Title: Switch In Identities
Chapter Title: Completely Timeless
Author: Baby Blues
E-mail: purely_blissful@hotmail.com
Rated: R
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, but the story is.
Summary: Angel, the Vampire Hunter, meets an en-souled demon by the name of Buffy. An obsession to find out who she is spring up as he searches for answers about the woman who had stirred something within him.
Dedication: To Aaron, who announced to my entire French class about Jacob asking me out. Thanks a lot, Buddy. Feelin’ the love.
Excerpt:
~Angel: Who are you?
~Buffy: A friend . . . an old friend.
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Angel gazed back at his watch worriedly and frowned. It had already been a half an hours since he had called Cordelia and Gunn to tell them to meet him at Caritas. Yet, they still weren’t here. It was either they had lost track of time and found an alley to make out . . . or they had been attacked . . . or even possibly killed.
He stood up from the bar stool he sat on and grabbed his leather jacket, a hard and cold expression marring his handsome face.
"Angel Cakes, where ya goin’ ?" Lorne, also known as The Host and owner of the bar, asked him.
Angel looked back at him, his brown eyes meeting his red ones. "Cordy and Gunn are still not here," he said, his voice a deep rumble . . . like a soft growl of warning from an animal. He put on his black leather jacket, "If they get here, tell them that they’re dead when I get my hands on them." With that, he turned, his duster billowing behind him.
Lorne sighed and shook his head and his placed his Margarita on the bar. "That man needs a woman," he told the bar tender, who only replied him back with a grunt and a nod. "You know . . . I know a girl who would love him. She's a little on the shy side . . . actually," he said in wonder, " . . . she doesn't do a lot of talking at all but since when did we get all technical about dating?"
"Demon?" the bartender asked knowingly.
"Is there a problem with that?" Lorne asked, a bit offended that there was anything wrong with demons. Especially a green one who comes from another dimension called Pylea.
The bartender shrugged and wiped away a puddle on the bar. "Nothin.’ Just saying that a kid like that, a *demon* hunter may I add, won’t want nothin’ to do with no weird ass demon as a lover," he explained, "A kid like that needs a good woman who's gonna take care of him without no hesitations."
"Oh, shut up," Lorne scoffed, "Who asked you anyway."
The bartender looked at him pointedly.
Lorne glared at him. "Do not," he said, "patronize me." He walked away in a huff with the bartender softly laughing at him.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The sound of fighting caught Angel’s ears immediately after he walked out of Caritas. Instincts of a demon hunter quickly took over as he sprinted across rows of empty alleys. He finally halted when he found where the fight was, and watched with much curiosity and amazement as a girl, small and tiny, beat the living daylights out of what looked to be a vampire.
"You're a leper," the demon hissed after he had been thrown against the wall with ease and crashed against a bunch of metal trashcans.
"Leper?" she laughed, her voice a melodious tune full of life, "Never heard of that before," she grunted and kicked him against the stomach.
The vampire rolled down the alley and Angel’s eyes finally found a pair standing against the corner, wide eyed and shivering from fear.
"You’ve betrayed us!" the vampire roared in anger. "Betrayed us all!"
The girl did a back hand flip and a cartwheel before giving the demon a high kick that sent him flying towards Angel.
Reflex took over as he took out his stake and shoved it deep within the demon’s heart.
A beat later, the vampire let out a scream before it crumpled to the ground in a pile of dust.
There was a moment of silence as the girl quietly studied the young man that gazed at her with a frown. He couldn’t see her face since her back was against the single flickering light of the alley.
A shuffle echoed through the brick walls that enclosed them, and a moment later, Gunn and Cordelia was beside Angel, studying the girl as well.
"Who are you?" Angel asked, his voice strong and clear, and a bit intimidating as well.
"A friend . . . an old friend," was her reply.
Angel’s lips tightened as a feeling of familiarity ran through his veins, causing his knees to wobble from the force of the emotion. His jaws clenched as he willed to control himself, and glared at the young woman.
"That’s barely an answer," Angel said fiercely, a surge of warmth swelling heavily through his body in a chorus of overactive nerves.
Her silhouetted form shrugged. "Can’t say much," she said truthfully, "You weren’t even supposed to see me. But I knew your friends wouldn’t be able to handle a gang of vampires."
Angel looked at Gunn and Cordy, and they nodded their confirmation.
"Listen," she chuckled a bit, "It’s not a big deal. Just pretend this never happened and we’ll go on our merry way."
"I don’t think so," Angel said coldly. "I wanna know who you are." He stared at her for a moment, noticing her fidgeting. "Were you sent by the Powers?"
She didn’t answer and threw him a small box that he easily caught in his hands. He stared at it with suspiciousness. "Don’t worry," she said, "It’s not a bomb or anything."
He glared at her but opened it. Inside, within the velvet confines, was a silver cross with fancy and delicate engravings on it. It looked expensive and fragile, but from the weight of the necklace, it was definitely sturdy and strong. "Your fight against the darkness has just begun. It’s not over . . . not until they all die."
Angel looked up from his intent gaze on the necklace . . . and she was gone.
"Whoa . . . " Gunn commented, "That was . . . "
"Yeah," Cordelia mumbled. "And in comes the weird Twilight Zone music," she said and Gunn began humming the tune as the three of them looked around where the young girl could have possibly gone.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
On top of one of the buildings, the young woman stared down at the three confused forms with a bittersweet smile.
She pushed her hands inside her pockets and watched as they all left the alley with Angel staring back as though he would see her again.
Her heart flipped and ached. After years without him. . . years of utter loneliness, she finally got the chance to gaze into his handsome face again. But it would have to be her last.
More danger would befall him if the demons of the underworld knew that HE was back.
And she would never let that happen . . . never again.
"I know it’s tough," a voice behind her said.
She smiled bitterly, not bothering to look back to see who it was. "You have no clue," she said knowingly.
"Yeah," the voice chuckled, "I know. It seems to be just the right thing to say in this kind of situation."
She didn’t say anything.
"You’re doing the right thing here, kid," he said.
"But is it enough?" she asked, tears gathering in her eyes.
"For now," was all he said.
She nodded. "Go away, Whistler," she chocked, the tears finally falling. "I can’t stand you right now."
"When did ya ever?" he asked, but disappeared anyways . . . for his sake . . . as well as hers.
Continue to Chapter 2: Mystery Girl #1
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