Category: Crossover (Stargate SG-1/B:tVS/Angel), W/A friendship UST
Archive: No, but will send the complete version later.
Summery: After the event from FIAD, Dr. Daniel Jackson seeks some time away from the SGC, which coincides with Willow going off to UCLA and meeting some of her old friends.   And oh yeah, trouble brews.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. And I'm grossly poor. So please don't sue me...*g*
Seasons: IMPORTANT! Remember everything after Something Blue and I Will Remember You didn't happen in my little universe here.

Part 5

The SGC, Cheyenne Mountain
 

Major Samantha Carter just stared at the phone for a while.  Sam was worried about Daniel.  He had actually sounded OK until she’d mentioned Teal’c’s guilt about having to kill Sha're. He'd been avoiding the subject for more than five weeks now.  She had thought that maybe his time away from the Stargate Command would make him face the fact Sha're was gone.  He said he understood and he was moving on, but she didn’t believe him.  He just sounded resigned and hollow.

// What I wouldn't give to listen to one of his overly long culture talks now… //

She remembered the first time she met Daniel.  She'd studied the Stargate as an astrophysicist for a long time and she'd always been curious about the man who had solved the mystery.  She'd been really pissed off—understatement of the century—when she hadn't been included in the first mission to Abydos with Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson.  However, she got her chance a year later when another Goa'uld came through the Stargate and kidnapped some soldiers who were on watch that day.  General Hammond sent a team to Abydos to find Dr. Jackson in which she was included.  Well, Colonel O'Neill did meet her expectation—arrogant, stubborn and very anti-scientist.  Nevertheless, he was an amazing leader, and knew what they were up against.

Sam smiled, remembering what it was like to meet Colonel O’Neill in the beginning.  // At least he wasn't as chauvinistic as I'd thought.  Well, OK, let's give him some credit. *A little* chauvinistic.//

Daniel was different.  She was expecting the usual boring, tweed jacket type scholar.  However, she found herself liking Daniel immediately.  Not only was he considerably younger than the most of the anthropologists she had worked with before regarding the Stargate project, but also he had the traits of youth, curious and passionate about everything.  When Daniel was talking, his mouth couldn't catch up with the thoughts going through his brilliant mind.  He was very open-minded, always ready and able to listen what she had to say.  Most of all, it was so refreshing to have a non-military type around.  His innocent view of the world always kept her grounded.

And there was his incredible devotion to Sha're.  Sam loved reading trashy romance novels.  Actually, Colonel O'Neill had once caught her secret leisure time activity.  Since then, whenever she was doing the so-called techno-babble and he couldn't understand a word of it, he just loved to 'remind' Sam her choice of literature.  However, those romance novels never came close describing real love as much as watching Daniel and Sha're together for just a few hours had done to her.  Watching them holding and kissing each other, their adoration, devotion and loyalty so painfully plain in their eyes—had led her to the surprising conclusion that real love did exist.  But Sha're…oh, god.

//Goa'ulds.//

Sam hated them.  There was no other word to describe her feeling toward the alien race but hatred.  She thought of herself as a peace-loving person.  Well, OK, she *was* a major of the US AirForce, but her purpose has always been clear to her.  To save lives, as simple as that.  Even the lives of enemies were treated with respect.  Because, as mundane as it sounded, she believed all lives were important.  However, when it came to those parasite aliens, she had no problem shooting at them without a blink.  Was she to feel any compassion to those that invaded other planets and reigned like gods, slaughtering many innocents and enslaving people around the galaxy just because of their never-ending thirst for power?  Nope, not one bit.  Her heart also erupted with white, hot rage when she thought about the lives of hosts Goa'ulds have put into living hell.  So many innocents people were taken by Goa'ulds as hosts, their bodies becoming the possessions of the parasites.

And Sha're had become one of the hosts.

When Daniel had found Sha're, there had been no recognition on her eyes.  Her eyes had been glowing gold, just like any other Goa'uld. To be a host was, for Sha're, to have no control over her body, to watch powerlessly as the Goa'uld possessing her body tried to kill her beloved husband and family, to live a life worse than death.  Sam and the team, including Daniel, had barely escaped.  Daniel had lost Sha're.

It was almost three years ago.  Ever since, Daniel had been trying to find Sha're and the way to free her from the dominance of the Goa'uld, hoping desperately that something of the host must have survived.  Watching Daniel every night as he buried himself with work to forget the emptiness, Sam had prayed to whoever up there for Daniel to find his wife and hoped for a happy ending.

// Nobody's been listening. //

...Because five weeks ago, her prayers had come back unanswered.

"Major Carter."

Sam turned around.  Teal'c, the former servant of Apophis, now a loyal member of her team SG-1, was standing in front of her doorway.  Teal'c, who was a Jaffa, had betrayed Apophis and joined their fight against Goa'ulds in hope to free his people from slavery.

"Your presence is required in the control room."  Teal'c spoke in his usual stoic tone.

"Thanks, Teal'c."  She followed him out.

They headed toward the control room.  The Jaffa was usually reticent, so Sam was a bit surprised when Teal’c engaged a conversation.

He asked, "Were you able to communicate with Daniel Jackson?"

// Oh, yeah, I did.  Although it didn't do much good. //

"Yes, I did.  He said he understood why you had to do...it.  You're saving his life. Everyone knows that you did the right thing, Teal’c.  I'm certain."  Sam tried to cheer him up.  But Teal'c was more grim than usual.

"For that, I am not certain, Major Carter.  I have failed Daniel Jackson.  Again."

//Oh, Teal'c.//  Her heart ached.  //How things always come back to the same place...//

Sam sighed.  What good was a degree in Astrophysics or being about the only person who understood the entire Gate program when she couldn't prevent this horrible tragedy from tearing at her friends?  Guilt was everywhere.  She felt helpless.
 

***
Sunnydale
 

Buffy Summers, a.k.a. the vampire slayer, picked up the ringing phone.  "Hello."

[ Hey, Buffy! ]

Buffy's face broke into a smile.  "Willow!"

Buffy was glad to hear some cheerfulness in her friend's voice.  Willow had been down lately because of Oz.  It had been so heartbreaking for Buffy to watch her best friend suffering from the incident with her boyfriend—now ex-boyfriend.  It seemed to be that Willow's time away from Sunnydale was doing some good for her.  //At least now she's speaking.//

[ Hey.  How was everything last night with patrol?  Any demons?  Excitement? Anything?]

"Well, no.  I was degraded into staking one dumb vampire with no sense of fashion whatsoever.  It'd been pretty quiet. Going to patrol with Xander later today."

Willow was calling Buffy everyday and updating her with news.  She even sent her emails with pictures of her apartment and school, some of them taken with Cordelia.   //She's sharing a room with Cordelia, my god, of all people!//  Willow and Buffy were doing everything possible to keep in touch, but Buffy still missed her best friend very much.

[ How about those commando guys?  Did you find what they're up to?]

Willow was talking about a group of men starting to appear in Sunnydale with guns and ski masks.  Buffy, Giles and Xander had been trying to find out just what they were doing here, because something was telling her these guys were going to be trouble.

