[Reviews - 64]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 3848 times

- Text Size +




Banner by Lauren


2 months passed…

Spike was horrified that Buffy had to witness the carnage of that fateful evening in 1978, firsthand. From then on, he used every bit of strength he had to remain with her through the night.

Buffy’s dreams about the past stopped, although she still had nightmares where she relived the murders over and over again. She’d wake up crying and yelling, but Spike would be there to comfort her and tell her that he was with her. It made it easier for her though she couldn’t hold him tightly the way she wanted to.

Xander still had nightmares about the thing in the basement. It was gone now, banished by the priest, but the memory would stay with him forever.

A lot of work was accomplished on the house in those months. The living room was livable again; the kitchen was pristine; the lawns were still being manicured, but they looked 100% better already; the pond was fresh and stocked with fish, ducks and a frog or two; and even though there were more important rooms to renovate, the ballroom was fixed up, too. The hardwood floors gleamed; the deep-red wall paper was restored; crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. It was like something out of a fairy tale. Xander insisted on hanging a glittering ball in the middle of the room. When the lights were turned down low, thousands of little patches of light filled and drifted throughout the room from the ball.

The three friends couldn’t wait to invite the townspeople up for the re-christening of the house. If they wanted to come, that is. This place had a lot of baggage as far as the town was concerned. Still, a big party was going to be held when everything was finished.

The best part of the last few months had been the power and plumbing being in working order. They had a celebration with a bottle of wine from the cellar when the power was turned on. It was a huge relief for all of them.

Spike would only leave Buffy’s side in the morning, and they’d always part with a soft kiss. Then it was on to the day’s work for her while he went wherever it was that he went to regenerate his energy.

When she was sure he wasn’t around, Buffy would start discussing the Angel situation. Willow tracked Liam ‘Angel’ O’Connor down on her laptop. He did indeed live in L.A., running his father’s hotel business. He was now 50-years-old and married with no children. From all appearances, he was a normal (but very rich) man. But they knew different. He was a heartless killer. No one could do what he’d done and be ‘normal’.

They came up with a plan. And it was time to put it into action.




“Okay, we ready?” Buffy asked, her voice wavering with excitement and fear.

“Yep, let’s do it,” Willow said.

Xander gulped and nodded.

He still didn’t like this at all, but Buffy was determined. Spike and the others that were killed did deserve to have justice. Xander just wished that it wasn’t relying on them to serve it up.

Buffy dialed the number and waited.

“Hello, Angel Enterprises, this is Cordelia speaking. How may I help you?”

“Yes, hello,” Buffy said, keeping her voice calm. “I’d like to speak to Mr. O’Connor, please.”

“Do you have an appointment?”

“Um, no...but he’s going to want to talk to me.”

“May I have your name?”

“Can you give him a message?” Buffy asked.

“Alright...”

“Tell him -- Tell him that I was at the mansion on July 5, 1978. I saw what happened. Can you give him the message right now?”

“I’m...afraid Mr. O’Connor is in a meeting at the moment.”

“Okay, make sure you give him the message. I’ll call back at 4:00.”

“What’s your name?” the secretary asked.

Buffy hung up, and took several deep breaths.

“They wouldn’t put me through to him,” she explained.

“Buffy, are you sure we shouldn’t just tell the cops?” Xander asked. “We’re waaaay out of our league here...”

“The cops are in on the cover-up, it could be even more dangerous if we went to them.”

“Nice town...” Xander said sarcastically.

“It is a nice town. The problem is the people controlling it,” Buffy said, taking a drink of water.

“You did good, Buffy,” Willow reassured her. “You sounded very authoritative.”

“I’m all shaky inside,” Buffy said, laughing nervously.

They all looked at the clock on the mantle, 1:30. Only two and a half hours to go before she called back.





Angel kicked back at his desk, lighting up a cigar in victory. He was going to acquire a smaller hotel chain and expand the business even further. Life was good.

