Knightcurse

By Starway Man

Part IV: Un-Becoming

Sunnydale, California. May, 1998

The vampire Drusilla lay asleep in her bed, dreaming.

Tonight she wasn't dreaming Xander's dreams, the sire-childe bond linking them in a mystical way no mortal could understand - she was dreaming about the past.

The vampiress dreamed of her own turning, after Angelus and Darla had finished having sex in front of her in that convent filled with corpses.

Dru also dreamed of what she had done with the human William, in that London alley 118 years before.

The bleached-blonde vampire himself was not beside her in bed - Spike was in one of Sunnydale's cemeteries, watching Buffy, Xander and Angel patrol.

Back in March, William the Bloody had recovered the use of his legs; around about the time a major case of the flu, had hit half the population of Sunnydale High - including the Slayer.

He had gone to the hospital to strike while she was weak, but had encountered that damned piece of filth Xander, guarding her back at Angel's request.

"Well, look at you," Spike had said to Xander, as they had come face to face in the corridor. "All dressed up in big brother's clothes..."

It wasn't a lie - Spike had his long black leather duster on and Xander his black leather jacket, but otherwise they were dressed identically.

Xander had only growled, "Take a walk, overbite."

Spike had grinned, "Now, why should I do that? After comin' all this way to pay my respects to the Slayer 'n all..."

"Visiting hours are over."

The British vampire had then lost the smile. "You think you can 'andle me, ya great poofy wanker?"

The American undead had then grinned maniacally. "Not the way I handled Drusilla..."

Spike had almost lost it then, but the presence of a nearby security guard had distracted him and he'd managed to calm down. "The White Knight, eh? That's what Dru calls ya nowadays. Too bad your own sire can't stand the sight o' you no more, idn't it?"

Xander had only snarled softly, "You're gonna die. And I'm gonna be there."

Spike was then jolted out of the memories of months before, when a group of vampires attacked the three warriors. Buffy, Xander and Angel quickly made short work of them though, and Spike heard some threats by Buffy against himself, before the Slayer slayed her intended messenger.

The soulless demon only grinned with great hatred, and turned and left the cemetery.

***

Buffy the vampire Slayer was worried.

Glancing around at her two undead companions, she thought back upon the recent past, after both vampires had had their souls restored.

The next night after the ritual, Xander had dragged Angel to the library - very much against his will - to demonstrate to the Scooby gang that he wasn't a threat anymore.

Buffy had screamed and rushed over to hug him, but her happiness at seeing her beloved was cut short as she saw the misery and self-loathing in Angel's eyes. They had hugged intensely, yes, but it hadn't been the same as before.

And she had known, that it never would be.

Giles and Jenny had hung back, as had Cordelia - who had refused to look directly at either vamp present. Willow and Oz had gone over to Xander, who had been trying to vanish into the shadows and refused to look anyone in the eye.

"Xander, talk to me," the redhead had begged.

"There's nothing to say. I'm a vampire. I have a soul. Thanks to you. Yay me," the young man had hissed out, turning his back on them.

"Please, just look at me..."

The souled vampire had sounded like he'd lost it, then. "You want to see my face, Will? You wanna see the real me?" Xander had then turned around, full game face on. "THEN TAKE A GOOD FRIGGIN' LOOK AT ME!"

The young witch had then recoiled in shock, not having anticipated how angry Xander would become getting his soul back. "I'm leaving. Don't talk to me. And don't try to find me. 'Cause I don't know how well I could control myself," and the young vampire had subsequently stormed out.

Oz had comforted his girlfriend as best he could, as she broke down and cried. He made her a promise, as Willow wept in his arms - no matter what happened, he would never walk away from her, like Xander had just done.

Buffy had gone all indignant and had almost chased after the Xander-shaped vampire to pound some sense into him, when Angel had caught her arm.

"Don't," the souled vampire had warned her. "He needs time to deal with all this, and you can't help him. You'll only make it worse."

"But Angel-!"

"I mean it," Angel had said firmly, not letting her go. "The mood he's in, you'd end up killing each other. And I'm not speaking figuratively."

That of course had cooled her down, and Giles had voiced his opinion. "Uh - Buffy, I think he's right."

