PAIRING: B/A of course
SUMMARY: What if it wasn't Groo who was at the hotel at the end of
Waiting in the Wings?
SPOILERS: Waiting in the Wings
DISTRIBUTION: You want it? Take it! Just tell me where!
DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Joss and co.
AN: I was watching WITW earlier from the new DVD and I wondered,
what if it was Buffy waiting for Angel when they got back?
AN2: Just so you know, it's Cordy telling Angel they should get
together� not the other way around.
AN3: And, Angel and Buffy are back together, they got back together
when they met in secret!
"Angel, could I talk to you?" Cordelia wondered as she pulled Angel
off to the side.
"Yeah, sure." He followed her.
"About earlier�" she started.
"It's okay Cordelia. You were right earlier. It wasn't us. I love
you Cordy, but not in that way." He let her down gently.
"But what about Kyrumption and what everyone's been telling us?" she
tried to make him understand that she believed they should be
together.
"Cordy, I know what everyone's been telling us. And I would be
inclined to believe that it's true in our case," he paused and saw
her start to smile, but continued, "except for one little thing. We
didn't meet in the field of battle."
"But that's not important." She argued.
"I'm sorry Cordy. I have kyrumption or Moira or whatever you want to
call it, but not with you. Every time one of those words is
mentioned there is only one I can think of in my mind." A half smile
came over him as he thought of her.
The one that he'd loved and lost. Despite everything they'd been
through, her smiling face in his mind always made him smile.
"Buffy." Cordelia concluded. "I should have known. I could never
compete with her for your affections."
"Cordy I'm sorry, I wish I could return your feelings, but I just-
can't. I can't give you my heart when it's been taken for over six
years."
"Do I really still have your heart?" A silky feminine voice came
from the balcony upstairs.
A huge smile came over Angel as he looked up and saw his love
standing there with Connor in her arms. She returned his smile and
saw how good he looked in his tux. She walked down the steps with
baby Connor in tow and the sight just made Angel melt.
Cordelia saw how the two looked at each other and knew that no
matter what, these two belonged together. She just shrugged off her
feelings, thanking that they didn't get into something and then have
it end messy. She quietly left the two love birds alone and left the
hotel.
"I think Connor needs some Daddy-time." Buffy handed him over. "I'll
be right back." She kissed him on the cheek and went to use the
ladies room.
Lorne came down and saw Angel holding Connor. He saw the stupid,
happy grin the vampire was wearing.
"She just showed up. She told me she was an old friend of yours, but
when she started to sing Connor to sleep, I saw that she was more
than just an old friend of yours. The love you two share is so deep
and so pure; you should have smacked me for thinking you were meant
to be with Cordelia. Not that Cordy isn't an amazing woman, but
she's not it for you. This little blonde is it." Lorne shared his
input and patted him on the shoulder as he saw Buffy re-emerge.
"You want to get out of that tux?" She suggested.
"What?" Angel asked thinking she was meaning something else.
"Before Connor spits up on you and ruins it?" she finished her
question.
"Yeah." He agreed and handed him over to Buffy. He was amazed at how
calm Connor was in her arms.
Up in his room, while Angel put his tux away, Buffy fed and put
Connor down for the night.
"So, you went to the ballet, huh?" she called.
"Yeah, it was okay, except for the whole part where Cordy and I were
trapped backstage in a time flux." He said coming out of the bedroom
in just a wife-beater and a pair of sweat pants.
"Wow. No matter where we go, evil always follows doesn't it?" she
half joked and was half serious.
"So, what brings you around? I thought we agreed that even though we
were back together again, you were going to stay in Sunnydale to
heal yourself and your friendships."
"I know. I just missed you, that's all. I know we talk on the phone,
but I missed you." She looked down at the floor.
He walked over to her and knelt down in front of her. He could smell
her start to form tears and lifted her chin to meet his eyes. God
how he loved her eyes.
"I missed you too. You just surprised me, that's all." He explained.
"Oh." Buffy said simply as she went forward for a kiss, which Angel
happily accepted.
"Now, what's the other reason you're here. I know it's not just
because you missed me, I can tell when there's something up." Angel
observed as they broke apart.
"It's Willow. She's abusing the magicks and I can't get her to stop.
I've tried talking to her, but it doesn't help. Tara's left her,
you'd think that that would make her stop, but no! She's too busy
having fun with Amy." She let her outburst finally deflate.
"Amy the rat?" he wondered.
"She's not a rat anymore. Willow found a spell that allowed her to
change back into a person. She found something else too, but we can
talk about that later." She avoided the subject of the actual, real,
main reason she was here.
He got up and paced around trying to think of how they could help
Willow. He'd seen what can happen to a person when they OD'd on
magic. It wasn't pretty.
Finally, coming up with a plan, he sat down next to Buffy and
discussed it with her. She was a little weary at first at the idea
of an intervention, considering how wrongly they'd gone in the past,
but the least they could do, was try.
The next day, Buffy sat in her house thinking of yesterday with
Angel. God, how she missed him being in her everyday life. When she
was ready, she knew that they would be together and not a moment
sooner. But first, she had to patch up her friendships. One way to
start doing that, was to help Willow. Then, when that happened, she
had to be okay, herself.
"Hey Buff? You wanted to talk to me?" Xander called from walking
into the house.
"Yeah, I wanted to try an intervention with Willow. I know they
haven't worked in the past, but what's the harm in trying, right?"
Buffy suggested in an optimistic manner.
"Buff, like you said, those things haven't been all `Happy Days' in
the past. Why go there?" Xander just shrugged off the idea
completely.
"Because I love Willow! And so do you! And so does Tara and Dawn and
the rest of us! I'm going to try and get her to understand that what
she's doing is wrong, and I'll try a hundred different ways from
Sunday to make sure to get that message through to her. So, are you
willing to do the same?" She screamed.
