AUTHOR: Kelly Rowe
EMAIL: angels_bath_towel@hotmail.com
RATING: PG
DISCLAIMER: Buffy, Angel and all other characters (except those I make up) are the absolute property of Joss Whedon, Fox, Mutant Enemy and Warner Bros (If I owned them, the events of Buffy season 4 or most of season 3 wouldn't have occurred).
SUMMARY: Buffy's been dead for 20 years, but a dream Angel has tells him something different. Has Buffy been reborn?
SPOILERS: All B/A up to and including IWRY. Some BTVS season 4 and ATS season 1 and 2.
TIMELINE: Approx. 20 years after Buffy's death (season 4 BTVS).
DISTRIBUTION: You want you can have it; just tell me where you put it.
PAIRING: Buffy/Angel (later Emma/Angel)
CATEGORY: AU, Action, and Romance. Buffy/Angel/Charmed crossover.
NOTE: Emma is Buffy's name in her new life.
NOTE 2: The songs used are:
1. I can still feel you - Collin Raye
2. The Dance - Garth Brooks
3. I would've loved you anyway - Trisha Yearwood
NOTE 3: Events:
1. Dawn was really Buffy's sister.
2. Joyce didn't die.
3. Parker never happened.
4. Cole is a full on good guy.
5. Buffy and Riley were only friends.
NOTE 4: This fic is loosely based on a challenge I sent out earlier in the year. I altered a lot, so that my version would be totally different from all the others.
*****
PART 1
2000:
Buffy Summers looked around the graveyard and checked her watch for the thousandth time. Spike was late again, she was still actually having trouble believing that Giles was making her patrol with the big loser, especially after Willow's little foray into magick and it's results. She really didn't care that Spike was supposedly on the side of good (at least temporarily) everytime she looked at him, she thought about Dru - the nut-ball, which naturally led to thoughts of Angel. And these days when she thought about Angel (which since thanksgiving had been more and more often) the hurt, pain and love was more intense and this time the feelings just wouldn't go away, almost as though she was missing part of her. Buffy was so obsessed with her own thoughts about Angel, that she never heard the demon approach. Since she was surprised and distracted, she just couldn't seem to get her equilibrium back and the demon quickly dispatched her. By the time her body hit the ground she was already dead, her neck snapped into like it had been some sort of twig and that's how Spike found her when he showed up ten minutes later. He knelt down next to Buffy's lifeless body and felt an irrational surge of anger and helplessness. He carefully picked up Buffy's broken body and headed to Giles' place, hoping that he'd know what to do.
When Giles opened the door and saw Spike standing there carrying the dead body of his slayer, he felt his heartbreak in two at his worst nightmare come true. He let Spike inside and called the others, as he watched Spike carefully laid Buffy's body out on the couch. {She looks just like she's sleeping} Giles thought and wished with all his might that, that was true... that she'd just wake up and tell them that it was her idea of a horrible joke. It wasn't more than ten minutes later when the others arrived, all in shock, unable to believe that Buffy was dead. They collectively moved over to her broken body and stared at her lifeless form.
Willow was the first one to snap out of it and she asked Giles, "Did anyone call Joyce and Dawn?"
Giles just shook his head, "I didn't even think of it."
"It's okay G-man, you're not supposed to think of everything at a time like this" Xander told him as he stared at Buffy.
The phone suddenly rang and Willow answered it. "Hello?" she said sadly.
"She's dead isn't she?"
"Cordy?" Willow asked. "How did you know?"
"Angel... he's crying and he keeps muttering 'not her' and 'they promised this wouldn't happen'" Cordy told her. When there wasn't an answer, Cordy continued, "Call us and let us know about the funeral."
"Sure" Willow said hanging up the phone.
"What did the queen of bitca's want?" Xander asked finally turning his head away from his fallen hero.
Willow told him, "She wanted to know if it was true... about Buffy."
"How..." Giles began.
"Angel" Willow simply said with no emotion in her voice. Xander walked over to his best friend and hugged her. "It's not fair," Willow cried into Xander's shirt. "How is the world gonna survive without her? How are we?"
They all stood around and thought about what Willow had just said, because if Buffy... the strongest slayer ever couldn't survive, then what hope did anyone have?
*****
THREE DAYS LATER:
Buffy's funeral was arranged by Joyce, she deliberately held it during the day, so that even in death she had separated Buffy and Angel, not even Dawn's pleadings of how Buffy wouldn't have wanted that went unheard. Cordelia and Wesley did attend however and got to say their good-byes to the girl who had not only saved their lives countless times, but also inadvertently influenced their paths in life. After the funeral was over, all of the mourners headed to Joyce's house for the wake. Willow and Xander were the last to leave Buffy's grave, it was as though they felt that if they left it then she'd never be coming back, that this whole nightmare would in fact be true. Finally Giles had to come back from Joyce's and physically lead them away from the tangible reminder of their loss.
*****
As soon as darkness fell Angel headed for his beloved's grave. He stood there staring at the marker, still unable to believe that she was gone, even though he knew that it was true because a giant piece of his heart was gone too. He decided that it was time to tell her everything... no she deserved to hear it... he wished she was alive to hear it all. "Buffy... my love. I am so sorry for so many things. For leaving you, for everything Angelus did to you and most of all... for taking our day back." He paused for a moment trying not to completely breakdown in this last year he'd lost the two most important people in the world to him, Buffy and Doyle. "I miss you so much... Good-bye my love."
Spike watched Angel from his hiding place and realised that compared to all the others, even Joyce and the Niblet, Angel was the one who was truly suffering. The 250+ vampire with a soul just lost his soulmate, his reason for being. He could somewhat sympathise with Angel because of his feelings for the ever absent Dru, but at least she was still out there somewhere and not buried six-feet under, never to return. Spike walked away, deciding that he was gonna go to Buffy's wake and for once celebrate the life of a slayer.
*****
EIGHT WEEKS LATER:
Piper Halliwell and Leo Wyatt arrived back at the manor after Piper's doctor's appointment with smiles on both of their faces.
Phoebe spotted them and said, "Well, well... I guess your not dying after all."
"No… Where's Prue?" Piper asked.
"Right here" Prue answered coming out of the kitchen. "So, what's wrong?" she asked as she sat down next to Phoebe.
Piper smiled again, "Nothing is wrong, I'm perfectly healthy."
"Then why have you been sick?" Phoebe questioned.
"Well... Leo and I are... well, we're pregnant" Piper announced.
Prue and Phoebe practically flew out of their seats and engulfed their sister and Leo in a hug.
"This is fantastic," Prue said happily.
"That's not all the good news," Leo added.
Prue and Phoebe stood there expectantly.
"Leo asked me to marry him... and I said yes!" Piper told them.
"Wow" was all Phoebe could say.
"I agree that's definately good news. Congratulations" Prue told them.
Then she and Phoebe dragged poor Piper and Leo into the living room and started to pump them for information.
*****
SEVEN MONTHS LATER:
Prue and Phoebe were pacing the waiting room, desperate to know what was going on. It had been about an hour since Piper and Leo had gone into the delivery room.
"What's taking them so long?" Phoebe grumbled ten minutes later.
Prue looked at her and said, "How am I supposed to know?"
They were just about to kidnap the next doctor or nurse that passed when Leo appeared. They ran up to him and Prue demanded, "Well?"
