The Longest Summer
by Anat

I

"She knows. I can feel it". Willow hissed, looking over at Oz and Giles. "Angelus must have told her". Oz frowned. She touched his shoulder. "Don't worry, dear. We still have the winning cards".

Oz smiled wickedly. "She'll make a great exhibit to your collection". She looked at Giles. "Well, Brutus. It's time you play your role. The slayer won't dare kill you in this body. And you can kill her". Giles nodded and left the room.

Xander was sitting on Buffy's bed, holding the newspaper. "I can't believe our only ally is a vicious vampire. What are we supposed to do without Giles? Who will read us from books, and serve us tea and be angry when we make a joke..." -

"Sheesh, Xander. You're givin' me a headache". Buffy hushed him and put her hand on her head. "Angel might know how to free them". She said, gazing at the window. "We'll meet him by sunset".

"I'm dying with anticipation". Xander muttered. Buffy eyed him. "And don't try anything. He's on our side now. We need him".

"I don't trust him. What if he's only playing with us? He likes games just like that queen of the desert". Buffy sighed. "Angelus won't be here for long. ...I hope. Angel will take over again once we finish with the evil She-ra. In the mean time, we get to watch him from killing people". Xander threw the paper near Buffy. "Like this girl?" he asked. Buffy looked at the news about a girl, 16 years of age, found dead in a park. The newspaper said it was apparent suicide, since she ran away from home after a fight with her parents. Her throat was cut.

"Well... She was suicidal... maybe she did commit suicide". Buffy said quietly.

"Repressing much, Buffster? It's your boyfriend's work. Cutting your neck doesn't drain your body from blood".

"Okay, okay. I'll watch him more closely from now on".

"Yeah, that’ll do". Xander smirked.

Buffy huffed. "What do you want from me? Didn’t we have enough arguments over this subject?"

"Apparently not enough".

"Ok, can we go now?" she raised her hand in frustration.

The street was dark. The light in the horizon was fading slowly, and the evening breeze brought a chill, as if to remind the people the summer was going to end soon.

Buffy shivered and put her arms around her body.

Xander was walking beside her, whistling.

They could see Angel’s figure in the thin fog. He was standing in the mist, all black.

Wearing his long black coat. His hands were in his pockets, but they couldn’t see which way he was facing. They walked slowly towards him, finding out he had has back to them.

"Good evening". He said, startling them and turned around.

Xander straightened. "How did you know we were here? We didn’t make any noise". He sneered. "I can smell you from distance. Didn’t you learn that this morning?"

Xander tilted his head up. "Oh, I get it. It’s that predatory thing. I had it once. You can smell your prey".

Angel smiled with just the corner of his mouth. "Exactly". Buffy stood in front of Xander. "Okay, nobody is going to smell, kill or eat anybody starting this minute".

"He’s coming". Angel said hoarsely, looking away from them, staring into space.

"What? Who’s coming?" Buffy looked at him.

"Brutus. He’s one of the Coralancus’ entourage. Not a friendly demon, but not a strong one as well". He smiled and looked down at Buffy.

"There should be no problems killing him".

"Good". She nodded slightly.

Xander’s attention was caught by something in the mist. He moved to get a better look. "Hey Buffy. Someone’s coming". He said moving towards the figure.

Then his vision was cleared. "Giles!" he smiled. He turned to Buffy. "It’s Giles".

Buffy exhaled. "What’s this? Angel, is it Giles?"

"It’s his body. But it’s not him". He said quietly.

Giles moved closer. Xander turned to face him.

"Hello, Xander. I was looking for you". Giles sent out his hand, reaching for him.

"Giles, we thought...-"

"Xander, don’t touch him!" Buffy shouted, rushing forward.

Angel vamped out and moved behind her, grabbing Giles’ throat.

Buffy clung onto Angel’s arm trying to release his grip. "Don’t kill him!" she yelled.

He pushed her and she fell to the ground. "I know what I’m doing". He hissed.

Xander helped Buffy back on her feet. They moved closer, watching horrified Giles gasping for air.