"Of course I am," the dark-haired vamp had said. "You people have no idea what he's going through. You can't - I'm the only one, who can even come close."

The rest of the evening had then gone further downhill, as Angel had explained how suicidal Xander was - and that the only thing preventing him from walking into the sunlight was Angel's appeal to his sense of duty, that he had to help stop Spike and Dru.

"It's only temporary, I know," Angel had said, "but it's better than the alternative."

"You seem very protective of him," Jenny had observed, looking at the former nemesis of her clan.

The Irish-born vamp had shrugged. "He's me, 100 years ago," he'd said, "and there is a...family obligation. He's blood of my blood, childe of my childe; and, basically, if it wasn't for him, for having a focus of someone to save - I think I'd have staked myself last night, after everything I've done."

That remark had sent chills down the Slayer's spine, as Buffy had held him tighter.

Things hadn't become much better either, as the months had passed; the young vampire had become a recluse, and Angel was the only one who could even vaguely reach through to him. Buffy had thought that majorly ironic, given how much Xander had hated the souled vampire when he was alive.

Eventually the boy had started to come out of his shell, like when Angel had asked him to guard her in the hospital when she'd killed Der Kindestod - and Buffy and Willow had had hopes, that somehow everything would go back to normal.

But that had all gone to pieces later in April, during the night of the Sadie Hawkins Dance.

The poltergeist, the ghost of the student Jim Stanley from 1955 had possessed Cordelia after they had tried to exorcise him - and Xander had become similarly enthralled by his beloved, Grace Newman.

Giles had said later that Cordelia must have been the most suitable vessel for James to use under the circumstances, presumably because of her feelings about her vampiric ex-boyfriend.

And so Xander and Cordelia had kissed, allowing James and Grace to resolve their issues and depart for the next world.

Unfortunately, Xander had freaked afterwards and instantly disappeared, leaving Cordelia alone and crying in the school. Angel had eventually found him, and ascertained that he was all right; the young vampire had been terrified, but otherwise unharmed.

Terrified because the boy had been sure he'd had a moment of happiness, and would lose his soul; but fortunately, that hadn't happened, and Xander had eventually recovered and Angel had talked him into helping out again.

Buffy sighed, as she thought next of the incident with the Sunnydale High swim team; maybe, just maybe, if Xander had been around to help, the entire team wouldn't have become fish monsters and vanished, before they'd nailed Coach Marin and Nurse Greenleigh for giving those boys doctored steroids.

"Patrol's over," Buffy said to her two companions. "Time to go home." Neither vampire said anything, but simply escorted her back to her house.

The blonde girl would have preferred to escort Angel and Xander home, the protective streak because of her Slayer instincts a mile wide; but she still didn't know Xander's address nowadays, and Angel refused to tell her or anybody where he was staying.

***

The next morning, after Giles had paid a visit to the Sunnydale Museum of Natural History, Drusilla came out of their bedroom and walked up to Spike, who was sitting and reading the newspaper at a table in the factory.

The British vampire asked his beloved, "Nice sleep, pet?"

Drusilla closed her eyes, and leaned her head back. "The moon's been whisperin' to me...all sorts o' dreadful things."

Spike was concerned. "What did the moon tell you?" He got up at once. "Did ya have a vision? Is somethin' coming?"

Dru said dreamily, "Oh, yeah..." Then she whispered, "Something terrible. Psst, psst, psst, psst, psst, psst..."

"Where?"

"At the museum. A tomb...with a surprise inside."

Spike held his hand up to her head. "You can see all that in your head?"

Drusilla smiled. "What do you think?"

The Billy Idol-wannabe smirked. "I think someone's been readin' my paper..." he said, as the Big Bad held up his copy of the Sunnydale Press; the headline of which read, 'Mysterious Obelisk Unearthed: Excavators Discover Ancient Artifact'.

Drusilla barely glanced at it. "That's what's been whisperin' to me. Shh."

"Luv?"

"I hear whispering. Come on, Spike my sweet. We have to get that tomb."

Later, after Drusilla had murdered the museum curator and her vampires had stolen the artifact, Spike walked around in the factory, eyeing it in distaste.

