Destiny - Chapters 25 & 26
Nov. 9th, 2003 07:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
psubratAuthor: PSUbrat
Rating: PG-13 Some language and violence
Disclaimer and spoiler warning: These characters belong to Joss Whedon and whomever else he sells them to, I'm just borrowing them for a while. This story is part three of a trilogy and is based upon the alternate universe I created in Reset.
Update List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Destined_Fic
Summary: Angel and Spike have a heart to heart while the others try to put the last pieces of the puzzle together...
Timeframe: Immediately following "Sing a Song"
As the laughter from the living room continued to drift into the kitchen, William stood frozen in the doorway, watching the two darkened figures outside. He had been right; the poof was out back with Buffy. He could tell by her body language that she was upset. What could Peaches have said to her to piss her off so? Part of him wanted to run out there and tear the ponce apart for hurting her, the other part just wanted to stay put in the shadows and watch the show. Maybe if he were lucky, she would save him the trouble of beating Angel to a bloody pulp and do it herself. As he stood clenching and unclenching his fists, a bottle caught his eye.
"Lookie what we have here," he whispered to the empty room as he picked up the holy water that someone had left on the kitchen island. He raised an eyebrow, looked out the back door and smiled. His smile quickly faded as he watched Angel grab Buffy’s arm and raise his voice. Okay that’s entirely enough of that, he thought. Time to go play hero. Stealthily, he opened the back door and slipped out. He didn’t want Angel to know he was there until he was right on top of him.
Neither had heard him nor sensed him, they were too emotionally charged to notice much of anything at the moment. He didn’t like the pain he heard in Buffy’s voice. Yep, he’d have to take the poof down a peg or two. "Everything okay?" He asked as he sauntered up behind them.
"Spike," Buffy said, jumping slightly at the sound of his voice. She hadn’t expected him. She smiled as she walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She placed a gentle kiss on his lips. "I didn’t hear you come out." How long had he been standing there? Not long, she hoped.
William placed his arm around her possessively; as he leaned down to let her lips brush his in a soft kiss. "Everything okay, Luv?" He asked again, smiling down at her.
"Yeah. Everything’s fine. Angel and I were just talking."
"Were you now?" He asked, raising his eyebrows and then tilting his head to look down into her beautiful hazel eyes. He could tell she had been close to tears. "I hope it was about the prophecy. Come up with any ideas on how to kill the Master?"
"No," Angel replied before Buffy could. He was trying to keep his demon in check as he watched the two closely interact, so obviously devoted to one another. "Shouldn’t you be inside with your books trying to figure this all out?"
"I was, but now I’m out here," William said, glancing sideways at Angel and trying to gauge his grandsire’s mood. "The others are in the living room with Lorne, singing."
"Singing?" Buffy asked puzzled. "Why are they singing?"
"Lorne can read certain things when people sing for him," Angel stated in a monotone. "He’s an empath."
"Okay...and that means?"
"It just means he’s trying to help us suss out who’s who in the prophecy by having them sing. So far, he’s found out that Fred and Gunn are not involved. Gunn’s pretty relieved; Fred’s kinda disappointed though, I reckon. The whelp’s going to sing next. Thought I’d come out here and get you. Didn’t think you’d want to miss that." That was partly true. He did think she’d want to hear Xander sing but he also wanted to check on Angel after noticing that the vampire had gone missing.
She laughed. "No way! I so don’t want to miss that!" She grabbed hold of William’s hand and tugged it as she began to make her way towards the back door. "Let’s go."
"I’ll just be a minute luv," he assured her as he stood his ground. "Go on ahead. Angel and I need to have a little talk."
Oh God. He had seen them, she was sure of it now, but exactly how much, she still didn’t know. "Then I’m not going in," she stated as she crossed her arms over her chest and scowled. "I think I should stay out here and run interference so that you two don’t kill each other."
"Buffy, I’ll be fine," Angel stated with a smile. "He’s right. We do need to talk."
She shifted her eyes from one to the other, trying to assess the level of testosterone in the air. Finally, she realized she wasn’t going to get either one of them to follow her inside. "Alright, fine. If you two kill each other, I’m going to kill you both." She knew they were going to fight, she could feel it. Despite how much she wanted to see the show Xander was bound to put on, she just didn’t want to leave these two alone.
"Right then," William said, giving her a smile he knew would make her melt. "Go catch Harris’s little ditty while you can and Angel and I will be in a few minutes."
"Remember what I said," Buffy warned as she backed up towards the house, "If there’s any killing to be done, I’m gonna do it."
They watched as she made her way to the house, both giving her an exaggerated wave and smile when she turned uncertainly at the door. When he saw her disappear out of sight, William turned to Angel and glared.
The bedroom that had once belonged to Joyce Summers was quiet and peaceful. Tara and Willow laid snuggled up to one another under the covers, awash in the blue glow of the moonlight that filtered in through the sheer curtains. They had made sure the windows were closed so that their sleep would not be disturbed by nature’s symphony. Instead, it was being interrupted by a constant thumping of bass emanating from below.
"Sounds like they’re having a party without us," Tara commented as she turned on her side to look into Willow’s eyes.
"Yeah and I’m this close to going down there to give them a piece of my mind. I wonder if Dawn and Cordelia are getting any sleep?"
"Sweetie, don’t be cranky. I think they’re just trying to relax before tomorrow night..."
"Well couldn’t they do it a little quieter? Witch here...need rest so that I can use my powers effectively."
Tara smiled at her lover’s comment. "Are you really tired?"
"No, but that’s beside the point! I should be exhausted but my body’s telling me that it’s tomorrow morning already. I should be studying for my trials so that I can come home all healed and happy."
"We are home Willow. We’re in our own bed back in Sunnydale and I think you’re a lot stronger than you believe right now. The Coven wouldn’t have let us go see Giles if they didn’t think that."
"True, but I’m still not tired and I still don’t think I’m ready to use my powers against the Master. What if I fail? What if I can’t help Buffy or the rest of us? Tara, what if I can’t help you? I can’t lose you again!"
Tara wrapped her arms around her sobbing lover and cooed gently to her. "Shhhh. You’ll do fine, Willow. I have complete confidence in you but I want you to promise me something."
"I’ll promise you anything you want baby," Willow said as she turned her head to meet Tara’s soft gaze.
Tara thought for a moment before she continued. She didn’t want to sound too harsh when she told Willow what she wanted her to promise; the girl was already trembling enough and she didn’t want to push her over the edge. However, she needed to hear Willow make the promise. Taking in a deep breath, she rushed forward with the words. "I want you to promise me that if anything does happen to me, that you won’t go all Evil Willow on everyone else again."
"But..."
"Promise me, Willow. Please. This is important to me...there won’t be a vengeance demon to wish to this time."
