Armageddon SagaBuffy lay on the bed in tears, not sure if she should cry or scream. Angel had gone after
Chapter Twenty-one:
Distractions/Girl Talk
By the Lady Sirona ladysirona@LadySirona.com
Raphael alone, while injured! She punched the pillow hard. Damn him! "Buffy?" She
heard Willow's voice, and rolled over to face the hacker. Buffy rubbed at her eyes in a
vain attempt to scrub away the tears. Why was she crying all the time? It was so
frustrating, as well as humiliating!"Hi Will, come on in," Buffy said automatically. Willow entered the room followed by
two young Romani girls about her and Willows age. Buffy glanced at them. Why were
they here?"Giles sent us up for some girl talk," Will said as she smiled as Buffy's mouth dropped.
"Girl talk?" Buffy sputtered. "He's trying to distract me from this bullshit, harebrained,
idiotic act of Angel's!""What did he do?" The tall dark haired girl asked as they sat on the bed next to the
Slayer. Buffy looked at her. She was beautiful in a sultry sort of way. She could see why
Angelus went after the Gypsy woman. They all looked utterly gorgeous! Buffy
remembered they had been introduced, her name was Kara."He went after the vampire Raphael alone, hurt and injured, to get the kids back." Buffy
spat out, fear for him boiling in her."The VAMPIRE Raphael?" The other girl asked shocked. She was amazed anyone
would 'go after' a vampire. He was crazy!Buffy turned to look at her, she resembled the other girl. Buffy remembered her name
was Nianna. Her opinion of Angel's mental state matched Buffy's.Buffy sighed. "Yeah, and he did it while he is weak and injured. Raphael is strong...."
Buffy stared off into space wondering if she would ever see Angel again."Well, maybe he has a plan, he usually has a plan, I am sure he has a plan Buffy," Willow
rambled trying to distracted the distraught Slayer. ."Ok Willow, I realize all I can do is wait. Your right, he probably has a plan, he knows
this Raphael, and probably knows how to kill him. If Giles is right and Raphael is off
alone it will be one on one." Buffy sighed and hugged the pillow she had beaten on
previously."He's your boyfriend?" Kara asked. She had noticed the tall dark and handsome man
who went everywhere the Slayer went. All the women had noticed him. Here was a
chance to find out some real juicy information about him and the Slayer, stories for the
grandchildren!"Yeah," Buffy smiled and looked down at her Claddagh ring she wore. The heart faced
her, and she smiled thinking how it's counterpart rode on his hand."Beautiful ring. Did he give it to you?" Nianna asked. "What does it mean?" She
remembered such a ring on the man's hand."The hands represent friendship, the crown represents loyalty, the heart, love. When
worn facing you it means someone has your heart." Buffy smiled remembering his
hesitant gift to her on the pier."How romantic." Kara blurted. To have such an item from such a handsome man made
her teeth tingle! He was handsome and romantic!"Yeah he is romantic." Buffy smiled and her eyes unfocused. Willow smiled; this was
exactly what Giles wanted her to do. Be distracted. "Did you know Will, that in his
culture, where he came from, these are wedding bands?" Buffy asked quietly. Willow's
mouth dropped."How long have you two been together?" Kara asked Willow suddenly. Willow looked at
her confused."Who two?" Willow stammered.
"You and Sander," Kara smiled at the hacker's distress. She noticed that Willow liked
putting the Slayer on the hot seat, but didn't know what to do when it was her turn."Xander?" Willow babbled, both delaying and correcting her pronunciation at the same
time. "We are just friends.” She drifted off with a thoughtful look on her face."He doesn't now you love him?" Liana asked softly. "Ha! Just like a man. Oblivious!"
"Ha! How long did it take Jared to notice you?” Kara teased her partner.
"Oh yes. It took him years, but it was worth the wait!" Nianna laughed, and her eyes got
dreamy."Ok, 'fess up, details!" Buffy sat up. This was as close to entertainment as there was
around here. Even worlds apart, girls could bond over guys."You met Jared the night you arrived. He was the handsome one driving the van."
