Time After Time

Part Eleven

"You know, that was pretty easy, for a big, bad demon..." Buffy observed.

Angel shrugged. "I've killed their kind before. They're stupid and easily distracted. I though that kick to the back of the head was a nice touch..." he chuckled.

Buffy grinned. "What can I say? It's a part of my soul..."

The couple were making their way back to the hotel, when Angel became distracted by a woman standing by a car a few feet ahead of them. Buffy looked back and forth between them, knowing that there was history there. She thought that she recognized the woman from somewhere, but couldn't quite place her...

"Kate, hello." Buffy frowned at the strained tone in her lover's voice.

"Angel." The greeting was met with an equally strained reply. "I see you've got a new client..." she gazed down at the sword in Buffy's hand. "Or is that: recruit?"

Buffy decided that the woman just rubbed her the wrong way. The attitude was enough to remind her about who she was dealing with. "Since I can kick his ass from here to New York, I'm sure that I've passed the 'recruit' stage. He may deal with demons, but I'm the official Slayer in these parts. Not to mention any other parts that you can come up with." Kate glared at her. Buffy glared back. "You know, you humans just don't appreciate the talent of your savior. That just pisses me off..." Buffy muttered.

"You know, you really shouldn't work with him, he'll just get you killed," Kate told her.

For the first time in two decades, Angel completely lost it. "Kate, it's been twenty years! You'd think that it would get through that thick, blond...sorry, Buffy...head of yours, that I didn't kill your father!!! Now, would you just get over yourself, and go away!"

Buffy started clapping, her lips curving into a wide grin. He grin slowly faded when she noticed a pale, blue flash of light coming from an alley across the street. She watched as her father strode out of the alley. "Oh-oh..."

"What? Another demon?" Kate sneered, as she turned around. She saw what appeared to be a human. "One of your friends, Angel? A vampire, maybe?"

"No, you moron," Buffy held back her irritation with the blond. She was so glad that she was a brunette, now... "He's my Dad..."

Buffy noticed her father's look of concern as he approached. She decided to ignore Kate and get down to business. "What's the matter...?"

"Phoebe, Penny and Cordy. The visions just keep on coming. They started about an hour ago, but from what I can tell, the scourge is back and they're being led by a certain 'slayer-killing' demon..." he explained, also ignoring Kate.

Buffy, Angel and Leo all froze at the sound of marching...Kate frowned and looked around. "What was that...?"

Leo gathered the three of them up and told them to hold onto each other. Kate was reluctant to do so, but Buffy gave her a choice. "You either stay with us and do as my Dad says, or you can stay here and get killed by the mob of demons around the corner that wants everyone's ass in a casket..."

Kate pursed her lips, but held on to the group, none the less.

Leo orbed the four of them back to the hotel...

*~*~*

When the group appeared in the middle of the hotel lobby, the few members of the Scooby Gang who were gathered there, jumped in shock. Even after all had been explained to them, they were still stunned by the evidence of such power.

Buffy quickly took charge of the situation. "Okay, I want everyone down here in five minutes...we have some planning to do..." The Slayer headed for the lounge area, not waiting for anyone to argue with her.

Giles looked to Angel. The vampire nodded. "Do what she says. Get everyone else down here. Knock on every door in sight if you have to." He followed Buffy out of the room.

Leo headed up the stairs. "I'll get Piper and the others," he volunteered.

*~*~*

Five minutes later, there was almost thirty beings packed into the lounge area of the hotel. Cordy had called her three kids and they had quickly made their way to the hotel. They were fast, because they only lived a few minutes from the building.

Buffy sat down and looked around her. She took in the many faces, some new, some not. "Okay, for all of you who don't know me, or are confused, my name is Elizabeth Wyatt, current Slayer and second generation Charmed One, and umpteenth...at least thirteenth...generation witch."

She paused as she took in the surprise of her friends and their children. "I'm also the-" she turned to Giles. "How do you put it? Reincarnation?" she shrugged. "The reincarnated soul of Buffy Anne Summers...once and always lover of Angel, and Slayer extraordinaire."

Buffy glared at Joyce when she glared at the vampire in question. That was the one thing about her mother that Buffy had never been able to tolerate. "Anyway, we have a problem. As I'm sure that you all know, the 'sequel' to the End Of Days is fast approaching...it's in two days, as a matter of fact, and we'd really appreciate any help you can give us..."

