The Nostradamus Prophecy
Prologue:
The hospital doors burst open.
" Somebody please help me," he cried. The anguish in his voice audible to all within the room. The man was imposing, tall and dark, the look on his face one of absolute horror, as if the world itself was about to end. He gently cradled a small blond woman, who lay still and lifeless within his arms.
" Please," he cried again. "she has lost a lot of blood, please save her ." The emergency room suddenly sprang to life. Doctors and nurses rushed towards the couple, placing the woman on a gurney, within seconds they had disappeared into the ICU.
The man stood swaying for a moment, his arms outright as if he still held his precious bundle. He moved towards the direction they had taken her and then slowly, like a great oak axed in the forest, he toppled towards the floor.
Part 1:
Buffy smiled weakly at the visitors in her room. She knew she did not have much recovery time before she had to go for the big showdown with the Mayor. Part of her wished they would all just leave her alone so she could sleep before it happened. Her mum was fusing, fluffing the pillows around her, Giles was pacing back and forth by the window. Willow was sitting quietly to one side, Oz her constant shadow. Xander was just getting in the way, annoying everyone with his constant comments and sarcastic jokes.
Buffy smiled more sincerely now. It amazed her that while she had almost had all of her blood drained from her body, by the man she loved more than anything in the world, her friends still rallied round just as they had done many times before. Some things never changed.
A slight knock on the door bought all the activity in the room to a halt as one of the doctors who had treated her entered. " Ms Summers " he said sternly " Its really against hospital policy to have so many people in your room at one time. I don’t think you appreciate the seriousness of your injury. You really were seconds away from death. Its gonna take a long time before you can be on your feet again ."
Buffy stared at him incredulously * like I could really stop them from coming in here. * she thought * who taught you your bedside manner, Snyder *. However before she could summon the strength to verbally retaliate the doctor headed towards the door.
" Ohh " he said before he left "your friend, the guy that bought you in, we’ve managed to stabilise his pulse, but I’m afraid he hasn’t regained consciousness yet " and with that dramatic, and tactless statement he turned and left the room, leaving its stunned and bewildered occupants in his wake.
Xander, never considered the brains of the group, finally spoke into the stunned silence " Did he just say Deadboy had a pulse. "
Part 2:
The extremely slow, but steady beep that emitted from the monitor, was devastating proof that " deadboy " sorry " Angel " did indeed have a pulse.
" Giles " Buffy asked, from the wheelchair they had managed to steal for her " what’s happening ? "
Giles brow furrowed, he took his glasses off, polishing them gently with a soft cloth, as he always did when he didn’t have a clue what was going on. " I don’t know " he half stuttered " it seems that one of the side effects of drinking your blood may have been to turn him…" he trailed off. Unwilling to provide the obvious end to his sentence.
" We’ll human or not I’ll still kill him " Joyce said as she barreled in from the door way, one of the janitors mops raised high above her head " he tried to eat my daughter ". The room erupted at once, Buffys and Willows cries of horror mixed with Xander and Giles approval.
" Stop it..just stop it " Buffy cried, trying to rise from her chair to protect her lover, before sinking pathetically back as her legs gave way.
" You can’t seriously want to protect him " Xander shouted " he attacked you, nearly killed you and you still want to get into his pants ???"
" He didn’t " she half whispered, her eyes rapidly filling with tears.
" What " Giles questioned sharply.
Buffy took a deep steadying breath. She knew that, with the exception of Willow and possibly Oz, none held any love for the man lying in the bed. She doubted that even Willow would understand or approve of what she had done.
" I forced him ….." she trailed off.
" Yeah right " Xander replied " No Buffy I can’t do it, you can’t make me, I’ll never forgive myself…." He retorted mimicking Angel’s soft tones. Buffy turned the wheel chair and rolled over to the bed. Taking one of Angels large hands with her small ones, she finally looked at the group, tears spilling down her face.
" He was dying, he was in so much pain …….. he wanted to say goodbye. And I wouldn’t let him. I couldn’t….I told him to drink from me " her voice sobbed " He begged me not to say it, he begged me to let him die in peace…he refused to take my blood, so I hit him. He was in so much pain, he was dying and weak and I hit him, again and again. "
" Why ? " Willow asked, her heart breaking at the pain on her friends face.
" Because I knew he wouldn’t do it. I knew the only way he’d drink from me was if he lost control…..if he was in so much pain that he would only be able to act on instinct "
Giles looked at her, the disappointment evident," you were willing to die….to risk everything for this demon."
" Wouldn’t you…to save Jenny ? "
The Ripper voice suddenly came to the fore " That’s entirely different and you know it… Jenny was pure, an innocent….he’s nothing more than a monster, and he would have done the world a favour if he had died. How you can…."
" Woah " came a voice from the door " there is entirely too much tension in this room ". The group turned to see Whistler, the badly dressed demon with a attitude lounging there watching them with an amused grin on his face.
Part 3:
" What the hell do you want Whistler " Buffy demanded.
" Just thought I’d pop in, see how my favourite slayer is doing..plus I wanted to get in early for the Ascension, you know get the best seats in the house for the big show " he replied walking towards the bed. " Well what do you know Mr. Brooding has a pulse "
" What do you know ? " she demanded, although in her vantage point from her wheelchair the demand failed to carry much weight.
