Disclaimer: I own nothing. All characters, except for a select few, belong to the great one, Joss Wheldon, and the WB network. I am just a poor student living with relatives, so please don't sue me.
Author's Note: After the traumatic experience of Becoming 2, I realized that Buffy and Angel's love must live on through the stories of their fans, so I hope this story is a comfort to those of you who are in denial, as I am. This story is my own ending for Buffy and Angel.
I'd give my all to have just one more night with you
I'd risk my life to feel your body next to mine
Cause, I can't go on living with the memory of our song
-Mariah Carey "My All"
The night was calm and peaceful. There was a slight breeze that brought the cool, salty smell of the ocean to the shore. The stars were so bright, they seemed to be thousands of blazing fires in the midnight ink of the sky.
**Angel, it's beautiful up here**, Buffy thought to herself as she looked over towards the ocean from a spot not far from where the swim team had that fateful party.
** I wonder why we never came here together**, She continued thinking.
She found herself having these private one-sided conversations a lot lately. She fantasized that sometimes he would appear as a spirit and answer her back. She just missed him so much.
"If a giant, egg-laying, mind-controlling, bug thingy can come to town, why can't a friendly ghost appear.", She said out loud.
But its been months and her Angel hasn't come. The only reminder of him was in the form of the monster which now possessed his body, Angelus. The thought of him immediately brought a flush of anger to her face. She knew she had to kill him and that there was no hope of getting Angel back. Angelus was just so clever. He knew just how to taunt her so that she was never able to finish him off.
"God, I wish Angel was here. I'd give anything just to talk to him just one more time. It feels strange to be going through this without having the comfort of his arms to fall into.", Buffy sighed.
She had been so deep in thought, she didn't notice that the wind had picked up considerably. However, the specks of sand flying into her eyes and onto her skin was enough to jolt her out of her reverie.
**Hey, what the heck is this? I guess its time to go. I was supposed to meet Giles in the library soon anyway."**
She was alarmed to find that the once clear, star-filled night became hazy within seconds in the sand storm that swirled around her. She couldn't see two feet in front of her. She stumbled around blindly and kept willing herself to keep calm.
**Who ever heard of sand storms in California ? This place is getting weirder and weirder. ** She thought.
Suddenly, she felt the cold wetness of the ocean slap against her ankles.
"Oh no, I walked the wrong way!" She exclaimed.
But, she was unable to think anything more as suddenly the sea rose up like a huge claw and crashed onto the shore, taking her back with it as it receded back. Buffy was a strong swimmer, but even she was having difficulty swimming against the force of the water. The sea had become violent just as suddenly as the wind and it kept pulling her back with its talons everytime she attempted to swim back to shore. It was several minutes later when she started to realized to her horror that she might lose this battle with the sea. It only made her swim harder. She was a surviver. She just couldn't die this way. But, the harder she swam the farther away she got from the shore. The waves crashed over her head in droves. Her chest began to burn from the effort of holding her breath between gasps. The fight quickly left her when a huge wave carried her back to shore and crashed her against the hard surface of a rock on the shoreline. Angel's face flickered briefly in her mind as she slipped from consciousness.
If a casual observer were to have chosen a few moments later to pass by he would have had a hard time believing that a monsterous wind storm had just occurred, because the wind was now once again calm and the stars once again sparkled brightly in the sky. Everything was like it once was, except Buffy was gone without a trace
To Be Continued
Feedback of any kind would be greatly appreciated.
Disclaimer: Buffy & Co. are the exclusive creation of Joss Whedon and are also the property of the WB network. I only hold claim to the non-Buffian characters.
Author's Note: My Gaelic is non-existent. Imagine this is the translated version with a few corny "bonny lasses" thrown in.
Voices. Many of them. They had strange accents. Buffy's head was killing her. She didn't even try to open her eyes. She didn't think she had the strength to deal with the voices and what they meant. She was tempted to fall back into the safe comfort of the oblivion from which she just escaped. But, curiosity got the best of her. Besides, she was never the type to lay down and play dead. At least she survived that crazy storm. She opened her eyes slowly, barely stifling a startled gasp, as she looked around at her surroundings. She was in a cave filled with about twenty men who seemed to be in the mist of a heated debate. They were so engrossed in their argument, they didn't notice her wake up. The thing about them which was so strange was how they were dressed. They could have just stepped out of the pages of her hated history books. Most of them had long hair, either pulled back or left to fall about their faces. Their legs were encased in leggings which they wore with rough cotton tunics. Just as she was trying to figure out what the heck was going on, one of them glanced toward her and met her eyes.