Willow was the first to speak up. "Buffy...I mean Elizabeth...I mean-"

Buffy cut her off. "It's okay, Will. I'm still me, with all the thoughts and feelings of this life, and the last with you guys. The only thing that's changed is that I look different...and I'm a bit more powerful."

"A bit?" Prue chuckled to her sister, Phoebe.

"You can still call me Buffy, and it's the name I go by, anyway."

Willow smiled. "Buffy, we've taught everyone as much as we can about everything we know. We're all willing to help, and that's why we're here. We found out about you and the coming battle from a prophesy. We'll follow you, just like always."

Buffy smiled, tears gathering in her dark eyes. "You guys have to know that you could get killed this time. The demon that's leading them was the one that took me out of the game for nearly twenty years..."

Anya shrugged it off. "We do this often. It's not like we couldn't get killed any other time. Hey, I might even run into a few old friends..." she grinned.

Buffy looked around her once more. "Any witches in the group?" She grinned as five hands were raised. "Good, you can go with my family and learn a few more things." She turned to her cousins and her sister. "Andy, Penny, Mel, that goes for you three, too."

"Aww...Buffy..." Penny groaned. "I have this killer headache from all of those premonitions..."

Buffy just stared at her cousin until she gave in. Andy, on the other hand, was delighted. "Yay!" The Slayer groaned as the twelve year old threw up his hands again, accidentally letting a ball of fire escape from his open hands. Obviously, joy and excitement triggered his power.

She froze the fireball that was headed for the chandelier on the ceiling. Leo shook his head at his nephew, smiling at the child's enthusiasm for the craft and made a fist with his hand, holding it up in the air. The group watched as the ball disappeared into nothing.

Buffy noticed that most of her friends and their families were having the same reaction as Cordy, Wesley and Angel had done. They were frozen, their mouths gaping open at the power revealed to them.

She sighed. "I guess I have a bit more explaining to do..."

Part Twelve

"Okay, so do you all understand now?" Buffy asked. Buffy smiled at the nods and other various acknowledgements. It felt good to be back among her friends, even if they were twice her age.

"Buffy, I don't know about this...I don't think you should be doing this. They couldn't give you some kind of reprieve or something? After all, this demon killed you last time." Typically, it was Joyce who had to interfere in something she knew absolutely nothing about...

"Now I remember why I love my new folks so much..." Buffy muttered to herself. Then she realized that almost everyone had heard. She bit her lip at the looks she was getting from Joyce, Leo and Piper.

"Buffy..." Leo warned, albeit sympathetically. He knew what her other life had been like with Joyce Summers as a parent, but to him, that was no excuse for her to let Joyce know it.

Her former mother stiffened. "Well, it seems that you're as ungrateful as ever, Buffy Anne Summers!"

Buffy shook her head with an annoyed laugh. "It's not that I never loved or appreciated you, but even after all these years, you still don't get it! I'm the Slayer, and I'm Elizabeth Prudence Wyatt! Not Buffy Anne Summers. I'm not your daughter anymore, and even if I did get killed, at least I know that I tried. The Slayers and others like us are the only defense you people have against the forces of darkness. I once told you that I'd rather be doing anything else but Slaying, but I know that it's no longer true. Slaying is a part of me, and you couldn't accept that! It's no longer your business to accept it, because I'm no longer your daughter!"

With that dealt with, Buffy ignored Joyce for the next few minutes. "Now, all witches, gather in the main lobby for a little chat about what's going on. Angel..." she turned to her lover. "I want you to take Giles, Spike and the others to one of the other rooms. I'll alternate between the two until everything's sorted out, okay?"

Angel nodded.

Buffy finally relaxed into a smile. "Good. Now, off we all go." She stood to make sure everyone got off all right. Kate was the only leftover part of the equation.

The senior detective stood and asked for someone's attention. "Is it safe for me to go home now without getting killed, because I'd rather be anywhere else but with you lot."

Piper stomped up to Kate and stood in her face. "I don't know who the Hell you think you are, but my family is about to help save your ungrateful ass, again, so I'd appreciate it if you'd either shut up and sit down, or give us something useful to work with and maybe actually lend a hand." Piper's lips were pursed in annoyance. "Now, make your choice, or march your cop-ass out of here and maybe get killed..."

"Go, Piper!" Phoebe and Prue stood and applauded their sister's speech.

Kate clenched her fist. The look went nicely with her clenched jaw. "Fine. But if even one of you steps out of line, you're busted."

