Buffy clutched another stake, Xander pulled Willow even closer and Angel stood beside and slightly in front of Buffy. Tom, in the meantime, had gotten over his shock and was about to heft another stake when Maria grabbed his arm and said, "Don't dust her yet, we need to find out whatever information she knows, and I'd like to know how she's even walking around. Dust generally doesn't get to do that." Tom reluctantly put his stake back to his side.
Darla said, "Well, I've come back before, but Buffy slayed me the second time. At least it wasn't Angel again, the betrayal would have been too much the second time around. As for how I'm here now, well, Amy and Marlana reanimated me so that they could give me this." With that, she brought her left hand forward, chuckled slightly when everybody flinched and showed off her new jewelry. It was one of the rings.
Angel, who was more shocked than anyone, turned to Maria and said, "How did Marlana and Amy get the ring to give to Darla?"
Maria replied, "I gave them the ring when I gave them theirs. That was before I knew she was dead. I knew that they would see her before I did."
Darla then spoke up, "Don't worry guys. I'm sad to say that I have a conscience now. I don't get to have any fun anymore. This thing really is a bitch. I've only killed one person since I got my ring. It felt lousy, so I just feed without killing. Hell, I even stick around long enough to make sure they don't bleed to death. It's a pain in the ass, but I guess I'll get used to it."
Before Maria could get off an "I told you so", Angel spoke up, "Okay, Maria, now I get it. I guess it does work."
Maria just sat there with a satisfied smirk.
Darla continued, "By the way, the gang's coming over."
Maria let out a delighted little shriek, Damien had a huge grin on his face, and even Angel smiled. He had missed them, even if he had been prepared to fight them since he got his soul back.
"I hate to interrupt but I have two questions. One, what is a millennial slayer and two, who are these friends of yours?" Willow asked.
"Darla is going to have to answer your first question but I can tell you who our friends are. First off, there's Damia, my twin and Andrew, her mate. Then there's Thierry and Viola. They're youngest, he was seventeen when he was made, and she, was sixteen. Marlana was Thierry's first girlfriend, and Amy, was a present to Maria." Damien finally said.
Buffy's response was, "Present?"
Damien almost chuckled, but he reined it in. "Maria got a cold, which is kind of rare with vampires. I made her some chicken soup, but I also brought her a young girl to help her keep her strength up. She fed off of the girl, but since she was nice and gave willingly, Maria made her a vamp. They have been the best of friends ever since. Amy is a dear soul who only killed twice, she mastered the art of feeding without killing because, for some reason, her humanity never fully left her."
"Why would she let someone feed off her?" Angel looked at Damien. Damien looked at Angel. Buffy looked at the two of them. Damien was looking for the right sign from Angel. He didn't get it. Buffy noticed this. "Well? Give!"
Angel furiously shook his head no. Damien took his que and said, "I think I'll leave that to you and Angel later on." Meanwhile, Angel started hiding all the pencils.
Buffy decided to get a little more persuasive. She seductively crossed her legs on the table, letting a good portion of them show. Xander, Damien, Tom, and Angel were all reduced to puddles. Willow poked Xander sharply in the ribs, Maria punched Damien, and Jackie. . . took matters a little more seriously. We won't go there. Walking seductively up to Angel, fingering his collar, pressing herself against him, and whispering into his ear, she asked, "Now what. . . did you do. . . with Amy?"
"Ab, ab, ab, ab, ab. . ." He had "A" and "B" down and was working on the rest of the alphabet.
"Funny, Amy got the same reaction out of you." Angel could have made a tomato look white, and simultaneously would have had no guilt in draining Damien dry.
"When do I get to see her?" Buffy began to finger her hidden wooden stake.
"Me too," Darla replied, "You had no right to be THAT close." Xander leaned back, smirking. It was rare to see Angel squirm, but when it happened it was always a treat.
"Now sweethearts. . ."
"Sweethearts?"
"I meant sweetheart, sweetheart. I would never do anything to hurt you, Buffy. Can someone please change the subject? Let's go back to millennial slayers." He forced the last line out with pseudo-enthusiam
"That's a long story, and I'd sooner hear about your past, Angel." Maria was teasing, "You managed to hide your relationship with Amy very well. I thought I was the only one you were treating on Darla with."
"Her too?"
"Darla, Buffy, let's just all calm down. Buffy give me the stake."
Giles spoke up, "This is all very fascinating, but we need to get back to business."
