Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or concepts from BTVS and ANGEL, they belong to Joss Whedon e.a., I'm just borrowing them for this non-commercial fanfic, so no need to sue anyone.

Timeline: This story takes place between Season 4-BTVS-Episode "Something blue" and Season 1- ANGEL-Episode "Hero".

Spoilers: everything up to Season 4 episode "Something blue"

Synopsis: After Giles' discovery of an old prophesy, Buffy is given the chance to alter Angel's reality on a journey into his past – though this would mean they will never meet again.

Protagonists: Buffy and Angel, but others also appear

Rating: same as show

Author's comments: Please excuse my mistakes, I am not a native speaker of English.

-----------------------------

Los Angeles, California, the present.

The radio was playing. Cordelia answered the phone. "Angel Investigations, how may I help you?"

Doyle watched her as she noted down a number.

"Yes... Yes, all right. My boss will call back after the office hours. Thank you for turning to Angel Investigations. Bye."

"One could almost take you for a secretary," Doyle said with some astonishment. "Who was that?"

"Mrs Dobson. She hired Angel to protect her daughter from a jealous ex-lover."

"How exciting."

"Angel called on some contacts to find out more about him. Mrs Dobson doesn't know the guy is a ghoul."

"Oh."

"Nothing to keep Angel busy for more than two hours. Not much money in there for us."

"By the way, where's Angel?"

Cordelia sighed. "Have a guess. Where he's been since SHE left LA."

"Should I go down and talk to him?"

"If I were you, I'd wait till he's over it – perhaps the Millennium party would be okay."

"Cordy, the Millennium party was last year, it'll take almost a thousand years till the next."

"That was the idea. I mean, he's so melancholic he will..."

"Listen to that!" The radio had attracted Doyle's attention.

"... seismologic experts are expecting slight earthquakes in California during the next few days. The epi-center is to be the area around Los Angeles. Yet Professor Carver from the seismographic institute in San Bernardino explained there was no reason for the population to be concerned, the quakes would not exceed a 2.1 on the Richter scale."

"Fine," Cordy said, "Vampires, ghouls, demons, and finally earthquakes - I love LA!"

Galway, Ireland, the past.

"She's been in labour for sixteen hours now. Poor woman. She's so weak, I don't think she's going to survive," the midwife said.

Gillian gave her a desperate look. "You mustn't lose her! I don't know what I am to do without my mother."

"I'm not the one to make that decision, child. And if it's her or the little one, God wants the baby's life to be saved."

"Not God," Gillian cried, "The Church! They don't care whether my mother's got other children to care for! Please, help her!"

The midwife tried to calm the girl best she could, but it was her mother who required all her attention now. "Gillian, leave us."

"No! My place is at my mother's side!"

"I said LEAVE US. You're ten years old, don't behave like a baby!"

Unwillingly Gillian left the cottage. The fresh air of the night felt relieving in contrast to the close air within the room where her mother lay and fought for her life. Gillian tried to suppress her tears, but with little success. Why was her father not here with them when they needed him most? They had sent a message, but with the distance of a three days' ride her mother would be dead by the time he arrived.

"Don't cry," she heard a voice behind her. Turning around, Gillian saw a woman dressed in a long red gown, hung with heavy gold necklaces and bracelets. Her hair was black and curled down to her waist. A gypsy, Gillian thought. Her mother had always admonished her not to talk to these people, since they were all thieves, liars and beggars. Her mother. Her mother who was about to die. Gillian felt too weak to prevent the woman from approaching.

"Can I help you?" The gypsy looked friendly, not at all like a beggar.

"My grandmother used to tell me stories about your people," Gillian said through her tears, "That you have visions and can see the future."

The gypsy smiled. "That you must decide for yourself."

"Please, tell me. Will my mother survive?" Gillian noticed that the gypsy was staring at the ring she wore. Hesitantly she took it from her finger and gave it to the woman. "The ring belonged to my mother. She gave it to me when I was old enough not to lose it. She believes in charms, you know."

The gypsy took the ring and held it in her hand for a moment. Her face lighted up. "Fear nothing. Your mother will survive the night, and before dawn, you..."