Leo considered her for a minute. "You don't realize what's at stake here. You may not like some of us, but if we fail and the End Of Days is a success, then this world will forever be changed, and the demon dimension will come to this dimension, making it their playground. You may not like Angel because of his counterpart, Angelus, but I suggest you see our - Buffy's - side of it before you make any judgements that could effect the way this world lives."

Kate looked at Buffy. She had no idea what the girl could say that would change her mind. Angel was a killer, and that's all there was to it.

Buffy shook her head at Kate's closed expression. She'd say her piece, not that it would do any good. "I know Angel, but I also know Angelus. You may blame Angel for your father's death, but I know that he wasn't responsible. You see, I lived through six months of Angelus. You know, the bad side. When you compare him to Angel, you'll wonder how you could ever have thought it of him."

Buffy bit her lip, wondering if they had enough time. She made her decision. "I'll take you back, to a time when Angelus was a part of society, and you'll see the difference."

Her Aunt Prue made to argue. Buffy cut her off, not wanting to argue with her. She turned to her father. "I have a feeling that we're going to need her, Dad, and she'll need to trust him if we're all to survive."

Leo nodded. "But make it so that you'll just be observing, you won't be active participants, not like the Charmed Ones previous trips..." he shot an amused look at his wife and sisters-in-law.

Phoebe sent him a mock warning glare. "Hey! We got out of it and we got back home unscathed."

Piper looked disbelievingly at her younger sister. "Phoebe, one time, you were burnt at the stake! The only way back was for you to die."

"Okay, but that was an exception!"

"Aunt Phoebe, can you help me with the spell, I want to get this spot-on. We can't afford to lose any time, and return in, like, five hours, instead of within two minutes of us leaving. It'll just be Kate and I."

Phoebe nodded and went upstairs to grab her things. "Meanwhile, I want everyone to get started," Buffy instructed. "Angel, you know what to do..."

The vampire nodded. "Your father and I have talked about it. He'll be aiding me. Even though the other kids aren't witches, they can still do a few things, like Willow was when she first started out. That's where your Dad comes in."

She agreed. "That's good." Phoebe came jogging down the stairs with her supplies. She and Buffy began working on a spell to send her and Kate to the past...

*~*~*

"Now, grab on to my hand until we're sure we're where we want to be," Buffy told Kate as she memorized the spell. She was taking a small bag with her, containing the supplies needed to bring them back when they were done.

As Buffy began reciting the spell, Kate grabbed on tight. Leo chuckled as light surrounded them. "Don't forget to say 'hi' when you meet your guide, Buffy!"

"What?" Buffy's question fell on deaf ears as she and Kate disappeared into the backward stream of time.

Part Thirteen

The two females looked around them. Buffy smiled sadly. Yes, this is Sunnydale...

The Slayer turned to Kate. "Looks like we're right where we should be. But we'd better check what year it is, so I know where to take you."

Buffy guided Kate into town. Kate pointed out a newspaper laying on the footpath. Buffy took one look at the date and nearly cringed. It was a couple of weeks before her seventeenth birthday, and if Buffy remembered correctly, Kendra was still around. "Oh boy...looks like we're in for a treat...come on."

Kate followed. "Where are we going?"

Buffy chuckled. "To church."

*~*~*

Buffy and Kate easily made it to the church in question. As they stepped inside, Buffy felt the need to remind the other woman of something. "Okay, now, don't forget that we can't do anything about what's happening, and they can't see us."

The cop nodded.

They passed through the open doors of the church, to see two groups fighting. Kate's gaze ran over a few of the beings. She could see younger versions of the people that she had met earlier, fighting various creatures that were hideous, not only in looks, but in deeds.

Another police officer...who was trying to kill a dark girl with knives, whose mistake was to cut her shirt, causing the girl's anger to kick the cop's ass with ease. A man whose appearance seriously disturbed Kate, when his body formed into that of thousands of worms...he was being fought off by a young couple, who were as disgusted at the sight as she.

But what captured Kate's attention was Angel. He was laid out next to the alter, as the vampire she knew as Spike, picked up a dark-haired girl and started to carry her out of the church. She vaguely recognized the girl who sat by Angel's side, trying to get him up, making sure that he was alright...

Buffy sighed at the sight before her. "See the blond by Angel?"

Kate nodded. "Yeah, I met her about twenty years ago, I think."