"True. Angel, you, Buffy and I will have to work this out later. Until then, millennial slayers. One vampire stuck around from the old, old days, as in the beginning of time. When the slayers first came into being, they kept getting killed by the same vampire, so something new was required. Two slayers, this time one male and one female, were summoned. They killed the vampire but, for some reason, he came back every one thousand years. In anticipation for this, two slayers are summoned at the beginning of the new millennium. The other vampires of the world tolerate these two because the one they are supposed to kill, kills vampires just as well as mortals. We know who the man is, now we have to figure out who the girl is."
"So basically, at the end of time, it will be cockroaches, Volvos, dirty diapers, and HIM?"
"Yep."
Tom said, "What's the criteria for the other one?"
Darla said, "She has to be a close relative, from sister to first cousin, of your generation who has survived adversity in her life."
Tom chuckled sardonically and replied, "Take your pick. The girls of my generation have all survived adversity. We had the distinct displeasure of being spawned by two brothers who never figured out that you are supposed to be nice to your children. My mom divorced dad when I was 12. My aunt divorced her husband two years later, but the damage was done."
"This could be a challenge. Call me crazy, but I can't see it being your sisters. You can't say a civil word to them." Jackie said.
Tom snorted and Darla burst out laughing, "What about a cousin?"
"Tammy. She's my uncle's oldest daughter, and we are as close as we can be."
"Oh really?" Jackie was being funny.
Tom didn't take it that way. "I'm not a redneck. Don't. Go. There."
Angel decided to change the subject since he could understand what Tom was going through. "Is there anyway we can get in touch with her?"
Darla answered, "She should be drawn here. Once one of the Two realizes who he or she is, they send out subconscious signals that draw the other person. Sunnydale makes it even easier."
Xander laughed and replied, "Just another perk of living on a Hellmouth."
Everyone laughed, and things were going great except Buffy was oddly silent.
Just then Stefanie walked in. She totally ignored the fact that there was company and said, "There about seven vampires headed this way!"
Angel's grin got wider and Darla and Maria yelled, "They're here!" They ran to the door and threw it open. In walked the old gang, and Stefanie about had a heart attack.
Buffy calmed her down and told her the story quickly. No sooner had she finished when a gorgeous vampress with dark hair and eyes rushed up and threw her arms around Angel. Soon after, boisterous greetings were exchanged and introductions were made. The girl was Amy. Buffy made a lunge for her, but Angel blocked her. "Um, sweetheart, I think we better go out into the hall right now. Darla, you even think about dusting her, and I'll dust you again. This time I'll make sure it sticks." He was willing to do just about anything to keep the three of them separate.
Inside the room, there was a lot of excited talking while Stefanie just sat and shook her head. "I'm gone for two days, and look what happens."
Finally things calmed down, and Maria said, "Well Giles, if you have any questions about vampires, here's the group to ask." Giles, unwilling to let this opportunity pass him by, asked questions and they were answered to the best of the group's ability. He was in Watcher's heaven.
In the hallway, Buffy said what was on her mind, "I'm afraid that I'm losing you, Angel. I see how you look when you're talking with your old group of friends. You change, and I see a darker side of you. It scares me."
To that Angel put his arms around her and said, "Buffy, you're my world. I'm sorry if we scared you. Truth is, I think we all changed. I remember Maria. She used to glory in the kill. She was there the night that I killed the Gypsy girl and her only response was. . ."
"'Angelus, I really wish you wouldn't play with your food.'" Maria stepped out into the hallway and finished his statement. "Okay, I'll admit it, I didn't really care about humans, but I'm changed now, as Angel pointed out. As for Angel's darker side," showing that Maria had indeed been eavesdropping, "don't worry about it coming through. I met the Gypsies who gave him his soul back, and they did an excellent job. As far as he and I are concerned, the Angelus I knew died that day. His dark side was gone with their curse."
"Thank you. That means a lot. If you don't mind now, I'd like to be alone with Angel." Maria nodded and left. "I'm also worried about another thing, darling. I have something to tell you....I'm pregnant."
End Part 3 (Like so far?) Please send your comments, I love to hear from you. MCAT781@aol.com
"You're preg...preg...pregnant!", Angel was sputtering and trying to get his words out. "Are you sure?" To this statement Buffy had to laugh, "Really Angel, you should try to be more original, all guys say that!"
"How do you know?"
"I went to the doctor and he told me that I was six weeks pregnant."
All Angel could do was gape. When he could finally talk, he picked Buffy up, spun her around and yelled, "I'm going to be a dad!"
When he put Buffy back on the ground, he noticed the others were now in the hallway. The scream had attracted them. Amy laughed at the sight of Angel looking that goofy, and everyone else congratulated the two. Darla leaned over to Maria and Marlana and said, "I wonder what he would say if he knew about William, Kelsa, and Angie?"