He leaned over and pressed the intercom button. “Any messages, Cordelia?” He puffed out a cloud of thick smoke.

“Yes, sir.”

“Bring them in, would you?”

“Right away,” Cordelia signed off.

She entered the office a few moments later and approached his desk.

“You had a call from Hal Page, he wants to get together for a round of golf in the morning.” Cordelia laid the messages out on the desk. “Another call from Bernadette Palmer about the new hotel you’re building in Tampa... And there was one more.”

Angel looked at her expectantly. “Well?”

“I wouldn’t even bring it to you, but...it was strange. A woman called. She wouldn’t give me her name. She said," Cordelia referred to the message slip in her hand, “She said, quote, ’Tell him that I was at the mansion July 5, 1978. I saw what happened.’” Cordelia looked back at him. “Does that make any sense to you?”

Angel’s heart clenched, the muscles of his jaw worked. He leaned over and snatched the paper from her hands and looked at it. Cordelia blinked at his abruptness.

“She didn’t give her name?” he asked, still looking at the paper.

“No. She said that she was going to call back at 4 o’clock. Should...I put her through?”

“Yes. Put her through. She...might be an old friend of mine.” He forced a smile onto his face. “A friend who was fond of games like this.”

“Oh, alright, then...” Cordelia said. Something was bothering her about the way he looked. He was trying to cover, but the message seemed to freak him out.



Angel waited, watching the clock. It was impossible...no one could have been there. The house was empty that night. He didn’t know what kind of game this woman was playing, but she’d be sorry -- very sorry.

A minute after 4, his phone lit up. He took a calming breath and picked up the phone.

“Yes?”

“Angel O’Connor?” Buffy asked.

“Yes. I don’t go by that name so much anymore, though. You’re the one who called earlier?”

“Yes, that was me. You got the message then?”

“Indeed I did. What’s this about?”

“I think you know what it’s about. Don’t play dumb. I know what you did.”

“What is it that I’m supposed to have done?” Angel said haughtily.

“You murdered them. Spike, Darla, Ethan and Percy -- you murdered them in cold blood.”

“You’re insane,” Angel said calmly. “You don’t know a thing.”

“Would you like me to give you some details?” Buffy asked, her voice quavering slightly. “How about...what you said to Spike when you were stabbing him to death?”

Angel remained silent.

Buffy continued, “You said, ‘I told you I’d kill you, don’t look so surprised.’” Buffy had to cover her mouth to muffle a sob. “Before you left, you said you were going to get some traveling money and be on your way.”

Angel thought he was going to vomit. No one could know that! No one that wasn’t there.

“Do you believe me now?” Buffy asked.

“What do you want?” he asked in a low, dangerous tone.

“I’ll keep this information to myself... If you play ball.”

“Blackmail?” Angel laughed mirthlessly. “You don’t have a shred of proof that what you’re saying is true.”

“Yes, but I could make things very difficult for you. I could contact some news organizations, I could tell them all about it. Who knows? Maybe one ambitious journalist will get interested in the story and do a little investigating on their own. I could --“

“Alright!” Angel yelled. He took a breath, then continued more evenly, “Alright. I’ll ‘play ball’ as you put it. But not over the phone. I want to do this face-to-face.”

“Good. I’m glad you’re seeing things my way,” Buffy said, trying to sound like a character from a spy movie. “Do you know Phil’s Diner?” Buffy had picked an eatery in downtown L.A. for the meeting. It was well-lit and safe.

“Yes,” Angel said after a moment.

“I’ll meet you there tomorrow night at 8 o’clock in the evening. We’ll talk terms then.”

Buffy hung up.

Angel ended the call and pressed another button on the phone.

“Yes, Mr. O’Connor?” a male voice asked.

“Were you able to trace the call?”

“Yes, sir. It’s an address in Sunnydale, California.”

Angel considered that. “Very good. Send it up to me right away. And,“ he added, his voice grave, “you will speak of this with no one. Do you understand?”

