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Author's Chapter Notes:
A/N I’m hoping I find a better place to put this note than right before the chapter, as I don’t want to interrupt the flow of the narrative, but I wanted to thank everyone for their encouraging comments. This is the first piece of fiction I’ve written since roughly 1983 and I’m glad you guys don’t think it’s absolute garbage. I have to say. Writing’s a *heck* of a lot harder than editing! Also, I figured out how to add italics and bolding so things will look a little better from here on out! %^> Oh and thank you to my Dear Hubby for BETAing this for me. There’s no one in the world whose opinion I trust as much as yours. Peyton
Chapter 2

“Coming on kind of strong, don't you think? You're playing some deep odds here - do you really think you can take us all on?”

“No. I don’t.”

That’s when the really surprising thing happens. Spike jumps out of his chair and starts whaling on Angel with a poker from the fireplace. He said he would help me but I didn’t honestly believe him. All the way here I tried to figure out his angle and here he was being straight with me all along.

A vampire who keeps his word; how weird is that?

Angel goes down but I get tackled from behind by Minion-of-the-Week so I miss the second act of Whack-an-Angel. I’m ashamed to admit that I was still so surprised about Spike’s dependability that it took way too long to take Minion down. In the back of my mind I could hear Drusilla wailing the way only Psychotic Queens of the Dark can and I think Dru and Spike start to argue. By the time I dust my opponent and retrieve my weapon Angelus has his hands on the sword in the stone and I see it slide menacingly out of its chest.

Oh shit.

~~~~~

Can you believe this? Dru attacked me. ME! All for her precious Angelus. Spend a century being loving and caring. Put the wishes of the love of your life before your own. Take care of her when she’s sick and weak. Spend months researching ways to cure her and take on a Slayer in the process and the moment her daddy gets a bruise she turns on you like a scorpion.

That’s gratitude for ya.

” I don't want to hurt you, baby. . .” Except, I do a little. I’m right pissed I am! She pulled this shite all the time back in the day and it looks like nothing’s changed in the intervening 100 years. A body gets just a mite fed up, ya know?

The shot to her face makes everything seem a little better for a minute...

All of a sudden Dru lights up like Christmas morning and I actually hope, for a split second, that she’s come to her senses, but no. Angel’s got the sword free from the lungs of that hideous monstrosity and it looks like Armageddon ain’t all that far away.

I finally get a choke hold on Dru and it’s good night, Gracie.

~~~~~

”My boy Acathla’s about to wake up. You’re going to hell.”

Grandstand much? I say something appropriately witty to try to make my part of the fight look effortless; but it’s not. I don’t understand how Spike can love Dru so much he’d make a deal with me and keep it; while Angelus can’t love me at all. If it takes a soul to love then why does Spike love Dru?

Is it me?

Am I just unlovable?

The fight moves out into a small courtyard and the next thing I know Angel’s got me on my hands and knees up against a wall. My sword is long gone and it looks like the end for Buffy. Part of me doesn’t care anymore. It hurts too much. This is Angel for God’s sake! The love of my life; the ma. . .guy I trusted more than anything in the world. He’s really going to kill me.

~~~~~

”God, he’s going to kill her. . .”

Oh well. I shrug my shoulders and head towards the garage. I got what I came for, didn’t I? Suddenly visions of football and Passions and Buffalo wings and Buffy dancing wearing that tiny skirt and Buffy hitting me in the nose while her eyes flash with excitement and the sadness in Buffy’s face whenever she says the Poof’s name pass before my eyes and I realize that I’m not done here. I can’t just leave her. I don’t want the world to end and part of me doesn’t want Angelus to be the one to kill Buffy. She deserves better. Hell, I deserve better.

Sighing, I put Dru down against the wall and run out into the garden. Angelus has Buffy down and backed into a corner and his sword is drawn back to deliver the death blow.

A roar erupts from my chest as I throw myself at Angelus knocking him into the wall next to Buffy. My body presses him up against the concrete temporarily immobilizing him. He drops the sword as I grab his head and start smashing his face into the concrete.

God this feels good!

Suddenly the room erupts in energy. I feel static electricity shoot up my arms and I drop the poof to back away. Angelus starts to shake and his eyes light up as if his brain’s on fire. He slumps to the ground and I move to finish the job when a tiny body slams into me and throws me back into the mansion.

What the hell?

~~~~~

Oh my God! OhmyGod OhmyGod OhmyGod OhmyGod OhmyGod! It’s Angel! He’s back! Willow must have tried the spell again from her hospital bed! He blinks dazedly; partly from the beating he just took from Spike (and what was that all about? Spike saving my life?) and partly from suddenly getting his soul back.

I grab his sword and help him to his feet. We enter the mansion through the sliding door I just pushed Spike through. He’s there, getting back to his feet and Dru is starting to come around against the far wall. My swords on the ground next to Acathla and there’s a wind building in the room. My heart freezes when I realize that the portal inside the statue is beginning to open.

“Buffy?” Angel is starting to get his bearings back and my throat constricts knowing what I have to do. “Buffy, what’s going on? I don’t remember. . .where are we?”

I try not to choke on my tears as I maneuver Angel towards Acathla. Spike’s there and as I start to ask him to get out of the way a wild shriek comes from behind me. I’m knocked off my feet as Dru rushes at Spike knocking Angel back towards the door. I realize she’s grabbed my sword and she’s aimed it for Spike’s chest.

~~~~~

Bloody hell that hurts! Dru’s pinned me to the statue and if the odd pulling feeling I’ve got in my chest means what I think it does then I’m in for a world of hurt.

“Dru darling? I think we need to take a break. . .”

She doesn’t really hear me in her hysteria. Doesn’t matter. Looks like the Big Bad’s going out with a bang.

I look towards the Slayer and I’m surprised to see she’s watching me with tears in her eyes. I’d have thought she’d be all over Peaches with the comfort and the warm welcome but it looks like she’s feeling bad for me. A rush of warmth sets in when I realize that Nancy Boy’s pretty gutted that he’s not got her attention.

“Don’t feel bad love. . .” I want to say more but it seems I’ve got no lungs left.

Bugger that for a lark! When’d everything go all pear shaped?

tbc





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