Marlana quickly shushed her up by saying, "You know why he doesn't know. We won't tell him unless we have to."
Maria then said, her face white, "We may have to, look who's coming." The three of them turned around and saw three people walking towards them. One of them, a girl, looked at Maria and said, "Hi, mom."
As if on cue, the noise ceased and everybody turned. Thierry was the first to respond, "How are you three? It has been a while."
Buffy leaned over Angel and asked, "Who are they?" He didn't know.
The second girl in that group said, "We're fine. So, who're the new people?"
Angel replied, "We were just about ready to ask you that."
"My name is Kelsa, this is Angie, and this is William. I'm Darla's daughter, Angie is Maria's daughter, and William is Marlana's son."
Marlana said, "William? I didn't name you William."
To this William laughed and said, "True but the name Angelus actually really scares people and I was tired of explaining that I am his son."
It took Angel a minute to digest this information but when he did, he remained remarkably calm and said, "Why didn't you tell me, Marlana?"
Marlana answered, "By the time I knew, you were already gone. By the way, Angie and Kelsa are yours too. Same reasons apply. They are only a few weeks apart each. Congratulations! It's a litter!"
Angel handled the news the only way he knew how--he fainted.
About twenty minutes later, after Angel came to, the group was brought up to speed.
Marlana started, "From what we can gather, you can help us out on this Angel, William was conceived the week before you disappeared. I do hope you remember because that was the first time I've ever known you to behave like a total gentleman. You were gentle and kind and I saw the kind of man you probably were before Darla made you."
Angel leaned back, he did remember that night. He remembered that he and Darla had had a fight and he went seeking comfort in Marlana's arms. The night they had together was one of sweet passion and romance. At the time, he thought himself weak because he asked instead of took and he romanced instead of simply getting the job done, he was very human. Now he was glad.
Maria continued the story, "Angie was conceived a week later, before the earthquake. All I can say was that I'm glad I was there!
At this, Angel had to groan to himself, he remembered that night as well. Romance and gentleness were not the driving goals of the evening. They damned near killed each other and had the bruises to prove it. In short, nights with her were depraved and always brought out the worst in him.
Maria was like that. She had behaved the same way with Damien for a long time. She was punishing herself, and allowing others to punish her, for her vampiric crimes. It was in her nature.
Darla finished, "Somewhere in between came my child. I considered her the only legitimate child of the pack, but I guess they all were. We were married to each other." Angel could agree, but he also secretly hoped that Buffy would be his final salvation.
Xander could almost not stand it and finally he broke. He laughed until tears rolled down his face. Everyone looked at him in surprise but said nothing, the tension was broken and that was all that needed to be said of the matter.
That's when Viola said, "That's why Thierry and I stayed monogamous." Everyone laughed at the absurdity of that. Thierry looked distinctly uncomfortable.
Just as everything was going back to the normal buzz, the door opened and a young woman in her late teens or early twenties walked in. Upon seeing her, Tom shouted, "Tammy." At the same time, Angel gaped before gasping, "Maryam!"
Tammy caught her breath after having it almost forced out of her by Tom's hug and said, "No, Tom was right. Who's Maryam?"
Before Angel could answer Maria said, "An old acquaintance. Do you by chance have Gypsy blood in you?"
Tammy replied, "A little coming from a tribe that roamed around Hungary at the turn of the century. My great grandmother was raised there. Her name was...
Angel finished the statement feeling his stomach churn, "Rahanna. She was Maryam's sister, I heard both names at the meeting. It's amazing! You look just like her."
Maria said, "You see, I told you she would come back to haunt you."
Tammy said, "Dude, you must be that vampire my dad's family trashed a hundred years ago! Cool!" Angel felt like throwing up. "Anyway, I got a tele-signal from Tom and I was wondering what you guys wanted."
It took some explaining to make them understand the tele-messages were telepathic signals that the Two could use to communicate with one another. Tom had sent one without knowing it, and it worked. Maria explained in the briefest terms imaginable about the concept of the Two.
Angie spoke up and asked, "Can a vampire be one of the Two?"
Maria replied, "I don't know, why do you ask?"
Angie replied sardonically, "Because Tammy is one."
"What do you mean, she is one? She can't be one. Slayers cannot be made into full vampires.", Maria was babbling hysterically and forgot about her dignity. Angel shocked everyone in the room by reaching over and slapping her.