Buffy's mind recalled faintly a dark haired youth. She didn't have the heart to tell the
girl when she was with Angel she never noticed any other man. She smiled at the love in
the Gypsy girl’s eyes."I have liked and then loved him all my life." Nianna continued. He danced with me last
Saturday, and we snuck out to the barn..." She drifted off then and blushed when she
realized they were all hanging on every word. "It was my first time with a man," Her
head snapped up, and looked at Willow "What about you?""I haven't yet," Willow said slowly. The girls looked doubtful, knowing she and Xander
shared a room. "I've kissed a couple of times... but not that... yet...""I haven't either," said Kara softly. "I want to though! But you have to be so careful."
She giggled as everyone nodded. "Was he your first?" She asked Buffy. Buffy looked
off as her eyes got dreamy, and she nodded. "How did you meet him?" Kara prodded."He showed up when I first moved to the Hellmouth. The vampire Lothos had killed my
original Watcher, and my Mom moved to the Hellmouth. At first he would show up, give
me a cryptic warning and disappear. He warned me a lot about the activity of the local
vampires. He gave me this cross." Buffy played with the cross absentmindedly while she
talked. Buffy fell into her memories of the early time with Angel, it was so good to talk
about him!"Cryptic?" Kara was confused at the word.
"Short warning without a lot of information, and is kinda vague." Willow filled them in on
the definition. "Her nick name for him till we learned his name was 'Cryptic Guy'. " The
girls nodded. I matched what they had seen of the Slayer's consort."The Vampire master was tired of me interfering with his plans and killing his followers
so he sent three very strong vampires called ‘The Three’ after me" Buffy frowned at the
memory."Angel rescued me from them and we escaped to my house. He had been injured, and I
bandaged him up and he slept on the floor of my room that night." Buffy smiled
remembering how cute he was, and how he had let her know there wasn't anyone in his
life."That was your first time?" Kara asked. It sounded like a folk tale. She knew she would
have had it be her first time with that handsome man in her bedroom!"No, we spent several months getting to know one another. We thought it wouldn't work
out at first, with me being the Slayer and all and him being..." Buffy stopped herself.
"Slaying isn't a real long lived profession." She told them quietly.They stared at her. They never thought about the dangers of her calling. She fought
every night and battled vampires and demons. She protected the world from the powers
of darkness. Kara shuddered."Over the next few months we got closer. He is sweet, charming and thoughtful. He
never pushed me in any way," She smiled as she thought of him and played with her
Claddagh ring."He gave me this the night of my seventeenth Birthday. When we fought the Judge for
the first time. He was a demon who was going to destroy humanity, and we barely got
away with our lives. We went back to his apartment. We were wet, cold, and painfully
aware we had almost lost each other. We both nearly died. If we couldn't stop the Judge,
life on the planet as we knew it would be over." The girls stared at her. This was the
stuff of legends, and they were the ones learning of it right from the Slayer!"I couldn't stop myself, we made love that night," She sighed and a tear streaked down
her face confusing the girls. "He was so loving, and gentle. It was so beautiful..." Buffy's
voice broke and she couldn't talk. Tears streamed down her cheeks."Why do you cry?" Kara asked gently. “You loved him and he loves you? This is good
Yes?" Kara was confused, he was handsome, strong, thoughtful and romantic, sweet and
caring...why the tears?Buffy looked at them. She knew his identity was known to Karl, if not most of the
"adults" of the by tribe now. It would only be a matter of time before they all would
know..."He sounds too good to be true." Nianna observed. Willow snorted and Buffy laughed.
"In a way, you’re right." Buffy started slowly, "I am a 17 year old Slayer, and he is a 245
year old ensouled vampire. Not exactly a romance made in heaven..." Willow was
snorting with the incongruity of it all. "The Fates have a real sick sense of humor."The girls just stared at Buffy in shock. *VAMPYRE? The Vampire Slayer loves a
Vampyre?*"Your first lover was a vampire?” Kara asked astounded.
Buffy nodded. "Not only my first, my only." Buffy mumbled. This was weird talking to
women about her 'true' relationship with Angel. It was also thrilling, in a way."Does he ever bite you?" Nianna asked. She had heard tales and myths about vampires,
and here was a way to find out the truth! Curiosity was driving her crazy!"Little nips." Buffy said as she blushed. Willow looked slightly shocked. "He doesn't
take much, but it *is* an instinct for him. It does however, leave one hell of a hickey."