"It's a girl. 6 pounds, 5 ounces" Leo told them happily. He was ecstatic over becoming a father and now he had another little charmed one to watch over, this one even more precious than the others... his little girl.
"Cool" Phoebe said bouncing up and down in excitement.
At the same moment Prue asked, "When can we see them?"
"You can see Piper in a little while, but we can go to the nursery and see my daughter now" Leo told them.
"Lead us to our niece" Phoebe ordered as they followed Leo down the corridor.
*****
About an hour later they went in to see Piper. She was still resting, but opened her eyes when she heard them all come in. "Hi" she said sleepily, "Did you see her? What do you think?"
"She's beautiful Piper" Phoebe told her sister.
"Agreed. Have you decided on a name?" Prue said.
"Yeah" Piper told them, "Emma Victoria."
"Emma was my mother's name" Leo explained when he saw the confusion on Prue and Phoebe's faces. They'd apparently expected them to name her Patricia or Melinda.
"It's a nice name," Prue said.
"It's pretty" Phoebe added, "Plus it's harder to find a rude word that rhymes with Emma to tease her with."
They talked for a while, until Piper fell asleep. Prue and Phoebe headed back to the manor, but Leo headed back to the nursery to take another look at his daughter. As he did this he wondered if he should tell Piper about their daughter's past life and her destiny. Finally he decided against it and headed back to the manor.
*****
PART 2 2020:
Angel flopped down on his bed, exhausted from all the work he'd put into this last case and all he could think about was going to sleep. But in sleep he didn't find peace, he had a dream:
//Angel found himself standing in a field full of wildflowers in the middle of the day and he took a moment to smell them and to wonder at the feeling of the sun on his skin. He was suddenly interrupted by a familiar voice calling his name, a voice he hadn't heard in an extremely long time. "Buffy?" he whispered as he looked and was rewarded with her standing nearby.
"Angel" she said walking slowly towards him, so slowly he thought he might go mad from it. "I've got so much I need to say to you and so little time to make you understand them." "
Tell me what?" Angel asked confused.
Buffy took Angel's hand in hers and looked into his eyes, "You need to come find me."
"I can't... can't do... you're dead..."
"It's okay" Buffy comforted, "I'm still here. Call Giles ask about the prophecy of the return and he'll explain it."
Angel couldn't resist it anymore; he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "I'll love you forever" he swore almost in tears.
Buffy looked at him and said, "I'll always love you too... in this life... and the next."
Suddenly Buffy morphed from a short, blonde with hazel eyes to a tall, brunette with deep brown eyes. //
Angel awoke with a small yelp, the dream had been so vivid and it had upset him... reminded him of all he'd lost. Angel shook off the feelings it had invoked and tried to fall back to sleep, telling himself that it wasn't real... it was only a dream.
*****
Meanwhile in San Francisco, 19-year-old Emma Wyatt was having a disturbing dream of her own.
//She found herself suddenly no longer staring at a youthful, naked Brendan Fraser and instead was in a large room in front of two strange entities and she wondered what in the heck was going on. She didn't have to wait long for an answer...
"Greetings warrior" the female said, "We have heard much about you from your father."
"Are you daddy's bosses? The PTB?"
"Not quite... we also work for them" the female answered her question.
"It is time you learn of your past and your destiny," the male said. Before she could ask them what they meant, a bright light permeated the room and she was knocked to her knees. Suddenly her mind was filled with an influx of unfamiliar, yet familiar memories. "What?" she mumbled confused.
All she could hear was a distant voice say, "Good luck warrior."//
Emma awoke panicked, but soon calmed herself. When she was sure that the flashes had stopped, she climbed out of her bed and went off in search of her father... she had a strong feeling he could explain this mess to her.
*****
Leo Wyatt was relaxing in the living room after spending a harrowing night dealing with one of his charges, when Emma barged in. "Morning cutie-pie" Leo said getting up and hugging her.
She pulled out of his hug and asked him, "Who am I?"
"You're my little girl..." he answered not sure about what was going on.
"And?" she pushed.
"A slayer and a witch..."
"And?" she pushed again.
Leo suddenly realised that she knew and wondered why no one warned him. "You're also her... Buffy Anne Summers."
"Yeah, well that's what these memories tell me."
"Emma... what memories?" Leo asked.
Emma looked at him and realised that this time her father was as much in the dark about this whole memory thing as she was. "I had a dream... big room, two gold people, blinding light and presto... instant memories of another life."
"The oracles... even death can't shut them up" Leo mumbled angrily. "How much of her memory did they give you?" he asked worried.
"All" Emma answered. "Her birth, her parents divorce, Angel, her seventeenth birthday and the not so happy events after and her death. And as an added bonus they gave me some memories of a day that never really happened... these ones are good memories though... really good ones."
"What are they thinking... memories? You're supposed to know your destiny, but Buffy's memories..." Leo was ranting. "I'm gonna go talk to them."
Emma watched her father orb away and wondered why she always got caught with the crappy destiny. Her thoughts then turned to how she was gonna tell her boyfriend they had to break up because she was destined to spend eternity with a ensouled vampire, better yet that she actually wanted to spend the rest of her life with the vampire.
*****
In LA, Angel woke up and came downstairs to find the hotel empty. Since he needed to speak with Wes about his dream, he couldn't do anything about it, so he picked up his sketchpad and drew the girl from his dream. An hour later he was so caught up with it that he didn't hear his friends arrive.
"Hey" Cordy said scaring him.
"Jeez Cor" Angel said picking up the sketchpad he dropped. He stood up and grabbed Wes, "I need to talk to you."
"Certainly" Wes replied wondering why Angel was acting so skittish.
They went into Angel's office and he said, "I had a Buffy dream."
"So?" Wes asked confused.
"I haven't had one in over five years... and this one was different."
"How?" Wes questioned.
Angel looked at him, "I could *feel* her presence... she was there and then... she changed into a totally different girl... but it was still Buffy."
"Are you on something?" Wesley asked cautiously.
"No… And I'm not nuts" Angel replied insulted.
"Angel" Wes started, "Buffy died twenty years ago. It's inconceivable that she has been hanging around for that long so she could visit your dreams."
"I guess. It just felt so *real*... like those dreams we used to share."
"Angel... I'm your friend and I'm telling you, Buffy is gone and it's time to move on. Buffy is not back!" Wes told him.
*****
PART 3
Leo returned from his bosses and found Emma standing at the living room window staring out at the neighbourhood. "Sweetie... I'm back," Leo said.
Emma turned around and faced her father, then asked, "Well... what did *they* say?"
"You were meant to get all of Buffy's memories and there is apparently a prophecy in the Book of Shadows we are supposed to read" Leo told her. Leo had barely finished speaking before Emma orbed her way up to the attic. Leo followed quickly and then chastised her. "You know that you're not supposed to use your power to orb unless it's an emergency or *they* want to see you" Leo reminded her.
"*They* never want to see me face to face and it is an emergency... sort of" Emma replied standing in front of the Book of Shadows. She went to reach for it and the pages started flicking of their own accord, it opened to the page she wanted. "Thanks Grams" she said as she started to read out loud.
During the night that signals her nine and ten year
Her memories shall be returned
She will see herself as a new part
Waiting for the fallen Angel to be whole
With the return of old loved ones
And joined with the new
He and she shall fight side by side
For together they are strong, apart they shall fall
"Well..." Leo was shocked into silence. It seemed to be a straightforward prophecy that gave absolutely no useful information and confused the hell out of him.