Gillian's heart was beating wildly. She had been told what she wanted to hear, all her reason cried out to get back to her mother and not to be caught talking to an outsider.

Suddenly the gypsy stared at her with her eyes opened wide. A shock went through the woman's body, she even dropped Gillian's ring on the ground.

"What did you see?" Gillian asked, terrified.

"Nothing," the woman whispered.

"You look as if you'd seen a ghost," the girl remarked.

"I wish I had. Go inside, Gillian. Quick. Before I change my mind."

Gillian grabbed the gypsy's arm. "I beg you, tell me what you saw."

The woman shook her head. "I can't."

At this moment, a child's cry was heard from inside the house, and Gillian shrieked because something black shot over her head towards the roof of the cottage. When she looked more closely, she saw a raven sitting above the door.

"A raven," Gillian cried, "A bird of ill omen, isn't it?"

The woman's eyes seemed to glow in the dark when she turned to Gillian and said: "If you are wise, you should kill your little brother now, while he is still helpless."

Gillian turned pale. "Never! You're mad."

"You may think so if it makes you feel better. But if you allow your brother to grow up, many innocent people will die. You don't know what you set loose upon the world, Gillian."

Gillian did not wait for the woman to walk away. She rushed into the house and was greeted by the midwife. "Good news," she said, "Your mother will live, and if you like I can show you your brother."

The gypsy knew it would be a boy, Gillian thought and trembled. It was a mere coincidence, a fifty per cent chance, she tried to calm herself, this woman cannot read the future any better than I can, she is by no means supernatural. Yet the gypsy had called her "Gillian" -–although she could not remember telling the woman her name.

"Gillian, you know I depend on your help. You're fifteen years old, it is high time you learn that I must rely on you. I told you to take care of your brother, and I expect you not to leave him alone. He might have got lost!"

Gillian cast down her eyes. "Yes, mom. I'm sorry."

"Stop making excuses, you'd better make sure he's not running around in the wilderness alone. Now, take him out of my kitchen, the two of you should be out in the sun instead of standing in my way."

Gillian sighed and took her brother by the hand. "C'mon, Liam, I'll find you something to play with."

As they entered the court, the boy began to protest. "Would you play with me, Gillian?"

"Why don't you ask Mrs McAlister's little boys? They are about your age."

"No, I don't play with them any more."

"Why?"

"They just want to play knights with their toy swords, they hunt and stab each other, nothing else. I'm sick of it."

"Then, what about Marie O'Hara?" Gillian suggested.

Liam did not look enthusiastic. "She's a girl."

"But I'm a girl, too."

"No, you're my sister!"

Gillian laughed. "All right, okay, I'll play with you. But just for half an hour. Any ideas? Hide and seek?"

"Okay with me."

"You first." Gillian closed her eyes. "One, two, three..."

Liam looked around. In the court, Gillian would find him within two minutes. The woods were another thing. Climbing the fence was not a challenge.

Liam heard Gillian's voice from far away. "nine-and-fifty, sixty, ..." He had to hurry.

Somewhere in the US, the present.

"Okay, thanks a lot. I don't think we need any more time. Welcome to the team. Come over here, I'll introduce you to the rest of the band. That's Chris, keyboard. Marty, our bassist. Melissa, lead vocals. And this young lady is Ellie, our creative genius, lyrics and back vocals. Don't take her too serious. Talks a lot of trash."

"Thank you very much, Michael!" Ellie shook her head so that her dark curls flew around and tried not to let the others notice how she had blushed at the words creative genius. "Welcome to Mentally Disordered. Nomen est omen... What's your name again?"

"Oz."

"Oz, right. Any more questions?"

"Yes – why did your former guitarist leave?"

"Oh, Joey, ... He did not ---" Melissa sought her friends' eyes as if desperately wanting help.

Ellie put her arm around Oz's shoulders. "You'd better not ask her, Melissa broke up with Joey, ya know, nothin' lasts forever. Guess he just dinna feel like seein' her each night on stage."

"I see."

Melissa looked relieved. Oz was not sure, but did the members of the band exchange grave looks? He still had the feeling they were hiding something. Oz tried to free himself of such thoughts – this was his new band, and the vibrations between them would be vital on stage.

