Fate's Burning

By Carrie

 

Something was wrong. There was still pain where there should only be peace, even though she knew it would only have been for a short time. Her curiosity was cut short as she thought of her lover and what he was about to do. Taking no time to wonder at what miracle had allowed her to keep her purchase on this body, Grace rose from the steps, hurrying toward the music room. Strains of their song echoed through the halls, but even that was overshadowed by the barely audible click of a trigger being pulled back. Taking advantage of the preternatural strength she now possessed, she quickly burst through the doors, horrified at what she saw. The gun was being lifted, aiming for a fatal shot. Something more than her love for James urged her to stop this. She knew that someone else would suffer as greatly as she and James had. Though she knew there wouldn’t be enough time, she propelled herself across the room. Only seconds before she got there, James was already starting to pull the trigger. Landing hard against the small body, she was able only to knock the gun from its aim. She heard the young girl cry out in pain as the bullet ripped through her chest, and a voice that wasn’t her own cried out in denial of this. Through the frightened eyes of the girl who now lay dying, she saw James gazing up at her, begging for her forgiveness, for her love. She gave it without hesitation. A smile shone briefly, and she knew that James was finally at peace. It was over.

He was disoriented, confused. Angelus narrowed his eyes as he gazed around the room he now found himself in. Feeling the slight weight clutched tightly in his grasp, he looked down, stunned at the sight. Buffy lay bleeding in his arms, not even fighting to escape him. Fury enveloped him at the thought that someone had taken this triumph from him. Had dared to kill the Slayer before he could. Her breaths were slowing, but clarity suddenly shone from her eyes. The memories of the past few minutes came back to him at the same time and they sickened him. His only satisfaction came from the knowledge that the Slayer was suffering, and he was here to see it. He frowned as her expression suddenly changed, became contented. "Angel?" Though she must have known he wasn’t soul boy, he knew she was finding some happiness out of at least dying in the arms of the man she had loved. Her smile broadened even as her breaths came harder. "It’s over." He didn’t have to ask what she meant. She was going to be with her Angel again. At peace.

He wouldn’t allow it. Couldn’t let her have this victory over him. Even though his soul had left months ago and was now residing in the aether, he knew that the Angel she had loved still suffered. He could sense it, could almost hear him protest everytime his body committed the acts. Though Buffy’s suffering was foremost in his mind, he knew that a part of him thrilled at the prospect of truly being with her again. Much to his disgust, he had never stopped wanting her, never lost his desire to claim her as he had once claimed Drusilla. And they would make a formidable team….

But time was running out. Morphing into his vampire visage, he lifted his wrist to his mouth, opening a vein. Too weak to physically oppose him, she just shook her head, her eyes pleading with him. Of all the victories he had gloried in, none equaled the rapture of this one. He quickly pressed his wounded wrist to her lips, her instinct to breathe finally forcing her to open for him. A slayer to the end, she fought against him. But inevitably, she allowed his blood to flow down her throat. Unable to resist the scent of her own blood being spilled, he lifted her and bit into her throat violently.

Wanting to allow her a final breath, he pulled his wrist away and stopped nuzzling at her throat. Her eyes slid closed, but not before he saw the burning hatred and fear within them. A satisfied smirk crossed his face.

The Slayer had died.

They were still in denial, trying to pretend that the gunshot hadn’t sounded after all. But as time passed, and Buffy still hadn’t emerged from the now wasp-free school, Giles began to break down. He sat and buried his head in his hands even as the teens continued to stare hopefully at the doors, waiting for some indication of life.

A figure finally approached, a lifeless Buffy clutched in his arms. They stared in shock as Angelus came closer, a vicious smile on his face. Giles leapt toward him, but the teens held him back. His sacrifice wouldn’t bring Buffy back.

Angelus just raised an eyebrow at this before stopping a few feet away from them, carelessly dropping the limp body to the ground. He had thought nothing could top the reactions from the gypsy bitch’s death. But this was even better. "Sadly, the pleasure wasn’t mine, in case you were wondering.

Poor James just couldn’t take the guilt after shooting me." He indicated the bloodstained hole in his shirt. "Too bad Buffy got in the way. I tried to stop her, really."

