I could sense Gideon’s euphoria, now that I was Angelus. He knew that he would be on his way home very shortly. Now, nothing could stand in his way because my darkness had taken over. He knew that the first person that I’d want to kill would be the very woman who sent me to hell the last time I was here.
Gideon and I had been walking forever it seemed like. The whole time we didn’t say a word to each other. We were basking in our good fortune. We finally made it to our destination which was still in Sunnydale; even though it seemed as if we had walked to another city. I had never been to this location in Sunnydale. This place looked as if it had been abandoned for many years. I came to that conclusion because we made it to the entrance of this place, and the entrance had been bolted up. And the bolts were all rusted together. The only way we could get in was too break the bolt.
This made me a little curious, how did Buffy get in here, if the bolts hadn’t been broken already. Well, Gideon sensed my eagerness to see Buffy and he called me on it.
With a smile he said, “Angelus, I feel that you want to meet Buffy. There is an aura around you that can’t wait to get your hands on her and make her pay for what she did too you. Let’s get in there so we can have that happiness we’ve longed for, for so many years.”
I nodded and he smiled. He broke the rusted bolts on the entranceway fence, and we walked in. Gideon quickly shut the gate without using his hands and the rusted bolts locked once again, as if they had not even been touched. I realized that Gideon was more powerful than I had anticipated. But I became a little leery of his powers when he had to grab my arm, in order to stay on his feet, after he locked the bolts.
Again Gideon continued to smile, as if he knew something was going to happen. But, for some reason, I don’t think he could read my mind any longer. It looks like his powers are slowly becoming weaker, he doesn’t look as healthy as he did when we first escaped the Initiative. If he could read my mind than he would know that I’m not who I say I am. He would know that Angelus doesn’t serve anyone any longer. But, I still stuck beside him, because I didn’t know for sure.
Finally we walked through this abandoned area. It was very dark, so I couldn’t see that well. What I could see to my left and right were heaps and heaps of piled metals and old construction rods. There were also bolts lying on the ground and I would step on them from time to time, as we got close to where we were going.
For some reason, all these construction metals and bolts made me think that Gideon had pieced something together a long time ago. And for some odd reason, I felt the need to look to the sky. I don’t know why I hadn’t looked up previously, but I did now. Gideon had continued walking and didn’t realize that I had stopped, for I was in awe of the structure which towered above.
Finally he noticed that I had stopped and saw what he had built. He looked to the structure and smiled, then said to me, “I’m surprised the two of you never noticed this before. I guess you kind of ignore some things when you live in a place for so long. Anyways, I’m kind of in a hurry Angelus, and we’ve still got a ways to go.”
Gideon looked up at the structure when he made that statement. I realized that we had to walk to the top of that massive structure, for that’s where everything will come to a head.
I smiled at Gideon and responded, “I hope Buffy’s up there, because if she’s not, I’d hate have to walk back down all by myself.”
Gideon let out a few laughs and then replied, “Oh, she’s up there alright. But who’s to say any of us will be coming down.”
He continued laughing as he made his way to the beginning stage of the massive structure. I followed him to that same spot with a major look of confusion on my face. As I neared him he noticed my confusion and said, “Don’t worry Angelus, you aren’t going to die. I wouldn’t do that to you. I’ll explain everything when you get to the top. And please hurry, I don’t have much time left.”
Right then, Gideon disappeared and left me all alone at the first stage of the tower. I said to myself ‘He doesn’t have much time left, what does that mean?”
I looked up at the, at least, 100 foot structure and said, “I guess there’s only one way to find out!”
So I began the long journey to the top of the tower. As I was walking up, I had a weird feeling about this whole situation. It was a sort of revelation, only I didn’t know that until I made it to the top of the tower. The thing that I felt so strongly about was, no matter what was going to happen, I was going to be alright. I just knew that nothing bad could happen to me. I felt as if someone or something was watching over me. That eased the stress that had been building inside of me as I was walking up this tower. It didn’t comfort be fully because I didn’t know if Buffy or Gideon for that matter, had the same fate as I.
I needed to get to the top as soon as possible to find out the answers to all my insecurities. I lost all sense of time as I climbed to the top of the tower. I guess it didn’t all matter. All that did matter was what was waiting for me at the top of the tower.
Finally, I reached the top level of the structure and there before me stood Buffy. She stood on a straight platform, which had no sides. Behind her stood Gideon. Behind him was a drop off to the ground, from which I’d come. I looked back at Buffy, her arms and legs were tied together, and she was blindfolded. Just in front of her feet, there was a void in the structure. A space from the structure had been purposely removed . I didn’t know what purpose it held, but I reckoned I would understand it all very soon.
