TITLE: Familiar Stranger
AUTHOR: Rainie
EMAIL: [email protected]
DISCLAIMER: Joss, not I.
DISTRIBUTION: Please ask first
CATEGORY: Ae/S/B/Aus/L/D…
RATING: PG
PART: 2/2
Familiar Strangers 2
Chapter 7
"Buffy!!!"
"She's waking up!"
"Yeah, look…"
"Buffy?"
Tears of gratitude veiled the slayer's hazel eyes when she recognized her watcher and friends.
They had come for her, finally.
Spike had come for her.
He hadn't betrayed her to his sire.
Giles, Xander, Willow - they all were here.
Giles, sweet, caring Giles, he was tending her wounds, crying.
How much she loved them. There was no way she could have survived without them… Him…
"Spike?" She whispered her sightless eyes searching for the familiar British accent.
"Buffy, you're awake?"
"Can you hear me?"
Recalling all of her willpower, she hardly managed a nod.
"Ohmigod!"
"Buffy!"
Oblivious to her injuries, watcher and slayerettes alike pulled her in a breathtaking embrace.
All of a sudden there was chaos, everybody talking simultaneously, telling her how glad they were to have her back.
Anyway, no matter how good it felt having her friends cuddling her, Buffy had to know about him.
Spike….? Was he ok…? Did he escape…?
**Spike, Spike, Spike…** she kept on chanting, but it took her quite a while to realize the words were in her head.
"Spike?" She mouthed, while taking a deep purposeful breath.
She looked up at her friends with expectance only to be greeted by three oddly curled noses and foreheads.
"Spike?" She tried again, hoping for them to finally get it.
And much to his surprise it was Xander, who actually managed to read the question from her lips.
Expecting the boy to be really upset, Buffy readied herself for his inevitable tantrum. However, it never happened.
"Big Bad is having his wounds licked," he joked, gesturing at some point behind his back.
"I bloody well heard that, squarehead!" A familiar gruffly voice immediately retorted from the back, followed by an edgy, "Will you bloody watch it already, slayer, this shit bloody hurts!"
"Excuse me?" Buffy's head shot up for one second, just enough to catch a glimpse at the Spike and some other girl, then her head heavily drop back to the desk. She closed her eyes, then willing herself to look at them again.
She blinked, but the girl treating the vampire's arm with an iodine pat remained on spot.
"Who…? Who…?" Was all she could manage, then she was out cold.
***
"How are you doing?"
Buffy opened her mouth to reply, but quickly closed it again when she found herself face to face with herself.
+Something must be seriously wrong with my head.+ She figured.
How else was it to explain that she was staring right up at herself sitting next to her on the bed.
"Willow? Spike? Somebody better come here!" Buffy watched herself shouting.
"Am I dead?" She then tentatively asked.
For some strange reason she seemed to be unable to look away from what she supposed to be her ghost.
+Where does that scare come from?+ She wondered. +And what the hell had happened to my hair? Color, length, cut…? Is that what they're doing to the death?+
When she was just about to voice her concern, the door flew open and Spike followed by the rest of the slayerettes burst into the room.
"You're alright, Anne?"
Completely and totally ignoring her, the whole group gathered around her ghost.
+This is strange, why is everybody capable of seeing her?+
"Mr. Gils…"
Buffy almost forgot to breathe, when the other her turned round to address her watcher.
And worse, the Englishman didn't even seemed to be the slightest bit puzzled because of her doing so. With a wave of his hand he only gestured her to proceed.
"Well," the other girl took a purposeful breath, unconsciously nibbling her bottom lip.
"Somebody better tell her," she wryly smiled at Buffy. "Preferably someone who's not me."
+Am I nibbling my bottom lip when I'm nervous?+ Buffy meanwhile wondered a steep frown on her face. +Not as far as I can remember. And this clothes… - Wait a second, did she just say 'her' as in third person 'her'?+
When she focused on her surroundings again, she found herself monitored by five curious faces.
"Anybody care to explain?" Buffy inquired casually, all the while biting her bottom lip.