Willow quickly sat up and faced Tara, concern and guilt showing in her eyes. "I-I promise. I won’t go all black magicy again. I swear. Just don’t talk like that anymore, okay?" It was more of a demand than a request.
Tara smiled and nodded her head. "You know," she began with a sly smile as she sat up and put an arm around Willow, "I’ve heard that all over body massages are a good relaxation technique. Would you like me to try to help you relax?"
"I suppose if you have to get practice in on someone, that someone might as well be me," she replied, grinning widely while feigning annoyance. "Such a horrible job but someone’s gotta do it."
"Mmhmm," Tara sighed as she rolled her lover over on her stomach and began to knead her shoulders.
"Ohhhh...relaxing good."
The almost full moon shone down on the two rivals as they stood glaring at one another. The crickets had stopped their music and the slight breeze that had stirred the trees earlier died down, leaving the night deadly silent. It was almost as if nature sensed that a confrontation of great import was about to take place and wanted to make sure there was silence so that it could be heard clearly. The usual sound of cars was also missing from the stilled night. William could only wonder if the residents of Sunnydale were now hiding themselves away from the chaos that had started. Slowly, and with purpose, he took a step closer to Angel, icy blue eyes staring coldly at the vampire before him.
"What?" Angel asked as innocently as possible while giving William a cocky grin. "Afraid she loves me more than you?"
"No," William replied with an even tone. "Just afraid that you’re going to hurt her again."
Angel’s grin slowly disappeared from his face as he realized that Spike wasn’t there to taunt him into a fight. "Like you’re not going to hurt her?" He demanded, taking a step closer to William, hoping that the younger man would give him a reason to start something.
"Let’s get one thing straight, mate," William stated, standing up as straight as possible to face his grandsire. "I’m not threatened by your declaration of love for Buffy. I know where her heart lies and it’s not with you."
"Don’t be so sure about that," Angel sneered at him. "A man knows certain things from the way a woman kisses him..."
"And what do Cordelia’s kisses tell you?" William asked quietly, his eyes never leaving Angel’s. He had seen the kiss between Buffy and Angel and it had hurt his ego but he knew, deep down, that Buffy loved him and that thought brought him comfort despite the Angelus type remarks.
Shock registered on Angel’s face as William’s words sunk into him. Did all of the Scoobies know about his relationship with Cordelia? "That’s none of your business!"
"Isn’t it? Peaches, you can say what you want to try to get me to kick your ass..." He paused as he saw Angel’s reaction to his words. "What? You don’t think I can?"
"Spike, you’re human now or have you forgotten that? I doubt very much that you could harm me." He shook his head and laughed to himself as he tried to picture Spike the Human inflicting pain on him.
William pulled the bottle of holy water out of his pocket and flashed it before the smug vampire. "Wanna test that?" His tone was serious, threatening.
"You wouldn’t dare. If you even touch me with that, you know Buffy will never forgive you."
"Might be right about that," William conceded as he threw the threatening bottle on the ground. "But I don’t think she’d be too upset if I kicked your ass the old fashioned way."
"Get a grip Spike. I could break you in two; kill you with my own hands. Actually, that might not be a bad idea. I could comfort Buffy after you’re gone."
"Is that so? Give me your best shot."
"What?"
"I said give me your best shot!"
"Well okay, since you asked for it..." He stepped forward and threw a right towards William’s face, but it never connected. "What the...?"
William smirked as he easily avoided the punch. "Is that all you’ve got, Angelus, cause if it is, I have to say..." He stopped short as Angel came at him, the vampire’s head hitting him in the midsection, knocking him off his feet. "Alright then, let’s have at it."
The two former scourges of Europe rolled around on the ground, beating each other senseless, like two young boys on a school playground fighting over a couple pieces of stale gum - the kind that came with baseball cards. Buffy watched from the kitchen door, covering her mouth and trying to stifle her laughter. At first, she had been concerned for Angel’s well being when William had pulled out the holy water, but when he had thrown it down on the ground to fight the vampire hand to hand, she relaxed enough to enjoy the show they were now putting on for her. All she could do was shake her head at how stupid the two of them looked out there. The sounds of grunting and groaning when punches landed or knees connected drifted to her ears as well as snippets of conversation.
"Buffy?" A voice called from behind.
"Giles, hi. Everything going okay in there?" She asked, spinning around to face him.
He studied his Slayer intently. She looked like a child who had gotten caught with her proverbial hands in the cookie jar. "What’s going on?"
"Nothing," she said quickly, trying to close the back door before he could catch a glimpse of what was going on outside.
He caught the door in mid swing and looked down at her. "Honestly Buffy, do you think I’m blind?"
"No. Just hoped that maybe you were...just a bit."
He glanced outside as William knocked Angel several yards with a back kick to the vampire’s chest. "How long have they been going at it?"
"About ten minutes now. Think I should stop them?"
"No, let them go. Hopefully they’ll get it out of their systems so that they can concentrate on defeating the Master." Placing his hand on her shoulder, he began guiding her towards the living room. "Come on, we’ll go listen to Anya’s song a while. Lorne is helping us put the puzzle pieces together."
"If her performance is as bad as Xander’s just was, I’m gonna hurl."
"You and I both I’m afraid," he stated dryly as they reached the room and took seats on the couch.
"Buffy, Giles," Anya said with a grin. "You almost missed my turn to sing a little ditty."
"Wouldn’t have missed it for the world," Giles stated with a forced smile while Buffy coughed loudly to his left.
"Go ahead darling," Lorne encouraged her. "Sing your little heart out for Uncle Lorne." While the others cringed, Anya managed to screech out the lyrics to a Shania Twain song. After a few lines, he finally stopped the slaughter. "Okay, I’ve heard enough. You’re the Demon and you’re going to be paired with your boyfriend the Loyal. Any more questions?" No one said a word. "Good. Who’s next? We still don’t know who the Betrayer is."
"I thought that would be quite obvious," Wesley stated as a disheveled Angel and William entered the room, looking exhausted and a bit worse for wear.
"Color me stupid," Xander stated, suppressing a yawn while the others in the room were still giggling over Anya’s performance. "But I’m not following."
Wesley stood, giving Angel a cold stare. "The Betrayer...is me."
Author: PSUbrat
Rating: PG-13 Some language and violence
Disclaimer and spoiler warning: These characters belong to Joss Whedon and whomever else he sells them to, I'm just borrowing them for a while. This story is part three of a trilogy and is based upon the alternate universe I created in Reset.
Update List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Destined_Fic
Summary: The Twelve are finally revealed, the puzzle finally solved while the Master prepares for his ascension...
