Wesley was torn. 

He desperately needed to tell the Watcher’s Council of the latest happenings with the slayer, yet he also wanted more information. Information on Buffy, on Ariana, on the history of Angelus. And now, on this Rupert. 

He was angry over Angel’s silence all these years, but reasoned that he truly expected nothing else. The vampire was nothing but a liability and a liar. Saving Faith – on more than one occasion – meant little to Wes, though he genuinely liked his slayer. When one died, another was called, it was the way of things, it was the way they’d always been and would continue to be until the End Days. 

Locking his office door, Wes pulled out a sheet of paper and began a list. He needed to organize himself, needed to arrange his thoughts, and formulate a plan. 

First there was Angelus, a vampire with a soul and the, no longer mythical, Ancient of a vampire kingdom. Now with that, there was first the soul, no other vampire – or soulless creature for that matter – could claim, to Wes’ knowledge, having one returned to him. He rescued Doyle’s great-whatever grandmother on the moors of Ireland and, over the years, managed to keep tabs on the family. Angel, Angelus, helped Doyle for several months before the seer found Faith, and still continued to do so even afterwards. 

Wes didn’t know why, he didn’t know what reason Angelus had for helping Doyle, soul or no. It was a mystery neither (demon) man bothered to share with the Watcher. 

Next was Buffy, the elfin queen of a vampiric kingdom. There were so many contradictions there Wes didn’t know where to begin. Half-human, half-elf, the legend stated she was the strongest wielder of magicks anywhere. More details on her were sketchy at best, mostly absent all together, but Wes wrote down al he knew anyway. And she’d had a child with Angelus, her husband. Now Wes knew for a fact that vampires could not father children. Sire, in the giving of blood way, but not father as in the mixing of sperm and egg way. And yet Ariana looked like her father, the height, the hair, and the golden eyes. 

Was it Buffy and her magicks that allowed this, or something else? And, Wes scribbled, if Angelus knew of his daughter, why did he leave? The circumstances of his leaving and cursing were…pretty much nonexistent to the watcher. 

Which brought him to the daughter, Ariana. She was a stunning mix of mother and father, and the watcher could help but what to speak with her. Ariana was beautiful, strong, fast, and, it seemed, controlled the same loyalty as her mother when it came to the vampire army. Half-vampire, a quarter-human, and a quarter-elf, what made her…tick? 

Wes pondered the paper he’d used and that question. What made such an anomaly work, did she have a soul, being half vampire, and did elves contain their souls? Was she as strong a wielder of magicks as her mother? Did she require blood to live like her father? Then there was that fiancée of hers, Andre someone. Who was he? 

He had no answers for that and there were still more questions. Tara, for instance, this elfin princess. What interest could she have in Willow? Oh, the Watcher knew the would-be witch had power, but he always passed it off, before. Statistically speaking, about 80% of her spells tended to go…awry. Oh, she was talented; she helped seal the Hellmouth several years ago. Wes made a separate note to check that seal, not because Willow cast the spell, but because it’d been several months since he had checked and he figured it was time. 

But Willow never before displayed the power required for true greatness, for true power. He’d have classified her as a Level 3, Level 4 at best, certainly not on par with the Superior Mage Rupert and Buffy were reputed to be. But if the elves were interested in her, Wes mused, he might have to reevaluate that classification. Anything less than Level 10 wouldn’t matter to them, yet the scale only went to Level 12, with very few beings ever classified as Superior Mages – those with incalculable powers and strengths. 

He added the redhead to the list of things he needed to inform the Council of, despite whatever closeness they’d formed over the years fighting. If these elves wanted her, there was a reason. That reason, Wes figured, was better put to use here, with the Council, than anyplace else. 

So many questions and Wes wasn’t exactly sure how to ask. Laying down his pen and looking once more at the list he’d made, the watcher decided that he wouldn’t, because he didn’t have to. There were other ways to obtain answers. 