***
"Easy, sweets," Spike whispered soothingly, when the drowsy small figure stirred in his arms.
A pair of glassy green eyes successlessly struggled to focus on him.
"Spike?" She mouth, then her eye-lids fell shut again. "I just had this really weird dream…"
She trustingly snuggled into his chest.
"…there was this girl - me - but somehow not…"
The strong arm tightened around her waist.
"I'm so glad you came after me..."
Her sightless eyes tried to focus on him.
"I thought I was going to die there," she shuddered by the memory of the time she'd been chained to the cold, rocky floor. "First in the sewer and then here, when there was this ghost sitting by my side..."
Four pairs of eyes expectantly drilled into the blonde.
"Eh, well," the vampire thoughtfully cleared his throat. "Willow here thinks the words 'Evil Willow' should ring a bell...," he soothingly brought their entwined hands up to his lips, when Buffy's drowsy green eyes immediately glanced at his face.
"Are you telling me this girl has been real???"
"Eh, well, may I introduce you to," he flashed a mischivious grin at Anne. "'Evil Buffy' - OUCH!!!"
He reproachfully held up the tea towel the other girl had fired at him.
"All right, all right," in a hopeless attempt to lift the heavy atmosphere, Spike dramatically rose his hands. "Buffy, may I introduce you to Anne!"
***
Chapter 8
"Holy-moly, this is like having a twin...,"
Her back comfortably resting against the vampire's chest, Buffy's eyes vividly darted in between her refelction and Anne. Unaware of their intimacy her hand involuntarily came to a rest over Spike's, who was sitting behind her his arms protectively wrapped around her waist.
"So," curiosity all over her, the tiny girl craned her head. "One day she simply showed up...?"
"Well, she didn't just waltz in with a big 'here I am'," the vamipre quickly kissed the tip of her nose, while at the same time he shot a mock grin at Anne. "It was more like, I woke up because I could sense somebody's presence in the room..."
The other slayer silently watched the cute couple. She fought back tears because of the vampire's all too obvious love. Her heart grew heavy, as she quietly wiped the wet tracks from her eyes.
"Yeah, he must have confused me for you," she tried to distract herself by picking up the blonde's teasing tone. "If me waking up with a heavily purring vampire on top of me is an indication..."
The girls giggled at said vampire's embarrassed grin.
"Yeah," he snapped good-naturedly. "And don't ya forget about the stake you had half way through me, before I even had a chance to defend..."
"Gosh, this must have been horrible for you!" Ignoring Spike's fervous nod Buffy kept her eyes focused on Anne. "Well, I know I would have been partified, with Angelus anywhere near me..."
The two girls exchanged a long, knowing look.
"Oh well, he gave me a bit of a fright," Anne admitted with a wry grin. "Anyway, I paid him back!" She shot the blonde vamp her most innocent look. "Didn't I, cutie?"
For a fair deal of time the three of them remained perfectly silent, either reviewing the last couple of days.
"What happened to the Spike in your world?" Buffy finally dared to threw in. "Well, I mean after..., well, after you..., well, you know..."
She tentatively looked at the other girl.
"He's still evil...," Anne's eyes veiled with visibly. "He killed my watcher, and father, and even Drusilla..."
"Dru???"
"Drusilla???"
"You never mentioned...???"
Although curiosity all over their faces, neither Buffy nor Spike proceeded their thread - silenced by Anne's surprising but serious grief about the dark-haired vampiress.
"Anne?" Buffy slowly disentangled herself from the blonde man's embrace. "I want you to think about this...,"
Carefully and on unsteady legs she wobbled to where her look-alike had settled.
"As soon as Willow and Giles figure a save way to send you back...," not really sure whether her gesture would be appreciated, Buffy took the other girl's hand. "...well, of course, its totally up to you, but if you want me to, I'd like to return the favor and go after Liam for you..."
***
Chapter 9
"She's sweet."
A sad smile on her face, Anne watched the vampire watch over his slayer's sleep.
"She really is...," a heavy sigh slipped from her lips. "Nothing like me..."
