The Longest Summer
by Anat

I

Everything happened so fast. "What's goin on? We heard shouting..." Willow and Oz came rushing through the door, only to stop in amazement. Buffy was standing in the room. Angel was on the floor, so were Giles, Joyce and a girl. Buffy looked at them frightened. She turned her face back to Angel. He started to wake up, lifting his head slowly. He seemed dazed. Then, very quickly he recovered and was back on his feet, his game face on.

Oz and Willow looked at the two holding an intense gaze at each other. Then Angel roared and pushed Buffy out of the way. Fleeing out of the room, knocking Willow and Oz to the ground on the way.

The other three people got up. Giles exchanged stares with Buffy. Joyce rushed to her.

"Buffy!" she cried out and hugged her tight.

"What was that?" Willow got up and walked inside. Buffy released herself from her mother's squeeze. She moved to the girl and caught her by her throat, strangling her. "Bring Angel back", She hissed.

The girl's eyes were wide-open with fear and pain and she coughed. Buffy walked forward until she smashed the girl's back against the wall. Not releasing her tight grip on her neck.

"Stop..." murmured the girl. "You're... killing me..."

"BRING HIM BACK!" Buffy raised her voice, tightening her grip.

"Buffy, I don't think it's the same g g girl... thing". Giles interrupted. Buffy let go of the girl and she sank to the floor, coughing and rubbing her neck.

"Who are you?" Buffy looked down at the girl.

The girl started crying. "I just thought L.A would be a better place than my home... I was bored and I wanted to have fun", She cried.

Giles looked at Buffy. "I think that demon possessed her body", He turned to the girl.

"Is your name Coral?" he asked. The girl sniffed, and looked up at him. "What? No... I'm Sarah. I just wanna go home!" she cried.

Buffy crossed her arms and turned away. "Don't worry. You'll be home soon".

"Do you remember anything that happened to you since you... you were... since you came to L.A?"

The girl was now having a hiccup phase, followed by her tears and sniffs. "There was a thing... hurting me... in the neck. Then someone... saved me... turned the thing to ashes and took me to the hospital", She said between breaths.

"Angel", Said Buffy quietly.

"What happened then?" Giles kept questioning the girl.

"I woke up in the hospital, thinking I wanted to go home. And then that was it..."

"You don't remember nothing at all up to now?" he took off his glasses and stepped closer to her.

"Well..." she hesitated. "There was this place... I thought I was dreaming..." she looked at Buffy. "It was like... I couldn't get out... it was like being stuck in a mirror. It was like this crystal ball, and I was caught inside..." the girl brushed her fingers over her nose, sniffing. "Then I woke up here".

Buffy turned to Willow, Willow smiled widely and hugged her. "You're okay! I'm so happy!" she said. "Well not happy that... that Angel was... you know..." Willow started to murmur.

"He saved my life", Buffy sighed. "Even though I told him not to".

"So what now?" Willow asked, looking over Buffy's shoulder.

"Giles trying to question runaway queen of the lizards over there, Mom being emotional... and". She stopped and lowered her eyes.

"Angel being Angelus again".

II

Buffy was released home, after final examinations.

"What he did was very brave," Joyce started saying, when they were in the car, getting closer to their home.

Buffy didn't say a word during the entire drive. Joyce sighed. "He loved you, honey. He did the best for you, just like when I went to speak to him--"

"You went to speak with him?" Buffy turned to look at her. "When was that?"

Joyce sighed again and looked away.

"Mom?"

"I told him to leave you", She admitted. "It was the best thing he could do for you and he knew that too".

Buffy opened her mouth, staring at her mother. "You told him that! Geez mom! Thanks a lot!"

Joyce stopped the car. Buffy got out and slammed the door.

"Buffy, you don't get the big picture here".

"You don't have the right to interfere with my love life! I love him! I loved..." she swallowed, realizing he's gone now. "It hurt me so much when he left, mom. How could you do that to me?" her eyes filled with tears.

"Honey, one day, when you'll have children and a family, you'd look at them and know I did... he did, the right thing. You'd never have a normal life if he stayed", Joyce locked the car and started walking towards their house.

"No mom". Buffy said. Joyce stopped to look at her daughter.

Buffy gazed at her. "You are the one who's not getting the big picture", She wiped her eyes. "I'll NEVER have a normal life. I don't even know whether I'll even live to see my twenties. I am the slayer, mom. Face it already. I risk my life every day. Every night". She curved her lips into a half smile at the memory. "I once told Angel he was the one freaky thing in my freaky life that made sense to me", She sniffed. "He was always there for me. He made me feel like there was something in me beyond the slayage. I've never felt that way before"... she sighed. "You remember I was once in ...L.A... " She shuddered. "I'm going to save him. If I have to go to hell and face that princess of power there, even if I die... I'm going to save him". She said, determined.

"Buffy..." Joyce started saying. "Leave it alone mom. I made up my mind. I'm going to die sometime anyway, so at least it would be for a worthy cause". Joyce grabbed her arm. "What cause is that? Saving a vampire that prefers to die than see you dead? I think you should accept his sacrifice. He would have wanted you to".

Buffy pulled out her arm. "How would you know, mom? You don't know him. And I guess you don't even know me, if you think I'll let the only man I ever loved and ever will love, rot in some crystal ball in hell". She left her mom behind and entered the house.

III

It was daylight. Buffy found herself wandering in the graveyard. She bent down on her knees and caressed the tombstone. She brushed her fingers on the golden letters that were carved on the stone. She saw the black shoes stopping in front of her and lifted her head to see the man. When she saw his face she got up.

