Across the Atlantic, the phone rang. A slender, age spotted hand reached for it. "Hello," a cultured English voice answered.
"Giles, are you somewhere that you can speak freely?"
Rupert Giles, former, and in his mind still, Watcher to the Slayer, sighed and smiled simultaneously. "Yes, dear girl, what's on your mind?" He heard her pause on the line, wondering if she meant to continue. He knew that Buffy hated asking him for help, especially after he had left her to stand on her own. Giles had regretted doing so every day since he left Sunnydale. He had known that once the die was cast, Buffy would rise to the challenge. The problem he created by his actions was that once she achieved the desired goal, he feared that she would no longer want him in her life.
"I need to know how much pull the Council has in the US, especially over a special unit of the FBI that's hunting demons," Buffy explained. She hated asking Giles for help, but this was too important to worry about her own feelings.
Giles pulled off his glasses, setting them on the desk. His hand clenched with an urge to rub the fragile glass. "The FBI has a unit of Demon Hunters? Great stars, didn't anyone learn a thing from the Initiative fiasco? I'm sorry, dear. To answer your question, the Council has a long-standing agreement with several countries, which includes the United States, regarding any supernatural activity. We are the higher authority, as are any of our agents, which you, of course, are still regarded as. Does that help?"
"Yes, yes, it does. I need you to call the big guys in Washington and have them pull their squad out of LA. Tell them that there's already an agent in place that will handle the demon activity and that they're to cease and desist. How's that for cop lingo?"
Buffy's girlish giggle echoed across the line, bringing a smile to Giles' face. "I do say, quite good, dear girl," he replied in a very British way. "Although Quentin Travers would never admit it, the verbal contract made when you fought Glory is still in effect. He doesn't know that you died, and it's a moot point given your return. Don't let him or any other Council member have you think otherwise."
An evil smile spread across Buffy's face. She had dreaded placing this call. The idea that it would place her in the Council's debt gave her an uneasy feeling. Giles reminding her that they now worked for her turned that around. "Good, then tell them I expect to start receiving a salary, and one for Faith, too. The Scoobies are doing what any Junior Watcher does and should be paid accordingly. While I'm on a roll, have their legal department find my damn sister." She practically screamed into the phone. The anger at everything she'd suffered over the years without any help from the Council bubbled out without her even realizing.
He swallowed, taking her anger, knowing that he and the Council deserved the outpouring. "Buffy," he said soothingly, "I'll see what I can do about getting everything underway. You're right, you and the others deserve that and so much more. I'm sorry about what happened with Dawn. I should have done something. I should have done a lot of things that I didn't."
Buffy stopped him, not ready to hear Giles apologize, yet. "Don't worry about it, Giles. Just help me take care of this, and we'll work out the rest later."
He heard the change in her voice and knew that she wasn't ready. Knowing better than to push the issue, he changed the topic. "Consider it taken care of, Buffy. Please call any time, even if it's just to talk."
"Thanks, Giles." She hung up without commenting.
Brian headed home after a long day at work. He had a lot on his mind, which would explain why he didn't notice the lights following, albeit not too closely, behind him. He pulled his truck into his apartment complex and parked it. When he got out, a red and black car came straight at him. It stopped mere inches from pinning him to his truck. The bright lights blinded him from seeing who was behind the wheel. Since he wasn't there the night Buffy had raced, he had no way of knowing that the car was hers.
A car door opened and a soft voice said from behind the high beams. "I think we need to talk, Brian. That is your real name, isn't it?" He nodded, raising his hand to shade his eyes. "I'm going to ease back, then we're going to take a little ride and have a friendly little chat, Agent O'Connor."
Hearing the steel in her voice, he knew his cover was blown. He didn't think she planned on hurting him. She hadn't pulled a gun and it wasn't as if she could do anything to hurt him physically, the girl weighed all of a hundred pounds.
"I'll come with you, just back up; my legs are going to sleep," he said, giving her his best smile.
Buffy slipped behind the wheel, easing the car back a few inches, forcing Brian to squeeze between the two vehicles. She grinned at the cussing that ensued until he freed himself from the metal trap. It melted from her face the minute the door opened, replaced by a stern glare for the new passenger. The GTO raced its way down the highway. Its occupants silent as they pondered each others' intentions. She pulled off the road to a secluded stretch of beach, parked, and got out to head toward the soft sand. Brian sighed, getting out to follow along behind her, wondering when the questions would start. She faced the water, allowing the gentle waves to soothe her temper, while she waited for him to join her. The minute she heard his footsteps stop behind her, she turned to face him.
"How long have you been on the Spook Squad, and why are you using Dom as a cover?" The question blasted across the short distance between them, his wide-eyed look of shock revealing that he wasn't prepared for her to know quite so much.
"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about. Buffy, I'm an undercover FBI Agent looking into illegal street racing." His boyishly handsome face took on a hard edge, showing Buffy his darker side.
"Wrong answer, cowboy, try again. I saw you last night."
Her eyes narrowed as she sized him up, and she wasn't sure if she liked what she saw. He took a step back, his mind racing, trying to think where Buffy might have seen him and came up blank. Brian decided to bluff, which was a really bad idea.
"Look, I can explain about the girl you saw me with, she…"
He found himself airborne, landing several feet away face first on the sand. He got up, spitting the gritty substance from his mouth, wisely keeping his distance.
"Want to try that again? This time how about some truth, just to be different?" She crossed her arms, waiting for the real story.
Seeing no way out, Brian sighed and explained his position with the FBI. "We're looking for the demon or demons responsible for a large number of bodies with their hearts removed. Last night, I saw Johnny Tran suck the heart out of his fence. He's what's called a Drooling Demon. Don't know how much you saw or where you were, but Johnny's our man. From his comments, either some or all his gang members are, too. Problem is I haven't seen any proof. Droolers look human until their faces split."
"Today's your lucky day, Kid. Tran isn't your problem anymore, he's mine. I'll let you help, but the FBI is off the case. Your boss is getting a call right about now, from a higher power that's going to tell him to close up shop. Oh, the Torettos are hands off, untouchable, especially Mia. So, you can just leave a nice Dear John letter and disappear after we deal with Johnny," Buffy informed him.
"Wait just a minute. You may be able to kick my ass, but no one can tell me who I can or can't see. I care about Mia and I plan to keep seeing her, whether you like it or not."
"You gonna tell her the truth? How you made nice with her to get close to her brother, trying to see if he or any of his friends were demons?" Buffy glared at him, chin out, daring him to deny anything she'd said. He didn't respond. "Didn't think so. You like to play your games and come into people's lives, then tear them apart with what you learn once you have their trust. Who's the real bad guy, Brian? I've done this since I was fifteen. The way your team works, you may think you're doing it the right way, but you're not. You have to understand your enemy to hunt them, and you're too human to do that. You see them all as evil, and it isn't true. There aren't as many harmless demons, but they are out there. Unless you know the difference, you're as bad as the ones you're hunting."
"What about you? What makes you so special that you can preach to me? You have no idea why I do what I do. We do a lot of good and have taken out hundreds of demons in the past five years," he shouted at her.
"Bravo," she sarcastically responded. "How many Mia's and Dom's did you use along the way? Why's it that law enforcement or the military always think that the sacrifice is for the greater good? They aren't the ones doing the sacrificing. All I'm saying is that with some in-depth research and the right skills your team could have taken care of the same problems without involving innocent bystanders. Did you never try to think outside the box? You can't fight nonhuman with human tactics. Demons and Vampires aren't wired the same, no matter what you think. You can't apply the same black and white rules to someone who exists in a world of grey."
Brian sat down on the sand, feeling lost and confused. Buffy walked over and sat beside him, patting his shoulder in sympathy. "You're not a bad guy, Brian. Neither are your bosses and what they're trying to do. Even the group that tries to tell me what to do has their heart in the right place." She grimaced, thinking about the Council's tactics. "It's easy to sit in a building and make decisions that others have to carry out and possibly die doing. What's hard is when you're the one facing the choice about whether another being deserves to die or not."
"How do you do that? How can you see them as anything but monsters?" Brian's expressive blue eyes searched her face as if all the answers in the universe could be found in a pair of green eyes.
"If every supernatural creature is a monster, then I am too," Buffy said quietly, waiting for his reaction.
He looked back out at the water, trying to wrap his head around everything she had said and the parts she hadn't. She didn't tell him what she was; only that she fought bad demons, leaving peaceful ones alone. Brian wondered if he could live with that. Could he trust her enough not to ask? He turned back to see her watching him and decided that grey got a bad wrap as a color. He thought he might give it a try, see how it looked for a while.
Brian stood up, brushed the sand off and offered Buffy his hand. She gave him a mega-watt smile, placed her hand in his, before gracefully coming to her feet.
"Mia knows everything about me, but Dom doesn't. He's still torn up about Letty and would do something stupid if he knew that Johnny was responsible. I didn't figure it out until last night. If you hadn't shown up, there'd be no more Tran gang, but water bridge." She shrugged as they headed back to her car.
He shot a smirk at her. "Why does Mia know and not Dom? Thought you were into the truth."
She smacked him not too lightly on the arm. "Ouch." He rubbed his arm, wincing from the blow. "Serves you right, brat. Mia and I have been best friends forever. Dom's the big brother that saw us as brats, tagging along behind him, always getting in the way."
They climbed into the car. The engine revved, causing Buffy to smile proudly. Her hands unconsciously caressed the steering wheel.
"This car's prime. Did you do the work?"
"Every nut and bolt. Pops Toretto taught me when I was young, before…" She shook her head, stopping herself from speaking about private matters.
"How did he die?" Brian asked quietly.
"Not my story, sorry. You'll have to see if Dom or Mia trusts you enough to tell you." The car sped down the highway toward his apartment.
"The car you owe Dom won't see Race Wars with just you working on it. How about an extra set of hands to push it along?"
She glanced over at him before returning her eyes to the road. Brian watched Buffy easily handle the powerful car, dodging around the morning traffic. He tried to observe her without appearing as if he was staring, which he was. She was pretty, beautiful in fact, if you liked blonde, tanned and tiny. He preferred brunettes, thinking about Mia. She seemed the typical California blonde until she turned those large green eyes on you. They were endless, filled with a dark knowledge of a world few people knew; only the ones who took the time to look past that darkness found a glimmer of hope shinning back at them.
"Aren't you working for Dom?"
Buffy shook her head, sliding the car across three lanes to catch the exit she needed. "Filled in when he was shorthanded, left it open for him to call when he got backed up. So," she drew out the word, "what's your answer?"
"Sounds good. I'll come by the garage tomorrow around two." His cell phone rang. Glancing down he saw Bilkins' number. "Great. Here goes nothing." He flipped open the phone. "Yo…Good morning to you too, Bilkins…What orders?...Never heard of a Watchers' Council," he glanced at Buffy, who nodded, "Have you? How come they have jurisdiction over us?...Don't scream at me, I'm just asking…No, I'm taking some time off, I've earned it…Leave Mia out of this." He snapped the phone shut, throwing it at the dash.
"Hey, Kid, watch the glass."
"Sorry. Guess your big guns pulled the plug on us like you said. Bilkins was just being an ass."
"No worries. People tend to get like that when they don't get their way. Called being human."
The car swerved to the right, sending Brian's shoulder into the door. He saw her shave by another car's bumper. She drove aggressively, reminding him of Dom in the way she sliced through the cars. Buffy dropped Brian off, then headed for home. She wanted to get to the garage early tomorrow and see what Jesse had planned for the car.
No lights showed from the Toretto's house; the cars stood lined in the drive, making the house that seemed so alive during the day appear strangely quiet. The Toretto siblings lay sprawled on the couch, a large bowl of popcorn between them and a movie blaring on the TV.
Dom gave his sister a sideways glance and said, "Didn't see Buffy anywhere about today."
Mia hid her large grin by shoveling a fist full of popcorn into her mouth. Chewing slowly, she watched him turn toward her when he didn't get an answer. His eyebrow went up as he crossed his arms over his chest, causing muscles to bulge in every direction. She wanted to roll her eyes at him, but didn't want to hurt his feelings. Big brother took his role as her protector seriously and would do anything for her. That's why she ignored most of his macho bull, most of it.
"She told me that she had some errands to run. Call if it got backed up and she'd come help. We didn't, so I didn't. Short story." Mia went for another handful of popcorn when a large hand stopped her.
"Mia," his deep voice sounded menacing, "what's Buffy up to?"
Long, dark hair flew past Dom's face as his little sister threw it over her shoulder not intimidated by him even a little. "I didn't ask, so I can't tell what I don't know." She gave him a smug smile.
"Women," he muttered, shoving golden kernels into his mouth.
He admitted that the one in question seemed to know what she was doing. Where she got the Know-How was the part that disturbed him. Dom remembered Buffy with pigtails, bright eyes, laughter and a curiosity that wouldn't quit.
Mia's soft voice interrupted his deep thoughts. "You like her, don't you?"
"What? No, she's just a kid." His eyebrows rose into twin peaks pointing skyward.
"Right." She turned around to sit on the couch, facing her brother and snatched the remote control from his hand to pause the movie. "Dom, you deserve to care about someone and Buffy's perfect for you. She's strong enough not to let you walk all over her. Letty would've loved her," she said with tears in her eyes.
Dom stared into eyes that resembled his own only they hadn't lost their softness. "You're right." A huge smile brightened Mia's face. "Letty would approve of Buffy. They're the same under the skin, hard and soft at the same time." He saw his sister ready to jump on the coupledom bandwagon. "But, that's not why she's here and when she's done, she'll leave. She may fit in our world, doesn't mean that she belongs there."
Cordelia floated in a pale, grey place between life and death. White light shown softly from the right as the shadows of her accomplishments floated forward, then back again. Luminescent, ghostly reminders that she had earned her place as a seer for the Powers and grown into a good person. Deep, fathomless black blocked the left. Movement rippled through it menacingly, darting toward the still body. Specters of demons past, the chilling horrific proof that the dark side of Queen C remained buried deep in her psyche, the woman unmindful that her words caused pain. Her actions to bring about the birth of her daughter. When she accepted Skip's offer, it affected the balance. She worked for the Powers as their seer to help Angel attain the redemption he sought. For her to assume that she was meant for a higher plane was another test, which she failed and evil won. The Powers placed her soul here for safekeeping. They hoped their champion would straighten up and not only save the seer, but himself.
The two sides fought each other, battering the lost soul, holding her in this place of Nowhere and In-Between. She, like any heroine in all the tales, must trust her fate to the man she loved. Cordelia had to hold onto the love she felt for Angel to keep her sanity, to see her through until he could rescue her. Then, she intended to kick his ass.
"Angel." Wesley walked into the souled vampire's office with his head stuck in a book.
"What is it?" Angel kept his back to the ex-Watcher, staring at the bright sunlight streaming though the necro-tempered glass.
"Oh," Wesley said, looking up to continue into the room and take a seat. "I've found some interesting history concerning the Knights Templar that's quite fascinating. Did you know that they aligned themselves with powerful magic users and…"
"Wesley, is there a point to this?" Angel said, finally turning around to face his friend. His was skin paler than normal and his dark eyes looked haunted and sunken. He didn't know how much longer he could go on like this.
"Sorry, it's just that the resources here are limitless. Any bit of information you desire is at your fingertips, I lose myself over large periods each day." Seeing the look on Angel's face, Wesley rushed to get to his point. "Urm, well, as I was saying. I ran across a phrase that caught my interest. It appears that the Templars helped to create and guard a chalice in the twelfth century that can render any demon human should, they drink from it." His blue eyes glowed with excitement at this turn of events.
Angel sat up straighter in his chair as new life raced through his body. Could this chalice be part of my quest? Is it the key to the Shanshu? "Do we have any way of knowing where the chalice is now?"
"No," Wesley's shoulders slumped slightly. "But, from what I've read, it's enchanted to portray the one intended for this honor with the Guardian of the Chalice's image shown on the opposite side. Quite ingenious craftsmanship; it means that the chalice's appearance changes continuously, making it harder for thieves to know what they're looking for. The chalice should draw the two together when the demon has reached, what was that phrase?" He searched the text. "Oh, yes, here it is.
When one steps away from a dark path to walk in the light.
Takes upon themselves the burdens of their past
Finds the balance between soul, mind, body and heart
"The cup is cognizant. Whenever a demon meets the requirements, the image changes to their face and the current champion, I would imagine, is chosen as the Guardian. Although, that part is still rather cloudy. I may place a few call to some contacts at the Council to see if they've heard anything about the chalice or its Guardian."
Angel felt a spark of hope, something that he hadn't known since Cordelia's coma. If he could locate this chalice, there was a chance for his future. "Use whatever resources necessary, I want the chalice found."
The Angelus-like tone of voice startled Wesley. He stared at the man he considered his best friend, wondering what was happening. "Angel, are you all right? I know that you're worried about Cordelia, but you can't allow that to wear down your control."
A half-sided smile lit up the broody vampire's face. "Don't worry; Angelus is locked away and not coming out, ever."
Seeing that he'd worn out his welcome, Wesley stood up and quietly left the room. He opened the book that he had brought with him. His thumb marked a passage regarding the valiant women that fought during the crusades. After making his way back to his office, he sat down at his desk and opened the book. Wesley's eyes widened when he saw the information staring back at him. He pulled the book closer, rereading the passage. Scribbling several notes down, he began the tedious task of researching what one blonde Slayer had already discovered.
The mystical object on everyone's mind lay cradled in the Slayer's hands. Buffy stared blankly into space, mindlessly rubbing the engraving with her thumb, lost in thought.
She went home after talking with Brian and fell asleep on the couch. Waking with a sharp back pain, Buffy turned over to find the chalice tucked behind her on the couch. She studied the beautiful gold cup, tracing the delicate swirls carefully, admiring the likeness to Angel. Turning it to look at the Slayer on the opposite side, she almost dropped the golden treasure. Where a shadowy figure resembling a Slayer once stood, an intricate engraving stared back at her. Delicate markings swirled through the gold to capture the wind that rustled through the figure's hair, seeming to lift it from her shoulders and away from her face. A softly rounded cheek, pouting lips, large wise eyes and straight, yet slender shoulders gave the figure a delicate beauty that bespoke of silken covered steel. Her own face was staring back at her.
What does this mean? I didn't come here for Angel. Heck, I'm not even sure I remembered that I should let him know that I was in town until I'd been here for several days. Isn't he supposed to be out there helping the helpless, fighting the good fight? Damn it, I don't want to get mixed up in all the drama rama crap that goes along with the King of Brood.
Buffy giggled when she realized that she was staring at the wall, having a mind rant that had turned into a pity party. "Okay, Summers, get up off your butt and figure this out. You're all grown up and don't need Giles or anyone else to come in here fix this for you."
She stood up and carefully sat the chalice on the coffee table. Her eyes scanned it, moving around it in a slow circle. Emerald green bore into the shining gold, slicing it into small sections, searching for the smallest clue. She stopped her circular inspection, going to her knees, leaning closer to her quarry. A glorious smile spread across her lips and a happy bubble of laughter burst from her throat. She pressed a forefinger against a small hidden symbol blended into the scrollwork along the top. Walking over to the desk, Buffy used a pen to mark her finger then pressed it onto paper, transferring the symbol. After wiping her hands to remove the ink, she retrieved the chalice and carefully searched it for any other hidden symbols. She found three more, bringing the total to four.
Buffy sketched over the symbols with a pencil. They seemed strangely familiar, although she knew that she hadn't seen them before. The symbols were three dots that created a triangle, a triangle, an open circle with two small bars extended outward from the endpoints and a sideways swirl that resembled a cursive 'a'. Remembering something from a college English paper, Buffy went to the computer and pulled up a word processor. The symbols sections showed three of them under Greek Letters. Doing a quick search on Google resulted with a definition that they represented Alpha, Delta and Omega. Rearranging them on the paper several times, Buffy realized that they were a key; to what she had no idea.
She logged onto the database where she learned about the possible Slayers. On the search bar, Buffy input the first symbol. It opened a blank screen, requesting that she continue. She cut and pasted the Alpha symbol followed by the Omega and joined them together with the Delta, creating a symbolic triangle. The words of the First Slayer as she inhabited her body while she fought Adam floated through Buffy's mind.
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Our power is more than you can comprehend."
The symbols started to fold into each other and change. They bled into a deep red as the background went from black to white. The triangle elongated, forming a cross that glowed for several moments before the center started to fold back. A message scrolled across the screen a word at a time.
Welcome Guardian.
Long have we awaited your arrival.
The red cross continued to fold away revealing a screen saver that resembled the chalice. A single light shone down on it, casting shadows on the scrollwork that ran along the topmost edge. The chalice started to spin so that the light hit the scrollwork at specific points. As it hit these points, pieces of the scroll shot off and unfurled onto the screen. Each scroll floated down to join with the previous piece until one large intricate scroll appeared. The words were in a language that Buffy couldn't read at first, but as she stared at them, they slowly blurred, only to refocus in English.
A soft gasp escaped from her lips as she started to read the words aloud:
You thought you knew who you were.
Your true journey has only just begun.
You are one of the Chosen.
Chosen to help bring the dark into the light.
Guardian of the Chalice.
Guard the Chalice, lest it fall to the dark and be lost forever.
The individual pieces broke apart and the screen went blank. Buffy hit enter several times, but nothing happened. She tried to get the screen back and had no luck, no matter what she tried.
"Great, even the computer comes in cryptic."
Deciding that she needed to unwind, she carefully wrapped the chalice up then prepared for a night of slayage.
Angel stood on the roof, looking down at the city. He couldn't stand the oppressive air of the Wolfram and Hart building any longer. Watching Cordelia day after day was eating at his soul. He didn't know how much longer he could stand to see her just laying there, a shell of her former self. He heard a scream coming from an alley not far from where he stood. Jumping down, feeling a sense of freedom that he hadn't felt since Cordy's coma, Angel landed on his feet and ran to help the helpless once more. A bright smile plastered across his face as he left a blur of black in his wake. He came around a corner to find a young woman with a vampire about to feed on her.
"Please, help me." Her eyes were wide with fear and hope as she saw Angel enter the alleyway.
"I don't think she likes you," Angel said, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.
The vampire pushed the woman away and launched himself at Angel, hitting him with both feet in the chest. Angel stumbled back into the wall while the woman cringed in the corner, with no way of escaping. They continued fighting until Angel finally got the upper hand and staked the vampire. He walked over to the woman to help her up, but she cringed away.
"I don't understand. Who are you and what just happened?"
"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. You shouldn't be out here late at night; it's dangerous and I might not always be around to save you." He helped her up and this time she didn't resist.
"Thank you so much. You saved my life, Mr…"
"My name doesn't matter that's not why I do this."
Suddenly, they heard screeching tires coming from the mouth of the alley. Armed men jumped from the cars, pointing their guns at Angel. "He's unharmed and the area's secure," the leader said into his headset. Lowering his gun, he addressed Angel. "Sir, we thought we lost you there for a second. Glad to see that you're all right."
More cars pulled up behind the others, their headlights shining on Angel and the woman. A man and a woman, obviously lawyers, from W&H walked forward the leader of the armed men joined them as they went to speak to Angel.
"I'm Agent Hauser, Mr. Angel, I run your operation team. We came to back you up."
Angel looked at the man as if he had two heads. He turned to the man and the woman, wondering what their stories were. Judging from the man's expression, he was about to find out.
"Angel," he gasped, "Hi." He turned to the woman, grabbing the forms she held. "These rescue scenes really do need to be better thought out, with the legal ramifications taken into account. Final decisions are up to you of course, but…"
"How did you find me?"
"Small tracking monitor in your lapel. Nifty, huh?"
The woman from W&H was holding a contract and speaking to the woman that Angel rescued. "This confirms that you have been rescued by Angel, C.E.O. and President of Wolfram and Hart," she flipped the page, "and this is to indemnify Wolfram and Hart."
A camera appeared from the male lawyer's pocket. He pushed Angel over to where the woman stood. The lawyer fussed with them until he got an acceptable pose. "Now, we just need to get a few pictures of you two; that would be great."
The woman stepped away from Angel to look up at his face. "You run Wolfram & Hart?"
Angel innocently answered, "Uh, well, sort of," a camera flashed in their eyes, momentarily blinding them, "just lately."
The woman lawyer pushed her way between Angel and the woman. "You need to initial this line," she pointed with a long red nail, "with regards to you immortal soul."
She signed the document without even reading it, while she stared at the souled vampire with disgust. "I was some kind of publicity stunt? You're pathetic. You people with money really need to get a life and leave ordinary people alone." The woman stormed off down the alley, shoving people out of her way.
Angel whispered under his breath. "I help the helpless." He stared at the people surrounding him. "Out."
Agent Hauser stepped forward. "I'm not sure I understand your order, Sir."
"Out, everybody leave, now! I want to be left alone. No operations back up team, no lawyers, no cameras, no contracts, just me, Angel, alone here in this alley. Now, leave," he growled.
"Sir, I…" the lawyer tried to explain, but Angel picked him up and threw him at the men still standing at the end of the alley. Within five minutes, Angel, the souled vampire and now C.E.O. of W&H, found himself alone.
"Well, that certainly was entertaining," a soft voice said from the shadows. "Let me see, what you said. Oh yeah, you're going to fight the bad guys from the inside, find their weakness and bring the whole thing crumbling down on their heads, right?" Raising her hands to clap softly, it echoed hollowly in the empty ally.
Angel peered into the shadows, trying to make out the person's face. The voice sounded familiar and the subtle tingle shivering down his spine told him that it was a Slayer, yet somehow it felt off, different. He walked further down the alley toward, approaching his unknown company. He couldn't help but feel embarrassed that someone else had witnessed his humiliation with those W&H goons.
"Who are you? Why are you hiding in the shadows? Come out here and face me if you have something to say."
When only a few feet separated them, the owner of the soft voice peeled away from the sheltering shadows. The souled vampire braced himself for an attack. It never came. He watched a small figure easily jump up and grab the light post above his head. Staring up with his hand shading his eyes, he saw her, yes, definitely female, swing herself up and around into a handstand, then propel her body out and across to the next bar several hundred yards away. The lithe figure stood up on this bar, balancing easily on the metal beam to stare down imposingly at the man below.
"You know, Angel, you used to be an amazing man. They say power corrupts, but I thought it was just for those," an upturned nose wrinkled in the dull lighting, "you know, power hungry guys in the movies." She shrugged a slender shoulder. "Guess I was wrong about you."
"Buffy, wait," he called out. She stopped her aerial flight and turned back to level large green eyes at him, making him feel as if he were under a microscope. "I'm trying to do something good here. It just takes time to change things when you're working with a company as large and corrupt as Wolfram and Hart."
She gave him a sad smile. "No, it doesn't, Angel. I'm sorry that you don't see that. It only takes one person to change it. One person to decide that they aren't going to accept things the way they are and are willing to do whatever they have to do to change them. You used to know that, but somewhere along the way, you've forgotten. When you remember and are ready to fight them, ready to take them down for good, let me know. I'll be there by your side helping you, just like you helped me all those years in Sunnydale. Goodbye, Angel."
Before he could say another word, she was gone. Angel didn't know how long he stood there staring at the place Buffy had stood. He only knew that he barely left in time to miss the sunrise.