Unable to stand the sight of the two them all snug up together, Anne burried her face in the heels of her hands.
"I mean," she muttered in a dull voice. "Even the demon-you is attrackted to her..."
"Oh will you shut up already!"
She never saw the blonde man getting up from the couch and walking her way.
"You realize," he growled. "This is the most idiotic, bloody thing you've ever said!"
Flopping down next to her, Spike reached for the unhappy girl's hand.
"If this Liam git is anything like me," he gently forced her to meet his gaze. "Well, if he is," he purposefully cleared his throat. "There shouldn't be too much of a difference between vampire and man..."
When their eyes met, the blonde involuntarily gasped for unneeded air, because of the incredible sadness scurrying across her face.
"Trust me, Spike," her lips curved sarcastically. "He's nothing like you..."
Turning her back on the vampire, Anne curled up into a shaking ball.
No, her 'Spike' was nothing like Buffy's.
All right, compared to what Angelus had done to her fellow slayer, Liam had prooved to be a rather civilized psychopath.
He had always been straight forward, too jumpy and restless to even consider the whole mind-game affair.
He had killed her watcher and father and even gone after Drusilla.
Drusilla, as much as they had pretended to hate each others guts, somehow the obnoxious brunette had become the closes to a friend Anne ever had had.
"Slayer...?"
Her head shot up, when an icy rough hand brushed along her back.
"Sorry," she croaxed. "I was kinda away."
"Yeah," the blonde just grinned at her mildly. "This I could tell." He thoroughly cleared his throat, before he looked at her seriously. "Did you ever consider, that me - the demon-me if you want to put it that way - had 134 years to adapt to more human character traits...?"
The shaking stopped, but Anne noetheless refused to look up.
"Maybe if I were little less aggressive, and little dainty instead..."
She shrugged and involuntarily leaned into his touch.
+Dru? Why Drusilla?+
+It would be so good to just talk to the self-righteous bitch...+
"Nah." Spike's gruffly jeered. "If I were you, I wouldn't worry too much..."
The bloned grinned at her good-naturedly.
"Just in case you didn't noticed, vampires get off on violence..."
Anne's pale cheeks took on a deep shade of red.
"Spike!" She growled in a futile attempt to shut him up. "Will you let it go already!"
"Oh c'mon, Anne..."
His mischivous smile indicated he wasn' really prepared to let go.
"Let's just look at Angelus and how he gets all fluffy and ogle-eyes the moment you step into view..."
If possible Anne's face turned into an even deeper shade of pink.
"You must be bloody joking!"
His mock grin faltered for a moment, when his sensitive nosrils picked up the faint scent of... what? Arousal...?
+Nah, never!+
Once again he gazed at the blonde.
"...well, maybe if you..." he thoughtfully rubbed his chin. "...yeah, maybe if you and the slayer, right from the beginning had kicked your beaus lousy butts..."
"You're disgusting!!!" She swiftly got up.
+Who does he thinks he is - me and Angelus, ha bloody ha!+
Still fuming, she quietly stepped behind the closed window, her sightless eyes aimlessly wodering around.
At times she envied her fellow slayer for her family and friends, she herself never had and never would have.
What would it be like, back in her world...?
Without her watcher and father...?
Liam's human soul forever gone...?
Gosh, she had loved him so much...
And Dru...?
Why...?
Liam, why...?
How could he do this to her...?
"Anne?"
She didn't realize she was crying until a cold, shaky hand brushed the tears off of her cheeks.
"I'm sorry, luv," Spike apologized gently. "I should have known better..."
With a sudden wave of tenderness he quickly bent down and rained a whole series of kisses all over her face.
"We'll take care of Liam," he whispered, his mouth almost touching her lips.
"Me and the slayer, and this is a promise!"
***
Chapter 10
"BUffy!!!"
Uncaring about the late hour, Xander, Willow and Giles noisily waltzed into the library.
"We've got it," the dark-haired boy cheerfully proclaimed, grabbing a totally unprepared Willow by her wrist and spinning them around. "Can you believe it, Wills here, just about figured it out..."