"Stay away!" Angel warned them.

Buffy stepped backwards, pulling Xander away with her. Angel dropped Giles to the floor. His body brightened and something started to ooze out.

"What the..." Xander and Buffy watched with amazement. The thing was at full size, an enormous size. He roared, and his roar still echoed, chilling their spines. It launched at Angel, and they started fighting. Buffy watched for a second, then crawled on her knees, for Giles. He was unconscious, but alive. She shook him hard, until he opened his eyes.

"Buffy... he whispered". And grabbed his head. "I think I have an headache". He said quietly. Then he looked up, watching the demon fighting with Angel. "Larius? This is he?" he asked, propping himself up on his elbows. Buffy looked up. "No. It’s some other thing". She said quietly, then got up on her feet. Xander helped Giles to stand up.

Buffy looked around. She went to the nearest tree and broke a branch. She moved closer to the demon, and hit him with the sharp edge. "Over here, big guy!"

He roared and turned to look at her. "Don’t... touch him!" Angel panted, exhausted. Buffy didn’t touch him. Beating him over and over with the wood, until she managed to pierce it into the demon, halving him. The demon squealed, opening wide his small red eyes. And tried to take out the wood from his body. He soon collapsed to the floor, silent, causing the earth to shake a little. Buffy moved closer. Angel looked too, leaning on his thighs. The demon disappeared in the air. Xander moved closer. "Good. We don’t have to bury him".

Buffy looked at Angel. "Is he dead?"

"Yup".

She looked at him. "Are you okay?" she moved closer. He was bleeding from several cuts. She sent out her hand to touch his face. He flinched and backed off. He snarled, his fangs shining in the dim light. Buffy lowered her hand. "Sorry". She lowered her eyes. His golden eyes shimmered, then he reverted back to his human face.

"I don’t have to suffer that too". He said.

She nodded. "Yeah, I know. Silly me. Showing concern to an evil, vicious, emotionally dead vampire".

He looked at her. "You make it sound like it’s a bad thing".

She gazed at him. "It IS a bad thing".

II

"NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Willowed Coralancus yelled. She clutched one of Willow’s crystal balls and threw it on the wall.

The ball burst into pieces.

"She killed my Brutus!!!!"

Oz hugged her. "It’s not your fault. Angelus helped her".

"He’s ruining me game! He’s ruining everything!"

"Maybe you should move the game to familiar ground, love". He whispered to her ear. He touched her face softly. Then he sent out his tongue and licked her cheek, nibbling her earlobe.

They found shelter in Buffy’s house. Giles looked at Angelus. "You seem to be familiar with Coralancus and her demons". He said. Angel looked at him. "I’ve been around".

"That’s very interesting. Have you...-"

Angel was obviously impatient to the man’s inquiries. He vamped out and grabbed his shirt, bringing him closer. "Perhaps you’d like me to show you! he "snarled.

"Angel!" Buffy entered the room. He reverted back to human. Giles fixed his glasses back on his nose.

A lightning stroke outside, lighting the room, followed quickly by thunder. Xander and Buffy moved to the window. "Thunderstorm? In the middle of the summer?" Giles got up to have a look too. Angel remained sitting.

"Ha. I never thought she would do that". He grinned evilly, looking at them.

They turned to him. "Do what?"

He shrugged. "Open the door, and look. But don’t walk too far". Giles went to open the door. Buffy and Xander followed him, Angel got up too. Giles held the doorknob.

"Ouch". He pulled back his hand. "It’s hot". He said. Buffy kicked the door open. The sun filled the room.

"Angel!" she called looking over at him. He was intact.

"I’m cool". He smiled and walked into the light, to their astonished eyes. "I feel right at home". He said. They followed him out. It was daylight outside. Everything around was green and blooming. Green hills covered the horizon.

"What is it?? Land of Oz?" asked Buffy.

Angel smirked. "Nope. Much better. Welcome to Hell".

