PART 5

It was almost half an hour later that a sheepish Emma and Willow made their way downstairs to where everyone was still waiting for them.

"Sorry… it was my fault" Emma said.

"No, it was mine" Willow said.

Leo sighed, "It doesn't matter. Let's just get started." He had the nasty feeling that his daughter had been pumping his charge for information on that vampire and wanted to get Emma's mind away from him as quickly as possible. "I've talked with the powers and *they* insist that we know as much as we need to know… however some of the other white lighters have heard some rumours about what is to take place. They said that the demon that killed Buffy and attacked Emma will be leading the charge and something called the scourge… is involved too."

"What's the scourge?" Willow asked confused, she'd never heard of it.

"They're a demon army that want to purge the Earth of all human life and half-breed demons," Cordy answered before Wes could. "Even vampires… they don't consider them real demons." Everyone sat there and stared at Cordy in shock. "What? Did you all think I was some sort of brainless bimbo, who answered phones and got visions?" Cordy asked.

Everyone was silent for a moment and then Wesley spoke, "Of course not dear."

"Don't lie" Anya suddenly said, "Xander said she's a brain-dead bitca."

"Xander's the one who's brain-dead" Wesley replied.

Before a fight could break out, Angel turned the topic back to the battle. "We've fought the scourge before… they won't be easy to get rid of."

"No demon is ever easy to get rid of," Prue said.

Cole chose that moment to enter the manor, "Hi everyone. Sorry I'm late."

"See what I mean," Prue added wryly.

After much debate and a fist fight between Anya and Wesley, the Scooby gang and Angel, Cordy and Wes headed back to their hotel, promising to return the next night. When they'd gone all of them looked at Emma curiously.

"What did I do now?" she asked.

"Nothing" Phoebe said, "I'm just trying to picture you being friends with them."

"She was a different person then" Andy argued. He'd been silent all since they'd come downstairs and seen Emma and Angel's little chat.

"I don't quite know what to make of all this" Prue said. "They're here to help and that's all that matters to me. Come on Andy, I'll drop you home" Prue added seeing that he was spoiling for a fight, not that she blamed him, who would want to find out that your girlfriend's soul mate was a vampire and not you.

As Prue and Andy left, Cole who had sat there utterly confused since he'd walked in asked, "Who were those people?"

They all looked at each other and broke out into laughter, which bewildered Cole even more. Phoebe, Cole and Trisha left and Piper, Leo and Emma went to bed. Each hoping that tomorrow they'd find something new to help them in this battle, which was sure to be the worst thing that any of them had ever lived through.

A couple hours later Emma was still awake, no matter how hard she tried to fall asleep she just couldn't. Her mind was still reeling over everything and she decided that a quick patrol might help tire her out so she could finally get some sleep. She left the manor and had only taken a few steps when she bumped into someone.

"Sorry" she mumbled trying to move past, but they grabbed her arm.

She was about to attack when the person said, "It's okay… it's just me."

"Angel?"

"Yeah" he answered nervously, "Why are you out so late?"

Emma smiled at him, "I couldn't sleep. What about you?"

"I… uh… didn't want to leave you," he mumbled softly. He was freaked to be near her, but even more freaked to be without her… she was his entire destiny. They just needed some time to get to know each other again.

Emma heard what he said and suddenly, without knowing what came over her, she was in his arms kissing him. A little voice in her head started screaming 'you don't know him anymore, twenty years can change a person', but that voice was nearly drowned out by the one from her heart that kept telling her 'this is right, you belong here'. Angel could hardly believe that he was holding her in his arms again; it had just been so long.

"Oh Buffy" he murmured.

Emma tried not to laugh, but couldn't hold it in. Angel broke away from her and looked at her like she was nuts. "Sorry" she told him, "It's just… well… that's not my name."

"What?" Angel asked feeling confused and deprived.

"You called me, Buffy. That's not my name… anymore."

"What is your name?" Angel asked her somewhat embarrassed. He'd practically attacked the girl and he hadn't even asked her name… he hadn't done that since before he was a vampire.

"Emma" she told him, she thought his embarrassment was cute.

"Emma… I like it" he told her still embarrassed.

"I like you" Emma teased. She regretted it the moment it popped out of her mouth, she was afraid that it would give him the wrong idea about their relationship… if they had one.

"Just like?" Angel asked. He really wanted to know the answer… he knew that he was still in love with her, the Buffy part and he liked what he saw of the new parts, but what did she feel for him?

Emma's smile faded and she swallowed nervously. "Angel… I don't know. I mean I have all these feelings and I don't know if they are mine, hers… or ours…" she told him unable to meet his eyes.

Angel looked at her and gently lifted her face up to meet his, "I understand."

Emma kissed him on the cheek and said, "I'd better get back in… I'll see you later."

"Night" Angel told her. He watched her head inside and waited until her light went out, then he slowly walked away, already anticipating their next meeting.

When Emma came downstairs the next morning she was in a fantastic mood, she was smiling and dancing around singing some old song. Leo saw this and was suddenly suspicious as to why she was in that great of a mood. "Good morning. Why are you so cheerful?"

"I'm young, healthy, having a great hair day… and in serious like" Emma replied, "Isn't that reason enough?"

Leo took a deep breath; it seemed that his baby liked that vampire. Suspiciously he asked, "How much in like?"

Emma stopped bouncing around and the smile fell from her face when she realised what her father was asking. "Don't you trust me? I told you we couldn't do anything because of the clause… Anyway we so do not know each other well enough to do that."

"Well you did go out last night?"

"I went patrolling" Emma said.

Leo looked at her, "What did you slay?"