" What you haven’t figured it out yet…..its all part of the plan. Jezz I thought Jeeves here, or perhaps the computer nerd would have the brains to see what stage in the script were at."
" Whistler make sense or so help me " Buffy threatened.
" What ? you gonna run me over toots !" He stated as he perched himself on the bed.
" I’m feeling generous so I’ll give you a clue…..when the Master killed you what did he not do ? "
" What kind of question is that ? " she asked
" err, wrong answer…. any other offers ". Whistler said.
" well he didn’t kill her " Xander pointed out.
Whistler looked at him " Is there any reason why you can talk ?. I would have thought you needed all that brain power to like breathe or something."
" I know " Willow cried excitedly " he didn’t drink her blood…..well not much anyway. He just bit her and left her to drown."
" Exactly and WHY was that ?"
Blank faces looked at him expectantly. " How the hell did you lot save the world once, let alone several times…..right I’ll use small words so " Dumbo the elephant " here can understand. Slayer blood is not like normal blood, its special, its what gives a Slayer her powers. In large quantities its also poison to vampires or demons. All that goodness, all that purity….yuck. Believe me toots you are not a gourmet meal for our kind."
" But vampires kill Slayers " Xander blurted out. A sheepish look crossing his face as the others turned to stare at him " well they do " he muttered.
" Yes " Giles exclaimed suddenly " But by injuring or torturing. I’ve never read of a Slayer being drained to death."
" Hallelujah, by Jove I think he’s got it " Whistler nodded with approval.
" So if Buffys blood is poison to Vamps….why the hell was it the cure for Angel " Joyce asked, finally speaking up after having been quiet for so long.
" Ohh a women with looks and brains, shame it didn’t run in the family " Whistler sidled up to Joyce. " You see its only poison from a vamps perspective, kills the demon right off and all that is left is the human body. Normally that would be the end of it, the body would be alive and functioning but the mind would be vacant. Now Mr. luvmachine over here has a soul that can take over the body….I told you its all part of the plan."
" What plan?" Giles questioned.
" The plan….you know Nostradamus prophecy…you have read it ?…call yourself a Watcher ?…I’m working with a bunch of amateurs!"
" Well there was no need to be rude I just…"
" Right " Whistler said, overriding Giles indignation " Here goes…. An an Angel shall be sent, carrying the mark of the phoenix. Guardian equal to the Hand of God, the chosen consort, from whose loins will spring forth the Sword of the Lord, whose strength unsurpassed will conquer the minions of the Prince of lies."
" Yes I know it….its fairly obscure gobbledygook but I fail to see the significance…" Once again Giles was cut of midflow
" Does it help to know that Buffy is the Hand of God " a soft voice muttered from the bed.
" Angel ?"
Part 4:
Angel shifted uncomfortably, feeling like a bug under a microscope, as the occupants of the room stared at him intently. Xander with a look of hatred, Giles and Joyce’s wearing identical expressions of mistrust and Willow with fear, and just a hint of hope. He turned towards Buffy, readying his heart for the pain of seeing the same hatred or fear in her eyes.
" Angel " she questioned again, before promptly bursting into floods of tears. Instinctively he grabbed her, forgetting that she might hate him, forgetting that he was going to leave her, in his desperate need to provide comfort. Her tears always hurt him more than any torture inflicted on him could. He softly rocked her back and forth, crooning gently, whispering nonsensical words, waiting for the storm to pass as he had so many times previous.
" Great " Whistler stated into the uncomfortable atmosphere." Glad to see your awake, I hate having to repeat myself."
The others averted their eyes from the intimate scene on the bed. Seeing Buffy in such an upset state was a shock to all of them. Dispite all the horrors that they had been through they had never seen her break down and cry like a lost child. They realized, with the exception of Xander (who was impossibly dense) that this was a side she kept hidden, that she had previously only allowed Angel to see.
Finally Buffys sob’s lessened, she removed her face from Angel’s soaked shirt before passing a hand over her eyes to wipe away the last remaining tears. With a voice that still trembled slightly she instructed Whistler to continue explaining.
" Right well before Angelboy here decided to wake up from his nap I was explaining…..Ohh hell I might as well just start from the very beginning, they’ll never get it otherwise " With that Whistler began to shimmer slightly, a soft haze surrounding the outline of his body. Gradually the haze diminished leaving behind the figure of an elderly man with a kindly face, dressed in 18th century clothes.
" Well now Master Angelous, what do ye say an have ye no kindly words for ye tutor. Tis a disgrace my boy, the way ye have fallen into bad company " The figure stated, the Irish brogue doing little to mask the sarcastic tones with which they had come to associate the Whistler.
" Jeebers ? " Angel asked, clearly astonished at the transformation. He moved close to the figure that had taken Whistlers place, minutely inspecting the details of his wizened face. Amused eyes stared back at him, before Jeebers/Whistler asked.
" Well my lad.? Has a cat gotten ahold ave ye tongue?"
" Angel, what the hell is a Jeebers " Buffy questioned.
Angel continued to stare at the figure before finally replying " Jeebers was my tutor, my mentor I suppose….when I was still human."
Part 5:
" Is anybody else confused, or is it just me," Oz asked. The puzzled looks on the others faces confirmed that they were right there with him.