Buffy nodded. "You did. That's the love of Angel's life. In two weeks, she and Angel will consummate that love, bringing Angelus forth upon this world, thanks to a hand-crafted gypsy curse," she muttered bitterly.

Kate frowned, not understanding the connection. Buffy explained. "Angel, when the gypsy's cursed him with his soul, they made an escape clause, not telling anyone about it. It was for when he experienced a moment of true happiness, so he would lose his soul. Not a very smart bunch, the Kalderash."

They watched as the blond and the dark girl helped Angel out of the church.

"And you'll soon see why..." came a familiar voice from behind them.

They turned to see Leo standing there. "Daddy! You came!" she frowned. "Wait, what are you doing here?"

Leo smiled. "So, you're my future daughter, huh? I didn't know that. I was just sent here to guide you through until it was time for you to return home. So, we're close?"

Buffy grinned. "The closest. Now I know why Dad said to say 'hi' to my guide..."

Leo chuckled. "Anyway, it's time for you two to move on. So, next stop, one week from now."

The scene changed, and Buffy recognized the cemetery. "What are we doing here?"

Leo pointed to a nearby tree. Buffy saw two vampires sitting in it. She vaguely recognized them. "The Gorches?"

He nodded, then pointed to their right. Buffy sucked in a breath. "Angel and his girlfriend," she pointed out to Kate. "Just listen." The trio stepped close enough to hear their conversation.

"You don't think about the future? A year from now? Five years from now?" Angel asked.

"Angel, when I look into the future, all I see is you. All I want is you," she answered.

Kate watched as they kissed. "He doesn't deserve happiness."

Buffy sighed. "He, most of all, deserves happiness..."

Leo looked at the couple, thinking that there was something familiar about the girl... "Okay, we're gonna move on..."

The scene shifted again. This time, Buffy recognized the Sunnydale High Library. She was asleep in Giles' office. A portal appeared next to the sleeping Slayer, showing the group what was going on in her dreams.

"Prophetic dreams. Drusilla, Angel's childe, killing him." They all watched as the girl cried out as the nightmare became too much for her. Angel rushing to her side and holding her tenderly as she nearly cried.

Then the couple rushing off to the factory. The three of them followed, still watching as the Judge came after them, then their escape into the sewers, and finally, the final confrontation that led to the rebirth of Angelus...

"I think we can skip this," Buffy said stiffly.

Leo nodded. The scene changed from Angel telling the girl that he loved her, to them asleep, gently curled up together in the small bed, obviously naked.

Angel jerked awaking, seemingly gasping for breath. He donned his clothing and hurried outside, hoping to get as far away from the girl as possible...stumbling repeatedly, until the curse fully kicked in, his heart breaking for the girl he had introduced into womanhood mere hours ago, wishing that he could warn her, but already feeling his soul being ripped from his body.

He fell to the ground, screaming her name like a plea, or a warning. "Buffy!"

Kate turned to the brunette beside her, in shock. "You?"

She nodded sadly. "Me..."

Part Fourteen

"You see, Kate. That was me, about twenty-two, maybe twenty-three, years ago. I was Buffy Anne Summers and as always, I was the current Slayer. In love with a vampire and thoroughly enjoying the experience, until the morning after this scene."

They watched as Buffy looked for Angel frantically, then Angelus' stunning reintroduction back to the dark side, joining Spike and Dru. "I thought that the blond guy was one of the good guys?" Kate questioned.

Buffy chuckled. "Not for a few years, yet. Circumstances do that to him, even though he doesn't have a soul, he's unable to physically harm a living human."

She went back to watching things play out around them. Buffy nearly cringed and turned to her soon-to-be father. "Can we skip the whole Buffy-gets-humiliatingly-dumped-by-Angelus bit. Please??? I really hate that part."

Leo nodded grimly. He had taken a quick preview of events before he had taken the job, not that he'd had any say in the matter... It hadn't been pretty.

Leo looked at Kate. "Prepare yourself. This is the hard part. Now you get to meet the really Angelus."

"And by the time you've taken him in, you'll realize that Angel is nothing like him. I know that you know that he wasn't responsible for your father's death. Vampires can't come inside unless they're invited, or the owner dies. And that's the only reason Angel could get into his apartment before you arrived, your father was already dead."

Kate stubbornly clenched her jaw. After twenty years, it was hard to picture her feeling any different.

