Authors Notes, Disclaimer and Intro
 

PART FOUR -- Avenging Angel
 
 

Buffy ran from the mansion tears streaking her face in red lines, looking as if they'd been drawn with marker.  She took a shortcut through the graveyard and passed the patrol.

"Buffy?" Xander called after her.  Buffy's hair whipped back in the wind as she ran faster.

"Buffy!" Willow yelled.

Buffy glanced over her shoulder, seeing a blur of red and bodies, before turning back around and vaulting over some headstones she knew better than she knew herself.  She knew where she was going.

"I haven't seen Buffy since I left her in the woods.  She never even told me she was going to LA," Riley paced in his room, spilling his worries to Graham.  "I'm just supposed to accept that.  It's been days!"

"You know who's in LA?" Graham reminded him.  Graham had been the only person he'd filled in about Buffy's ex.

"I thought about that," Riley collapsed flat out on his back on his bed.  "What if she's suddenly realized she doesn't want to be with me?"

"I'm not sure that's it.  She cares about you.  She'd tell you face to face.  You know there is a Open House party downstairs begging for us to join."

"Or maybe she's just visiting her dad," Riley mused.  As if in response there was a dull knock on the door.  Riley sat up and looked at Graham.  Then he got up and crossed over to open the door.

"Buffy," Riley said in a low voice, finding her there.  She resisted the idea of throwing herself into his arms and tried to smile.

"Hi Riley," she greeted.  She looked past him and gave a short wave to Graham.  "Hey."

"Hey Buffy," Graham nodded.  He got up and took his jacket.  "I guess I'll be going.  Get back to the party."

The door opened, letting music filter around the room before Graham closed it behind him.

Silence.

Riley sat down on his bed and looked up at Buffy.  She took the cue and sat beside him, where Graham had been.

"So LA huh?"

Cover story..  "Yeah.  LA.  Dad.  Crappy visit," Buffy smiled sadly.

"Why didn't you tell me you were going?  I would of liked to meet him," Riley suggested.

"Maybe next time," Buffy nodded, feeling more tears welling up in her eyes.

"Have you been crying?" He asked, noticing the streaks on her face and the absence of makeup.

"Yeah.  Alot," she told him.

"Come here," Riley murmured, pulling her close.  She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, letting tears drip again.

Buffy Summers: Constant waterfall she told herself.

"I missed you these past few days," he told her, kissing her head.  She squeezed her eyes shut as he did so.  She felt like she was Acathla.  A huge gaping hole opening up inside of her.  Dragging everything down.  Getting larger all the time.  And what did she need to stop it?

Angel.

"I wish you told me you were leaving."

"I'm back now," she hugged into him tighter.

"But you're back now," Riley replied, as they pulled apart.  He carressed her cheek and leaned forward to kiss her softly.

"Yeah," Buffy rasped as he pulled them closer, lips on a crash collision course.

"Well I'm glad you're back," Riley murmured, kissing her neck and slipping his hands under her top, and pulling it off.  He shrugged his shoes off and turned Buffy under in the embrace as they fell back onto the bed.

Angel kicked Spike's crypt door open twice before it fell in front of him, sending up clouds of dust.

"Hey!  Bloody Hell Slayer... Oh it's you," Spike turned round from his project.  "Oh it's you."

"Spike I don't have time for--" Angel looked away.

"What's happened now then to get your hot pink knickers in a bunch?" Spike tinkered with an intricate switch.  "Bugger," he breathed.

"I need your help," Angel said plainly.

"Help?  You need help?  From me?  Where's the camera?" Spike asked, looking around in mock worry, covering his masterpiece with his body from his Sire.

"You don't have a camera.  And if you did, I don't like getting my picture taken and now's not the time for photo ops."

"No, I mean a Kandid Camera thing?  Join us in the 20th century some time Angelus," Spike wound his Sire up.  He sat down in his battered chair and placed cigarette in his mouth.  "So what can I do for you.  It is a Buffy thing right?"

"How'd you guess?" Angel asked grimly.

"Well there was the walk, and the voice, and the general air of 'I Need To Kill Something'.  Preferably one Riley Finn, oui?"

"Yes and no.  I need to find out about two friends of his."

"And they would be soldiers too?" Spike smriked.

"Yeah.  I think so."

"So?"

"Forrest Gates and... Steven Wilson," Angel recalled.

"Know the first one quite well.  Second one not so.  He just moved."

"Where do they live?"

 "Above the Initiative."

"That would be where?" Angel asked patiently.

"Lowell House.  Don't know the numbers," Spike gave in.

"Thanks," Angel nodded and tore out of the crypt.

"Bloody Hell," Spike shook his head smirking.  He only gave the address in the hope that Angel would tear those poufters apart.

And that's not a bad thing.

"Bloody Intiative Bastards," Spike snarled, checking his home made bomb over, using the instructions he got from the internet.  "You're going down."

Angel arrived a Lowell house and parked his car irrationally.  He felt everything surge inside him.  he found himself not needing an invitation due to the fact there was an Open House party.  He charged in and no one noticed his demeanor.  He spotted a group of guys talking near the dips.

