Fallen Angels

By Kristi

Finding Out

@--Angel--@

We woke up late. Willow left a note in the kitchen saying she had gone to the Magic Box and that we should stop by when we got a chance. I made Buffy scrambled eggs and had them waiting for her when she got out of the shower.

“So are you still going to make me breakfast when we get married or are you going to turn into one of those guys that sits in his recliner drinking beer and watching sports all day long?”

I grin at her. She has the oddest perception of life. “I kind of thought, I’d keep making you breakfast since you really don’t cook. Some one has to take care of you.”

“It’s not that I don’t cook, it’s that Buffy and fire are never a good thing.”

“I can see the not cooking then.” I sit down beside her to finish my mug of blood while she eats breakfast. I’m very careful not to slurp when she’s eating. Anyone walking in the room would assume I’m drinking a cup of coffee. She has never acted like my eating in front of her bothered her but I am self conscious about it anyway.

We arrive at the Magic Box through the sewers. Everyone is already gathered there, including Faith.

“Hey B, Angel, good to see you both.” Faith hugs me. She has changed since I last saw her. She doesn’t look quite as hard or as calloused as she once did.

There is discomfort between Faith and Buffy. I expected it. I’m not sure if anyone else did or not. Buffy shakes it off and returns to business as usual.

“We went by Willy’s last night. He told us there was a new vamp gang in town. Leader has an English accent. Anyone heard anything about him?” she asks.

“Yeah, I dusted an English vamp last night. Took out two others with him.” Faith said.

“You didn’t think to question him first, ask him anything?” Buffy’s voice crept louder and higher with each word.

“Hey, I had no idea we were looking to fill a position for Interview with a Vampire.” Faith defended.

Buffy sighed and turned her back to everyone.

“That’s good though, I mean if he’s dead no one is going to try and raise Acathla, right?” Willow pointed out.

“In theory, I’d still like to find out if there is any of their gang left and keep an eye on Acathla’s burial site. I want to know everything is as safe and normal as possible before I bring Dawn back here.” Buffy says.

“Where did you catch them, Faith?” I ask. It might be a clue to where their lair is.

“Over at Sunny Rest, near the Alpert’s mausoleum.” She says.

“Ok, Buffy you and I will check that out tonight. Maybe there’s some access to a sewer or something. It could be they are hiding there.” I’m trying to smooth things over between the two slayers.

Buffy nods. “Good idea. Of course, they could have just been enjoying the beautiful scenery.”

“I don’t think so. They are here for a purpose. They are going to want to finish the purpose, especially since by now I’m sure they know they have to deal with not one slayer, but two.” I reason. “We’ve got an advantage now though. Faith killed their leader. It will take sometime to get another vamp in place that’s worthy of awakening Acathla. It’s likely going to be an old vampire too. I don’t see Acathla taking kindly to being risen by anyone less then a century old.”

“I still won’t feel safe having Dawnie back here until the entire gang is gone.” Buffy says.

“I think Dawn is safer in LA for now too. The only major things we’ve had going on were the Mohra demons. They won’t be interested in Dawn.” I say

“You killed a Mohra demon in Los Angeles?” Giles says in wonderment. “I’ve heard they are extremely rare. Highly paid and very effective assassins if I recall correctly. They have the ability to regenerate almost any wound, quite a fascinating species.”

“Yeah, not so much with the fascinating when they were highly paid to kill me and Angel.” Buffy says.

“Indeed?” Giles raises his eyebrows so high I think they are going to shoot right off his forehead.

“We killed 6 of them, with Gunn and Wes’ help.” Buffy says.

“I don’t recall how you kill them.” Giles starts looking through a book of demonology.

“Big red jewel in the middle of their head, smash it and they poof, only not dust poof like vamps, more like big red light poof.” Buffy explains, if you can call it that.

I lean over and whisper something to Buffy. She nods and smiles.

“Giles, could I speak to you about something in the back, please?” I ask

“Oh, well, of course.” He rises from the table, takes his glasses off and cleans them while walking to the store room in the shop. He turns and replaces his glasses.

“I don’t know how much Buffy has told you about what’s happening in LA. If Buffy’s Mom were still alive I’d ask her, or if her father were actually in her life, as it is, you’re the only person I feel I need to discuss this with.” I pause and push my fingers through my hair. I know I’m doing badly at this, but I’m nervous. “See, a week or so ago we ran into the Mohra demons and because of some thing that had happened earlier I wanted to go see the Oracles, to see if there was reason these demons were being sent after Buffy and I. We found the Oracles and they put me through these trials, these tests to see if I was worthy. What happened doesn’t matter, but after I completed them to their satisfaction they gave me my soul, I mean they anchored it. I can’t lose it in a moment of happiness anymore.”

I stop and take a deep breath. I have to keep myself from pacing the room. “I’m sorry; I’m not doing a very good job of this.”

Giles looks at me a bit flabbergasted by what I’ve told him. “Well, I-uh- I imagine that makes things a bit easier for you and Buffy. I’m glad, happy for the two of you. She-we owe you so much for what you’ve done for her. I-Thank you.”

“I want to marry her. In my day it was very important to get the parents blessing before a ceremony could take place. You are the closest Buffy has to a parent. I know there will be problems and we’ve got issues that most couples don’t face, like that fact that she will grow old and I won’t, or that I can’t give her children, but we’ve talked about that. She says this is what she wants. If she ever changed her mind about that and she wanted to leave me, I wouldn’t stop her. I don’t want anything for her but happiness.” I look up at him, desperate to see acceptance or approval in his eyes. “Rupert, I love her.” That is as simply as I can state it.