The grief-stricken teens just stared helplessly. Unarmed as they were, there was nothing they could do at the moment. Angelus just continued to smile darkly. "I’m sure I’ll be seeing all of you real soon." Not bothering to explain his enigmatic statement, he turned and strode away. They would find out soon enough.

 

*****

The ticking of the clock was unnaturally loud. Tears had been shed, and had long ago run dry. Now there was just a horrible numbness that blanketed them all. The Slayer’s body was still laid out on the library table, her skin far too pale against the blackness of her clothes. Cordelia and Xander were huddled together on the steps, the brunette comforting him even through her own pain. Giles had quickly seen fit to call Oz, and he was gently rocking Willow as she made tiny mewling sounds, like those of a wounded kitten. But he couldn’t bring himself to leave his slayer.

So he was the first to know.

The low moan was the first indication that something wasn’t right, but even that was easily dismissed. Bowing his head, he rested his forehead against the hard wood of the table, and silence again reigned. Until her icy fingers began fluttering within his grasp. He released his grip on her, standing so suddenly that the chair flew across the room, shocking the occupants of the room out of their grief-induced stupor. "Giles?" Willow and Xander approached him slowly; wondering for a moment if he wasn’t possessed himself.

He could only gasp, shock preventing him from speaking clearly. "She…. she…" A look of understanding crossed Willow’s face, and she reached out to gently squeeze his hand. "I know, I can’t believe it either." Tears again flooded her eyes, but Giles was too focused on Buffy to notice. "N-no. That isn’t it. She moved. Buffy moved." He tried to ignore the pitying looks the teens gave him. If he hadn’t felt it himself, he might have reacted the same way.

It was Xander who finally spoke. "She couldn’ t have. She’s dead, Giles."

"I know that, but…."

"But what? I really hope this isn’t your idea of a joke. ‘Cause I don’t find it funny." Grief had momentarily been pushed aside by his anger. Anger at whom, he didn’t know. Angel? Giles? Whoever had made her the slayer in the first place? "She’s dead and that’s all there is to it. She isn’t coming back, no matter how much…" He stopped speaking as another low groan was heard. But this time it’s source couldn’t be disputed. It was coming from the tiny blonde figure lying on the table. They watched in shocked silence as Buffy slowly sat up and gazed around curiously. A slow smile stretched across her face as she took in their stunned faces.

"Geez, you all look like someone died." Willow was the first to respond, running to embrace her friend. Xander and the others followed close behind. Only Oz refused to go near her, just gazed at her with narrowed eyes.

"You guys might want to get away from her." Hostile faces turned his way, wondering at his callousness. In typical Oz fashion, he merely nodded at the unasked question. "There’s something wrong with her." "Of course there’s something wrong with her. She just died, again. I think." Xander frowned as he released her, finally acknowledging the coldness of her skin.

Buffy let out a high-pitched giggle. "You should listen to the nice doggie over there. He doesn’t want you to get bitten."

Turning back to look at her, they quickly backed away. She was in full game face.

Her smile turned into a pout as they moved even farther away. "Aw, and here I was thinking you missed me."

"Buffy?" Giles looked at his slayer incredulously. "Giles." She smiled mockingly at him. "Some watcher you are. Thought you would’ve figured it out by now. Course, you’re probably still upset about Jenny. Guess you’re a little slow these days, aren’t you?" Pain coursed through him and she smiled at the distress she had caused.

"I’m gonna kill him." Amused, Buffy slipped back into her human visage and looked innocently at Xander.

"Kill who? Oh, that’s right, Angel. I’ve heard this one before. Funny, you haven’t been able to do it every other time you said that." A menacing look crossed her face. "But I wouldn’t recommend that you try it now. You know, once you start to see things his way, he really isn’t such a bad guy." Bored with her current position, she hopped up from the table and sauntered towards them slowly.

Xander felt a cold hand wrap around his heart as he watched her approach. But his fear diminished slightly when he felt Giles push something into his hand. He nodded understandingly at the Watcher and clutched the stake tighter.

Unable to believe the changes in her friend, Willow hadn’t backed up quite as far as the rest of them. She finally understood what Buffy had gone through with Angel. "Buffy? There’s gotta be some part of you still in there."

"Déjà vu, I could swear I’ve said that before." Buffy shrugged and shot them a triumphant smile. "But as long as we’re into repeats…" Before anyone could react, she grabbed Willow, squeezing her throat painfully. "Hmm, now this definitely seems familiar. Maybe we can have it end differently this time."

