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PART 9 The room was filled with demons. Her skin prickled all over and she instinctively backed into Angel, seeking his protection. A green demon approached with a broad smile on his face. Oh, God, it was happening again. It was the Pava all over again! "Angel, sweetie, is this your little Slayer? I can see why the beaucoup fuss. I'm Lorne, dollface. Pleased to finally meet you." Buffy stared at his extended hand and decided after a moment to shake it, pulling away as quickly as she could. "No worries, Slayer. I'm the man that helped Sugar here find you. You must be anxious to go home, right, honey? Let's take you upstairs and get you both dressed in something more... American, and then you two can skedaddle." Buffy leaned further back into Angel and looked over her shoulder in horror as he pushed himself away from her, putting some distance between them. "Buffy, Lorne's right. Let's go get changed. Draw less attention that way. Lorne, is my car still parked out back?" *** They'd ridden for several hours in a "car." It was interesting… or would have been were she not completely terrified. Nothing looked familiar. Nothing. She stood with Angel, incredibly embarrassed by how she looked – the clothing was so strange there, so revealing - in front of a two story home. Giles, her Watcher, apparently lived there. Angel said they'd see her mother the next day. She was relieved. She didn't know what to expect from any of these people but somehow she knew that seeing her mother would be emotionally charged and she was feeling pretty fragile at the moment. She did her best to keep these feelings hidden. Angel was clearly nervous, stood beside her tugging at his beard. For his sake, she'd make this as easy as possible for him. Grasping his hand, she took the initiative and rapped quietly on the door. She could hear voices from within; her heart sank realizing that Giles wasn't alone. Angel said it was late at night Earth-time – clearly Giles kept late hours. She guessed Watching did that to a person. "Hel- Oh my God, Buffy! Oh my God, Giles, it's Buffy!" A redheaded girl flung herself out the door and grabbed Buffy in a tight hug. She couldn't breathe. Please, God, get her off me. Get her off me, PLEASE! She pulled the girl off her and stepped back, practically gluing herself to Angel. The redhead looked sort of confused. Buffy realized that a small group had gathered just inside the door, all staring at Buffy, unmoving… in disbelief. After a moment, they rushed towards her. "Naw! Naw! Don' tatch me! Naw! Naw! Engel! Plihz! Naw!" Buffy screamed. The group stilled immediately and looked at her - shocked. "What's your deal…. What happened to your English?" A dark-haired girl said, condescendingly. "Cordelia!" Buffy stood silently, clutching Angel's hand, trying to figure out an answer. Hi, strange thing, I don't remember anything. And how did that happen, you ask? God, what could she say? "Uh, Giles. Can we…?" Angel said, gesturing toward the house. No one responded to him. They just stared and stared. She hadn't felt this uncomfortable in months.
"Engel?" she whispered, leaning into him but keeping her eyes firmly on the group. "Engel, tn'ak dri shel…." Angel wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close but ignored her request to leave. God, couldn't they leave?! "Engel–" "Yes! Forgive me…. Angel, Buffy… it is good to see you. Yes, yes…. Won't you both come in?" an older man – presumably Giles - stammered. The subdued group turned and re-entered Giles' home with Angel and Buffy following slowly behind. Keeping an eye on the group, memorizing their positions in the room, Buffy glanced surreptitiously around. It wasn't entirely unfamiliar but really that could have been because it looked just like their apartments in the Tar. Giles had a lot of books, like the ones Angel had. Was this an Earth thing? "Nice hair, Dead –" "Angel…," the older man interrupted, with a glare at the younger. He approached them, stopping when Buffy shrank back. "Erm, yes, well. Buffy, we were so worried. So worried. It's good to know you are safe and sound now." The man removed his glasses and wiped at his eyes. "I'm just so sorry it took us so long to locate you. I hope you will forgive me." The group stared at her. She was clearly supposed to respond. "I… um, I'm sawry baht I don' recock-nice you baht …I… um…," she stuttered, trailing off as she began to cry. "Shh, love," Angel whispered quietly in her ear, pulling her trembling body to him. "Just give it time, okay? It's going to take time but it'll be okay. I promise you." She did her best to calm herself and turned back to the group. They were studying her warily now, like she was an Urirant demon. The silence was tense. "Ah, Giles. I think… it's been a long day for us. Would it be possible to continue this in the morning?" Angel asked. "Yes, of course. You may take my room – Faith's in the guest room currently – yes, I insist you take my room. You'll need some privacy." "Thank–" "Excuse me? Hello, has anyone