Armageddon SagaBuffy awoke the next late afternoon to find a woman sneaking into their bedroom with
Chapter Eighteen: Bull's Playground
By the Lady Sirona ladysirona@LadySirona.com
fresh tea and crackers. Buffy glanced quickly at her and Angel, and while all essential
parts were covered, it was obvious he was sleeping in the nude. He was lying on his back
hiding his telltale tattoo."Oh I am sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” The woman whispered. "I wanted to have
fresh tea and crackers ready for you when you woke so you could have it before you got
out of bed." The woman put the tray down on Buffy's side of the bed. She tried, but was
unable to keep her eyes of Angel's sleeping form."Thank you." Buffy took the offered glass and the crackers and started to nibble. It was
true; it did help her feel better."You are lucky. You have a handsome man." The woman blushed and darted out of the
room with Buffy looking at her retreating back, confused."What was that all about?" Angel asked as he rolled over and snuggled into her lap.
Buffy just shrugged and continued to nibble on the crackers."It's still early for me." Angel yawned; he rolled over and snuggled into her and started
to stroke her with long luxurious strokes. She returned the favor..."Where is everyone?" Buffy asked as they entered the kitchen. Usually the house was
bedlam by the time they got up and moving. Today it was silent. Buffy, looked at the
woman who seemed highly agitated.~ There are children trapped in the bull's field.” Angel looked out the door to gauge the
sunlight. It was going into dusk, and he could tolerate the indirect sunlight moderately
well. Angel grabbed Xander's sunglasses he left on the table and ran out the door with
Buffy in hot pursuit.They arrived at the bull's field to find five children up in a tree with an enraged bull at its
base. The men were trying to see how they could get the children without having to kill
the bull. The bull had a mission, to get the kids."We have been at it for hours." Xander ran up to update Buffy and Angel. "We can't get
the kids! They are thinking they may have to kill the bull, but that will bankrupt the
tribe.""Let me try to distract the bull, you get the kids Buffy.” Angel walked toward the field,
and Buffy followed. "Get me a red cloth, I am going to occupy the bull while Buffy gets
the kids." He told Karl and Giles at the fence.A red cloth was placed into Angel's hand and he made some quick bull fighting moves
with it. Now if he could just remember what he learned in Spain in the ring in the 1820's
it would work."Your crazy!" Karl ran up to Angel and grabbed his arm. "He'll kill you! I cannot allow
you to risk your life like this!""So you will bankrupt the tribe or let the children die?" Angel snarled at him. Buffy was
outraged by either choice."My commands from The Lady Tirla is to assist you vampire hunting in any way
necessary.” Karl barked back. "It was not to let you risk yourself or The Slayer in an
attempt to save the children. You will save the future.""Get the hell out of my way!" Buffy pushed past Karl and was followed closely by Angel.
"The children are the future and are what are important now. Even if it takes an extra
night or two to finish our task with the catacomb vampires.” Angel finished and nodded to
Buffy who was up on the fence, and he jumped the fence easily and strode out into the
field.He waved the cloth and the bull charged him. The spectators stared in amazement when
he executed a perfect matador move and evaded the charging bull. Angel even started to
yell at the bull in Castilian Spanish as he taunted the bull keeping it away from the
children and Buffy.Buffy darted forward and jumped up into the tree to the amazement of the Gypsies
watching. She cleared 10 feet easily and grabbed two children and jumped down and ran
for the fence rapidly, jumping over the fence clearing with a foot to spare.The bull was outraged! His prey had escaped! He charged at Buffy and the children the
other side of the fence. Everyone took a step back.Angel yelled something loudly in Gaelic that Giles faintly recognized as an old obscenity
no longer used, and flapped the red cloth in the bulls face. The bull once again returned to
his tormentor who was within his reach and again charged Angel, who sidestepped and
taunted the bull once again.Buffy repeated the act and climbed into the tree, grabbing two more children. As she
prepared to jump down, the third child, terrified to be left alone in the tree, flung himself
at her. They all crashed to the ground in a large pile at the base of the tree.The bull turned toward the children's cries, ignoring the screams and calls of the
spectators, and of Angel, and started to bear down on the children. Time stood still for
everyone."NO!" Angel screamed as he saw the bull bearing down on Buffy and the children! Angel
ran forward at full speed and grabbed the bull by the horns and twisted with all his
vampiric might, bringing the bull to his knees.The bull reared back and the spectators watched in horror as the bull threw Angel in the
air and caught him on a horn, passing through his abdomen and exiting out his back. Angel
screamed in his pain as the bull threw him into the fence.Giles and Xander dragged him to safety as Buffy cleared the fence with the three
children and dropped them in the dirt as she ran to Angel's side as he lay in an
ever-widening pool of blood.Karl stood next to Angel, looking down in horror at what he knew was a lethal wound.
The Slayer's consort was dying for the children of the tribe and there was nothing he or
anyone could do about it. Karl was horrified.Giles and Xander started to pick up Angel and were assisted by the rest of the men.
Buffy held his head and walked wit them. Tears streaming down her face.They placed him on the bed after the women covered the mattress in plastic. They left
the Slayer with her consort, positive it would be a death vigil. It could take days to die of
such a wound. They had seen it before. They left with sorrow in their hearts for the
lovers soon to be parted.Xander ran up to one of the young men who was one of the drivers. "Take me to the
nearest slaughter house!" Told to obey, he did so.Buffy held Angel and cried. He was barely conscious from blood loss. "Go Buffy...
Leave... I can't control...” He slipped into darkness and Buffy held him as time crawled.Xander suddenly entered the room carrying a large container and a gypsy youth followed
with another. Xander waved the youth to deposit the bucket and Xander carried his to
the bedside. The youth retired from the room as Xander pulled a large glass out of his
shirt and reached down and popped the top off the bucket.Angel snapped up with the smell of fresh blood, still warm from the slaughterhouse as his
face slid into game face and he growled. Buffy filled the glass and held it to his lips and
he drank in rapid gulps, growling softly. When the glass was empty, she refilled it and
repeated the feeding. She looked down at the five-gallon container. *Will Angel drink all
this blood? * Angel never stopped drinking, until it was nearly all gone. Then he fell
asleep his face changing to human. Buffy just held him as he slept. She looked up.
Xander had left sometime during the feeding.Buffy held him. She almost lost him tonight! He had almost bled to death! She stroked
his face, and looked into his eyes. OH God he almost died! If Xander hadn't gotten the
blood he would possibly been driven to kill a human to feed and she knew that would have
destroyed him! She almost lost him! Buffy sank into his arms and thanked god he still
survived!