He blinks. He has tears in his eyes. He holds his hand out to shake mine. “Just make her happy. She may not-slayers don’t always live very long. She’s beaten the odds twice. Just make her happy.”

“I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to.” I vow. It’s a promise I’ve made in my heart more times then I can count. It’s a promise I’ve given up everything that mattered for.

*

@--Buffy--@

Willow and Wesley were really happy when Angel and I told them we were getting married. I know they both had doubts, but they were nice enough not to voice them. I felt like a normal girl telling them I was getting married. Willow got all teary and hugged me. Wesley got teary eyed to, but he tried to maintain the staunch English man exterior. Giles hugged me so tight I think I heard ribs creaking.

We’re on our way to Sunny Rest right now. It would be nice to be able to wrap this thing up tonight. Then we could bring Dawn back and have the wedding. That’s just not my luck though. Angel reaches up with his left hand opens the cemetery gate. I can see the moonlight glint off his silver claddagh ring. It’s the same one he was wearing the night he gave me mine. At least if Acathla sucks the world into hell, I know that with these rings, Angel and I are technically already married. There are just words left to say.

“After we check out the crypt I want to stop and tell Mom about everything. I know she’s not there. I mean I remember her in Heaven, but still when I talk to her there, it feels more like I’m talking to her then if I just talk to air.”

“Okay.” He lifts my hand to his lips and kisses my ring.

The inside of the Alpert mausoleum is dusty, but the dust on the floor is marked with footprints. There is a curve of dust free floor near a crypt. Angel shoves it to the side, following the path in the dust. Underneath the crypt there’s a grate. He lifts it up and quietly sits it off to the side. He climbs down the ladder first and then lifts me down into the tunnel with him. That’s one of the things I love about Angel. He knows when to treat me like a real girl, one that needs help down sewer ladders and over fences, and he knows when to treat me like the slayer. He finds a good balance between the two.

We’re in one of the electrical tunnels in Sunnydale that really has no use. Pale yellow utilitarian fixtures shine a cone of light every 20 yards or so. Angel and I stick to the shadows as much as possible. We walk along way before we finally hear something. There is a tunnel that branches off and angles down. Voices drift up from there.

“We’ve got to tell her.”

“Why? We replace Louis, complete the ritual and she never has to know.”

“Which one of us do you think she’s going to turn into a new pet if she finds out Louis got killed and we didn’t say anything?”

“Once the ritual is complete she won’t care if Louis did it or not.”

“I still say we have to tell her. Besides, now we’ve got two slayers to deal with instead of just one. She’s going to want to know Angelus’ slayer is here. It might change things.”

“Angelus’ slayer isn’t worth anything anymore. She up and disappeared a few years ago. She’s washed up.”

I clench my fists. I’d like to burst in there and show them just how washed up I am. Angel smiles and winks at me. He pulls me in closer to him.

“We’ve got to tell her. She’ll send in reinforcements and start looking for another one who is worthy.”

“Alright, you call her though and if she decides to visit herself, I’m taking a vacation until she leaves.”

We hear footsteps and we quickly duck into another tunnel. Angel nods at me and I have a pretty good idea of what he has planned. The two vamps walk past our hiding spot. Angel reaches out and grabs one. I catch the other across the jaw with a roundhouse. I follow it up with a high snap kick.

“Washed up? You know I’ve been called a lot of things in my life but I really don’t think that’s ever been one of them”

I deliver a spinning kick to his head and then a jab to the kidneys. He snarls and rushes into me. I flip him over my shoulder and step back, giving him the chance to come at me again.

“And another thing, his name is Angel and I’m his slayer, not Angelus’” I catch the vamp by his throat and shove him against the wall.

“Buffy, think you could finish up there something soon. I’d like to talk to this one before I have to knock him unconscious.”

“Sure, why didn’t you say something earlier?” I say flippantly as I shove a stake through my vamp’s heart. He turns to dust. I brush my hands off. Angel has the remaining vamp in a headlock.

“Now, you might have guessed, Buffy is kind of upset about being called washed up. She’s going to ask you some questions. I’d answer them if I were you.” He tightens his hold around the vamps neck. He can’t actually cut his air off, because he doesn’t use any, but he can make it very uncomfortable.

“Who’s behind this business with Acathla?” I demand.

“No way I’m telling you, Slayer.” The vamp hisses.

“Wrong answer.” I punch him hard in the nose. “One more time, who’s behind the Acathla business?”

“Go ahead and kill me. If I tell you, she’ll do worse.”

“See, that’s where we’ve got a misunderstanding. You think Angel and I are just going to kill you. That wasn’t really what I had in mind.” I take off the silver cross Angel gave me so long ago. I catch Angel’s eye. He forces the vamp to open his mouth. I shove the cross inside and Angel holds his mouth shut. Smoke begins to pour out from between his lips and I jerk the cross out. “I’m just getting started. I can keep this up all night. Who’s behind it?”

The vamps words are slightly slurred when he speaks. I can only imagine the burns on the inside of his mouth and I don’t want to. Every time I do something like that I feel like a little bit of my humanity gets stripped away, but it comes with the whole destiny gig.

“Drusilla”

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