"No such luck.  We're trying to pinpoint their base.  Actually, Giles made this map with all their appearances marked with pins.  *Really* pinpointing.  He needs to go out more, I tell you."

[ I wish I can help.]  Willow sounded worried.

So Buffy changed the subject. "No worry, Will.  We'll get them. Uh, Will, how did the magic thing go?  You know, conjuring the power for the guiding spell you told me about?"  //At least she doesn't sound like she's burned herself with that spell again.//

[ Oh, yeah!  Almost there.  It's so exciting.  I'm finally getting there.  You know, being a full-fledged witch. ]

"You go girl."  Buffy was still amazed with the fact that her friend was actually a witch, fluent with spells and magic.  Not so long ago, Willow had been just helping Giles performing some simple spells.  Now, Buffy wasn't even sure where Willow's limit was.  Not only could Willow perform complicated spells for them, but she could also move light things around with her will.  Now Willow was practicing the guide spell, bringing out the power from nothingness to guide her to the place she wanted to be.

"Oh, yeah.  And what happened with that cutie professor of yours?  Was Nancy Drew-ish?"

Willow said proudly. [ Yes!  I mean, I *did* get him to come to see us to the office later tonight.  So Doyle can check if he's our guy. ]

"Will, you're having way too much fun without me."

[ I'm worried though.  What if Dr. Jackson is the guy?  What's happening to him and Angel?  I heard Doyle's pretty accurate when it comes to this vision thing. ]

Buffy sensed concern in her friend's voice.  She was worried, too.  Ever since Willow told her about the vision, she couldn't help but worry about her friends and...okay, Angel.

Willow lightened up the mood, probably having noticed her dark thoughts.  [ So, did you go out with Riley today? ]

She was happy to talk about Riley.  "Yes!  He's made of niceness and sweetness, as usual...and smooches."  She added the last part with dramatic intonation.

Willow laughed on the other side of the phone.  [ Finally!  You should thank me, you know.  I gave him the advice on how to *woo* you.  Anyway, I want details.  'Fess up now. ]

Buffy chuckled.  "Sorry, Will. I'm not telling."  Peculiarly, she was falling in love with Riley.  For a change—and what a huge change it was, since her last boyfriend was a vampire with a soul—Buffy was having a nice, secure relationship with non-demon kind of guy.  He was smart, kind, well-mannered and most importantly, so much in love with her.

With Angel, her being the slayer (and him being a vampire) was the main reason they couldn't be together.  Angel had decided he would be a burden to her, making it hard for her to do her job of saving the world.  He had left her.  At that time, she couldn't understand why.  They had loved each other.  Couldn't that have been enough?

But now, she understood.  They loved each other, more than anything… but maybe it wasn't enough to change who they were and what they were supposed to do.  With Angel, her job came first.  She was always the slayer.  With Riley, she was guilt free and happy.  She loved Riley as a girl, not as the slayer.  She wouldn't let her slayer responsibility stop her from loving somebody.  Not like it had with Angel.

//Angel...//

She and Angel had moved on with their lives, but still, thinking of Angel always seemed to make her heart explode into little pieces.

Buffy hesitated a little.  "Willow… how's Angel?"

Buffy could sense Willow was carefully choosing her words.  [ Angel's okay, I think. Actually, I made him watch the Princess Bride last Saturday. ]

Buffy was surprised to say the least. "What?  *The* Princess Bride?"  //Angel, watching the Princess Bride, are we talking nightmare here?//

Willow giggled.  [ Yeah.  He enjoyed it actually.  You don't know how hard it was to get him to watch that video. ]

//So they're having fun together.//  The word 'fun' had never been something that described what Buffy and Angel had.  She felt something inside.  Maybe a bit of jealousy, maybe sadness… Buffy wasn't sure what she was feeling.  However, she knew her life had changed since Angel left.  Maybe, so had his.

//Angel deserves to have some good friends around.  And Willow could use some company right now.//

[ Hey, Buffy.  Doyle's calling me.  He's picking me up for work.  I gotta go. ]

"Alright.  I'll talk to you later.  Love ya."

[ Love you, too.  Bye. ]

Buffy listened to the click sound from the other side of the phone.  She quietly hung up, shaking away the dark thoughts.  Then she got up, grabbing the ever-present stake beside her.

As usual, she had people to protect, vampires to kill, and the world to save.
 

***
LA

Parts of Los Angeles were littered with deserted and abandoned warehouses, remnants of life before it had moved out to the suburban areas.  One would wonder why no one just leveled areas like this one.  Breeding grounds for vermin and urban legends.

// Then again, there would be no secret meeting places for people creating conspiracy now, would there? //

In one of these warehouses, Colonel Maybourne was very unhappy.

In front of him, a man in an unmarked uniform stood with the aura of power so strong that even made a veteran soldier like Maybourne stand straight with cold feet.  "You have not reported witnessing Daniel Jackson of SG-1 in Los Angeles when the others have.  Why?"

// Because I didn't want to.  What do you think, you blistering idiot? //

"Jackson's presence here has nothing to do with our project," replied Maybourne, trying with all his will to sound unaffected.

"Yes, it does.  He saw you, didn't he?" The quiet voice thundered in the silent room.

Maybourne slightly flinched.  "Yes."

"Then, he's a liability."

"Jackson does not suspect anything.  This doesn't involve him or the SGC." He sounded desperate, but he didn't care.

"It is not for you to decide, is it?"

His blood ran cold.   "What do you propose we do about him?"

"We have our ways, don't we?" The man slowly turned and walked away.

Maybourne watched as the man disappeared into the night.  // Damn. //

***

Part 6
LA

//Well, here we go again.//  Angel sighed to himself.  He hadn't wanted to come to pick up Cordelia and Willow, but
Doyle practically dragged him here.  Willow was telling them about Dr. Jackson.

"So he's gonna show up in our office?" Doyle asked.

Willow eagerly answered, "Yes. That way, you can check if Dr. Jackson is the guy."

Doyle seemed to like the idea.  "Not bad.  Ya sure you don't want to be a detective?"

Willow shook her head violently.  "Oh, no thank you.  I thought I'd die of a heart attack while lying to Dr. Jackson."

Ever since that night when Willow had told him about her dream, Angel had a strong urge to avoid her.  Willow had let
him into her dreams and secrets.  To his astonishment, she *trusted* him.  However, he just couldn't get close to her
any more than necessary.  It would hurt her somehow.  Just being near him was dangerous enough.  //Friendship is
something you can't afford, Angel.//

"Um, Angel?"

Angel realized Willow was speaking to him.  He tried to be as brusque as possible. "Yes?"

Willow handed him a thick envelope, not even noticing his change in demeanor. "Open it," she spoke hurriedly, her face
flushed with excitement.

"What is it?" He carefully opened the envelope.  He found several pieces of typed documents.  One was his driver's
license, with a picture that looked vaguely like him.  //However did she manage to...// The other was entitled the
Private Investigation License.  "Willow!"

She blushed with what he recognized as embarrassment.  "Well, Doyle told me that you don't have the exact documents to
be listed as a licensed private detective.  So I thought I would get you those.  I just...well hacked...you know."