remembered the curse here? Evil vampire… tries to kill everyone. You're actually thinking of letting them –" "We are all *well* aware of the curse, Xander, but thank you for reminding us," Giles spat. "At the moment, there are more important things we must address. Children, I'd like to speak with Buffy and Angel alone. Let's reconvene here after school tomorrow, alright?" The dark-haired man sighed loudly and then turned and stormed out of the house. Buffy gave him a wide berth as he walked past them glaring pointedly at both her and Angel. The two girls both said sad goodbyes and a shorter red-haired man bid her good night with "Good to see you again, Buff." She had no idea who any of them were! After the door closed, Giles mumbled something about tea and retreated to the kitchen. Buffy and Angel settled on the couch, silent, awaiting Giles return. Buffy clutched Angel's hand desperately – he was her lifeline. This place was horrible. They all seemed angry with her. She wanted to go back to Bethara on the next portal out of there. She'd even… well, she'd never return to the Pava but she just…. God, she was so uncomfortable and why did those people hate her? Why did they hate Angel? "Buffy… it is indeed good to have you back," Giles said with a gentle smile, as he returned to the room, carrying a tray of tea. She reluctantly accepted a cup, sniffed it and took a sip before setting it back on the tray. "I shall have to call Lorne tomorrow and thank him from the bottom of my heart. I – we – we were so worried when you went missing. I just –" The man's eyes widened as Buffy nervously fingered her neck… Angel's mark. Clearing his throat, he removed a cloth from his pants' pocket and wiped at his eyes for a minute. "Forgive me," he said, sinking onto a chair opposite them and smiling nervously at her. She wanted to say she was happy to be back, she knew she should, but it was such a huge lie, she just couldn't bring herself to. She was exhausted and just wanted to curl up and sleep for a million years in Angel's strong arms, protected and safe from the outside world. "Giles, uh, thank you for the tea. We… well, when Buffy and I talked about coming back, we decided there were some things you needed to know as her Watcher. Well, first, um, about the mating. As you know – " "Yes, Angel. We knew from Lorne it might be the only way." Buffy watched the exchange. Was the mating bad? "Yeah," Angel said quietly, staring down at his and Buffy's joined hands for a moment. "It was. Listen, Giles, Buffy will tell you more about Bethara when she's ready but for now, there are things… well, we decided you and her mother, at a minimum, should know and Buffy asked me to relay them as she still finds English difficult." Giles cocked his head and frowned, confused. "Go on." Buffy stared at the floor, nervous at listening to Angel practically babble. Holding his hand, she rested her head on his shoulder and let her eyes close as he told a watered down story of her life in the Pava. *** She awakened in a dark room. Angel sat on the edge of the bed stroking her hair away from her face. From the light in the hallway, she could see his expression. He was sad. "Angel? What's going on? Come to bed, baby, okay?" she groggily slurred, in Betharan, a seductive smile on her face as she reached out to pull him in. He grabbed her hands stopping their path. "No, love. I… I need to go. To my home… the mansion I told you about. It's not safe here… for us, I mean. You'll be safe here with Giles… he'd never hurt you but us… the curse…. It's just not safe. I'm sorry, Buffy." Suddenly, fully awake, she blinked back her tears as quickly as she could, determined he wouldn't feel badly for leaving her. That was the deal, he'd said. They were friends now. She'd known it was coming but now that it was happening, she felt nauseous. "Right. Okay. When… Will I see you in the morning? When will I see you?" she said not meeting his eyes, fighting an overwhelming desire to hold his hand so tightly he couldn't escape. Smelling the salty scent of her unshed tears, Angel leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Tomorrow, after dark. You will be okay, Buffy. Giles and I spoke… he knows what's going on, understands that you don't know him, that basically you are being thrown into a new world. He's a good man, Buffy. He'll take care of you and you'll see me before you know it." Buffy gave up the fight and, starting to cry, grabbed his hand, panicked. "How can I sleep without you? I… I'm sorry, Angel, but I don't know if I can do this. I…" He lay down next to her and, knowing he shouldn't, pulled her onto his chest. He kissed the crown of her head and stroked her hair slowly. "How about I stay until you fall asleep?" She nodded, sniffling, and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly. He rubbed her back slowly, humming an off-key lullaby, grateful when her heart finally slowed and she calmed down enough to begin drifting back to sleep. "Angel… your heart," she whispered, dreamily. "It's so quiet…." He swallowed and took a deep