" What the hell is going on " Angel asked. Repeating a question that seemed to have been asked several times already.
Whistler/Jeebers continued to smirk, obviously enjoying the bewilderment that echoed around the room. " Well I guess its time for the big denouement ," He said, returning to his normal voice and appearance " I feel just like Poirot …. Nah I hate the Belgian, I feel just like Holmes, he was cool… a little stuffy perhaps…. "
" Will you just get to the point " Giles demanded, using his most authoritive, I want it done and I want it done now voice.
" Very well….gather ye round my little ones and I will tell you a tale of intrigue, of demons, seduction, murder and vice, betrayal and love…"
" Whistler ! " Buffy and Angel shouted together. Remarkably in time.
" O.k, O.k, well were to begin. In the beginning there was the game. This game has been going since the dawn of time. On one side we have the big guy, namely G.O.D or your boss. On the other side we have his opponent, I suppose you would call him the devil, although that name is very misleading. I mean I’ve seen the guy, no pitchfork, no horns on his head, has a thing for Calvin Kleins."
" Calvin Kleins," Cordelia showed the first signs of interest all evening. She then resumed the important task of filling and shaping her nails.
" Anyway the winner of the game gets the world. The rules are fairly simple, the one who has collected the most pieces wins. Unfortunately G.O.D’s opponent is a bit of a cheat, I mean can you really trust someone who’s affectionately referred to as the " prince of lies."
" Wait a minute " Xander asked " What are the pieces ?"
" Well you are of course….the game is to see who can collect the most souls " Whistler responded.
" So were do we fit in ? " Buffy asked.
" Well G.O.D has to play by the rules, he cant directly intervene but has to allow humanity to come to the side of good of its own free will . I mean I’ve argued against it, Old Nick he coerces, bribes, tricks and forces human souls to his side, so surely G.O.D has the right to take more direct steps. But no, he reckons if he breaks the rules, then he’ll be no better than him, its really all a matter of principals. But G.O.D’s actually quite a crafty old coot, I mean he cant break the rules, but if his office staff accidentally break a few then he’ll have to accept that with forgiveness and love. Its why he employs quite a few demons like me, we just love to break the rules."
" Alright " Giles stated " but you still haven’t explained anything, where does Buffy come in ?"
" Well Lucifer really overstepped the mark when he mixed his blood with one of the humans. I mean that’s interference on a genetic level, so rather than call the game null and void they agreed to allow one human to be endowed with the power and strength to destroy the demon/human half-breed. Yeah that’s right a vampire. So the first slayer was called."
" Beelzebub thinking himself clever stipulated that the human had to be a female. Guess he figured hells offspring would stand a better chance against the ‘ weaker sex ‘, boy he really doesn’t know much about women. Unfortunately the slayer was to late, the vampire had already created more of its kind, it was amazing how quickly they multiplied. Because the girl was young G.O.D called on one of his faithful to be a guide and mentor to the girl and lookie here " he said, grabbing Giles and shaking him energetically " the watchers were formed."
Giles quickly shrugged off the overzealous demon and straightened his tweed. Whistler continued "And so the game is deadlocked as it has been for centuries. The Slayer kills vampires, until one manages to kill her and then G.O.D calls another into the extermination business."
" Right, so Buffy is the Hand of G.O.D. This I get. But why did you tutor me ?"
" I think all those centuries have addled your brain my boy. You still don’t get it ? Weren’t you listening at all when I told you the prophecy. Ohh wait you were probably too busy making goo goo eyes at the slayer."
" You are the angel, with the mark of the phoenix " Whistler snorted " Remember prophecy’s are metaphorical, it didn’t mean a literal angel."
" But what’s all that about being equal to the slayer?" Angel asked.
" Well its all due to your sister."
Part 6:
" My sister " Angel asked " But she died before I was born….I was a twin " He added looking at the inquiring faces. " She was miscarried."
" Yeah…but she was also a slayer….I told you its all part of the plan….although I wasn’t in on all of it at that point. See G.O.D was pretty fed up with the evil one constantly cheating so he wanted to get things back on an even tilt. He decided that the Slayer needed a partner, a guardian to protect her back, an equal in all respects. That’s where you fit in. When your sister died you absorbed her power, essentially you would become a male slayer, although as the real Slayer had died female Slayers would still continue to be called. But more importantly G.O.D knew that if you were to mate with a Slayer your offspring would be twice as strong, your union would create the SWORD OF GOD, a soldier able to exterminate all of the demons that roomed the earth. So I was sent to the earth to prepare you, and protect you so that you could fulfill your destiny and mate with the Slayer."
Xander suddenly burst out laughing "Deadboy, your nothing more than a stud for breeding."
If looks could kill Xander would have been several feet under.
" But I wasn’t a Slayer, I never even saw a vampire until I was changed ?" Angel questioned.
" Yeah, well I’m afraid that’s kind of my fault " Whistler admitted looking sheepish. " I thought the best defense against the forces of darkness was innocence. Why did you think you was segregated from the other children, I tried to protect you from all the evils in the world."
" What world " Angel asked sharply in a tone more commonly heard from Angelous. " I didn’t know any world. You took me from my home when I was five. My existence revolved around my studies, I had no friends, no family. I had no life. I woke up at five and went to prayer with the other priests and then studied or trained with you until I fell asleep. That was my world until I was twenty."