"I just hadn't realized that it had gotten this bad. I know that she
was having problems with magic, but I didn't know it had gone this
far to get you so worked up. I'm sorry Buffy." He apologized.
"S'okay. Willow will be home tonight and I was wondering if you and
Anya would come?" she asked.
"Yeah, of course we will. Besides us, who else will be there?"
Xander was curious all of a sudden.
"Giles will be on the phone and I know even though they haven't seen
much of each other in the past three years they've been gone, they
still care about Willow, so yes, Angel and Cordy will be here.
That's why it's at night." Buffy informed her best friend.
"Just curious, but why didn't Angel and Cordy come back with you?"
"Cordy had a vision and Angel had to take care of it. Besides, Angel
had to pack everything for Connor in case of an emergency." Buffy
said in a matter of fact voice.
"Oh." Xander replied, then realized, "What? Who's Connor?" he
demanded.
"Xander, Connor is Angel's son. I've told you about him." She coaxed
him into remembering what she'd told him just a few weeks prior.
"Oh, right. My mistake." He smiled that goofy Xander smile of his
and they walked to the back yard side by side as they watched Dawn
next door handle the little one's running around.
"She's going to be a great mom some day." Buffy observed.
"You're a good mom too Buffy." Xander pointed out that since Joyce
had died, and minus her death, Buffy had been taking good care of
Dawn.
A small smile came over her as she watched Dawn play hide and go
seek with the neighbors kids. It was so tiny, and small, Buffy
barely even felt it on her lips and cheeks, but she knew that she
had smiled a true smile. Everyone has to start somewhere. If she
didn't believe it earlier, she definitely believed it now. She was
on the road to recovery, and it felt good.
A few hours later, after dusk, Angel and Cordelia arrived with
Connor in tow. Now, everyone was here. They had set up Buffy's
living room with chairs and an old toddler chair for Connor. Buffy
and Angel sat next to each other as well as Xander and Anya. Tara
took a seat next to Dawn and Cordy went to sit in the chair in the
middle of the room, always ready and willing to be the center of
attention.
"Cor? That's for Will." Xander pointed out.
"Oh, well, why didn't you put a sign that said: "Willow sit here" I
mean, would it have killed you?" her old attitude came right back to
her. She figured maybe it was just the Hellmouth. Then, she decided
against it, it just had to be Xander.
Giles was on the line, and everyone could hear him clean his glasses
in irritation. Now all they had to do was wait for Willow to get
home.
"Hey! I'm home!" Willow called as she came in the front door.
Buffy let go of Angel's hand and walked in to meet Willow who was
hanging up her coat in the closet.
"Buffy what is it?" she asked, gravely concerned for her friend when
she got her serious look. It was almost as intimidating as her own
resolve face, but this was big for Buffy.
"I'm fine, Will. Can we come in the living room? We need to talk."
She said cryptically as she practically dragged Willow into the room
filled with people.
"You've got to be kidding me." She muttered under her breath.
"We're not Willow. You have a problem and it's hurting you. We want
you to stop." Buffy opened up the floor. "Please. When Angel came
back from Hell, you guys did an intervention and we all know that I
wasn't pleased, but I listened to your concerns."
"Okay. I'll give it a try." Willow said as she sat down in the
middle of the room, in the chair that was placed specifically for
her.
The gang looked around and no one was stepping forward to be first.
When no one said anything, Tara got up first. It only seemed logical
that she say her stuff first being her girlfriend.
"Willow, I love you. We all love you. I don't know what you're going
through. None of us do, but I know that this isn't you. You would
have never used a spell on me to forget a simple fight, if something
wasn't right."
"Tara, I'm sorry. I'm not good with confrontation and I didn't know
what else to do." Willow tried to explain.
"I know Will, but the point is exactly that. You've just been
resorting to magic to fix everything. Magic isn't something that can
be taken advantage of. I know I sound clich�d with I say this, but
it really is a privilege and something to work for." She finished
her statement of worries and explanations.
Willow didn't say anything. She just let that absorb her and waited
for the next person.
Giles cleared his throat on the telephone, "If I may?" He asked.
"Go ahead Giles." Willow confirmed that he could go.
"Willow, I know that I'm not there in person, but I hope you know
that that doesn't change or mean anything."
"I know Giles." She said sadly, wishing her mentor was here.
"Willow, I've known you for years. You were the first one of the
group that I met and you are such a bright, intelligent woman, who
has always seen the rational side to things. When I was pushing
Buffy too hard, you were the one to tell me that I was. So, all I
ask Willow is that you be rash now and think about what has been
happening in your life."
"Thanks Giles." She thought about that too. Most of the time it
wasn't she who was the rash one, it was Buffy. But she saw that when
Buffy was the wreck, it was Willow who was rational.
"I guess I'll go next." Anya announced in her happy, chipper voice.
"Great." Willow muttered under her breath but Angel caught it with
his hearing and chuckled a little.
"Willow, I've never done this before and sometimes I don't even like
you that much, but you're important to Xander so that means that
you're important to me. So, I just want to say that I worry about
you." Anya finished and uncomfortably walked back to by Xander.
Willow just scrunched her brow and thought, `Did that actually just
happen?'
Angel got up next, "Will, I know that we haven't spoken for a while,
but I do consider you a good friend. You were there to tell me that
Buffy had� died, and I'm glad it was you. I'm also grateful that you
brought her back to me," he paused to look over at his Buffy, "I
don't know much about what's been going on with you, but I do know
that whatever it is, it isn't healthy. I've seen what happens to
witches or warlocks that go off the deep end. It's not pretty. There
is no way you can come back if you go too far. I just want to say
that I do have deep concerns for you." Angel finished. This was
probably the longest any of them heard him speak, except for Buffy.
