Are We Now or Ever Were Chapter 12 part 1&2
Chapter 12 Part 1:
The White Flag
She struggled to wake up. She could hear voices but they seemed muffled.
Then she felt a pinch around her arm and a sudden small needle like pain in the crook of her elbow.
Buffy didn’t know how much time had passed but she felt sleepy.
She tried to fight it but succumbed to the darkness.
Angelus woke to find himself in strange surroundings.
He wasn’t in the Hyperion basement trapped in a cage.
He sensed that a Slayer was near by.
‘Mmm, the Buffster.’ he savored her name like he would savor a slayer’s blood.
He opened a door to a closed bedroom. When he saw her, Angelus couldn’t believe that it was actually her.
He tried waking her up. She barely flinched. He grabbed the phone and dialed the Hyperion Hotel.
He found out the phones weren’t working there and thankfully they were still in LA.
By the time nightfall came, Buffy hadn’t awakened. He had smelled several things that were different. The house belonged to a demon.
Buffy is pregnant and she had been drugged. He did not know how long they had been where ever they were; but it smelled like the drugs had been in her system at least two weeks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spike “reported” to Angel’s office.
Angel was exhausted.
Yet another lead about Buffy that did not help find her.
He had several threat letters and pictures of Buffy with red hair, but nothing else.
All that stopped a week ago. Buffy had been missing for four weeks now.
He looked up and saw Spike. “Where the hell have you been Spike?”
Spike turned around as if to walk out but turned back. “What the hell is your problem Angel?”
“Buffy is missing!
She’s missing, Spike.”
‘Oh bullocks.’ thought Spike.
“Well, maybe she went to Europe. We should get in one of your fancy jets and fly over there,
ask around, find her sister and see what’s up.”
Bloody hell! He takes time to actually get out of Evil inc and Buffy goes missing.
“Spike, she isn’t in Europe!” Angel growled. “She’s still somewhere in LA!
Every threat I’ve received is from somewhere in LA. Every time we’d check it out.. empty home, no trace of anyone ever being there.
I can’t get any scent off the letters or the pictures…” He trailed off. No scent from the pictures. except ink. Printer ink.
That could mean the pictures were digitally enhanced and that possibly Buffy was just fine.
“Take a look at this Spike.” Angel arranged the threats with the photos. “Someone has been careful.”
Spike read the threats…”Where could she be? Could your Buffy be turned? Buffy is adapting to the drugs, is your child as well? Would you want her now? and lastly Don’t worry Angel, Buffy likes it here.”
All in accordance to pictures of Buffy with red hair.
Why red? Two had Buffy with bruises on her face.
The last picture looked more recent.
She looked fresh though.
Bright blue eyes…wait Spike remembered seeing this picture recently.
Someone had put it in a magazine alongside…”Where are the rest of the photos?”
“How do you know there are more?” Angel’s anger tipped the scale a little more.
“You’ve seen the magazine photos? Hell, who hasn’t?
But look Spike, they aren’t real…someone has taken photos of Buffy and altered them.
Someone she knows. At first, I didn’t realize it. I didn’t realize it until now.
That last picture, Buffy was…freshly showered and soaking up the sun..I took that picture. I’ve been so wrapped up in my grief, shit, Spike! Someone inside Wolfram and Hart.” He hadn’t realized it, Spike watched his face morph to his real image and waited for Angel to notice.
Angel never noticed. Business came walking in through the door in the form of Fred and Gunn. Angel’s vampire face smoothed and he was human like once again.
Spike drowned them out. Someone from inside Evil inc… someone who had known Buffy a few years ago at least. Who? and more importantly WHY?
~~~~~~~~~
“We want to help find Buffy, Angel. She’s our friend too. We love her too. Besides, you need us.” Fred pointed out.
He didn’t want to need them to find Buffy. Damn it, he didn’t want to have to find Buffy at all. It shook him to realize someone had been working from the inside. He needed to check a few things.
“Let’s go to dinner tonight. Buffy would want us to continue on as normal. We can talk later. Let’s meet at seven? Seven will be good.” He walked to his elevator , distracted. Buffy’s scent still lingered in the elevator. Damn he missed her. He was going to find her.
When he walked out of the elevator, he stayed in between the doors and took a strong whiff of the apartment. His nostrils flared and his face morphed…There it was, something else. A different scent.