"It's a big rock. I can't wait to tell all me friends. They don't 'ave a rock this big," the Brit said scornfully.

Drusilla pouted. "You said I could 'ave it. Besides, it's not just a rock."

Spike looked at her. "We have a lesson to give, then, ducks?"

Drusilla walked and talked dreamily. "Acathla the demon came forth to swallow the world," she said, as she strolled to the obelisk.

"He was killed by a virtuous knight who pierced the demon's 'eart, before he could draw a breath to perform the act. Acathla turned to stone, as demons sometimes do, and was buried where neither man nor demon would wanna look."

The female vampire then started giggling. "Unless o' course, they're puttin' up low rent 'ousing. Boys..."

Two vampires reached up with crowbars, and pried open the tomb. The lid crashed to the floor, stirring up plenty of dust. Inside was a tall, horned, stockily-built stone demon, with a sword protruding from the right side of its chest.

Upon seeing him, Drusilla closed her eyes, raising her hands to the sides of her head and beginning to sway back and forth. "He fills my 'ead. I can't 'ear anything else."

Spike looked thoughtful. "Lemme guess. Someone pulls out the sword..."

"Someone worthy..." interrupted Dru.

"Mm. The demon wakes up, and wackiness ensues," completed the male vampire.

Drusilla opened her eyes, and lowered her arms. "He will swallow the world, and every creature livin' on this planet will go to Hell."

If Angelus had been present, she would have missed Spike's expression; but he wasn't, and she didn't. "Spike? Spike, my sweet! The fun's about to begin! What's wrong?"

The blonde vampire sighed. "Look, Dru - the truth is, I like this world. You've got...dog racing, Manchester United. And you've got people. Billions of people, walkin' around like Happy Meals with legs. It's all right 'ere. Why'd you wanna send it all to Hell?"

Drusilla wasn't happy about Spike's lack of enthusiasm. But unfortunately, she also knew just how to push his buttons. "You're right, pet. And there's Daddy and my kitten to consider - with their dirty souls, they'd be in torment in Hell forever..."

Spike quickly turned around, his eyes blazing. "Hadn't thought o' that!" The hatred he felt for the two other vampires, quickly outpaced any other consideration. "On second thoughts, ducks, you're absolutely right. Let's destroy the world."

***

That night, Buffy was on patrol, when Kendra - the other Slayer that had been called, when she had temporarily drowned one year ago - jumped out of the bushes at her.

"You know, polite people call before they jump out of the bushes and attack you," Buffy exhaled.

Kendra smiled and said in her Caribbean accent, "Just wanted to test your reflexes."

"How about testing my face punching? 'Cause I think you'll find it's improved," the other Slayer retorted.

"I was on me way to your house. Saw you walking. Couldn't help meself."

Buffy smiled. "Which begs the question, and don't think I'm not glad to see you, but, why are you here?"

Kendra started to answer, before Buffy interrupted, "Oh, wait. No, let me guess. Your Watcher informed you..." the blonde girl imitated Kendra's accent, "Dat a very dark power is about to rise in Sunnydale."

"Dat's about it," said the dark-skinned Slayer.

Buffy grimaced. "Great. So, you have any idea what this dark power is?"

Kendra was about to answer, when the girl went still and then sent a stake flying towards Xander, who was walking towards them.

Fortunately, Xander was able to duck out of the way. Before Kendra could resume the attack, Buffy grabbed her and said, "Whoa, Pink Ranger! That's Xander. Remember him, the whole 'not-being-allowed-to-talk-to-boys' thing?"

The other Slayer looked confused. "But - dis is a vampire! I can tell!"

"Yeah," Buffy looked down, as Xander looked away. "But he's got a soul-"

"Like Angelus?"

The Summers daughter squirmed. "Right."

"Angel sent me to find you," Xander then said, not looking directly at the Slayers. "There's been a murder. G-man'll need to see ya both pronto." Then he vanished so quickly, it would have made Angel proud.

"What's de story wit him?" Kendra wanted to know, as they headed for the library.

"Drusilla vamped Xander some months ago. We managed to curse him, but..."

The second Slayer frowned. "Spike and Drusilla? You have fought dese two before. Dey should already be dead."

