RATING:PG (sexual innuendo, violence)
SPOILERS: Becoming, what else?
SUMMARY: Whistler told Buffy in 'Becoming, part 2' that Angel’s destiny was to stop Acathla, not raise him. How would ‘Becoming’ have been changed if Angel’s curse hadn’t broken, and he was the Chosen One for once?
DISCLAIMER: the Buffyverse and all its characters belong to Joss Whedon-who obviously enjoys torturing all his fans worse than Angelus did Giles.
AUTHOR’S NOTES: Before I get flamed by a bunch of nitpickers, there is evidence that Angel has his own spider-sense. In Becoming part one, it’s implied that Angel came to Sunnydale the same time as Buffy. Angel shunned all other vampires until Whistler found him, so how did he know where the vampires lived in Sunnydale? Not to mention, how did he know that Darla was in his apartment in ‘Angel’?
The young Romany woman’s bearing was defiant, though her face bore the traces of recent grief. "Will the Elders not hear me?" she asked, her voice hoarse from crying.
"Yes, Janna. As the near kin of Cassandra, it is your right to speak" the leader acknowledged.
"My father has spoken of the need for vengeance. I speak of the need for justice, and the need to protect the future. I want the demon Angelus to suffer as much as the rest of the clan for my sister’s death, but we must think clearly. We must think of the consequences of what we wish to do."
"What does it matter?" shouted a middle-aged man, seated to the woman’s left. He strongly resembled both the woman standing in front of the council, and the young girl laid out under a canopy to her right, beautiful even in death.
Janna stiffened her shoulders and took a deep breath before she went on. "I want the demon punished, but this is not the way! What if, against all odds, his soul does know a moment of true happiness? The demon will be unleashed again, and the blood he spills will be on our hands as much as his, because we could have prevented it!"
"You go too far, daughter" Janos roared, surging to his feet.
"I don’t think so, Father" Janna told him coldly. "You have never been able to think clearly where Cassandra was concerned, and now we are all paying for it." She turned back towards the council of Elders, and continued "The soul of Angelus is not to blame for the demon’s actions, but he will suffer along with the demon. I accept that this is necessary. But the solution my father wants is too dangerous.
"Why take the chance that the demon Angelus will return? Have we forgotten the wisdom of our ancestors? All that you do will echo through your life. Can we do this, knowing that if the curse breaks, the demon will be free to kill again?" Janna’s eyes narrowed and she added, "Besides, I want my sister’s murderer trapped forever. With no chance of escape."
The Elders consulted each other quietly, then the leader turned back to face Janna.
"You have persuaded us, Janna. The curse will be permanent. Nothing will break it, whether Angelus ceases to suffer or no. However, a condition will be placed upon you. Do you accept?"
Janna lifted her head proudly, and she replied "I will do whatever is necessary, to ensure that my sister’s killer will never have the chance to take another innocent life."
Sunnydale, 1998"Angel, stop it!"
Buffy giggled helplessly as Angel tickled her, as they lay in his bed. Over the past four months since they had become lovers, Angel had lightened up a lot-being happy seemed to agree with him. Willow had even stopped keeping count of how many times he laughed.
To stop him tickling her-and in the mood for a different kind of fun-Buffy grabbed Angel’s shoulders and drew him to her, kissing him deeply as she pressed her body against his, wrapping herself around him as he kissed her back and their passion grew. Then Angel broke away from her, every sense on alert. One of his skills was the ability to recognize when another demon was near. The older and more powerful, the easier it was.
And the one outside his door was both.
Angel rolled out of bed and made for the door, automatically shifting to his game face. Confused, Buffy pulled on Angel’s shirt. Then she grabbed a stake that had dropped out of her clothes and onto the floor earlier, and stood by the bed, her body tensing as she shifted into Slayer mode.
Angel yanked the door open and a man strolled in wearing a Panama hat, with loose pants, shirt, vest and coat, in such a jarring clash of colors that Cordelia would have been shrieking in disgust.
"I hope those fangs aren’t for me" he said to Angel, then looked at Buffy. His gaze was so frankly appreciative that she blushed crimson.
"Only if you keep staring" Angel growled, wearing nothing but his game face and a pair of black boxer shorts.
"Sorry, Buffy" the stranger said, raising his hat to her. Then he turned to Angel and said, "I knew she had to be better looking than the last one, but I had no idea. No wonder you looked so stunned."
"What are you doing here, Whistler?" Angel asked.
"Time for you to become something else, Angel."
Angel sobered and nodded. "Just give us a minute."
"Angel, is this guy a friend of yours?" Buffy asked, wanting to know who the hell this guy was.
The two men looked at her and replied in unison "Sort of."
Angel told Whistler pointedly "Why don’t you wait outside?" Whistler detected the growl rumbling underneath his voice, and after raising his hat to Buffy a final time, left to stand in the hall. After he shut the door, Angel shifted his face back to human and turned to face Buffy’s curious look. He shrugged sheepishly and told her "Whistler’s like that."
WILL CONTINUE