Timeframe: Immediately following "Puzzle Pieces"
The atmosphere in the Summers’ living room had suddenly gone from jovial and relaxed - hey, apocalypses happen every day here, right? - to frosty and tense in a matter of seconds. Those that had been having a good time, stopped in mid giggle as they watched the former watcher and the vampire interact, their body language screaming distrust and contempt. Wesley stood deadly still as his steel-blue eyes locked with Angel’s deep brown ones. He knew that nothing would ever be the same between them again. He didn’t want same though, he wanted better than same but he knew that he would never get that. Not from Angel anyway. Part of him wished that the wounds between them would heal and the other part of him, his darker part, just didn’t care anymore. It was no longer worth the effort to him.
"You’re damn right you’re the Betrayer," Angel growled as he contorted his human face into his most menacing scowl.
Wesley sighed but never broke eye contact. He heard the others in the room, buzzing in the background. He supposed that eventually the Sunnydale bunch would have to be brought up to speed on why it was that he was the Betrayer, but for now he had to deal with the angry vampire standing in front of him. "Angel, I have apologized several times over for what occurred. I cannot take it back. I know that you will never accept that, which is quite all right. I do not need your forgiveness."
Fred and Gunn shared a worried glance. What did Wesley mean that he didn’t need Angel’s forgiveness? They had both just assumed that all was already forgiven and that Wesley would come back home to them, that is, if they all made it out of the Last Judgment alive. Fred looked up from her seat on the floor and saw the yellow flash through Angel’s eyes. This was not a good place to be sitting, especially if things were going to get ugly between the two, which she assumed they would. Nudging Charles with her elbow, she signaled to him to back up with her towards the couch so that they would be out of range if the fists started flying. He quickly complied and the two silently backed up to be with the others.
"What do you mean you don’t need my forgiveness?" Angel demanded, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring back at the man. "What you did to me...to my son...it’s unforgivable anyway."
"What the heck is he talking about?" Xander whispered to Anya.
"I’m not sure," Anya replied in her own hushed tone. "But Angel should have contacted me for a good vengeance spell."
Xander looked at her like she was insane, but he soon turned his attention back to the melee in the middle of the room when Buffy shushed him by bringing her finger to her lips and glaring at him.
"I’m well aware of what I’ve done to you and to Connor. He and I have already talked about it and..."
"Which brings me to my next question, Wesley. Just what were you doing with my son tonight? Were you trying to turn him against me more than he already was, is that it?"
Lilah laughed. "Uh oh, Angel’s found you out Wesley. Now what are you going to do?"
Wesley glared daggers at the woman tied to the chair but before he could speak, Angel had him by the throat in a vice-like grip, cutting off his air supply.
"You son of a..."
The rest of the group sat in stunned silence as they watched Wesley dangle from Angel’s grip. No one moved nor knew what to do, especially after Connor sprung to his feet to challenge the vampire.
"No!" Connor screamed as he ran to the aid of the man who had taken him in and helped him to reconcile with his father. "Stop it! Let him go! I thought you swore you weren’t a monster!"
Connor’s words echoed in Angel’s ears as all the strength slowly drained out of him. Ever so gently, he released the grip he had on Wesley’s throat. He watched in horror as the man began to cough and sputter, gasping for fresh air while he rubbed at his neck where the hand had been squeezing the life out of him. He looked down at his hands like they weren’t a part of his being and then looked pleadingly at his son. What had he done? Had he just destroyed the tenuous connection they had just reestablished? He couldn’t let that happen, too much was at stake, their very lives. The look on Connor’s face, the fear and the hatred, scorched his already tortured soul.
"Son, I’m sorry..." Angel began as he took a tentative step towards Connor.
"Don’t apologize to me. You should be apologizing to him," he said pointing at the Englishman standing off to the side. Bruises were now showing up on the man’s neck.
"Connor, you don’t understand..."
"I understand just fine. Wesley has taken care of me the last few days and he has not once lied to me as far as I can tell. He explained to me what happened. If I can look past it, shouldn’t you as well?"
Angel stood staring at his son, dumbfounded. It was then that he realized that he didn’t know his son, not really. The boy was a complete stranger and if he was to ever establish a bond, then things needed to change. He straightened his back, turned to Wesley and extended his hand towards his former friend. "I’m sorry, Wes. Will you accept my apology?"
"No harm, no foul," Wesley stated dryly, his hand continuing to rub the bruised area of his neck. He thought about not reaching to shake Angel’s hand but then realized it was something that needed to be done in front of Connor, for the sake of father and son. "Very well. Apology accepted."
Angel turned to his son who was now grinning back at him. Being a parent was going to be harder than he originally thought, especially to a teenager. He supposed he’d have to ask Buffy for some pointers on how she handled Dawn.
The night air had a slight chill to it as the fledgling vampire slowly made his way back to the cave and to his master. Of course, he no longer noticed the cold and he no longer cared about it either. All that mattered now was that he was free; free from everything that was once important to him, such as his job and money. The healing powers of vampires were truly a magnificent thing. He wished he had studied it more in his previous life. The pain in his broken legs had already started to subside and for that he was grateful. It was true that the pain was much less excruciating than what he, as a human, had endured just less than a day ago at the hands of the Master, so he was appreciative of that as well. The demon that now inhabited the body in place of the human soul still had those awful memories ingrained in his being. The thought of what the Master had done to the human part of him, made him shiver.
Instinctively he knew how to get back to the cave despite the fact that he was newly turned and that the cave was well hidden. The Master would be pleased with him, he was sure, since he was bringing along a fresh offering. The seemingly young woman that he dragged behind him had been quite a find. He had come across her after being hit by the car; actually it was her that had come across him. She had been wandering the streets aimlessly, dazed and crying when she literally bumped into him. It hadn’t taken much to over power her, almost like she wanted to be caught, and as a result he now had something to give to his master. The sound of a muffled groan reached his ears. It was a good thing that he was almost to the cave, otherwise he’d have to knock her out again and that just wouldn’t be acceptable. He wanted her fully alert as he handed her to him.
Once inside the cave, he followed the tunnel to another chamber where he knew the Master would be at rest, preparing himself for tomorrow night’s festivities. The woman was now becoming more alert and starting to thrash around a bit. That was just fine by him, the better to get her heart pumping and the blood flowing. Then again, he was certain that would occur anyway once she understood what was about to happen to her.
"Grandpa-pa look!" Drusilla cried, clapping her hands together as the fledgling brought in its prey. "Look what our precious Gavin has brought for you."
Gavin pulled the dark haired woman to her feet and placed her in front of the Master. "I’ve brought you this offering, Master. Are you pleased?"
The Master chuckled a deep throaty chuckle as he keenly observed the offering in front of him. "You have done well, my boy."