"Hey," Angel said quickly.  "Any of you know Steven Wilson?"

"Yeah, man, he's not coming out to play tonight.  He's in his room."

"Where's that?"

"Down the hall and first on the left."

"Thanks," Angel nodded, taking off in the that direction.  He didn't know that Buffy and Riley were in his room above his head.  He reached the first door on the left and knocked on it politely.  A few seconds later, a ruffled 20 year old opened it.

"You don't know me," he informed Steven.  "I need to talk to you."

"About what?" Steven asked suspisciously.

"About Buffy Summers."

His face went paler than Angel's and he nodded quickly.  "Yeah yeah come in," he held the door open.  Angel walked in and closed the door behind him.

Steven gripped his hair and rubbed his face.  "I keep thinking... I should of stopped him.. At the least I should of walked away.."

"Who?  Forrest?" Angel asked dangerously.

He nodded.  "Who are you anyway?"

"Her.."  /Friend?/ We'll never be friends  /Lover?/  Never her lover again.  Maybe bend the truth and use the fear factor. "Ex boyfriend.  Maybe Riley mentioned me.  Angel.. Angelus.."

"I don't... I don't.." He stammered.  Angel's face shifted into his vampire visage.  The boy swallowed and backed onto his bed.

"You're gonna answer a few questions," Angel told him fiercely as he advanced.

"OK..."

"Question one.  Did you rape Buffy?"

"I-I.." He stumbled over simple words as his mouth became dry.  Sweat was oozing out of everywhere possible.

"Well?" Angel growled, casting a shadow over him.

"I held her.  I didn't.. I swear.." He pleaded.

"So this Forrest did it all?" Angel snarled.

"Yes yes.."

"And you let him?  You two get your kicks out of raping unconscious women?"

"No no.." he begged, slinking to his knees.

"Anything else?"

Steven wept as he shook his head.

"Two.  Where's Forrest?"

"Down in.. the labs.."

Angel reached down and clamped a hand round his throat, dragging him kicking upwards.

"Are you lying to me?" Angel asked, dangerously low.  Steven shook his head as vigourously as the grip allowed.  Angel threw him against the bed, disgusted.

"This is killing me," Steven whimpered.

"No.  I'll kill you," Angel swore.  "Do you have any idea...  If I find out you're lying to me, I'll rip your throat out.  Hell, I might do it anyway," he threatened, slipping into Angelus mode.

"I should of stopped him.."

"Yeah, I'd say so.  Think about all the things I'm going to do to you which will be so much worse than a lengthy prision sentence and a dishonourable discharge," Angel left him sobbing on the floor, opening the door to the party, letting his vampire face dissolve to human once again.

Five minutes later, no one heard the silencer gun shoot a bullet in his skull as the bass echoed over any other sounds.  No one heard the slump on the floor as people's laughter was carried through the air.

In Riley's room, Buffy was becoming short of breath as Riley reached from under the blankets to his bedside table where he keep his condoms.

"No.. No.." Buffy groaned, pushing him off.  "No..  Off.. Stop.."

"Buffy are you..?"

"STOP!" She yelled, throwing him off her and onto the floor.  She clawed her way out of the bed and Riley fixed his pants and searched for his shirt.  He came over to Buffy who was fixing Cordelia's top nervously and pulling her pants back on.

"Buffy.. Are you OK?"

"Do I look it?" She questioned, more tears appearing.  Crying more tears.

"Are you Faith?"

"What?  Faith?" Buffy snapped her head up, not believing what she was hearing.  "Faith? Do I look like fucking Faith!" She screamed at him.

"Sorry, sorry," he apologized as she fixed her boots, by sitting down on the bed.  "Last time.. You were Faith.  When that happened."

"Oh I see.  I don't want to sleep with you, so someone's obviously stole my body--"

"Buffy.." Riley said softly, pulling his shirt over his head and ruffling his hair.

"Angel would know," she bit as she flipped her hair out her face furiously so she could dry tears and zip up her boot.  Then she looked up at Riley, who was reeling.

"He would?" Riley bit inside his cheek.

"Yeah, he would."

Riley felt his throat go dry.  "So were you with him in LA?"

Buffy remembered the same question in a different context and varied words last time she went to see Angel.  Riley thought Angel was evil when he was beating on him and assumed Buffy had slept with him.  When she asked him why he thought such a thing, he replied,

/Because I'm so in love with you I can't think straight/

She tried to compensate, but returning it but as empty gestures go, hers was hollow to the bone.  After he left to let her get rest, she pulled out her journal.

/ Dear Angel

Well you showed up.  Like I thought you would.  I've gave you a very detailed account of what went on LA (like you weren't there) so I won't rehash.

You came, you beat the crap out of Riley, apologized - not for the Riley thing, the LA thing - and once again left.

I'm mad at you for leaving and even more angry for reminding me how much I want you.

And I think I told Riley I love him.  Which I now feel bad about.  One thing to sleep with the guy but another to return some schmaltzy Shakespeare thing with him.  It's even kinda cheap.