" I thought it was for the best " Whistler stated regret filling his tone. " you needed to prepare for the battles that lay ahead of you with no distractions from the outside world. You were one of my best students, your skill in weapons was unsurpassed, yet you had reached your twentieth year and still had demonstrated no special strength. You could best any mortal in a fight, but a vampire could have blown you over. I became worried, perhaps you were not the destined male slayer ?, And so I left you and traveled to consult with other learned men and demons to see if a mistake had been made…..that was my gravest error."
" What happened?" Joyce asked.
" He discovered the world " Whistler replied simply " and all its excesses and boy did he partake of them. In the two years I was gone he discovered drink, gamboling. And that most pleasurable of human sin."
" What was that ?" Buffy asked curiosity aroused as she noticed the expressions that had crossed her loves face.
" Lechery " Whistler replied with a grin " He discovered women."
Part 7:
" Hey, it wasn’t exactly as he made it sound Buff," Angel exclaimed noting the disproving expression on hers, Joyce’s and Willows face. Even Cordelia had looked up from her nails to glare in his direction.
" So why don’t you tell me how it should sound " Buffy asked having a hard time dealing with the idea of Angel with other lovers, even though it was 200 years before she had been born.
With a soft sigh Angel began to gather his thoughts. He had never been one for talking about his past, the memories far too painful, but he would do anything for Buffy, even this.
" Not long after Whistler left I received word that my Father was dying….. I barely knew him, or the rest of my family….. I’d seen them a few times during Christmas but Jeebers…Whistler was always there to supervise. I’d never really questioned why I was sent away to study. My three elder brothers would inherit all the titles, land and tithes from the family. As the youngest male I had little prospect of making an advantageous marriage, and no chance to prosper financially. It was common for the youngest child in wealthy families to be sent to do the work of God, thereby securing the religious well-being of the family and providing a prospective career. I assumed that my Mother and Father believed they were doing the best to give me a secure future…. " He trailed off, having difficulty continuing.
Buffy instantly picked up on that difficulty, their emotional connection such that she instinctively knew that this was going to be painful for her love. Reaching out to hold his hand, and his gaze, she asked gently, "they had another reason..?"
Angel started, he had been so caught up in his memories that he had forgotten where he was. Taking a deep breath, he began talking. His voice reached to all within the room, but really the words were directed to the most important person within his world.
" I was taken to my Father…. Being a good Catholic man he wanted to make amends to me, to confess his sins before God….you see…. I wasn’t his son. I was a bastard, my Mother had had an affair with one of the officers stationed in Galway, and I was the result. Oh divorce was out of the question, it wasn’t condoned then, and my father had too much pride to be seen as a cuckolded man, so he had raised me as his own. No one had ever suspected that I wasn’t of his blood. But I was a constant reminder of my Mothers infidelity and so I had been sent away with Jeebers. The officer, who had died not long after I was born had left a large inheritance for me. My Father had kept that inheritance a secret, I was to have never known of it, but feeling his own mortality and fearing for his soul he now instructed his solicitors to give me full use of the money."
Angel continued looking into Buffy’s eyes, drawing the strength he needed to continue with his story. "I’d just discovered that I was rich…. That the years of isolation, study and prayer had been for nothing. I had been punished because my Mother had lain with another man. I was alone, and without guidance and advice for the first time in my life. I didn’t know who to turn to, but its amazing how many friends you make when you inherit a large sum of money. Suddenly everybody wanted to buy me a drink, invite me to their balls. Mothers were queuing up to introduce me to their daughters. I reviled in it. For I while I ignorantly believed they truly liked me. I fell in love, or so I thought. She was sweet, innocent and pure and I believed such a creature of goodness and beauty must truly be a gift from the gods. I waited patiently for the day we would be married until one day I walked in on her and one of her many lovers. She had been looking for a rich and stupid husband, and I in my ignorance of the truth of human nature had been the perfect fool for her."
He turned more directly towards Buffy, speaking even softer than normal so that all in the room had to strain to hear him. "I once told you that I hated the noblewomen of my time,… that was the reason why. I became bitter and twisted. I delighted in toturing and hurting women just as she had hurt me. " His eyes revealed the deep selfdisgust he felt as he continued.. " I would seduce them, with words of love and desire… then watch in delight as they were forced into marriages with old and ugly men to save their reputation. I became like Valmont from "Dangerous Liasons", except I was much worse. Totally without sympathy or conscience, I squandered my money on every kind of pleasure. It was how Darla found me….. I had been drinking with one of the many sycophants who hung around me….in a whorehouse…..I’d run out of money….and so was heading back to my fathers house……he hadn’t died, his deathbed confession was a little premature, although he never fully recovered from the stroke……when I saw her, Darla , I arrogantly headed towards her thinking only that this was another noblewomen I could play with……instead my actions led me to my death…"
" Well " Whistler interrupted with a cough, "not exactly."
" What do you mean " Angel questioned.
Whistler looked slightly nervous " Darla was waiting specifically for you in that alley!"
Part 8:
" She was what ? " Angel queried, a look of astonishment covering his perfect features.