The Council needed to be brought up to snuff on everything, but Wes needed a plan, first. There was no way that he was going to let the potentially biggest find in the history of the Council out of his hands. He’d be promoted, Wesley was sure, once this was discovered. Out of the field and back to England where he belonged.
~~~~~~~~~~
“We need a new plan,” Buffy told her inner circle, “On dealing with the rebels.” 

Ariana, Andre, William, Drusilla all nodded. Angelus said noting but nodded, too, wondering what the old plan was. He hated being out of the loop. Darla was there as well, keeping at least one other person between she and Angelus at all times, and wondering why her childe hadn’t killed her already. No complaints there, but it was a valid question, she thought, and yet one she was loathed to voice. 

Asking Angelus why she still lived might trigger that murderous tendency and then she wouldn’t be. Not the scenario Darla wanted. 

Still, she did have something to add. “This seer,” she said quietly as the seven of them and the four Firsts gathered in Angelus’ rooms, “How often does he receive these visions?” 

“I don’t know,” Angelus admitted, “There’s no timetable to them, usually they’re about humans in need. Occasionally he has something about Faith in there, but not often.” 

“Why then,” Darla asked with a wary glance at Angelus, “Did he have one of the rebels?” 

“They’re planning something big,” Angelus pointed out but not bothering to look at his Sire. “Which most likely affects the humans of this plane. These Powers Doyle works for, probably didn’t want whatever that plan was coming to fruition.” 

“This doesn’t,” Buffy interrupted, though she was interested in Doyle’s visions as well, how they affected them and why the seer insisted on telling Angelus so vigorously. “Help with the current situation. Moving here, while a sound move,” she acceded, “Caused us to lose the second group. By now they’ve regrouped and moved on.” 

In no way was anything resolved between she and Angelus and Buffy had no desire to ask him anything, except the questions she wanted answers to over the years. But he knew this town, knew the workings of it, who to see for information, where to find both rebel vamps and ones potentially loyal to the Continuum, and the layout of the city – though Faith seemed to have a better sense of direction with that. 

She hated sharing her power, too, even if it was originally Angelus’. For forty years Buffy was the one to hold everything together, she was the one who fought, who sat through the interminable council meetings, and who forged alliances with the surrounding kingdoms and the various Lands, all the while preventing untoward rumors from spreading about her husband and raising a child. 

She was Ancient in her own right, not because she was mated and joined with one. She was Ancient because she embraced her vampire kingdom, she followed the rules, she enforced them, she broke them when warranted, for she was married to the ultimate Ancient rebel, and she ruled her adopted kingdom as a vampire would. Power always came easily to Buffy, her father controlled it, she wielded it. She was used to it, enjoyed it, knew it. While she didn’t need to have everything, Buffy had no desire to control the Continuum; she enjoyed her position and was in no hurry to give it up. 

Not even to her husband. 

Now they had to share it, now they were truly equals; in the eyes of her – okay, so Buffy didn’t think that a vampire who shirked his duty for forty years, two hundred by his reckoning should be an equal, it was what the kingdom perceived. They saw not only a marriage between the couple, but now, an equal balance. Buffy, they knew, ruled in Angelus’ stead over the years. But he was still their Ancient. 

Rightfully, the power was his, but due to circumstances, it was now theirs. 

Buffy wasn’t sure either of them could share. Once upon a time, perhaps, but they’d both changed, too much had changed. She wasn’t sure they could do so now. 

Swallowing a small portion of her pride, Buffy turned to her husband. “It has to be a united front,” she said, “One swift attack with the both of us leading it.” 

“Agreed,” Angelus reluctantly nodded. The idea of her not only in the forefront of the battle but as co-leader didn’t sit well with the vampire. Buffy was his wife, his equal, but he was used to taking care of her, protecting her. Not fighting beside her. It wasn’t exactly his own fault, Angelus reasoned, but he did have something to do with that. A lot to do with that.

“If Doyle has another vision, we’ll go that way, but in the mean time,” Angelus instructed, “We’ll reckon the area. There are always rumors about underground activity, someone will know where the Cult is and what their next step is.” 

Buffy nodded at him before looking at William and Drusilla. “You’ll be in charge of that,” she told the couple who nodded in acceptance. “Take whomever you want, but be back thirty minutes before sunrise. Leave an elfin guard if you must, but I don’t want anyone outside this protection unless they have to be. We’re not taking any chances.” 

Dru nodded her dark eyes lucid as she listened to her queen’s instructions. She wanted to learn what Tara discovered with the little redhead, wanted to learn more on what the vision the elf had was all about. But her first duty was to her Ancient, both of them, and she knew her priorities. Besides, she reasoned, the elfin healer would tell her anything of importance. Over the course of Buffy’s pregnancy the two developed a special bond that traveled with Tara back to the Elfin Land. 

It wasn’t likely to break during the course of an evening. 

Leaving with William, Dru wondered if Angelus was aware of just how much hurt and anger Buffy carried within her. She wanted to tell him, wanted to make him understand that things were far from alright with the queen, but the chance hadn’t arisen. She hoped that upon her return, it wasn’t too late.
~~~~~~~~~~
“What do you think of him?” 

Ariana asked as she and Andre settled in for the day. She couldn’t quite get used to sleeping during the daylight hours, having roamed free during both day and night for her entire life. But here everything was different and, while she could tolerate this realm’s sun, she preferred not to. It made her skin itch and there wasn’t really anything to do when nearly everyone else was inside. 

Andre couldn’t see the daylight with her and it made Ariana care less about it than she would have had her lover been with her. 

“Angelus?” At Ariana’s nod, Andre frowned. “He’s not what I expected. The Ancient I remember was a vicious vampire who tolerated no one and whose word was law. This was ages ago, however, and I admit, things change.” 

“Weren’t you at my parent’s wedding?” Ariana questioned as she stripped naked and crawled between the sheets, waiting for Andre to join her. Her heart was pounding and it was only partly due to her betrothed’s nearness. She desperately wanted Andre to like Angelus, desperately wanted the man she loved and her father to get along. Desperately wanted what she dreamt of her whole life, her parents together, her father in their kingdom, and her lover by her side.

