Soul Wrenching



Author: Alicia  (a.k.a. Lady Angel)
Email: [email protected]
Rating: PG
Spoilers: I don't think so, but then, I don't think come to think of it...hehehe
Timeline: Season Four
Summary: Angel dies, Buffy reacts...
Disclaimer: Do I look like Joss Whedon to you???


 
Who could have predicted what would happen when the other half of your soul was ripped away from
you?

Out on patrol with her boyfriend, Riley, Buffy Summers felt a sudden pain rip through her very soul.
Her eyes widened and glowed, then she collapsed.

*~*~*

Riley was in a panic.  He and Buffy had been patrolling, and she had just collapsed.  He took out his cell
phone and called for back-up.  A truck was there within minutes, and Buffy was on a stretcher, being
taken away to the Initiative infirmary.

Then he called Giles.  He told the Watcher for he and Willow to meet him at UC Sunnydale.  He had
been able to obtain clearance for the two of them, since they were experts in the field...well, almost...

*~*~*

Giles couldn't stop pacing.  Willow just stood there, a look of panic on her face.

Riley strode up to them and gave them their temporary electronic passes.  He could tell that they
wanted to know exactly what was going on, but he indicated for them not to say anything until they
were elsewhere.

He led them to the mirror and took them into the Initiative.

*~*~*

Willow couldn't help but stare in awe.  The three of them were at the entrance to the Initiative,
standing at the top of the stairs with military personnel and demons below them.

Giles was stunned.  Never could the Slayer/Watcher network operate on that kind of scale.

Riley led the distracted couple down the stairs and to the infirmary.  They found Buffy on one of the
beds, hooked up to numerous tubes and machines, while Professor Walsh took readings.  Graham and
Forest were also in the room, standing guard.

"Amazing.  Her vitals appear to be normal, but her blood work is like nothing I've ever seen in my
career as a doctor."  The professor shook her head, then turned to the people in the doorway.  "Ah,
Agent Finn, I see that you've brought Miss Rosenberg with you...and Mr....Giles, I believe."

"Yes, Professor."

"So, what do we know about the Slayer?" she asked Giles.

"M-may I?"  he stammered, indicating the charts Maggie was holding.

She quickly handed them over.  "Of course."

Giles adjusted his glasses, then quickly scanned the documents.  "I don't really understand the technical
terms, but in every other way, every seems to indicate that Buffy is in a coma.  I believe that you'll
find that the unknown agents in her blood are the physical remnants of the magics that activate the
Slayers.  Just as each Slayer is born with a small mole, each Slayer also carries otherwise non-existent
genetic strands."

Maggie frowned in concentration.  "I don't remember seeing a mole on Buffy."

Giles looked to Willow for an answer.  Willow knew this one.  "Oh!  Buffy once told me that she had it
removed before she was called.  She thought it was really gross."

Giles rolled his eyes.  "Yes, that does sound like something she would have done."  He turned to Walsh.
"What exactly happened to Buffy?  How did she come to be like this?"

Walsh looked to Riley.  "Agent Finn was with her when she collapsed."

Riley took over while the others all listened.  Even Graham and Forest looked interested.  "Buffy and I
were patrolling, then suddenly she stopped, she sort of tensed, then she collapsed.  That's pretty much
it."

"It's not really much to go on..."  Willow said dejectedly.

Giles frowned.  "Was there any light, any tremors, like an earthquake?  Did she speak differently, or
say anything before she collapsed?"

Riley thought about it, replaying the events in his head.  "Wait...there was something.  A light.  Her
eyes...they glowed bright yellow before she collapsed.  I thought that it was just a reflection from a
car light or something.  We were near a main road."

"That sounds familiar..."  Giles stared into space, trying to place it.

Willow agreed.  "Yeah, but it wouldn't have anything to do with Buffy, or any Slayer for that matter."

"Willow, if you know something..."  Riley began.

She shook her head.  "This is something totally different.  This is something from Buffy's past that
would have nothing to do with this..."