Drusilla circled the woman, her eyes dancing with pleasure. She swayed back and forth listening to a voice that only she could hear. "Grandpa-pa, the pixies are telling me that she was once very powerful. Her blood will be beyond anything you have ever tasted before."
"Drusilla my darling, I’m afraid your pixies have forgotten that I have tasted the blood of a slayer, nothing is sweeter than that."
She pouted as she ran her hand through the woman’s hair, eliciting a small whimper from the prisoner. "Yes, but the pixies still think that you’ll like her just the same."
"Perhaps I will," he stated with a smile as he moved towards the woman. "Shall we test that theory now?"
"Don’t you want to find out what I know first?" The woman asked, tilting her head to the side and glaring at the hideous creature in front of her, daring him to kill her before she revealed all that she knew.
The tension factor in the Summers’ living room dropped several notches after Wesley and Angel shook hands. Buffy was relieved. She thought she might have to start chaining them to the supports in the basement if they didn’t keep their testosterone in check. She wondered why they just couldn’t bottle it up and save it for tomorrow night when it would really be needed.
"William, a word please," Giles stated with a frown and disapproving look at William’s torn and dirt stained clothing.
"Someone’s in trouble," Xander sing-songed like a four year old, grin and all. He hoped that Giles was going to kick some Evil Dead butt; then again, it looked like Evil Dead had already gone through a butt kicking with Angel. Too bad they hadn’t killed one another. That would have given him a huge happy.
"Stuff it Harris," William shot back. "You just wish it had been you out there trying to kick my ass instead of the poofter. No worries. Plenty of time for that later."
"So are you feeling all manly now?" Buffy asked with a grin as she walked up beside him, checking him for wounds. She was surprised to see that he didn’t have more than a scratch anywhere on his body that she could see anyway. Not even much of a bruise, which she thought was really odd since Angel looked like his face had met with a baseball bat a few times.
"Yeah. I say I feel very manly right now. Wanna slip down to the basement to see just how manly I can be?" He asked giving her his patented cocky grin.
She hesitated a moment, the thought of stealing off for some alone time with him was incredibly tempting, but there were bigger, more important things to think about right now. "A world of ‘no’. There’s too much to do. Maybe later when it’s our turn for some sleep." She noticed his grin again after her last statement. He may be a proper and refined British watcher now, but at times she caught glimpses of the old Spike. A part of her really missed him.
"William?" Giles demanded from the dining room. "A word. Now."
"Best be going luv. Try to keep everyone busy or better yet, get out some extra blankets and pillows, they may want to get some rest."
"Right. I can do that," she replied. "But first I need to talk to Angel."
William raised an eyebrow in question and folded his arms across his chest.
"Just talking. I swear."
"I trust you luv," he whispered as he bent down to kiss her forehead. "Gotta go before Rupert skins me alive."
She watched him walk away in awe. He had handled the whole thing with her and Angel so well, it was scary. Maybe he had really changed or maybe she just never noticed that he was capable of this type of behavior before. Either way, she was glad that she finally had opened her heart to him.
In the dining room the three watchers sat back in their seats, pouring over papers and making notes. They were certain that they now knew who the pertinent participants were and to whom they were paired. Since neither Giles nor Wesley had sung for Lorne, they could only assume that they were to face their fate together, for whatever reasons. Now it was just a matter of devising a plan in order to defeat the Master.
"Shall we go over the list and the pairs?" Wesley asked, shuffling his notes and trying to put some order to the disorder that he felt. "Just to assure that we’re all on the same page?"
"Excellent idea," Giles replied as he rubbed his temples. He felt like he hadn’t slept in days, which was right on, since he truly hadn’t slept in days. There was still so much to do; he just could contemplate resting yet.
"Rupert I think you should get some sleep after we go over this. William and I can continue with trying to formulate a plan."
William nodded in agreement. The older watcher was looking a little green around the edges. "I agree with Wesley. You really do need to get some sleep. You won’t be any good to us in this condition."
"I’ll have you know I’m in great condition!" Giles snapped at them. His shoulders slumped and his face softened. "I’m sorry. I guess I am overly tired. Let’s go over the Twelve and then I’ll try to get some sleep."
Wesley pulled out his list from his stack of papers and cleared his throat. "Let’s start with the obvious one. We already know that Buffy is the Slayer and that she is paired with William who is the Souled. Dawn is the Key and is paired with Connor, who I’ll assume to be the Prodigy. Do either of you disagree with that assessment?" Both Giles and William shook their heads. "Right then, continuing...we know that Cordelia and Angel are paired. I’m guessing that Angel is the Champion since we know absolutely for sure that the Souled position has been filled. Also, Lorne knows for a fact that he is not involved in the prophecy, which leaves Cordy as the only one with visions, thus the Seer. We also know, through Lorne’s abilities, that Xander is the Loyal and that he is paired with Anya who is the Demon. Neither has received their calling yet but I believe that will happen in a matter of hours."
Giles nodded with Wesley’s assessment thus far. "Right. So that now leaves us with Willow as the Witch, Tara as the Sorceress, myself as the Watcher and Wesley as the Betrayer. We have no idea for sure that Willow and Tara will be paired, we can only assume that they will be and without their having been called, we won’t know for sure."
"Well it would make sense if they were paired," William interrupted. "It seems that those who have been paired so far are romantically involved." He sat back and waited to see how long it would take for the other two watchers to react to his innuendo.
"Angel and Cordelia are involved?" Giles asked incredulously.
William shook his head and rolled his eyes. That was not the reaction he had been fishing for when he had made the statement, but it would do for now.
"Yes, for quite some time now," Wesley replied matter of factly.
"Although you wouldn’t know it by the way he’s been sniffing around Buffy," William growled.
"William, was that scene out back with Angel really necessary?" Giles chastised as he took in the man’s appearance. "I mean really, was it worth it?"
"What do you think?" William asked with a cocky grin. "Of course it was worth it, mate. It felt good to give the poof his just due. Now I hope he realizes what he has with the cheerleader before he messes that up too."
"Yes, well," Wesley stated dryly. "Not much we can do there. Angel is quite stubborn."
"Anyway...getting back to the pairs. As I was saying, those that we know for sure that have been paired off are romantically involved. So is there anything you two blokes would like to share?"
Both Wesley and Giles gave William a puzzled look, and then slowly, realization of what William was hinting at dawned on them. Puzzlement was replaced by shock and then shock was replaced by embarrassment. Giles stood quickly, cleared his throat, made like he was going to say something and then stopped.
William could tell that the man was now flustered. "Don’t worry Rupert," he said, patting the older watcher on the arm and smiling mischievously. "You’re secret’s safe with me."
"Now see here!" Giles exclaimed as he towered over the younger man who was still seated. "I am not..."
Before he could finish, a scream came from upstairs.