“Y-Yes, sir. I understand.”

Angel ended the call and sat back again. “You’re going to get a lot more than you bargained for... No one fucks with my life.” He fingered his silver letter opener.





That night the skies began clouding up, a storm was just on the horizon.

“You sure you don’t want to come with, Buffster?” Xander asked pulling on his jacket.

“Nah, I want to stay here and wait for Spike.”

“Okay, but I still feel funny leaving you all alone,” Willow said.

“I’m not alone. Spike will show up soon.” Buffy smiled. “Now go on, you knuckleheads. You’re going to miss the start of the movie.”

Xander gave her a kiss on the cheek and held out his arm for Willow. “Ready, Milady?”

She giggled and looped her arm through his. “Let’s motor. See ya in a few hours, Buffy.”

“Have a good time! And bring me back some Raisinets!” Buffy called after them.




Buffy sat on the couch in the living room going over her plan again and again.

She would go to meet Angel at the diner tomorrow at 8. Willow and Xander would be waiting outside just in case she needed them. Willow had put together a listening and recording device that Buffy could wear concealed in her clothing. Buffy would bait Angel into confessing to the crimes. Then they’d have proof to present to the proper authorities, ones that weren’t in the O’Connor’s pocket.

Buffy was scared shitless, but she had to do it. Since the dreams, she became more and more sure of the fact that she was the one meant to expose Angel. Buffy had seen Darla, Percy and Ethan’s ghosts every now and then. Sadness and despair radiating from them. She had to do it for them too.

The storm was getting louder and closer. A particularly loud crack of thunder made her jump.

“Spike?” Buffy called out to him. “It’d be nice if you chose now to show up...the storm’s making me jumpy.”

The lights went out. “Oh, shit,” Buffy cursed. “Great, that's what I needed.”

She got up and walked slowly to the armoire where they kept a flashlight. She clicked on the flashlight, feeling a little better already.

A small noise came from the kitchen. It sounded like a pot being knocked over. Her heart thudded.

“It’s okay...some of the ghosts like to make noise sometimes...they won’t hurt you,” Buffy told herself.

A shape appeared in the archway.

Buffy shone the light on it, hoping that it was Spike.

Angel squinted. “Hello, there. Miss Summers, is it?”

She froze in terror.

“You seem to be having a little problem with the power.” Angel smiled, shielding his eyes from the flashlight's beam.

“How--How did you --“

“Find you?” he chuckled. “You’re pretty new at the blackmail business, eh? I had the call traced and -- voila! I had your address in my hands.” Angel walked towards her, studying her in the faint light from the flashlight. “You can’t be more than 25 years old. Were you bluffing? You weren’t here at all, were you?”

Buffy backed up into the armoire.

“That’s a real shame,” Angel chuckled and shook his head. “You had me going! I don’t know how you know what you know, but I can’t allow you to live...you understand that, I’m sure.”

“Get...Get away from me!” Buffy said, her voice rising.

“Afraid I can’t do that, honey. You want to play with the big boys? You pay the price.” Angel pulled a gun out of his pocket. “Guns are so much easier, just point and shoot. I don’t have to get messy this time.”

Terror clouded her face. “NO!” she shouted.

In the blink of an eye, she clicked off the flashlight and dove to the side. Angel fired, missing her. Buffy landed on the floor and scrambled away. She grunted with pain when her shin came in contact with the magazine rack.

Angel whipped towards the sound and fired again, missing her by just a fraction of an inch. Buffy screamed, feeling the bullet whiz by her head. She took a hold of the brass magazine rack and hefted it, then swung it in an arc towards him with a roar. Her aim was better than his.

The rack struck him in the chest. He grunted and stumbled backwards, the gun tumbled out of his hand to the floor -- getting lost in the darkness. Buffy ran as fast as she could to the front door. If she could make it to her car she could use her spare key hidden under the floor mat to get away.