"I don’t think so." She frowned as she felt a sharpness at her back. Without letting go of Willow she turned her head to look at Xander.

"Ooh, big man gonna stake the slayer? And here I thought you loved me." His face reflected his uncertainty, but he didn’t move the stake. "I loved Buffy." Despite his brave words he found his resolve fading. He knew it wasn’t really her saying these things to him, but wasn’t sure he could go through with it.

Wherever Buffy was now, he immediately forgave her for any hesitations with Angel.

"But you could have so much more fun with me."

"Not even." In her dark flirtations with Xander, she hadn’t noticed Cordelia approach until she felt a burning pain. Snarling, she released Willow and frantically wiped the holy water from her arm. "Bitch." She swung out at the brunette, sending her flying against the wall. Xander rushed to check on the dazed girl.

Buffy looked at the group of people around her and couldn’t help but worry. They had all learned well from her. "I think I’ll be on my way now. But I’ll be sure to stop by and visit you all sometime. Maybe I can bring my new family for dinner." Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she quickly made for the library doors, stopping when she heard the sound of a crossbow being loaded.

"You remember this, I’m sure." Giles’ voice had lost any of its gentleness.

"A favorite of yours, if I recall correctly."

His arm wavered as she turned to look at him, her face back to normal again.

"But Giles, I’m hungry. And unless I can find someone here who can spare a pint or two…well, a vampire has to eat, you know." Giles grimaced at her reference. "I’ll use this if you force me to. And unlike Xander, I won’t hesitate." He turned to the teens who were now huddling together. "You should leave. I don’t think you’ll want to be here for this."

None of them looked as if they were planning on moving any time soon. "Can we at least say goodbye?"

Willow spoke for all of them. Giles just shook his head sadly and she looked at him confusedly. It was Xander who understood. "There’s no one to say goodbye to, Will. She wouldn’t want to be remembered like this."

Giles smiled gratefully at Xander. "Come and see me tomorrow, all of you."

None of them looked back.

*****

Her eyes followed them hungrily, turning back to Giles once they were out of sight. "Wanted me all to yourself, Giles?" Buffy walked seductively towards him. "I’m really sorry for what I said about Jenny. That was rather insensitive of me, wasn’t it? But I can make you feel all better, if you want." Ignoring the crossbow pointed at her, she reached out to touch his chest. Furious, Giles slapped her hand away.

"Oh, now that wasn’t very nice. I get rather angry when people treat my children like that."

Angelus stood by the doors, glaring at Giles before turning to Buffy. "And shouldn’t you have eaten by now? With such an array of choices I left for you, too." He wagged a finger at her as if scolding an insolent child.

She glared petulantly at her sire. "They wouldn’t let me. Besides, you left me alone with them."

Angelus just smirked. "And you just let them go." He looked disappointed in her. "I can’t teach you everything. Some things just have to come naturally." He finally turned to address Giles. "I told you I didn’t kill her. I just took advantage of the situation. Poor little girl shot herself. What else was I supposed to do?"Angelus finally seemed to have noticed the crossbow leveled at her chest and hurried her away from the angry watcher. "Maybe you’ve forgotten, those things tend to be unhealthy for us."

She fingered the buttons on his shirt, smiling playfully. "Maybe you’ve forgotten. Giles would never do that to me. He loves me too much. Don’t you, Watcher?" Giles didn’t lower the crossbow, but the accuracy of her words had obviously hit home.

Angelus raised an eyebrow as he wrapped an arm around her. "Just like your Slayer, aren’t you Giles? No wonder she couldn’t kill me." He gave the watcher a reproachful look. "So much compassion for the enemy, maybe you’ll teach your next slayer better. This one was pitifully easy to kill."

Offended, Buffy snarled at him but he lightly slapped her face and she stopped, looking resentfully up at her sire. "See? Discipline always works well. Try it sometime."

"Maybe I will." Buffy was looking up at Angelus longingly, with a reverence that made Giles nauseous. He had always worried over how the end would finally come for her. And of all the ways he had imagined, he suspected that this was the worst.