"Willow, this is illegal." //Since when did that matter to you?//

"Well, not really.  Uh...just a bit...in a literal sense, I guess.  I mean you're not a bad guy.  You are helping
people.  You save people's lives all the time.  Having this would help you helping others more, you know.  No more
trouble with cops and whoever.   I'm pretty good at this.  I'm the *net* girl, remember?  Angel... just...ummm... I
don't want to break any laws but there isn't exactly a law that can get you a license.  They don't usually issue
licenses to vampires, so technically it's not illegal...is it?"

>From Willow's babble, Angel sensed she was very nervous.  He was really flattered by her attempt to help him.
However, he didn't want to get her involved in this mess.  He started out with a firm voice, "Willow.  Thank you for
your help, but..."

Without a warning, Cordelia instantly came to his side and snatched the envelope away from him.  "No buts!  Thanks,
Willow.  How mighty nice of you!  This will be just sooooo helpful."  Cordelia turned her deadly glare on Angel.  He
suddenly felt a shiver going down his spine.

"You *do* know we need this, *right*?"  Cordelia's eyes were daring Angel to disagree with him.  He knew all too well
the consequences of disagreeing with Cordelia in this mood.

"Uh, well...I mean..." Angel stammered.

Cordelia, with her sweetest smile, returned the envelope back to him.  "I knew you would come to your senses one day,
Angel.  I'm so proud."

Angel saw Willow and Doyle watching him sympathetically.  //Ahhhhh.  I can't win.  No one would believe I was a bad ass
vampire once every vampire had looked up to. //

He gave up and sighed.  "Of course.  Thank you Willow."

Hearing this, Cordelia walked away, muttering to Willow something about a mission being accomplished.  Willow smiled in
answer.

Doyle materialized beside Angel and put his hand on his shoulder.  "The women around us are just too damn dominating,
don't ya think?"

"You don't say."  Angel inwardly groaned.

"So, let's see your license!"  Doyle excitedly read the documents, then stopped abruptly.  "Oh Angel, come here for a
sec."

Angel quickly scanned the documents.  "Um, Willow?"

Willow, who was getting into the car with Cordelia, turned and came back to his side. "Yes?"

"Uh, why is my name Angel McLeod?"

She blinked then smacked her head.  "Oh, I'm so sorry!  I didn't know your exact last name and I wasn't sure if I could
use your real name anyway so I just came up with one.  Uh, if you don't like it, I can change it into something else."

Angel stopped her from taking the documents from him.  "No, Willow.  It's fine.  I can go with that name."  He smiled,
amused.

Doyle was curious.  "Why McLeod?"

Willow answered, "Well, I saw certain similarities.  Both immortals, can be killed by decapitation...something like
that."

Puzzled, Doyle and Cordelia just stared at her.

Willow, exasperated, tried to explain. "Highlander? The TV show? The immortals who have to be beheaded if you want
to...well, kill them?"

Seeing no reaction from Doyle and Cordelia, Willow just shook her head.  "No, never mind."

Angel fought the urge to laugh, seeing her so annoyed.  He tried to keep his best neutral tone and spoke, "Well, I see
a problem with this name."

"Oh, what?  You don't like it?" Willow looked hurt, even though it was obvious she was trying to hide it.

"I mean, as far as I understand, there can be only one."

She had the grace to look confused for a second, but the realization soon dawned on her.  "*Angel!*  You knew!"

He laughed, all his worries were forgotten.  "Your look!  Well, it was priceless."

Willow, in mock anger, smacked him. "Oh, you little..."

//Wait.  What am I doing?//

Angel stopped himself.  What was he doing?  Had he learned nothing?  He was being greedy to think that he deserved to
enjoy receiving friendship from Willow or anyone else.  He was being selfish to be so careless of the consequence of
being happy.

But something was holding him back here.  He couldn't just let go of her friendship like he has done with others.  The
last time when he'd grown attached to someone, he'd had to walk away, because he'd known the consequence all too well.
But this time, something was different.  This odd emotion, friendship, was so addictive, holding him back, making him
smile, making him...happy.  He just couldn't let this go.

//Damn it.//

***

While driving to the office, Doyle noticed that tonight Angel was unusually quiet in contrast to the girls chatting
rather too loudly in the back.

// Can't say Angel brooding is unusual...though he'd been quite talkative since the redhead had shown up. //

It was unbelievable when he actually thought about it.  For the first time, over the last few weeks, Doyle had been
seeing Angel actually laugh.  He had never really seen this dark, serious vampire laughing so hard.  He fancied himself
a humorous person, but he had never been able to make Angel really laughâ the kind of laugh that came from the heart.

"So, is he good-looking?  No, wait.  Don't tell me.  I know you think even *Giles* is good-looking."  Doyle knew Cordy
was talking about that Dr. Jackson character.  Using the center mirror, he sneaked to watch the two girls talking in
the back.

//Look what I'm reduced into.  What do I see in her exactly?   In this snobbish, self-important,
condescending...utterly irresistible.   Man, I need to get a life. //

"No!  Actually, he's pretty young.  And he's very cute with the blond hair and all blue eyes..." For a second there,
Doyle noticed, Willow had this dreamy look that girls always had in front of Angel.  But soon, she seemed to realize
Cordy was watching her expectantly.  "*But*, please don't *even* think about it, Cordelia," she snapped, obviously not
enjoying the prospect of Cordelia trying to flirt with her teacher.

//Oh, I understand your feeling whole-heartedly, Willow. //

Willow seemed to be doing a good job handling Cordy.  When he'd first heard that they'd decided to share the apartment,
he'd given them a week, tops.  Angel had told him that the two girls hadn't been exactly on good terms before and
heâ?™d believed it.   However, they were getting along surprisingly well.

//Maybe a little too well.//  Their combined forces were giving him and Angel enough trouble already, like today when
they set Angel up for good.  However, Doyle enjoyed having Willow around.  It made his life a little easier, helping
him to get Angel to open up.  He wouldn't admit this under torture, but he thought of Cordy and Angel like his family.
However, Angel had never really shared his feelings with him or Cordy.  Now, with Willow, Angel couldn't be more open,
although he doubted Angel noticed that.  Doyle knew what was going on.  He had seen Angel's face after he had been
joking around with Willow.

//Angel, my friend.  Being happy is so problematic for you, isn't it? //

"Hey!  That's Dr. Jackson over there!"

The sudden shout from Willow stopped Doyle's musings.   Willow was indicating a lonely figure walking toward their
office building on the other side of the street.  Willow quickly opened the window and shouted, "Doctor Jackson!"

Hearing his name, the guy turned to look.  Even from the distance, Doyle could recognize the dark blond guy.

// That's the guy from the vision. //

Willow was about to get off and greet him when Doyle saw a black car coming to a screeching halt and stopping right
beside Dr. Jackson.

His heart skipped a beat as three dark figures jumped out from the car and grabbed Dr. Jackson.

//Shit!//

***

Part 7

Angel got out of the car instantly.