They were back at the school, watching as Angelus came towards the girl, Willow, then another voice. Jenny...

Buffy pointed the Jenny. "Watch her. She's a gypsy, one of the clan who originally cursed Angelus. We didn't know that, and everyone paid for it. If she had told us about the curse in the beginning, had she known herself, or even when she found out, the world would have been a much safer place for the next six or so months."

They continued watching as Buffy confronted Angelus, then the Scooby Gang meeting, on 'how did Angelus come back?'. Following that, was various scene changes, all on the next few months and Angelus' reign of terror. All the people that he killed and tortured, all that times he obsessed over Buffy.

And finally, the big finish. Angelus trying to destroy the world, trying to suck it and Buffy into Hell. What truly amazed Kate, was that after all that he'd done, when he regained his soul, she welcomed him back, well, sort of. "How could you just accept everything that he'd done?" Kate murmured to Buffy.

"Because it wasn't him. Angel has never tried to kill me or my friends, not in cold blood. And I've come to learn that even though it was his body, it wasn't his soul. His soul is the real him. He's everything you could hope for in a guy when he has his soul. It's the demon you have to worry about. Take a look..."

The scene changed once again. This time, they were on the top of a lookout point, high above the streets of Sunnydale. Angel stood at the top, just looking down over the quiet town. Buffy came running up to him, screaming his name.

Buffy nearly cried as she watched her life in replay. Slowly, she realized just how much she'd been through in her years as the Slayer. She'd never really thought about it before...

Kate couldn't picture Angel like this. He was very nearly crying as he told Buffy that it wasn't the demon in him that needed killing, it was the man. Every word he spoke, was directed at her, telling her that he loved her, and he wanted to keep her safe from his dark side. Kate could tell. But she still couldn't reconcile this tortured being, with the decisive and to-the-point Angel that she had constantly come across for the past twenty years.

"This is my favorite part..." Buffy smiled as she watched herself and Angel turn around in astonishment, mere minutes before sunrise. It was snowing...

"What's so strange about snow?" Kate asked.

Buffy grinned. "We're still in California. When was the last time it snowed here? And at this very time of day when Angel would have been unable to stop himself being ashes within seconds, even if he had changed his mind and had listened to me. Someone up there didn't want him gone. They knew how much the world and I needed him..."

"Then why weren't you with him for the last, oh, I don't know...twenty years or so?" Kate asked sarcastically.

"Oh, it's hard to stay with the one you love when you're dead," Buffy stated matter-of-factly. "I'm not just in another body because I like it better... I was immediately reincarnated, at me request, because of the coming battle. I'm the strongest Slayer on record and each incarnation only makes me stronger. They needed me, and I didn't want to leave them alone just to die when the battle came."

"I still don't really trust Angel. You and he are together again, or so it seems, and that means that there's a chance of his other side taking over. You've wasted your time bringing me here," Kate told her honestly.

Leo interrupted. "From what I've been told, there's no longer a chance that Angelus will resurface, but there is one other place I'd like you both to visit. Buffy knows of this, but has never experienced it, and maybe you both should. I'll take you back, further than the both of you know, to a time when Angel wanted, on some level, to be Angelus again..."

*~*~*

"Where are we?" Buffy asked as she looked at her surroundings. "When are we?"

"We're in Asia," Leo told her. "Around the turn of the century. Buffy, you may remember asking Spike to tell you about the Slayers he'd killed. Well, this is where he killed the first one, back when Angel rejoined his 'family', as a way of regaining himself."

The three of them watched Angel, in his pathetic state, search and find Darla, begging for a chance to prove himself, needing to return to his home, with them. They looked on as Angel continued to feed from those already dead, and small animals, even when he needed to feed from the living.

Even back then, he was unable to get past his soul and do as Darla wanted. He couldn't be Angelus...

"I remember..." Buffy murmured. "But Spike never went into too much detail about Angelus. Not this side of him, anyway."

Even Kate was touched by the scene she had witnessed, not as much as Buffy, granted, but still, there was a difference between the soul and the demon, and she couldn't really see the Angel she knew doing these things. Her whole basis for hating him, was that he introduced her to the world of darkness, and it had been that darkness that had killed her father...

Part Fifteen

They soon found themselves back in their own time, at the hotel, everyone still where they left them, waiting for them to return, but still taking time to plan a battle strategy.

Buffy didn't expect Kate to wander up to Angel and say 'No hard feelings', and she didn't get it. There was too much negative emotion between the two that had existed for far too long for anything to just be said and then forgiven.