Rating: PG-13 Some language and violence
Disclaimer and spoiler warning: These characters belong to Joss Whedon and whomever else he sells them to, I'm just borrowing them for a while. This story is part three of a trilogy and is based upon the alternate universe I created in Reset.
Update List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Destined_Fic
Summary: Angel and Spike have a heart to heart while the others try to put the last pieces of the puzzle together...
Timeframe: Immediately following "Sing a Song"
- 25 -
Puzzle Pieces
Puzzle Pieces
As the laughter from the living room continued to drift into the kitchen, William stood frozen in the doorway, watching the two darkened figures outside. He had been right; the poof was out back with Buffy. He could tell by her body language that she was upset. What could Peaches have said to her to piss her off so? Part of him wanted to run out there and tear the ponce apart for hurting her, the other part just wanted to stay put in the shadows and watch the show. Maybe if he were lucky, she would save him the trouble of beating Angel to a bloody pulp and do it herself. As he stood clenching and unclenching his fists, a bottle caught his eye.
"Lookie what we have here," he whispered to the empty room as he picked up the holy water that someone had left on the kitchen island. He raised an eyebrow, looked out the back door and smiled. His smile quickly faded as he watched Angel grab Buffy’s arm and raise his voice. Okay that’s entirely enough of that, he thought. Time to go play hero. Stealthily, he opened the back door and slipped out. He didn’t want Angel to know he was there until he was right on top of him.
Neither had heard him nor sensed him, they were too emotionally charged to notice much of anything at the moment. He didn’t like the pain he heard in Buffy’s voice. Yep, he’d have to take the poof down a peg or two. "Everything okay?" He asked as he sauntered up behind them.
"Spike," Buffy said, jumping slightly at the sound of his voice. She hadn’t expected him. She smiled as she walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She placed a gentle kiss on his lips. "I didn’t hear you come out." How long had he been standing there? Not long, she hoped.
William placed his arm around her possessively; as he leaned down to let her lips brush his in a soft kiss. "Everything okay, Luv?" He asked again, smiling down at her.
"Yeah. Everything’s fine. Angel and I were just talking."
"Were you now?" He asked, raising his eyebrows and then tilting his head to look down into her beautiful hazel eyes. He could tell she had been close to tears. "I hope it was about the prophecy. Come up with any ideas on how to kill the Master?"
"No," Angel replied before Buffy could. He was trying to keep his demon in check as he watched the two closely interact, so obviously devoted to one another. "Shouldn’t you be inside with your books trying to figure this all out?"
"I was, but now I’m out here," William said, glancing sideways at Angel and trying to gauge his grandsire’s mood. "The others are in the living room with Lorne, singing."
"Singing?" Buffy asked puzzled. "Why are they singing?"
"Lorne can read certain things when people sing for him," Angel stated in a monotone. "He’s an empath."
"Okay...and that means?"
"It just means he’s trying to help us suss out who’s who in the prophecy by having them sing. So far, he’s found out that Fred and Gunn are not involved. Gunn’s pretty relieved; Fred’s kinda disappointed though, I reckon. The whelp’s going to sing next. Thought I’d come out here and get you. Didn’t think you’d want to miss that." That was partly true. He did think she’d want to hear Xander sing but he also wanted to check on Angel after noticing that the vampire had gone missing.
She laughed. "No way! I so don’t want to miss that!" She grabbed hold of William’s hand and tugged it as she began to make her way towards the back door. "Let’s go."
"I’ll just be a minute luv," he assured her as he stood his ground. "Go on ahead. Angel and I need to have a little talk."
Oh God. He had seen them, she was sure of it now, but exactly how much, she still didn’t know. "Then I’m not going in," she stated as she crossed her arms over her chest and scowled. "I think I should stay out here and run interference so that you two don’t kill each other."
"Buffy, I’ll be fine," Angel stated with a smile. "He’s right. We do need to talk."
She shifted her eyes from one to the other, trying to assess the level of testosterone in the air. Finally, she realized she wasn’t going to get either one of them to follow her inside. "Alright, fine. If you two kill each other, I’m going to kill you both." She knew they were going to fight, she could feel it. Despite how much she wanted to see the show Xander was bound to put on, she just didn’t want to leave these two alone.
"Right then," William said, giving her a smile he knew would make her melt. "Go catch Harris’s little ditty while you can and Angel and I will be in a few minutes."
"Remember what I said," Buffy warned as she backed up towards the house, "If there’s any killing to be done, I’m gonna do it."
They watched as she made her way to the house, both giving her an exaggerated wave and smile when she turned uncertainly at the door. When he saw her disappear out of sight, William turned to Angel and glared.
******
The bedroom that had once belonged to Joyce Summers was quiet and peaceful. Tara and Willow laid snuggled up to one another under the covers, awash in the blue glow of the moonlight that filtered in through the sheer curtains. They had made sure the windows were closed so that their sleep would not be disturbed by nature’s symphony. Instead, it was being interrupted by a constant thumping of bass emanating from below.
"Sounds like they’re having a party without us," Tara commented as she turned on her side to look into Willow’s eyes.
"Yeah and I’m this close to going down there to give them a piece of my mind. I wonder if Dawn and Cordelia are getting any sleep?"
"Sweetie, don’t be cranky. I think they’re just trying to relax before tomorrow night..."
"Well couldn’t they do it a little quieter? Witch here...need rest so that I can use my powers effectively."
Tara smiled at her lover’s comment. "Are you really tired?"
"No, but that’s beside the point! I should be exhausted but my body’s telling me that it’s tomorrow morning already. I should be studying for my trials so that I can come home all healed and happy."
"We are home Willow. We’re in our own bed back in Sunnydale and I think you’re a lot stronger than you believe right now. The Coven wouldn’t have let us go see Giles if they didn’t think that."
"True, but I’m still not tired and I still don’t think I’m ready to use my powers against the Master. What if I fail? What if I can’t help Buffy or the rest of us? Tara, what if I can’t help you? I can’t lose you again!"
Tara wrapped her arms around her sobbing lover and cooed gently to her. "Shhhh. You’ll do fine, Willow. I have complete confidence in you but I want you to promise me something."
"I’ll promise you anything you want baby," Willow said as she turned her head to meet Tara’s soft gaze.
Tara thought for a moment before she continued. She didn’t want to sound too harsh when she told Willow what she wanted her to promise; the girl was already trembling enough and she didn’t want to push her over the edge. However, she needed to hear Willow make the promise. Taking in a deep breath, she rushed forward with the words. "I want you to promise me that if anything does happen to me, that you won’t go all Evil Willow on everyone else again."
"But..."
"Promise me, Willow. Please. This is important to me...there won’t be a vengeance demon to wish to this time."