Angel wasn't Mr. Talkative.
Wanting to cry that she was important to people she really hadn't
had any contact with in a while, except talking to Cordy every great
once in a while, she started to grasp the concept that maybe she
really did need help.
"Hey Will. I know that in high school, we weren't best friends, but
I grew to like you. And I'm glad that we keep in touch, you're the
only one from high school that I talk regularly to. And Angel can
vouch for me that I've grown as a person and when I say that I
really do care for you, I mean it. I wish you better." She smiled
sadly and honestly.
Willow was surprised that she really had grown. She was so much more
than she was in high school, who ever would have predicted that
Cordelia Chase would be fighting the forces of evil after high
school and grow from the experience.
Dawn went next, "Willow, you're like a second big sister to me. You
and Tara took care of me while Buffy was gone and I really
appreciate that, and I just wish that you'd let us take care of
you."
Buffy went second to last. She sat in front of Willow, her best
friend and tried not to cry. She knew that power can corrupt; she
just didn't ever think that Willow would ever be one of those
people.
"Will, you're my best friend. You were there for me when I needed
you all the time. You were the first one to know about Angel. You
were the one to held me when he left, and technically you were the
one who supplied us with the opportunity to get back together. You
all were there for me when my mom died, and all I can say is, let us
be there for you in you're time of need. Please?" She begged,
holding her cries in.
Willow wanted to break down with Buffy but knew that she still had
to talk to Xander. God, what was he going to say? He was the only
one who had been with her without everything she'd gone through in
her life. His words would mean the most. Even more so than Tara's.
Tara would never hold a part of her. That part belonged to Xander
and it always would.
Xander got up last and sat down in front of Willow to talk to her.
She was Willow; his Willsters, his best friend since kindergarten.
"Hey Will," he started in his usual soft voice.
"Hi." She whispered ashamedly.
"Will, what's been going on?" he was the first one to ask her what
was wrong, and not just tell her words. Sure, the rest of the gang
meant well, but no one knew her like he did. No one ever would.
"I don't know." She lied.
"Yes you do Will. You know you have a problem. If you didn't, you
wouldn't have easily agreed to do this. So, you tell me what the
matter is." He replied seriously.
"You already know." She tried so hard to not look at him. She knew
that she'd fall apart if she did.
"I do. But, I want to hear it from you. Look at me." He quietly told
her.
She shook her head no, desperate to do anything but look in his eyes
and see the disappointment there.
"Willow, please, look at me." He tilted her hanging head and looked
at her big green eyes.
As soon as she saw Xander, what she saw surprised her. She didn't
see disappointment or anything else negative. All she saw was love
for her. Seeing that, she did as she tried not to, but she broke
down, covering her face with her hands.
Xander, calmly and gently took her in his arms and cradled her. He
just kept repeating, "I love you." Over and over again in her ear
until she started to recompose herself.
The gang looked on in amazement. They hadn't been expecting that to
happen if they were honest with themselves.
Everyone looked at each other and one by one, they left the two best
friends alone, knowing and understanding that they needed this time
together.
Willow had had a rough first few days, going cold turkey from using
any magic. Xander and Tara stayed with her during the day while Anya
ran the shop and Tara spent the night with her.
Wesley and Gunn had called Angel with an emergency saying that he
and Cordelia needed to come back to LA right away.
Buffy was sad to see him go, but knew that he still had work to do
in LA. They'd promised each other that they'd see the other soon.
Buffy was still unhappy and Angel didn't expect her to rush. She
needed time to just be and no pressures.
Buffy was out walking home late from the Doublemeat Palace when she
sensed something around her tree in her front yard.
"What do you want?" She asked nonchalantly, knowing who was there.
"Well, well, well, Slayer. Out late again, huh?" The voice said as
he blew smoke from his cigarette toward her, throwing the bud on the
ground and stomping it out.
"Look Spike, I really don't have time unless it's some unimaginable
evil that's come to kill me again." She said tiredly, waiting to go
inside to see if she received an e-mail back from Angel.
"I just wanted to tell you love, that I think you're ready. I know
that I `ate the bastard, bloody have a right too�" he stopped his
personal vendetta when he saw her eyebrows rise in amusement. "But
for some wacky reason you love him and he makes ya `appy. God knows
he don't deserve you-"
"Doesn't." Buffy corrected him on his English.
"Whatever, I'm just sayin' that I can't stand to see ya
sittin' `round here doin' nothin' but workin' in a place that is
below your standard's, and as an observer, I think your personally
ready for whatever it is ya `ave goin' on with `im." He finished.
"Thank you Spike. I know that you love me and have been here for me,
but you're right, I love him. I loved him before you even came to
Sunnydale, Spike. Even then, you were trying to kill me on a weekly
basis." She said as she thought more about it.
"I'll let `ou go in then. Nibblet's probably waitin' for `er
dinner." He half smiled as she happily eyed him as she walked back
into her house.
After Dawn inhaled her dinner, Buffy finally sat down to quickly
check her e-mail, then had to do a sweep through the cemeteries
before getting a couple of hours of sleep before she worked in the
late morning early afternoon.
`You have mail' the automated voice said as she opened her inbox.
"Spam, spam, Giles� Angel!" She cried happily to hear from him.
She opened her mail and read his note.
From: [email protected]
Subject: I need help
To: [email protected]
Buffy,
I know that we aren't scheduled to meet again for another week and a
half, but I need your help with something. More accurately, some
one. Could you help out?
Always,
A
Buffy closed her mail box and grabbed a few clothes, threw them in a
suitcase, grabbed Dawn, left a note on both doors saying that she'd
gone to LA to help Angel and was out the door.
