Angel looked at Buffy alarmed. They were being separated! The fear in her eyes wasArmageddon Saga"I called you here because I need to send you all on two separate missions which will be
Chapter Nine: Split ways
By the Lady Sirona ladysirona@LadySirona.com
essential to the success of our plan." Tirla addressed the Slayer and her team in quiet
library away from the rest of the teams. "I need you Angel, Willow and Xander to go to
London and find for me a particular book. In the folders in front of you is all known
information on the book. It was last seen at a bookseller's, and was nearly bought by my
Watchers but something happened. I am not sure what. I need for you to find the book, and
return with it. You leave now." She stepped back and motioned dismissal to them.
Angel slid into game face and growled at Tirla as he stormed out with Willow
and Xander
following. They ran after him rapidly, attempting to keep up, and
stay away from, the
growling game faced vampire in front of them.
Giles looked at Tirla in confusion. Instead of being upset with Angel's
animalistic rude
response, she seemed pleased. Instead of being upset at the Slayer and
the vampire's
dislike of being separated, she seemed to like it. There was obviously
more going on
regarding his Slayer and the vampire, and Tirla seemed very interested
in keeping a bit
of tension in the relationship. Giles was sure she had her own agenda regarding
Angel
and Buffy.
"Why the hell separate us?" Buffy had jumped to her feet and rounded on
Tirla. The
small Slayer still dwarfed the diminutive elder vampire.
"Silence Slayer!" Tirla smiled, but her voice was cold and hard when she
spoke. "Angel
serves me, and don't you forget it. If being together when you can be is
not enough for
you, and you choose to interfere with the needs I have for Angel and his
skills in the
upcoming battle, you will regret it. I remind you of several things.
Angel is obligated and
bonded to me for the next 121 years. If I require he forfeit his life,
it is mine to take. If I
require him to kill you and your friends he will do it. He committed himself
to this when
he accepted my obligation. Be aware that I am backing his compliance
with magick.
Know this."
Giles and Buffy stared at Tirla in shock. She looked deep into Buffy's
eyes as she
continued to drive home how much control she had regarding Angel life and
future. "If
you interfere with me regarding Angel, I will forbid him, and bind him,
from ever seeing
you again. The choice is yours. Choose wisely!" Tirla looked at Buffy's
distraught face.
She was paralyzed. To have had Angel in her arms and then be told he wasn't
hers was
too much!
"Enough is enough." Tirla changed her tone; it was back to business. "Time
is of the
essence, and we are running out of it. I need to continue. Let it
suffice that I need two
things done at the same time, and Angel cannot go where you are going.
He is already
there."
Buffy just stared at Tirla. She had Angel completely in her power.
It was not just his
sense of obligation... she had him magically bound! *Oh my god! *
Buffy's mind reeled.
All her hopes and plan and dreams of a future with Angel were all in vain.
He belonged
entirely to Tirla, and wasn't free to give himself to her even though she
knew he wanted
to.
Giles looked at Tirla in a new light. Here was an Elder Vampire who played
with lives
like a gamesman with chess pieces. They were all just pieces on an
elaborate chess game
with the world and the future of mankind as the prize. He realized
they were all
expendable pieces, and would be sacrificed as needed to win the game.
Somehow Buffy
and Angel were major pieces, and he needed to be very careful not to destroy
whatever
Tirla was setting up. He would need to do major damage control on
his Slayer's emotions
however.
"Where are you sending us?" Buffy asked softly. Tears were in her eyes,
but she
apparently was willing to do whatever it took not to aggravate The Lady
Tirla.
Tirla continued. "I am sending you back in time to the time of a previous
Slayer. You will
need to obtain her Watcher diaries, and a talisman that she got in a battle
with the
Demon Lord. I hope there is a weakness that is written in the diaries.
I do not know
what the talisman looks like. It will tingle when you touch it."
She looked at Buffy's face.
"I am sorry Slayer to hurt you like this regarding Angelus. If the
fate of the world was
not depending on the outcome, I would release him."
"Go to your room girl, there are clothes of the time that have been placed
on your bed as
well as a travel pack to meet you needs while you are gone. Take a bit
of time and
compose yourself." Tirla turned to Giles. "We need to talk"
Buffy got up and walked out of the room and headed to her room. She walked
into the
room and looked at the bed where she and Angel had just arisen prior to
going to the
meeting with Tirla. It was still messed up from their passionate lovemaking.
Buffy sank
onto the bed holding the pillow and cried as she remembered their love
making, as the
fear ate at her that it may have been the last time.
"Lady Tirla." Giles spoke firmly to his superior. "I must object to the way you are
"Watcher, you need to trust me. I will not destroy my Slayer Prime.
She needs to
complete certain emotional growths, and come to certain realizations before
the Battle
with the Demon Lord." Tirla looked at Giles so quick to defend his
Slayer. He was as a
formidable Watcher as she was Slayer.
"We don't have the months or years for this occur naturally,” Tirla continued.
"Therefore,
I need to put certain stressors to bring it about. Support your Slayer,
but do not sabotage
my work. If we win and survive you can call me whatever you want to, conniving
bitch,
manipulative witch, whatever. If we fail, it won't matter." She looked
at him. He saw the
honesty in her eyes. He knew whatever emotional growths she was going to
put Buffy
through would be rough. He was glad he didn't have to be the one
to do it.
"Most of the internal growths and realizations and changes are not for
Buffy exclusively.
They will also belong to Angelus" Tirla looked away from Giles and stared
into the
candle flame. She spoke softly, almost as if she was speaking to herself.
"Our whole
world hinges on his internal personal growth and his love and passion for
the Slayer. If
either are not enough, the world will die." Tirla looked up as if she just
came into
herself. "I have said too much. Do not let what I said influence
you please."
"My Lady, I realize a bit more what you are doing." Giles chose his
words with care. "I
hate seeing my Slayer hurting, but I do see you are stimulating their relationship
in many
ways, especially in the way you bring them together and then separate them.
Neither is
angry at the other for the separation, but at you for it, therefore bringing
them closer."
Tirla smiled as Giles spoke. He did see some of it, not all, but
some.
"I will be sending you back in time. You will need to make sure you do
not change the
future. Just get the journals and the talisman. If someone is to die, then
they die. What
will be will be. You falter and change the future, we will have already
lost."
Giles nodded and left to go gather his supplies.
Buffy and Giles stood in the Magickal circle in their period clothes. They knew they were
The energy surrounded them and their world dissolved. They awoke to find
themselves in a
lush green field in Ireland.
Go to Prologue One and re-read it. Armageddon Saga: In the Beginning
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