She opened the door. Angel caught up with her, slamming his body into her and the door, forcing it closed again. Buffy screamed and struggled against him.

“You little BITCH!” Angel spat.

“Leave me alone!” Buffy screamed and twisted in his grasp.

Angel turned her around and slammed her repeatedly against the door by her shoulders. Buffy grunted with each blow. Then his large hands were gripping her neck, squeezing harder and harder. Buffy gasped for air and scratched at his arms. Her knee came up swiftly to connect with his groin. Angel cursed and loosened his hold enough for her to get free and shove him away.

In a blind panic, she ran up the stairs to her room, gulping in oxygen. Buffy held her bruised throat, feeling her way along the wall.

Angel recovered, more angry than ever. He took the steps as quickly as his swollen balls would allow.

Buffy made it to her room and slammed the door, then locked it. She put her back against it and slid down slightly. Tears ran from her eyes.

“SPIKE!” she croaked. “Please help me!”

Angel’s body began battering the door. Buffy sobbed and braced her legs and back against the door.

“I live with people!” Buffy yelled, her throat still raw and on fire. “They’ll be home soon!”

Angel paused for only a second before resuming his assault on the door. “Then I’ll just have to kill them, too!”

Buffy shrieked when she heard and felt the lock break. With all of her might, she tried keeping it closed. But, just as it happened in the past, Angel was too strong and irate to keep out. She jumped away from the door, running to the window. She didn’t even get it open before he was upon her.

Angel tossed her away from the window, and she landed on her back by the bed. He jumped on her, pinning her down with his larger frame. Buffy screamed and kicked her legs frantically. Angel snarled and struck her hard across the face.

“SHUT UP BITCH!” He shook her. “How did you find out?! How do you know what happened?!”

“Get off of her!”

Angel turned towards the voice. He recognized that voice even after all these years. A bolt of lightning illuminated the room long enough for him to see him.

“You...it...can’t be...” Angel paled.

Spike was standing a few feet away from them.

“I said, GET AWAY FROM HER!” Spike advanced on him.

Angel released Buffy and skittered backwards across the floor. Buffy rolled away and climbed over the bed, putting distance between her and the other human.

“Buffy, are you alright, luv?!” Spike panicked.

Buffy nodded and sobbed.

“You’re dead! I know you’re dead!” Angel said in disbelief.

Spike leveled his gaze back on his killer. “Yeah, I’m dead. And you’re gonna be too. You shouldn’t have come back here, pillock. You shouldn’t have touched her.”

Angel backed against the wall and slowly slid up to a standing position.

“You’re...a ghost?” Angel noticed that he could see through him slightly.

“Thanks to you,” Spike said getting closer.

“Ghosts can’t...can’t touch people.” Angel tried calming himself. “You can’t hurt me.”

Spike growled and lunged at him, unfortunately his fists passed through Angel like a strong breeze. Angel gasped at first then laughed crazily.

“You can’t hurt me!”

Spike grit his teeth and kept swinging unsuccessfully.

Angel’s eyes went to Buffy’s huddled form against the far wall. “But I can hurt her.” He looked back at Spike, an evil grin spreading on his face. “You get to watch while I kill another one of your whores.” Angel started for Buffy.

“Buffy! RUN!” Spike shouted.

She cried out and tried to leave, but Angel was faster. His hands wrapped back around her throat, choking her from behind.

“NO!” Spike cried.

He looked around in a panic. Taking a breath and trying to put aside his wild emotions, he concentrated on making his left hand solid. Then he picked up the lamp from the bedside table and moved quickly over to the struggling humans. He raised it over his head and, with a shout, smashed it down on the back of Angel’s neck. The glass lamp exploded on contact.

Angel yelled and released Buffy again. He dropped to his knees; Buffy collapsed to the floor as well.

“Buffy, get out of here! Please, luv! Hurry!” Spike shouted.

