"Buffy? Earth to Buffy!" Xander said. Willow has called Buffy when she had gotten home from school. It had taken a lot of persuasion to get her to come tonight. She was obviously sad about Angel. He was the only thing she thought about these days. She tried to hide how she felt, but she couldn't keep it from her best friends. Especially since she didn't hear a word they were saying. She was too busy thinking about Angel and how she was going to deal with the whole situation. 'I know I have to do something about it, but what?' she thought,'I know what. I have to forget about it. But I can't. When I'm with Angel, I feel complete. I can't live without him any longer. I don't care that he's a vampire.' that last sentence made Buffy think harder. 'That's right. I *don't* care. So why am I wasting my time thinking about what to do? I know exactly what I am going to do.' Just then, she saw him, standing in the place they had shared their goodbye kiss. She remembered the pain of that kiss as though it had happened yesterday. She had thought she would never see him again. And all of her fantasies of being with him were crushed. But now, all of those fantasies came rushing back to her. As she walked over to him, she was reminded of how much she needed him. She wouldn't think of changing her mind now. "Hi Angel." she said in such a loving voice that it was hard to believe that she killed on a daily basis.
"Buffy, we need to talk." Angel had been thinking all day about this, too. However, He hadn't come to any one conclusion yet. He figured the best way to deal with this was to talk to Buffy, see what she thought they should do.
"Can we go outside?" she requested. "It's kind of crowded in here."
"Sure." He followed her out into the cool night air. Buffy would have been cold if she wasn't still wearing his jacket. As they were walking, Buffy started talking.
"Angel, I've been thinking about this all day, and I decided that I don't care that you're a vampire. I never did, although I just figured that out tonight. I loved you before I knew, and that has never changed. I know I've been acting wierd lately, but I've just been so confused. But tonight, I figured it out. I need you, Angel."
"Buffy, I-"
"Angel, please." She pleaded with her eyes. "I've never felt this way about anyone before. And I'll never be able to feel this way about anyone else. I love you." Those three words touched him deeper than anything anyone had ever said to him before. He had fought his feelings for too long. He couldn't do it anymore.
"I love you, too, Buffy. But," he said very reluctantly. "It wouldn't last. You would grow old and die, and I would stay the same. I don't think I could stand to watch you die. I would probably kill myself." Buffy embraced him, silently assuring him that it would be alright. He held her gently, wanting this moment to last forever.
"Angel, I would make it last. I would do anything to make it last. And what if ther's a way to cure you?"
"Buffy, there isn't. What do you think I've been doing for the last 80 years? I've been looking in every book I could find for a way to cure myself. It would take a miracle."
"And you don't believe in miracles?" Buffy asked with a small smile.
"Of course I do. How else could you explain you coming here? And me meeting you and falling in love? I just don't believe in the kind of miracle that would change me back."
"Well, you never know. But I don't want to wait for a miracle. I want to be with you. I can't stand living without you."
He looked down at her. She seemed so fragile. She was begging him, looking in his eyes to find his answer. He sensed how much she wanted this, and, as much as he tried to deny it, he wanted it too. He bent down and kissed her. She kissed him back. They were two people alone in their own world. A world without hate or evil. A world so simple, all it needed to exist was love. A world where it didn't matter that they were different. Where they could always be together. When the kiss ended, they came back to the real world, where it did matter. But it no longer mattered to them. They decided then and there that they would always be together, no matter what. They didn't have to say it. They felt it inside one another. They just stood there, holding each other and making their silent vow, until finally Buffy spoke.
"I have to go home. My mom is going to wig unless I get home right away." She kissed him lightly on the lips.
"Bye." he said. He watched her walk away, knowing he should have told her how much danger she was in. But he couldn't spoil the moment. She would find out tomorrow.
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"So, Giles, got any deadly prophecies that could end the world?" Buffy asked as she bounced into the room cheerfully with a big smile on her face. Giles was surprised at the enormous change in the girl's attitude.
"Buffy?" he said. "How are you?"
"I'm great! Why?"
"Well, with the way you ran out of here yesterday, I didn't expect you to walk in like *that* today."
Just then Angel walked in. Buffy looked over at him and smiled. "Well, alot has happened since yesterday."
Giles was rather surprised when he saw how Buffy was looking at Angel. "Like what?" He asked. He didn't really need to ask that. Before he even spoke, Angel was at Buffy's side, with his arms around her. "Well," Buffy hesitated. Angel jumped in for her. "Do you have to ask?"
"Uh, no, I guess not. And Buffy, you are aware of the dangers of dating a vampire?"
"Of course I know, Giles. And I don't care. Okay?"
"Alright." Giles knew that once Buffy set her mind to something, there was no stopping her.
"Thanks. So, any new villains for me to slay?" she asked.
Angel and Giles shared a 'look'. "What is it?" Buffy asked suspiciously.
"Well," Giles said, "Colin found the skeleton."
"What? But Angel hid it so well!" Buffy said.
"Well, he found it."