Buffy looked exasperated. "I know! I know!"

Later at the library, after Giles had gotten off the phone to the museum, he explained the situation to everyone. "The artifact has been stolen. A-and there's no doubt about it, it-it contained the demon Acathla."

"Which means what?" asked Willow.

"Well, the, uh, the demon universe exists in a dimension separate from our own. With one breath, Acathla will, when activated, create a vortex, a-a kind of, um...whirlpool that will pull everything on Earth into that dimension, where any non-demon life will suffer horrible and...eternal torment."

Everyone was silent. Oz said it best. "Sounds like something to avoid."

Buffy tried to be positive. "Okay, people, we need ideas! I'm Slay Gal, so do we have any clue how to stop this thing already?"

Kendra said quickly, "We have." She then pulled a sword from her bag. "Blessed by the knight who first slew de demon. If all else fails, dis might stop it. I tink."

Giles looked at the sword, intrigued. "Ooh. May I? May I?" He then took the sword from Kendra, to examine it. "Thank you. Well, l-let's, uh, hope all else doesn't fail."

***

At the factory, Spike and Drusilla had already tried to activate Acathla, but failed. Drusilla had thrown a tantrum: "This is so...disappointing! There must be somethin' I missed. The incantations, the blood...I dunno! But we'll 'ave our Armageddon. I swear!"

Spike had then come up with an idea, and the next day in Sunnydale High a vampire had come into Buffy, Willow and Cordelia's class to deliver a message, before combusting in the sunlight.

"You will come to her. You will come to her, or people will die. Tonight! Her hour is at hand!"

Buffy discussed it with Giles and Kendra after class, and decided to go face the insane vampiress in her favorite cemetery - with the other Slayer to stay with the others, in case something funny happened.

Once Buffy had gone however, Spike and his cadre of vampires attacked the library. Angel, Xander and Kendra fought them, but they were just too out-numbered. As Willow, Jenny, and Oz tried to escape, the demons knocked out the Slayer and the souled vamps, dragging Giles away.

Later at Sunnydale General Hospital, Buffy showed up and found Jenny Calendar. "Hey," she said to the computer teacher, the bitterness over Angel having faded ever since they'd restored his soul. "Dru never showed up. What happened?"

Jenny filled her in on the attack at the library, as they went to Kendra's room where the other Slayer was in a healing coma, recovering from her injuries. "The police came by afterwards," the technopagan finished up, "and the whole thing was blamed on gang activity."

Buffy snorted. "Sunnydale PD. To serve and deny."

As they went into Kendra's room, she saw Angel there, bruised and scratched up from the fight. She rushed into her beloved's embrace, and noticed Willow and Oz were also holding tightly to each other, and even Cordelia was there.

"Where's Giles?" the Slayer suddenly demanded, noticing his absence.

Jenny said softly, looking at Kendra, "The vampires took him. Goddess, if he..."

Willow interrupted her. "Hey, Giles is gonna be fine! I guarantee it."

Janna smiled at him, "Thank you, Willow."

Buffy took charge. "That's it! This is the last straw. Nobody messes with my Watcher! I'm going home to get my weapons. Angel, you go scout the factory, I'll join you as soon as I get the sword and some other stuff."

Angel nodded, and left. "You guys stay here, and if you see Xander, tell him to join us there!"

Buffy left the hospital, and made her way back to 1630 Revello Drive. But as she made her way up the driveway, she was attacked by Spike.

"Hello, cutie!" the soulless demon said happily, as they fought.

Joyce, hearing the disturbance outside, went out to see her daughter fighting for her life. "Buffy!" her mother screamed.

"Mom, get back inside!!" the Slayer yelled.

The distraction cost her dearly, however, as Spike stunned her with an uppercut and managed to get Buffy in a stranglehold. "Just wanted ya to know, Dru's torturin' your Watcher right now. Learned from the best, she did. Meself, I just had to 'ave one more taste o' that Slayer blood before the big finale. Third time's the charm, y'know?"

With the big speech over, the demon vamped out and was sinking his fangs into Buffy's neck...when all of a sudden, Spike exploded into ashes.

Xander stood there, a stake in his hand and a look of satisfaction on his face. "Told you I'd be there," the souled vampire hissed at the settling dust.