breath. "Yeah," he whispered. She sighed and settled in on his chest, a slight smile on her face. "Love you…." As she finally drifted off, Angel gave in, pulled her close and cried. *** She was surrounded in a soft cloud. A crisp scent assaulted her, a scent she recognized from long ago. Rolling over, she realized it was her pillow. The pillow smelled like soap… that was it. She gradually became aware… she was lying in a pool of sunlight… alone. It took only a few seconds to realize that of course she was alone. Angel had left, gone to his Earth home, but she'd see him soon. He'd promised he'd see her after dark. Craning her head out the window to check the position of the suns, she was saddened to see it was early in the day and then shocked when she realized this world had only one sun. Somewhere in her mind, she remembered that she knew that… but to see it.... Very strange. Buffy took a moment to explore the room. The door was locked; Angel must have gone out the window. She was greatly touched that he'd made sure she'd feel her safest, made sure she'd feel protected from the outside world and its intruders. Giles' sleeping chamber was similar to the living area… old books, some smoking pipes, lots of writing on paper and some old paintings. Again, his things reminded her of Angel. She only hoped he treated her as well. Hearing activity down the stairs and spying her pack in the corner of the room, Buffy ignored her skimpy Earth clothes lying on Giles' desk chair (Angel must have undressed her when putting her to bed, she realized with a smile) and retrieved her brown robe and pulled it over her head. Using the small washroom off Giles' chamber, she threw some water on her face and steeled herself for meeting people without Angel at her side. Despite his assurances, these people were scary. They seemed to want to touch her and that was NOT okay and they also looked at her funny when she spoke. She knew she had an accent but Angel said she was understandable – wasn't that good enough? She'd been gone more than she'd ever been on Earth. She hoped things would go more smoothly that day than the night before with their run in with the dark-haired man. She slowed as she descended the stairs, her eyes taking in a new dark-haired girl, who was sitting on a stool at a ledge outside Giles' kitchen, eating a bowl of brown pebble-like food in a white broth. "Hey! You must be Buffy. I'm Faith." The girl approached Buffy, her hand extended. Buffy stared at it debating what to do. "Okay, no handshaking. That's cool. Uh, Giles had to run and drop something off at the school. He should be back in a few minutes now. Want some breakfast?" Buffy surreptitiously glanced around the room. They were alone. Realizing she was starved, she nodded, answering Faith's offer of food. "We got Cocoa Puffs and Whetabix. What'll you have?" "Uh… What you hafing?" Faith looked at her strangely for a moment and then shrugged. "Cocoa Puffs, natch. Whetabix is some nasty sawdust thing. Totally British. Trust me, Cocoa Puffs is the way to go." Buffy nodded and Faith poured some of the boxed grain into a bowl clearly set out for Buffy and passed her the broth. It was cold. Interesting. Buffy poured the soup over the grain to make it look like Faith's and took a bite. It was *good*. She smiled at Faith. "So, B. Is it good to be back? Where were you anyway? Giles said the Watchers had kidnapped you. Scary shit. I've been watching my back ever since he told me that. The guys have been helping out too, making sure everything's cool when I'm out slaying." Buffy's brow furrowed. "You Slayer?" Faith chuckled. "Yeah. I'm a Slayer too. Surprised you, right? See, one day about six months ago, I'm hanging out on our stoop in Boston – where I'm from – and this lady shows up and says, 'Faith, you notice you got some new strength in the past few months?' and I said 'Oh, yeah.' See, B, there was this guy and he got a little rough with me and it was wicked cool when I pushed him off me and he totally flew three feet through the air. Giles said I must have been called when Kendra – the Jamaican Slayer – died, but the Watchers didn't come get me right away. When my Watcher showed up, we trained for a while in Boston and then, after you disappeared, I was relocated to Sunnydale to work with Giles. Needed a Slayer to guard the Hellmouth, so here I am. Keeping the bed warm for you, so to speak. Now there's the two of us, we will wipe this town *clean* of all the demons, right? It'll be sweet… the two of us on the hunt, taking care of business. The others – they're cool – but they're not Slayers, right?" Buffy took a moment to process what Faith had said. She was a Slayer too? Assigned to guard the Hellmouth? Wow. "So, B, we gonna be buds or nemesi or something? 