DEALING

DEALING

Disclaimer: I own absolutely no part of the characters from Buffy: The Vampire Slayer or Angel (I wish I did but…)

 

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Summary: Tenth in a series.

 

A/N: I am not intending to completely rewrite every part of every script, if there are parts missing just assume they went the same way they did in the show. In the beginning of ‘Couplet’ when Angel and Lorne are talking about Cordy, well in my version they are still talking but about Buffy and the fact she is leaving. Missing out ‘Couplet’, ‘Loyalty’ and ‘Sleep Tight.’ In all of these just imagine Angel is super broody about Buffy not being there and any conversations he may have about Cordy can be changed round so they are about Buffy.

 

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Gunn, Fred and Lorne are sat in Wesley’s office in the hotel. Lorne has relayed the bad news about Connor’s abduction by Holtz.

“I don’t believe it…”

“Don’t believe what?” The group turn to see Buffy stood in the doorway. “Hey guys, where’s Angel?” The three give looks to each other. “What?”

“Buffy maybe we should fill you in on what’s been going on since you left.” Buffy drops her bag and sits with them. Gunn begins to retell the story.

“He can’t be gone.” Buffy shakes her head in disbelief when Gunn has finished with the story.

“He is.” Fred joins Buffy, shaking her head as well.

No. It can't be. The baby's not gone.”

“I'm sorry, sweetie. But he is.”

“Not like that.” She pauses and looks down. She looks up and continues. “Not a portal.” They see the fear in her eyes, Gunn takes a step toward her... she takes a step back.

“Fred...”

“There's pulling and there's noise and there's nothing to hold on to...nothing at all...”
“Baby...” She looks at him, lost, dew-eyed.

“He must've been so scared.” Gunn has no words of comfort for that. He reaches out, puts his arms around her. She lets him.

“I know.” That desolate silence again. Now Gunn turns to Lorne, getting pissed but containing it. Frustration.

“I have to go talk to Angel.” Buffy runs out of the office and up the stairs. When she reaches Angel’s room she doesn’t even bother knocking, she just goes in. She stands there, unsure of what to do next.

“Buffy.” She winces, the way he says her name. It has never been like that. So cold and empty. It was also soft and gentle, like a lover’s caress. She goes over and sits beside him.

“I should have been here and I’m sorry. It’s my fault. But we’ll get him back, I promise you.” He finally looks at her.

“No we won’t. I will.”

“Angel…”

“You have your own battles to fight.”

“Yours is more important.”

“He wasn’t important to you when he was here.”

“I never said that.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“You gave him the same name as our son. In heaven I said that I saw everything and you got your Shanshu, and you told me that you’d give it away in return for my life. They didn’t accept your offer, said you earned it, but your willingness to give it up touched them, enough to give me back. That’s how it was meant to happen. We had a boy, you called him Connor, a girl called Katherine and another boy called Logan.  So maybe I didn’t warm to him straight away but he was meant to be my son and he was hers.” She was crying and he joined her. She sat beside him again and pulled him to her. He buried his face in her shoulder and cried. “I’ll make it better. I promise.”

 

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What's next is we stop and reconsider this. Angel, you're messing with primordial powers of darkness here.”

“Next?” Before she can answer, Lorne moves right in front of Angel, gets in his face, makes him look at him.

“Is this really how you wanna get Connor back?” Angel hits Lorne with a look, but speaks to Lilah.

What's. Next.”

“What’s next is you listen to what Lorne is telling you.” Everyone turns to see Buffy standing in the entrance to the hotel. Angel looks at her, his gaze is pleading.

“Buffy.” Lilah looks at her as does Linwood, they then look at each other and smile.

“Human blood.” Buffy walks over and gets between Lilah and Angel.

“Angel you do this and there is no more. And what I told you about the future, about Katherine and Logan, it’s never gonna happen, no matter how many gifts you get. But then again you really think you deserve that gift after doing something like this?” Angel looks over at Lilah. She gets the message. She turns to the counter where all manner of mojo items have been set out, more candles, roots and herbs, small jars of powder, and a large ceremonial knife. She picks it up... then turns to Linwood.

We play the look between them. He's still her boss. Lilah half-smiles. Beat. Continues eye contact with Linwood. Holds up her left hand. Holds up the knife. Then draws the blade down her palm, never breaking eye contact with Linwood. Lorne sees that there's no talking sense to anyone here. Backs away to a corner, bracing himself, as... Lilah moves to the pentagram, squeezes her fist over the centre, dripping blood onto the pentagram. Angel faces the giant pentagram before he says anything he hears the noise of the door banging closed. He notices Buffy has gone. He looks at the pentagram and then to the door. His gaze travels back and forth for about 5 minutes. Buffy appears again. She walks in. she makes her way over to Wesley’s office. “Don’t mind me, just carry on with your extremely dangerous ritual involving dark magic, I just forgot my bag.” Angel looks down at the incantation. Buffy reaches the door bag in hand. She opens the door. She turns back. “Goodbye Angel.” Her words sound so final and he knows she isn’t playing about.

“Don’t go.”

“Don’t do this and I won’t.” He looks at her and then back to the pentagram.

“Buffy I…”

“Shut the fuck up. You want your son back, well guess what you have to deal with the fact that you won’t get him back this way. And in the process you’ll make this whole situation worse. You know what I want, I want to be in heaven again. That be real nice but not happening. I am offering you the chance to get your son back and keep me in your life, I’m not saying that part will be easy but still. I’m offering all this, maybe it’ll take a while longer than what you’re about to do. But I don’t break promises, so my way is a sure thing, is this?” Angel let the paper fall to the ground. Buffy walked over and took her crying love into her arms.

“I just want my son back.” She strokes the hair at the back of his neck.

“I know and you’ll get him.”

 

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(A/N: Since Buffy stopped Angel opening the portal the whole of The Price didn’t happen so I am skipping ‘Double Or Nothing,’ let’s just pretend that whole episode focused on Buffy and Angel talking about his son. And the other talking too. Now in my version of ‘The Price’ it’s just the Cordy and Groo coming back part and the Connor coming through the portal.)

Angel, Cordy, Buffy, Gunn, Fred, Lorne and Groo are sat in the lobby. Cordy and Groo have just got back from vacation. They have just explained what has been happening lately. During Lorne’s retelling of the tale Buffy slipped her tiny hand into Angel’s and squeezed. He turned and smiled at her, thankful she was there. As soon as he got his son back they’d talk about her. But on the whole she did seem better now, good even. Maybe her time away had been what she’d needed. Suddenly, there's a huge electrical charge in the middle of the lobby, accompanied by a loud clap of thunder. A dimensional tear opens up and a huge, ferocious monster emerges from it. Groo pushes Cordy back, and raises his axe. Everyone else instinctively steps back. Except Angel, who stands his ground. The monster faces Angel, rears up, roars and then... something else emerges from the tear, somersaulting once, twice -- At which time a glistening blade swipes at the monster, cleaving its head and torso in two -- and a third time, and lands on its feet as the huge, ferocious monster falls dead. This something else is in fact a teenage boy, roughly 16, adorned with jewellery made from the teeth, bones and other trophies of the many unfortunate demons and creatures he's butchered. Strapped to one forearm is a curved, serrated blade (the one that killed the huge beastie). And in his other hand, an exotic and lethal looking, handheld weapon from which protrude a half-dozen sharpened stakes. The boy raises up his weapon, aims it directly at Angel's heart and says:

“Hi. Dad.”

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