"Look! She's awake,", He said and started to rush towards her.
Always the cautious type, she flipped onto her feet and was ready to defend herself. In the process, she knocked off the blanket that had been covering her. Seeing it made her relax. Bad people with evil intentions generally aren't considerate enough to cover you with a blanket. Her sudden movement did halt the man who had started to come to her. His eyes spread wide with shock and he was obviously trying to size her up to determine how big of a threat she was. Obviously, he decided she wasn't much of one because he continued forward, but by this time the others had joined him.
"Hey there lass. Relax. We won't hurt you," He said in a soothing voice as if he were trying to placate a startled deer.
"I believe you. Let's start again. Hi, I'm Buffy. I apologize for being so jumpy. I'm just a bit confused about how I got here", She said, thinking to herself that that was the understatement of the year.
"I'm Donavan and these are some of my companions . We found you near the shore. You were unconscious and have been so for twelve hours. We were just trying to figure out what to do with you when you woke up. Do you remember how you came to be there?", He asked.
Buffy wasn't sure what was going on. She decided to tell them as little as possible until she could figure out some things. She looked at the men once again. The one who identified himself as Donavan seemed to be the spokesperson for the group. She could see how it would be hard for him to be intimidated by anything. He was tall and massively built. He had midnight black hair with green eyes. Definitely on the drop-dead gorgeous list. He seemed strangely familiar. The others were also distinctive in their looks. A few in the group had shocking red hair and beards. One or two had streaks of red in their black locks. All in all the group was impressive. Remembering that he had asked her a question, she said as much of the truth as she could.
"There was a violent storm. I was taken up by the sea and I guess I washed up on this shore", She explained.
"Were you on a boat? You aren't from around here. It would explain a lot. Your accent, your strange clothes, you hair......"
"Hey, what's wrong with my..." She began, before looking down at herself and realizing that she must look equally strange to them. For the first time in her life, she was not dressed in accordance with the latest fashions. The horror.
Donavan looked at her expectantly waiting for her to continue. All the while, he resisted looking down at her scantily clad body. He wished she would put the blanket back on.
"Never mind." Buffy said.
She suddenly felt very stifled in the cave. Self-consciously, she picked up the blanket and wrapped it around herself, almost as if she had read Donavan's mind. She started walking towards the entrance. Donavan rushed after her.
"Where exactly are you from?", He asked
He wanted to know what place contained women who were obviously so uninhibited and fierce. Just earlier, when she thought he was going to attack her, she looked like she was prepared to fight him. He smiled at the thought of such a wee thing like herself fighting him in hand to hand combat. Her head barely reached the level of his shoulder. Though, from the look in her eyes at that moment what she lacked in strength, she probably had tenfold in courage. He was finding this mystery girl more intriguing by the minute.
"It's very far from here. You wouldn't know it." She said, as she came to the entrance.
"Try me"
This time she couldn't contain her gasp as she looked out towards the landscape. It was beautiful. The ocean could be seen from the cave's entrance. The water was clear and as blue as the sky above it. Green fields filled with flowers surrounded the cave and the mountain of rock within which it was contained. It seemed they had carried her quite a distance from the shore.
"Where is this?" She decided to avoid answering his question by throwing out one of her own.
He looked at her suspiciously, but seemed to decide to leave it alone.
"This countryside is about a one day journey from the city of Galway. My companions and I are returning home from an expedition.", Donavan explained.
Galway. If her memory served her correctly, she remembered Angel once telling her that he came from a city named Galway in Ireland, where he lived until he was changed in the year 1756.
"Donavan, this next question may seem strange, but I just want to check whether my memory is okay. What year is this ?,"
"I have heard stories of people getting knocked unconscious and not remembering who they are or where they are. It's 1756, in the year of our lord. Does that satisfy you? Do you remember?"
"Yeh, that's perfect."Buffy lied.
Buffy was getting more and more confused. What is going on? Why was she sent back in time? Would she see Angel or was it too late? She needed Giles.
Disclaimer: The characters from BTVS are strictly the property of Joss Whedon, the WB network, yada, yada, yada,......