Giles looked at her questioningly.  "What...?"  Then it dawned on him.  "Oh...yes...I see."

Maggie broke into their musings.  "It might help if you told us what it was."

Willow shook her head.  "It's not our place to tell you.  That's always been up to be, as it should be.
Unless..."  The wiccan turned to Giles.  "You don't think that anything could have happened to..."

Giles tensed.  "No, they would have called..."

Willow began chewing her lip.  "Still...Riley?  Can I please borrow your cell phone?"

Riley handed it to her.  "Who are you calling?"

Giles answered him.  "Just a friend."

Willow dialed the number.  Cordelia answered.

"Hello?"  came the sad voice.

"Cordelia?  It's Willow.  We might need your help.  Buffy's in a kind of coma.  The person she was with
said that her eyes glowed...and you know what that relates to..."

"Willow?  Oh god!  Angel...he...he...he's dead, Willow!  He sacrificed himself, to save them...*sob*
Doyle was going to, but Angel stopped him..."  More sobbing.

Willow went cold.  "Then that means...oh, goddess!  I'll talk to you later, Cordy.  Take care of yourself.
You might want to come home for a while, you might be able to help with Buffy."

Cordelia agreed.  "Doyle and I will leave as soon as we get some clothes packed.  Bye, Willow."

"Bye."  They hung up.

Willow folded the cell phone and sat it in her lap.  The group had watched as her face had grown paler
throughout the conversation.

"Willow, what did Cordelia say?"  Giles asked.

She lifted a hand to her mouth to stop a sob from escaping.  "I know why Buffy's like this, Giles.  It's
her soul.  I think that it's been ripped away from her..."

Both Riley and Maggie jumped on the comment.  "How???"

Willow barely heard them.  All she could do was say, "He's dead, Giles.  He sacrificed himself for the
greater good."

Giles paled.  "Good lord..." he murmured.

Giles rested his head in his hands as Willow stood and approached the bed where Buffy lay, silent.  She
placed her hand on her best friend's head and whispered,  "I'm so sorry, Buffy.  I'm so sorry..."

The four members of the Initiative that were in the room all frowned in confusion.  Riley was the first
to pose the question.  "Who died, Willow?"

"Angel," came Giles' muffled answer.

"How did you know to contact him?"  Maggie wondered.

It was Willow who answered.  "Angel lost his soul a couple of years ago.  When it returned, Buffy was
with him.  She said that the moment his soul was returned, his eyes glowed and something seemed to flow
into him.  He almost collapsed."

"Wait, why would he lose his soul?"

Giles sighed.  "Angel is a vampire.  Wait!  Before you say anything, you need to know the story.  When a
vampire is created, a demon takes over the dead body, leaving the soul to go elsewhere.  We don't know
where it goes, though.  Angelus was no different.  But 80 years ago, a gypsy clan restored his soul as
punishment for killing a favored daughter among them.  Since then, Angel has possessed his soul, until a
clause in the curse changed things."

Willow took over.  "I was able to return his soul to him.  He was more than our friend.  He was one of us.
He was, and always will be, Buffy's soulmate.  The true keeper of her heart and soul.  Now that he's
gone..."  she turned back to face Buffy again.  "I don't know what will happen to her."

Riley seemed to be stunned.  "I knew that there was something always holding her back, but this..."

Maggie sympathized.  "Leave it be, Riley."

Giles looked at her.  "You don't seem surprised."

"I'm not,"  she admitted.  Every turned to her in surprise.  "Running this place, you hear many things
from various demons.  Amongst them, was Angelus...or Angel...and the Slayer.  At first, when I thought
that the Slayer was a myth, I didn't believe them, but after I met her and the stories continued to be
told...well..."

"So what do we do?"  Riley asked.

Giles intervened.  "Well, everyone will be gathering at my house this evening, we'll think of something
together.  That's where we wok best..."