"Hmhm..."
An unmistakable cough immediately sobered him up - sort of.
"Eh, well, Wills and Giles here, of course!" He hurried to add.
And only when the coughing repeated did he realize it was Buffy clearing her throat.
"Will you shut up already!@ THe slayer mildly scolded, gesturing towards a sound asleep Anne nearly buried beneath a just as sound asleep Spike.
"Well, this is getting weirder and weirder," Xander wryly stared at the strange bedfellows.
"E-e-eh, Buffy...," Giles put an end to their awkwardness. "Willow and I managed to d-d-decipher
Miss Calender's disk..."
He expectantly looked at the blonde.
"Yeah, can you believe it, we finaly did it!" The red-haired witch threw herself at her friend. "It's
only a matter of hours for s to get Angel back..."
Willow's friendly, bright face reflected nothing but happiness for her friend.
"Angel, Buffy - can you believe it!!!"
All three of them curiously watched the blonde girl.
"And just imagine, if teh spel really works, we might be able to do the same thing for Anne!"
"NO!!!"
Their eager expressions abruptly faltered.
"B-b-but Buffy...???" Giles irritatedly stumbled, obviouse more than a little taken aback. "D-d-didn't
you..., w-w-wasn't this...???"
His voice trailed off, when he realized the same stunned expression not just on Xander and Willow's but
Buffy's face as well.
Simultaneously their heads shot around.
"Well, I can't speak for Buffy," Anne tiredly rose to her feet. "But you sure as hell are not going to recurse Liam again." Her voice was as cold as the look of her eyes. "This curse was meant to punish the demon but as it turned out the only one being punishe actually was the soul..." With a deep purposeful breath she directly searched for her felow slayer's eyes. "...and if I've got a say this time, my answer will be a definite no!"
"B-b-but...?"
"Angel...?"
"Buffy..?"
Xander, Willow and Giles reproachfully gazed at the blonde.
How dare she questioned everything they had worked so ahard for...
And anyway, she hadn't seen Buffy, her suffering...
She just couldn't understand...
Maybe her relationship with Liam hadn't been as deep and unique...
"She's right!"
All of a sudden a dull, tearfilled voice whispered.
"As much as I hate to admit it, the gypsies were wrong about their curse, and we are not going to repeat their mistake."
***
Chapter 11
"A-a-all right..., so what about him?" Giles gestured towards a smoldering Angelus, curiously listening to
them.
"Somebody better watch him," Spike suggested with a mischivous grin at his sire. "I've seen this miserable
attitude before."
He gracefully stretched and jumped to his feet, before he quietly stepped behind Buffy. His arms immediately locked around her waist, and the slayer naturaly and without as much as one word of complaint leaned into his embrace.
With a content sigh Buffy put her hands over his.
Here, in the relative safety of his arms, she could easily forget the low rumbling emanating from Angelus' cage.
"I'll watch him!" Anne all of a sudden volunteered much to everybody's surprise. But before one of them could voice their concern Angelus had already brought himself in.
"Yeah, just make my day, slayer" the captive sneered moodily. "Why don't ya come in here already - it's
not that I couldn't use a good workout."
Patrified by his venomous words, Buffy snuggled closer into her savior's chest. Anne, on the other hand, didn't as much as bat a lash. Unimpressed by his unrefined harshness, she stared back at him with a laugh in her eyes.
A huge smile on her lips she casually leaned into the heavy gitter, her nose almost touching his.
"Workout?" She teased, her voice dripping with irony. "I'd rather say you could do with a good hiding."
Her expression couldn't have been more innocent.
"Well, well," it took Angelus a full minute to actually comprehend and react. "You better watch it, lover," His voice easily picked up the girl's mocking tone, as he just as casually leaned against his side of the bars. "I might come back on you - later..."
With a wink Anne playfully patted his cheek.
"Angelus," she whispered, patiently waiting for him to look up. "Behave, will ya!"