Everyone was quiet after that and explanations began. Angel knew that he would have some serious fast talking to do later to stay out of trouble about that little 'love pat!"
Tammy was the most nonplussed of the group, "Of course I'm a vampire, I've been one for simply ages. It hasn't really affected my life other than in the obvious way. I'm a hybrid or so I was told. I have a soul and a conscience. Nothing has changed. I can even be out in the daytime. Why is everyone freaking out?"
The last question was unnecessary as the freaking out ceased and calm heads prevailed. William asked, "How did you become a vampire anyway?"
Tammy answered, "Well, a friend of mine named Caliastra asked if I wanted to be one, and I told her I did. I didn't see a problem. She was having the time of her life, and I wanted some of it. Besides, I got to do something I've always wanted to do--kill dad and make Uncle Daniel pay for all his assorted bullshit. By the way, Tom, there should be a large child support and alimony check in your mother's mailbox in a few days, and my father's funeral is tomorrow. You will forgive me if I don't go."
Tom and Tammy finished their conversation in private. The others did not comment. It was obviously between the two of them, and no one wanted to interfere. When everything and everyone had calmed down, and since serious business was (at last) about to be done, Damia and most of the others departed. Only Darla, Tom, Jackie, and Damien stayed behind with Angel, Buffy and the Slayerettes. They gave Angel the number of the hotel they were staying at, making it obvious that they still wanted to visit with him. It was agreed that he and Buffy would go over later. By now several hours had passed and sunset was approaching.
Maria edged over to Angel and said, "Do you realize this was your first day in the sun in over 200 years?"
Angel, having been so thoroughly shocked so many times that day, had not realized that fact, but when he did, he let out a triumphant yell, picked Maria up and twirled her around saying, "Thank you, with all my heart, thank you!"
Damien then said, "Maria, maybe it is time for Buffy to get to do her thing."
Maria slapped her hand against her forehead and said, "How could I forget"
Maria looked over to Jackie, "Could you do me one tiny, itty bitty favor?"
Jackie knew precisely what her mother wanted. It took her all day to figure out why she had been dragged all the way to Sunnydale for this little reunion. She was an immortal and not a vampire. She had no idea how she avoided that, but she had. Now there was something she could with it. Only problem was that she hated the sight of blood. Wonderful sentiment coming from the daughter of two vampires but such is life. She knew she couldn't do it, but she didn't want to deny Buffy and Angel a chance at happiness. She slowly rolled up her arm until Tom stopped her. Tom also knew what Maria had in mind and didn't like it one bit. He wasn't the biggest romantic and he lived more by logic. He did know, however, that Jackie would do it if it was the right thing. She was the one person he took entirely on faith. He also had a secret.
"I can do it."
Everyone looked over in surprise and Tom explained.
:I discovered that I was Immortal when I was sixteen. I was in a fight that I should not have survived. My ribs were shattered and my lungs were gone. My heart was also crushed. Luckily no one found me for two days, and I woke up on the ground and not in a freaking morgue like Jackie.
"Don't ask," Jackie said. Nobody did.
Tom continued, "So here I am, where do I sign up?"
Maria asked, "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure that Jackie doesn't need to do it, she needs her strength."
Jackie smiled and, in that moment, Maria knew she was going to be a grandmother.
End part 5
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The usual questions were asked and answered. Jackie was eight weeks pregnant and they were working on possible names. Hearty congratulations were made and the girls talked excitedly about the important things of babies. Ohs, Ahs and giggles included. The guys rolled their eyes and Maria just smiled.
Finally things settled down and Tom sat down next to Buffy. Unlike with vampires, making an Immortal did not require any draining or drinking blood. It was like a transfusion and it took about an hour. Both involved skirmed in boredom while sitting there. Buffy got to hear some of the amusing stories from the old days. Not the gory ones that Buffy didn't need to hear but things that would happen with any group. As it turns out, Maria was Angel's first kiss and Thierry was Marlana's first boyfriend. Thierry was not faithful. He also slept with Amy and Marlana. Basically it was gossip time, and everyone was having a great time. Angel looked a little uncomfortable, but Maria was careful to keep the gossip from getting too bad. Finally the transfusion was complete. Everyone stared at Buffy in anticipation.
Buffy said, "I don't feel any different. Does that mean anything?"
Jackie said, "No, it means we wait. Its a bitch, but you do have to be in a situation where you would have died otherwise. I see no reason why it shouldn't have worked, but we aren't going to know for a while."
Buffy slumped in almost defeat.
Angel was on cloud nine. Maria looked faint. Willow was concerned as were most of the people in the room, but Damien looked distinctly freaked out. He'd seen Maria like this and the resulting carnage was never good. "When was the last time you ate?" he asked nervously.