Do you know how much a simple 'I Love You' means?  And after all those months - a year - Angel it meant so much more.  Plus the fact it came from you.  Riley's the kinda guy who'll keep reminding me that he loves me and go to extravgant lengths to prove and say it.

I once wanted that.  That was all that was important to me.  My boyfriend at Hemery, on and off, Taylor had to go to those lengths.  He never even knew what love meant but he begged and made a fool out of himself.

I love you means everything in the world to me.  And now it's gone.  I'll never hear it again.  And that blows.  It sucks. It bites.  I want to scream the Hellmouth down and then bawl my eyes out for relief.  But I keep it inside.  Never showing anyone my emotions.

I used to show you them.  All the time.

/Whenever something like this happens, my first instinct is still to run to Angel/

But you left.  And now I'm alone.  Alone makes you strong.  And resillent.  And hard.  On the inside.  I can't love anymore.  You maxed out the Buffy love on your credit cards and cut them up when you left town.

And something else I want you to know that I was too furious to write yesterday;

I'm so proud of you.

I'm proud of who you've become, what you've done, the fact you know the right decision and you stick by it.  And the fact you have faith in people.  And you have faith in Faith (ha ha Buffy, witty pun), even after all she's did to you.  And even when faced with me, you stuck with it.

See I couldn't do that.  You make me crumble.  And the way you look at me who make me fold.  Surrender my position and give up my post.  Retreat back into safer territory.

Will I tell you about the dream I had on the bus?  Sort of a premonition. You were human.  Real live breathing Angel.  And you came back for me.  Had a fight with Riley in which he ended up on his back.  We left Sunnydale and never looked back.  Then there were pinks dogs and stuff in the dream after it.  Of the non-relevant.

Premonition huh? I was meaning about the Riley fight-age but the human stuff would be good too.

Who am I kidding, it would be a dream..

Anyone finds this journal they'll think I'm delusional and writing to an angel rather than a man called Angel.  I prefer talking to you than paper.  I think you listen, even if you don't reply.

Love always

Buffy/
 

Buffy pulled her head out of memories and back to the present.  With Riley.  Or was it?

"I wasn't in LA, Riley," Buffy pulled her coat on roughly.  He sighed in relief.  "I was with Angel but I wasn't in LA.  I was here.  In Sunnydale.  With Angel," she enforced.

Riley blinked twice and before he could reply there was a short knock on the door.

"Come in," Riley said, unable to take his eyes off Buffy, fixing her collar.

Forrest entered, grim faced and in civil clothing.  "Ri, I got some bad news," Forrest said in a low voice, glancing at Buffy.

"What?" Riley asked, turning around.

"It's Agent Wilson-- I mean Steven."

"And?"

"He's dead.  Look's like a suicide.  In his bedroom."

"His room?  Didn't anybody hear?"

"Silencer, loud party.  Doesn't mix."

Buffy kept her eyes trained on Forrest as did he, glancing at her every so often.

"Where is he now?"

"Initiative morgue."

"I'll be right down," Riley decided.

"I'm going anyway," Buffy spat, pushing past Riley and avoiding contact with Forrest.  She forced her way down Lowell house's stairs.  Down past drunken frat guys hitting on some freshman girl.  Past a boy and girl who was in her Psyche class last year. And when Buffy was actually awake, she seen them holding hands, kissing softly and giggling at the side.  A blindspot Professor Walsh had.

And now they were together.  In love as always.  She was feeding him a breadstick covered in garlic dip and complaining about his breath.  She tore down the stairs and out of the building, half walking across the lawn.

Then an arm caught her shoulder. She turned round and pushed it off.

"What did you say to him?"

She was faced with Forrest, dark eyed and set jaw.

"Get the Hell away from me."

"Steven what did you say?" He repeated.

"Get the Hell--" She shook.  He cut in.

"Yeah yeah I heard it.  So did you talk to Steven or not?  Obviously before he blew his head off.  It was your fault!"

"I haven't went near him.  Something I want to keep constant with you," she growled.  Buffy turned and tried to walk away.

"Tell Riley, did you?  No one's gonna believe you anyway.  Not over me," Forrest called after he.  She froze dead and he made up the distance.

"Why?" She asked simply.

"Why?  Hmm Why?  You're a smart mouthed bitch who thinks she own's everyone's ass.  Calling Riley like he's a little puppy.  Breaking up the unit.  Thinking you're better than everyone," he rhymed off angrily.

"So you think that's a good reason to rape somebody?" She asked incredulously through tears.  Great Buffy.  So much for the don't let them see you cry thing.

"Not just anybody Summers.  You're special."

"Get the Hell away from me before I break your neck," Buffy warned in a low voice.

"See that's what I'm talking about.." Forrest pointed out.

Buffy forced herself to walk away before she went Faith on him and killed him with one lethal movement.

"Gotta tell you, I don't know why Finn has stuck with you as long as he has if perform like that all the time."

Buffy overboiled to at least 200 degrees and swung round her right fist, hitting him.  He fell instantly to the ground, unconscious.  She gave little pause to his body lying there like a broken doll's.  Buffy's feet hit the ground and she began running again.

END OF PART FOUR