The Invasion: Part Two

The whirring of the lift filled the office as usual. Angel rubbed his eyes sleepily. He had slept for three hours which was not like him at all. Usually he slept for an hour maximum. He didn’t really need sleep he just liked it. It was one pleasure he was allowed. In his dreams he could see her, feel her, touch her. Something he couldn’t do in real life. He was torn from his thoughts by the jolt of the lift. Stepping out of it he noticed Cordelia’s desk was empty and the office wasn’t open. Angel felt a little worried. He knew Cordelia wouldn’t just leave the office like that. The he realised she was probably helping Wesley. It worried Angel that Wesley had such a large weak spot. Zack’s entrance into Wesley’s life had been difficult at first but now Zack had become like family. Everyone liked him and wanted to look out for him. He was treated like he was 6 not 16. Smiling Angel walked to the door and unlocked it. Raising the blind. His undead heart stopped in his chest. As the blind rose he felt the air leave his body. Someone stood behind the door ... Buffy. In a second it was unlocked and he was holding her. Caressing her. She was caressing and kissing and hugging him back. Buffy let Angel hold her. Pulling away Angel looked at her, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean..” He was cut of by her happy tone, “ Willow did it. Willow found a cure for you. She can let us be together Angel.” Tears of happiness rolled down her cheeks. “Pardon?” Angel felt dizzy. He had dreamed of this day a thousand times. Now… it was real. He could be with her. Hugging her tight again. Angel was in heaven. “Willow can take away your curse Angel. We can be together. We can, have what we want." “But what about Riley?” Angel whispered. “He’ll live” Buffy said icily, before kissing him again. At that moment a man walked in to the office. He was a “normal Joe”, the sort of man you see every day in the street or on the bus. Looking at the scene before him he smiled and asked “Are you Angel?” “Yes I am. Can I help you?” Angel said, feeling a bit of anger at this interruption on the happiest day of his life. “No but I can help you” the man said as an odd look crossed his face. Angel’s feeling of the danger was too late. He turned too slowly as the bullet left the gun. He knew it wasn’t aimed for him. He knew it wasn’t meant to kill him. He watched in slow motion as it passed into Buffy’s stomach. He yelled as her face winced in pain and shock as she fell to the floor. His senses went crazy with the scent of her fresh blood. In two steps he was by her side. He looked up at the man who laughed and orbed out of the office. “A…Ann..gel?” Buffy’s breathing was coming in short rasps. She had no more than 5 minutes left. They both knew it. They could hear the sound of death vibrate of the walls. “Shhhh it’ll be ok” It was a hollow lie. They both knew it. “I have to tell you….” The tears ran down her chin as the blood covered the white floor. It wasn’t the first blood the floor had seen. Yet even the floor seemed to weep in pain. Tears blurred Angel’s sight. “I’m pregnant.” The world stopped. “I remember. The day. You… were… we…. and now…” She coughed and more blood. The copper taste filled her mouth and Angel’s nostrils. “ I know. You were human and you left something inside me. That wasn’t taken away.” “Buffy..” “You would have been a great” Buffy’s eye’s closed. Her head rolled to one side and the word filled the room “Daddy” Her heart stopped. The silence shattered any noise in the room. The whole city mourned. Everything shut down. The world stopped. The slayer had died. Angel’s baby had died. Angel died. Again. “BUFFFFFFFYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!” Angel wanted to scream. He wanted to curse the Gods. Turn his back on life. He wanted to open the curtain. He just held her in his arms and put his hand on her stomach. And sang a nursery rhyme. His world had finished. His life had been destroyed. And all the while someone was laughing.

Wesley was worried. Cordelia was in a dark place and Angel was in Hell. All three were on their own. In a city full of pain and hurt they were at the receiving end. The balance of power had shifted. The City had been taken away from Angel. Innocence from the “real” world had been torn from Cordelia and a past had been erased from Wesley. They each felt the hate rise in them. Everything was going to plan. The man laughed at this thought as he took a pair of scissors and cut a little bit of flesh from Zack’s leg. Zack yelped in pain and passed out. The man laughed some more. The games were going brilliantly.