"It refers to an upcoming battle that I'll fight with Angel, with help from the family and the Scooby gang" Emma told him, seeing the confusion etched on his face.
"Angel? Scooby gang?" Leo was still confused, "Who are these people?"
"The scooby gang consists of friends of min… Buffy's, who helped her last time when she was the slayer, plus Giles, Dawn and mo... Joyce" Emma replied.
"And Angel?" Leo pushed.
Emma took a deep breath, she knew this wasn't going to go well... her dad had problems with her dating Andy and he was at least normal. "Angel... he is an ensouled vampire that Buffy... had a relationship with."
"VAMPIRE!" Leo screamed. "They want you to join with some vampire. How do they mean join?"
"Maybe they mean fight side by side" Emma said, "That's the only way anyway... Angel has a clause in his curse, one moment true happiness and poof... then the return of Angelus - the Scourge of Europe."
"True happiness? How do you even know that to be true?" Leo asked.
Emma took another deep breath, "Buffy's seventeenth birthday."
Leo paled; his daughter in a past life not only fell in love with this vampire, but apparently also gave him true happiness. No way was that ever going to happen again, this time his little girl was staying away from that vampire except during the battles... she isn't going to join with anyone until she was at least forty. Besides she is a slayer, they're supposed to slay vampires' right? Leo ignored the niggling little voice that reminded him that she'd been a slayer last time and that hadn't stopped it.
"Daddy, don't worry... he's one of us, a good guy. He has a soul and he wouldn't hurt me or anyone else" Emma replied, trying to settle her father's fears.
Leo decided to let the Angel subject drop for now, they could talk about it later when he was calm. He hugged Emma and asked her, "So how are we going to tell your mom about this? I mean she didn't take you inheriting my powers as well as hers so well and when she found out about the slaying..."
"Yikes! I'd kinda been repressing those particular memories. She's just gonna have to deal with it... like we are" Emma said.
"How come you're so wise?" Leo asked.
"I'm a lot older than I look" Emma teased as they left the attic.
*****
That night Angel went to Caritas, talking to the host and listening to a Kalazy demon butcher the song 'I will always love you'.
"So what are you planning to sing tonight?" the host suddenly asked him suspiciously.
"Why do you want to know?" Angel countered.
The host looked at him and said, "Because I cannot take you singing one more Manilow song."
Angel tried not to laugh, he usually sung them to annoy the host... however tonight he just want information and decided to sing something else. "Don't worry... tonight I'm not singing anything by Barry Manilow" Angel assured him.
"So?" the host pushed. Angel caved in whispered the song title in the host's ear. The host murmured something that sounded like 'Thank the Gods' and went up to the stage to introduce Angel. "Folks... do I have a treat for you tonight. Angel is going to sing something that didn't come off a Barry Manilow album." The host waited until the applause died down, "So here he is with 'I can still feel you'... our very own souled vamp, Angel."
Angel took the stage and grabbed the mike:
//It's that feeling that someone
Is standing behind me
And I turn around and there's no one there
And it's the sensation
That someone just whispered
Yeah and I still hear your voice, but you're not really there
Your memory is like a ghost
And my heart is its host//
//I can still feel you just as close as skin
Every now and then
All by myself in a crowded room, or my empty bed
There's a place you touched with your love no one gets close too
I can still feel you
I can still feel you
I can still feel you
I can still feel you//
When Angel finished he came down from the stage and before he could even ask his question, the host said, "You want to know about Buffy?"
"Yeah."
"She's dead" the host replied, but when he saw Angel's expression he added, "But isn't reincarnation a wonderful thing."
"Then she's really back?" Angel asked hopefully.
"For the last nineteen years... just as a different girl" the host told him in his usual cryptic manner. It was annoying, but he finally understood why his same act had driven Buffy nuts all those years before.
"She's okay though?"
"Yeah and don't worry, you'll see her again one day" the host told him.
"That's it?"
"What do you want? Her address? Her number? Forget it, I can't give it too you" the host said, "Come back soon."
Angel watched the host get up and walk over to some new customers and left Caritas feeling extremely unsatisfied.
*****
PART 4
When Angel returned to the Hyperion, he found Cordy doubled over in pain from a vision. "Cordy... are you okay? What do you see?"
"It was weird... Buffy, but not Buffy" Cordy told him.
"What do you mean?" Wesley asked his wife as he came back into the room with Cordy's aspirin.
Cordy took it from Wes and sat down. "I saw Buffy... looking exactly like she did last time I saw her and then all of a sudden she was different... she looked totally different."
Angel pulled a sketch out of a draw, "Did she look like this?"
Cordy looked at the sketch. "She looked exactly like that," she said.
Angel quickly picked up the phone and Wes asked, "What are you doing?"
"I'm calling Giles."
*****
Giles was awoken by the telephone and upset about being pulled away from his dream of Jenny, he answered it gruffly. "What?"
"Giles... it's Angel. Cordy just had a vision and it effects us all" Angel said.
Giles' anger faded as concern took over, "What's going to happen?"
"Buffy's back" Angel told him.
Giles sighed, "Angel... she died almost twenty years ago and I think that it's time that you moved on."
"No Giles... I mean that she's been reincarnated."
When Giles heard Angel say that, something in his memory clicked and he gasped. "Oh my... the prophecy."
"The prophecy? What about it?" Angel asked remembering that Buffy had said something about a prophecy in his dream.
"It'll be easier to explain in person. I'll call the gang and we'll come to you" Giles said.
"Sure... bye Giles" Angel said hanging up.
Giles hung up his end and began to wonder what Buffy would be like now. She was most likely a teenager and could be anywhere. What Giles really wanted to know was... did she remember them and if so, did she still want them in her life. Giles sighed and picked up the phone again, this time it was to summon the scooby gang.
*****
The next day Angel was hiding in his room brooding when the gang arrived. Instead of going down to greet them he stayed put, needing time alone before he had to face them. He knew that everyone with the exceptions of Willow and Dawn blamed in some degree for Buffy's death. In their eyes by leaving her alone in Sunnydale he signed her death certificate, all conveniently forgetting that they'd wanted him to leave... hell, even he felt guilty over that and mad as hell at the oracles for promising Buffy wouldn't die if he turned back that day... the way things worked out, he may as well have stayed Human. Angel sighed and got up and headed slowly downstairs, he could hear them all talking about him. The most vocal of the group was of course Joyce, she was raving about how Buffy would have come to her first if she were truly back. Angel entered the lobby and everyone fell silent, except for Willow and Dawn who hugged him and said hello. He sat down next to Cordy and Wes, and then Giles began his interrogation of Cordy.
"What did you see in your vision?" he asked her.
Cordy just looked at him, "Buffy."
"And?" Joyce pushed.
"She changed from *old* Buffy into *new* Buffy" Cordy said. "If you want more info than that ask Angel, he's the one that had the Buffy dream."
All eyes turned to Angel. "She said to call Giles and something about a prophecy and then she morphed."
They all fell into an uncomfortable silence and Cordy could see they were bothering Angel and she did something nice by showing them to their rooms far away from her friend. Angel was grateful to Cordy for saving his sanity and he went into his office, to do some work. He couldn't concentrate, all he could do was stare at the wall and wonder where she was and if she ever thought about him.