'Cause I'd like to go the buds route myself. What are you thinking?" "You Slayer too? End we friends?" Faith smirked. "Yes, Buffy. We can be friends," she said slowly. Buffy suspected she was being teased. Faith rolled her eyes, jumped off the stool and hurdled herself onto the couch, grabbing a small plastic device and pointing it at what Buffy suspected was a "television." Angel'd described it: Moving pictures in a box… this seemed familiar for sure. "Come on, B. Let's bond over the tube." Buffy abandoned her breakfast and walked, fascinated, to the chair beside the couch and, after grinning at Faith, stared enraptured at the screen. *** Giles was staring at her. They both were. She could tell they didn't want her to know, but they were indeed staring. When Giles had arrived back, Buffy had casually moved her chair so her back was to the wall and she could keep an eye on them both. And despite tea making and Faith having a second bowl of 'Cocoa Puffs' on the couch, there was definite staring going on. "So, erm, Buffy. Is there anything you'd like to do today?" "Yeah, B. You just got back and I'm assuming all you got are those clothes you got on. As attractive as they are, we should probably get you something more Californian. We could do some damage on Giles' credit card, right?" She smiled broadly at him. "Um, yes, well –" "I want see Engel. Plihz. Can wih go see Engel?" Giles studied her for a moment. "He's likely asleep… but, uh, if you'd like to see him, we can go over for a little while. Your friends… the others… will be here at 3:00 o'clock - in about three hours - so we'll only have time for a short visit. "Yes! Dat's good. Wih go now?" Buffy asked, trying not to show her excitement and failing abysmally. "Well, yes," Giles said, frowning. "Um, let me just get my car keys." *** She felt guilty – for sure – for waking Angel up. She knew that on Earth he'd sleep when it was light and wake when it was dark – the opposite of home. But she didn't care. It was weird here. She just wanted to go home and, barring that, she wanted to be "with" home – Angel. When Angel opened the door, Buffy almost inadvertently knocked him over as she rushed in to hug him. She kept forgetting she was stronger now. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed Faith regarding Angel much the way the Pava used to eye *her*. Faith wanted him. She didn't like that but, given how Angel was holding her, she knew he had eyes only for Buffy. Still, she felt she'd do well to keep an eye on Faith when it came to Angel. When Giles cleared his throat, she pulled gently away from Angel, taking a moment to study his living area. It was *huge*… lots of stone like the Tar. She could be happy living there. If only she could. Keeping an arm firmly attached to Buffy, Angel stared down at her, and brushed her hair back from her face, saying, "This is a pleasant surprise. Is everything okay?" "Uh, well…." Buffy began sheepishly, feeling guilty for not being stronger in dealing with her fears. "Yes, well, we thought we'd pay a visit. See how you were settling in," Giles said. Buffy was touched that he was covering for her. She could like this man. "Oh. Uh, thank you. I'm settling in fine. Is everything else okay?" "Wow, B," Faith leaned in and conspiratorially whispered in Buffy's ear. "I can see why you missed him. He's a serious stud muffin." Angel looked at Faith, startled, as if noticing the girl for the first time. "I don't understand –" he said, his voice full of suspicion. His eyes narrowed as he concentrated on her. "You're.… She's a Slayer, Giles. How is that possible?" "Yes, well, as it turns out another Slayer was called when Kendra died. Angel, this is Faith. Faith was sent by the Council after Buffy was, uh –" "And this didn't seem important to mention last night?" Angel asked, exasperated. "In all honestly, given all that you told me, it … well, it slipped my mind. Your story of Bethara… to be truthful, I was overwhelmed by it." Buffy wanted to disappear into the floor. She knew Angel'd talked to Giles about her memory loss and as a result would have had to share certain details of her Penance to explain it. But the reality of Giles' knowing those details made her just feel… well, she felt dirty. Angel nodded, acknowledging Giles and then invited them all in to sit down. Keeping a small distance between himself and Buffy, he held her hand and after a moment tried and failed to make small talk, asking Faith about her village of origin and asking how the slaying was going. Clearly comfortable with the spotlight, Faith was in the middle of a very detailed account of her slaying of a vampire/sorcerer named Artemis Blake, when she was interrupted by a loud insistent banging on the front door to Angel's home. "Angel! Angel, God damn you. Open this door!" Angel's eyes widened and his gaze snapped to Giles, who sat there looking mystified, shaking his head "No". Angel released Buffy's hand and stood quickly yet didn't move towards the door. "Angel! Open this God damned door before I break it down!" "Uh, I'll handle this if it's alright with you," said Giles, rising slowly and heading towards the door. "Angel, what is it?" Buffy asked in Betharan. He looked down at her just as Giles reached the door and a woman plunged in. "It's your mother," he whispered.
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