>From the opposite side of the street, Angel could see three men with powerful physiques were trying to push Willow's
professor into the car in the dark alley.  Surprisingly, Dr. Jackson was putting up a good fight trying to get them
off, but there was no way he could fight off the three muscular men.  He cursed in all the languages he could think of
as Dr. Jackson took a hit to the head and collapsed.  He rushed to cross the street, desperately shoving his way
through the huge tide of traffic.

// Damn.  Damn.  Damn! //

"Hey!" Willow screamed from somewhere behind him.  Thankfully, this seemed to have made the men realize there was an
audience watching them.  For a few seconds, the attackers winced and stopped their motions.  Those few seconds were all
Angel needed to get across the street.

He jumped over the black car that blocked his way and landed on the opposite side, swooping upon the three men pushing
an unconscious Dr. Jackson into the car.

"Sorry.  Am I interrupting?"  Angel yanked Dr. Jackson away from their grip and pushed him toward Doyle who came
running behind him.  He gave the confused men blows to the jaws that should've knock any ordinary man out cold.  To his
astonishment, they were instantly on their feet again, ready to attack him.

//Damn.  This isn't gonna be easy.//  Without wasting a second, one of them delivered a carefully calculated blow aimed
at the vulnerable point of Angel's head, a blow that could've disabled him if he was a human.  Fortunately, he wasn't.
His vampire reflex kicked in and he rapidly moved out of the way and avoided the fatal blow.  They were very well
trained, their movement alarmingly fast and accurate.

//Alright, then.  No more Mr. Nice Guy. //

He seized the fist of the man just before he tried to step back.  The man's arm was broken with a simple snap.  When
the two others rushed to help, Angel kicked their abdomens non-too gently using his full strength, blowing them away to
the end of the alley.  All his nerves were wildly excited.  He felt the blood rush, his vampire instinct threatening to
overcome his human-side.  However, the sudden sound of cracking bones made him realize he was still clutching the man's
fist, breaking his fingers.

// Damn... //  Angel let go of the screaming man and frantically calmed his demon within. Being near to humans was bad
enough to excite the demon in him.  Unlike other vampires, he had a soul that gave him the ability to control the
demon.  However, fighting always worsened the situation, making the demon ecstatic, craving blood and violence.  That
was what gave him the speed and strength that no men could yield except for the slayer.  That was what gave him this
evil power, which now he tried to use to help people.

// But still, I'm a demon. //

"Dr. Jackson, are you alright?" Willow's soft voice brought him back to this world.  Her worried voice somehow warmed
his battered heart.  At least they were safe now.  Willow was already at Dr. Jacksonâs side with Cordelia.

"Willow?"  Angel asked.  A relieved nod from Willow confirmed that Dr. Jackson was alive.   He made his way to her side
and hunched over to take a better look at the man.  Dr. Jackson's handsome face was too pale for his comfort.

"I think he's OK.  No bleeding," said Willow, carefully looking over Dr. Jacksonâi™s head.   She nudged him ever so
gently.  "Dr. Jackson?"

Dr. Jackson's eyes fluttered open, revealing clear blue eyes.  He tried to sit up, but seemed very disoriented.  Angel
could hear him mumbling, "...just having a bad day..."

Willow tried to calm him, gently pushing him to lie down.  "Dr. Jackson, just stay down.  You're injured."

Dr. Jackson's confused eyes stared at Willow for a while.  Slowly, recognition dawned in his eyes.  "Uh, Willow...?
...wha..."

Then suddenly, Angel felt hot, white pain hit his chest.  He staggered from its impact and fell.

// Gunshot! //

"Angel!" Cordelia's shriek echoed down the dark alley.

He twisted his head from his prone position to see the two men he had knocked out before coming close with guns pointed
at them.  Guns with silencers.  These men were pros, definitely not some hired muscle types.  Angel inwardly kicked
himself for not paying more attention to them before.  He didn't think to look for guns since bullets couldn't kill
him.  However, they could most definitely hurt his friends here.  // Stupid! //

Doyle grumbled, "It's definitely getting more festive every minute."  Doyle was putting himself between the advancing
attackers and his friends protectively.  This was the guy who used to hate getting physical in any way.  Angel was
suddenly very proud of his friend.

"So, to whom do we owe this pleasure, gentlemen?  We should at least exchange our names before things get cozy."  Doyle
kept talking to the expressionless men, getting their attention, and quickly glanced at his way once.  Thankfully, they
were paying no attention to Angel, clearly thinking he was dead.  He got the hint.

He waited for his chance.  When they had their back to him, he launched himself at them, not really caring that his
vampire side was starting to take over.  As he tackled them, the guns flew out of their grip.  With a side-glance, he
saw Doyle immediately pick up one.  However, the other gun was too far away from Doyle.  Angel saw one attacker diving
for it.

// Dammit! //

For a sickening moment, Angel thought the man was going to get the gun.  However, all of a sudden, it moved.
//What?!//  The gun moved away from the attacker and started  floatingâi”yes, *floating*â ”toward their side.

// Magic! //  He hadnâa™t seen this strong magic for a long time.  Who could possibly have...?

"Willow!"

Angel turned his head to look at Willow.  Her flashing green eyes were concentrated on the gun.  It slowly stopped and
floated in the air in front of her.

Everyone stared at Willow, their mouths dropped.   Seeing the others looking at her intensely, she blushed.  "Uh,
well...um.  I've been practicing."

Angel was dumbfounded.  He'd seen Willow casting light spells before.  But moving things like guns with magic?  This
was definitely much higher level, and much more dangerous.

Then, he heard a sudden screeching sound of tires and saw the black car that was just by his side a second ago
disappear, rapidly turning the corner.  He realized that while he was distracted, the three men just got away.  He
couldn't follow them since it would mean leaving the others alone, unprotected.  He cursed himself for letting his
guard down.

// Stupid, moron, idiot!  This can't get any worse. //

"Um, Angel?"  Cordelia was somehow beside him, poking him.

He snapped, "What?"  He wanted to slam his head to the stone wall for making such blunders today.

"You're still 'Grrr', you know."

// Oh, shit. //  He realized he was still wearing the vampire face he had changed into after the gunshot.  He hurriedly
put his human face back.

But it was too late anyway.

"Uh, excuse me."  Dr. Jackson was staring at him with his eyes bigger than Lake Ohio.

"Um, thank you for saving my life...and uh, did I just see what I think I saw?"  Dr. Jackson's voice, to Angel's
surprise, contained more of puzzlement than fear.  However, one look into his blue eyes told Angel that this guy was
not going to go away without an answer.

// Crap. I take it back. No matter how bad things seem to be, they can *always* get worse. //

***

Part 8
 

//I wonder if this qualifies as trouble...//  Daniel thought, desperat= ely trying to ease the killer headache.

He'd finished translating the demonology book, which had been a quite fasci= nating work. Demonology wasn't one of his specialties but he enjoyed every = opportunity to study yet another aspect of cultures.  So he'd been in = an unusually better mood today when he had been on the way to his student's= work place, 'Angel Investigations'.

Well, his better mood hadn't got to last very long.

So, some guys had attacked him.  And he'd been hit to the head and pas= sed out.  That'd been the OK part, actually.  Familiarity did bre= ed some weird sort of comfort in this case.

However, a guy had been shot while trying to help him.  The man who wa= s now standing in front of him had been shot through the heart.