"Come with me," Marty said, "What about a soundcheck?"

When he had walked out of hearing with Oz, the remaining members of the band turned on Melissa.

"You're such an idiot!"

"You're a walking blonde joke!"

"We agreed on our story, remember? You almost betrayed us!"

"I'm sorry, it's just – everybody from the band was also in our circle, all except this Oz," Melissa apologized.

Ellie tried to calm her. "Try not to burst into tears, alright? At least we were there. But don't ever do this again, or he will suspect very soon."

"Okay."

"Tonite, eleven fifty. Be there on time. This time it will work."

Buffy Summers was leaving the auditorium. "What's on the menu today?" she asked, and with a slightly ironic undertone, she added, "Green, orange, or brown?"

Riley just smiled. "Philosophical question. We had green yesterday, so it's probably red."

"Red." The remark suddenly reminded her of Spike's presence at Giles' house. "Listen, Riley, why don't you wait for me at the cafeteria? I have to go to our dorm room first, there is an important call I'm waiting for, and..."

"About your wedding, I suppose."

She looked shocked. Riley could tell from the look in her eyes that his joke had not had the intended effect. "Hey, just kidding. Trying to be funny."

Riley, that's not funny at all, Buffy thought, yet she kept the thought to herself. "See you."

Though neither of them had any idea that Giles had left a message for Buffy that he requested her to see him at his house immediately, Riley suspected he would have to eat his lunch alone.

*

"You wanted to see me. Here I am."

Giles looked up from his books. "Take a seat, Buffy."

"That serious? What do we have today, anything new about our... guest?"

"What, am I nothing more but a guest, darling?" Spike asked cynically.

"You'll get over me." Buffy tried to ignore him. "Anything about how we can get rid of him?"

"No, ... no, I'm afraid not. I was checking some facts in these ancient tomes I purchased from the library of a cloister that was shut down a few weeks ago, and I found something ... I thought you should see ... It is a palimpsest." As Buffy looked puzzled, Giles explained: "When these books were written, paper was expensive, so the monks took old pergament documents they considered no longer valuable, scratched the surface off and used the pergament again. It is possible, though, to make the original writing visible. The text I wanted to show you dates back to Roman times."

Buffy bent over the book. "That's Latin, I can't read it."

"I prepared a translation." Giles took a deep breath before he began to quote.

Hark, for I foresee the end of the world we knew.

When the Fallen shall rise from the dead,

When Apollo touches the creatures of the night,

When the lion is forced to be a lamb,

Thou shalt know the sign:

The chosen shall drink from Lethe,

The doomed shall suffer from the memory.

The slayer will lie sleeping,

And from her sleep, an old soul will awaken,

Older than time and older than the light-bearer's pain.

The Ancient One will make the river stagnant,

And the chosen shall face the innocence of the doomed.

"And that means?" Buffy rose from her chair. "Just because the text says something mysterious about some sleeping slayer, it does not say they mean me!"

"I know," Giles said. "Buffy, I have to know if anything of the prophesy makes sense to you."

"I wouldn't call it a prophesy." She did not like the sound of Giles' voice. "You think there's more to it. Why are you so sure they mean me?"

Giles cleared his voice. "There is some evidence in the text. This is a very..."

"He thinks I'm the shooting star," Spike interrupted. "When the Fallen shall rise from the dead,/ When Apollo touches the creatures of the night, / When the lion is forced to be a lamb."

"I wanted to say it is a very difficult situation one has to handle in a sensitive way," Giles replied, "Obviously it is too late for that. Basically, he is right. Apollo is a metaphore for the sun, and Spike is a vampire, a creature of the night. When he wore the Gem of Amarra, he walked in the sun."

"Those were the days," Spike commented.

"Soon after," Giles continued, "He was im... unable to hunt. A lion who is forced to be a lamb."

"I know why I hated literature classes. I'm no good at essay writing, but couldn't that be a mere coincidence? I wouldn't think Spike so important that his actions were a sign for the apocalypse!"

"Thank you," the vampire retorted.