Gideon peered out at me and saw that I had been looking everything over. He then said to me, “Angelus! Come here and take what you’ve waited so long to have.”
Gideon removed the blindfold from Buffy’s face. She heard Gideon call me Angelus, and became frightened. She knew there was nothing she could do to stop me from killing her. She was at my mercy. I smiled and made my way over to the two of them.
I made my way directly up to the void in the tower. Gideon looked at me again, and said, “That void is a entranceway for me to get home. It’s also, a entranceway for whatever lies on the other side. Since I will be gone, it will be your duty Angelus to shut that entranceway.”
“And, how am I going to do that,” I quickly asked?
“Before I tell you how,” Gideon said as he displayed a sharp knife, which he had been covering underneath his long black robe. “I think it’d be best to get this whole thing started.”
Gideon quickly sliced two deep gashes on Buffy’s thighs, and the blood poured out, and fell through the void in the tower. I looked at Buffy’s face, and saw the shock surface on her face and then saw as she fell to her knees which allowed the blood to flow out quicker.
I yelled to her in sheer compassion and terror, “Buffy, get up! Stand up Buffy! Stand up!”
I watched as the blood flowed freely and quickly. I tried to leap over the voided space, but, there was an invisible shield which prevented me from doing so.
Gideon saw me punch, scratch, and kick the shield in all attempts to save her. He also saw all those attempts fail.
“There’s nothing you can do now Angel,” Gideon responded while smiling.
“You knew,” I began. “You knew that I wasn’t Angelus. And you played me. You bastard!”
Gideon became upset and yelled, “What! And you didn’t Angel! Pretending to be Angelus! C’mon! You played me as well! But there is one difference, I have powers that are beyond any mortal or vampire for that matter.”
I looked at Buffy slowly become lifeless as the blood continued to drain from her thighs straight into the void. I then asked, “Then how come you couldn’t defeat Whistler? Or escape from the Initiative sooner? If you were so powerful, then what happened?”
“I have to give Whistler credit,” Gideon began explaining. “That little demon had something watching over him. I sensed it from the start. But, I attempted to try to fight him anyways. To my dismay, he defeated me but didn’t kill me. He just drained me and I had to wait for a better time.”
“Why did you try getting Buffy again,” I continued inquiring. “if you knew that Whistler would be there again to stop you?”
“When we were finished fighting, I sensed something in Whistler that made me realize that, whatever it was that was watching over him was gone. But I wasn’t strong enough, to fight again. But, I knew if I were to see him again, then I could win. But the tale about Whistler is for another time.
“Since Whistler would be unable to stop me,” Gideon continued. “I tried to take Buffy in Sunnydale. But then the Initiative caught me and placed me in that cell. They knew all about me, and made it impossible for me to escape. I realized that Whistler was going to have to find someone else to look after the slayer, so I watched and waited until you came along. I watched and waited until the two of you separated. Then I devised my plan. And it worked to a tee.”
Again, I stared at Buffy and watched her face turn pale, once that happened I became frightened, but then that feeling came over me again. The feeling that everything was going to be alright. I looked into Buffy’s eyes and she winked at me. I read her lips, she said keep him talking. So I did.
“Well, um,” I searched for words to keep him talking, “If you had all these powers, then you easily could’ve tricked a member of the Initiative to set you free.”
“No I couldn’t have Angel,” Gideon said as he looked down at Buffy who was now lying motionless at his feet. “No Initiative member was allowed in those chambers without a implanted chip in their heads. They took every precaution. They knew how dangerous I was. That’s why my plan was so perfect, I knew that Riley would be so preoccupied with his hatred of you that he would slip up. And he did when he sent those scientists in. He wanted Spike castrated and you dead, as soon as possible. The soldiers he sent didn’t have those chips in their heads and I sensed it when they were bringing Spike back to the cell. That’s why I waited. I knew that you would do anything to get out of that cell to see the slayer again, that’s why you were the perfect target. I preyed on your love. It was the perfect plan.”
It had been a while now since Buffy had winked at me and I read her lips. Gideon saw me gazing deeply at Buffy. Then he looked at the void and saw it brighten and fill with light. He screamed out, “It won’t be long now Angel.”