Giles continued to explain to Buffy about the power the Anointed One will gain.
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Meanwhile, underground, Colin was watching his followers grind the bones of the master into a fine powder. He could, of course, bring the master back easily with this concoction he was creating. But that would be pointless. He would, however, be resurrecting the master inside of him. When the vampires finished grinding the skeleton, Colin bit his wrist and let his blood run into the powder. His minions then ground crosses up and added them. They then added garlic powder and holy water. When it was all mixed into a slightly thick liquid, Colin drank it all. This formula would not only make him stronger, it would make him immune to holy water, crosses, and garlic. Not to mention it would mold his ribs into a solid chestplate. "Just let the Slayer try to stop me now," he said evilly.
"So, how much time do we have to prepare?" Buffy asked. Giles had finished explaining to her what the Anointed One was going to do.
"A week." Angel answered.
"So, what, more training sessions? Better weapons? What?" Buffy asked.
"Well, Buffy, uh-" Giles started. Just then, Xander and Willow walked into the room and saw Buffy looking alot happier than she had been last night.
"Hey, Buffy," Xander said. "You're happy, what gives?"
"Uh, Xander," Willow said, "I think we missed something." She gestured to Buffy and Angel with their arms around each other.
"Right. So, what did we miss?" Xander said, clueless. Willow grabbed the back of his head and turned it toward Buffy and Angel.
"Oh." He said, with a tinge of sadness in his voice. He had known that Buffy didn't love him, and probably never would. But still, he had thought she might settle for him, since her first choice was a vampire. But he had misjudged her. It appeared she didn't care.
"Well, as I was saying, Buffy I can't train you for the Anointed One. I have limited speed and strength. You will have to find someone else to train with." Giles said.
"Well, I could-" Xander started, but Buffy interrupted him.
"Angel! You would do it, wouldn't you?" She asked. Xander's face fell.
"Of course I would. We should start soon, though. He'll be alot stronger than you by the time you have to face him."
"Okay. We can start tommorrow after school. That will give me a chance to rest up before."
"Okay. Well, I have to go now. I'll see you tonight, at the Bronze?" Angel said.
"Definitely." She kissed him goodbye. Xander rolled his eyes. "Bye," she said lovingly. "Bye," He answered just as lovingly. She gazed at the door he left through.
"Well, I've got to get to class," Xander said rather bitterly. He left, with Willow following close behind.
Willow tried to comfort Xander. "Look, Xander, she's not the only girl in the world." It wasn't working. "There's me."
"What are you talking about, Willow?" Xander asked, curious as to what she meant by that statement.
'It's now or never, girl.' Willow thought. "I mean, you've always been so caught up with other girls, you never noticed how much I like you." She looked at the ground.
"What?" Xander asked. "You...like me? As in boyfriendly?"
"Yeah, Xander. I have for a long time. You just never noticed. You were too caught up with girls like Buffy."
"Willow, I-"
"No. It's okay, Xander. I know you don't feel the same way I do. I just needed to tell you."
"Willow, I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize, Xander. You can't help how you feel."
Xander had no idea what to say to her. She had been his best friend practically his whole life. He couldn't really picture them *together*. It was too weird.
"Um, Willow, I gotta go." He rushed off.
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Meanwhile, Devin had stayed home from school that day. She'd had nightmares about her parents' death the night before. She was having them more often lately. It was as if they were trying to tell her something. Now, she dozed off again.
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"Please, just one more story?" a 13 year old Devin pleaded. They had been telling scary stories around a campfire. They were on a camping trip for Devin's birthday, which was tomorrow.
"No. Just because we are out in the wilderness does not mean that you don't have a bedtime," Her foster mom, Kristen said.
"Now off to bed," Her foster dad, Matt said.
"Fine. Goodnight." She kissed them goodnight and crawled into the tent and into her sleeping bag.
"We had better get to bed, too if we're going to wake up before she does." Matt said.
They were about to turn around and head for the tent when someone tapped them on their shoulders.
"Devin," they said unanimously. But when they turned around, they were each face to face with a vampire. They screamed. Devin came running out just as they were being drained. She realized what they were alost right away. She had read scary books. She grabbed two tent stakes out of the ground and attacked her mother's killer. Kristen's blood was dripping from his teeth. She was a little slow, and he grabbed her and started draining her blood. But she kicked backwards into his shin and staked him as her father's killer began to attack her. She promptly staked him and then she collapsed into the dust from the loss of blood.
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It was then that Devin always woke up. She walked over to her closet and pulled out a chest. It was full of the belongings the adoption agency had actually let her keep. She unlocked it and pulled out Kristen's old journal. Devin had found it in the tent when she had awakened the morning after the horrible nightmare. She had hidden it and kept it with her always. She had never read it, though, because she respected her dead foster mother's privacy. But today she felt she needed to read it. She opened it to the first page.
