Gift From The PastChapter SixAngel’s Apartment. Buffy sits at the kitchen table eating when Giles and Angel enter. Giles: Buffy. Buffy: Hi Giles. Angel: Rupert, why don’t you have a seat and I will start the kettle. Giles lowers himself in an empty chair and waits patiently while Angel fixes the tea and Buffy eats. Angel hands him his cup and sets the sugar and cream on the table, before sitting down. Angel: Buffy? Buffy: Me? Why me? I already had to tell Willow, Xander, and you. Angel: Fine. He turns and looks into the tolerant face of the watcher. Angel: Giles, you are aware that Buffy did a bit of time travel about six weeks ago. Giles: Yes, of course. He looks over at Buffy. She looks down at her plate. Angel: Buffy told me she never said where she was. Giles: No, but I knew she would eventually given time. Angel: Well she was with me. Giles: She was here with you? Angel: No, she was with me in Ireland. 1750 Ireland to be exact. Giles: 1750. That would be before you were turned. Angel: Exactly. Three years before. Giles: I see. And I assume you have no memory of this. Angel: Oh I remember her. Over the years her face faded but I never forgot Anne and those three days. Giles: Anne? Buffy: I figured Buffy was odd enough in this century. Giles: I see. So you saw Angel as a human. That must have been a very overwhelming experience. I understand your hesitancy to talk about it. Buffy: He wasn’t Angel then. He was Liam. Giles: So you met Liam. Buffy: I did. Giles: I am sensing more to this story. Buffy nods and looks back down. Angel: Rupert, I am not sure how to say this and make it simple. Other than to just come out and say it. Angel reaches over and takes her hand. He turns his eyes away from Giles and onto Buffy. Angel: We are having a baby. Giles drops his cup. Angel jumps up for a towel as Giles watches the brown stream of liquid flow across the table. Giles: A baby? Buffy: Yes. He turns his blue eyes toward her. Giles: You? Buffy: Me. Giles: Oh my lord. Buffy: I know. Angel sits back down. Angel: Rupert? Giles: I am without words. Angel: I know the feeling. Buffy: Giles, I’m sorry. Giles: Sorry? Buffy: I know I have disappointed you once again. Giles: Disappointed? No, I am not disappointed. I am stunned and well even amazed but never disappointed. Buffy: I didn’t plan this I hope you know that. Giles: Thought never crossed my mind. Angel: I know this will make things hard in Sunnydale but you know I will help all I can. Buffy: Angel, no. The Initiative is there. No need for you to be involved. Giles: She is right. If the Initiative should capture you than it could be disastrous. Angel: I understand, but I am here and ready to help if needed. Buffy can’t patrol. Buffy: What? Giles: He is right. It is too dangerous. Let the initiative handle it and the rest of us will keep an eye out. Buffy: I hate this. How am going to just sit around while others handle it? Angel: You have a much bigger responsibility now. Besides, you will be pretty busy on the weekends. Buffy: Busy? Angel: I figured you can come here or sometimes I can go there. Buffy: Every weekend? Angel: Well most. I want to be there with you the whole way. Willow walks in. Buffy: Hey Will. Willow: I hate to interrupt but we need to get back to Sunnydale. I got Xander’s keys. We can’t miss classes for two days. Buffy: Xander is letting you drive his car? Willow: Uh huh. You ready? Buffy looks at Angel. Angel: I will call you. Buffy: And mom? Angel: I will let you know when I can come up and tell your mom. Willow: I’ll wait upstairs. Everyone stands up and Giles follows Willow up the stairs. Angel: It will be okay. Buffy: I know. I am just still scared. Angel: Me too. But we can be scared together. Buffy: I like that word. Angel: Scared? Buffy: Together. It has a nice sound. Angel smiles. His hand reaches out and cups her face. He leans down and gently brushes his lips against hers. Angel: I will be there as soon as I can. Buffy: Promise? Angel: Promise. She walks over and picks up her purse and heads up the stairs. He watches her walk away and his eyes fill with tears. As soon as he hears the outer doors close upstairs, he collects himself and goes up. Wesley: She’s gone. Angel: I know. Should I even ask if you found anything? Cordy: I found out that research is even more boring than I remember. Angel: I’m sorry. But I don’t see another way. Cordy smiles. Cordy: It’s okay. I don’t like the idea being on the liquid lunch menu anymore than you do. Xander: What if we don’t find anything? Angel: I don’t want to think about that. Wesley: We won’t stop looking until we find something. Angel: I know you won’t.