"Angel..." she whispered. She tried to touch him, but he was isolated by some kind of invisible force. He looked so good in the direct sunlight, just like all the other times she dreamed of him, she thought.

"You have to know where to look", He said softly, and his gaze wandered from her face. She turned around, following his gaze. She saw him standing there. Except she noticed it wasn't him. It was Angelus. He smiled wickedly and walked backwards until he was burned by the sunlight and burst into ashes.

Buffy woke up. The room was darkened, only a weak sunbeam penetrated the room, and she realized it was still very early in the morning, the sun just started to rise. She gazed at the ceiling fora few moments, then got up and dressed.

The house was quiet. Her mother was still sleeping. Buffy sneaked out of the house, closing the door quietly. She didn't know where she was going, until her legs led her to the old factory, where Spike and Drusilla used to live until it was burned down. The place was a mess. The walls were broken. The sun started to light the room.

Then she saw him. Angel. He was lying in the corner. She could see that his leg was chained to the wall. Part of the wall seemed to be broken, she guessed he was trying to free himself, before he was too weakened from the light. She knew she should let him stay there. He will be exposed to the full sunlight in less than an hour. It will be the end of Angelus. Something in her told her to walk away, but instead she went there and kicked the wall, until she freed the chain from it. She pulled him by his legs to the hole in the ground no one bothered to seal after she and Angel freed themselves nearly 2 years ago. She let his body fall into the water.

She jumped after him. He lay there in the water, face down. Slowly he started to wake up, still exhausted.

She stepped backwards, unsure of what to expect next. He managed to get up on his feet, but he staggered backwards, trying to regain balance and strength. He was now standing right in front of her. Then he raised his eyes to meet her. She shivered. His stare was hollow, though somewhat confused. He didn't say anything just pushed her hard and turned away. She fell on her butt and watched him walking away unstably in the sewer.

"You're welcome". She whispered.

"You saved his life?" Willow raised her eyebrow.

Buffy sighed. "I don't know why. He looked so helpless..."

Xander stared at her angrily. "Are you starting to notice a pattern here?" he asked.

Buffy looked at him. "I know what you're thinking, Xander. But I just couldn't let him die. Maybe there's a way to bring back Angel".

Xander huffed. "What for? So he will get psycho all over again?"

"There must be something we can do", Willow said, frowning at

Xander."Yeah. Stake him once and for all", Xander clasped his fingers.

Buffy seemed to be in her own world. "I wonder who locked him up. He is the strongest vampire I've ever faced, second to the master".

"Ewww, was he ugly or what!" Willow grimaced at the mention of the master.

Giles reached their table with a book. "Coralancus, is a... is a demon. She is also known as the empress of the northern region, mistress of the lost souls, queen of Thesulah..."

"Girl power!" Interrupted Xander.

Buffy ignored him. "But we already know all that, Giles".

Giles closed the book. "There's not much written on Coralancus. She never posed a threat to humanity. There's one flaw, however. She likes to play. With people that is. The streets are full with lost and confused people. They are her prey. When the game is over, they are stuck in her kingdom".

"And now she plays with us".

"She has a vessel though. Larius. It's a demon who can transform into anything. He can possess a body, making room for her to control the person. I believe that's how she got control on Sarah's body".

They all turned to look at the girl who was sleeping on Giles' couch.

"When is she going home, anyway?" asked Buffy, turning her head back.

"She's scared". Said Giles quietly.

Buffy gazed at Giles.

"Maybe if we get that Lagos dude...-"

"Larius", He cut her off. "Lagos is another demon. You killed him a while ago". He mentioned.

"Oh. Well... Ok. So we get this thing and get to her through him".

"I'm not sure it's such a good idea. He could possess you, and Coralancus will have control over you in no time".

"Can't he be killed?" Willow asked.

"Only in his true form. But you can't see his true form, unless he can't possess a body, or the body which he possess is terminated".

"So... Pizza anyone?" Xander smiled faintly when everyone fired their stares at him.

Buffy strolled down the street. It was getting darker already. The sun disappeared once more into the horizon. Sometime Buffy felt she was living from night to night. She never imagined her life to turn out this way when she was a child. Not even as a 15 years old girl when she was first called to her destiny.

"What the..." She whispered to herself, watching Sarah walking down the street.

Sarah waved at her. Buffy stopped walking and let the girl reach her.

"Thank god I found you!" said the girl. Buffy eyed her. "What are you doing here?"

"Mr. Giles and the others. They're at great danger!"

"What?"

"Angelus is there", she said, excited.

Buffy turned to grab the girl, but before she could touch her shoulder, she saw the girl vamped out and then a hand covering her throat. She looked, stunned, as Angel broke the girl's neck.

"Hello, lover". He said.

Buffy recovered fast and pulled out her stake. But then, the girl's body quivered and some metallic liquid dripped from the body and expanded. Buffy seemed puzzled as she watched the liquid gather to another form.

The thing vanished quickly into thin air. Buffy turned to look at Angel. "What was that?" she asked.

"Larius. It seems like you made it to the top of Coralancus' most-wanted list", He said. She looked down on the girl's body. She burst into ashes. "You saved me", She said.

He shrugged. "I don't want you dead before I get to play a little myself", He said, twitching the corner of his mouth to a small evil smile. Buffy gave him a strained stare.

"It's been a long time since I've been in the game, Buff. We'll continue from where we left some other time".

"I can't wait".

His wicked smile disappeared. "Remember, don't touch anyone. You can't know who is possessed by Larius".

"Yeah, I get it. Trust no one, yadda-yadda". She sighed. He started walking away. "Goodbye, lover".

Part Three

End of part two.

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