Willow quickly sat up and faced Tara, concern and guilt showing in her eyes. "I-I promise. I won’t go all black magicy again. I swear. Just don’t talk like that anymore, okay?" It was more of a demand than a request.
Tara smiled and nodded her head. "You know," she began with a sly smile as she sat up and put an arm around Willow, "I’ve heard that all over body massages are a good relaxation technique. Would you like me to try to help you relax?"
"I suppose if you have to get practice in on someone, that someone might as well be me," she replied, grinning widely while feigning annoyance. "Such a horrible job but someone’s gotta do it."
"Mmhmm," Tara sighed as she rolled her lover over on her stomach and began to knead her shoulders.
"Ohhhh...relaxing good."
******
The almost full moon shone down on the two rivals as they stood glaring at one another. The crickets had stopped their music and the slight breeze that had stirred the trees earlier died down, leaving the night deadly silent. It was almost as if nature sensed that a confrontation of great import was about to take place and wanted to make sure there was silence so that it could be heard clearly. The usual sound of cars was also missing from the stilled night. William could only wonder if the residents of Sunnydale were now hiding themselves away from the chaos that had started. Slowly, and with purpose, he took a step closer to Angel, icy blue eyes staring coldly at the vampire before him.
"What?" Angel asked as innocently as possible while giving William a cocky grin. "Afraid she loves me more than you?"
"No," William replied with an even tone. "Just afraid that you’re going to hurt her again."
Angel’s grin slowly disappeared from his face as he realized that Spike wasn’t there to taunt him into a fight. "Like you’re not going to hurt her?" He demanded, taking a step closer to William, hoping that the younger man would give him a reason to start something.
"Let’s get one thing straight, mate," William stated, standing up as straight as possible to face his grandsire. "I’m not threatened by your declaration of love for Buffy. I know where her heart lies and it’s not with you."
"Don’t be so sure about that," Angel sneered at him. "A man knows certain things from the way a woman kisses him..."
"And what do Cordelia’s kisses tell you?" William asked quietly, his eyes never leaving Angel’s. He had seen the kiss between Buffy and Angel and it had hurt his ego but he knew, deep down, that Buffy loved him and that thought brought him comfort despite the Angelus type remarks.
Shock registered on Angel’s face as William’s words sunk into him. Did all of the Scoobies know about his relationship with Cordelia? "That’s none of your business!"
"Isn’t it? Peaches, you can say what you want to try to get me to kick your ass..." He paused as he saw Angel’s reaction to his words. "What? You don’t think I can?"
"Spike, you’re human now or have you forgotten that? I doubt very much that you could harm me." He shook his head and laughed to himself as he tried to picture Spike the Human inflicting pain on him.
William pulled the bottle of holy water out of his pocket and flashed it before the smug vampire. "Wanna test that?" His tone was serious, threatening.
"You wouldn’t dare. If you even touch me with that, you know Buffy will never forgive you."
"Might be right about that," William conceded as he threw the threatening bottle on the ground. "But I don’t think she’d be too upset if I kicked your ass the old fashioned way."
"Get a grip Spike. I could break you in two; kill you with my own hands. Actually, that might not be a bad idea. I could comfort Buffy after you’re gone."
"Is that so? Give me your best shot."
"What?"
"I said give me your best shot!"
"Well okay, since you asked for it..." He stepped forward and threw a right towards William’s face, but it never connected. "What the...?"
William smirked as he easily avoided the punch. "Is that all you’ve got, Angelus, cause if it is, I have to say..." He stopped short as Angel came at him, the vampire’s head hitting him in the midsection, knocking him off his feet. "Alright then, let’s have at it."
******
The two former scourges of Europe rolled around on the ground, beating each other senseless, like two young boys on a school playground fighting over a couple pieces of stale gum - the kind that came with baseball cards. Buffy watched from the kitchen door, covering her mouth and trying to stifle her laughter. At first, she had been concerned for Angel’s well being when William had pulled out the holy water, but when he had thrown it down on the ground to fight the vampire hand to hand, she relaxed enough to enjoy the show they were now putting on for her. All she could do was shake her head at how stupid the two of them looked out there. The sounds of grunting and groaning when punches landed or knees connected drifted to her ears as well as snippets of conversation.
"Buffy?" A voice called from behind.
"Giles, hi. Everything going okay in there?" She asked, spinning around to face him.
He studied his Slayer intently. She looked like a child who had gotten caught with her proverbial hands in the cookie jar. "What’s going on?"
"Nothing," she said quickly, trying to close the back door before he could catch a glimpse of what was going on outside.
He caught the door in mid swing and looked down at her. "Honestly Buffy, do you think I’m blind?"
"No. Just hoped that maybe you were...just a bit."
He glanced outside as William knocked Angel several yards with a back kick to the vampire’s chest. "How long have they been going at it?"
"About ten minutes now. Think I should stop them?"
"No, let them go. Hopefully they’ll get it out of their systems so that they can concentrate on defeating the Master." Placing his hand on her shoulder, he began guiding her towards the living room. "Come on, we’ll go listen to Anya’s song a while. Lorne is helping us put the puzzle pieces together."
"If her performance is as bad as Xander’s just was, I’m gonna hurl."
"You and I both I’m afraid," he stated dryly as they reached the room and took seats on the couch.
"Buffy, Giles," Anya said with a grin. "You almost missed my turn to sing a little ditty."
"Wouldn’t have missed it for the world," Giles stated with a forced smile while Buffy coughed loudly to his left.
"Go ahead darling," Lorne encouraged her. "Sing your little heart out for Uncle Lorne." While the others cringed, Anya managed to screech out the lyrics to a Shania Twain song. After a few lines, he finally stopped the slaughter. "Okay, I’ve heard enough. You’re the Demon and you’re going to be paired with your boyfriend the Loyal. Any more questions?" No one said a word. "Good. Who’s next? We still don’t know who the Betrayer is."
"I thought that would be quite obvious," Wesley stated as a disheveled Angel and William entered the room, looking exhausted and a bit worse for wear.
"Color me stupid," Xander stated, suppressing a yawn while the others in the room were still giggling over Anya’s performance. "But I’m not following."
Wesley stood, giving Angel a cold stare. "The Betrayer...is me."
Author: PSUbrat
Rating: PG-13 Some language and violence
Disclaimer and spoiler warning: These characters belong to Joss Whedon and whomever else he sells them to, I'm just borrowing them for a while. This story is part three of a trilogy and is based upon the alternate universe I created in Reset.
Update List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Destined_Fic
Summary: The Twelve are finally revealed, the puzzle finally solved while the Master prepares for his ascension...