" Ahh hell kid " Whistler responded, " it was that bloody prophecy….Nostry would have done us all a favour if he’d have died of the plague, or the inquisition…instead he had to live to the ripe old age of 62. I mean it was the 16th century, he should have been pushing up the daises at forty, instead he has to live to complete his " life’s work " and put all his prophecy’s on to paper for everyone to see."
" So who saw it?" Buffy asked.
" The Master " Whistler replied simply, the name sending shivers through everyone in the room, with the exception of Joyce and Oz. "At that time the Master still walked the earth freely, he was pretty much the chief honcho of the whole of Europe….although he spent most of his time in England. Guess he liked the taste of you Brits " Whistler looked towards Giles with a smirk…."Although cant really blame him, I mean all vamps should live in a country that has black pudding as one of its traditional dishes, I mean that stuffs made of blood and don’t even get me started on haggis."
" Whistler " Joyce interrupted in her best mothers voice " your rambling again…get to the point !"
" Sorry " Whistler looked for all the world like a boy with his hand caught in the cookie jar. It seemed it didn’t matter how old you were, demon or human, all responded to the authority welded by the "mother voice."
" The Master knew you were coming " he stated nodding towards Angel " although he…. like most everybody else figured it was a real angel that would be sent. But you had to go and make a name for yourself didn’t ya" He looked towards the rest of the room ".by two years he’d pretty much worked his way through most of Irelands women and had become something of a Legend. Normally this was not something that would attract a vamps attention, but in one of his usual pub brawls he’d managed to behead one of the more prominent Irish vamps."
" I don’t remember that."
" I’m not surprised….you were pissed out of your skull at the time." He responded. "The Master was not stupid…so when he heard that a man called Angelous, baring the tattoo of the phoenix had killed a vamp he wasn’t about to take chances. He sent Darla to Galway, his most favored assassin to kill you . Guess he figured if you were the one then he’d forestall the prophecy and if not then Darla would get a nice meal….although it seems a long way to go to get lunch."
" Instead I was turned into a vampire."
" Why ? " Giles questioned " Why didn’t she kill you ?"
Angel began to blush softly. There were definitely some side effects to the whole turning human thing that weren’t as welcome. He looked helplessly at Buffy, who’d turned to mush, along with the other women in the room at the sight of this man looking shy and embarrassed.
Once again Whistler stepped in with the answer. " Cause she took one look at his ugly mug and wanted him for herself. She wanted a playmate…..and the games they played….lets just say I’m amazed he didn’t go blind."
Part 9:
" We really don’t need to go into all that," Giles stated stiffly.
" No, we really don’t," Angel quickly agreed.
" Ahh, but I want to hear about deadboy and the games…..did you play naughty schoolboy and his nanny…..eracchkkkk." Choking sounds began to emanate from Xanders throat as Buffy tightened her grip about his neck. It seemed that even without being at full strength she was still fairly lethal when she wanted to be.
" You just had to open your big mouth didn’t ya " Whistler said with disgust. " Ya know I’d almost forgotten you were in the room, you actually kept your mouth shut for 10 whole minutes, what was that a world record?"
Buffy finally released the death grip she had around his neck. With a sharp look, she then turned back towards Angel. Xander looked first to Willow, then to Joyce for sympathy, he knew he wasn’t gonna get any from Cordelia. However every one in the room ignored him, save Oz who just shrugged as if to say "well what do you expect."
Whistler now took up the story. " I’d arrived back in Galway the night he was changed but I was too late to stop it. I’d discovered that his latent slayer strength would only be activated when he came into contact with a slayer. He was the chosen guardian….and I failed to protect him….when I first discover he’d been turned I held out hope, perhaps he could still watch the slayers back, but when I saw what he had done to his family, to the children, I knew that the man I had tutored was destroyed."
" Hang on a minute," Willow interrupted diffidently "Why did you think he could still protect the slayer as a vamp, I mean he would be pure evil right? All vamps are?"
" You really are going to make an excellent watcher someday " He responded with a knowing glance at Giles.
" Have you never wondered why some vamps are more viscous than others ? If they were just pure evil they would all be the same, but it doesn’t work that way !. Why do you think Angel is so viscous when he’s Angelous, or why Spike still retains some aspect of his humanity…..his love for Druscilla. You see not only does the demon retain some of the personality of the host, it is also shaped and molded by that personality. Angel is so viscous because at the time of turning he was a bitter and viscous human. Spike is so besotted with Drusilla because he had been devoted to her when he was human."
" If the man I knew two years previous as Angel had been turned, then there was a chance that the demon would be weak, that the humanity within him would be so strong that he could still fulfill some part of his duty. I had seen it happen before, although very rarely. More often than not the humans that become vamps are the dregs of humanity, since they are the ones that the vamps have most access too. The innocent, the good and the pure were seldom wondering around at night in those days."
"As I was saying Angel had been lost, the Master had won, the prophecy forestalled and so I returned to G.O.D in failure."
" But," Buffy interrupted. "You said that Angel turning human was all part of the plan, part of the prophecy."
Whistler looked at the Slayer with new respect. It seemed she really could use her head when she needed to.
" Yeah, you see I was out of the loop. The big guy decided to let me sweat it out for a while, couple of decades…. Thought it was character building or something before he finally let me in on his secret. Angel was never meant to mate with Rosemary, the then current slayer."