Ariana knew it was a child’s dream, but when it came to her father, a man she’d never met before two days ago, that’s how she felt. Like a little girl who wanted her father’s approval, who wanted the perfect family Buffy promised her only child during the early nights of Ariana’s youth. That changed, the longer Angelus remained away, Buffy no longer spoke of a happy family, but her mother never spoke against Angelus, either. 

It became her dream, the three of them together, sharing things the way a family was supposed to share things. She’d hoarded so many tidbits of her youth in the eventuality she’d meet her father that Ariana still felt giddy with things to tell him. She needed his approval, his support; he’d never been there for her and Ariana wanted him to be so badly, that she was willing to overlook those years and start fresh. 

She knew, however, that it wasn’t that simple. She knew that there was a well of bitterness within her that wasn’t going to be purged with one talk. That well hadn’t made itself known until Ariana was talking with her father, but once it did, she realized it was always there, waiting for the right moment, carefully hidden underneath layer upon layer of hope and longing. Now that it was exposed, Ariana was determined to work through it. She finally had a chance to know her father, she wasn’t about to let repressed animosity stand in her way. Or, for that matter, him. 

“Yes,” Andre admitted, settling next to her in the bed. It wasn’t nearly big enough for the two of them, but Andre figured that Angelus wasn’t used to having guests. Besides, it was easier to find Ariana during the night – day, whatever – when she was so close. 

“He seemed changed then, too,” he added, lying on his back, one hand behind his head as Ariana curled at his side, his arm automatically coming across her bare back. “I thought it was because of the wedding, it wasn’t often an Ancient married and never had one actually taken a joined-mate. I’d heard rumors of the two of them, but I was busy with other things at the time. Aslan was trying to usurp my position with Garvie, and I needed to constantly watch that little worm.” 

Ariana nodded, knowing about Andre’s trouble with the other vampire, but not caring at the moment. It wasn’t that she wasn’t concerned with her lover’s kingdom, but she had more pressing, and personal, matters on her mind at the moment. She was torn, herself, over her father, she needed reassurance. Buffy was one source of that, but Ariana knew her mother had other things to worry about now, not the least of which was her own conflicting feelings on Angelus’ return. 

“But now,” she pressed, “What do you think of him now?” 

Andre opened his mouth to reply then closed it. She wanted honesty, it was clear in her tone, in the way she pressed him for an answer. He knew his woman, and he knew she was insecure over the meeting with her father. 

“I could tear his arms off and stick his torso on a pike for what he did to you, Ariana,” Andre finally admitted. “You know I care for your mother as well, and for what he did to her alone I would do the same. Angelus deserted her, he left her to run a kingdom not her own when there was no guarantee she’d be accepted. I know she’s a strong woman, capable and adept, but she’s elfin, not vampire. She, and you, could have been killed while Angelus was gone.” 

Andre paused, noting the stiffness in Ariana’s body, her silence. Still, she wanted the truth, and he promised her to always tell her that. “If it was just those few months he was gone, that was one thing, and something he’d done before he married Buffy. But Angelus permanently left after the gypsies returned his soul. That was the most dangerous time for her; Buffy was pregnant, she was alone in a vampiric kingdom when her closest allies childer of her husband, historically the ones to always challenge for the throne.” 

“Everyone loved her,” Ariana added, “Do you really think they would’ve killed her?” 

“I can’t say for certain, love,” Andre said, the words low as he tried to soften the blow. “I wasn’t there, I don’t know the circumstances, all I know is what Cuman reported and the rumors that spread through the Land. If I hadn’t ever met you, if you hadn’t ever told me the real reason for Angelus’ disappearance, I never would have guessed. Buffy’s a talented stateswoman, she knew what to say and when to say it and she’s never deviated. Even now, with things obviously not as she’d reported all these years, she’s still found a way to turn events to her purpose.” 

“You don’t like him.” It was a flat statement and Ariana resisted crying over the fact. She so desperately wanted to know her father, yet she needed Andre, his support, his love. She couldn’t handle not having both men in her life, not when she’d just found her father. 

“It’s not that, Ariana,” Andre insisted as he pulled her atop him, settling her over his body in a perfect fit. His large hands cupped her face and he looked directly into her beautiful golden eyes. “For you, love, I’m willing to give Aslan a chance. Angelus is your father, and I know you wish to know him better. I’ll stand by you through all that. I don’t want you getting hurt. I’m afraid that this soul of his has somehow tainted him, made him weaker, not the vampire Ancient I knew.” 

She kissed him then, smiling as she did so. “Thank you, Andre Vladimir.” 

He smiled back at her, “What do you think of him?” 

The smile disappeared as Ariana thought of the question. “He’s everything I’ve always thought he was,” she admitted, pleased that the pedestal she’d placed her father atop hadn’t toppled too far. “I know what he went through, some of it at least; he and mama are linked, and their bond somehow transferred to me. I know,” she said slowly as she tried to put all the things she’d felt over the years into actual words. 