*****
Emma was sitting on her bed staring out of the window, thinking about Angel. Leo walked in and sat down next to her. "Hi Emmie" he said smiling at her.
At her father's use of her childhood nickname, one that hadn't been used in ten years, she knew something was up, all that remained was to find out how bad it was or was gonna get. "What now?" she asked sarcastically, "Did *they* decide that I need to be a blond again or something?"
"Nice sarcasm. Haven't you heard of not shooting the messenger?" Leo asked.
"When it comes to news from them... I not only shoot the messenger, but I stuff him and place him proudly above the mantle" she replied.
"Actually they just told me that the battle is to be fought here in San Francisco" Leo told her, "That means your friends will arrive soon."
Emma hugged her father. "Daddy, don't worry, it'll all work out... it always does somehow" she told him.
"I really hope so, Baby-girl."
*****
PART 5
Joyce Summers was slowly going crazy, she'd been locked up in the stupid hotel with that darn vampire's company for two whole days and still none of them had managed to gather any new information on Buffy. She finally snapped and lashed out at the closest person to her, unfortunately that was Angel, who wasn't exactly pleased when she told him to go back to hell where he belonged.
After that incident Angel longed to escape, but when he headed out to Caritas they all followed him.
"Angel" the host called out as he spotted him, "Two visits in one week. To what exactly do I owe this honour?"
"Nothing much… just thought maybe you had some new information… Or something?"
The host nodded in understanding, "The visitors are driving you nuts… especially the mother."
"How did you? Forget it" Angel muttered.
The host laughed, "Sing a song. It'll make you feel better."
"No it won't" Angel replied.
"Then you won't find out if I know anything new" the host teased.
"Fine" Angel muttered in defeat. The host went up to the stage and before Angel knew it, he was once again singing.
//Looking back on the memory of
The dance we shared 'neath the stars above
For a moment all the world was right
How could I have known that you'd ever say goodbye//
//And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end, the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance
I could've missed the pain
But I'd of had to miss the dance//
*****
"Wow" Willow said to Cordy, "Angel's really, really bad at this."
"Yep. You'd think that after twenty years at this he'd improve… at least a little" Cordy replied knowingly.
"But you have to admit he's innovative" the host said coming up behind them. "He puts his own uniqueness into each song."
Cordy turned to him, "You're just glad he's not singing 'Mandy' again."
"Eternally grateful" the host agreed.
*****
//Holding you I held everything
For a moment wasn't I a king
But if I'd only known how the king would fall
Hey who's to say
You know I might have changed it all//
//And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end, the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd of had to miss the dance//
//Yes, my life is better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd of had to miss the dance//
When he'd finished, Angel came down from the stage, he looked at the host expectantly. "Okay, big guy" he said handing him a slip of paper. "Go to this address… the battle is almost upon us." Angel stared at the paper and then gave the host a dubious look. "Okay… I know I've sent you on a few missions that were…"
"Deadly."
"Hey, you're still here" the host defended his decisions. "Anyway this one's correct and… there is a certain girl living there."
"I thought that you couldn't give me her address?"
"Hey, I'm fickle and a sucker for true love."
Angel took the paper, mumbled thanks and returned to the gang, where he was immediately questioned by Cordy. "What did he say?" she asked.
"We have to go to San Francisco" Angel informed them.
"Why?"
"It's where the battle is to be fought," Angel said, "Also… it's where she is."
There was a collective gasp from the group, followed by a moment of silence. Then Joyce said, "Let's go."
"We should consider the fact that she may not know who we are," Giles said trying to be the voice of reason.
This sobered Joyce and Dawn and Willow was then next to speak. "Whatever the outcome… we'll deal," she said softly.
"If we leave tonight… we could stay in a hotel, rest tomorrow and then head over to see her as soon as it's dark tomorrow" Dawn said.
"Hey… you know some of us have responsibilities. Wes and I can't leave Gina and Tamara alone. They'll destroy the house and kill each other" Cordy replied.
"Yeah" Xander agreed. "Anya and I'll have to arrange for the sitter to stay with LeAnn and Travis longer."
"Well… mom, Giles, Angel and I could head up tonight and tomorrow you guys could join us," Dawn suggested.
They all agreed and with that plan in mind they left Caritas to go meet their futures.
*****
PART 6
SAN FRANCISCO - THE NEXT EVENING:
"Where do you think that you are going?" Piper said as she spotted Emma and her seventeen-year-old niece, Trisha trying to leave the manor.
"We're going to the movies, it's a retrospective. We told you and Aunt Phoebe this morning," Emma told her mother calmly.
Piper vaguely recalled the conversation and she knew that she didn't have any right to keep them from going, "Okay… but don't do anything stupid."
"Aunt Piper, we're teenagers… we're supposed to do stupid things," Trisha said as Emma pushed out of the door.
Emma turned back to her mother and said, "Don't worry, we'll be fine and back early since I have patrol. Besides we're meeting Andy and he'll protect us since he's such a guy and all… at least until something scares him him, and then he'll run away screaming."
"No need to be sarcastic," Piper told her as the door closed.
Leo orbed in behind his wife and put his arms around her. "It'll be okay… she'll be okay, she's the slayer," he said, "And she's not a baby anymore."
"I know… but I feel like I'm losing her. She just doesn't talk to me anymore and she used to tell me everything" Piper told him relaxing in his arms.
Leo kissed her and said, "Uh… Piper… I really need to tell you something to tell you about Emma."
"What now?" she asked suspiciously.
"Something that you're not going to like."
*****
Angel, Dawn, Giles and Joyce met up with the others in front of the Nelson Arms hotel just after dark. "So are we ready?" Dawn asked anxious to see Buffy. Even if she was a totally different person, Dawn still felt as though she was her sister.
"No… but then again, I don't think I'll ever be" Joyce replied nervously.
The others all agreed with Joyce, but went along with Dawn's idea and piled into their respective vehicles, heading to the address that the host had given Angel. Fifteen minutes later they pulled up in front, got out and stood there staring at the manor.
"It looks so normal" Joyce whispered.
"So did ours mom" Dawn reminded her.
Xander looked around uncomfortably, "So do we knock…"
"Are we ready to knock?" Willow suddenly said in panic, "I don't feel ready yet."
"No… I'm not ready either" Joyce added nervous now the moment was upon them.
Giles sighed and joined in, "What if she doesn't want to know us or doesn't remember?"
"Of course she'll want to know us… we're her family" Dawn said strongly.
"Not anymore kiddo" Xander told her. "She'll have a whole new family… friends… boyfriend," Xander said aiming his last point at Angel.
Angel was staring at the manor and chose to let Xander's comment pass by, it's not like that idea hadn't already occurred to him, he knew that after all he'd done that he didn't deserve another chance with her… Whatever the body she was in. Suddenly he said, "She's not here."
"Huh?" Cordy questioned. "Did he give us the wrong address again?"
"I didn't say that she didn't live here… just that she's not at home now" Angel told her.
"Oh" Cordy replied embarrassed.
They all stood out the front of the manor trying to decide whether they should run away or embrace the lost part of their past, that was now an important part of their futures.
*****
MEANWHILE INSIDE THE MANOR:
"Our daughter is a reincarnated soul," Piper repeated slowly. "Big deal. Pheebs already proved that it does happen."
Leo sighed, "This is different, Piper. Emma has the full memories of her life as Buffy - birth, death and everything in-between."