Joyce couldn't help it - she screamed. "WHAT is going on here?" she demanded.

Xander and Buffy looked at her, and the boy shrugged. "I'd tell her the truth."

Joyce's eyes went wide, as Xander reverted to his human mask. "Xander? But - but you're dead! You've been dead for months!"

Buffy sighed. "Thanks for the save, Xander." Then she turned to her mother. "Look, Mom, I guess it's time - the truth is, I'm a vampire Slayer."

The middle-aged blonde woman looked blank. "A what?"

Xander vamped out. "Yep, vampires are real, and I'm your proof. They're evil, they live in Sunnydale, and for the past three years your daughter's been kicking their asses. That's why she got thrown outta Hemery High, and why she's always getting into trouble."

Buffy mock-glared at him. "Way to be subtle, Xand-man."

Joyce looked stunned. "Vampires?"

Xander took Buffy's cross in his hand, and growled in pain as the sacred icon burned his flesh. Ignoring the smoke, he then showed his hand to Joyce, as the Slayer's mother's eyes went wide.

"But if vampires are evil..."

"Xander's a special case. Look, Mom, we have got to go. The bad guys have kidnapped Giles, plus they're planning to destroy the world..."

"What?"

"I promise I'll explain it all, when we get back, but right now we so have to motor!" Buffy then hugged her mother. "I love you, Mom."

Ignoring Joyce's look of fear and confusion, Buffy and Xander raced away.

When she got to the school and made her way into the library, the Slayer found a short man wearing a strange hat waiting for her. "About time you got here," the guy said with a Queens accent.

Buffy frowned. "Who are you?"

"Whistler," he said nonchalantly.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm waiting for you."

Buffy started looking for the sword. "Why?"

Whistler decided to lighten things up. "'Cause I-I-I need a date to the prom."

The Slayer was not amused. "If you have information worth hearing, I'm listening. If you're gonna crack jokes, maybe I'll pull out your ribcage and wear it as a hat."

Whistler whistled. "Hello to the imagery! Very nice."

Getting serious, the man continued, "So, listen. Everything is happening, just as the Powers foretold it would. This is Angel's big day. He was meant to be here, to stop Acathla. Lucky for you guys, he's recovered from his creepo phase after you two made with the smoochies."

Buffy waited for more, then exhaled. "That's it? You don't have anything useful to tell me, do you? What are you, just some immortal demon sent down to even the score between good and evil?"

The balance demon was impressed. "Wow. Good guess."

The blonde girl stepped up to him. "Well, you wanna try getting off the fence and picking sides, maybe fight evil once in a while? 'Cause I'm sick and tired of doing it myself."

Whistler looked at her, knowledge of the future reflected in his eyes. "In the end, you're always by yourself, sister. Bottom line is you're born alone, and you'll die alone."

Buffy looked disgusted. "Spare me. I got some vamps to kill, and a demon that needs its ass kicked!" So saying, she grabbed the sword and started to leave.

Her interlocutor called out, "The sword isn't enough. You gotta be ready. You gotta know how to use it!"

Buffy stopped. "Whistler...what exactly do you mean by that?"

"Angel's the key. His blood, the sire's blood, can close the gate to Hell if Crazy Girl opens it up. That's all I can tell you. That and it's all on the line here, kid. So you two better not screw up."

The Slayer just looked at him, before she left and found Angel and Xander outside. Buffy said to the older vampire, "Angel, have you ever heard of someone named Whistler?"

***

At the factory, Giles was tied to a chair, and he had been badly tortured by Drusilla. The insane vampiress smiled, as she cleaned his glasses. "Now, let's go over it again. How do you wake up Acathla?"

The librarian just shook his head. "Don't know."

Drusilla sighed. "I wish I could just turn you, like I did with my kitten, but that naughty Slayer of yours wouldn't gimme the time." She sighed again. "You know, I can stop the pain. You've been very brave 'n all...but it's over. You've given enough."

The vampiress leaned down, close to Giles' ear. "Now, lemme make it stop."

Giles was panting and shaking with pain. "Please..."

Drusilla kneeled to face him, a sweet expression on her human face. "Just tell me what I need to know."