“That he was scared, confused. And I know that he blamed himself, never mama, for what happened. It was never a matter of blame, however, and yet he still never returned home. When we talked, earlier, when we talked, he said I wasn’t to blame, but the reason he left, I think it was when mama told him she was pregnant with me. She’s never said and…daddy didn’t either, but I think it did have something to do with me.” 

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, Andre, but he left during the beginning of mama’s pregnancy and Darla said that they’d been fighting when they never fought. Not like this at least.” Suddenly Ariana smiled and changed the subject. “Did you see him? We talked, Andre, really talked. And I told him everything I ever wanted to and he didn’t scoff or leave. He listened and I think he really wanted to listen. He asked questions,” she continued as if Andre hadn’t been there for most of her conversation with her father. 

“And he seemed really interested in what my answers were; not at all in an obligatory way. So then,” she finished, her voice still hopeful and begging, much like the little girl who begged her mother or Drusilla for stories of the great Angelus. “If he was really interested, then he must want to come home, right? He wouldn’t leave again, would he?” 

Andre said nothing to that at first, wondering that same thing himself. 

“And he and mama seem to have worked some of their stuff out, right? I mean didn’t that seem what it looked like to you?” 

He nodded, smiling at her. She was a grown woman, nearly to her Second Birth Rite, strong, intelligent, capable of running Aurelius Kingdom herself. And yet as she bubbled about the father she’d just met, alternating between happily telling him all the two had talked about and wondering if Angelus truly did want to know her better. And Andre wondered. 