Sunnydale Buffy and Willow walk across campus toward their dorm. Each of them clutch a fast food bag and drink in their hands. Willow: You want me to help you with the biology assignment? Buffy: Please. I really suck at it. Willow: Well I think you have mastered the concept of reproduction. Buffy laughs. Willow: Here we are. Home sweet home. She pushes open the door and they walk in. From the distant trees, Riley watches them. He glances up and waits for their dorm room light to come on. Graham walks up. Graham: What are you doing? Riley: Waiting for Buffy. She should be going on patrol soon. I will just happen to run into her and maybe we can talk. Graham: You said she broke up with you, right? Riley: There is something else. She was hiding something. I could feel it. And if I can find out what it is I am sure we can work this out. Graham: You sure you want to if she is lying to you? Riley: I have to. I love her. Graham: Well I hope you don’t get your heart ripped out and stomped on. He pats him on the back and walks away. Riley leans against the tree and watches the door for her exit. His eyes glance up occasionally for movement in the window. After time he shifts his body to get the blood flowing. He looks at the window again and then glances at his watch. Later he watches as the RA locks the outer door. Riley again glances up at the window and lowers himself to the ground. Shortly after midnight, he sees the light go out. He sits staring at the door for another twenty minutes before pushing back to his feet. He glances once more at the door and saunters off toward Lowell House.
LA Angel walks in and glances around the office. Cordy is curled up on the sofa with a book hugged to her chest. He lifts his duster from the coat rack and covers her. Xander has fallen asleep with his head on the keyboard of Cordy’s computer. Giles and Wesley are setting on opposite sides of Angel’s desk with books spread out covering every available surface. They had both long abandoned tea for coffee. He stands in the doorway until they both glance up. Angel: Why don’t we call it a night? You two could use some sleep. Wesley: I am quite fine. I want to finish deciphering this text. Giles: Which one is that? Wesley: It is one of yours. “Transdimensional Alternations and Abominations” Giles: I am not sure that would be relevant. I didn’t even know I put it in the box. Wesley: I am not sure it is important either, but I ……that’s it. Giles: What? Wesley hands Giles the book and his pad of notes. Giles peruses the information and looks back at Wesley. Giles: Are you sure you got the translations correct? Wesley: Yes. But you can do it yourself. Angel: What is it? Giles: One moment. He reaches for the Sudaran Lingual Text and begins translating the passage. Cordy walks up and touches Angel’s arm. Cordy: Did they find something? Angel: I’m not sure. Giles? Giles: I believe Wes may have something. He looks at the former watcher. Wesley: I know what you are thinking. But it is right there. Cordy: What? Tell us already. Giles: Angel, what do you remember about the trip to the Acathla Dimension? Angel: It was hell. Wes: We mean the actual trip. The passage through the vortex. Angel: As I said it was hell. It was violent and brutal. No human would have lived through it. Giles: Can you be more specific? Angel: Specific? I guess. When I first went in I was dazed and confused of course but I soon was just in agony. It was like being caught up in a tornado. It threw me around like a rag doll. The force was strong enough to tear at my skin. Giles: And your clothing? Angel: Shreaded within minutes. Giles: Then. Angel: Well after the tornado like tunnel, I was sucked deeper into the vortex and the direction suddenly changed and the power increased a hundred times. It felt like a centrifuge. I expected at any moment my entire body to dissolve At that point I lost consciousness. When I awakened, I was on what was to be my new home. Cordy: Hell? Angel: Pretty much so. But my memories were back of what I did so I felt I was where I belonged. Giles: And when you awoke you were completely nude? Cordy: Please, is his state of dress or undress for that matter important? Wesley: Actually it is very important. Angel: When I woke up I was nude. I think I may have lost a layer or two of skin along the way as well. Giles: And your jewelry? Angel: Everything was gone. Wes: Mr. Giles? Giles: It is worth a try. Angel: What? Will someone tell me? Cordy: And now. Giles: From what Wes discovered, most interdimensional vortex are of such intense speed and pressure that they are capable of fusing all physical and metaphysical elements that pass through. Cordy: English please. Wesley: They can bind all parts of any entity that enters the super speed vortex. Giles: Such as if Angel had not lost his clothing and jewelry it would have been fused. Angel: It would have become a part of me permanently. Giles: Exactly. But the initial area separated the various elements it could. Angel: And the later phase fused. But I was already pretty much fused. Wes: It fuses all elements, not just the physical. Angel: The soul? You think it could have fused my soul to my body? Giles: There is a possibility. Angel: But how can we be certain? |