The Watcher said weakly, "In order...to be worthy..."

"Yeah?"

Giles finished up, "You must perform the ritual...in a pink suit of armor." To his credit, the British man didn't back down, even when Drusilla glared at him. "Crazy bint!"

Dru stood up. "All right. Time to get my branding iron."

And then Angel, Buffy and Xander broke into the factory - pissed, and out for blood. They started destroying the vampires guarding Acathla, as Dru abandoned Giles and joined the fight.

"Get Giles to safety!" Buffy yelled to Xander, who left the fight and took the Watcher out of there.

Drusilla tried to do the ritual again, but she failed. By a strange coincidence, Buffy's sword sliced her forehead as she battled the vampire soldiers, and the female vampire touched her own blood streaming down her head.

"O' course," Dru whispered, as she had an epiphany and yanked out the sword.

There was a flash of light, and then the 138-year-old vampiress tried to buy time for Acathla to destroy the world.

But it was too late; her cannon fodder had been wiped out. "So what's it gonna be, Daddy?" the ex-London girl smiled at her sire, standing in front of the statue.

Angel sighed, and sliced the sword along his palm, covering the blade with his blood. He didn't want to do it, but his demented childe had given him no other choice.

"I'm sorry, Dru..." the souled vamp whispered, as he drove the sword into Acathla. Straight through Drusilla's stomach too, closing the portal that had begun to form - but not before the insane vamp was sucked screaming into Hell.

***

The world had been saved, and everyone had gathered back at the hospital where Xander had dropped Giles off. Buffy's mother had been summoned there too, and learnt the whole amazing story of who Buffy was and what she did.

She didn't exactly look thrilled to see Angel again though, and so the souled vamp decided to make himself scarce. Before he left though, Soul Boy heard Joyce asking, "Where's Xander?"

And suddenly, Angel began to get very afraid.

Tearing around Sunnydale, the vamp finally found the fledgling standing alone, in a deserted park. And Angel had known for ages that the sun was coming out, as he joined the other souled vampire.

"Xander," the former Scourge of Europe said nervously, "the sun'll be up soon, we gotta find cover..."

The other vamp just stared at him, and Angel abandoned pretense. "Don't do this."

Xander just smiled softly. "I've done what I had to do, Deadboy. Spike and Dru are histoire. Now, I just wanna rest in peace. I think I've earned that much."

"But the danger's not over," Angel insisted. "You know that. And besides...the others, especially the girls, they still need you."

The dark-haired 17-year-old replied again in that soft voice, "Angel. Buffy has you, Willow has Oz, and Cordy...she dumped my sorry ass a long time ago."

"You still feel something for her. And she still loves you. Even I know that."

Xander chuckled bitterly. "Yeah, but too bad about that pesky happiness clause, huh? Anyway, she'll find someone else soon enough."

A voice with an Irish accent then said, "Ya really believe that?"

Xander and his companion turned around, Angel looking suspiciously at the stranger in a cheap suit. "Who are you?"

"Name's Doyle," the Irishman said.

Angel and Xander stared at him, the boy crinkling his forehead. "You don't smell human," said the younger vamp in confusion.

Doyle looked a bit miffed. "Now, that's a bit rude. So happens, that I am very much human."

He sneezed, and blue spikes popped out all over his face. "On my mother's side." The Irishman then shook his head, and the spikes disappeared. "Well, anyway, you know I'm not a vampire like yourselves."

Xander looked bored. "So - what do you want?"

The half-breed replied, "I've been sent - by the Powers-That-Be."

Angel was confused. "The powers that be what?"

Doyle ignored that. "Lemme tell ya both a little bedtime story. Once upon a time, there was a young vampire. A real nasty killer, he was. And he belonged to one of the meanest vampire families in all the land. Then one day, he's cursed by his friends; they restore his human soul. And all of a sudden, our boy is mad with guilt. You know: 'what have I done?' He's freaked. Suicidal."

Angel began to back off, the meeting reminding him of his own recruitment to the cause by Whistler over two years ago. Xander didn't notice and said to Doyle, "Congratulations, I'm getting sleepy."