Timeframe: Immediately following "Puzzle Pieces"
- 26-
Fool Me Once
Fool Me Once
The atmosphere in the Summers’ living room had suddenly gone from jovial and relaxed - hey, apocalypses happen every day here, right? - to frosty and tense in a matter of seconds. Those that had been having a good time, stopped in mid giggle as they watched the former watcher and the vampire interact, their body language screaming distrust and contempt. Wesley stood deadly still as his steel-blue eyes locked with Angel’s deep brown ones. He knew that nothing would ever be the same between them again. He didn’t want same though, he wanted better than same but he knew that he would never get that. Not from Angel anyway. Part of him wished that the wounds between them would heal and the other part of him, his darker part, just didn’t care anymore. It was no longer worth the effort to him.
"You’re damn right you’re the Betrayer," Angel growled as he contorted his human face into his most menacing scowl.
Wesley sighed but never broke eye contact. He heard the others in the room, buzzing in the background. He supposed that eventually the Sunnydale bunch would have to be brought up to speed on why it was that he was the Betrayer, but for now he had to deal with the angry vampire standing in front of him. "Angel, I have apologized several times over for what occurred. I cannot take it back. I know that you will never accept that, which is quite all right. I do not need your forgiveness."
Fred and Gunn shared a worried glance. What did Wesley mean that he didn’t need Angel’s forgiveness? They had both just assumed that all was already forgiven and that Wesley would come back home to them, that is, if they all made it out of the Last Judgment alive. Fred looked up from her seat on the floor and saw the yellow flash through Angel’s eyes. This was not a good place to be sitting, especially if things were going to get ugly between the two, which she assumed they would. Nudging Charles with her elbow, she signaled to him to back up with her towards the couch so that they would be out of range if the fists started flying. He quickly complied and the two silently backed up to be with the others.
"What do you mean you don’t need my forgiveness?" Angel demanded, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring back at the man. "What you did to me...to my son...it’s unforgivable anyway."
"What the heck is he talking about?" Xander whispered to Anya.
"I’m not sure," Anya replied in her own hushed tone. "But Angel should have contacted me for a good vengeance spell."
Xander looked at her like she was insane, but he soon turned his attention back to the melee in the middle of the room when Buffy shushed him by bringing her finger to her lips and glaring at him.
"I’m well aware of what I’ve done to you and to Connor. He and I have already talked about it and..."
"Which brings me to my next question, Wesley. Just what were you doing with my son tonight? Were you trying to turn him against me more than he already was, is that it?"
Lilah laughed. "Uh oh, Angel’s found you out Wesley. Now what are you going to do?"
Wesley glared daggers at the woman tied to the chair but before he could speak, Angel had him by the throat in a vice-like grip, cutting off his air supply.
"You son of a..."
The rest of the group sat in stunned silence as they watched Wesley dangle from Angel’s grip. No one moved nor knew what to do, especially after Connor sprung to his feet to challenge the vampire.
"No!" Connor screamed as he ran to the aid of the man who had taken him in and helped him to reconcile with his father. "Stop it! Let him go! I thought you swore you weren’t a monster!"
******
Connor’s words echoed in Angel’s ears as all the strength slowly drained out of him. Ever so gently, he released the grip he had on Wesley’s throat. He watched in horror as the man began to cough and sputter, gasping for fresh air while he rubbed at his neck where the hand had been squeezing the life out of him. He looked down at his hands like they weren’t a part of his being and then looked pleadingly at his son. What had he done? Had he just destroyed the tenuous connection they had just reestablished? He couldn’t let that happen, too much was at stake, their very lives. The look on Connor’s face, the fear and the hatred, scorched his already tortured soul.
"Son, I’m sorry..." Angel began as he took a tentative step towards Connor.
"Don’t apologize to me. You should be apologizing to him," he said pointing at the Englishman standing off to the side. Bruises were now showing up on the man’s neck.
"Connor, you don’t understand..."
"I understand just fine. Wesley has taken care of me the last few days and he has not once lied to me as far as I can tell. He explained to me what happened. If I can look past it, shouldn’t you as well?"
Angel stood staring at his son, dumbfounded. It was then that he realized that he didn’t know his son, not really. The boy was a complete stranger and if he was to ever establish a bond, then things needed to change. He straightened his back, turned to Wesley and extended his hand towards his former friend. "I’m sorry, Wes. Will you accept my apology?"
"No harm, no foul," Wesley stated dryly, his hand continuing to rub the bruised area of his neck. He thought about not reaching to shake Angel’s hand but then realized it was something that needed to be done in front of Connor, for the sake of father and son. "Very well. Apology accepted."
Angel turned to his son who was now grinning back at him. Being a parent was going to be harder than he originally thought, especially to a teenager. He supposed he’d have to ask Buffy for some pointers on how she handled Dawn.
******
The night air had a slight chill to it as the fledgling vampire slowly made his way back to the cave and to his master. Of course, he no longer noticed the cold and he no longer cared about it either. All that mattered now was that he was free; free from everything that was once important to him, such as his job and money. The healing powers of vampires were truly a magnificent thing. He wished he had studied it more in his previous life. The pain in his broken legs had already started to subside and for that he was grateful. It was true that the pain was much less excruciating than what he, as a human, had endured just less than a day ago at the hands of the Master, so he was appreciative of that as well. The demon that now inhabited the body in place of the human soul still had those awful memories ingrained in his being. The thought of what the Master had done to the human part of him, made him shiver.
Instinctively he knew how to get back to the cave despite the fact that he was newly turned and that the cave was well hidden. The Master would be pleased with him, he was sure, since he was bringing along a fresh offering. The seemingly young woman that he dragged behind him had been quite a find. He had come across her after being hit by the car; actually it was her that had come across him. She had been wandering the streets aimlessly, dazed and crying when she literally bumped into him. It hadn’t taken much to over power her, almost like she wanted to be caught, and as a result he now had something to give to his master. The sound of a muffled groan reached his ears. It was a good thing that he was almost to the cave, otherwise he’d have to knock her out again and that just wouldn’t be acceptable. He wanted her fully alert as he handed her to him.
Once inside the cave, he followed the tunnel to another chamber where he knew the Master would be at rest, preparing himself for tomorrow night’s festivities. The woman was now becoming more alert and starting to thrash around a bit. That was just fine by him, the better to get her heart pumping and the blood flowing. Then again, he was certain that would occur anyway once she understood what was about to happen to her.
"Grandpa-pa look!" Drusilla cried, clapping her hands together as the fledgling brought in its prey. "Look what our precious Gavin has brought for you."
Gavin pulled the dark haired woman to her feet and placed her in front of the Master. "I’ve brought you this offering, Master. Are you pleased?"
The Master chuckled a deep throaty chuckle as he keenly observed the offering in front of him. "You have done well, my boy."