Sunnydale, 1998
Giles was beyond worried. He was frantic. No one had heard from or seen Buffy since yesterday afternoon. She told the gang she needed some time alone, but she promised to meet with him later that night. He had welcomed her taking some time to be alone. He more than anyone else knew the strain she has been under ever since Angel's change. He knew she needed time to sort out her feelings; to prepare for anything that she might be called to do, including destroying Angelus. He had wanted her to take the whole night off, but she insisted. Now it was almost evening again and still there had been no sign of Buffy. He even got a frantic phone call from her mother asking him whether he had any idea where Buffy might be. Although, the true nature of their relationship was unknown to her, he knew Buffy's mother figured out that he was more than just the school librarian. Her phone call proved it. Now on top of everything else he just received a cryptic message from the Watcher's Council demanding his presence immediately. He wasn't sure, but he had a feeling that it was somehow connected to Buffy's disappearance. His thoughts were interrupted by the entrance of Willow, closely followed by Xander.
"Giles, have you had any word yet about Buffy?" Willow asked.
"No, I'm afraid not."
They looked exhausted. They had been searching for nearly six hours for any sign of Buffy, while he was researching to see if there was any prophecy relating to this. He didn't find anything.
"I'm so worried. What if she's, she's..... ?", Willow said
"Will, don't even think that. Nothing happened to the Buffster. Bad guys don't stand a chance against her." Xander responded
"Xander's right Willow. I would know if Buffy were de..., dead." Giles said.
"How?",
"It's hard to explain. It doesn't happen all the time. Every once in a while, the Watcher and his Slayer will share a kind of parapsychological connection very similar to the bond that some mothers claim to experience with their children. In other words, I would feel it if something terrible happened to Buffy. I felt something the time when the Master killed her, except I didn't realize at the time what it was.", Giles explained.
"Okay, then that's a good thing, but that still doesn't answer the jackpot question. Where is Buffy? What are your spider senses telling you about that.", Xander said.
"Well, I can't claim to be able to answer that. I didn't say I was psychic, just that I would know if she were dead."
"Did you find anything in the books?", Willow asked
"No, not really. All I could find that was even remotely relevant was a strange short passage. It said 'The time will come when the One must choose, the light and the dark will unite and only then will all find salvation.' I really couldn't make much sense of it." Giles said
"Whose the One and what is there to choose?", Willow asked
"I don't know. Unfortunately, I don't have time to figure it out. I have to go home and pack.", Giles said
"How can you go on vacation at a time like this ?" Xander exclaimed.
"Not a vacation, Xander.", Giles explained, barely suppressing his impatience, "I have been summoned to meet with the Watcher's Council. I think it may have something to do with Buffy's disappearance."
"Then we're going too.", Willow said, determination exhibited in every pore.
"How are you going to explain this to your parents and what about school ? "
"Well, on my end I doubt my parents would notice that I'm gone. I'll write them a memo just in case. And as far as school is concerned, Will can't you create an unexpected notice concerning a cultural exchange program involving two of Sunnydale High's finest on the main frame.", Xander said
"I think that can be arranged. And I'll just tell my parents that I'm going on a school organized trip to Oxford. That's relatively the truth, in the not telling everything sort of way.", Willow said
"Excellent, but we must hurry. Time is of the essence. Even though I am sure Buffy is alive. She may still be in trouble and in need of our help.". Giles said.
Somewhere in a dimension where time doesn't exist
"Mistress everything is going according to plan, you'll soon be free", said a misshapen creature whose form was somewhere between that of a man and a beast.
"I so want to believe that, Daruk. I have been here for an eternity. I don't think I can last much longer in this abyss of nothingness. I just hope we have chosen the right girl. She has to be the one." Spoke a voice which seemed laced with sorrow.
"Of course she is, Zora. Have a little faith in me. I have searched and searched and everything points to this girl. I would never bring up your hopes this way if I had the least bit of doubt. Just be patient and let the course of events unfold." Daruk said soothingly.
He watched as she stepped from the shadows and walked towards him. He knew his eyes betrayed his feelings as they always did when he looked at her. She was as beautiful and he was grotesque. Her midnight black hair gleamed in the moonlight, revealing the red streaks in it. Her copper skin was a perfect complement to the emerald green gown she wore, which clung to her shapely form invitingly. But it was her eyes that always did him in. They were dark and boundless. She seemed to have the ability to look straight through a person to the very depths of their soul. It hurt to look at her, so he closed his eyes. When she reached him she caressed what was taken to be his face and leaned against him as she sat down.