And it was in the apartment, he couldn’t see it though. Large, light on it’s feet. A hybrid of some kind, from the smell of it and male. Definitely male. Not a ghost, but invisible. A glamor of some sort?
It knew Angel was in there, good. Shit! The front door to his apartment opened but never closed, it was that fast. He followed it out of Wolfram and Hart but its scent stopped there. ‘What the hell?’
~~~~~~~~
He made a quick decision. One he wasn’t sure he would regret.
He swiftly removed his shirt. He wasn’t sure what was going to happen.
The drugs had to have been in her for awhile. It just about knocked him on his ass. He was woozy. A vampire, woozy?
No wonder Buffy was still out. Who did this? Why?
Who would kidnap him, Angelus and the Slayer?
Whomever it was, they didn’t know Angelus. Just because Buffy was out..well they didn’t know him.
It took all of thirty minutes for him to recover. Shit! He looked at her arms.. one puncture mark.
Then he looked around the room and saw the small round bucket like machine plugged into the wall…it wasn’t on though.
Angelus inhaled shortly. It was inside…what was that called….a mister? a fogger? AH! A humidifier.
Damn he almost missed the old world. No time left to waste.
He picked her up and ran out the door. He figured he was running toward the city. He saw a payphone.
Propping her against the tree, he apologized. “I’m sorry love.” He was apologizing..?
He saw the billboard in the distance advertising Buffy’s disappearance. What a moron!
He called Wolfram and Hart and..nice, sure enough Angel answered.
When Angel answered the phone, he hadn’t expected to hear his own voice.
Slightly slurred and full of anguish; he thought it was some cruel joke,
but then he mentioned he’d found Buffy. Angel was full of mixed emotions.
Thank god Buffy was found. or thank…Angelus?
~~~~~~~
He rushed her into Good Samaritan Hospital.
Thankfully, they knew him.
He kept running until he found a damn nurse. ‘Where the hell was everyone tonight?’
“Mr. Angel, you found her! Hurry, in here!” She rushed them into the room.
He layed her down on the bed, “I just found her.”
They looked up from Buffy and stared at each other.
“She’s been missing for at least three weeks.”
The doctor seemed to materialize from nowhere next to his side.
“We need to know anything you can tell us.”
“She’s been drugged.” Angelus murmured.
“Do you know what was given to her?” Angelus was getting pissed.
“I’m not sure, I just found her.”
“I apologize, Mr. Angel. The questions can wait.”
He walked down the hall to the payphone and dialed his cell. Angel had to have his cell on, right?
“Angel.”
“You need to get your ass to Good Sam hosp now!”
“Angelus?”
“Yes. Questions about me or anything else can wait. Just get here!” He growled and slammed the phone down.
~~~~~~~
Angel made it in record time.
He asked for Buffy Summers..
The nurse looked up.
“Mr. Angel, they haven’t moved her.”
He was going to ask her exactly what room she was in, but he saw Angelus from his peripheral vision.
“Thank you.”
‘Questions can wait.’ Angel reminded himself. No words spoken between them. Angelus just walked him to Buffy’s room. “The doc will be out to see you. I’ll be around.”
Just like that, Angelus left him waiting for the doctor to join him.
“Mr. Angel..” The doctor stopped as he noticed the change in clothing. Angelus came back around the corner and the doctor said, somewhat surprised,”I’m sorry. I wasn’t aware you had a twin.”
Angelus smirked. “That’s alright. He’s Angel. But I’m family too so speak away Doc.”
The doctor looked at Angel for confirmation. Angel nodded.
“We found puncture wounds on her neck. A fresh wound too.” Angel glanced at Angelus as Angelus smirked. “She has an old needle mark, could have been from her last appointment? A small amount of one drug was found in her blood stream. Amethazyne is a liquid the can be put in a humidifier to help one sleep. We believe that she has been inhaling alot of this.” Angel and Angelus watched the doctor pause uncomfortably. “She’s in a coma Mr Angel. I’m not for sure the extent of damage done neurologically. I’m waiting to hear back upstairs if Buffy will be able to get scans. We don’t want to do anymore damage to the baby.” He heard them inhale sharply. “I’m not even sure there has been any damage. Her obstetrician will be in tomorrow to see her first thing in the morning.”