"Listen, Giles, don't you think you're exaggerating? Just a little?"

Giles took off his glasses and turned away. "I know this must seem strange to you. There is a question I have to ask. It's not for my own curiosity, believe me, I'm not at all interested in your doings, I have always minded my own business. And... and I respect your right to privacy... Buffy, when you went to see your father in LA, and... I apologize for asking, Buffy, but..."

"Get to the point," Spike complained.

"That is exactly what I am doing. Buffy, when you went to LA, and you saw your father, and... Angel, ... you saw Angel, didn't you? I really do not want to ask, but..."

"He wants to know if Angel f***ed you," Spike burst out.

"Thank you very much for your discretion, Spike," Giles said.

Buffy blushed. "How can you ask such a thing? Do you see a mad vampire running about killing people in LA?"

"I'm sorry," Giles said helplessly, "I would never have put it that way, but... did he?"

"Giles!" Buffy shook her head. "Nothing happened. I dropped by just to say hello. I asked why he did not see me when he was in Sunnydale on Thanksgiving. Was quite a strange scene, though. As if he was hiding something. But nothing happened. Now you know. Tell me how you came to ask... this."

"There is another paragraph."

Hark, for I foresee the end of the world we knew.

When the slayer shall lie with the cursed messenger of the Gods

Once again,

In the city of angels,

Then the ground shall soon thereafter shake,

And the end of time and space shall be near.

"That's no evidence," Buffy protested, "I definetely did not sleep with Angel since... it is a fact I did not, nor will I, and when I was in LA the ground did not shake, and the world did not stand still. And, anyway, the slayer in the text could be Faith as well!"

"I do not think so," Giles replied, "Listen to the whole text."

Beware, thou who hast slain whom thou loved before the very gates of hell,

Thou shalt do so once more.

Oz had only intended to go for a walk to think about what had happened before he left Sunnydale. He had no idea about the direction his life was to take, all he knew was that music would be an integral part of it. With no particular place on his mind, he automatically headed for the local graveyard. Oz was so lost in thought that he only noticed where he had gone when he had no longer any idea about the way out. It was much larger than the one in Sunnydale, so he stopped for a moment for orientation, when a huge mausoleum attracted his attention. Was ist just his imagination, or did he really hear voices from within?

Oz had known many creatures of the night, he would not have been surprised at seeing some vampires. As he came near, it became clear that the voices he had heard were chanting something. Cautiously he approached. The entrance was not completely closed. Oz decided to find out what was going on.

Five people in long dark robes with masks over their faces stood in a circle round a strange symbol painted on the floor, which was lit with taper candles.

"Lord Diernon, we call to thee. We offer thee our eternal service."

One of the women stepped forward into the circle. "We call for help, Diernon, Lord of Time and Space. Open the gates for us, and we shall serve you for eternity."

Oz watched a column of greenish light rise from the middle of the circle, just above the symbol. As if nobody had expected it, the figures shrank back. Oz heard murmuring, "We never got that far!", "My God, it works!", "He heard us, at last!"

Just the woman in the middle of the circle, who seemed to lead the ceremony, dared to go near. Yet she trembled visibly.

"Speak, Lord, your priestess will listen. I offer you my life and every other life you ask. Open the gates of time, and grant us a second chance for my brother who never had the chance to live."

Wind came up. The others drew back in fear. The priestess spread her arms, as if she was waiting for the light to come down upon her ----

and then it was over. The light had vanished and left the group in confusion.

"Do you think it worked?"

The priestess shrugged. "I have no idea. But we never got that far in the ceremony. Thank you all for trying, my friends." She embraced them, one after the other. "Let us pray and go home."

Oz watched, he could not believe his eyes, how they took off their masks and robes. In the mausoleum, he saw the members of Mentally Disordered. The woman who had taken the part of the High Priestess was Ellie.

So much for the creative genius, he thought and almost ran away in order to avoid being discovered.

Cordelia's coffee cup shook, the coffee was spilled all over the table.

"These earthquakes are annoying," she said. "That was the fourth shock today."

"Fifth," Doyle corrected.