"Wh-wh-what?" Giles opened his mouth, but words didn’t come out. Xander peeked out too. "Why are we in hell? And why does it look so..."- he stopped when he saw two tall blondes, wearing nothing but bikini, walking by.

"Okay. When I die I wanna go to hell". He smiled, watching the girls walking away. One of them turned her head to look at him. She winked and motioned him to follow with her hand. Xander stepped forward.

"I wouldn’t advise you to go after them". Angel said, pacing towards him. Xander stopped in his place. "Why not?"

Angel smirked. "They’re sirens. They’ll eat you up before you can even scream".

Xander huffed. "Kinda takes out the fun".

"They’re a lot of fun. But not to mortals".

Buffy crossed her arms. "I thought Hell was supposed to be extremely hot, with lava holes, and bubbles and deserts and stuff".

Angel gazed at her. "And all the people that survived after visiting there told you that?"

Giles took off his glasses. "That is astonishing!" he marveled the place. Angel shrugged. He turned to Buffy again. "You see, love. Hell is not what people think it is. It is a place that exists parallel to earth. It’s the demons’ dimension. They need their own earth too, because they can’t live with people... as much as they want to..."

He looked away, scanning the horizon. "The deserts are in the south. They’re not fun and there are major ugly fiends living there. We must go to the northern region. Coralancus is in the eighth realm. You have to stick to me, you might attract unwanted demons with your human smell".

Xander paled. "Like this thing??" he took a step back. They all lifted their head to see a giant fly. He had jaws with large fangs, big glowing green eyes and yellow goo oozed from the corners of his mouth.

"What’s that? Lord of the flies?" Buffy asked, looking disgusted at the monster. They entered the house and closed the door. Xander rushed over to the window. "It’s still here". He declared.

Buffy looked around. "I know we had a k-300 here somewhere".

Angel let out a laugh. "You think of taking him out with a disinfest?" Buffy opened the doors beneath the sink in the kitchen. "Gotcha!"

She took out a bottle. "Exterminator experts. Kills Mosquitoes, Flies & Flying Insects". She read from the cover.

Xander nodded. "And flying demons".

Buffy shrugged. "Any better ideas?"

Angel smirked. "Good luck".

She opened the door. The flying monster winged straight at her, making wind and loud noise. Buffy sprayed the entire bottle on its face. The monster screamed and started flapping its wings and convulsed. The yellow goo spit out of his mouth and some of it fell on her shirt. "EWWW. Ewww. Ewww". Buffy grossed out at the yellowish goo. The monster fell down, twitched a few times and silenced. Xander and Giles came out of the house followed by Angel.

quot;I’ll be damned". He muttered. Xander turned to him, smiling. "You are damned". He reminded him. Buffy smiled and threw away the bottle. "And mom said it wasn’t effective!" she rejoiced. "I can’t believe it worked". Angel brushed his fingers against his lips, pondering. "But still. We need to leave this house and all the goodies in it to reach Coralancus". He said. "And we don’t have the homey advantage anymore". Giles frowned. "And how do we go back? To earth, that is". He asked.

III

"Goodbye house". Buffy said as they closed the door. All three human members of the team were carrying supplies: food and weapons, on their backs. "Move along, Dorothy". Xander said, tapping on her shoulder. "Isn’t it fun, Xander? A trip to Wonderland. And we thought this was gonna be a boring summer". She said, closing the door. She took a moment to brood. "Um, Angel? Did the house come with us, or it stayed in Sunnydale? ‘Cause my mom could freak out if she comes home and it’s gone". He shrugged. "I don’t know". Giles looked at her. "Aren’t you concerned of what your mother would think when she realizes you’re vanished?"

"Oh. Well... maybe we’ll be back before she’ll notice". Giles looked away. "Oh my..." he murmured.

"What? What is it?" Buffy looked at him.

"I’ve just came across a thought". He said looking down at her. "Time moves differently here..." his voice was a mere whisper. Her eyes widened. "So we could be stuck here for hundreds of years? Giles?!"

They both turned to Angel. He shrugged. "If you’re even going to make it back".