Two hours later, she arrived at the Hyperion as she saw Angel coming
down the stairs with blood straining his forehead.
"Buffy." He greeted her, noting that she must have gotten his e-mail.
"I got here as quickly as I could. What's goin' on?" She asked
concerned as she approached his messy appearance.
Wesley made a mental note to be on alert of Buffy being around.
"Where is everybody?" Buffy asked as Angel handed her Connor.
"Oh, let me see." Dawn squealed as she came in to the hotel after
talking on the phone with Willow who was worried about them and
their note.
Buffy handed Connor to Dawn as she eyed Angel to see if it was okay.
He slightly nodded his head that it was okay, and she walked over to
where Wes had already gotten out the first aid kit.
"Let me clean that for you." She offered him. He didn't refuse.
She sat him down on the weird looking thing in the middle of the
room, Buffy didn't know what it was called, but it was pretty funky
looking.
"So where is everyone?" she asked a second time as she cleaned the
blood.
"Gunn and Fred are out on a case, and Cordy's on vacation with Groo.
He came back shortly after we returned. He and Cordy met in that
hell dimension I told you about." He clued her in as he saw the
confusion on her face.
"Oh." She remembered him telling her about that.
"Did you feel the earthquake?" he asked suddenly realizing that they
were in the car as it happened.
"Yes, we were fine. Luckily we were at a stop light. No one was
hurt. Is Connor okay?"
"Yeah, he's fine."
"Maybe we should get him checked at the clinic just to be sure." She
offered him.
"Yeah, that's a good idea." Angel agreed.
(Note: Angel didn't go to the doctor in Loyalty, he's going now in
what would be Sleep Tight� the woman's going to switch the blood now)
Twenty minutes later, Buffy and Angel arrived at the clinic that
Angel visited regularly to have Connor checked out to see if
anything was wrong.
"Mr. Dad to the rescue." The mother to the right said in a joyous
voice.
"Check me out, I'm Mr. Dad." He glowed as he turned to Buffy who was
equally impressed that he was so attentive. It didn't surprise her,
just impressed.
"Mr. Angel?" The nurse called from the door.
Buffy stood up with him as they walked to the room.
Connor was fine, but the doctor was probably a little on edge after
Angel slightly interrogated him about things that Connor would do.
Buffy calmed him down and they left the room as one of the mom's
from the waiting room was walking back to her room.
As they reached the door to the waiting room, Buffy turned
around, "I forgot my purse, just give me a sec." She called.
When she entered the room, she did not like what she saw.
"What the hell are you doing?" she asked the woman who was clearly
trying to put a vile of blood in her pocket.
"Nothing." She stammered as she knew she was caught.
"That's Connor's. Put it back. Take the one you put down and put the
real one down." She ordered growing more pissed off by the second.
The woman didn't speak nor did she comply with the Slayer's demand.
"I really don't like repeating myself. I suggest you put it back
before I have to get violent." She stalked toward the woman.
When she saw seriousness in Buffy's eyes and movement, she put it
down and ran out of the room.
Buffy rolled her eyes and threw the fake vile away and placed the
real one where it was supposed to be.
"What took you so long?" Angel asked as she approached him once
again by the door.
"I hate to sound so `I Love Lucy', but you have some `splainin' to
do." She said seriously as he gulped.
"Honey-" he tried to start.
"Don't you `honey' me, Angel. I want to know why I just caught a
woman trying to steal your son's blood in the doctor's office." She
informed him of what went on in the room a few minutes earlier.
"She did what?" he was astonished. He didn't know what Holtz was up
to, but obviously, it involved Connor somehow.
"Yeah, she was stealing his vile of blood and replacing it with a
fake. I caught her and she put the real one back then left. Now,
tell me what is going on around here." She demanded in her very
Slayer-ish voice.
"Back when Angelus was free, Darla and I tormented and tortured him,
and ate his family. He went to a time-travel demon by the name of
Sahjan and is now here in present day LA. My guess is, he wants
vengeance and is obviously planning to do something with Connor." He
filled her in on the past few months without her around.
"Then, by no means am I leaving LA until this guy is caught and had
a nice talking to."
"Buffy," he started to warn her about her way of doing things.
"Angel, I love Connor like a son. And I love you, and when someone I
love is being threatened, I'm going to make sure that the threats
stop." She said seriously, and turned to finish, "In any way that I
can."
Angel nodded and didn't say another word about it. He remembered
that when she was serious about something there was nothing that
could come in her way.
As they arrived back at the Hyperion, Wes was starting to get a
little jumpy. He was more sure that Angel was going to kill Connor
now, then before.
"What's wrong with Texas? Texas doesn't hate the black man. Texas
loves the black man. Well, most of Texas. Anyone with a brain.
What's so great about California?" Fred asked to the person on the
other end of the phone she was holding.
Gunn walked into the room, with a cell phone in his hand.
"Everything. It's got the climate, the ocean�" he trailed on.
"The earth that opens up and swallows you whole." Fred countered.
"The Lakers, the music�" Gunn continued on as he and Fred walked
closer and closer.
"The traffic, the smog." Fred kept up the list of the bad.
"It's got you." Gunn told her sweetly as they came inches from each
other.
Fred smiled happily as they hung up their phone and she said, "You
win."
They kissed happily, being in love and the first kiss of the
morning.
Buffy walked in the front of the hotel as Angel entered through the
basement. They met in the middle and Buffy handed Connor over to
Angel.
Angel walked his son over to his basinet and grabbed his bottle to
feed him. Buffy had gone venturing over to Angel's weapons cabinet
to think of her battle strategy.
Angel looked over at Buffy as she took out several swords and axes,
testing them for their weight and possible killing choices.