" What are you saying," Angel asked, a terrible premonition of what was about to be revealed building in his head.
" I told you its all part of the plan…….G.O.D always intended for you to become a vampire."
Part 10:
Pandemonium erupted in the room as everyone began to speak at once. Everyone that was except Angel. He merely stood stunned, as everything he had believed about himself and his past history was abruptly turned on its head.
Surprisingly it was Willow who bought order out of the chaos, emitting a loud piercing whistle that silenced everyone in the room.
" Right," she said imperiously. "Whistler explain…..no interruptions Xander " she snapped as he began to think about making a smart comment. Sometimes Willow could predict Xander with an accuracy that frightened them all.
" Well " Whistler began nervously, for there really was no telling what Buffy or Angel would do to him when they discovered the truth …
" The big guy was determined not to make the same mistakes he’d made last time he’d sent a savior to the earth. The chosen parents of that savior had been simple, good kindhearted folks and so the savior was raised , much the same way as I had raised Angel, in innocence. Completely unaware of the duplicity and inherent tendencies to evil within humanity. This time G.O.D was determined that the parents of the savior would be well versed in the nature of the evil one. So that the child would be raised with full knowledge of the true reality of the world. After all, who better to teach the Sword of God how to fight evil than someone who had experienced it. Someone who had been a part of it, first hand, then rejected it and fought for the side of good through his own choice."
" Are you saying that this was all planned….that those people….my family…thousands of innocents ...were killed by my hand so that I could become a better parent?" Angel questioned hoarsely, the disbelief evident in his voice.
" Your not looking at the big picture Angel boy…..the few needed to be sacrificed to save the many….I know it seems wrong…..I know it seems as evil as something Old Nick would do himself, but G.O.D is responsible for millions of billions of souls. All those that have ever been, all those that are and all those that have yet to be, will come under the control of his opponent should he lose in this game. The sacrifice was considered acceptable. Especially as all those who died by your hand, those who’d had their lives unnaturally taken would come to G.O.D’s care. In a sense those that you have killed have suffered less than you my boy, having been given a first class ticket straight to his protection and benevolence."
Angel’s face contorted with anger, his tattered control hanging by a thread. The need to pound something, to rage against the fate that had been bestowed upon him, was stronger than anything he had felt when he had truly been Angelous. With a fierce growl he stalked towards the Whistler, menace in every line of his body. Turning at the last minute to use his absorbed Slayer strength, he punched his fist straight into and through the wall. Then like a child afraid of the dark, he sank into the corner and huddled against it.
Buffy, her eyes blinded by tears moved towards the corner, reaching towards him. He whimpered slightly before relaxing into her embrace, drawing from her the strength he needed to continue listening to the rest of Whistlers explanation.
" When the time was right I was sent back to earth to provide the gypsies with the means to cure you…. I watched you afterwards for a long time….waiting for you to turn to the side of the light or the side of the darkness. But you were broken….you merely existed from day to day…. and there were many who felt that G.O.D’s plan would fail….that you would be unable to choose to fight….. Finally G.O.D instructed me to give you a nudge in the right direction….I showed you the slayer…. And from that moment on you have fulfilled you destiny….even though we knew of G.O.Ds plans for you and the slayer I have to say you still shocked us…made for good regular viewing in the office, high ratings……"
" Are you saying that you all watched….what are you saying exactly ? " Buffy spoke harshly towards the man.
" Merely that you sweetheart are the slayer that Angel is destined to mate with!"
Part 11:
" And Jenny " Giles burst out, being unable to contain himself longer " was that all part of the plan too……having him kill her and torture me…..forcing Buffy to send him to hell…..what almighty sacred purpose did that fulfill."
" I’m truly sorry Giles," Whistler said sincerely. "That was never part of the script…..gave us all a big scare upstairs I can tell you…. threw all our plans right out the window….we had to work like the devil, opps work hard just to get Angel back out of hell and on track."
" So why did Angel lose his soul " Joyce asked, moving closer to Giles and placing a reassuring hand on his arm.
" I told you G.O.D has to play by the rules, he cant directly interfere. We could give the Gypsies the means to cure you but how they used that knowledge was up to them. Just like I could show you the slayer Angel, but it was your decision, a choice of your own free will to help her. We did not realize the Gypsies had used the knowledge as a curse until ‘Mr. I’m gonna destroy the world’ was back."
" Why not " Xander asked " Was he having an off day."
" Xander " Whistler said exasperatedly " G.O.D is not omnipotent. Forget all the stuff from the Bible, theirs no one guy up their controlling everything. If their was do you really think they’d be any need for the slayer."
" So you really don’t know what’s gonna happen at the Ascension ?" Buffy asked.
" Haven’t a clue, although the office poll is two to one in your favor."
" So why are you telling us this….what’s the point." Angel questioned.
" The point Angel boy is that if you do win, you were gonna do just about the most stupid thing I’ve ever known you to do, and since I’ve known you all your life I have a lot of material to work from…..really you two amaze me….you’re mortal enemies yet you love each other……you do just about the most suicidal and dangerous thing you can do together, cross that big old intimacy threshold without killing yourselves, and you love each other……..you torture her for months, she sends you to hell and you love each other…….you come back from hell, she from her own personal one and you still love each other. Yet all it took was some chit chat with the Mayor, a private word with Joyce…."