Buffy crawled along the carpet towards the door. She had very little energy left, as she had almost passed out. Her throat was on fire, she pulled in rasping breaths. The electricity came back on when she got to the threshold.

Standing there in the doorway were Darla, Percy and Ethan. They were looking past her at Angel, their faces grim. She felt them pass over and through her into the room.

Angel’s eyes widened further. He crawled backwards, holding the back of his head.

“Hello, lover,” Darla’s voice whispered.

Angel shook his head. “No...”

“Remember us?” Darla asked, raising a delicate eyebrow.

“What do you want!?” Angel panicked.

They laughed.

“What do we want? What do you think we want?”

Spike smiled and joined the other spirits. “Darla, you can talk?”

“Now I can.” She turned and smiled at her cousin then reached out her hand and stroked his face. “His presence, our murderer's presence here, made us strong enough to do this.”

Spike looked over at Buffy, who was sitting up and holding her neck, but she gave him a small, nervous smile and a nod to let him know that she was okay. He looked back at Darla.

“You guys were giving me a complex not talkin’ to me for 25 years. It’s good to see all of you.”

Percy smiled, "Sorry Spike. I would've said hello if I could have. I was in a kind of...bubble. Not aware of anyone else."

Ethan and Darla nodded, that had been their experience as well.

As the ghosts greeted each other, Angel moved along the wall to the window, preparing to climb out and jump off the roof if necessary.

"Stop him," Darla said coolly.

"How?" Spike asked.

"You can manipulate objects, you're the strongest one of us. Make sure he doesn't leave." Darla smiled then turned to Buffy. "You should go downstairs. We have...business...to finalize here. Call the police if you can. Tell them that you were attacked, minus the details about us of course, and that your attacker is upstairs."

Buffy nodded and slowly stood up. She took one last look at Angel and the apparitions closing in around him before she closed the door.

The spirits walked toward Angel.

“G-Get away from me! You can’t hurt me!” Angel yelled.

“Can’t we?” Spike asked, raising an eyebrow.

He picked up a hardcover book with ease. He didn’t even have to concentrate. Spike hurled it at Angel, hitting him in the forehead. Angel yelled and slapped a hand to his forehead. Spike didn’t give him time to recover. He threw more objects (everything he could get his hands on) at the cowering man.

Angel screamed with his arms over his face, “Leave me alone!”

The ghosts were only a few steps away now.

“I don’t think so, mate,” Spike said menacingly. “You’re going to pay.”

Angel wept hysterically, on the edge of madness. He looked up at them and shivered. They now looked like they had the last time he’d seen them, bloody. The knife wounds he’d inflicted on them were fresh and gaping, their clothes were soaked with blood.

Spike touched the tip of his index finger to Angel’s forehead. Angel screamed and batted Spike’s hand away frantically. A grin lit up Spike’s ghostly countenance.

“Well, looks like I can touch you. Why don’t the rest of you give it a go?” he asked the others. "It's fun!"

They laughed and began touching their cold, dead hands to Angel’s face.

He shrieked, twisting away from them, “AARRGHH! NOOOO! GET AWAY!”

He looked to the window, that was the only way out. Angel ran at full speed toward the closed window, dived through and out.

“No fair,” Darla pouted.

The phantoms gathered around the window and looked out. Angel’s dead body was laying on the front lawn; he’d broken his neck when he fell.

“I wanted him to suffer more,” she said.

“That woulda been nice,” Spike agreed. “But it’s done now... It’s finally over.”

“Yes, quite right, Spike,” Ethan said. “He’ll have plenty of suffering where he’s going, anyway.”

Percy smiled. "Red hot pokers up the jacksie for all eternity? Couldn't happen to a nicer chap."

The ghosts chuckled. Spike put his arm around Percy. They all enjoyed the view a while longer.


As soon as the door had shut, Buffy heard a series of loud thuds and screams of pain from Angel. She went quickly downstairs and called the police, not wanting to contemplate what was going on in there.





You must login (register) to review.