Willow gave a hollow laugh.  "Yeah, ever since Buffy blew up the high school, we've had to relocate."

"Buffy blew up the high school?  I knew she hated it, but..."  Riley looked disbelieving.

Giles chuckled.  "I think it had more to do with the Mayor turning into a full demon come graduation,
than with the school itself..."

"Although, seeing Snyder get eaten by Mayor Wilkins was kinda funny..."  Willow conceded with a small
laugh.

Giles had to agree.  "The man was a troll."

Maggie looked interested.  "Really?"

Willow disillusioned her.  "A metaphorical troll."

"Oh."

"We'd best get moving.  Cordelia should be here in an hour, so we'll all meet at my house then.  Willow,
you contact the others and tell them what's going on.  Professor Walsh, you and whomever you believe
may be able to aid us are welcome to come with me."

They all nodded.

*~*~*

One Hour Later

The Scooby Gang were all assembled in Giles' living room, along with Maggie Walsh, Riley, Graham and
Forest.  Willow made the introductions.  All they had to do now, was wait for Cordelia and Doyle.

Within minutes, the door was flung open and in strode Spike.  "Bloody Peaches is dead!  I tried to find
the bloody Slayer, but she's up and disappeared on me, just like me poof of a sire!"  came the drunken
comment.

The three Initiative soldiers immediately recognized him.  Willow quickly stopped them from killing
Spike.  "Stop, he's one of us!"

Spike sent her a lopsided grin.  "Why, thank you, red!  Ya know, I always liked you!"

Xander groaned.  "Shut up and sit down, Spike."

Anya enlightened Spike.  "You don't have to tell us about Angel, we already know, and Buffy is in a
coma because of it."  Then she murmured,  "It's not like I have to be here, I barely knew him."

"Hey, that's my bleedin' sire you're talking about!"

"What's he doing here???"  came the feminine screech from the doorway. 

Everyone turned around.  "Cordelia, do come in. and bring your friend with you."  Giles instructed.  "Do
sit down."

Spike pointed at her with the bottle of whiskey in his hand.  "I'm here probably for the same reason
you're here...Angelus is dead!"

Cordelia paled at his words.  Doyle immediately hugged her.  "It's okay, princess..."

"You're Doyle?"  Xander asked incredulously.

"Aye."

The couple took their seats.  Cordelia gave them all a watery smile.  "Any ideas on how to get my boss
back guys?"

Everyone shook there heads.  "There's no known way to resurrect a vampire, Cordelia."  Giles responded.

She sighed.  "We were there when it happened, you know.  Buffy would have kicked his ass for doing it,
though.  She hated each and every time that he put himself in any danger."

Willow, Giles and Xander all nodded.

Cordelia turned to Maggie and the other Initiative members.  "I guess they told you about him?"  They
nodded.  "Do you have any ideas about what to do?"

Graham, Riley and Forest all looked to Maggie, who paused, then shook her head.  "From a medical
viewpoint, it's a matter of wait and see, but knowing what we know...well, it's hard to say.  My guess is
that the only way to get her back is to do it magically."

Doyle groaned, as spasms wracked his body.  Cordelia dove for the whiskey Spike had.  "Get some
aspirin, quickly!"

"The Orb...you need the orb and the curse!"  He managed to spit out.  He grabbed the bottle from
Cordelia, then took a healthy swig.

Willow jumped out of her seat.  "Of course!"  Everyone just looked at her.  She explained.  "Okay, how
do we get Buffy back?"  They looked at her blankly.  "We bring back Angel's soul."  She looked at
them expectantly.

Giles partially understood.  "Yes, the curse.  But we have no body to transport it to."

Willow shook her head.  "You don't need one.  What holds a soul until it can be transferred to the
body?"  she encouraged.

"The Orb Of Thessulah..."  Xander whispered in amazement.  

Riley frowned.  "But how will that bring back Buffy?"

Anya rolled her eyes at him.  "When Buffy holds Angel's soul again, she'll be drawn to it.  Duh!"