“May I go see her?” Ange asked quietly. A coma…a coma? What effects was that going to have on their baby? What effect will it have on Buffy?
“Sure. That’d be fine. Talk to her, she can hear you.” He walked away leaving them alone.
“Did you bite her?”
Angelus just nodded.
“Did it affect you?”
“It took me thirty minutes before I could do anything. I was still affected when I called you.”
Angel remembered his slurred speech.
“Was it used as an inhalant?”
“As far as I could tell. I’ll go to Wolfram and Hart. Just go see her.” Damn, he was acting like he had a soul. He was Angelus, not Angel.
But anytime Buffy was out of the game, was never fun. As of right now, she was completely out of the game. Not so challenging.
“Why would you do that?”
“Curiosity’s sake?” Angelus smirked then turned and walked away.
~~~~~~~~~
He was a little scared to go in. He honed in on the swooshing sounds of the baby’s movements, the heartbeat and all of Buffy. A coma?
Angel pushed open the door and nurse looked up. ” Her blood pressure is a little below normal. Don’t you worry about her now, she’s in good hands.”
She wheeled out the B.P. machine and Angel stepped up to the chair next to her bed. He didn’t want his back to the door so he pulled the side of the bed up and walked around next to the small dresser.
At first he just sat there, he didn’t talk or try to touch her. He couldn’t do anything but stare down at her.
A nurse came in, left water by the bed, checked Buffy’s IVs and walked out.
He moved, aware that maybe the nurses were actually checking on him. He made it look like he was getting comfortable again then he talked to her.
“I don’t know what I’m supposed to say.” He looked around the room then back at her. This time he put his hand on her belly and the baby moved towards him.
“You had been missing for four weeks. I was going out of my mind. Buffy…a chailín mo chroí; múscail.” {my darling girl; wake up.}
He rubbed his hands over his face and back down again. “I’ve missed you so much. I love you so much.
I’ve been looking everywhere for you. I knew this time, that you were still in LA.”
His phone buzzed in pocket. He withdrew it and glanced at it. His office, probably Angelus.
Should he tell Buffy about Angelus? He didn’t know what he would tell her about him anyway, he didn’t have the facts.
Angel sat with Buffy for another couple hours, drinking the water and moving around some, talking to her in little snippets of conversation.
Nothing to overload her and he gave her enough time to process anything he said.
He kissed her forehead then her lips and moved to kissed her belly. “I love you baby girl.” He whispered softly.
He walked out, saying goodnight to the nurses. “I’ll be back in awhile. I’m gonna go take of some business but I’ll be back. Keep me posted.”
He handed them his business card with his cell phone number on it as well.
~~~~~~~~~~
AN: I made up the drug. it originally started as amethyst and started floating around some medicinal words too…so Amethazyne…
so there you go, as far as I know, I made it up.
Chapter 12 Part 2:
The White Flag-Retreat and Regroup
The plan became this: Buffy was never alone. If Angel or Angelus couldn’t be near her; Wes, Gunn or Fred were with her.
They decided if Lorne were to go, they’d probably try to send him to the children ward.
Every time, Buffy heard Angel talk to her. She would see him by her side and he would walk with her through journeys of his memories.
She took his hand. “What are we doing here?”
“This was me after you died.”
“Then what?”
“I went home and soon atfer, found out that you were alive.”
“I remember.”
“You won’t remember once its time to wake up.”
“Won’t remember?”
~~~~~~
Angel sat at her side. Today he sat facing neither the door nor her. He wanted to be able to protect her if need be.
He sat today and didn’t talk much. He would whisper things to her or their baby but mostly he thought.
How do you go about killing an invisible demon?
You find the glamor and remove it.
But what if said demon once visible is only the puppet?
Beat him to submission to find the puppeteer.
And if the puppet doesn’t talk?
Kill him, move on and keep a close eye on everyone.
~~~~~~~~~
“You have to fight this Buffy, fight back!
You have to wake up soon!”
She saw her on the couch, and she saw him on the couch… the images didn’t quite meet. Something was wrong, she wasn’t sure what.
“Angel? What’s different?”
“It’s Angelus.”
“Angelus? You mean, you are.. how?”
“No, whoever took you, found a way to bring Angelus through another time. We still don’t know who took you.”
“So question begs, is it Angel or Angelus by my side?”
“Angelus then?”