With that and a mock kiss at the vampire and an embarrassed nod at the others, Anne - fervorously blushing - hurried to bury herself under a massive pile of blankets and sheets.
***
"What has the nasty slayer done to my Spike?"
With only the three of them left, Drusilla, who so far hadn't uttered a single word, all of a sudden focused on Anne.
"You can actually sense a difference in them?"
Angelus curiously demanded to know.
"This one is like us, alone and full of anger..."
Although Anne never looked up from her book, she could feel their inquisitive gazes drilling into her back.
"What else can you see, my pet?"
Angelus encouraged his childe to sever the slayer.
"...she has been hurt - her Angel turned on her..."
And with a lucid look at their captor.
"...how comes in your world my Angel has never been yours...?"
Curiosity all over his face, Angelus leaned into the cage. However, too late. The lucid moment was over and the unfocused vampiress had already turned towards Miss Edith and was just about to serve her doll coffee and cake.
"Its a shame you never got to know her with all her marbles in place." Anne matter of factly told the somewhat taken aback dark-haired man.
"Wanna say you did?"
She sadly nodded and immediately blushed under his intensive gaze.
"The Drusilla I knew has never been insane."
At his questioning look she quietly went on.
"For a vampire she was really smug, kinda sweet at times - but mainly a pain in the... well, mainly a pain, period!"
"You really like her," Angelus noted incredulously. "I guess that's what she senses and why she doesn't resent you."
Vampire and slayer exchanged a long intimate lok.
"...she offered to help me... when Liam lost his soul..."
His frown deepened, when realization hit.
"Liam, as in William?" He asked, carefuly watching the palette of emotions scurry across her face. "Who would have thought," he snickered. "This wothless little brat..."
Then, with a consideration never witnessed towards Buffy, Angelus quietly dropped the whole case.
Chapter 12
"Well, excuse me," Giles indignantly cleared his throat. "But what the heck do you think you are doing?"
He angrily stepped into the magic circle that Buffy and Spike had drawn on the floor.
"Don't you think a watcher should know what their slayers are up to? He sternly focused on Buffy, ignoring the pleading glance the girl shot the vampire.
"You know I would have disapproved," the watcher continued, his usually warm eyes cold as ice. "But would have helped you in the end."
Vampire and slayer looked him over in shock.
"You would have helped us?" Buffy stuttered. "Are you sure?"
"Good Lord, Buffy," he groaned, purposefully ignoring the vampire's flinch. "You're my slayer, I may not agree with your way of handling things, but I'll always be on your side - anyway, what experience do you have with complex spells? What if the whole bloody spell went wrong? What...?"
"But Willow..."
Without a warning Giles dropped into the center of the circle, all fury mysteriously disappeared.
"So everybody knew," it wasn't a question. "Everybody except for me."
"But..." Buffy was about to jump to her feet.
"it wasn't like this, watcher." Spike held her back, taking her hand into his. "They all wanted to tell you," he warningly squeezed the slayer's fingers. "But I convinced them to better keep this away from you - what were you supposed to tell your little Council friends..."
"Vampire logic!" Giles shot him a murderous glare."now give me that spell, so I can read it over!"
The slip of paper in his hand he stomped off to his office.
"Well, what do you think?" Spike grinned at the girl.
"You're a terrible liar!" She teased, brushing a quick peck on his cheek.
***
"Ohmigod, look at him, Spike! Isn't he gorgeous!"
Buffy exclaimed in mock excitement, attracting not only Liam's but also the attention of every single vampire inhabiting his lair.
"You!" Liam had her pinned to the wall in less than a second. He deliberately slipped into game-face knowing how much she resented his demon. But this time, to his ultimate surprise, the girl didn't even flinch.
"Didn't I tell you, you made a dashing brunette!" She instead turned towards her blonde companion, all the while twirling a strand of curly dark hair.
Liam's head shot up, and his blue eyes darted wildly between Anne and her friend. Something seemed wrong - who was the git, and why the heck couldn't he sense her usual fear any longer? He growled at the girl for good measure and nearly jumped in surprise, when she, a playful smile on her lips, growled back at him.