And then, this guy had changed into something=E2=80=A6strange.  The ma= n's face had been deformed and somehow, it'd changed back to normal.  = Had those been fangs he'd seen?

*And* all of sudden, a gun had been floating in the air.

Even to a genius who explored alien cultures across the galaxy on a weekly = basis, this qualified as a bizarre turn of events.

Now Daniel was sitting in this detective office waiting for an answer, surr= ounded by two grim men=E2=80=94who would've made Teal'c proud with their ex= pressions=E2=80=94and two very nervous girls.  One of the girls--his s= tudent, Willow--was hovering over him, looking over his wound.  "= How's your head?  Are you feeling OK, Dr. Jackson?" she asked une= asily.

//Good question.  Am I feeling OK?  Oh, not very likely.//  = "Oh yes, I'm fine, Willow.  Thank you.  Uh..."  It= wasn't possible.  One couldn't just come out from a gunshot wound uns= cratched... could they?  Even Goa'ulds, which could never be killed ea= sily, needed the sarcophagus to heal them.  However, that tall guy sta= nding right there was remarkably fine.  Actually much better if he con= sidered the way the man had fought with the assailants *after* the gunshot.=   Even Jack and Teal'c, who he thought to be the toughest people when = it came to combat situations, could never move that fast.  He just had= too many questions to ask. "Um, can I--"

Suddenly, Willow started to talk really, really fast, jumping up and down n= ervously and very effectively taking away his chance to ask questions. = ; "My god, what was I thinking, not even introducing you?  Where = are my manners?  Bad, bad Willow.  Everyone, this is Dr. Daniel J= ackson, my linguistics and archaeology professor." She didn't even sto= p to breathe as she continued, "This is Doyle," indicating the ta= ll, thin guy standing at the doorway looking smug.  "He, eh, work= s in this office."

Before he had a chance to say anything, a tall brunette girl suddenly stepp= ed in.  "I'm Cordelia.  So...archaeology?  Like, Indian= a Jones?  I *love* that."  She stared at him in the manner t= he nurses did with him back in the infirmary of the SGC.  Feeling utte= rly uncomfortable with her overly eager attitude, he hesitantly shook the h= and she offered.  "Hi, um...  It's nice to meet you."
He saw Willow roll her eyes at Cordelia as she moved on with the last perso= n in this office, the one he'd been staring at for the last couple of minut= es, looking for the place where the gunshot wound should be. "And this= is Angel, um, the detective."

// Uh... // "An angel?"

The tall, dark-haired guy jumped, "What?"

"Oh, no, no!  His *name* is Angel," Willow answered, looking= flushed.

//An interesting name.  Old Irish maybe?  The derivation of it wo= uld be=E2=80=A6 *something* that's not important right now.//  Daniel = stopped his mind from wandering.  //Time to get to the point.//

"Um, I'm really grateful to all of you, for saving my life," he l= ooked around the people surrounding him, "but I really would like to k= now what'd happened back there."

The dark-haired guy, Angel, calmly asked, "What do you think you saw?&= quot;  This guy wasn't giving anything away.

But Daniel wasn't stupid. "The gun, your face, the gunshot wound that'= s not there apparently."

He heard sharp intakes of breath of Willow and Cordelia.

The thin guy, Doyle, snapped back, "Hey, hey, hey!  Remember the = dark, with no light alley?  You must've been hit pretty harder than we= thought.  Definitely hallucinating here."

//Sorry, it's not exactly my first experience with getting knocked out.&nbs= p; I can hold my own.  And I don't hallucinate...uh, unless I'm infect= ed with the Goa'uld killing device that brings out schizophrenics in people= , that is=E2=80=A6// Daniel rubbed his head.  His headache was unmista= kably here to stay.  "I think I know what I saw.  You must h= ave some kind of explanation."

Angel guy stared at him with intense dark eyes for a moment and sighed.&nbs= p; "Might as well just tell him the whole thing."

"Uh, Angel?" "Are you out of what's left of your mind?"= "You think that's wise, man?" came the simultaneous replies.&nbs= p;

"The Vision," Angel said very quietly.  Everyone instantly b= ecame silent.

They were all looking at Doyle who had a strange look on his face.  He= groaned, "Ok, he's the guy.  I don't think it's over yet."<= BR>
//What guy?//

"Then we have no choice," said Angel defiantly, frowning.

Daniel observed them with interests.  When they'd convinced him to tal= k inside, he had followed them into the office willingly, not just because = of his throbbing headache or the fact they'd just saved his life.  Act= ually, watching that distorted face of this man, Angel, had given him the f= eeling that he always got at seeing Goa'ulds' glowing eyes.  The diffe= rence was that he felt a shiver at seeing Goa'ulds because he knew what the= y were capable of and because of his uncontrollable rage against them. = ; That face?  It'd been something unnatural, something he had no knowl= edge of.  He felt unreasonable fear rising in him, but something was g= oing on and he simply had to know what that was.  His curiosity won, a= s always.

"So, who's gonna do this?" asked the tall brunette, Cordelia.&nbs= p; Everyone looked at each other.  "No volunteers? Ok, then. = ; Angel, you go ahead.  It's your own pretty mess to clean up."
Giving Cordelia a very unpleasant look, Angel uneasily started out, "D= r. Jackson..."

Daniel's curiosity had way passed its peak point and he could no longer con= tain it. "Yes?"

"Do you know anything about, hmm, occult activities?"

"That really depends on what you're asking about." //If you're ta= lking about a bunch of aliens pretending to be gods, then yes, I guess you'= re talking to an expert on the subject.// Daniel pushed his glasses, which = remarkably survived tonight's ordeal, upward. "Occult?  What kind= ?"  This was getting *really* strange.

Angel nervously snapped his fingers and his eyes were refusing to meet Dani= el's.  Daniel didn't think Angel was the type who got nervous easily, = but he sure looked one now.  "Dr. Jackson, um, do you know anythi= ng about..."

"That does it!" shouted Cordelia, annoyed. "Mister, this guy= here is a *vampire*.  He just saved your life.  Deal with it!&qu= ot;

// A what? //

For a few seconds, the room was so quiet Daniel could even hear the sound o= f the clock ticking.

// OK.  A what? //

After getting over the initial shock, Daniel looked around the others. = ; At first, the possibility of this being an untimely, very unpractical jok= e crossed his mind.  However, they were all staring at him, waiting fo= r his reaction in the stunned silence.  // They're not joking. //

For a second, his mind automatically contemplated the option of running out= of the office and heading straight to the police.  Then, his eyes met= Angel's.  Black, solemn eyes were looking right back at him, expectin= g him to do just that as if it was without a doubt the right thing for him = to do.

But, of course, Daniel wasn't just going to run out.

// The distorted face...with fangs.  The gunshot wound that's not wher= e it's supposed to be... //

He thought back to all the legends and myths of vampirism he'd read so far.=   Vampirism was known to have derived from the Eastern Europe folklore= , made more popular by the contemporary literature and films such as Dracul= a.   He had to admit that this Angel guy had looked a bit similar= to those typical vampires of popular culture, with the fangs and all.