Joyce had the grace to look ashamed at this point.
"And your ready to call it quits. Just to fulfill some self-sacrificing bullshit that she will be better with out you. And you haven’t changed your mind have you, even though you’re human now, you were still planning on leaving! Let me spell this out loud and clear so you, and everyone else in this room gets this. Your staying here Angel…with the slayer, even if I have to chain her to you myself….unless you’ve got an extremely long reach buddy aint no way you gonna get her pregnant from L.A. So I want no more complaints from anyone, your all just gonna have to suck up and deal."
" Hey," Xander stated. "I though you said HE couldn’t interfere, isn’t that what your doing now!"
" Yep, but then that’s just one of the perks of being a demon, hey what fun is eternity if you can’t break a few rules…" He grinned mischievously.
"Ooooh gotta jet….there’s this hot-dog vender done on fourth street, want to get my order in for the big fight…….now don’t let me down toots I stand to make a great deal of money if ya win this thing "… and with a bright flash the figure of the Whistler had disappeared.
Part 12:
The following night…
It was over. Finally it was over. The Ascension had been stopped, the Mayor defeated and the students and people of Sunnydale were safe. At least for now. The group stood silently in the darkness of the early morning, each shell shocked by the events. None more so than Buffy and Angel.
It was only last night that they had discovered that Angel had been made a vampire so that he could experience evil and then be cursed with his soul in order for him to become Buffys protector, her guardian. In addition he was now human, through drinking her blood. However due to the absorption of his twins slayer powers he retained most, if not all of his vampiric strength. On top of this Nostradamus had prophesied that Buffy and Angel would become parents, to the Sword of God, their child destined to be a soldier in the fight against the darkness.
Xander spoke into the silence "I’m hungry, could anyone else go for pancakes right about now." As the tension broke, the members of the group began to laugh. For all his faults, and they were many, Xander could always be counted on to put things into perspective.
" Come on," Joyce said. "Its not everyday you lot kill a giant demon snake mayor…..I guess you can raid my fridge just this once….I’ve got maple syrup."
On an afterthought she asked worriedly, "…its not an everyday event is it?"
Turning the group began to head towards the Summers residence. Buffy silently caught Angels eye, they had a lot to talk about, and they couldn’t do it with her Mother, her Watcher and friends looking on. Quickly she spoke "You guys go ahead we’ve got something to do," she said gesturing towards Angel.
Her Mother and Watcher looked at her sternly, neither able to forgive and accept just yet, dispite what Whistler had told them.
"We’re just going to see the sunrise," she added. "We’ll be back in time for pancakes." With a soft sigh Joyce nodded her head. While she still did not approve of Angel, the things she had learnt about his past had gone a long way in softening her attitude towards him. She knew that if she wanted to keep her daughter in her life she was going to have to accept her daughters lover.
Giles quickly came to a decision. "Here," he said throwing the keys of his car towards Angel, "Be careful."
Angel stared at him stunned, before smiling tentatively at the man whose respect and trust he valued most next to Buffys. Buffy ran to him, folding him into an enthusiastic hug. He looked embarrassed, before shrugging off years of British reserve to hug her back tenfold. With a quick grin at the rest of her friends Buffy took Angels hand and headed towards the car.
*****
Thanks to Giles car they were able to reach the beach just before the sunrise. Pulling the car blanket out they settle themselves down a little way from the sea shore. The sun slowly began to rise, bathing the lovers in its soft warm glow. Turning to Angel, her face radiant with happiness she asked, "Well was it worth the wait, is it everything that you remember?"
Angel answered solemnly, "Actually its disappointing." She looked startled before he continued, "the sun cannot compare to how beautiful you look in its light." Her heart melted, he always knew just what to say.
" Buffy I’m sorry…. "
" Shh," she said touching one finger to his lips. "Not now……lets just enjoy this time."
Angel caught her hands, placing a gentle kiss on each one like a courtier of old, before he wickedly stroked his tongue along the length of her fingers. A shudder went through Buffy at the exquisite feel of his mouth and tongue moving across her flesh. She felt at peace. Alive. Happy. And in love.
" You really are so beautiful."
" So are you," Feeling bold, she captured his wrist. She could feel the wild beat of his pulse, the beat of his new humanity, a rhythmic reminder that now there were no reasons to hide her feelings, her needs, her desires. She pulled him down to where she was lying across the blanket.
"Kiss me."
Lowering his head, he brushed his mouth back and forth tentatively against hers. "I love you " he murmured softly.
Buffys heart soared as the once forbidden words were uttered. She cupped his face in her hands "And I love you."
" Always," he asked, his voice so deep it was almost a growl.
" Will you always love me?"
" Always," she promised, then pulled his mouth back to hers.
He slid his tongue along the outline of her lips, igniting a flame of desire wherever he touched. Buffy instantly felt the heat pool like warm honey between her thighs. The rhythmic sound of the surf rushing against the shore faded as her heart began to pound more insistently. She opened her mouth to him, inviting his tongue into her, wanting more of the fire, more of the heat that had always been a part of him, regardless of his vampiric or human state. The world slipped away. Her entire being was focused on the feel of Angels mouth. Their mouths fusing, mating with each other.