Neither party spoke to the other, but there was an understanding in their eyes that would hopefully blossom into some sort of bond, tenuous at best, most likely.

Buffy spotted her father. "Dad! Why didn't you tell me?"

He grinned. "Hey, you were going to find out anyway. It was strange. My bosses made me forget the experience until a few years after you started training. I don't know why."

"Well, you showed me things about Angle that I'd never really thought about, and it just makes me love him more..." she told her father, the tone in her voice soft, but sympathetic.

"And what exactly did you see...?" her lover asked, coming up from behind.

"You...Angelus, back when he was terrorizing Sunnydale, but also a little peak into your past as Angel, the vampire with a soul that needed to find his niche."

Angel held her close. He never wanted to relive those days when he wandered aimlessly. He had found his niche. In fact, he had carved it himself, making sure that there was enough room for Buffy to fit in there nicely with him...

He pressed a light kiss to her temple, then pulled back, turning to Kate. "Now, we have a lot of work to do. Are you going to stay and help, or are you going to go and do whatever the Hell it is you do?"

Kate clenched her jaw in reaction to his tone. "I'll stay."

Angel nodded. Buffy smiled. "You can go with Angel and help with strategy. I have to go and talk with the others for a while." Buffy gently squeezed Angel's arm in support, then quickly left the room in search of the group of witches.

"Come on," Angel instructed Kate and Leo as he moved toward the group of people in the lounge area.

*~*~*

Buffy shook her head. "No, he's mine. He managed to kill me last time, but this time around, I'm going to kick his demonic ass all the way back to Hell, or die trying."

Piper glared at her daughter. "You aren't going to die this time, Buffy. You'll have us to back you up, or at the very least, your father."

"You guys will all be busy fighting your own battles. We're going to need all of you to hold this spell together, so that it's more powerful. We've had word that the Scourge has developed another kind of human-blooded eradicator, so all being with a drop of blood that's human, will perish. And this one is even more horrible than the last. We can't chance this spell failing at a crucial point."

Prue nodded in agreement. "We'll take care of it. But we're not going to need everyone, Buffy. The Power Of Three can get us through this, leaving everyone else to fight. If need be, we can cast a temporary knowledge spell. You're Aunt Phoebe cast one before you were born. She read a book on martial arts, and she was able to become a black-belt by the time she'd finished the book."

Xander's daughter, Zoë, grinned. "I've always wanted to learn martial arts, but Dad would never let me."

Anya snorted. "That's because he didn't want you to be able to kick his cute ass every chance you got." Anya, although not a witch, had joined the group, her knowledge in certain magicks was a useable thing.

"Oh!" Phoebe gasped as something occurred to her. "That spell only lasted twenty-four hours, so if we're going to cast it, we're going to have to do it as close to the battle time as possible.

Buffy thought about it for a second. She nodded. "I can work that. How many of you know how to use weapons, like daggers and crossbows?"

Luck was on Buffy's side, because almost all of her friends said that they could, including her family. She had insisted that they learn, just in case, despite their powers.

"Okay, good, then we can work a rotation. Half of the group can cast the knowledge spell, and the other half can fight from a distance with the crossbows. As the spell wears off, the other group can cast the spell on themselves, and the others take over the crossbows," Buffy instructed.

"We'll need to keep track of the time, so that the spell doesn't wear off while they're still fighting, and are without a chance to get back to us," Willow advised.

"We should also cast the spells separately," Tara suggested. "At least a couple of minutes between each person so that it's not one great big mob, kind of thing."

Everyone was agreed. Prue, Piper and Phoebe would take care of the magical shields, while the others fought, Buffy being in the lead, going after the demon's leader, the very demon that had killed her so long ago...

*~*~*

"So, we're agreed then?" Angel asked.

Everyone nodded.

"Okay, since we're going to be working in pair, we'll have to choose, by who is the most suitable. Those of you who aren't used to fighting, will, of course, be on the sidelines, doing other things, there's no point in you being sent out to die, no matter how noble the cause."

Giles took over. "Joyce and I will have to sit back, so we'll start with some extra research. Joyce?"

The sixty year old woman followed the ex-watcher to Angel's extensive library, knowing that this fight would be the fight to end all fights, so they'd all better go down fighting, any way they could...

Angel turned to the others. "Well, our next problem is choosing our partners..."

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