CT19

Chapter Ninteen

Angel heard Buffy the moment she and her date stepped
onto the porch. He knew the fireworks were about to
start and he wanted Willow by his side when all hell
broke loose. Pulling the redhead to him, he sat her
down on the couch next to him gripping her small hand
into his larger one. The sound of the front door
stopped all conversation; everyone's eyes glued to the
door as it opened slowly. Angel watched as the girl
who once owned him heart and soul walked into the
room, unaware that she had company. It was like
watching a movie in slow motion as Buffy turned toward
the living room, stopping at the sight of all the
people gathered there.

Lindsey looked at all his friends faces, praying that
this would go well and that none of his friends would
get hurt, especially Cordelia. He knew that his
girlfriend was scared to lose the redhead to her
former High School rival. After living on the run for
two years together, Cordelia and Willow considered one
another more as a sister than a friend.

Buffy's smile faded off her lips as she took a look
around the room, her gaze resting on Angel. "Buffy I'm
glad your back." Giles stood, walking cautiously to
the younger woman. "It's rather remarkable I think."

Buffy kept her eyes on Angel, not blinking. "Peter it
seems that my *uncle* has some out of town guests he
didn't tell me about. How about I call you tomorrow."
The young man could feel the tension in the room, and
decided that what ever was going on would be better
with out him. Kissing Buffy on the cheek he let
himself out.

"Why? I thought we all agreed to stay hidden to keep
Dawn safe. Is Glory dead?" Buffy frowned slightly, her
chest tightening. This could be it, the one thing she
always dreaded. Somehow Glory had been defeated, and
once again she was the chosen one. Having to fight the
war she wished she could just turn her back on and
forget all about.

"We don't know. The PTB have been sending Cordelia
visions. They had been living in Louisiana when Cordy
got the first vision to come find me. After that we
found the guys with the second vision, the third
here." Angel spoke. Willows hand clenched tightly in
his.

"I thought you had the PTB strip her of her visions?"
Buffy narrowed her eyes.

"I did, but for reasons of their own the PTB have
taken it on themselves to send her visions to help us
find everyone." Angel watched as Buffy crossed her
arms over her chest, a stubborn look on her face.

"Well it was great to see you all; we'll have to do
this again someday. The way I see it Dawn is still in
danger of Glory finding her, and I wont let *anything*
put her in danger."

"Buffy stop it! They saved my life, Giles too." Dawn
cried out, jumping up from the couch dropping her cup
of hot coco on the floor. "I'm sick of running. Of
having to keep moving every three months. I want a
home again, somewhere I can keep all my stuff, where I
have friends that I know will be around five months
from now."

"You don't understand Dawn, I can't do that... I mean
lose you." Putting a hand to her head Buffy tried to
clear her mind. "This is all to keep you safe." Buffy
reached out to her sister, and frowned when Dawn
stepped back.

"It has nothing to do with me, but everything to do
with you. You don't want to be the slayer anymore. You
say that you want to keep me safe, then where were you
tonight when Giles and I fought that demon?" Dawn
swiped at the tears that streaked her face.

"I told you I was finished with that." Buffy
whispered.

"Are you finished with us too?" Willow asked in a
small voice, keeping her eyes locked on the beige shag
carpet.

"Willow don't get me wrong, I missed all of you. But
after what happened during the last year in Sunnydale
I can't take that much loss again." Buffy took a step
closer to Willow but quickly changed her mind at the
furious glare Angel sent her way.

"I always thought of you as this really strong person.
Funny huh? You were really the weakest one out of all
of us." Cordelia stood. "I'm going back to the hotel.
Willow want to come?" Cordelia turned to look at
Willow who had Angel's hand clenched in her lap.

Willow only nodded and stood, commanding herself not
to cry. That it would do no good. Buffy hadn't missed
any of them. Not really. The girl standing feet from
her was *not* the person Willow had been friends with
in Sunnydale. That girl would've ran to her and hugged
her close. No Buffy was just a shell of the person she
once was.

"I'm ready." Stopping in front of Giles Willow
wrapped her arms around the older man's neck and
squeezed him to her with all her might. "Please
consider coming with us. I'll understand if you don't,
but please promise to think about it." Giles hugged
her back.

"Promise." Giles forced out, already knowing what his
decision would be.

Willow turned to Dawn. "Dawnie, I missed you too.
Please consider as well. I'd love to have you with us
when we find Xander." The younger girl smiled back,
stepping forward quickly and hugging the redheaded
witch.