"That's it, slayer!" A wave of anger emanating from the peroxide blonde hit him like an iron fist. "You,"in a split second the girl was yanked out of his grip and shoved towards his minions. "Kill those morons, and I," all of a sudden Liam found himself face to face with a fuming blonde vampire. "Shall take care of this twit!"
Liam never had a chance to react.
He only caught a glimpse of the massive crowbar, before he was knocked off his feet.
***
"I told you, you looked cool. All curly and dark..."
"Slayer, your taste in men..."
"But Spike, this guy is you..."
Liam groaned. his head was throbbing like crazy and he hadn't got the slightest idea of what was happening to him.
The quibbling stopped.
But he'd recognized one of the voices - Anne!
Next thing he knew his memory kicked in and his groan turned into a snarl when it came back to him what Anne and her styleless companion had done to him. His eyes snapped open and his head shot up. Liam blinked, he was in a some kind of cage, facing a row of strong metal bars.
"You!" He glared hatefully, when he caught sigh of the two curious faces watching him from outside the cage.
Ignoring them for one moment Liam had a quick look around the room. No, this was impossible, a frown appeared on his face.
There was Angelus and Dru less than three meters away from him, locked up in similar confinements.
His frown deepened, the longer he looked at his sire, if his ensouled self had killed the bastard, then how comes he was here?
***
Chapter 13
"Slayer, come here!" Liam barked.
"Yes, lover, why don't ya come over and explain why this moron childe of me seems to have multiplied!"
For the very first time Liam actually looked-looked at the bleached blonde by Anne's side.
It had been more than a century ago, since he'd last seen his reflection. And his chin nearly dropped to the floor, when he realized Angelus was right, the poorly dressed vampire definitely was him.
"Anne?" He asked tentatively, thoroughly confused.
"It's Buffy," the blonde corrected him coldly.
"Although Anne should be back anytime soon."
"This is getting ridiculous." A much-annoyed Angelus muttered under his breath, hostile glare at the lot.
"Angelus, shut up!"
Liam's head jerked towards Spike, surprised by the other man's harshness. When his eyes met the slayer he nearly died a second death, only this time of amazement, when he realized her emanating cold fear by the plain look at his sire. Why would Anne be afraid of Angelus, he wondered, as far as he knew the two of them had never met before.
"Hello everybody!"
At this very moment a tiny blonde figure cheerfully burst through the door.
"Lovebug!" She blew a mock kiss at one of the cages and it's already infuriated inhabitant instantly roared.
"You are so dead, slayer!" Angelus rumbled, but the twinkle in his eyes betrayed the harshness of his words.
"Think of a different phrase, cutie," the girl retorted, turning towards the rest of the set. "This one is so out..."
Her smile faltered and her face took on a ghostly white.
"Liam?" She whispered, and before any of them had a chance to react she had already passed out on the floor.
"Anne!!!" Angelus viciously rattled at the bars, then shot a grave look at Buffy. "Slayer, you better open this door. Now!"
***
"You're alright?"
When Anne opened her eyes she found herself inside one of the three metal cages with a fully vamped-out Angelus hovering atop of her. Two sides of the cage were covered with several layers of blankets, shielding them from the curious eyes of their fellow prisoners.
"He was just about ready to tear apart the cage."
Willow apologized lamely. "So we thought..."
She helplessly shrugged.
"That's it, official part's over." Angelus cut in bluntly. "Now fuck the hell off!!!"
***
"All right, smart ass," Liam vemomously snapped at Drusilla. "Any idea what this one's all about?"
It was a rhetorical question, as he didn't seriously expected any help from the mad vampiress.
Although the brunette hadn't much done or said, the difference between her and the Drusilla he'd met couldn't have been more obvious.
Where the other woman had been ruthless and cold this girl almost seemed child-like and sweet.
And she had such a lot in common with him...
His eyes involuntarily searched out their sire.
Their love for Angelus...
Their despise for the slayer...
Well, not quite the same slayer, but at least the same face...
His lazy smile immediately dimmed, by the mere sight of Angelus curled up around Anne.