Drusilla circled the woman, her eyes dancing with pleasure. She swayed back and forth listening to a voice that only she could hear. "Grandpa-pa, the pixies are telling me that she was once very powerful. Her blood will be beyond anything you have ever tasted before."
"Drusilla my darling, I’m afraid your pixies have forgotten that I have tasted the blood of a slayer, nothing is sweeter than that."
She pouted as she ran her hand through the woman’s hair, eliciting a small whimper from the prisoner. "Yes, but the pixies still think that you’ll like her just the same."
"Perhaps I will," he stated with a smile as he moved towards the woman. "Shall we test that theory now?"
"Don’t you want to find out what I know first?" The woman asked, tilting her head to the side and glaring at the hideous creature in front of her, daring him to kill her before she revealed all that she knew.
******
The tension factor in the Summers’ living room dropped several notches after Wesley and Angel shook hands. Buffy was relieved. She thought she might have to start chaining them to the supports in the basement if they didn’t keep their testosterone in check. She wondered why they just couldn’t bottle it up and save it for tomorrow night when it would really be needed.
"William, a word please," Giles stated with a frown and disapproving look at William’s torn and dirt stained clothing.
"Someone’s in trouble," Xander sing-songed like a four year old, grin and all. He hoped that Giles was going to kick some Evil Dead butt; then again, it looked like Evil Dead had already gone through a butt kicking with Angel. Too bad they hadn’t killed one another. That would have given him a huge happy.
"Stuff it Harris," William shot back. "You just wish it had been you out there trying to kick my ass instead of the poofter. No worries. Plenty of time for that later."
"So are you feeling all manly now?" Buffy asked with a grin as she walked up beside him, checking him for wounds. She was surprised to see that he didn’t have more than a scratch anywhere on his body that she could see anyway. Not even much of a bruise, which she thought was really odd since Angel looked like his face had met with a baseball bat a few times.
"Yeah. I say I feel very manly right now. Wanna slip down to the basement to see just how manly I can be?" He asked giving her his patented cocky grin.
She hesitated a moment, the thought of stealing off for some alone time with him was incredibly tempting, but there were bigger, more important things to think about right now. "A world of ‘no’. There’s too much to do. Maybe later when it’s our turn for some sleep." She noticed his grin again after her last statement. He may be a proper and refined British watcher now, but at times she caught glimpses of the old Spike. A part of her really missed him.
"William?" Giles demanded from the dining room. "A word. Now."
"Best be going luv. Try to keep everyone busy or better yet, get out some extra blankets and pillows, they may want to get some rest."
"Right. I can do that," she replied. "But first I need to talk to Angel."
William raised an eyebrow in question and folded his arms across his chest.
"Just talking. I swear."
"I trust you luv," he whispered as he bent down to kiss her forehead. "Gotta go before Rupert skins me alive."
She watched him walk away in awe. He had handled the whole thing with her and Angel so well, it was scary. Maybe he had really changed or maybe she just never noticed that he was capable of this type of behavior before. Either way, she was glad that she finally had opened her heart to him.
******
In the dining room the three watchers sat back in their seats, pouring over papers and making notes. They were certain that they now knew who the pertinent participants were and to whom they were paired. Since neither Giles nor Wesley had sung for Lorne, they could only assume that they were to face their fate together, for whatever reasons. Now it was just a matter of devising a plan in order to defeat the Master.
"Shall we go over the list and the pairs?" Wesley asked, shuffling his notes and trying to put some order to the disorder that he felt. "Just to assure that we’re all on the same page?"
"Excellent idea," Giles replied as he rubbed his temples. He felt like he hadn’t slept in days, which was right on, since he truly hadn’t slept in days. There was still so much to do; he just could contemplate resting yet.
"Rupert I think you should get some sleep after we go over this. William and I can continue with trying to formulate a plan."
William nodded in agreement. The older watcher was looking a little green around the edges. "I agree with Wesley. You really do need to get some sleep. You won’t be any good to us in this condition."
"I’ll have you know I’m in great condition!" Giles snapped at them. His shoulders slumped and his face softened. "I’m sorry. I guess I am overly tired. Let’s go over the Twelve and then I’ll try to get some sleep."
Wesley pulled out his list from his stack of papers and cleared his throat. "Let’s start with the obvious one. We already know that Buffy is the Slayer and that she is paired with William who is the Souled. Dawn is the Key and is paired with Connor, who I’ll assume to be the Prodigy. Do either of you disagree with that assessment?" Both Giles and William shook their heads. "Right then, continuing...we know that Cordelia and Angel are paired. I’m guessing that Angel is the Champion since we know absolutely for sure that the Souled position has been filled. Also, Lorne knows for a fact that he is not involved in the prophecy, which leaves Cordy as the only one with visions, thus the Seer. We also know, through Lorne’s abilities, that Xander is the Loyal and that he is paired with Anya who is the Demon. Neither has received their calling yet but I believe that will happen in a matter of hours."
Giles nodded with Wesley’s assessment thus far. "Right. So that now leaves us with Willow as the Witch, Tara as the Sorceress, myself as the Watcher and Wesley as the Betrayer. We have no idea for sure that Willow and Tara will be paired, we can only assume that they will be and without their having been called, we won’t know for sure."
"Well it would make sense if they were paired," William interrupted. "It seems that those who have been paired so far are romantically involved." He sat back and waited to see how long it would take for the other two watchers to react to his innuendo.
"Angel and Cordelia are involved?" Giles asked incredulously.
William shook his head and rolled his eyes. That was not the reaction he had been fishing for when he had made the statement, but it would do for now.
"Yes, for quite some time now," Wesley replied matter of factly.
"Although you wouldn’t know it by the way he’s been sniffing around Buffy," William growled.
"William, was that scene out back with Angel really necessary?" Giles chastised as he took in the man’s appearance. "I mean really, was it worth it?"
"What do you think?" William asked with a cocky grin. "Of course it was worth it, mate. It felt good to give the poof his just due. Now I hope he realizes what he has with the cheerleader before he messes that up too."
"Yes, well," Wesley stated dryly. "Not much we can do there. Angel is quite stubborn."
"Anyway...getting back to the pairs. As I was saying, those that we know for sure that have been paired off are romantically involved. So is there anything you two blokes would like to share?"
Both Wesley and Giles gave William a puzzled look, and then slowly, realization of what William was hinting at dawned on them. Puzzlement was replaced by shock and then shock was replaced by embarrassment. Giles stood quickly, cleared his throat, made like he was going to say something and then stopped.
William could tell that the man was now flustered. "Don’t worry Rupert," he said, patting the older watcher on the arm and smiling mischievously. "You’re secret’s safe with me."
"Now see here!" Giles exclaimed as he towered over the younger man who was still seated. "I am not..."
Before he could finish, a scream came from upstairs.