Riley glared at her.

"I'm guessing that Buffy's soul is where ever Angel's is right now,"  Maggie stated.

Cordelia caught on.  "And when Angel's soul comes back here, Buffy will follow!  That's it!  Doyle,
you're brilliant!"  she kissed him. 

"Uh, princess, I just had the vision..."  Doyle denied.

"Whatever."

Forest interrupted them.  "But what happens to Angel's soul?  It can't stay in this orb thing forever...
can it?"

Graham added in something else.  "When Buffy dies, wouldn't she seek him out or something.  She's just
end up in the orb with him."

Doyle shook his head.  "Not from what I saw.  All Buffy had to do was wake up, then she did something
else.  She knew what to do with the orb."

Riley sighed.  "I guess it's over between me and Buffy, huh?"

They all just looked at him.

Xander burst their metaphorical bubble.  "Uh, guys, how are you going to change the wording of the
curse enough to leave his soul in the orb?"

Willow bit her lip, and Giles groaned at his own forgetfulness.  Cordelia suggested,  "Why can't you use
that translation thingy that Ms. Calendar had on that disk?"

Giles was the one who answered her.  "The Romanian language is very complex, Cordelia.  To succeed, we
would need to use the correct words and phrasing."

Anya looked up.  "Did you say Romanian?  What clan?"

Giles turned to her.  "Kalderash, I believe."

Anya shrugged.  "I speak that."

Xander turned to his girlfriend.  "You do?"

She nodded.

"I'll go to my house and get the disk and the orb.  We'll have to do this in the Initiative."  Maggie
nodded her ascent.

Willow turned to Anya.  "Will we need any different ingredients for this spell as opposed to the curse
itself."

Anya thought about it.  "I don't think so."

"Good, I'll meet you guys at the Initiative."  Then she left.

"Wait for me, little witch!"  Spike called after her.

"Is she really a witch?"  Riley asked the group.

"That's our little Willow."  Cordelia answered.  "She was the one that recursed Angel in the first
place, while she was still in hospital and barely out of her coma, too!"

Maggie Walsh was amazed.

"We all have tales to tell," Xander told her confidently.

"Well, except you, Xander."  Anya pointed out.

He glared at her.  "Gee, thanks honey.

"Your welcome."

"We'd best get a move on,"  Giles told the group.

*~*~*

It hadn't taken long for Maggie to obtain passes for the group, and soon enough, everyone, including
Willow, was gathered in Buffy's room.  Willow and Anya were sitting in front of a computer, trying to
create a workable spell.

Cordelia and Doyle started to set up the orb and candles and other things.  Cordy held the orb in her
hand gently, then placed it in Buffy's hands.  Then she kissed the Slayer's forehead.  "He loved you so
much, Buffy, never forget that..."

Doyle contemplated his princess throughout the entire thing.  She had changed so much.  The rest of the
gang had noticed the difference as well.

"We've got it!" came Willow's triumphant cry.

Everyone turned to her.  Willow and Anya approached the bed.  They had agreed that they would do the
chant together, hoping to make it more powerful and binding.

Cordelia picked up the stick of incense when everyone but Willow and Anya stepped back.  "Stinky
herbs are a go...whoa, major deja vu."

As before, the words began in English, but soon, the girls had been taken over by an invisible force,
their words changing to that of the Gypsy people.

The group watched in fascination as the orb that Cordelia had placed in Buffy's hands began to glow,
but instead of disappearing as the other had, it stayed clasped in the Slayer's grasp.

Within seconds, Buffy's eyes flew open.  She looked around her, then immediately down to the orb.  She
lifted it nearer her face.  She sat up, not speaking a word.  Everyone held their breath, save for Spike,
while she grasped the orb in both hands, bringing it up to her mouth, then kissing it.

As she spoke Angel's name, the orb began to glow again, this time, it turned into a mist that seemed to
flow from the disappearing orb, into Buffy's mouth.