"Nothing, Angel was outside. We talked and then I came right back in" Emma defended herself. She knew that her father was worried about her, but history just seemed to be repeating itself. Last time around she'd had to defend herself to the Scoobies over her seeing Angel and now this time it was her dad. "Daddy… I'm not promising that I'll never see him, but I promise nothing is going to happen."

"I know and I'm sorry baby," Leo said hugging her. "It's just you're my little girl and the thought of anyone doing anything with you… well it makes me crazy."

"It's okay daddy," Emma said. She did understand she was his only daughter and child… he didn't want to lose her. "I'm going to go get Trisha and then we're going jogging in the park, okay?"

"Okay" Leo replied. He watched her leave and let out a deep breath, he'd almost driven her away with his suspicions about Angel and he realised that his little girl was growing up. Unfortunately he didn't want her too, but he'd eventually learn to deal with it and he also knew one day, sooner than he even probably realised, he'd have to let her go.

Later on that afternoon, the Scoobies and A. I gang were holding a meeting to discuss the night before in Angel's room. "She's so young!" Xander exclaimed, "Can you believe how young she is? We were never that young."

"We were even younger" Willow reminded him.

"I didn't know Buffy" Tara said, "But this girl seems nice."

"I don't even know what to say to her" Giles added, "I know she was our Buffy, but…"

"You didn't ask her name" Anya interrupted them.

"Excuse me" Giles said, "What are you talking about?"

"You didn't ask her name. I seriously doubt her new parents were stupid enough to call her Buffy this time" Anya said.

"Anya's right" Willow agreed. She suddenly felt guilty; she'd had a long talk with the girl and not even asked her name.

"Buffy isn't a stupid name" Joyce muttered under her breath, "And Hank named her not me."

Angel suddenly spoke up from his brooding corner; "Her name is Emma."

Cordy looked at her friend and asked him, "Did the host tell you that?"

"Uh… no."

"Ooh, she told you while we were looking at their Book of Shadows" Willow suggested.

"Not exactly."

"Well then?" Wesley asked him.

"I… kind of went back there," Angel said quietly.

They all stared at him in shock, and then Xander began yelling. "What were you thinking? What about the clause? You'd endanger us all, so you could get there first?"

"Shut up Xander, you stupid moron" Cordy told her ex. "You have no idea what you're talking about. Angel's soul is bound… it was a reward from the PTB for… service." Since everyone seemed to buy that, she didn't have to tell everyone that he'd received it for not to giving into any sort of happiness when he slept with Darla.

Suddenly Dawn flew across the room and into Angel's arms. Hugging him she said, "That's so great." She meant it too, unlike her mother she'd always believed that Buffy and Angel had meant to be. Now with Buffy reborn as Emma and Angel's soul being bound… they could finally be happy together.

"Congratulations Angel" Willow told him, her thoughts mirroring Dawn's.

"Well… it's good to know that we're not going to die" Xander said.

"At least not by my hands" Angel told him, thinking about the upcoming battle with the scourge.

That night when the gang arrived at the manor, they found the witches in a foul mood. "What's going on here?" Giles asked. He was confused as to what was going on; they all seemed fine yesterday and now…

"When we checked the Book of Shadows this morning, we found a new part to the prophecy" Piper said. "It gives a time frame for the battle."

"Show us" Giles simply said.

Leo led Giles up to the attic, where he read:

The battle will occur one and seven

After the memories regain

The killer of her former self

Shall try to bring hell to earth

Only the joining of the warriors

And the greatest sacrifice

Can defeat this

"Emma? Angel?" Giles asked Leo.

"Yeah" Leo responded. "Emma thinks it means something will happen to Angel."

"It's possible" Giles conceded. "Of course Angel will jump to the conclusion that it has to do with Emma. Maybe it has to do with us. With them losing a friend or family member."

Leo didn't want either of Giles' suggestions to come true, he wanted everyone to survive… even Angel. "We should get back downstairs, Piper's libel to convince them all that they face impending doom," Leo told Giles.

"Why would she do that?" Giles asked confused, Piper seemed like such a sensible woman.

"Phoebe had a vision this morning; it was Emma leaning over someone's body" Leo said, "And Phoebe won't say whose body it was."

"And Piper is convinced it's one of us?"

"Why else would Emma lean over the body" was all Leo said as he headed out of the attic, leaving Giles to follow.

When they came downstairs they saw everyone standing around uncomfortably, it seemed that no one had moved from their places since their arrival. Giles moved over to his group and began to fill them in on the rest of the prophecy, after many startled gasps and major cases of denial Angel spoke. "It has to do with Emma… something's going to happen to her."

Giles sighed, "Well she's convinced it's you who will sacrifice something."

"That's rid…" Angel started to say something and then he remembered thanksgiving, when he sacrificed his humanity to save her.

Giles continued, this time addressing all of them. "I actually believe this refers to the death or deaths of some of us… a sacrifice on our part." He noticed Piper give Phoebe a dirty look as he was saying this and the actual look on Phoebe's face seemed to confirm his theory. Emma looked pale and withdrawn, he felt sorry for her… it seemed as though she couldn't win with this, it was either her or Angel that would most likely die or one of her friends or family. He went over to her and said, "Maybe you should call your watcher and fill them in on this."

"I can't… She's at the watcher's retreat in London" Emma replied her voice devoid of emotion; "I don't know how to get in touch with her."

"Then call your white lighter" Leo told his daughter. He was concerned why she hadn't turned up already; she always seemed to be there the second she found out anything.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, dad" Emma replied. She really didn't need to deal with this… when they saw who her white lighter was…

"Call her" Leo insisted, "She should be here."

"Okay" Emma said, "But you're responsible for any trouble this causes." Emma took a deep breath, as the others looked at her curiously, "JENNY!"