Would Angelus leave again?
~~~~~~~~~~
“You’re leaving?” 

The question was from Willow and everyone looked at her. She was staring at Angelus as the vampire cleaned his claymore. His anger wasn’t fully abated, but there was nothing for that now. The low rumble emanating from him was enough to signify that, but it didn’t seem to put off Willow’s questioning. 

The lobby was nearly empty, only Buffy and Angelus, and their guards, remaining, along with she, Cordelia, Doyle, and Faith. Angelus was talking about Ariana with Buffy and had said something about getting to know her better. Which led Willow to the conclusion that he was leaving them, leaving LA and the business they’d built up, the good they did, to return to a place he hadn’t been to in two hundred years. 

“What?” Angelus asked as he looked up from his sword to the redhead. “No, I’m not leaving.” 

He had no idea what the woman was talking about, he was here, wasn’t he? And he was staying until they finished this, until they figured out who was behind the formation of the Cult and destroyed it, he wasn’t going anywhere until he knew that Buffy and Ariana were safe. Plus, he still couldn’t return to the Lands. The reasons – well, reason – he’d never returned in the first place was still glaringly obvious. He retained his soul and couldn’t be an effective husband or ruler with it.

Except he didn’t want to ‘get rid of it’ because then he’d return to the conscienceless vampire of before. The one who killed without mercy, the one who slaughtered regardless of guilt or innocence. The one who beat his pregnant wife. 

“You’re not?” Buffy asked as she stilled. Conflicted as she may be about her feelings for her husband, she assumed, now that she found him, that he’d return with her. She had a lot of anger and hostility to work out with him, but at the core of things, she still loved him. She wanted to beat him senseless right now, but she did love him. Except now he wasn’t returning? 

“Buffy…” Angelus didn’t know what to say. She knew he couldn’t return, she knew the reasons and he didn’t relish bringing them all up again in front of witnesses. 

Buffy stood, walking the short distance that separated them. Point blankly she asked, “Are you coming home? You’ve seen what happened,” she continued before he could say anything, “As a consequence of your actions. Now what are you prepared to do to make up for your stupidity with Darla?” 

Angelus said nothing to her, not really sure what he could say. 

Unbearably hurt, Buffy simply stared at him, all her walls quickly building themselves back up, enclosing her heart once more. She hadn’t even been aware the walls were so weakened, damn Angelus. He’d just screwed her over; literally body-wise though that was sex at its most basic and primal level and she admitted to enjoying that immensely. And now, figuratively, when she began to hope, maybe, just maybe, things would work out… 

Anger welled within her and she never noticed Willow pale and shrink back into her friends. She never noticed the short sigh of resignation both Gunn and Oz released over the argument that was about to explode. Doyle watched, fascinated, Cordelia equally riveted by his side, and Faith wondering if maybe the fight between an angry vampire and a really pissed off elf magick whatever was the wrong place to have a ring-side seat at.   

This was it, the bottom line, and despite all his sweet words he still had no intention of returning to be a father or a husband. Or a ruler. Wind built in the room, whipping through the building. It lifted her long hair until the thick locks swirled behind her, the intensity of the indoor storm growing. Her eyes glowed that eerie purple color, they always did when her magicks grew so strong. The walls cracked, fine lines spreading across the once flat surfaces; the floor shook as if an earthquake was happening, and glass shattered, the shards caught up in the wind Buffy controlled. 

Desperately trying to think of a reason to give her, and thus clam her, Angelus said, “Love, nothing’s changed.” Then, through their newly opened bond, wondering if he truly could communicate again through that intimate union, ‘You know nothing’s changed, I can’t return like this.’ 

He wanted to go into more detail, about how he felt he still couldn’t return home. It was a matter of pride, a matter of principle. And, even if he couldn’t say it, couldn’t admit it to his wife, a matter of safety. Buffy and Ariana’s; with him there and still possessing a soul he could never be an effective leader, an effective protector. That was unacceptable. And if anyone found out his secret…they’d all be in danger. 

Before anyone could say more, or Buffy could let loose her pent up anger, Faith backed away, tugging Willow with her. Oh, yeah, wrong event for those ringside tickets. She motioned to Cordelia who got the hint and frantically tugged on Doyle’s arm, leading him up the stairs when he’d already made it clear he had things to discuss with Angelus. Something about more visions.

Oh well, the brunette thought. They could wait until the threat of physical damage was no longer aimed in their direction. Let those guard people deal with it, mediating between dueling spouses was so not in her job description. 

There was a sudden silence, a complete stillness and it was all the more eerie because of it. Because now her rage was stone-cold, it was controlled, and that much scarier for it. 

“Coward,” Buffy spat at her husband. 

 And the fight was on…
**********
Knowing when it was safe to actually say something to the couple before them, both Firsts decided that now certainly wasn’t that time. 

Oh, no, this was nowhere near that time. In fact, if their duty hadn’t been so ingrained in them, and if they’d actually thought of it, both Gunn and Oz would’ve left. But, alas, neither thought of it and probably wouldn’t have left even if they had. They did, however, move back several steps and then another just incase. 

“Can you cast a silencing spell?” Gunn whispered to his cohort, trying not to draw attention to them at all. They weren’t leaving, but at the same time, privacy was everything. Still he was unsure of the strength of the elfin First’s magicks outside the healing sphere. 

“Yes,” Oz nodded, “But I think only on them.” 

“I don’t mind, do you?” 

“No,” Oz said shortly, already handing his staff to Gunn. “I was just warning you.”

Closing his eyes and concentrating on the two before him, Oz mouthed a string of words in Elfin. White light shot out from his outstretched fingertips, circling the couple briefly before disappearing, absorbing the sound as it did so. The spell worked, nothing escaped the cocoon encircling Buffy and Angelus. 

“This is one of those spells that lets us in, right?” Gunn asked, wondering if he should have voiced this question before Oz cast the spell. 

“Of course,” Oz replied as he took his staff back. “Most elfin spells were modified long ago to be penetrable by a being’s First. What use is a First if they can’t reach their charge?” 

“Just double checking,” Gunn nodded, “You never know.” 

Oz’s eyes drifted up the stairs but he said nothing as he and Gunn went back to simultaneously guarding their royal couple, and cleaning their weapons. When they ran out of weapons they dug for more in Angelus’ cabinet. And when they ran out there, they started again. 

They weren’t leaving, but they were doing their best not to pay attention to the fight, either. It was just…difficult. 

Never realizing what their Firsts were doing, Angelus and Buffy continued their talk. Argument. It was just as well, Oz cast that silencing spell, the couple paid no attention to the volume of their voices, or about whom they were talking. 

Wes thought that was too bad, as he’d have loved to take notes. 

“Buffy-” 

