do it," he snarled. She nodded, biting back a retort, and rose to her feet.

"Hey, Dick!" she screamed out, ready to take out her grief on the demon.
Angel lifted Willow's body into his arms and began walking through the now
lessening fight. He saw Oz standing at the bottom of the stairs. The two
exchanged glances, and Oz nodded in understanding.

"I'll bring Faith," the werewolf stated as Angel walked passed him towards
the van.

He reached the van without being challenged by anyone. He placed her body
gently onto the passenger seat, and as he walked around the van to the
driver's side, the world exploded, sending Sunnydale High into a thousand
pieces. He crawled into the seat, and pulled Willow's head onto his lap.

Angel screamed in rage and grief as he doubled over, his hands stroking her
face and his tears falling on the steering wheel. Suddenly the body on his
lap shuddered violently. He straightened up, his eyes searching her body
for any sign of what was happening. His mouth fell open slightly as the
fatal wound on her stomach began to heal. Then two things happened.
Willow's eyes opened, and she sucked in a much-needed breath.

"Willow?" he asked not sure if he should trust his eyes. She coughed
violently in reply. "Oh, God, Willow," he breathed, gathering her up
against his chest.

"Angel?" she whispered, returning his embrace. "I died," she stated with
wonder in her voice.

"I noticed," he replied, unable to hide his grin. "Don't do it ever again."

"Oh, I won't," she stated, pressing her face against his neck, "I promise."

*FIN*

next