Willows smile faltered as she pulled herself from
Dawn's embrace. "Willow I'll be leaving soon also, why
don't you and Cordelia wait for us?" Angel's voice
brought Willow's gaze to his, and he took a deep
breath at the pain in her eyes. Damn he knew that any
form of rejection from Buffy would tear his witch's
heart.

"I just want to get some sleep. I'll see you when you
come back." Leaning forward she brushed her lips on
his cheek. When she pulled away to leave Angel crushed
her to him.

"No baths, I don't think I can handle having to dress
you two nights in a row." He whispered in her ear,
trying to lighten the mood. Willow blushed and nodded.
Going over to Cordelia's side. Buffy opened her mouth
to say something, only to snap it shut.

"We're gonna go with them." Lindsey and Gunn also
stood. "Like Cordy said I hope you decide to come with
us, but I'll understand if you don't." Gunn slapped
Angel on the back in a friendly gesture, Lindsey
followed Gunn out.

"Did you feel the love in that room?" Gunn asked when
they got outside. Descending the front steps Lindsey
let out a snort.

"Loads. I felt less tension during one of Wolfram and
Hart's end of the year meetings." Lindsey missed the
sour expression on Gunn's face at the mention of the
evil law firm. The ex-lawyer was more concerned about
his girlfriend's emotions at that moment to realize
his slip.

"Did you catch little Miss things expression when
Angel hugged Willow?" Gunn nudged Lindsey, chuckling
at the memory of the blonde's obvious shock. "Man it
was priceless."

"I'm sure that it was." Lindsey could see Cordelia and
Willow up ahead. There bodies close to one another, he
could tell that Cordelia was saying something to
Willow, probably trying to cheer the witch. "I thought
these people were the death till you part kind of
people. What the hell was that back there?"

Gunn kicked at a rock lying in the gutter and
shrugged. "From what Wes said the real power the
slayer had was the friends that backed her up. Guess
he was right on the money. It was the people behind
the slayer that were the real threat to the things
that goes bump in the night."

"It was the same for Angel in LA. Without you Wes and
Cordelia Wolfram and Hart would have had one evil
soulless vampire on their side. It was the three of
you that gave Angel so much power. The only difference
between Buffy and Angel is that Angel knows this,
Buffy doesn't seem to have a clue."

Gunn nodded silently slightly embarrassed at Lindsey's
backhanded compliment. By the time they got to the
hotel they had caught up with the girls. Seeing Willow
to her room then retire to their own.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm going with them." Dawn hadn't moved from her spot
that she had just said good-bye to Willow.

"No, you're not. I won't allow it." Buffy nearly
shouted back. Taking a deep breath she tried to make
sense of the emotions that threatened to take over any
rational thinking.

"Buffy it doesn't make any sense for us to keep
running. It's a part of us; all of us, to fight what
threatens man kind." Buffy turned to Giles in
disbelief. "Perhaps at first we had no choice, but all
that we've been doing the last year is just hiding
behind a threat that may no longer be there."

"Not you too. Giles of anyone I'd think that you'd
understand this the most. As long as we don't have
proof that Glory is dead, Dawn is still in danger."

"So what, we run from one demon-."

"God." Buffy interrupted Angel.

"God. But we let how many other demons take control of
the night? The least we can do is stay out of Glory's
way if she is still around, but keep on helping
people. It's the right thing to do." Angel ignored the
icy glare Buffy sent to him, hoping to somehow break
through to the girl that still had to be somewhere
inside.

"The right thing to do? That's got to be the stupidest
thing I've heard in a long time. Do you know how many
people I have lost doing the right thing? Too many to
count." Turning her back to him again she looked back
at Giles and Dawn. "Do what you want. But I'm
staying." Leaving the room her back ridged in anger,
Giles let out a long sigh.

"When are we leaving?" Angel looked at the Englishman
in surprise.

"You still want to come?"

"WE want to come." Dawn added.

"What about Buffy?" Wes asked looking at over at Giles
and Dawn.

"She's a big girl. If she changes her mind later on
great. But this is my life too, and I'm ready to live
it again, the way *I* want to." Dawn all of a sudden
no longer looked like the fifteen-year-old Angel had
last seen, but the young woman that she really was. He
knew that no matter what reasons Giles and Dawn had he
knew that Buffy would place the blame at his feet. But
seeing the determined looks on the two people standing
feet away Angel couldn't seem to care.