June 14, 1992 10:45 pm Dear Journal, Finally my wish has come true! Matt and I finally have a child! We adopted an adorable 10 year old girl named Devin. Today was her birthday.She is very bright for her age. She has been sent back to the agency 5 times already, and I am not going to make it 6. Matt and I will be wonderful parents, I just know it! We won't send her back, no matter what she does. She deserves to be loved after all she's been through. We started to plan how her room is going to look today. She wants it all to be done in dark colors. I think it's so it will mirror her dark moods. The people at the agency told us that she can get a little moody sometimes. Well, alot moody. They said she throws things and screams and hits people. We will help her overcome this problem. And you can hold me to that. Well, Matt's threatening to turn off the light, so I have to go. Bye, Kristen
Devin was fighting back tears. Her parents had had so many hopes for her. But they had died, and now she was alone in the world. She hadn't really understood why she had been sent back so much when she was little. She hadn't understood why she got moved around so much. But now she understood it all. She kept reading the journal until she reached the last entry.
June 12, 1996 10:30pm
Dear Journal,
We arrived at the campsite earlier, and it is the most beautiful place I have ever seen! We are set up right near a river with a waterfall running into it. In two days it will be Devin's 14th birthday. 4 years with us and counting. I am going to tell her then. Matt doesn't think I should, but I think she has a right to know. After all, she will have to be my successor as the Giver. As soon as she knows, we will have the ceremony. I haven't explained it to you before because I didn't think it was necessary. The Blood Giving Ceremony is when we take some of my blood and give it to her. She will then be a Giver. I will train her to use her powers for good, not evil, although I don't think she would ever be evil. She must also learn how to control her powers. Oh! Matt is coming over to the log I am sitting on. I have to go. If he finds out I am writing this down, I'll be in big trouble. Bye, Kristen
'Giver? What is this all about?' Devin thought. How could she have special powers? And what kind? She would have to talk with Giles the next day. He might know what Kristen was talking about.
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end part 5
"Hey, Angel." Buffy said, kissing him lightly as she stepped into his apartment. They had decided to train there, since there was a little more room and they wouldn't be interrupted by any teachers or anything. They wouldn't have to explain themselves to anyone.
"Hi." Angel answered, closing the door. "So, do you need to warm up, or something?"
"No, I'm fine. So let's train." She answered, assuming a fighting stance. They started out slow, blocking each other's blows. Then Angel started to move faster, easily avoiding Buffy's attacks. Buffy tried to get close enough to get a hit in, while Angel easily dodged it. Finally, she managed to trip him and pin him on the ground.
"Boy," she joked, breathless. "I sure hope I never get into an argument with you." Angel smiled.
"You're relying too much on strength. You've got to focus more on your speed."
"Okay, teacher." Buffy joked sarcastically.
"I mean it, Buffy. I know I sound like Giles, telling you what to do. But I care about you too much to let you go out and get yourself killed." Angel said, his voice very serious. Buffy saw how serious he was.
"Okay. I'll try to focus more on my speed." she promised. "Now can we take a break? I'm exhausted."
"Sure. I don't have a television or anything. You might get bored." He sat down on the couch.
"With you right here to talk to? I don't think so." She smiled and sat down next to him. "So, what was it like here in the 1920's?"
Angel smiled."I thought you didn't like history."
"I don't, except when it's yours. So, what was it like?"
Angel told her all about America in the early 1900's as she watched him intently.
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"So, what do you think, Giles?" Devin asked. She had just showed him Kristen's journal and told him about exactly what happened during the camping trip.
"Uh, well, I will have to look this up. I have never heard of a 'Giver', whatever it is." Giles answered as he walked towards the stacks.
"Well, it can't be bad." she called after him. "Kristen was a good person. She'd never do anything evil or anything."
15 minutes later, he emerged with a slightly large book. He read through it, and spoke. "Well, I have found sufficient information. A Giver is someone who can grant other people's wishes, as long they truly wish it." he explained.
"Well, that's cleared up, but what did she mean, Blood Giving Ceremony?"
"It appears that a person must have Giver blood in order to be a Giver. If a Giver has children, the child will naturally have Giver blood. But if the child is adopted, as you were, the blood of the Giver must be mixed into the child's bloodstream. Kristen just had a fancy name for it." Giles explained.
"So, this was pointless, right? I mean, she's dead. What good would it do now?" Devin asked.
"Not necessarily. You said one of the vampires attacked you. Which one was it?" Giles inquired.
"The one that attacked Kristen. Why?"
"Well, it's possible her blood was transferred to you when the vampire's teeth pierced your skin."
"So, I still might be the Giver?"
"Possibly. I'll have to-"
"Wait! she interrupted. "I remember clearly that her blood was dripping from his teeth. That means I must be the Giver, right?"
"I suppose so."
"So, what now? I have no idea how to use these powers. What do I do now?"
"I'll research that right away. Do you have any books or anything that your parents left you?"
"Yeah, I think so. I'll go look. I'll be back as soon as I can." With that, she left the library to go to her house.
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end part 6
Feedback, please! I will hopefully have part 7 out soon.