He forced himself to adopt the clinical detachment of a watcher, to forget what this girl had once meant to him. Pulling a vial of holy water from his pocket, he splashed some on Angelus’ hand, loosening his grip around Buffy. Before the vampire had time to react to the pain, Giles yanked her away from him and towards the cage, roughly pushing her into it. Without taking his eyes or the crossbow off the enraged vampire, he aimed the vial at Buffy threateningly.

Fear for his childe overrode the searing pain and he started towards her, stopping when he realized the Watcher’s intentions. Expressing a confidence he wasn’t sure he possessed, he laughed harshly at the tableau before him. "Oh no, don’t think I’m going to fall for your little plan. Let’s see, you lock us up in that cage of yours, and give us a little suntan, is that it? Besides, you wouldn’t want to hurt your poor, innocent little slayer, would you?"

Giles glanced at his ‘innocent little slayer’ who was again in full game face, glaring fearfully at him then looked back at her sire. "Are you willing to take the chance?" Recognizing his determined tone, Buffy looked frantically at Angelus, eyes begging for his help. Though she had been a powerful slayer, new vampires were often dependant on their sires, and considering her emotional attachment to Angel, Buffy was doubly so.

Giles felt bad for what he was putting her through, and tried to remind himself that it wasn’t Buffy he would be hurting. They were at a stalemate, but he knew he couldn’t let it continue. Sooner or later, one of them would forgo caution and attack him. When Angelus made no effort to come closer he steeled himself, sending the water flying toward her. It struck her chest and neck and she cried out before falling down to the ground, whimpering as it left an ugly redness behind.

He looked coldly at Angelus. "I have four vials left." Concern for Buffy was evident on the vampire’s face and Giles breathed a sigh of relief that he had judged correctly, even as he was somewhat surprised. A vampire wasn’t usually so concerned with his offspring. The connection between the two was even stronger than he had always believed. Holding up a hand in surrender, Angelus slowly walked toward the book cage.

He had kept his human face and made no effort to attack, but Giles kept his grip on the crossbow nonetheless. Seeing him approach, Buffy’s face brightened and she reached out for him. Angelus knew he was sealing his fate, but couldn’t bring himself to abandon her to the watcher’s intentions. He had what Buffy had referred to as his "ripper face" on, leaving no doubt as to how far he would go if pushed. Kneeling down next to her, he gently ran his hands over the marks left by the holy water. She winced at the contact, but moved even closer to him, garnering some comfort by his nearness.

Giles watched their reunion for a moment, then quickly locked the cage door behind them, ignoring the growls that issued from their throats at being confined. All he could do now was wait. Wait and watch as the slayer and her lover clung to one another. Even now they made a beautiful couple, though that beauty was marred by a darkness that Buffy and Angel had never possessed. A darkness he knew would be deadly if unleashed onto the world. Any thoughts he might have had of allowing them to live immediately fled.

Angelus was holding her protectively, and both were glaring fiercely at Giles. But they seemed resigned to what would soon happen. He let his gaze wander up to the little window that would see the coming dawn. Giles smiled sadly as he acknowledged that there was nowhere in the book cage where the two vampires would be able to find shelter. Gazing especially at the girl who had once been his slayer, he had to force himself to harden his heart; to forget that this was one of the most painful ways for her to die. Time passed, and it was now only minutes to sunrise. Angelus actually looked almost afraid, and Buffy had long ago stopped looking at him, instead burying her head in Angelus’ shoulder, whimpering pitifully at the coming dawn. And while he relished the thought of watching Angelus burn, he knew Buffy had done nothing to deserve this, vampire or not. Yet, he couldn’t bear the thought of separating them now, and didn’t think either of them would let that happen.

He found himself fixated as the first rays of sun filtered through the window. Watched as Angelus pulled himself on top of Buffy in a vain effort to protect her. It wasn’t until the brightness of the flames went out and the screaming stopped that Giles allowed himself to feel again. And it was killing him.

Grateful that he had forced the others to go home, he opened the cage and knelt beside their mingled ashes, wondering if it could have ended another way. Perhaps it was inevitable. True happiness had never been in the cards for Buffy and Angel. Fate had brought them together, and fate had burned

them.But at least they could rest now.

Sifting the ashes through his hands, he said a silent farewell before he opened the window. He had to turn away as a warm breeze filtered into the library, blowing away the remains of something that had once been so beautiful.

The End

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