//But vampires?//

Daniel was always open to new ideas, however radical they were, but this wa= s just right out of his league.  That was impossible.  //Impossib= le?  Speaking from a man who's working to stop an alien race from conq= uering Earth and the galaxy, yeah, that's very convincing.   The = myths of Egyptian gods turned out to be true.  Then why not the myths = of vampires?//

His head started to hurt.  //Yeah, but, but, vampires? Come on! What k= ind of laughable idea is that?//  But suddenly Daniel was reminded of = the time when he'd been laughed out of the stage for stating what he'd thou= ght as the truth, something that *had* turned out to the truth.  Why w= as it so hard for him to at least to give benefit of the doubt?  And t= here any other explanation for what he'd seen today?  The fangs and th= e face?  That definitely hadn't been some sort of mask.

Still unsure of what to do, he carefully observed Angel again, looking for = some kind of hint, clue, or something.  Suddenly, he realized there wa= s something about Angel's eyes that bothered him.  He had seen those b= efore.

Finally, he realized. //Jack.//

When he'd met Jack for the first time, Jack had been unbearably dark, short= -tempered and rigid, still reeling from the loss of his son by his own gun = by accident.  Nobody had been able to get through to Jack at that time= .  Although this Angel person seemed to be nice enough, he felt someth= ing in his eyes that Jack had before.

// Guilt. //

Daniel saw guilt in Angel.  It was the same thing he'd felt from Jack,= the very thing that had driven Jack to join the mission to Abydos, the mis= sion that had started everything.  It was the same thing that had made= him to trust Jack in the first place.

And it was also something that Daniel understood.

"The book," he said this out loud.  His mind was made.

Everyone in the room jumped, "What?!"

"Uh, the demonology book you asked me to translate, Willow.  Does= this mean all the things explained in the book are actually...?" he h= esitantly asked, not knowing what kind of answer he would get or if he real= ly wanted to know.

For a few minutes, Willow stared at him as if he had grown a third eye.&nbs= p; Then, she suddenly shouted, "The book!  Oh...wow.  Oh, ye= ah.  Yes, you're right!"

"Willow?" asked Angel, seemingly bewildered.

"I'd asked Dr. Jackson to translate a demonology book that describes s= ome common demons." Willow looked at him, glowing with excitement.&nbs= p; "Yes.  The information in the book is true as far as I know.&n= bsp; I'm not really sure about that demon with the horribly long horns in c= hapter three, but for other things, yes.  Demons, they all exist."= ;

Doyle interrupted, "Wait!  Hold on a sec!"  He turned t= o face Daniel and asked, incredulous, "You mean to say you actually be= lieve us, just like that?"

// Yeah, Daniel, do you really believe this?//  He took off his glasse= s and rubbed them with his cloth, then wore them again, feeling the four pa= ir of eyes intensely focused on him. "What you told me *really* did so= und outrageous, but," he paused for a moment. "I saw something to= day, something I can't explain.  And as incredible as it sounds, I thi= nk I trust you."

He smiled, seeing how he made others speechless, "Of course I have ton= s of questions I want to ask about this...vampire thing..."

"See?  That wasn't so hard," said Cordelia, earning glares f= rom everyone in the room.

"So, you guys are all...?" Daniel rubbed his forehead, trying to = ease the increasing intensity of the headache.

Cordelia interrupted indignantly, "As if! *No*, Of course not!  J= ust him."  Then she turned to face Angel.  "No offense,= Angel.  But, vampires?  Eck..."

Angel looked resigned when he answered, "None taken."

//Wow.// He tried to remember some passages from the Demonology book. "= ;I thought vampires are supposedly the creatures of the darkness, only taki= ng pleasure in killing and feeding on people.  You don't act like a, u= h, vampire."

Angel seemed to be at loss and Willow quickly answered.  "Actuall= y Angel is pretty much the only good vampire around.  The other vamps = are all really really bad."

Doyle commented, "When you ever meet a vamp, you bolt, fast.  Or = get a cross and holy water.  Or you can try staking the heart.  B= ut I recommend bolting personally."

//Ah-ha.// He put out the demonology book and turned to the page on vampire= s, itching to know more about them, "So, Willow, in this part..."=

Willow quickly came to his side, a bit jumpy. "Yes, that's the part.&n= bsp; Hey! You finished translating!"  Willow excitedly started ex= plaining to him the history and myths of vampires, going through the conten= t of the book.  This was simply fascinating!  He could almost for= get about the headache.

"So the myth of the vampires started from..." He started to ask m= ore questions, paying almost no attention to the others who stood unmoving,= watching him with stunned expressions.

// The myth of Egyptian Sun god Ra of is true.  Well, Ra wasn't *the* = God, per se, but long time ago people on Earth had believed that the Goa'ul= d Ra had been the God, along with other Egyptian gods, Apophis, Hathor... S= o, the myths are very much based on the truth.  And this is yet anothe= r case where the myth turned out to be real.  Oh, wow.//

He wasn't sure how long had passed when he found Cordelia standing in front= of him, asking, "You know, before you guys totally get into this 'fis= h meet water' thing and drown, can I just ask you one question?"

"Sure, go ahead."  He just kept listening to Willow, who con= tinued explaining the legends of vampires beside him.  His mind was wo= rking furiously to think back to the books and theses he'd read in the past= to make connections to this new information

"You married?"

Daniel was too engrossed with thinking of this new revelation, he didn't ev= en think about the question and just answered, "Yes."

// What? //  It took a minute for him to realize what he just had said= .  He felt extreme pain in his chest.  He just said...  &quo= t;Oh god."

//I said yes.//

His legs began to crumble.  His hands were trembling.  He thought= he heard an empty thud of a book hitting against the floor.

//I just said yes...//

He tried to lean on the table.  Why was it so hard to breathe?  <= BR>
He vaguely registered someone at his side, supporting him and asking in a w= orried voice, "Are you OK, Dr. Jackson?"

The world around him was blurry.

"I'm not married."  Was this his voice?

"Not anymore." The voice painfully choked out the words.  &q= uot;She died recently."

The world was spinning.

He came here to find a reason to live, hoping that doing the thing he enjoy= ed the most=E2=80=94sharing his knowledge=E2=80=94outside the perimeter of = the SGC could help him find a purpose, a purpose other than to find Sha're.=   For a while, he thought maybe he was getting better and might be abl= e to continue to work without thinking about her every passing second with = the painful hollowness inside his heart.  And with tonight's events, w= ith another puzzle to solve, he thought he may have lived an hour without t= hinking about her.

Wishful thinking.

When someone asked him if he was married, his automatic response was to say= yes.  All he was doing was denying what had happened.   Ins= ide, he secretly wanted to believe that Sha're was still out there somewher= e, waiting for him to find her.

Nothing else mattered.
Nothing would ever replace her.
He couldn't find the better reason to live than for Sha're.
He could never let go of her.

The world around him went black.

***

Part 9
The SGC
 

"If you can look any less excited, we're gonna have to get you a coffi= n, Carter."

//A coffin.//  Teal'c again wondered at Colonel Jack O'Neill's puzzlin= g words.  "O'Neill..."