"Chain `em up!" He called as he handed Connor over to Wesley.
"What?" Buffy asked confused as to why Angel was taking her weapons,
or his weapons from her and putting them back.
"He's going to be crawling soon, and gettin' into everything. We
have to chain the weapons cabinet up so we don't have any
accidents." He filled everyone in on what he was talking about, and
that he wasn't a crazy vampire.
Angel looked over and saw how Connor was with Wesley. "Hey, you're
pretty good with him. That's your uncle Wes. You like him, don't
ya?" He told Connor.
"I like him too. I was thinking maybe I could take to the park one
day." Wes asked Angel as he handed Connor back over to his father.
"Yeah, that'd be nice. Maybe you could take Dawn with you? She's
kind of been a little stir crazy lately, being held up here and
all." Angel suggested to Wes, as he walked away leaving Wes no
chance to deny Dawn coming with.
"Wonderful." He muttered under his breath.
"Hey! You guys want to come check this out?" Lorne asked as he came
into the main lobby, indicating to the group to see this potential
client outside.
Angel grabbed a glass of blood as Buffy grabbed Connor and took him
with her. Dawn walked outside along with everyone else.
"Everyone, this is Kim." Lorne introduced, and turned back to his
troubled friend. "It's okay, they're professionals. Just take it
from the chorus." He reassured her.
After she had a major out coming of the demon variety, the gang went
back in to discuss options.
"He put me on my true path." Kim graced Lorne for all the help he'd
given her.
"She was throwing her life away in medical school when she should
have been singing�" Lorne explained.
"Yeah, `cause who needs more doctors when you can have singing
demons?" Gunn chimed in sarcastically.
"The demon part is new." Kim said in her defense.
"Well, at least you aren't burning up." Buffy side on the positive
note. Only Dawn knew what she was talking about and glared at her
older sister.
"Ha! Singing demons, flying nuns. Good one." Angel said like a dork.
Buffy just looked at him like, `who are you?'
"I like nuns. How did the flying nun fly anyway? Was it god- or
magic?" He asked to nobody in particular. The group just glared at
him. "What? You think about these things sometimes. Right, Buffy?"
he hoped for her defense for him, but wasn't lucky.
"Sorry Angel. You're acting just a little bit off today. You okay?"
she asked growing concerned.
"I'm fine. Now, why don't we figure out what's going on with the
singing demon lady."
"Wraithers." Lorne informed them. He'd heard about them and what
they do. He should have known right away, but even he wasn't Wesley.
"Oh." Angel said surprised.
"Okay, you, Gunn, Fred and Buffy go to where they are and I have
some business to take care of. Lorne and Dawn, watch Connor." Wes
ordered as the group went their different ways. Buffy handed Connor
to Dawn and Angel kissed him goodbye. He trusted Dawn to take good
care of his son.
They arrived at the warehouse, making an entrance for themselves.
Mr. Dark and Brooding always loves to make a good entrance, so they
burst through the window.
"Hey you're paying for that window!" The singer blamed them.
"No we're not." Gunn countered.
"Are you the A and R guys? This isn't even the whole band. We've got
a killer chick who sings." He gave them the devil horns and told
them.
"We're not the A and R guys, we're just here to kill you." Buffy
told them matter of factly.
"Ah, man. They're here to kill us." The singer told the rest of the
group.
"They're still payin' for that window!" The drummer called as he got
up and joined the other two in the front.
"I got first dibs on the hottie." The guitarist motioned to Buffy
and Angel just lost it.
While the others were busy fighting two of the three Wraithers,
Angel was beating the shit out of another. Eventually, he just
ripped the head off of the guy. "You don't hit on my girlfriend in
front of me." Angel said as he ripped the head off.
Buffy had quickly dispatched her demon as Gunn and Fred killed
theirs. Buffy just shook her head and walked over to her honey.
He was so sweet when he was jealous. Buffy remembered older times,
like with Xander and with Riley. She just shook her head as she
thought, `the guy just put the final nail in his coffin when he said
that.'
Shrugging, she walked with Angel back to the car and drove back home
to be with her family.
Back at the hotel�
Buffy and Angel were upstairs in his bedroom "talking", everyone
else knew differently, but they had a set time. If they didn't come
down after an hour, someone would go pull them out of there. They
didn't need any surprise visits from Angelus any time soon.
Wesley was sitting, studying his notepad with the prophecy on them,
trying to figure out a good strategy. He couldn't just say that he
would take Connor to the park, then Dawn would want to tag along. He
needed a clean, straight reason why he should be alone with Connor.
Wesley got up out of his office and left without a word to anyone.
Of course, no one would notice, he thought.
Dawn was watching and playing with Connor, and Gunn and Fred were
out to eat at their favorite road stop diner.
Buffy and Angel came downstairs before their time set, `maybe they
really were talking,' Dawn thought.
"Here you go. I think Connor needs some daddy time." Dawn handed
Connor over to Angel who happily took his son to feed him.
"I must say, you're really good with him." Angel assessed as he gave
Connor the bottle to suck on.
Buffy stayed off to the side, watching Angel interact with Connor
and Dawn, concluding that he really was a great parent. She couldn't
help but smile at that thought.
Later that day�
Wesley finally drug himself back into the hotel, seeing that no one
was around.
Lorne walked down the stairs to the lobby and saw the boss-man
coming back in from wherever he was.
"Lorne, where did everyone go?" Wesley asked him quietly.
"Gunn, Fred and Dawn are out to eat and Angel and Ms. Sunshine are
out fighting a demon right now. Connor's napping in his bassinet. I
just went to go get him a clean diaper. Mr. Dad forgot to leave some
clean ones down here."
"Oh," he said.