{Oh My God, my poor baby} Piper thought. "So what exactly does this mean for her?" Piper asked Leo horrified at the thought of her daughter having to deal with the memories another life, on top of the one she already had.
"She has to complete the destiny that was set out for her last lifetime" Leo told Piper what he knew for sure, leaving out the bits about scooby gangs and vampires wanting to join with Emma.
"So…" Piper was confused. First Leo tells her this and then leaves her hanging for information.
"I don't know anything more than that… this time they are even more closed mouthed than usual" Leo replied upset, but not for the usual reasons. This time it was personal, the witch in trouble was his daughter and for once he didn't want to stumble through it blindly. He wasn't even supposed to really be involved since he wasn't Emma's white lighter.
"We'll get through this" Piper told him, going from being comforted to being the comforter. "We always do… we're the charmed ones."
"Emma's not just a charmed one" Leo said, "She's a slayer also… it's different. Demons attack her for different reasons than they attack you guys for. Plus she has to deal with the responsibilities of not only her witch powers, but also her white lighter powers."
Phoebe rushed into the room, cutting off anything that Piper was about to say. "Guys" she said anxiously, "You need to see this."
"What Pheebs?" Piper asked wondering what else could possibly go wrong tonight. Phoebe went over to the front window and checked on something.
"There is a bunch of strange people on your lawn having a debate… well actually it's more like a fight."
"WHAT?" Piper and Leo chorused getting up and going over to the living room window where Phoebe was standing.
They looked out and Leo said, "I know two of them."
"How?" Phoebe asked Leo, since everyone in the group was strangers to her and Piper.
"Business" Leo said as he went outside.
*****
Willow looked up at the sound of a door opening and saw a familiar face standing on the steps above them. "Leo?" she asked confused. What were she and Tara's white lighter doing here? The others stopped arguing and looked at Willow and then at the stranger standing there, looking at them.
"Willow… Tara? What are you doing here?" Leo asked them.
"Umm… we're kind of looking for someone" Willow mumbled shyly, she always got nervous around Leo because of his whole orbing thing.
Leo looked at them and realised who this rag-tag bunch were, "You're the scooby gang?"
A look of shock appeared on most of their faces and Giles whispered to the stranger, "How did you know?"
"Come inside and I'll try to explain" Leo told them.
*****
PART 7
Emma and Trisha were on their way back to the manor after the movie, escorted by Andy. Trisha was having a great time watching her cousin squirm as she tried to break off her and Andy's relationship, it was like he something was wrong and was hence forth avoiding having much of a conversation with her. They were just one block away from the manor, when they were jumped by an ugly demon. The demon looked at Emma and somehow it recognised her.
"It's you" it hissed, "I'm going to enjoy killing you again."
Emma momentarily froze as she was confronted by the memories of her… of Buffy's death… at the hands of this very demon. The demon used her distraction to swipe at her with its razor-like claws and slashed her side. The pain snapped her away from the bad memories and back to the present situation, she knew that she had to protect her cousin and Andy from this creature. She fought past the intense physical pain that she was in and used all the energy that she had remaining to orb them all to the manor and safety.
*****
Leo had just gotten everyone settled when his daughter, niece and his daughter's boyfriend suddenly appeared in the middle of the room. He was about to yell at Emma for orbing, when she passed out at his feet. "What in the hell is going on?" he demanded.
"We were like a block away, when some skanky, gross, slimy, horny-thing…" Trisha started.
"It was a demon" Andy translated, knowing that some people had trouble speaking Trisha's language.
"Yeah, it like jumped us. Then it said something… umm… Andy?"
"That he'd enjoy killing Emma again and then it attacked her" Andy finished.
"That is *so* totally what happened" Trisha agreed.
Leo looked down at his daughter and saw her injury; he lay his hand down over the wound and healed her. Unfortunately she was unconscious from the energy she'd expanded to save the others and herself, but she'd wake up when she was ready too.
*****
Angel couldn't take his eyes off the unconscious girl in the centre of the room; there was just something about her that drew him. Suddenly he realised why that was… she was Buffy. He didn't know what to do should he tell the others, they all seemed to be uncomfortable at the thought of Buffy in another body… all except Dawn. Angel knew that she would want to know, so he tried to subtly get her attention.
"What?" Dawn hissed at Angel after her jabbed her in the ribs with his elbow, "That hurt."
Angel paused for a moment trying to figure out how to put it delicately. When he couldn't he just whispered, "That's her."
Dawn took her attention away from the ensouled vampire and looked at the unconscious girl. As hard as she tried she just couldn't picture this girl being her sister, they were opposites physically, where Buffy had been blonde and petite, this girl was athletic and a brunette. "She looks different… shouldn't she look the same or at least similar?" Dawn whispered to Angel.
"Dawn… she's a different person" Angel tried to explain. "You can't expect a carbon copy of Buffy… I mean you look more like your dad, while Buffy took after Joyce. Why shouldn't this girl look like her parents?"
Dawn hated it when Angel was reasonable. "Fine" she grumbled at him.
The others noticed Dawn and Angel having a private conversation and Joyce still being mad at being forced to spend time with Angel went to break it up. "Dawn… stop talking to him" she hissed at her daughter.
"Mom, back off" Dawn hissed back. She was just so sick of Joyce and the other scoobies, except for Willow and Tara, treating Angel like some sort of leper, it wasn't his fault that Buffy died… she was the slayer; it was bound to happen sooner or later. "Angel doesn't deserve this treatment."
"But…" Joyce started to say. Dawn cut her off, "Besides if you had been nicer to Angel for the last twenty or so years he might've told you instead of me that, that unconscious girl is Buffy."
They all took in Dawn's words; a mixture of emotions ran through the scoobies anger, guilt and excitement. None of them apologised to Angel, they just stared at the girl in wonder. Dawn squeezed Angel's hand as a sign that she thought everything was going to be all right, Angel squeezed back allaying Dawn's fears that he'd do something stupid because of them and Wesley stood there whispering something inaudible to Cordy. All of them keeping busy waiting for the time the girl would awaken and they'd get some answers.
*****
Andy stared at the strange group in the living room; he didn't like them around because they were kind of weird. Besides they were staring at Emma and whispering, and they looked like they didn't even like each other. Then there was the broody guy, who seemed to have this unnatural fascination with Emma and Andy didn't like that, Emma was his girlfriend, they'd been together for almost four years. He'd helped her get through all sorts of crap… dealing with her powers as they increased in intensity and gained new ones, he'd even helped her through her anger at being called as the watcher's council's active slayer. He knew that Emma loved him as much as he loved her and that no broody, mysterious guy was going to come between them. Wondering whom those weirdoes' were, Andy went over to Prue and asked her.
"Sorry kid… I just got here before you arrived" Prue told him shaking her head.
"They have something to do with a prophecy in the book of shadows," Phoebe told them as she came up to them.
"Okay" Andy mumbled, staring at the guy again. He had a bad feeling that the guy was going to cause him trouble.
Phoebe looked at Andy, "You okay?"
"Sure Mrs Turner… Halliwell" Andy babbled never sure what to call Phoebe or Piper.
"Either one is fine Andy" Phoebe told him. She turned to Prue and asked, "Have you seen Cole?"
"Nope… it's been a good night so far," Prue answered.
Phoebe ignored her sister, "Maybe I should go look for him?"