The half-man shrugged. "Yeah, well, it's a fairly dull tale. The boy is freaked as I said, helps kill the bad guys, and now just wants to die."

Xander asked the messenger from the Powers-That-Be, "So?"

Doyle continued, "So, I'm goin' to tell ya what happens next. You see this vampire, he thinks he's helped by killin' the bad guys. Plus stayin' away from the humans, his friends, so as not to be tempted by that sweet taste o' their blood."

The Irishman shook his head. "But that's where he's makin' his big error, see. Because he's got a chance at redemption, to make up for all those people he's murdered, and he's not gonna get it that way."

Angel butted into the conversation. "What I want to know is exactly who sent you."

Doyle shrugged again. "I'm honestly not sure. They don't speak to me direct. I get - visions. Which is to say great splittin' migraines, that come with pictures. A name - a face. I don't know who sends 'em. I just know whoever sends them is more powerful than any of us present 'ere tonight, and they're just tryin' to make things right."

Xander looked at his new acquaintance. "Why me?"

The half-Brachen demon stared at the souled vamp. "Because you've got potential. And the balance sheet isn't exactly in your favor."

Angel stared at the newcomer. "So then, why you?"

Doyle looked away. "We all of us got something to atone for."

Then the man looked at Xander. "Look, kid. High school's over. And you kill yourself now, it's all over. But if ya come with me to LA, if you do get killed, at least the odds are it won't be a meaningless death. Who knows? You may even end up savin' some helpless 17-year-old kid from a crazy female vampire, outside some nightclub."

Xander looked ready to kill the other man, and Angel instantly knew how Drusilla had turned him. The older vampire then said to the boy, "Xander. Please. I know you can't stay in Sunnydale anymore - but this would be a, a fresh start. I - do it for Buffy if nothing else, because I don't know how to explain the alternative to her."

Xander sighed, knowing he was running out of time if he was going to choose to take up the offer. "You know a decent place to stay?" the so-called White Knight asked the Irishman.

Doyle never blinked. "No."

"And there's a good chance that I'll die?"

The messenger shrugged. "Who knows?"

In the space of a heartbeat, the vampire made his decision. "Fine. Let's go to Lala land." Xander then turned to Angel. "G'bye, Deadboy. Tell the gang that I - that I'm - oh, hell, tell 'em anything you want."

"Car's over here," Doyle said, as he led the boy away. "And once we get to where we're goin', there are some people I want you to meet..."

"Who?" asked Xander, as he got in the car.

"Oh, you'll see..." Doyle's voice trailed off, as he got into the vehicle with tinted windows and started it up.

The vampire known as Angel stood there in the park, and had no way of knowing the chain of events that had been set in motion as the car drove away.

That the following February, in the absence of a Slayer called Faith a demon named Balthazar would recover his strength in time to slaughter his enemy - the Mayor of Sunnydale, a long-lived demon worshipper named Richard Wilkins III.

And that eventually Angel would find the Gem of Amarra with Giles' help, and after killing Balthazar and attending Buffy's graduation ceremony - presided over by the new Mayor, Allan Finch - he would journey to LA and give the Gem to his grandchilde, to give Xander the greatest chance of survival.

Or that 15 months from now, Doyle and his undead partner would save Cordelia in LA from a vamp named Russell Winters, thus earning the enmity of the evil law firm Wolfram and Hart in the process.

Or that later Xander would utterly destroy that law firm and everyone in it - save one man - after they were responsible for killing Doyle, who died saving three blind children from a lethal assassin as Cordelia watched helplessly.

Or that in the year 2000, the demon Toth's pherula gemina device would split Angel into the human Liam and the vampire Angelus - and his human self and Buffy would eventually engage in a marathon 30-hour session of nonstop lovemaking, before reluctantly rejoining his two halves.

Or that in three years, when Xander, Cordelia, and four other people - known as Krevlorneswath of the Deathwok clan, Charles Gunn, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce and Winifred Burkle - returned from a demon dimension known as Pylea, the broken-hearted 248-year-old vampire would be waiting to tell them that Buffy had died, taking a dive in Dawn's place.

All Angel knew, as he stood there, was that Xander had left Sunnydale forever - and his loss was something the Scooby gang would take a very long time to recover from.

THE END