“You,” Buffy seethed, cutting him off before he said more than her name. “You left, you beat me, you accused me, you fucked that whore of a sire, and then you refused to return to me, even when you needed me the most, even when you were needed the most.” She stalked closer to Angelus, “You refused to acknowledge your child, accusing me of sleeping with another man when we both know just how impossible that was.” 

“Baby,” Angelus said as he interrupted her, “Nothing’s changed.” 

“Fuck you, Angelus,” she spat at him, incensed. “You’re not the man I married, because the man I married was no coward. It’s so much easier to keep running, isn’t it, baby,” she sneered, “Than to come back and try and make up with me, to get to know your daughter, to make up for years of abandonment to Ariana. Not to mention everyone else you’ve abandoned for all the years you were gone.” 

He remained silent as she plowed on. What could he say to her that would make her understand, make her see just how much she meant to him…and how little things had really changed. 

“I see it now,” she laughed and it was a bitter broken sound. “My so-called cheating on you; it was just an excuse. You didn’t want me; you got tired of being tied to one woman so you used me, my pregnancy, as an excuse to screw that whore of a sire. But that wasn’t enough was it, baby. Then you took Darla to the Mortal Realm and butchered and screwed around there.” 

Her eyes were still blazing purple and she failed to notice, in her rage, Angelus’ own anger. “The only problem was you didn’t count on getting a bunch of gypsies pissed at you and getting your soul retuned.” 

Angelus stood, snarling at his wife as he grabbed her shoulders. “You can’t believe that, Buffy.” He said as he shook her once. “You know better than that. I love you.” 

“Do I?” She questioned, not throwing his hands off, not even noticing her own fists drawing blood from her nails as they dug into her palms. “You mean like you knew I couldn’t have cheated on you, vampire, because of our bond? The one that let us feel each other, the one that let us talk to each other all damn day and throughout the night. Or how about how I was never far from your sight for longer than several hours? Think about that, Angelus.” 

Her breath was quick and heavy as she sneered at him, flinging years worth of accusations at him, yelling out her hurt, her anger, her pain, her insecurities. She’d devoted her life to him, her heart, her soul, her body, her very being. She’d given him everything, her love and trust, her allegiance. Domination over her body. And he’d repaid her with this betrayal, accusing her of cheating, of conceiving a child that was not his when there was absolutely no proof whatsoever that she ever had, ever would, ever could cheat on him. 

For forty years she’d protected him, lied to everyone about the circumstances of their separation, her family and his, her closest friends, her father and sister. She’d propagated that lie until everyone believed it, embraced it, revering Angelus for his noble acts, all the while wondering. Why? Why had he accused her, why had he left, why had he never returned? If he loved her as much as he claimed, then did it really matter? 

Wasn’t that something, their love? It lasted this long, through the lies and deceit, through the betrayal and long-distance acceptance. And yet he’d never once even said he was thinking of returning. Never gave any indication that he even wanted to return, not to her at least, even if Buffy knew that everyone else thought his return already sealed. So what, Buffy wondered, made her think he did now? Was it because she finally found him? Was it because he met his daughter? 

Having no answers for those questions, the feelings of hurt, unfaithfulness, and anger swelling within her, Buffy mocked, “Or how about that often vaunted sense of smell Angel?” She asked, purposely using the name he went by here, “Couldn’t you tell who your wife fucked and who she didn’t?” 

She stared into his vampiric face, vaguely noticing the ridges and fangs, the blood red eyes and the constant growl from deep within his chest. It didn’t stop her. 

“You don’t love me, or you couldn’t have treated me as you did all those years ago. You couldn’t have added insult to injury by ignoring your wife and child to stay here. Here with your little gang, here with the humans fawning over you, here with that redhead mooning over you like some god. If you really loved me, Angelus, you wouldn’t have let those pubescent little girls stroke your ego while playing the starring role as some sort of pathetic hero for them.” 

Flinging her hand wide, Buffy finished, “Maybe that’s the problem. A real woman is too much of a challenge. And instead of being my equal you’re content to spend your life surrounded by vapid children.” 

“Leave Willow out of this,” Angelus said, the level voice belying the extent of his anger. “She has nothing to do with this.” 

“Oh, no?” Buffy laughed, “What about her little comment about you leaving, what about how helpful you’ve been, and all this good you’ve done here. Here, in this human world, here where you’re hated and hunted, not at home where you belong.” 

And the fact that Willow might just possibly hold a place in Angelus’ life that Buffy no longer did. That the human had something with Angelus, that he slept with the redhead. Images of Darla flashed through Buffy’s mind, taunting her with the fact that her husband had cheated on her once, what was stopping him from doing so again? 

“Willow is nothing to me, Buffy. She works here, lives here but nothing else.” He shook her again torn between crushing those beautiful lips of hers, the ones shooting accusations at him, and beating her again. Despite the confused state of his soul, despite the past, Angelus long ago vowed never to hit his wife in anger again. It wasn’t a promise he intended to break. 

“It’s more than obvious that this Willow has feelings for you, Angelus. I know you’re not blind, I know you. You have women fawning over you, you always have, it didn’t stop after our marriage, but at least then I knew you never did anything with them. You mean to tell me that after over two hundred years of celibacy that Willow’s overt feelings for you mean nothing to you?” 

“You,” Angelus said as he leaned in closer to her, “Are the only one I want, you always were; why do you think I even married you? I didn’t have to; a simple fuck was good enough for everyone else. But you were different, my little wife.” He emphasized the word, giving weight to his argument even as anger pounded through him. “You were more. I changed for you, completely. Did you never even notice that?” 

“Oh, I noticed, Angelus. I noticed that you never stopped those women from throwing themselves at you; I noticed that it was always I who defended my husband. I know you got a kick out of that, having your wife kill those whores. You took me so hard and fast afterwards, every time, remember, baby?” 

It was time to switch tactics, Buffy decided as she said her last words. But then he leaned down, his lips a breath from hers.

“I remember, lover,” he whispered, sounding so very like his old self Buffy nearly caved in. “I remember all those nights, and I also seem to remember you enjoying those fights as much as I, enjoying the afterwards, too.” 

Or not, Buffy thought, her plan backfiring right then and there before it had a chance to really begin. Okay, back to the main point. “Don’t digress, Angelus,” she said as she regrouped, her blood pumping with a mixture of anger and arousal now. “Let’s talk about the fact that Willow has said you couldn’t leave...what about them if you do?” 

Licking her lips at his nearness, Buffy asked, her voice calm, her eyes still purple, nowhere near calm. Magicks still swirled in the air and it was a miracle the building still stood. “What about them, Angelus?”
~~~~~~~~~~
Wes snuck down the back stairs, through the secondary sewer entrance, and out onto the street. 