Prue was about to say something sarcastic, when they heard a noise from the couch where they'd laid Emma. All of them rushed over to her, except Angel who hung back unsure whether this girl would want to see him. According to Willow before Buffy died she'd been having some major dreams about him, but what exactly about him he wasn't sure because Willow never even knew… what if she'd decided she hated him or something.
"Sweetie?" Leo said gently shaking her.
"Just five more minutes, daddy" Emma mumbled.
With that comment everyone relaxed, she was going to be all right. Now all that remained was for them to wait for her to wake up and then discuss the battle… not to mention how much she wanted to do with her past life and the appearance of the people from it.
*****
PART 8
Emma started to come to full consciousness about twenty minutes later and tried to sit up, but felt dizzy and nauseous. She lay back down and settled for slowly opening her eyes and scanning the room, at first she didn't see anyone and then she saw Angel standing in the corner. Emma quickly closed her eyes again, figuring that she was hallucinating Angel's presence… there was no possible way that Angel was standing in her living room, was there? But then again hadn't her father told her that her friends were coming for the battle? It was entirely possible that this really was Angel. She opened her eyes again and saw he was still there and he was staring at her.
"Hi" she said.
"Hello" Angel replied. From her vague greeting he had no idea whether she remembered him or not, for all he knew she could think he was some strange guy who broke into her house.
Emma slowly and carefully raised herself into a sitting position and stared at Angel. He still looked perfect, just like he had all those years ago… just like he had that thanksgiving, but something was different about him. It wasn't just the clothes, even though he had apparently discovered that there are more colours available in clothing than black or grey… there was something else, she couldn't figure it out.
"Where is everyone?" she asked him.
Angel was still standing there nervous and unsure of himself. "They're upstairs" he replied figuring that she was referring to her family and not the others. He kept waiting for her to offer some sort of evidence that she recognised him or something, but she just sat there passively.
Silence descended upon them. Emma sat there desperately wanting to say something to him about this situation, but couldn't… after all he'd given no indication that he knew she had once been Buffy Summers, his friend, his lover and his soul mate. What if he didn't know and she somehow upset him by saying it, she didn't want to cause him any pain. Angel finally decided to take a chance.
"They should be back soon… Leo and Giles are comparing prophecies" he told her, willing her to answer with something that would give him hope.
"Nice to know he hasn't changed… What's with him and prophesies anyway?" Emma answered.
"Who?" Angel asked needing just a bit more.
Emma realised he knew and decided to throw him a bone. "Giles" Emma replied, "The guy who lives to decipher cryptic prophecies of the slayer's life."
"Buffy" Angel said happily.
"Not at the moment… but I used to be" she answered him. Then she asked, "So what's new? Since I… you know… died." Angel seemed to be a little uncomfortable around her, but she was too. She realised things weren't just going to fall back into place… even if they did, twenty years ago she and he weren't even on speaking terms.
"What do you want to know?" he asked her hoping that this unsettling feeling would go away. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do… even if what he was feeling was normal? All he knew was that although this girl before him was Buffy… part of her was a totally new person and maybe this lifetime she wanted something other than him, maybe she wanted that guy she'd appeared with he had looked nice and normal. So what if his very presence made Angel want to rip him into tiny pieces for Spike to consume… as long as she was happy.
Emma saw how uncomfortable Angel looked (almost as much as she felt) and decided that she'd settle for the basics, "Anything you want to tell me" she said.
"Well… Cordy married Wesley" he said nervously. There was something's he didn't want her to know about just yet, like the Darla episode… especially the *Darla* episode.
Emma stared at him like he'd grown another head. "Wait… the May queen married the bookworm."
Angel relaxed; talking to her was just like talking to the original version of Buffy. "If you think that's weird… wait until I tell you the rest."
*****
At that moment Giles was saying how the prophecies were identical. "This battle is going to happen and I believe it will happen soon" Giles finished off. He was nervous about being here, what if the information that the host had given them was wrong? Or Angel's Buffy sense was way off and that poor girl down there was about to be put through an emotional roller coaster for nothing.
Leo was trying to listen to what Giles was saying, but they suddenly called him, with new information. He turned to the group and said, "Excuse me… business." Before anyone could say anything Leo orbed away in the same manner as the girl had arrived.
"What the…" Xander started to say.
"Oh… how did he?" Giles asked in a strangled voice. He didn't know what was going on and Giles just didn't like that sensation.
"He's a white lighter" Piper told them, all the time wishing that Leo wouldn't orb in front of strangers leaving her to deal with their questions.
"A what?" Xander asked. He was also confused, but mostly by the fact that only the disappearing guy freaked him, Giles, Cordy and Wes.
"Honey" Anya said, "White lighters guide witches."
"How do you know?" Xander asked suspiciously.
"Well, once I took vengeance on one who had dallied with his witch and then dumped her… yep, the boils on his genitals were a nice touch" Anya told them.
"Great" Phoebe whispered, "We now have a vengeance demon to deal with as well."
"*Ex*. I lost my power centre because of Cordy and her stupid wish… Buffy free Sunnydale, huh" Anya informed the charmed ones.
Andy watched the goings on and asked that Xander guy, who was the most normal looking to him, whom that guy downstairs was.
"Oh, that's Angel… vampire with a soul" Xander replied.
"Vampire?" Piper asked. She hoped that was some sort of sick twisted joke and that her only child was not downstairs with some bloodsucker.
"Don't worry" Giles said. "He does have a soul. In fact he is…" He stopped unsure about how to inform this woman that her daughter's intended was a demon.
"What Giles is trying to say is that Angel is Buffy's soulmate" Dawn said, "And now that Buffy is Emma…"
"He's her soulmate too," Piper said sinking to the floor in shock. Her baby was destined for a vampire; just what this family needed… it already has witches, slayers, white lighters and demons… {Well what's one more in the mix?} Piper thought, {Oh, boy… Leo's going to freak.}
"What do you mean his soulmate… she's my girlfriend" Andy grumbled. There was no way that guy was having Emma, she was his no matter what these weirdos say.
All the scoobies looked at each other, none of them wanted to break this young man's heart with the news that there wasn't any choice in this, sooner or later Angel and Buffy (in whatever form she may be) will be together.
*****
When the others came downstairs, they were all shocked to see that Angel was talking to the girl. The scooby and A.I gangs exchanged looks; from their point of view it was total déjà vu… Buffy and Angel were back together, although not as they would normally be. The charmed ones and assorted others were shocked. There was Emma, an extremely shy individual and the current slayer, conversing with the vampire that was her apparent soulmate and intended according to those strangers.
"Are we interrupting anything?" Piper called out. She was disturbed that her daughter was so comfortable around this man… she wondered why that was so and vowed to find out the reason as soon as possible.
"Angel was just filling me in" Emma told her mother. "Where's daddy?"
"*They* called" Piper replied coming the rest of the way down the stairs. "What was he filling you in on?"
"Stuff."
"Oh… what kind of stuff?" Piper asked in her sickly sweet 'I don't believe you' voice.
"You know… who got married, who turned lesbian… the usual" Emma said.
Piper eyed Angel suspiciously; she had a feeling that he had an interest in her daughter. "Okay."
By this time everyone else had come down the stairs also and they seemed to have formed sides. All of Emma's family and friends were standing behind her and all of the scooby gang; Cordy and Wes were in front. Another noticeable fact was all of the people in front were staring at her… waiting for her to say something to prove that she had indeed once been their Buffy.