He pressed his body against her more tightly until she could feel the vibrations from the harsh growls and soft purrs he made deep in his throat, could feel the rigid bulge in his pants pushing against her thigh. Dispite his human state it seemed he still retained the ability to vocalize vampirically.
He had kissed her so many times before, when kissing was all that they were allowed to express their feelings with. But never like this. Never had any of his kisses tasted so wild, so dangerous, so desperate. They evoked the same dangerous, wild need inside of her. Mimicking his movements, she returned the kiss, teasing him, with her mouth and her tongue.
Angels fingers dug into her hips, before journeying frantically up to her waist. He kneaded and stroked as he continued to taste her. Groaning, he slid his hand beneath the hem of her top, inched his way up her flat stomach, along her rib cage, to her breasts. He moaned excitedly and paused in shocked stillness when he discovered she wasn’t wearing a bra.
Her breasts were taut and aching for the feel of him. She arched her back, wanting him to touch her, needing him more than she needed air to breath. She didn’t realize until it was to late that she had said the words aloud. Blushing deeply she stroked his face, before pressing her fingers against his heart. His blood turned to lava under her gentle caress. "Touch me," she whispered "make love to me."
Grabbing her top, he dragged it up and over her head in one swift movement, before swiftly discarding his own shirt. It wasn’t enough, frantically he tore at the rest of their clothing needing to feel her naked skin against his own, to bare her beautiful body to his gaze and worship her as if a goddess in the morning sun.
" You are so beautiful," he murmured again, when she finally lay naked and pliant within his arms. He resumed his exploration, tracing the curve of her breast, the dip at her waist, the flare of her hips. Lowering his head he resumed the same path with his mouth.
"You taste like honey, so sweet," he told her as he licked her neck then moved to her breasts.
She trembled as he continued to bathe her with his tongue. Gently he scrapped his teeth over the tip of her breast and drew her nipple into the wet heat of his mouth.
" Angel," He heard her breath catch, watched her with his smoldering gaze as her eyes rolled back in her head.
"Angel please. Please I want you inside me "
" Not yet," He needed to make this special for her. To show her how much he cherished her, how much he adored her. To make up to her for everything that had occurred, all the pain that he had been the cause of. Sweat broke out across his brow, as he struggled to keep reign on the instinct to sink himself within her, to feel those soft silken thighs wrapped around him.
His hand crept lower, down her belly, to the soft curls that covered her woman hood. Slowly, ever so slowly he began to stoke the sensitized bud at her center. Over and over he continued the gentle torture. When the first spasm hit Buffy cried out as the sensation crashed over her just as the waves were washing over the nearby shore. He repeated the movement again and again.
" Damm you Angel," she sobbed as wave after wave of pleasure hit her "I want you inside me."
He gazed at her from his position near her legs. His hair was a tangled mess from where she’d pulled it, yanked at it with her fingers. " Not yet. I’m not finished yet."
Once more he held himself back as he journeyed down her rib cage, tasting every inch of her. She writhed beneath him as he pressed his mouth to the inside of her calf and moved up her thigh. He parted her yet again with his large fingers, and she ran onto his hand hot and wet and sweet. He lowered his head to taste her, caressing her with his tongue and his mouth until she was trembling beneath him and crying out his name. Buffy couldn’t stand it any longer, grabbing his hair and using all of her slayer strength she dragged his mouth up to hers. She could taste her moisture on his lips. The realization shocked her, excited her. She wanted to taste him, to return the gesture. She threw him down on the blanket, pinning him in place on his back. Straddling him she drew her tongue quickly down his neck, down his chest and delicately licked one flat nipple. He shuddered and reached for her.
" No," she pushed him down again forcibly, and repeated the measure to his other nipple. She raked her teeth over the flat bud.
" W- where did you learn that," he asked on a gasp.
She smiled up at him. "From you."
Moving again, she licked and tormented his broad chest and taut stomach, using her mouth, using her fingers just as he had done with her. " Stop " he commanded as she closed her fist around him, around his huge erection " oh don’t stop " he said shuddering on the next breath as she licked the velvet tip of him with her tongue. She fell to licking him with an enthusiasm that shocked them both, he twisted and turned trying to escape his torture and yet praying for it to continue. When she took him into her mouth his eyes turned to smoke. "No more," he told her, his control finally crumbling as he hauled her up his body "I need to be inside you."
Unable to wait a second longer, he moved between her thighs, twisting so that she lay beneath him and buried himself deep inside her. Buffy arched her hips, taking him deep, deep, deeper inside her. His vision clouded over at the pleasure. Then he began to move within her with long, fast, delicious strokes.
" Open your eyes Buffy, let me see your eyes," he demanded as they sped closer to the precipice, to the edge of desire. "I need to know that this time its not a dream. That this time your real. That your really mine."
" Yours," she whispered, meeting his urgent thrusts. Angel began to feel them both begin to spin, faster and faster out of control, the end near.
"Only yours," she called out as her body convulsed around him.
" Mine," he repeated, and holding her to him, he soared with her over the edge, pulsing himself deep inside her. And a new life, within the center of her being, slowly began to gestate and take form…….
The End