Now was the perfect time to take Connor. It was only he and Lorne.
Everyone else was gone, it'd be perfect.
Wesley calmly walked over to the sleeping baby and picked him up. He
saw Lorne about to say something and filled him in.
"It's okay. Angel's letting me take him to my house for the night,
so I can take him to the park in the morning. I'll just grab a bag
and be on my way."
"Here, I just made him a warm bottle. You know, Angel didn't say- he
probably just forgot, he and his sweetie pie ran off in a hurry."
Lorne thought.
"I'm sure he did."
Connor started to cry in Wes' arms, and Wes tried to calm him down.
"Hey, it's okay. It's your Uncle Wes. We're going to have a great
time, aren't we?" He cooed to the baby.
Trying to sooth him even more, he started to hum an old lullaby he
knew.
Lorne read him and saw what he was planning to do. Quickly, Wes
knocked him unconscious in the office after a quarrel, just as Angel
was coming back in.
"Angel." Wes greeted him surprised.
"Where is everyone?" Angel asked curiously.
"Dawn, Fred and Gunn went for food. Lorne just stepped out, and I
was going to ask you if Connor could spend the night with me and I
could take him to the park in the morning." He suggested.
"Yeah, I guess that's okay. Just let me say goodbye first." He
motioned for Connor.
Angel held his son and kissed him, saying good night. It would be
the first night that he wouldn't be with Connor. He handed Connor
back to Wes and handed Wesley the bag sitting on the counter.
"You have-" Angel started to say.
"All numbers. Doctor, you, Buffy, emergency, I've got it." Wes
reassured him.
"Demon named Sahjhan, ever heard of him?" Angel asked.
"No, not off the top of my head. I can look him up at home if you
like." Wesley suggested, wanting to get going as soon as possible.
"Guy thinks he's my sworn enemy. The thing is, I've never even seen
this guy before tonight. He's the one who brought Holtz back."
Gunn, Fred and Dawn walk in from the outside and walk over to Angel.
"Like I said, I can look at home. I'll call if I find anything."
Wesley practically begged as Angel nodded his head and Wes was
finally able to leave.
"Okay." Angel said as he watched Wesley take his son for the night.
Buffy walked back in and saw the saddened look on Angel's face.
"What's wrong?" she asked as she placed her hand on his shoulder for
support.
"Wes is taking Connor for the night. It's just my first night away
from him. You know it'll be good for us. They can bond and I can get
some rest." He explained to her.
"I'll stay up with you." She offered him.
"Really? Thanks. You know he's just a little guy, I'm sure he'll be-
"
He was cut off by a moaning sound of pain coming from inside the
office area.
"What the?" Buffy asked rushing into the messy office, and an
unconscious Lorne coming back into the land of the wake.
Suddenly all the door were kicked in an in walked Holtz with
his "army", ready and willing to fight the Angel Investigations team
until death.
"Won't you come in." Angel quipped.
"How's fatherhood treatin' ya?" Holtz asked Angel, noting that there
was a new blonde woman standing beside him, and a different short
brunette.
"Who the hell are you?" Buffy snapped.
"They call me Holtz. Who may I ask, are you?" he retorted.
"They call me Buffy, the Vampire Slayer." She grinned. The guys
around the hotel, really didn't know who they were messing with; a
slayer, a vampire, a strong human male, and an equally strong force
in both Dawn and Fred. There was no contest.
"Met a friend of yours tonight. Demon named Sahjhan. Said he hated
me, you know why?" Angel asked Holtz, keeping Buffy back and
controlled.
"Doesn't really matter to me. I want to keep Angelus alive, but not
well." He ordered his men to attack.
Buffy just grinned as she and the rest of the gang easily warded off
the attackers. Holtz turned around and walked away, with a
satisfying smirk on his face.
Seeing that everything was under control on their end, Buffy decided
to follow Holtz and see what he was up to. This guy must be new to
the whole `evil' guy thing to just make his presence known and walk
away.
`Amateur's' Buffy thought as she ran off to catch the man causing
all the trouble in her love's life.
Buffy continued to follow Holtz for a few streets before he finally
just gave up on the cat and mouse game they were playing and
confronted her.
"You, you're following me. Why?" he asked.
"I'm following you because you're a bad guy and since I'm the
slayer, it's my duty to see what the bad guys are up to, so I can
pull the plug on their plans." She replied sweetly and innocently.
"Yes, you are the Slayer. I can feel it, the power you wield inside
of you, is magnificent." He complimented her, then continued. "So, I
would have to ask myself, why are you siding with Angelus?"
"His name is Angel. He hasn't been Angelus for a long, long time,
and believe me, if his Mr. Hyde face was showing, you'd be dead last
on a long list of people wanting to kill him." She informed him.
"And who would be first?" he amused her.
"Me. See, even though *Angelus* tortured, killed, and destroyed
people around me, *Angel* loves me and would never hurt me
intentionally." She calmly tried to explain the difference to this
whack job standing in front of her.
"The beast loves a Slayer?" he asked dumbfounded, then burst into
cries of laughter.
Buffy just stood there with her hands on her hips; feeling annoyed
at this short little man causing all this trouble that she so didn't
need. He reminded her of Snyder in that way. Oh, how she really
wanted to kick this guys ass.
"I know, it's like Romeo and Juliet. Believe me, compared to Angel
and I, they had it easy." She blandly said as his laughs
quieted. "Wait a minute, I'm supposed to be the one asking the
questions here. Who are you?" she demanded.
"I'm the man who will be killing your lover very soon." He told her
seriously as he walked off, leaving her alone. He knew she wouldn't
follow him.
"Just so you know, Mr. Holtz, I get very, very pissed off when
someone threatens my *lover*. Trust me when I say, you don't want to
see me pissed off." She called out to the man walking away from her.
