You're Still the One
By: Becca
Hey! This is, in no way, a necessary companion to my other story ‘I’ll Remember You’.....but it would help a bit if you read that one first. This doesn’t continue where it left off, but the other story could give you some insight as to how I relate to Buffy and Angel. In this story, we see a much used plot. Angel get’s his soul back, but it isn’t the happy ending you’d imagine. Can Buffy bring herself to trust him again? one other side note : when I say ‘Angelus’ i mean the evil one, when i say ‘Angel’ I mean the one with a soul...the one we all love.
I, in no way, shape, or form, own any of the BtVS characters. DON’T SUE! They all belong to the almighty Joss Whedon, who had BETTER come up with a similar plot to an actual BtVS ep. (Not to give me fame, but to give Angel his soul back)
This is dedicted to Ivory (AngelBuffy), without her help, this would NOT be here today. Thank you! And everyone should read her story ‘A Love That Won’t Die’ as soon as they finish reading mine! Also, thank you to my beta-readers/friends, who helped me as well.
One other note : GBecca13@aol.com. That’s my e-mail address....feedback is SO welcomed. Be harsh, be cruel...but be honest.
It was a beautiful night. The stars were shining, the moon was near full in the sky. There was just enough wind to make a girl shiver, and have her date offer her his coat for warmth. As Angelus looked up at the sky and at the couple just outside the Bronze, he was disgusted.
Not as disgusted with the couple, and he was with himself. To think, that one time not so long ago, he had done the same thing. He had made the first step toward his ‘humanity’. He had shown emotion, and shown Buffy that he cared. Buffy, he thought with a sneer. I wonder what she’s doing now. I haven’t tormented her for a while...why not begin anew tonight? I’ll kill a few, maim a few, and make a few more new vamps....and all on a gorgeous night...perfect.
As Angelus left the Bronze, his feet led him to a park overlooking a small stream. He looked at the couple leaning against the tree, looking up at the stars.
“Well, tonight surely seems to be the night for loving couples....lucky me! Buffy’s sure in for a surprise tomorrow”
Walking so stealthily that not even the wind whispered of his coming, Angelus snuck up on the couple. Carefully stalking them, he moved around them in circles, slowly closing in. And with each step, he thought of how brutally he could kill them and how much pain he could cause Buffy.
“Elizabeth, I-” began the male, leaning towards his girlfriend, obviously named Elizabeth.
“What is it John? Is something wrong? What do you have to tell me?” question Elizabeth, now slightly worried.
As Angelus drew near the couple he heard those words and knew what was going to be said. He knew what was going to be said, and had to stop it. Angel had loved Buffy, and Angelus wasn’t going to let anyone else utter those words as long as he could help it.
“I-” and with a quick snap of the neck, John spoke no more. As his eyes turned glassy, and stared blankly in the eyes of Elizabeth. As realization finally sunk into the mind of the poor girl, she opened her mouth to scream.
“Tut tut” Angelus said condescendingly as he grabbed the girl, forcing her head at an angle “They’ll be plenty of time for that later.” With that, he sunk his teeth into her milky white skin and began to drain her of her life’s blood. And with a moan, she surrendered. Giving up her futile beatings, and just embracing the numbness of death.
“Aaaahh........now that’s a meal. Who next? Anymore ‘school girls’? They always have the sweetest blood....like vintage wine.” Angelus mused, as he took off back in the direction of the Bronze.
As he approached the Bronze, he saw a girl come out. She appeared to be in high school, probably 16 or 17 years old. She came out alone, and shivered slightly at the cold. She cautiously looked around her, her eyes peering into every corner and every shadow. Finally, they came across him. The girl gave a little shake of her head, telling herself that there was nothing there, and began to walk home.
“Perfect” thought Angelus “the sweetness of innocence...what better belated birthday gift than the taking of that sweetness, and innocence? Buffy will love it” Angelus took off after the girl, waiting for her to make the mistake of going somewhere alone, and private.