"A few days." Maria admitted.
Damien's look got even stranger. It was a cross between concern for Maria and her well-being and the well-being of the town. Maria was not a patient person: when she was hungry, she fed, and it wasn't always pretty.
"Maria, you can't hunt here. I can't let you."
"I'll starve if I don't have something."
"Did you bring anything to snack on?"
"No I didn't, but I didn't think I would need to feed while I was here. In the old days, I could go weeks without feeding. Remember I often did that when food was short? I can handle this."
Buffy asked, "What happens if you go much longer?"
"Well, its not the best feeling in the world, but I can handle it. I would have a Damien snack, but he's not been feeling great. I don't want to get sick."
Angel and Buffy conferred, and they came to a hard decision. "You can take as much as you need from me," Angel said ever the gentlemen.
Maria looked shocked, "Angel no. She can't possibly know what that means. We were lovers once. I only do what you're suggesting with Damien. I can't trust my feelings, and I won't do that to Buffy." Maria was sarcastic.
"Bullshit," Damien muttered. Maria glared but said nothing
Buffy ignored the exchange. "I know the full story, but I also trust Angel. I know he won't betray me."
Maria was astonishment. She had never seen such trust. Neither had Angel. They agreed.
Angel sat down in the chair and calmly bared his neck to Maria. She leaned over and sunk her fangs in while Buffy watched in amazement. It was the most sensual thing she had ever seen. Now she knew why Maria was concerned about losing control. To a vampire, this had to be better than sex.
Finally Maria lifted her head and and sighed contentedly, "That was wonderful." Angel couldn't speak and moving was out of the question.
Buffy didn't seem to notice, she was transfixed. The next words out of her mouth surprised herself. "Angel, could you do that to me?"
Angel just stared in shock, but Maria and Darla knew what she saw and weren't surprised by the question.
Xander opened his mouth to protest, quite loudly no doubt, but Willow elbowed him and he never said a word.
Angel finally speaks, "Buffy, please, don't ask me to do this. It would destroy me if I lost control with you, and it can happen so very easily."
Buffy said, "I trust and love you very much, and I know you won't hurt me. Please."
Buffy looked at him beseechingly. She didn't give up until he finally said, "All right, I will. Xander, Damien, feel free to kick my ass if I hurt her." Xander looked more than happy to oblige, and Damien silently agreed.
Buffy closed her eyes and Angel, in the hopes that it would do some good, crossed himself and leaned toward her neck..
God, he had forgotten how it felt. He had forgotten how good it felt to feel warm blood coursing out of living flesh, to feel their pulses quicken and their breathing increase. The power was overwhelming. He didn't hear Buffy tell him to stop. He didn't feel Damien and Xander try to pull him away. Not now. He should, but he couldn't. Her pulse faded and died. Damien pulled with all his might and got him away. His next coherent action was to hear Maria say, "One bloodless bitch coming up. Now we wait." Her next vision was Xander's right hook connecting to her jaw. She literally saw stars.
Next he went after Angel. "Why, why, why, why, why, why, . . . ." The blows rained on Angel like rain on a duck's back.
A sinking sensation enmassed in Angel's stomach. He didn't feel Xander. He didn't hear the others. He was dark, alone. He looked at Buffy's lifeless body, and bile rose to his throat. He had caused that. She was dead, and he killed her. He wanted to die. He wanted to be the one there, on the floor. His animal instincts took over, and he howled in pain.
Somewhere down the line words developed meaning, thought became coherent, motion started. Buffy was dead unless the Immortal blood worked. Immortals could survive even a complete draining. It had to have worked. His subconscious put something together, and he grew furious. "You knew I would lose control, and you knew that there was no way she could resist wanting me to drink from her. Hell, from the look on your face, she had to think that the feeling was better than sex." If there had been no one else in the room, Maria would have been dead.
"Look, I had to. If it doesn't work, I can bring her back, little ability I have. She won't be a vamp because I'm not a complete vamp. She'd be human, but I bet the transfusion worked."
Xander and Angel were fuming, and Willow looked pale. Giles, Tammy, and Tom just looked in shock.
Suddenly Buffy moved and Angel was by her in a minute. She gasped, "That was wonderful."
"It worked!" everybody exclaimed in unison.
Buffy looked molified, then slightly angry, "I died. . . again! You stupid mother fucking asshole! Can't you think with your head for once? "
Maria smiled and replied, "He was."
The room cracked up and the tension eased.
End part 6