When Buffy walked back into the Hotel a few minutes later, she found
chaos amongst Angel's friends and Angel was no where to be seen,
which made Buffy's curiosity grow more and more.
"What happened?" she instantly demanded.
"Wesley, he took off with Connor. He wasn't planning on coming
back." Dawn quietly explained the situation to Buffy as quickly as
she could surmise it.
"Where's Angel?" she again, demanded.
"He took off to find Holtz. The whole battle scene was a
distraction." Gunn explained as well.
Without another word, Buffy headed out the door again to try and
find Angel. She went back to the spot that she had just encountered
Holtz and walked the way that he did, hoping for anything; any type
of clue that would lead her to where they were at currently.
She concentrated on the feeling of Angel and tried to pinpoint his
location. She let her instincts and their bond guide her to her soul
mate.
She heard the fight and saw Holtz with baby Connor in his hands,
with Angel standing away from him.
"Come any closer and I'll snap his neck." Holtz viciously ordered
all of the people around them.
Angel stopped his motions immediately.
"Who are they?" Holtz asked to no one in particular.
"They work for me." Lilah said as she made her presence known.
"Ah. The attorney." Holtz started to put the pieces together.
"You're going to give us the baby Captain Holtz." Lilah persuaded
the man.
"Don't!" came Angel's helpless voice.
Lilah scoffed. "You'd rather see him with the fanatic than with us?"
she looked to Holtz and told him, "Those are automatic weapons
pointed at you. They didn't have them around your time. They fire
sixteen bullets a second."
Angel countered, "And if they were going to use them, they would
have already. They want the baby alive."
Holtz humored everyone, "Something we all have in common."
"Not all of us." A new voice came on the scene.
"Ignore the loud mouth with the bad skin, he's impotent in this
dimension." Lilah informed her team of Sahjhan.
"We're leaving." Holtz calmly told everyone.
"No one's going anywhere." Lilah ordered as Angel knocked a soldier
too close to him out and grabbed his gun and pointed it at Lilah and
her team.
"Don't shoot." Lilah tried to talk him and everyone else out of
drastic measures.
"You really don't want me to. You're bullets won't kill me." Angel
stated the well known fact.
Lilah had a Cheshire cat grin on her face as she pulled something
out from behind the soldiers.
"No, but they might kill her." She showed Angel Buffy tied up around
the back of her arms and her feet.
"Trust me, won't help." She quipped.
Angel was in such a mess. Save Connor, or save Buffy. Which did he
choose? He'd never have a chance to be a father again, ever. But,
he'd just gotten Buffy back too. God, how did one choose between
your soul mate and your child? Only one choice let all parties be
alive.
Holtz saw the decision in Angel's eyes. He assured Angel, "I will
take good care of him. As if he were my own son. He won't ever know
you existed. Don't come after me- though you will, won't you? Maybe
I should just-"
"No, please. Take him!" Angel's resolved face showed.
Sahjhan did some dark magicks and opened a portal to a dimension
with a pink sky. Where ever this place was, must truly be hell,
Buffy thought.
"What you're looking into is the Quor toth, the darkest of the dark
worlds. So- I can widen the portal till it swallows the world whole,
or you can keep that bargain and kill the child!" he threatened.
No one moved.
"Don't say I didn't warn you." Sahjhan said nonchalantly.
Finally Lilah yelled, "Kill it!"
"No!" Angel screamed as Holtz pushed Justine away from him and took
off with Connor into the dark world.
Angel followed right behind him, but was rejected by a bolt of
lightning from the portal. Angel lay on the ground as Justine was
hollering for Daniel to come back and all Angel could do was feel
the loss and emptiness that was filling his soul.
"Wow. Didn't count on that one. Kind of takes care of my problem."
Sahjhan said surprised and shocked, yet pleased with the results.
He worked his magic once again and closed the portal.
"Okay, have a good summer everyone." He parted as he disappeared
into thin air.
Lilah turned around and untied Buffy.
"You bitch! You better run fast or let me just say that I won't have
a problem breaking my `No killing people' rule." She threatened and
saw Angel still on the ground, weeping, grieving for his son.
As much as she wanted to make life for Lilah Morgan a living hell,
in which would make Angelus proud, with the torture, maiming and
killing of her, she had to be there for Angel and help him deal with
this loss that she didn't know if he would ever recover from.
Some time passed and Gunn and Fred were sifting through Wesley's
apartment trying to find some kind of anything to understand what he
was thinking or where he would go.
"Why would he do it?" Fred turned and asked Gunn as she looked
through a pile of papers.
"We find him, we can ask him." Gunn surmised logically.
"If Angel finds him before we do�" Fred trailed on as Gunn filled in
the blanks.
"He'll be dead and we won't be able to ask him."
"He wouldn't betray us� he wouldn't." She just couldn't fathom that
Wesley of all people would go behind their backs and take Connor
like that. The notion was just impossible, like a theorem you
couldn't prove in geometry.
"He would have left clues, something, anything about his plans. His
diaries." Fred got a sudden idea. Wesley always had those diaries
with him, surely there would be something in one of them about what
the hell was going on.
Fred started to frantically rampage through Wes' apartment looking
for the diaries and even looked in the trash.
"I don't think they're in there." Gunn said as he just stood there
watching his girlfriend act like a crazy person.
Giving up on the idea that they were in the apartment, both Fred and
Gunn left the abandoned apartment and walked back down outside to
the warm air and climbed inside Gunn's truck.
Once arriving back to the hotel, Gunn and Fred found out the
devastating news that Connor had been taken to an alternate
dimension, which hit a particularly rough spot for Fred.
"Not a portal." She started to cry.