"Hi Guys" Emma said nervously. "So where's chip-head?"
*****
Meanwhile Leo was standing before his bosses and trying to convince himself that what he was hearing was a giant mistake on the PTB's part. "But he's a *VAMPIRE*!" Leo finally exploded, "My baby girl is not in love or going to fall in love with that… thing."
"It is already written… the star-crossed lovers shall be one, once more," a voice told him.
"But…" he started to object.
"Be still white lighter. If the ensouled one survives the battle, he will no longer be the undead" another voice replied trying to calm Leo down.
Leo sighed in relief over that. It seemed that the monster would at least be human before he laid a hand on his daughter. If he was honest with himself that is what bothered him and not the fact that Angel was a vampire… just that Angel was a vampire with a very personal interest in his daughter.
"However with the clause gone, the warriors will most likely consummate their relationship before the battle," the first voice added.
Leo paled with shock; he couldn't believe that they were discussing his daughter sleeping with that darn vampire in front of him like it was no big deal. "Are you sure that they really are… soulmates?" Leo asked praying that there was a mistake.
"Fear not white lighter" the second voice, said, "They belong together, as do you and the witch."
"Be gone," the first voice said.
Leo nodded and orbed back to the manor to tell everyone some of the information he had just found out. When he returned he found everyone was waiting for him in the living room, minus Emma. "Where is she?" he asked his wife concerned.
"She's changing her clothes… something about blood sticking to her, half her body being exposed and a room full of perverts" Piper replied.
"I have some information and she needs to be here to hear it," Leo said.
"I'll get her," Willow volunteered. She was desperate to get the girl alone and talk to her, to find out if she really was who they thought she was.
"It's upstairs… third door on the left" Piper told her.
*****
Willow stood outside Emma's door nervously for a few seconds, not entirely sure how to react to this young woman. Even though they had all told her she was Buffy, she wasn't sure she quite believed it. She knew that Spike hadn't believed it and had volunteered to patrol the Hellmouth while they were away, instead of heading off on a fools errand… apparently it might not quite be what Angel, or anyone else had expected. Willow could sense that although Angel and this new girl weren't together… in any way, that her having a boyfriend in her new life had wounded him deeply. She took a deep breath, gathered her courage and knocked.
"Come in" a muffled voice came through the door. Willow entered the room and found a room that was tastefully decorated, a lot of it antiques. Emma came out from behind a dressing screen and saw Willow staring, "It was grams room before she died… she had great taste."
"Yeah, it's beautiful. Did she give it to you before she died?" Willow asked curiously.
"No after."
"She left it to you?" Willow questioned. "No… mom told her that she was pregnant and grams said that I, the first great-grandchild, simply must have her old room" Emma replied.
"Grams is a ghost?"
"I prefer to think of her as a free spirit" Emma answered, "She shows up occasionally to help us out."
"Whoa" Willow said sitting down on the bed, freaked out by the whole ghost thing, she didn't like ghosts. "So how are you?" Willow said changing the subject.
"Fine… Are you okay, Wils? You seem kind of nervous," Emma said sitting down next to her.
"Its not every day you meet the best friend you ever had reincarnated" Willow replied.
"That's true," she said trying to understand. "So tell me what's happened to you…start with college."
"It's a long, boring story," Willow warned her.
"I'm not going anywhere… this time."
"Okay…" Willow said beginning to tell her story.
*****
PART 9
It was almost half an hour later that a sheepish Emma and Willow made their way downstairs to where everyone was still waiting for them.
"Sorry… it was my fault" Emma said.
"No, it was mine" Willow said.
Leo sighed, "It doesn't matter. Let's just get started." He had the nasty feeling that his daughter had been pumping his charge for information on that vampire and wanted to get Emma's mind away from him as quickly as possible. "I've talked with the powers and *they* insist that we know as much as we need to know… however some of the other white lighters have heard some rumours about what is to take place. They said that the demon that killed Buffy and attacked Emma will be leading the charge and something called the scourge… is involved too."
"What's the scourge?" Willow asked confused, she'd never heard of it.
"They're a demon army that want to purge the Earth of all human life and half-breed demons," Cordy answered before Wes could. "Even vampires… they don't consider them real demons." Everyone sat there and stared at Cordy in shock. "What? Did you all think I was some sort of brainless bimbo, who answered phones and got visions?" Cordy asked.
Everyone was silent for a moment and then Wesley spoke, "Of course not dear."
"Don't lie" Anya suddenly said, "Xander said she's a brain-dead bitca."
"Xander's the one who's brain-dead" Wesley replied.
Before a fight could break out, Angel turned the topic back to the battle. "We've fought the scourge before… they won't be easy to get rid of."
"No demon is ever easy to get rid of," Prue said.
Cole chose that moment to enter the manor, "Hi everyone. Sorry I'm late."
"See what I mean," Prue added wryly.
After much debate and a fist fight between Anya and Wesley, the scooby gang and Angel, Cordy and Wes headed back to their hotel, promising to return the next night. When they'd gone all of them looked at Emma curiously.
"What did I do now?" she asked.
"Nothing" Phoebe said, "I'm just trying to picture you being friends with them."
"She was a different person then" Andy argued. He'd been silent all since they'd come downstairs and seen Emma and Angel's little chat.
"I don't quite know what to make of all this" Prue said. "They're here to help and that's all that matters to me. Come on Andy, I'll drop you home" Prue added seeing that he was spoiling for a fight, not that she blamed him, who would want to find out that your girlfriend's soulmate was a vampire and not you.
As Prue and Andy left, Cole who had sat there utterly confused since he'd walked in asked, "Who were those people?"
They all looked at each other and broke out into laughter, which bewildered Cole even more. Phoebe, Cole and Trisha left and Piper, Leo and Emma went to bed. Each hoping that tomorrow they'd find something new to help them in this battle, which was sure to be the worst thing that any of them had ever lived through.
*****
A couple hours later Emma was still awake, no matter how hard she tried to fall asleep she just couldn't. Her mind was still reeling over everything and she decided that a quick patrol might help tire her out so she could finally get some sleep. She left the manor and had only taken a few steps when she bumped into someone.
"Sorry" she mumbled trying to move past, but they grabbed her arm.
She was about to attack when the person said, "It's okay… it's just me."
"Angel?"
"Yeah" he answered nervously, "Why are you out so late?"
Emma smiled at him, "I couldn't sleep. What about you?"
"I… uh… didn't want to leave you," he mumbled softly. He was freaked to be near her, but even more freaked to be without her… she was his entire destiny. They just needed some time to get to know each other again.
Emma heard what he said and suddenly, without knowing what came over her, she was in his arms kissing him. A little voice in her head started screaming 'you don't know him anymore, twenty years can change a person', but that voice was nearly drowned out by the one from her heart that kept telling her 'this is right, you belong here'. Angel could hardly believe that he was holding her in his arms again; it had just been so long.
"Oh Buffy" he murmured.
Emma tried not to laugh, but couldn't hold it in. Angel broke away from her and looked at her like she was nuts. "Sorry" she told him, "It's just… well… that's not my name."
"What?" Angel asked feeling confused and deprived.
"You called me, Buffy. That's not my name… anymore."
"What is your name?" Angel asked her somewhat embarrassed. He'd practically attacked the girl and he hadn't even asked her name… he hadn't done that since before he was a vampire.
"Emma" she told him, she thought his embarrassment was cute.