Oddly enough, the girl seemed to know what he wanted. She led him to a deserted playground. She seemed to sense someone nearby, and quickened her pace a little bit. As she cut across the baseball field, she glanced behind her. When her eyes came across his form as he was pursuing her, she broke into a mad run.
Her fear only heightened the excitement of the chase. As he closed in on his prey, she suddenly stopped running. She had lead him to the edge of a ditch, and there was no way out. She immediately dropped into a more defensive stance.
“What do you want?” she cried out timidly “Stay - stay - stay where you are!” she stuttered “Don’t come any closer!”
Ignoring the warning, Angelus sauntered closer. As he came nearer, his ‘spider sense’ began to tingle. But as always, the confident and arrogant Angelus payed no attention.
“What, are you afraid of me? What on earth would I ever do to you?” Angelus mockingly asked, as he reached out to grab the girl. But to his surprise, instead of his hand grasping solid flesh, it was twined with rope.
“What?” Angelus wondered, right before a gag was placed in his mouth, and his hands were tied behind his back.
“I warned you. You can’t say I didn’t. But I knew you wouldn’t listen. No. The ‘big bad Angelus’ would never take advice from a 17 year old girl. Even if he knew she held his fate in the palm of her hand. Even if he knew that she was to become the seer of her tribe, the Calderash people. And especially if he knew that she was hear to help Janna, one of her own.” The girl said mockingly, her job having been fulfilled.
And Angelus’ struggles were futile, as she led him off into the night.
Groaning under the weight and resistance of her heavy burden, a girl who looked no older than 17 lead the unwilling Angelus to the Sunnydale High School library.
“I’m here, Aunt!” she called out. “Come help me! I have him, but he’s not exactly docile! HURRY” she finished, a little bit worried that her ‘prize’ would escape before his time.
“I’m coming Kara!” yelled out Jenny as she ran out the door, followed by 5 other people. One of them was middle aged, he had grayish hair and wore glasses. The others looked totally foreign compared to him. They all had jet black hair and slightly slanted asian eyes. They had milky white skin and looked very impassive; they demanded respect as soon as they met your glance. The first man was Rupert Giles, the librarian. The others were part of the Calderash tribe, two male and two female.
“Oh good!” exclaimed Jenny, as she reached her neice Kara “I’m glad you found him. Was it hard? Did he put up much of a fight?”
“You were right! He was really drawn to the ‘helpless victim’ act....they’re all alike. Now, help me tie him down before he escapes. And hurry! We need to get him set up...now! It’s only an hour until sunrise!” Said Kara, and it was true, because in all of the excitement Angelus had failed to notice the sky grow lighter and lighter as day approached.
“I’ll show you a ‘fight,” Angelus said. “Just untie my hands, and we’ll have a fair one. Think you could win one, Kara? Kara Kara Kara Kara Kara...not really an agressive name. Do you think you could stand against me with fair odds? Do you?” even though he was tied down, Angelus tried to lunge at Kara, growling and bearing his fangs.
“Shut up Angelus,” and with that Kara kicked him hard. He fell to the ground, his hands straining to rub the already blue bruise on his calf.
As the time passed, Jenny, Kara, Giles, and the rest of the members of the Calderash tribe prepared for the ritual. It was a long and hard one, one that was known by very few. It required the concentration of the entire tribe, the channeling of 50 people’s energy. And, it required a strong will, for the demon inside Angelus was not likely to give up easily.
So the preperations were made. White chalk was used to draw a circle on a strip of pure black silk. 50 white candles were lit, and placed as a ring around the circle. 50 black candles were lit, and placed as a ring outside the white ring. 4 red candles were lit, and placed on the four sides of the circle. Orbs filled with holy water were given to each of the tribe members. A brush was taken to paint a cross with holy water in the center of the circle. An actual cross was hung from the ceiling, and one was placed in the hand of Kara. As the sun began to rise, realization sank in....it was time.
As planned, Buffy did not appear until the preperations were made, and for good reason. Had Angelus seen her, he would have tried with doubled efforts to escape; and he had nearly broken free once already. Buffy came out of the hallway and gathered her needed materials.