"I trust you Daruk. I know you always look out for me. Tell me the plan again.", Zora said.
"We will wait until the moment is right. When she is most confused and weak. When this time comes, we will kill her and then you will be
free.", Daruk explained again for the thousandth time. He knew she just liked to hear the words.
Somewhere near Galway, 1756
Donavan was more impressed with Buffy as each second passed. When they first found her he had been resigned to the fact that they would probably be delayed a bit with her coming along. After all, she had been injured, not to mention a girl and was probably incapable of keeping the hard pace that they were used to. But apparently after the initial disorientation, she recovered remarkably. Not only that, she was keeping up with them without even seeming to exert herself in the slightest. How could someone so small contain such subtle strength. He sneaked a peek at her again and couldn't help but think how adorable she looked in his shirt. He insisted she put on some of his clothes, since her attire was a bit revealing. It wasn't safe for a woman to be dressed so on the road. The shirt hem fell past her knees and she had to roll up the shirt sleeves several times in order for her hands to come through. Finding pants was a bit of a problem, since everyone was much taller than her. He finally had to cut the hem of his pants until they reached her ankles and used rope to tie around her waist so that they stayed on her. But even in this makeshift outfit, she was gorgeous. Nonetheless, he vowed to get her some proper clothing when they reached Galway. But what would he do if she didn't want to stay with him once they reached there. He'd deal with that when the time came.
Buffy could hardly contain her excitement. She might be seeing Angel again in just a few hours. That had to be the reason why she was sent here. What else made sense. The only thing that worried her is that she didn't know if this time was before or after the "change". She was ready to run to the city as fast as she could, but she couldn't leave behind this merry crew which had been so kind to her. After she and Donavan came back from their talk, she became the center of attention. She was bombarded with questions about where she came from and about the ordeal which left her stranded on the beach. She came up with a tale about being lost at sea. It seemed more believable than the truth. Afterwards, they keep her entertained well into the night with stories about their exciting and perilous escapades during their mission. She hadn't laughed so hard in a long time. It was a welcome experience. She was relieved when Donavan offered his clothes. While she didn't want to stand out too badly, she wasn't too eager to put on those contraptions that the women of this period passed for clothes. It just wasn't practical to do a roundhouse kick with a hoop skirt. She still had the wiggins from the last time she wanted to play belle of the ball. He thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Donavan's voice.
"Buffy, do you know what you want to do once we reach town? Do you have somewhere to stay ?", He asked
"No, not really. I was just going to cross that bridge when I came to it." She replied
"Huh, there are no bridges in town. Anyway, you are welcome to stay with me and my family until you have decided what your next step will be.", He tried to say causally. He didn't want her to know how much he wanted her to say yes.
"That's very nice of you, but I wouldn't want to intrude.", She said
"It's no bother. Our estate is huge. People can be there for days and not even see one another. It would be a honor for you to be our guest. My mother and sisters will love you." He said
"Well then since you put it that way, I accept. Thank you.", Buffy beamed.
Two hours later they reached the outskirts of the city. It was here that the band started to part and say their farewells, with each declaring undying devotion to Buffy. She promised to visit each of them when she got the chance.
"We don't need to go to the main part of the city today. I am anxious to reach home, but I will take you there tomorrow if you would like.", Donavan said.
Buffy was anxious to begin her search for Angel, but she figured one more day wouldn't hurt. They were riding on a side road when suddenly a lone rider jumped out of nowhere and blocked their path.
"Go no further or I will cut you both down within an inch of your lives," came the muffled voice of the rider.
He was dressed entirely in black and wore a hat with a huge brim that obscured most of his face. The moonlight sky keep the rest of it in shadows.
" And who dares challenge me.", Donavan said menacingly
"The Angel of Death", the rider responded while withdrawing his sword dramatically
"Then I think it is time your title was relinquished for it is you who will die tonight", Donavan countered.
Suddenly, he gave a battle cry that shook the very heavens as he rushed towards the rider. In the next moment he was leaping into the air, knocking the sword out of the rider's hand and catapulting him off his horse. They instantly began tussling on the ground. Buffy was about to intervenc when suddenly a beam of moonlight hit the rider's face and his features where exposed fully. She couldn't contain the name from escaping from her lips.
"Angel", She said.
To be continued