Major Sam Carter attempted to explain this to him, "Oh, he's just sayi= ng that I don't look very...interested.  Which is not true, by the way= , sir.  I'm, uh, looking forward to this."

O'Neill was grinning.  "Yeah, right, Major.  Try saying that= again with just *a little* less enthusiasm."

Major Carter displayed visible frustration.  "Sir, you know that = I'm not really into hockey."

"Ah-ha.  That's too bad.  No way you're getting out of the b= et, not this time."

Teal'c understood Major Carter's situation.  He also did not wish to a= ccompany O'Neill to observe this activity called hockey game that O'Neill s= eemed to be fond of.  O'Neill had been insistently requested Teal'c to= observe this game on no less than forty-three separate occasions over his = last three years on Earth.  That was excluding the times he had observ= ed it on the information transit machine called TV, something that now he w= as accustomed to.  Still, as an alien to the Earth culture--or simply = to O'Neill's strange hobbies--he has failed to understand the purpose of th= is game.  However, because O'Neill had been the only one unharmed from= the previous mission, the rule strictly stated that they should follow his= order today.

Major Carter spoke in the manner that could only be described as 'grumble',= "Mine was only a scratch.  It's not a big deal."

"The rule is the rule, Carter.  You said nothing about a scratch = not being serious when Daniel got a scratch from touching the rocky thing f= rom that...rocky planet.  In fact, I distinctly remember you saying th= at 'the rule is the rule' and dragging Daniel and the rest of us to that sc= ience thingy."

"Hey, that's not fair, sir.  Daniel's scratch was much more serio= us than what I have now," the major complained.

"O'Neill is correct, Major Carter.  Daniel Jackson had not been g= ravely wounded from the mission to P5X 521.  Yet you took us to the As= trophysics Conference."  Teal'c corrected her.

She glared at him, appearing to be frustrated. "Work with me here, Tea= l'c.  Whose side are you on anyway?"

He answered, "Presently I am standing at the side of O'Neill, Major Ca= rter."

"...Oh, god almighty," she whispered.  Her expression was di= splaying an emotion he could not fathom.  However, he noticed O'Neill = was trying to suppress a grin.

Major Carter seemed to have noticed that as well and glared at O'Neill, &qu= ot;You've won, sir.  We're going to see the playoffs tonight.  I = swear though, soon, you're gonna have to make us do something other than go= ing to a hockey game.  It's...*boring*."

"What?  As opposed to going to the oh-so-interesting Science Worl= ds and the mall?  Carter, I'm hurt."

Major Carter sighed. "Teal'c, tell me why we'd agreed to do this?"= ;

"Approximately six months ago, O'Neill had suggested the idea of creat= ing the rule as the way to reduce the frequency of injuries we obtained dur= ing missions.  If I remember correctly, O'Neill had been quite forcefu= l in attaining our agreements."  The rule of the 'bet' was that t= he members who came back from the mission unharmed would be given a chance = to order the other injured team members to spend one day together doing wha= t he or she wanted to do after they recovered.

Major Carter smiled. "I meant that rhetorically, Teal'c, but thanks fo= r reminding me anyway."

O'Neill retorted, "Hey, don't you think we at least need a small compe= nsation for being glued to the infirmary chairs, get to worry about beloved= colleagues all the time?  And, what are you complaining about?  = You two almost always come out unscratched.  This is like, what, 6th t= ime for me to get to do anything *I* want."

"It's because when you or Daniel get hurt, we always get to be glued o= n the infirmary chairs for *days*.  Teal=E2=80=99c and I spent less th= an thirty minutes getting patched up in the infirmary today."

O'Neill shot an unpleasant glance at Major Carter, "So what?  The= rule works for me.  It gives me the motivation not to mess around, si= nce I *really* don't want to go shopping and nap in the science exhibitions= ," and turned his annoyed glance at Teal'c, "Or visit the lovely = museums...That reminds me, why you always insist on going to museums, Teal'= c?"

"Despite your obvious discomfort, O'Neill, one can learn a great deal = more about Earth from such places."

"Gee, you sound like Daniel already."

The truth was, Teal'c understood that the visits to the museums would satis= fy Daniel Jackson's desire to study various human cultures.  Since Dan= iel Jackson has not gotten many chances to carry out what he wished to do, = Teal'c decisions to visit the places have been out of his hopes for Daniel = Jackson's satisfaction.

Teal'c asked, "Will Robert Rothman accompany us?"

"Oh, pul-lease.  That guy doesn=E2=80=99t know H about hockey.&qu= ot;

"Daniel Jackson did not know either, yet you enjoyed his company."= ;

O'Neill abruptly stiffened, but recovered quickly, "Yeah, well.  = Archaeologists.  What do they know?  *Unfortunately*, Rothman's n= ot coming with us."

At once, Teal'c comprehended the reason behind O'Neill's wish to avoid Robe= rt Rothman. Rothman was the evidence of Daniel Jackson's absence.  He = was the reminder to O'Neill that the gentle scholar was no longer with them= .

// And the fault is mine. //

Daniel Jackson had told him he had done the right thing.  Had he? = ; When he had been forced to terminate the life of Sha're, had he also take= n the life of Daniel Jackson?  He had meditated many times but the ans= wer had not come.  He may have done the right thing, but he had killed= the hope of the very man he had vowed to protect with his life, again.&nbs= p; Since Sha're's death, his kind-hearted friend had been with them physica= lly, yet, his mind had not.  He wondered if Daniel Jackson's heart was= still with his dead wife.

Major Carter gently spoke to him, "Teal'c?"

He forced his attention back to his human friends, who he had come to consi= der as his family, "Yes, Major Carter."

She gently touched his shoulder in an effort to offer reassurance. "He= would be OK.  He has to be."

Sometimes he wondered if his friends could read minds.  The sincerity = of her voice calmed his mind.  "I do wish so."

"Oh well, that's nice." O'Neill retorted, "Can we go now?&nb= sp; 'Cuz we're very late."

He and Major Carter exchanged glances.  O'Neill behaved as if the abse= nce of Daniel Jackson was no importance to him.  However, he did not f= ool them.  Teal'c knew Daniel Jackson has been in the centre of O'Neil= l's thoughts.  O'Neill was pondering the same things that Teal'c and M= ajor Carter were.

Had they done everything to prevent Sha're's death?  Had they done eve= rything possible to assist Daniel Jackson?  Had their effort been enou= gh?  Had he done his best?

Had he?

Daniel Jackson's strangled voice haunted him, repeating the same words agai= n and again.

// "You did the right thing, Teal=E2=80=99c" //

He hoped that Daniel Jackson would find peace of mind.

Because, he knew he never would.

***
LA
 

"Jack? Sam?...Teal'c!"

When he heard the sudden scream, Angel almost dropped the glass of water he= 'd been holding.  // Dr. Jackson.  He's awake. //

He hurried into his bedroom where they'd put the unconscious Dr. Jackson.&n= bsp; He's been really worried when the doctor suddenly fell down and passed= out.  He slowly opened the door and peeked.

Dr. Jackson was already up and sitting on the bed in the dark room.  H= e was staring at the emptiness with a blank expression, muttering, "An= yone?  ...Oh, I *really* hate when this happens."