~~~~~~~~~
Everyone felt something new was going to happen.
Wes, Fred and Gunn had all taken their rounds with Buffy.
Something was different with her today.
Angel and Angelus seemed different today as well.
If the calculations were correct, it was going on her 6th week of being out.
Buffy was just about if not already 6 months along.
She had to wake up soon.
~~~
Buffy did feel different today.
She dreamed of the thing in her nightmares, she dreamed of Angel and Angelus, caught between the two.
She dreamed of so many things.
She realized it was because two different people were talking to her with the same voice.
~~~~~~~
Buffy struggled to wake up. She fought it but couldn’t quite wake up.
Angel was out talking to the doctors. Angelus had come along and sat by her side.
They had called as soon as Gunn had finished his rotation.
“Buffy is on a regular sleep pattern now. She should wake up any day, at any time.
Her brain wave activity is amazing. Buffy should be just fine when she wakes up.
However, these things need to be handled very delicately. You
need to understand, she could relapse. We are hoping for the best.”
Ange shook the doctor’s hand and turned back down the hallway.
No matter what the doc said, Buffy was going to wake up.
~~~~~~~
He let business slide.
Angelus let it slide, Fred, Wes, and Gunn let it slide.
Lorne kept appearances of keeping business going but even he was letting things slide.
Since Lorne was keeping all appearances up, him, Spike and Harmony had gotten drift of who was involved.
Knox… apparently Knox was trying to take out Fred by letting a hell god take over her body,
Gunn didn’t get his upgrade therefore the papers didn’t get pushed through and Knox was pissed.
Spike and Harmony would take turns beating Knox or drinking his blood to get him to talk. They didn’t kill him though.
They knew Angel would want to “talk” to him.
Everyone went back to work.
Everyone that is, except Angel.
Fred, Gunn and Wes stayed out of Angelus’ way as much as possible.
Spike and Harmony let Angelus have some “fun” with Knox but wouldn’t let him kill him.
Knox looked like hell. But no one cared.
Angelus wanted more than anything else at that moment to kill Knox.
He took him to the brink of death and let him beg Angelus to kill him.
In the end, Angelus figured he would get to kill Knox.
Angel wouldn’t.
He’d be busy playing daddy.
~~~~~~~
She was fairly certain she was awake this time.
She looked over and there he sat, Buffy immediately thought of something.
I dreamt that; in my daydream you live on…
Who said that? When? She couldn’t remember right away.
She tried saying his name but started coughing instead.
Angel swiveled around and hurriedly got her some water.
“Sh. Buffy. Don’t try to talk just yet. I’ll get a nurse.”
~~~~
He sat out of the way as the doctors and nurses worked and asked questions for Buffy to answer.
He thought it was ludicrous since she just woke up.
However may be it was best to ask now than later.
They took their leave and he still sat there, staring at her.
“Well?”
The he got up and rushed to her side. He put his arms around and help her sit up.
But she held him and she cried and he held her even tighter.
Angel rubbed her stomach where their unborn daughter lay
and he kissed her forehead, then her lips.
“I love you Buffy.”
He had decided weeks ago that he would ditch the Gaelic language.
Unless Buffy stilled used certain phrases around him, he wouldn’t use it anymore.
“You’ve always been there Angel…”
He quirked his eyebrow “What do you mean Buffy?” He kept stroking her stomach.
Her heart rate was calm and their daughters heart rate was even.
” I mean, our lives have been parallel to one anothers.. I heard you talking about things that happened when we were apart,
saw them in my mind, for years, we have shared alot of things…..” She paused and changed the subject quickly, her mind darting to and fro.
“Angelus told me they’ve found my kidnapper.”
No one had mentioned that to him. Angelus probably thought Buffy couldn’t hear him.
“Is that true?”
“I suppose so. I’ve been with you a lot of the time, they haven’t told me if someone was found or not.
Did he tell you who?”
“Mm, I can’t remember…Angel? When do you think I can leave?”
“Soon Love, soon.”
“Yea baby, it’s me.”
Angelus stayed in the door way, content to see the Slayer awake.
“Angelus.”
“Angel.”
“Guys. I think I want to sleep, but don’t go to far oh kay?”
Angelus stepped forward then and kissed her on top of her head.
“Sure thing Buff.”
Angel kissed her lips. “I’ll be near.”