Willow ran to Buffy's side when she collapsed again.  The orb disappeared.

Riley panicked.  "What happened?  She's supposed to be okay!"

Maggie Walsh took a look at the machines that Buffy was still hooked up to.  "She's fine, she's just
sleeping."

Cordelia turned to Willow.  "It worked, didn't it?  I mean, the orb did that cool glow thing again, just
like last time."

Willow looked to Anya, then nodded.  "I think so."

It was Doyle who enlightened them.  "He's with her.  Like I said, she knew what to do.  Our man Angel
is with her heart and soul.  His soul is inside her, and will be until the day she dies."

"Then the both of them will be released,"  Giles concluded.

Doyle nodded.

Buffy began to stir.

Walsh checked the machines as everyone began to crowd around her.  Only Anya, Graham and Forest
hung back.

Buffy smiled dreamily, the sighed.  "Angel..."

The group smiled.  Buffy was back.  Riley wasn't all that happy about his pending breakup, though.  Oh
well...

Buffy turned to each of them.  "He's with me, I can feel him."  She gasped suddenly.  The others grew
concerned.  "I remember!"  Doyle and Cordelia each sucked in a breath.  They knew what she was
referring to.

"Ya  weren't supposed to, lass."  Doyle told her.  "And I'm sorry about Angel."

Buffy smiled at him.  "Don't blame yourself Doyle.  You weren't meant to die for them, Angel was.  The
Scourge will be back, and this time, it will be me that dies."

"Buffy, no!"  came the shout from various sources.

Spike, still partially drunk, hugged her close.  "Ya can't leave me too, Slayer, you're all I have left of
me bleedin' sire!"

Buffy just looked at him, confused and wigged out by her lover's childe.  "Umm...Spike...get off me!"

The blond vampire did so, reluctantly.

"How did you know about the Scourge, Buffy?"  Cordelia wanted to know.

"She can hear 'im, I'm bettin'."  Doyle answered for her.

Buffy nodded.  "This will be the last time, but the Scourge will come again for the End Of Days.  It will
be a long and hard battle, but in the end, we will win, at the cost of my life.

"It won't be like when the Master killed me and I came back.  I'll stay dead this time.  Angel and I will
move on and the world will be better for it.  The Slayer line that continues from this death will become
stronger and more resourceful than ever before.  My life and experiences will be sewn into them.

"Faith will be there.  She'll fight with me, and when I'm gone, she will help train the new line.  Then
Angel and I will move on to where ever it is the souls of warriors go to until the time when we are
needed again, and thus, reborn."

Cordelia was the first to respond.  "Well, gotta say one thing for ya, Buffy, you sure know how to rock
a person's world!"

Buffy grinned at her friend.  "Thanks, Cordy.  For everything, not to mention looking after him."  Buffy
laughed at something.  "Angel wants you to say goodbye to Dennis for him.  But the way he explains it,
I'm thinking that he should probably do it himself!"

Doyle and Cordelia joined in the laughter, being the only ones who understood.

Buffy turned to Willow and Anya.  "Thank you for doing this."  They nodded.

Buffy turned to Xander and Giles.  "You guys have been great to me over the years, I don't want you to
feel bad about what will happen, just know that it's for the best."

Next was Riley.  "Well, I guess we know where we stand now, huh?"  The soldier nodded sadly.

She looked over to where Graham and Forest stood, looking uncomfortable.  "You guys never really liked
me, but then, the feeling was mutual.  I guess we all realize that we're not as bad as we think..."  she
laughed.

Buffy turned to her Psychology teacher.  "Professor Walsh, thanks for helping them out.  I saw visions
of what the Initiative could have been like under other circumstances, and I have to say that this reality
is much friendlier!"

Maggie Walsh gave Buffy one of her rare smiles.

Buffy couldn't help but take another look at each and every person...and demon, that was in the room
with her.  "Well, I guess it's time for me to start preparing for the battle of my life...or death."

The End

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws