CHAPTER 11<\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cBuffy?\u201d<\/p>\n
The blonde girl looked up at her best friend\u2019s timid smile and sighed. \u201cHey Willow.\u201d<\/p>\n
The girl sat down beside her on the lunch table and put her thick books down beside her quart of milk. \u201cAre you\u2026are you alright?\u201d<\/p>\n
The slayer sighed softly and dropped her chin into her hands, watching the students laugh and go about their lunch hour. \u201cAlmost.\u201d<\/p>\n
Willow winced slightly at the misery in her friend\u2019s voice. \u201cHe can\u2019t be right you know.\u201d Blue eyes lifted up listlessly as the Wicca continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean look at it this way: the soul made him more\u2026almost human you know. The man\u2026vampire you loved was Angel. And we all saw him. He was real. Well he was dead, but he was real you know. For touching and stuff. But that\u2019s not what I\u2019m saying. What I\u2019m saying is that you loved him. And that was real. Right? So what Angelus said about the soul being a parasite can\u2019t be true. What you had was real.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy took a deep breath before rubbing her arms gently in the chill of the wind. Winter was coming. \u201cYeah Willow. We were real.\u201d Then she looked up, blue eyes sad.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just human I guess.\u201d She blinked slightly. \u201cWell, Slayer. And I can\u2019t help look at him and feel like he\u2019s here. And somewhere deep down, a part of me wishes he wasn\u2019t real. That would make being around Angelus\u2026somehow easier.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut he\u2019s not ya know. Not Angel.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the soft announcement, Buffy frowned. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I mean is,\u201d Willow licked her lips, choosing her words carefully, \u201clast night, Giles and I were going over some books. You know the really musty kind that smell sorta spicy and all. Anyway, any previous notions we might have had about the soul and the demon was based on assumptions, considering there\u2019s no other vampire running around with a soul. Not willingly anyway. Not that Angelus would have picked this. My point is: Angelus is not the soul. The soul was an entity introduced into his body that tipped the balance towards light, but he\u2019s still a vampire you know. Still a creature of the night.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy frowned at what the witch was telling her, somehow not grasping her point. \u201cMeaning?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMeaning, the vampire in Giles\u2019 bathroom is not the one you loved. Not the one who loved you. His destiny wasn\u2019t the same as Angel\u2019s. Angelus is tied to the oracles because they picked him. Angel is\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn hell.\u201d<\/p>\n
Willow winced at the blunt interjection. \u201cNo Buffy. Angel is more like \u2013 dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn heaven?\u201d<\/p>\n
Willow shook her head. \u201cFor demons there\u2019s little to do with heaven or hell. They just exist. Angelus wasn\u2019t supposed to go to hell, you sent him there. From what Giles and I could dig up; Angel just\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoesn\u2019t exist.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, but like who\u2019s to say he\u2019s not in heaven. I mean he was good and all. I personally think he\u2019s in heaven. But hey, that\u2019s just me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to believe that.\u201d Buffy took a deep breath. \u201cWhat about Cordelia? How does she fit into all this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was a doozy.\u201d Willow fidgeted in her seat. \u201cSomehow you fit with the soul, and Cordelia\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe fits with the demon. Only a vampire would be lucky enough to have two soul mates when one betrays him. We humans never get a break.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThus the vampire with soul. Two entities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy smiled slightly at her friend\u2019s perky response. \u201cI get it Willow. I get that they\u2019re different entities. Not that blonde you know.\u201d<\/p>\n
For just a moment, Buffy wondered that if Cordelia was the soul to the demon Angelus, did that make her the demon with the soul Angel? Then she shook her head.<\/p>\n
Angelus was not Angel. Willow was right. And she was going mad. Besides, vampires made bad boyfriends. That much was a given.<\/p>\n
Shaking herself out of the doldrums Buffy took a deep breath. She was in no mood for a pity party. \u201cAnyway, any lead on the demon we toasted last week?\u201d<\/p>\n
The Witch winced. \u201cNot very much I\u2019m afraid.\u201d She sighed heavily as she opened one thick book and pointed to a place on the page she\u2019d bookmarked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe demon isn\u2019t listed anywhere. I mean there are similarities and there are close matches, but nothing exactly like it. The color is all wrong and the teeth don\u2019t nearly curve out like the one we saw. They have a tiny little bump right under\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy cleared her throat. \u201cAh\u2026Willow. Point?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh yes!\u201d The red head grinned. \u201cPoint is: I can\u2019t find the demon.\u201d Her face fell and she sighed again. \u201cBummer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the computer chip.\u201d<\/p>\n
The hacker\u2019s eyes lip up. \u201cOh that! Well that\u2019s a different story. I\u2019ve pulled up an inventory of the manufactures of that particular version and let me tell you. Pretty decent work on the silicon on this one. I mean the simple logic circuits were just so\u2026\u201d At the bewildered look on her friend\u2019s face, Willow smile sheepishly. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty high tech.\u201d<\/p>\n
The slayer nodded thoughtfully. \u201cMeaning expensive. Who\u2019d have that kind of money just lying around?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government?\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy shudder slightly. \u201cI\u2019m in no mood to go down that road. I mean the watcher\u2019s council is as far as I\u2019d put politics into this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there\u2019s an upside.\u201d<\/p>\n
The slayer blinked at the warning tone to her friend\u2019s paradoxical statement. \u201cOh oh?\u201d<\/p>\n
Willow gave her friend a dire look. \u201cThe work is exactly like the x-ray scans I got from Angelus\u2019 head. I\u2019d even go as far to say they came from the same maker.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instantly Buffy sat up straighter. \u201cSo the demon ties in with Angelus\u2019 chip?\u201d<\/p>\n
Willow nodded eagerly. \u201cThey’re nearly identical.\u201d<\/p>\n
She narrowed her eyes. \u201cWhich would mean the stupid vampire knows more about it than he was letting on. I\u2019ll kill him.\u201d Then the Slayer leaned back slightly in her chair and took a deep breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cTonight. Right now I so need a little R and R.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe could go to the J-Crew opening at the mall.\u201d Willow provided half heartedly. \u201cHotties there could prove to be helpful distraction.\u201d When Buffy didn\u2019t answer Willow frowned and followed her affixed gaze and raised an eyebrow.<\/p>\n
\u201cOr we could do that right here.\u201d Willow mumbled softly as the tall man walked towards Buffy and stood besides the lunch table.<\/p>\n
\u201cBuffy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy is this becoming a habit?\u201d She smiled slightly, watching the mirrored smile on his face, but it didn\u2019t reach his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I might be able to shed a little light on your demon problem. Got a minute?\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy patted the bench beside her an ironic twist to her mouth. \u201cWho needs an education anyway? Spill it.\u201d<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Cordelia purposefully chose to ignore the heavy implications of being the chosen one. That was new to her. She\u2019d always chalked that name up to the slayer, but she\u2019d be kidding if she said she wasn\u2019t feeling better about the whole thing.<\/p>\n
Yeah. They had the Slayer and they had the Wicca. But they picked her. Her \u2013 homeless little penniless rich girl. The fact that she was bound to Buffy\u2019s ex just gave her all kinds of wicked ideas. Let them think she\u2019d taken him.<\/p>\n
That\u2019d teach them.<\/p>\n
Walking down the corridor of the school she frowned. Teach them what, she wondered. To take away Xander? She snorted and rolled her eyes, suppressing the dull ache of being jilted. No. Xander Harris hadn\u2019t been growing on her. No more than moss.<\/p>\n
With determined strides she made her way to her literature class. Maybe she could get off for good behavior. Save a few extra ones before dinner time and cut back on the sentence. Oh yeah. That way she could be free in like two or three years.<\/p>\n
First order of business, she decided. Graduation and then she\u2019d do her bit for destiny.<\/p>\n
Only her confident walk faltered and her delicate little ankle twisted as the first kaleidoscope of colors hit her and then the vision sent her to her knees.<\/p>\n
Bright flashes and screams in her head were followed by the garish fangs. Familiar fangs of the demon that had died with a fork in his eye. Only this time the huge gray demon had the man by his throat, claws digging into the man\u2019s skull and abdomen.<\/p>\n
And then she saw another. And another.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Angelus was sitting on the couch tossing playing cards into one of the decorative, open skeleton skull of the dead Nunuki beast when he felt the twist in his chest. With a wince, one hand drifted to the dull ache. It was then when he realized it was exactly where his heart should have been.<\/p>\n
Looking down he stilled, the card drifting from the fingers of his other hand. \u201cOh no. Not now.\u201d His gaze skittered up to the glow behind the curtains before the burn settled like pinpricks under his skin. \u201cFine. Fine! Christ I get the fucking idea!\u201d<\/p>\n
Grunting and irate the vampire stood up and walked over to the cloak closet and threw the dark brown coat over his head; one that smelled too much like the watcher for his taste.<\/p>\n
And then he ran out into the sunlight in search of his soul.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
\u201cI still don\u2019t get why he had to carry me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were unconscious Cordy. Be glad Xander was around to fetch you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFetching is all he\u2019s good for anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHey!\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia sat in the library chair the cold pack on her head as the headache nearly ripped right out of her skull.<\/p>\n
She looked up at the scoobies huddled around the table; the new dark haired boy sprawled in his chair, swinging it back on its rear legs as he filled them in on how he\u2019d been following the missing experiments until he found out the illicit dealings of the military organization chipping vampires.<\/p>\n
The seer just wanted to get the slaying over with. Why did they have to sit there and engage in a symposium? Ignoring Xander\u2019s hurt yelp she fixed her eyes on the new comer.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo let me get this straight,\u201d she said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice, \u201cthey were using vampire research to make some sort of anti vampire demon and ended up what? Making an Anti people demon instead?\u201d<\/p>\n
Riley smiled slightly at the sharp tongued brunette. \u201cSomething like that. The demons were vampires.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy stared at the man. \u201cSo you\u2019re saying Angelus would have become one of those\u2026slimey fangy things?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExperiment 14 was resilient to most mutations.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo shit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eyes snapped up to the smoking figure in the library doorway, fangs flashing and eyes burning gold.<\/p>\n
Angelus growled; the sound vibrating through the book racks. \u201cBeing a few centuries old really builds up the resistance. Let\u2019s see yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAngelus no!\u201d Cordelia stood out of her chair and Buffy was instantly in front of Riley, but the vampire didn\u2019t make it to his target. As soon as the intent to tear the human limb from limb was clear, the chip sent him howling to his feet.<\/p>\n
The entire library fell silent, as the vampire trembled on his hands and knees, cursing profusely, the heel of his hand pressing into his temple as if meaning to reach into the flesh and tear the chip out.<\/p>\n
Riley raised an eyebrow from behind Buffy. \u201cNo wonder they want this one back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia was the first to move, striding across the library while Xander watched with growing unease and Buffy frowned at the seemingly companionable way she offered him the compress as he stood to his full height still reeling from the pain.<\/p>\n
Giles turned to the Commando and frowned. \u201cBeg your pardon?\u201d<\/p>\n
Riley shrugged as he watched the grumbling vampire mutter something to the cheerleader who only rolled her eyes. \u201cThe chip didn\u2019t work on anyone else. None of them survived the implant. Well you\u2019ve seen the outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis one had to live I\u2019m afraid.\u201d Leaning back against the table, Giles crossed his arms as he watched the unsettling sight of Cordelia and Angelus move away from the group, automatically settling into each other\u2019s company.<\/p>\n
For a moment he felt bad about leaving the girl home alone with the demon so much, but then this Initiative and the new demon introduced into Sunnydale had been primary on their mind. He watched his slayer\u2019s blue eyes darken as she saw Cordelia laugh at something Angelus said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot that I\u2019m a big advocate of the vampire,\u201d Giles looked at Riley, \u201cbut it concerns me that they are conducting such\u2026research that is putting the lives of people in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI agree. I\u2019ve been trying to find proof enough to make it stick, but a few wayward demons and corpses aren\u2019t enough with all sorts of crazy things running around this place already.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy sighed. \u201cThat\u2019s the Hellmouth for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBesides I\u2019m just one man.\u201d He looked up at Buffy pointed. \u201cWhich is why I approached you.<\/p>\n
The slayer held back her smile.<\/p>\n
Giles cleared his throat and faced the redhead still bent over her laptop. \u201cWillow?\u201d Her pretty green eyes blinked up at him. \u201cDid you track down the suppliers?\u201d<\/p>\n
The girl nodded, her fingers flying over the keys effortlessly. \u201cIt isn\u2019t confirmed, but I\u2019ve isolated the only possible supplier. Technology like this isn\u2019t come by at e-bay you know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Xander pretended to rummage through his book-bag as he watched the vampire put one hand on the table beside the cheerleader and lean closer while she ranted.<\/p>\n
\u201cServes you right all the bruises came back, or I would have given you shiny new ones.\u201d She stood under his scrutiny, without a hint of unease, hip leaning against the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cDamn the soul had it easy. I miss the bastard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere there.\u201d Cordelia patted his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe hair is off-limits Chase. At least the soul bites fair. You don\u2019t.\u201d He ran a hand back through his hair to fix the spikes. \u201cBesides, I\u2019m playing the damned cowboys and Indians with you; so give it a rest.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYe-hah!\u201d Cordelia glared at him, arms crossed, the headache seemingly lessened now that she was occupied. \u201cAfter you let the little girl die.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou’re wasting your time. I haven’t felt guilt since the 18th century.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia sighed and shook her head. \u201cSo all you\u2019re going to do is bitch.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am doing something.\u201d<\/p>\n
She lifted her head to find his eyes only a few inches above her, his position over her giving him a mighty fine look down her shirt. But she stayed there. Curiosity getting the best of her.<\/p>\n
As always. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStandard response to unforeseen dilemmas perfected over many centuries.\u201d He paused for effect and smirked. \u201cNothing!\u201d She snorted with laughter at his quip and Angelus grinned at her, basking in the glow of her wide smile and sparking hazel eyes. \u201cBesides, you didn\u2019t want this gig either; remember?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI die and it\u2019s over. Bonus; remember?\u201d<\/p>\n
A muscle worked in his jaw and he let out an unwanted sigh. She had to be the most stubborn human he had the displeasure of verbally sparring with. The girl always had some comeback to everything he said and it was just damned unsettling on a woman.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes the term self-preservation mean anything to you, Chase?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDeath can be therapeutic. I won\u2019t \u2018feel\u2019 as you so eloquently like to point out all the time. Besides it was lack of self-preservation that got me into saving your fat ass remember?\u201d<\/p>\n
He pointed a threatening finger at her; the tip nearly touching her nose as he let his hip slide along hers with a whisper of a touch, testing her boundaries, and when she didn\u2019t pull away, he let the tip of his finger graze her pert little nose teasingly. \u201cOkay that\u2019s three. One more and I won\u2019t be responsible for my actions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat night,\u201d she smirked up at him, the twist of her pretty mouth almost taunting enough to match his own, \u201cyou were ready to die as much as I was, fangless.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angelus watched her oddly for a moment, his head drawing back to look at her more openly. \u201cAre you kidding me Hazel? Do you think I want to die? Do you think it’s goddamn easy after hundreds of years? Why do you think I made the deal in the first place?\u201d<\/p>\n
She raised a cocky eyebrow, leaning closer to him haughtily. \u201cSo you don\u2019t<\/i> tempt the slayer into staking you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Slayer’s just in heat, she needs to ride someone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia muffled the spurt of laughter, casting guilty glances around her before she cleared her throat. Angelus watched her for a moment, the animated twinkle in her eyes. The infectious smile on her wide mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy the hell did you think I\u2019d actually help you? Before I found out I had no choice I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
She blinked up at him, startled by the direct question. She thought of joking. She thought of hedging and she thought of just walking away. But most of all she thought of the way he looked right into her eyes as if nothing in them could faze him.<\/p>\n
And for the first time in weeks she found herself relaxing. Almost like she didn\u2019t have to fight to keep the mask in place. \u201cThe alternative seemed unthinkable.\u201d<\/p>\n
A cocky eyebrow drifted up. \u201cForgotten the fangs and flesh already?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou weren\u2019t doing anything else.\u201d She rolled her eyes and tried to sway the conversation back to sparing, but Angelus wouldn\u2019t let her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t have.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the slight husk in his voice Cordelia met his eyes and for a moment, just a moment, she thought she saw confused awe battling longing in his eyes. \u201cAll said and done?\u201d<\/p>\n
But then the look was gone to be replaced by the impassive chill of the vampire\u2019s amber tinted eyes. \u201cNo. But I’m choking on the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChoke alone.\u201d She slid out from underneath him.<\/p>\n
He caught her arm and she was slingshot back against him, for a breath, the others paused as Angelus glowered down at the girl, eyes brimming with gold, nose nearly level with hers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve spent more than two hundred years killing, what the hell makes you think I\u2019m suddenly turning over a new leaf Cordelia?\u201d<\/p>\n
Held against the hard planes of his chest, Cordelia had to fight the urge to lean closer. Somewhere along the way, the lines had blurred between food and consumer. He wasn\u2019t eating her and she had started to see him as more than a demon.<\/p>\n
The change in their affiliation startled her into silence almost as much as it incensed him into sneering. \u201cWe are built for certain things baby. Like that guy, Sisyphus, he rolled that damned stone up that mountain and it rolled right back down. Then he got to start all over. That\u2019s what he was good at.\u201d<\/p>\n
The young woman bristled at the know-it-all-arrogant tenor of his voice. The glint in his eye was enough to tell her; he figured the reference was lost to her. \u201cNo. The difference between Sisyphus and you is that he doesn’t whine all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was distracting. Damn distracting the way she leaned back into him, her shoulder softening against his chest, her wrist loosening in his grasp even while she shot back with equal venom, Angelus took a moment to answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe that’s because he’s immortal. At least he isn\u2019t just waiting around to die like you Chase.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell I\u2019m grateful for my mortality. Few people find life good enough for it to last forever. Me? I intend to go out with a bang.\u201d Yanking her arm out of his grasp, she picked up the melting compress, the headache returning tenfold as she left Angelus glaring after her and slumped back into her chair next to Giles.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we get on with the invasion plan already? I have an appointment with my masseuse after this migraine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Xander cast one scathing look at the silent vampire behind them as he leaned against the table there; arms and legs crossed, face set in a brooding frown. But it was his eyes that made Xander want to beat the undead stuffing out of him.<\/p>\n
His eyes were fixed on Cordelia Chase.<\/p>\n
Angelus was cursing all the hell and heavens as he tried to calm the rage mixed with the need to possess the woman who challenged him on every turn. He couldn\u2019t for the unlife of him understand how they were supposed to work together without tearing each other to pieces. Verbally or otherwise.<\/p>\n
That or tear each others clothes to pieces.<\/p>\n
It was then when he realized the singular train of thought and his eyebrows shot up in realization.<\/p>\n
Dammit! He was getting accustomed to her.<\/p>\n