“Angel,” a voice screamed out. I looked around but no one was talking. Gideon was still looking at the void filling with light. I looked at Buffy. She was so pale, and the blood was now flowing slower and denser, she was almost drained. But she was staring right at me. Then I recognized the voice, it was Buffy. Some how she was talking to me without Gideon hearing.
She said, “This is how it’s supposed to be Angel. Don’t be frightened. All of this will be over soon.”
I didn’t know what she was saying. So I screamed out, “What do you mean Buffy! What’s supposed to be this way?”
Gideon heard me scream out, but wasn’t confused, for he knew who I was talking too. He yelled at me as the wind stirred up, “I realize she’s talking to you Angel! But there’s nothing you can do. Even if she finds the way to stop this, I‘ll still be home. And she‘ll still die. It’s her destiny to die. ”
The wind stirred up even fiercer, and it was hard to keep balance on this platform. The light was burning bright from the void and lighting struck from inside the void. I looked into the space and I could no longer see the ground. All I could see was a red darkness and it wasn’t a pleasant site.
Then Buffy spoke to me again, “Angel, whatever happens don’t be frightened. It’s only my body. It’s not me. Don‘t look into my eyes.”
“What do you mean,” I screamed out again? “I don’t understand.”
Gideon had no idea what was about to come his way. When I saw her, I fell from my knees and onto my back. I couldn’t help to be a little frightened for I’d never seen anything like it, and I was a vampire, maybe it would do the same want to me.
Gideon saw Buffy rise to her feet and glow. He didn’t know what was happening. He was too weak to put up a defense. Whatever he did to get Buffy to the top of this platform drained him. He was so frightened of Buffy, that he turned around, but realized he had no where to go. He looked into Buffy’s eyes and screamed. He grabbed his head and face while still screaming.
He made his way around Buffy to the void, he turned to me while still screaming and fell through the void. I quickly made it to my feet and peered down and didn’t see Gideon. But I did see something and it was rapidly coming towards the void from the red darkness.
I looked up, and the glowing Buffy was standing in front of me. I was about to look into her eyes when she stopped glowing and fell to the ground. Her thighs had stopped bleeding, but she was still in bad shape. I felt around to see if the shied was still there and it was. So I screamed to her, “Buffy, Talk to me. Tell me what to do! Buffy!”
“You have to let me go!” she said as she rose to her feet.
“What,” I confusingly began. “Let you go where? And why? Hurry Buffy! We don’t have much time.”
“You have to believe that we’ll see each other again,” she said without answering any of my questions.
Again I screamed out, “What? I don’t understand Buffy! I see you now, let me help you. Tell me what to do.”
Buffy looked directly in my soul, the way, only she could do. She found my heart and said, “This is how it’s supposed to be Angel. I’m the slayer! I vowed to protect the innocent. And if I don’t do this, all the innocent will be killed.”
“Do what Buffy,” I frantically asked?
“Jump,” Buffy quickly responded. “I have to jump in there to save the world. I don’t have much time, you can’t stop me. This is how it’s got to be.”
“No,” I said refusing to accept this. “There’s got to be some other way. I will find it. Now come to me and let’s go.”
“Angel,” Buffy began. “There isn’t any other way and you know it. You knew it when you walked up this tower. You knew that you were going to be fine. You just didn’t know how. Now you do.”
The tears welled up in my eyes. I hadn’t cried in centuries, I love her so much. I realize now, she’s right. That’s how I have to close the void. I have to let her go.
“Angel,” Buffy began again. “You have to believe that we will be together again. You have to go on fighting. There will be so much more to come after this. So much more in deed.”
The tears strolled down my face, as I saw Buffy smile for the last time. She got right up next to the void, peered down and saw a flying creature about to fly through the void.
Buffy looked at me, while still smiling, and said, “Tell Connor that his mother loves him.”
She then jumped through and I screamed out, “Noooooooo!!!”
I watched as the tears flowed from my eyes, and saw Buffy fall straight through. The red darkness faded away, and the frantic wind died down until it was calm. I could now see the base of the structure. I could see Buffy’s body lying motionless on that ground. I raced down the structure and saw her and I fell to my knees and I cried.
Hours and hours passed and it was almost daytime, when I finally stood up, and walked away. I said to myself, “I believe Buffy! But now it’s your turn to come through. You said we’ll see each other again. I believe!”
I walked away from this place the whole time wondering what Buffy meant by, “tell Connor his mother loves him.” Hopefully, I’ll find out soon.”
The Finale Of “A Slayer’s Angel” coming soon!