"Maybe we could find friendly demons that would show us the way to the hellmouth". Said Xander.

Giles rubbed his forehead. "I’m not sure it would be wise to go to a populated area. The books refer to this place as eternally brutal torments".

"You’ll be safer with me". Angel assured him.

Xander smiled faintly. "I feel better already".

They continued walking. "So, this is where you lived before you possessed Angel’s body?" Asked Giles as they walked.

"Not here. I’m from the northern region. But in my times there, Coralancus wasn’t the empress". He said.

"No?"

"She won the other realms in her games".

Buffy looked around. "So vampires live here before they become vampires?"

"Yes. They’re waiting for their chance. Once a man is bitten and loses his soul, a demon is being sent instead".

"And the soul?"

"It remains here. She is keeping them in her frozen garden. Not a fun place for lost souls".

Xander lifted his head. "Guys... hearing anything?"

Buffy straightened. "A car?"

"Oh not one of those perky little ghouls". Moaned Angelus.

"What?" They turned to him.

The car approached them. Small funny shaped car. The driver was a little hairy ugly creature, with red nose and yellow eyes.

He stopped the car. "Harridon I am. To Goblina shall I take you".

He had a squeaky voice. Buffy and Xander exchanged looks. "Huh?"

"Goblina?" asked Giles. "Long is the way. Tired you must be".

"What’s with the yoda speech?" asked Xander.

"They’re annoying little creature". Said Angel.

"They seem harmless". Said Giles.

"Maybe we should take the offer". Said Buffy.

Angel shrugged. "Suit yourself. But I’m not sitting next to him".

They opened the car’s door. Angel, Buffy & Xander squashed in the small backseat. Giles sat next to the ghoul.

"Humans are you?" asked the creature.

"Ye-yes. And you?" Giles interact with him.

"Harridon I am. To Goblina shall I take you".

"Harridon. Hmmm... pleased to meet you". Giles took off his glasses to clean them. The creature snatched the glasses and put them on. Buffy and Xander giggled in the backseat.

"Harridon this thing want. Harridon this thing take".

"I’m afraid I can’t let you have my glasses. My vision is quite blurred without them". Giles said, smiling uncomfortably. "Harridon want. Harridon want". The little fiend

squealed.Angel growled in the back. "Harridon will shut up". He leaned forward, vamped out and snapped the ghoul’s neck.

The car stopped. Angel got out, he gave Giles back his glasses and threw out the body. "Change of plans". He said, reverting.

"We’re not going to Goblina. Fasten your seatbelts".

He started the car. "What is Goblina?" asked Giles.

"It’s the main city around". Angel started driving. "You don’t wanna get there. Lots of demons who won’t hesitate on killing you, or worse- keep you alive for their entertainment".

When they got on the top of the hill, the sun started to sink. Angel got out of the car.

"You better sleep in the car. Demons of the night are much more dangerous than day demons". He said. Xander was already snoring in the backseat. Giles and Buffy went out to have a look at this place in twilight. "What’s this? It looks like L.A". Buffy pointed at a large metropolis down in the valley.

"Is that Goblina?" Asked Giles. "Yes. Full of demons you’ve never even dreamed about in your worst nightmares. Most of them never left this place. Only a few demons leave the comforts of this place to go seek adventures and human flesh on earth".

As Darkness fell on this unfamiliar world, The three of them stood on the top of the hill. "What is this glowing thing?" Giles pointed at a glowing dome in the horizon. Angel laid his hand on Buffy’s shoulder. "That’s heaven". He said softly.

"Heaven?" She raised her face to him.

"Not your heaven. Just like this isn’t your hell. It’s where all the good-natured demons live. No evil fiend can enter that dome. But they can go out. They don’t do it on occasions, since hunting them is a favorite sport".

"Oh. Well... what is our heaven and hell, then?" Buffy asked.

"I don’t know. I’ve never been there. But somebody once told me it’s what you make of it". He said.

Part Five

End of part four.

well... what do you think? crazy??

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