He wasn’t exactly good with the whole stealth thing, but he needed to manage now, and this was the best way. Necessity and all. Still, he’d received an interesting missive and one he needed to learn more about before he contacted the Watcher’s Council. Wes intended to have all his facts straight before informing the Council of the best find of this or any other century. 

Grinning over that, Wesley imagines the papers written on him, the books published, the plaques, the statues, the awards. He’d be a hero to the Council, sharing space in the history books with the great Watchers. 

The note he’d received instructed him to be at the LA Grand Central Market. He’d never actually been to the market, and tried to find directions on the internet, but Willow and Cordelia were their internet whizzes and he didn’t want to ask them. So he left an hour beforehand, not wanting to be late. As he drove to South Broadway, Wesley pondered the note. 

It was short and pointed: Angelus is a menace to us all and needs to be eliminated for the safety of all places. Meet me at the Grand Central Market, Broadway entrance near New Central E-2 Produce stand at noon to discuss our mutual problems. 

Needless to say, Wes thought as he parked several blocks away, it wasn’t something he could pass up. Cautiously walking through the market and amazed that there was such a place in LA that he’d missed, but not surprised as his haunts tended to be those infested with demons, Wes wondered at the sender of the note. Who else knew of Angelus here? It had to be someone from his kingdom; Angel’d been in LA for years. This note suddenly appearing in Wes’ mail couldn’t be a coincidence. 

“Wesley Wyndham-Price.” 

Wes stopped his absentminded perusal of the produce at the sound of his name. Turning to the left, he saw a medium built man, about 5’7” with long white hair and faded blue eyes. He looked deceptively weak, but Wes had a feeling that was how he wanted it; underestimated until the last moment. 

“Yes?” 

“I believe we have business to discuss.” The man said with a smile that sent chills down the Watcher’s back. “Walk with me.” 

Doing so, not seeing much of a choice when he’d already come this far, Wesley fingered the stake he had up his sleeve. He doubted very much that this man was a man. “Who are you?” 

“Aslan,” the man replied and confirmed Wes’ suspicions, “And yes, Mr. Price, I am a vampire, you can stop fingering your stake, that won’t do at all. We’re here on mutual business, are we not?” 

Wes reluctantly nodded, wondering how the vamp before him knew of the stake. They continued meandering down the aisles of the enclosed market, Wes all the while eyeing the exits leading into the sunlight. “You mentioned,” Wes’ voice dropped, “Angelus?” 

The hardening of Aslan’s eyes, the tightening of his jaw confirmed Wesley’s suspicions. This vampire before him was not on friendly terms with the souled vampire. But just where did Wesley fit in? 

“As yes, this infamous Angelus,” Aslan said after a moment. “It’s quite simple, really,” he continued, impatient to see his plans finally come to realization. “He’s alive. I want him dead. I want him dead,” Aslan said as he watched Wes’ reaction. “And you want the wife and daughter, do you not?” 

Wes nodded, somehow still shocked at the vampire’s words. He’d assumed that this Aslan wanted something like that, but for him to say it so blatantly… “What’s in it for you?” Wes asked as they turned a corner, “You kill Angelus; I get Buffy and Ariana, and then what? You take over here, invade Earth?” 

Aslan laughed a loud crazed laugh that caused several of the scattered customers to turn in their direction, and then back away. Wes, himself, wanted to leave, that laugh, if it could be called such, unnerved him greatly. “No, no,” Aslan assured the skittish Watcher as he quieted. “I’m not interested in this pathetic realm, my dear Watcher. I want nothing to do with this little backwater. I want Angelus dead, his line in ruin, so I can head back to the Lands to rule in his stead. While you, Mr. Price, get the strongest magickal welder in any realm, and her daughter, the only known human, elf, and vampire being known.” 

Yes, Wesley thought, yes that would be great. Imagining the accolades the Council would heap on him for Buffy and Ariana, and wondering if he should even tell them about Angelus’ soul, Wes found himself nodding. There was something tickling the back of his mind, but Wes couldn’t focus on that as he thought of everything the Council could learn from Buffy and Ariana. The magick they could harness, the power they could turn as their own. 

Smiling silkily as they continued to wander around the large market, Aslan finished their deal. He almost couldn’t believe it was this simple, that the Watcher so easily fell into his trap. Oh, it was a carefully laid trap, one where the Watcher and his precious council got everything they wanted, but Aslan thought that they’d be a bit more…cautious. 

“All you need to do,” the vampire said, “Is kill Angelus for me. Once that’s accomplished I’ll help you secure the queen and her daughter back to England.” 

For a long moment Wes said nothing, wondering if this vamp was going to betray him. Yes, that was a given. The new question was, when? But he hadn’t a choice in the matter; to had Buffy and Ariana over to the Council in exchange for Wes killing Angelus? He knew the souled vampire’s routine and now, he knew that Angelus wasn’t leaving Buffy’s side. 

So the new question became, could Wes double-cross Aslan before Aslan did him? 

Not to mention the alliance Wes and Buffy negotiated. And that double-cross. So many plans, so many conflicting double-crosses. He needed to carefully plan this out, maybe call the Council ahead of schedule. Or maybe, Wes thought as he and Aslan parted, recruit from his own ranks. Riley and Xander had never liked Angelus, the three of them never trusting the vampire, soul or not. They’d be perfect. 