"Baby?" Gunn moved to console her.
"There's pulling and noise, and there's nothing to hold onto.
Nothing at all," she paused as she looked up at Gunn, "He must have
been so scared." She finished fully letting the tears enter her
eyes, but not daring one of them to drop.
"To top it off, our main man upstairs had to choose between his son
and the love of his life." Lorne also offered the information.
"What?" Gunn and Fred both said simultaneously as their faces
dropped at that interesting tid bit.
"Seems slaygal followed Angel to where Holtz had him and was
captured. They bound her, and offered as a bribe. Angel was about to
go for it, but then Holtz ran off into the portal and Angel
followed." He finished.
Fred curiously asked, "Where is she?"
"Upstairs with him. I'd leave them alone for a while, let them work
through it how they work through things." Lorne concluded.
Upstairs, Angel was sitting on the floor of his burnt old apartment/
room and blankly stared at Connor's crib. Buffy sat beside him, not
saying anything or touching him in anyway, she just sat with him in
total silence as they both let the past few hours sink into their
systems and work through it.
Buffy knew Angel well enough to know that hugs or saying that she's
sorry wouldn't cut it. They were just words, when the end came,
that's all they were, just words. She felt that she could do much
more for him if she was just there for him physically. She was the
only one he could relate to. She was there, she saw it all happen.
She could have stopped it, if those damn lawyers hadn't ambushed her
in unknown territory with her practically unarmed. She felt
partially responsible for this all. Maybe if she hadn't been there,
Angel could have saved Connor or if she had been more concentrated
on her surroundings she wouldn't have been captured and could have
stopped Holtz from jum-
Her thoughts were interrupted as Angel violently stood up and walked
out the door. She wondered what was going on in his head.
She followed him down the steps and heard the conversation
downstairs between Lorne, Fred and Gunn.
"He wasn't planning on coming back, ever." Lorne said with finality.
"God," Fred sighed. "Why?" she asked after a beat.
Angel came trotting down the steps with Buffy in tow a few feet
behind him, not wanting to crowd him or get on his nerves.
"I don't care why. All I care about now is getting my son back. Then
I'll deal with those responsible. They'll all pay. Including
Wesley." His voice was angry, but his face was starting to grow
harder and harder by the passing second.
"The Quor Toth dimension? Ever hear of it?" Angel asked to Lorne.
"No." He denied.
Angel looked to Buffy, who was shocked that he looked at her. The
_expression on his face told her all she needed. She'd call Giles and
see what they could find.
She merely nodded her head and walked to the office to call her old
Watcher.
"We're going there aren't we?" Gunn asked as he grabbed his battle
axe, ready to fight him some demons.
"I am." Angel said simply as he moved around the lobby.
Buffy heard what he said and walked out of the office leaving Giles
on hold.
"You're not going alone. You go, I go." She made sure that he
understood her and to not get into it with her right now. She felt
him on the edge, just needing to break something, to release the
energy trapped in him that couldn't be released and she felt that
energy being directed at her right now. `He wants to fight, that's
fine. He just better be prepared to get his ass kicked.' She thought
as she intimidated him with her eyes, telling him not to press the
subject any further.
She walked back into the office to try and find out from Giles who
or what was needed to open the portal and how to work it.
"Giles?" she asked seeing if he was still on the line.
"I'm here, Buffy." He made his presence known.
"I've got a situation here in LA, and I need your help. Ever hear of
a dimension called Quirky Tarzan?" she asked.
"Quor Toth!" Fred shouted correcting her.
"Quor Toth, sorry. Ring any bells? Or gongs?"
"Good heavens. Why do you need to know about Quor Toth?" he asked
with fear in his voice.
"Connor was taken there. We're trying to get him back." She
explained.
"I see. You'll need the demon or one of their kind to open it. I
believe they are called Granok demons. Time shifters, and deadly
when they're corporeal. Only they posses the magic to open Quor
Toth. Though I must warn you, if you or Angel or both of you go into
that place, there may be no coming back." He forewarned them about
the deadly situation they were in.
"That's what they say about being dead. I'm here." She simply said
as she thanked him and hung up.
She walked back out to the lobby and filled the gang in on what was
needed.
"We need Sahjhan. Giles said we need the demon that opened the
portal to open it again. He said they were called Granok demons.
Definitely not with the friendlies when they're not ghostly. He also
said that if we took a little scenic route into that place, we might
not come back."
The news didn't faze Angel in the slightest. He'd go to the seventh
circle of Hell to get his son, and as far as he was concerned,
that's what he was doing, but he was getting his son back and he
would come back from it too.
He shared a look with Buffy and she knew without being told that
they were going to be making a special little visit to the good
people at Wolfram and Hart. Buffy had some serious payback toward
Lilah Morgan. She was fairly certain that Angel wanted some action
too, but while he did his business with the others, Lilah was all
Buffy's.
"Big win for Holtz." Linwood assessed to Lilah as they were talking
in an office in Wolfram and Hart.
"If you call jumping into a cesspool hell dimension a win."
"Well, certainly not for us." Linwood said as he grabbed a bottle
and started to pour. "Drink?" he asked Lilah who tuned him down.
"It's not like I'm going to get my feelings all bruised and yank
your mother right out of that expensive nursing home you have her
in." he slightly threatened.
Lilah became nervous and looked down at the picture of her mother
that was sitting perfectly on her un-cluttered desk.
"Don't worry, she's safe as a baby. Well, not the baby you
lost `cause, that one's gone to hell forever. You might want to keep
me updated in the future. I look forward to that report." He told
her as he walked out of his office and waited for the elevator to
come.
"Going down?" A sweet, feminine voice came from behind him and as he
turned around he was met with a fierce right hook.