Angel cautiously stepped forward, "Dr. Jackson?"

He jumped so high, Angel thought the doctor might've reached the ceiling.&n= bsp; "Uh," He stared at him, confused, blinking owlishly behind t= he glasses.  "*Oh*!  Right, right!  Angel...right?"= ;

//Yeah, that's good ole' me.//

Thankfully, things seemed to be coming back to him.  "Oh, I'm sor= ry.  I thought I was in....some place...else."

Angel smiled, relieved that he was OK. "I'm sorry if I surprised you.&= quot;

Dr. Jackson grinned, "No, no.  I just, um, forgot where I was for= a minute there."  Then he looked around, confused. "Wait, u= h, actually, where am I?"

"You're at my place. You gave us quite a scare today."  He s= et beside the bed and carefully looked the man over, then handed him the gl= ass of water he'd brought in.

Dr. Jackson thanked him and drank the water gratefully.  After he had = put down the empty glass, Angel asked, "How's your head?  You fel= l down quite suddenly.  Did you have a concussion?  What happened= ?"

Suddenly, the doctor visibly winced, seemingly remembering something, "= ;I don't have a concussion." The answer was surprisingly quiet. "= I'm fine.  I just remembered something."

Angel noticed that his expression had suddenly darkened.  He had obser= ved Dr. Jackson and Willow passionately talking about the book, shocked tha= t the blond man believed them that easily.  He'd thought it'd take som= e time persuading him.  After all, people usually gave him one of the = three reactions when they were told about vampires=E2=80=94they laughed, fa= inted or tried to attack him out of horror.  Surprisingly, this man ha= d taken it very calmly and seemed to be very excited to learn more about it= .  He was surprised to find such child-like innocence and curiosity in= this full-grown man.  // Reminds me of Willow...//  He took an i= mmediate liking to Dr. Jackson.

However, the doctor looked so empty and anguished now as if he knew everyth= ing about the evil of the world.  Angel remembered his reaction when C= ordelia had asked him about his wife.

// ...He's thinking about his wife now. //  Even though he just met th= is person, he could feel the depth of love this man must've had for his wif= e.  For 250 years, Angel has seen things change, but some things were = always the same.  Like the sadness of those who were mourning for thei= r lost love.

Dr. Jackson must've noticed that Angel was looking at him worriedly, becaus= e he soon put some effort to look brightened up.  He asked almost apol= ogetically, "Um, where are the others?  Willow?"

"The others went home to get things.  Also some aspirin in case y= ou need it.  I usually don't have aspirin...handy."

"Oh, rrrrright," said the doctor, stiffening slightly.

// He's uncomfortable.  *Of course* he's uncomfortable.  He's jus= t realized he's alone with a vampire. //  "I'm making you uneasy.=   I'll just leave you to rest for now.  The others would be back = soon."  He stood up, ready to leave.

Dr. Jackson was noticeably startled. "What?  No, you're not."= ;

Angel had dealt with many people's initial reactions.  He knew he was = unwanted.  "It's fine.  I realize you might find being alone= with me uncomfortable."

"What?  No, it's not that.  Really," he answered, looki= ng surprised.  He continued gently, "Sorry I made you feel that w= ay."

Angel uncertainly sat down again.  He really didn't know how to take t= his man. "I know it's hard to trust me.  It's understandable.&quo= t;

"But I do trust you, Angel," said Dr. Jackson.  He looked pa= infully sincere.

He knew he was going to regret this later, but he had to ask, "Why?&qu= ot;

"Angel," Dr. Jackson answered calmly, "I won't pretend that = I understand what's going on or this new information is easy to accept.&nbs= p; I don't understand what's going on and this *is* very unsettling.  = But I do know you saved my life."  Then he added after a few minu= tes of hesiataion, "And, I know someone who used to have eyes like...y= ours."

Dr. Jackson continued after a second's pause, smiling to himself, "I k= new then I could trust him with my life and I was right."  He loo= ked right at Angel with eyes containing such a strong conviction that scare= d Angel. "And I think I know I can trust you."

A moment later Dr. Jackson added again, this time smiling broadly, "Al= so, if you have some sort of agenda behind all this, I think you could've d= one a lot better than the vampire scenario.  So that's my logic behind= all this...however illiogical it might sound."

If a truck had hit Angel squarely, the impact wouldn't have shocked him as = much as hearing the words just spoken by Dr. Jackson.  No strangers ha= d given him this kind of trust.  And this particular stranger was the = one who could end up imprisoned with him.  He had no idea what kind of= trouble Dr. Jackson was in, but one thing was for sure.  Angel wouldn= 't let anything to happen to this man.

He found that Dr. Jackson was staring him intensely.  The doctor smile= d sheepishly.  "I'm sorry.  Just that I've never seen a vamp= ire before.  Actually, I've never seen...anything...before.  Can = you tell me more about, uh, vampires?"  Certainly, it seemed that= the doctor's curiosity came back to him, frighteningly ready to bombard hi= m with questions.

Angel was relieved that Dr. Jackson was in a better mood, but now was not t= he right time for questions. "I would love to tell you anything you wa= nt to know, Dr. Jackson.  But first things first.  Since you seem= to be feeling better, can you think of anyone who would want to hurt you o= r want something from you?"

Dr. Jackson looked perplexed, as if not comprehending what he just said.
// The man has forgotten about it.  Christ. //

"Oh, damn," exclaimed Dr. Jackson, remembering.  "I tot= ally forgot that someone tried to..." He sighed and muttered only to h= imself with a somewhat annoyed voice, clearly not knowing vampires have muc= h better hearing than people do, "...on Earth. As if having price on m= y head all over the galaxy isn't enough."

But well, Angel was a vampire and he'd heard exactly what Dr. Jackson had s= aid.  //Okay, what was THAT?//

Suddenly Dr. Jackson looked up sharply.  Angel saw something in his ey= es he didn't like--realization.  "What is it?"

He quickly jumped up and spoke urgently, "I need to use the phone, rig= ht now."

Angel immediately led him to the phone and watched as Dr. Jackson pressed t= he buttons with shaky fingers, muffling in a deadly serious tone, "Sho= uld've thought of it sooner. How stupid can I be... Dammit.  Pick it u= p Jack.  Pick up."

//Okay...what the *hell* is going on?//

It sounded like he got an answering machine instead.  Straightening hi= s posture, Dr. Jackson rapidly started talking, "Jack, it's me.  = Where are you?  No, never mind. Well, today--"

A sudden crashing sound caught both of their attention.

// The entrance!  Damn!  Intruders. //

Before he had any chance to react, the door was kicked open with a loud thu= d.  He was about to strike the dark shadows moving into the room when = an unexpected paralyzing electrical jolt hit him.  His body suddenly w= eighed a ton more and he couldn't move.  Then he realized he'd hit the= floor.

Even as he slowly fell into unconsciousness, he noticed that the intruders = were the attackers from tonight, just with more friends, and more effective= weapons.  // Oh hell...//

The last thing he saw was Dr. Jackson powerlessly collapsing beside him.&nb= sp; Then, there was nothing.

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