He couldn’t, of course, tell them the real reason for including Willow in this, ah, exchange, but he had to tell them something. Hmm, maybe that it was a great honor for her to…study with the Council? They’d seen her powers, it went to point that she needed training, and if he worded it carefully enough, then it was a simple matter of explaining that Willow could learn from them. Learn to use her magicks for good, learn to control them, learn to help others like her. 

Riley and Xander didn’t need to know that ‘learning,’ in this case, also involved ‘experimenting,’ or ‘testing.’ He’d have to make sure, Wes thought, that he traveled to England with Willow. He trusted the Council implicitly, but he did care, in a small way, for Willow. 

The wild card was Faith. But he’d deal with his slayer. Wes wanted nothing to happen to her, not if it could be helped. He’d raised her from the time she was fourteen, helped her through school, dates, slaying, friendships. But always, Wes held himself back. It never did to become too close to one’s slayer. 

Unfortunately, Faith had grown too close to Angelus. And that was a liability. 

Aslan watched Wesley leave, his smile back. Mentally he checked off another on his list of things needed before everything went into action. Ah, the poor foolish Watcher. Oh, Aslan had no doubts that Wesley would try and betray him somehow; it wasn’t a question of if, but when. In the end it didn’t matter, as Aslan had the closer resources and a means to travel back to the Lands where Wesley and his precious Council couldn’t follow. 

Laughing as he slowly walked back to the sewer entrance, luckily still shadowed in the city of tall buildings, Aslan reviewed his plan once more: betray Wes and kill him once Angelus was disposed of. Keep Ariana so he can control Buffy, and keep Buffy for his own. Andre, Aslan thought, will obey Aslan’s new rulers, going along to keep Ariana alive. Kill King Rupert leaving Kynan as the heir. Kynan wasn’t as much of a danger to Aslan as Buffy, ergo not much of a threat.  

And Buffy, dear sweet Buffy. The elf would be his, her throne, her kingdom. Her body.
~~~~~~~~~~
Theophilus stared at the ministers in shock. 

Was it always like this? He was forced to wonder, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs continued talking. No wonder Angelus was so short tempered before Buffy’s introduction to his life. No wonder the Ancient frequently left the running of the kingdom to his ministers. No wonder Buffy often glared at them, reading their reports at her leisure and forcing the shortened summary during council meetings. 

They could talk a hyena to tears and bore a dragon. 

Now he knew why both his king and queen often left the castle after these meetings. It was either that or kill each minister. Daily. No wonder they both traveled, either to different Lands, around the kingdom, or even rode into the nearby woods. It was either relieve stress that way, or, again, kill each minister. Daily. 

People actually wanted this? Theophilus wondered as he learned of the same thing he’d heard yesterday. Yes, he knew King Rupert was in the Mortal Realms. The king sent a messenger to Theophilus telling the minister of his plan to seek his daughter out. It was a courtesy, nothing more, to the acting leader. But did he have to hear it again? 

Theophilus vowed to speak with his ministers as soon as his queen returned. 

He wondered how she and the princess fared. And if they’d finally bring home the king.
~~~~~~~~~~
Oz and Gunn looked at each other as the couple surrounded by the silencing spell continued to argue. Once they got going it was a while before they stopped. Then again, history indicated that they usually ‘stopped’ when their mutual passions were satisfied. That didn’t seem to be the case in this instance. 

“Cards?” 

“Didn’t bring them,” Oz admitted to his friend. “I didn’t think we’d have time, not with trying to protect the queen and fighting these rebels.” 

Gunn nodded and looked resigned, but not disappointed. He hadn’t brought any, either, for that same reason. Plus, he’d planned on searching out Angelus, if they hadn’t found him by the time they returned to the Lands. For a pair of Firsts that insisted on several contingency plans for just about everything, they’d planned poorly in this instance. 

“They’re going to be at it a while,” Gunn said as he stood, grabbing his staff. They’d cleaned all Angelus’ weapons. Twice. Mock-fought with several of them and wondered if the Ancient would allow them to take them back to the kingdom. They’d worked up another couple of emergency plans incase the rebels found them here, if they needed to move again, and the added protection of Rupert and Tara.

“Why don’t you take a break?” It went without saying that if Oz went first, then he’d relieve Gunn in an hour. It was their normal specified break time. Gunn grinned slyly. “Besides, I saw that redhead eyeing you earlier.” 

Oz snorted as he stood to do as his friends suggested. “You just want details.” 

Gunn laughed as he faced the couple, posture rigid and staff at the ready. “Of course. One of us ought to get some, don’t you agree?” 

Oz laughed with his friend and headed up the stairs. Actually, speaking with Willow wasn’t a bad idea. There were a few questions he had for the human about her magicks, and what she and Tara wanted to discuss with him. And, he admitted as he turned down the hallway towards the rooms Tara occupied. There were a few questions he had for the woman. 

This Willow was an interesting woman and he wanted to get to know her better.

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