Buffy laughed. It really was so good to be able to really talk about what was real..."Wow, a vampire. Why isn't he like all the rest? What makes him different?" Nianna
asked hesitantly."He has a soul. By way of The Lady Tirla, he has his soul. Most vampires are soulless
demon controlled monsters. He isn't." Buffy sighed and rolled over onto her stomach."Does he ever kill humans for blood?" Kara asked.
"To the best of my knowledge, he has never killed a human for blood while he has had his
soul.” Buffy said quietly and then let out a deep heartfelt sigh. "When he is without his
soul, and the demon is in control, he was, is… quite vicious."Willow nodded in agreement. She remembered all too well the night at the school, when
Angelus had her in a chokehold, and wanted to kill her and leave her for a gift for Buffy."Wow," The Gypsy girls sighed in unison. This was incredible. It was the real stuff of
legends. Talk about being star-crossed lovers. A Slayer and a vampire in love... unreal!"What is it like, making love with a vampire?" Kara asked softly.
"Well," Buffy replied. "I have only been with him, so I have nothing to compare it to. I
believe except that for his oral fixation and neck fetish, he is the same as any guy. He
can however kiss for hours, since he doesn't need to breath..." Buffy drifted off and was
staring off into space dreamily as the girls digested that little tidbit.Slowly, the 'real' ramifications of that statement sank into the girls thought processes
and their jaws dropped. "We do a lot at night obviously, no day time activity for us."
Willow
laughed with Buffy at that, as the girls chuckled."So, why did you cry?" Kara called Buffy back to the start of the conversation.
"Well, I loved him and he loved me, and we were completely happy together,” Buffy
stared off and they could see the pain in her eyes. "When we made love on my
seventeenth birthday, he was completely happy, and it broke the spell that anchored his
soul. The demon was released. I fought him but I couldn't kill him... and people died
because of my failure...” Buffy sighed a deep sigh. "Lady Tirla recently re-cursed him,
so now he has his soul back, but there is a horrible battle coming, and we may not survive
it."The girls had no idea what to say to the distraught Slayer. Here she was, with the man
she loved, a natural enemy of her kind. She was the vampire Slayer, and she was in love
with a vampire! The pain she felt must have been incredible when he had lost his soul!
"That is so sad!" Kara murmured."What could be worse than that?" Kara asked softly.
"Being here." Buffy looked at them. "It is hell being in this house, for both of us." Buffy
looked at the girls. "Angel couldn't control what the Demon did when it was in control,
but he remembers everything! He one time told me, 'You don't know what it is like to
have done the things I have done, and to care'. He hates any reminders of the time when
the demon controlled, and this was his last hunting grounds before he was given his soul
back initially.""He hunted here? He was a member of the Pack? Is that how he knows about the
vampire Raphael, and the ways of the Pack?" Nianna was slowly starting to put it
together..."Yes. Actually, he led the pack, until your ancestors in 1918 cursed him with his soul.”
Buffy snarled. Her anger was plain to see and the girls were grateful she wasn't mad at
them!"Unfortunately, the Son Of a Bitch who got the ritual from the Lady Tirla changed the
ritual. The bastard added a clause that he would lose his soul, if he had a moment of
complete happiness! That bastard is lucky his is dead now, or I would kill him myself!""Oh that is horrible!" Kara Blurted as Nianna's face went white. Nianna looked at Buffy,
and Buffy could plainly see that she put the pieces together..."Angel is his name now." Nianna started slowly. "He went by another name then didn't
he?" She prayed she was wrong..."Yeah," Buffy admitted, she saw the girl had put it together. "Angel is what he goes by
now, especially when he has his soul. It is short for the name he was born with and went
by when the demon controlled him... Angelus.” Buffy paused while that sank in to the
girls. Neither could speak."I'm going downstairs to see if Giles has heard anything about Angel and the kids..." And
Buffy left the room leaving the girls shocked by the thought Angelus has been in their
house for the last few days....
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