The members of the tribe formed a large ring outside the strip of cloth. Right behind each of the red candles Kara, Giles, Jenny, and Buffy stood with a cross and a scroll.
As the members of the tribe began to move in a counter-clockwise circle, they chanted softly in a foreign language. Jenny straightened her back, held an empty orb in front of her, and said “I summon you to appear, soul of he who was Angelus. I command you, to come to this place. Wait until in this orb until it is your time.” Suddenly, the orb in front of her began to glow.
“He who once was Angelus, your soul has been destroyed, summoned, and destroyed again. Now, for the final time your position will change. It is the next command that you will keep. Never are you to leave your next inhabitance, for it is your true place” said Giles, pointing a cross in the direction of Angelus. “I show you your to be home. I show you, where you are to go.”
Simultaneously, Giles, Kara, Jenny, and Buffy kneeled. The orb was silently passed to Kara, who would have the hardest part in the ordeal. She swiftly rose, and walked towards Buffy. She took a small container of holy water, and poured it over the orb containing Angel’s soul. She took a pure silver needle, and pricked Buffy’s finger. She held the orb out, so that the blood slowly dripped onto the orb, making it glow brighter and turn red. She walked to the center of the circle, where Angelus was tied down. Taking the same needle, she pricked his finger and let the single drop of blood fall on the orb.
Leaning over, she placed it against Angelus’ chest. “I command you, enter. I command you to come forth and inhabit this body. Leave, demon; it is no longer your time. I command the essence of he who was once Angel to rise again, for here is where you shall stay.” The Calderash people all raised their orbs of holy water above their head and slammed them down to the ground. All the candles blew out, and it was dark.
The orb flashed once, and then remained dark. Suddenly, Angelus began to glow and convulse. His body jerked, almost breaking free of the chair he was tied to. Suddenly, he blacked out.
Coming over to Angel, Buffy held out her bloodied finger and pressed it to his own. Shaking slightly, she said “You who I loved, you who I love. Once were we so close, then distanced forever. I bring you back to this earth, and a creature of earth. Remain here with me, until the day you die. I summon you, Angel. Come to me.” and silently adding under her breath, before she burst into tears, Buffy whispered “I need you.” Leaning over, she let her tears fall on Angel’s face. Bestowing a soft kiss on his head, she rose to leave.
Suddenly, his eyes opened. His hand moved to grasp her arm and bring her down to his level. She warily complied, not knowing whether or not the spell had worked. A few seconds before he spoke, Buffy watched bewilderment come and go in his eyes. Suddenly, it was as if a veil had been lifted. The first thing he said before he bent over to cry was “I’m so sorry Buffy...I’m so very sorry.” And with those final words, he broke. He mourned all those he had killed, all those he had hurt. He cried for what the demon had done. But mostly, he cried for Buffy. He cried for the hurt he had caused her, and cried for what he’d done. He wept like a child, curled up in a ball.
Unable to see her love weep, Buffy embraced him. She held him in her arms, and cradled his head in her lap. She wept with him, and the people left them there to cry.
Finally, when Angel finally stopped crying, he looked up at Buffy’s face. Not giving him the chance to speak, she shushed him and wiped the stray tears away from his eyes. Brushing the hair away from his forehead, she whispered ‘I Love You’.
Looking up at her in disbelief, Angel shook his head. “But, after what- how could- I don’t-” Finally giving up, in wonderment he said “I love you too” And with that, he reached up to tenderly caress her cheek and finally kiss his love.
For Buffy, it was as if it was the first kiss. Fireworks seemed to burst in the sky, and her heart seemed to yell it’s joy so loudly, she was sure that the whole world could hear it. Only one thought crossed Buffy’s mind before she gave into the feeling of love and completion.
“Finally...at long last. He’s here, just like I wished it. Oh thank you, thank you. It feels so good to finally have my love again”
To Be Continued....
I know that that’s a good ending, but this is a ‘to be continued’ story.....’cause as Angel so eloquently put it, "This isn’t some fairy tale." Angelus did some pretty bad things......can Buffy ever forgive them?