"Emma… I like it" he told her still embarrassed.
"I like you" Emma teased. She regretted it the moment it popped out of her mouth, she was afraid that it would give him the wrong idea about their relationship… if they had one.
"Just like?" Angel asked. He really wanted to know the answer… he knew that he was still in love with her, the Buffy part and he liked what he saw of the new parts, but what did she feel for him?
Emma's smile faded and she swallowed nervously. "Angel… I don't know. I mean I have all these feelings and I don't know if they are mine, hers… or ours…" she told him unable to meet his eyes.
Angel looked at her and gently lifted her face up to meet his, "I understand."
Emma kissed him on the cheek and said, "I'd better get back in… I'll see you later."
"Night" Angel told her. He watched her head inside and waited until her light went out, then he slowly walked away, already anticipating their next meeting.
*****
When Emma came downstairs the next morning she was in a fantastic mood, she was smiling and dancing around singing some old song. Leo saw this and was suddenly suspicious as to why she was in that great of a mood. "Good morning. Why are you so cheerful?"
"I'm young, healthy, having a great hair day… and in serious like" Emma replied, "Isn't that reason enough?"
Leo took a deep breath; it seemed that his baby liked that vampire. Suspiciously he asked, "How much in like?"
Emma stopped bouncing around and the smile fell from her face when she realised what her father was asking. "Don't you trust me? I told you we couldn't do anything because of the clause… Anyway we so do not know each other well enough to do that."
"Well you did go out last night?"
"I went patrolling" Emma said.
Leo looked at her, "What did you slay?"
"Nothing, Angel was outside. We talked and then I came right back in" Emma defended herself. She knew that her father was worried about her, but history just seemed to be repeating itself. Last time around she'd had to defend herself to the scoobies over her seeing Angel and now this time it was her dad. "Daddy… I'm not promising that I'll never see him, but I promise nothing is going to happen."
"I know and I'm sorry baby," Leo said hugging her. "It's just you're my little girl and the thought of anyone doing anything with you… well it makes me crazy."
"It's okay daddy," Emma said. She did understand she was his only daughter and child… he didn't want to lose her. "I'm going to go get Trisha and then we're going jogging in the park, okay?"
"Okay" Leo replied. He watched her leave and let out a deep breath, he'd almost driven her away with his suspicions about Angel and he realised that his little girl was growing up. Unfortunately he didn't want her too, but he'd eventually learn to deal with it and he also knew one day, sooner than he even probably realised, he'd have to let her go.
*****
Later on that afternoon, the scoobies and A.I gang were holding a meeting to discuss the night before in Angel's room. "She's so young!" Xander exclaimed, "Can you believe how young she is? We were never that young."
"We were even younger" Willow reminded him.
"I didn't know Buffy" Tara said, "But this girl seems nice."
"I don't even know what to say to her" Giles added, "I know she was our Buffy, but…"
"You didn't ask her name" Anya interrupted them.
"Excuse me" Giles said, "What are you talking about?"
"You didn't ask her name. I seriously doubt her new parents were stupid enough to call her Buffy this time" Anya said.
"Anya's right" Willow agreed. She suddenly felt guilty; she'd had a long talk with the girl and not even asked her name.
"Buffy isn't a stupid name" Joyce muttered under her breath, "And Hank named her not me."
Angel suddenly spoke up from his brooding corner; "Her name is Emma."
Cordy looked at her friend and asked him, "Did the host tell you that?"
"Uh… no."
"Ooh, she told you while we were looking at their Book of Shadows" Willow suggested.
"Not exactly."
"Well then?" Wesley asked him.
"I… kind of went back there," Angel said quietly.
They all stared at him in shock, and then Xander began yelling. "What were you thinking? What about the clause? You'd endanger us all, so you could get there first?"
"Shut up Xander, you stupid moron" Cordy told her ex. "You have no idea what you're talking about. Angel's soul is bound… it was a reward from the PTB for… service." Since everyone seemed to buy that, she didn't have to tell everyone that he'd received it for not to giving into any sort of happiness when he slept with Darla.
Suddenly Dawn flew across the room and into Angel's arms. Hugging him she said, "That's so great." She meant it too, unlike her mother she'd always believed that Buffy and Angel had meant to be. Now with Buffy reborn as Emma and Angel's soul being bound… they could finally be happy together.
"Congratulations Angel" Willow told him, her thoughts mirroring Dawn's.
"Well… it's good to know that we're not going to die" Xander said.
"At least not by my hands" Angel told him, thinking about the upcoming battle with the scourge.
*****
PART 10
That night when the gang arrived at the manor, they found the witches in a foul mood. "What's going on here?" Giles asked. He was confused as to what was going on, they all seemed fine yesterday and now…
"When we checked the Book of Shadows this morning, we found a new part to the prophecy" Piper said. "It gives a time frame for the battle."
"Show us" Giles simply said.
Leo led Giles up to the attic, where he read:
The battle will occur one and seven
After the memories regain
. The killer of her former self
Shall try to bring hell to earth
Only the joining of the warriors
And the greatest sacrifice
Can defeat this
"Emma? Angel?" Giles asked Leo.
"Yeah" Leo responded. "Emma thinks it means something will happen to Angel."
"It's possible" Giles conceded. "Of course Angel will jump to the conclusion that it has to do with Emma. Maybe it has to do with us. With them losing a friend or family member."
Leo didn't want either of Giles' suggestions to come true, he wanted everyone to survive… even Angel. "We should get back downstairs, Piper's libel to convince them all that they face impending doom," Leo told Giles.
"Why would she do that?" Giles asked confused, Piper seemed like such a sensible woman.
"Phoebe had a vision this morning, it was Emma leaning over someone's body" Leo said, "And Phoebe won't say whose body it was."
"And Piper is convinced it's one of us?"
"Why else would Emma lean over the body" was all Leo said as he headed out of the attic, leaving Giles to follow.
*****
When they came downstairs they saw everyone standing around uncomfortably, it seemed that no one had moved from their places since their arrival. Giles moved over to his group and began to fill them in on the rest of the prophecy, after many startled gasps and major cases of denial Angel spoke. "It has to do with Emma… something's going to happen to her."
Giles sighed, "Well she's convinced it's you who will sacrifice something."
"That's rid…" Angel started to say something and then he remembered thanksgiving, when he sacrificed his humanity to save her.
Giles continued, this time addressing all of them. "I actually believe this refers to the death or deaths of some of us… a sacrifice on our part." He noticed Piper give Phoebe a dirty look as he was saying this and the actual look on Phoebe's face seemed to confirm his theory. Emma looked pale and withdrawn, he felt sorry for her… it seemed as though she couldn't win with this, it was either her or Angel that would most likely die or one of her friends or family. He went over to her and said, "Maybe you should call your watcher and fill them in on this."
"I can't… She's at the watcher's retreat in London" Emma replied her voice devoid of emotion, "I don't know how to get in touch with her."
"Then call your white lighter" Leo told his daughter. He was concerned why she hadn't turned up already; she always seemed to be there the second she found out anything.
"I don't think that's such a good idea, dad" Emma replied. She really didn't need to deal with this… when they saw who her white lighter was…
"Call her" Leo insisted, "She should be here."
"Okay" Emma said, "But you're responsible for any trouble this causes." Emma took a deep breath, as the others looked at her curiously, "JENNY!"
*****
TBC...