How much he hated the bloody bitch...
Now more than ever...
How could she fight him but snuggle up on Angelus...
If only he could get out of the cage...
"It doesn't help."
The quiet words almost made his long-dead heart skip.
"W-w-what???"
Eyes big as saucers he stared at the vampiress, somewaht taken aback.
In all of their one hundred and thirty odd years the only emotions exchanged by them had been nothing but hatred.
Starting from their early fledgling years, where they had savagely competed about their sire's favor. Even after he had been cursed with his soul and long since had found out about his place in the dark-haired man's fancy and bed, his vehement aversion hadn't dimmed one bit.
On the contrary.
Dru's open disapproval of his love for the slayer had slowly but surly pushed Liam over the edge.
And Angelus...
As always protecting his darling Drusilla...
Liam shuddered by the mere thought of that fateful night, and the angry stake he had forced into his chest...
She had let him go - this very night.
Apathically and pale as a ghost.
But ever since, from the moment she had established her position as the new head of the lair, her vicinity had become omnipresent...
"I've tried, but it just wouldn't help."
"Well, excuse me," Liam angrily hissed. "But what the heck are you taking about?"
The look she gave him made him feel incredibly stupid, but still he didn't have an idea what she wanted to say.
"Jealousy."
The quiet statement shook him to the core.
"I hate the bloody chick" he barked at her furiously.
"So what for Christ's sake should I be jealous about?"
"My Spike," Drusilla's indulgence literally seemed unlimited. "The stars were telling me about your love for my Angel.."
Liam's mouth opened and closed a couple of times, but the words just wouldn't come out.
He refused to believe that the batty twit had just ever so casually exposed his most intimate thoughts.
"You know," thoroghly chewing his bottom lip, Liam for the very first time actually looked at the girl. "The two of us would make a magnificent team..."
Chapter 14
Epilogue
Sunnydale
2000, August 24
Watcher's diary
Rupert Giles
It always amazes me how things, given time, work themselves out...
With a soft thud the pen Giles had been using dropped to the surface of the table.
Burying his face in the heels of his hands the watcher tiredly gazed at the mostly blank sheet.
A heavy sigh slipped his lips when he recalled the last couple of weeks. How much he'd feared to never see Buffy again when Spike had introduced him to Anne.
Gosh, he absentmindedly polished his glasses, all the things that had happened since then...
Buffy and Spike - a couple! The very thought of it still took a lot of getting used to.
Or the epitome of weirdness, namely Angelus and Anne...
The watcher still had a pretty hard time to understand how the dark-haired vampire could despise his little slayer with such fierce a passion, while at the same time he'd beat the bloody shit out of Liam for doing the same thing to Anne.
He sight, there was no way he could send a statement like this to the Council.
Especially, how was he to explain the mysterious disappearance of the third unholy couple - Liam and Drusilla...
After many an hour of fruitless discussion, Buffy and Spike had taken matter in their own hand. Without further ado and even worse without anybody knowing they had simply transferred their original truce on to them
They had let them go. Of to Brazil.
He involuntarily ruffled his hair, when he allowed his thoughts to drift back in time.
Chewing his bottom lip, Giles once again gazed at the mainly unused piece of paper.
What the heck was he supposed to put down?
++My slayer has been returned to me, and by the way she's got a new vampire lover.++ or,
++I'm pleased to inform you that Angelus, childe of Darla, Scourge of Europe, won't ever maim or kill here again, compliments to Anne who's agreed to take him along to her world.++
++Oh, you've never heard about Anne? Well, she's Buffy's double from a different reality.++
Nah! Giles decided twirling his pen, this wasn't a good thing to mention.
It never amazes me how things, given time, thought themselves out...
He re-read his initial sentence.
Re-read it again.
And again.
And again.
After half a night of fighting his consciousness he finally made up his mind.
...my slayer has been returned to me..., he wrote quietly, ...with the help of Spike, AKA William the Bloody, childe of formerly mentioned Angelus, a renegade vampire, who...
-end