"Whatever! It's time Angel returns, I wanna go home and see my own cups shake."

"You can go if you're tired, I'll wait for him. Can't be long now, the ghoul shouldn't..." Doyle was not to finish the sentence. A sudden shock of pain went through his head. A greenish light flashed before his eyes, and he heard a female voice say in his head: "Diernon... the gates of time... a second chance for my brother who never had the chance to live." The voice was followed by the picture of a child lost between high trees, surrounded by greenish lights. In the trees, a female figure was moving.

"Doyle, are you alright?"

"I'm okay, Cordy."

"Another vision? Are we all to die in an earthquake?"

"Would you be very angry if I asked you to stay? We have to research a name on the web. Ever heard of Diernon?"

"Isn't that those Japanese toy monsters?"

"Not 'Digimon', Diernon."

"Never heard of that. What else do we have?"

"A child in the forest. Green lights. And the Slayer."

"No! Not again!"

"Whatever or whoever this Diernon is, he has to do with Sunnydale and the Slayer."

"Are you sure it was not 'Digimon'?"

"Look, man, I've nothing to say to you!" Joey Walsh said. "I don't wanna have any contact with the people from Mentally Disordered any more, and if you're clever, you'll keep away from them as well."

"I watched them in the graveyard last night," Oz said.

"So you already know how sick they are! And what do ya want here?"

"Answers. You did not leave Mentally Disordered because of your relationship with Melissa?"

Joey laughed. "They told you that? Melissa has never been my girlfriend! I left because I did not feel like hangin' around in graveyards at night and performin' satanic rituals from dusty books."

"Last night, they prayed to some demon, something like Diernon. Do you have any idea about that?"

Joey looked sceptically. "So they are still trying."

"Trying what?"

"Why does that interest you, demons 'n' stuff?"

"Cos I'm a werewolf."

"Very funny." Joey sighed. "Okay, but you did NOT get it from me, right? Ellie lost her brother in a car accident eight months ago. She was the driver, and she was drunk. Poor girl, nearly lost her mind. Then she found that damned old book. About Celtic rituals. Some demon they called Diernon, was believed to have the power over time and space. They've tried for months to awaken the demon and persuade him to turn back time for Ellie, so she could prevent the accident. Mad, isn't it. No success, of course. Too mad for me, I left when they started that graveyard thing."

"Thank you, Joey. You helped me a lot."

There was a long silence on the other end of the line, and Oz almost thought Giles had hung up, when the former watcher said: "Thank you for informing me, Oz."

"What happened? Do you think this demon has the power to bring back Ellie's brother?"

"I think something went wrong. The ritual obviously did not open a time gate in the middle of the circle. But I got a call from Doyle earlier today, you know him, don't you. He had a vision about a child surrounded by greenish lights, and he thinks he saw Buffy as well. So maybe the gate was opened in Sunnydale for some reason. Anyway, Oz, you ought to keep an eye on these people. Is there a number where I can reach you?"

"I'm afraid not, Giles. It's safer like this. Because of Willow. I'll call again." The clicking told Giles that the conversation was over.

"A time gate?" Buffy asked disbelieving.

"I researched the name of Diernon – in old Celtic cults, he was the Lord of Time and Space. The Celts believed he had the power to open pathways to any time in the future or in the past if he was called by a strong soul. This was what my... friend said on the phone, a girl who had lost her brother and wanted to invoke Diernon to open a time gate for her to get him back. At the same time when Diernon was invoked, Doyle had a vision of you rescuing a child. This must have been a link between them – "

"Then this would mean a time gate opened somewhere in Sunnydale, which was actually meant for this priestess?

"You said it."

"And the brother of this priestess came from the past and is now somewhere in the woods near Sunnydale because his sister made a mistake in the ceremony? Do you think that probable?"

"At least I do take this serious. Doyle had a vision of a little boy lost somewhere between trees in the darkness. All I ask is that you keep your eyes open when you patrol."

"Sure," Buffy said, "I'll watch out for a green, glowing star gate and a little alien who is the reincarnation of Elvis crawling around my feet."

They walked under the dark trees. The night was so cloudy one could not even see a single star. Buffy listened for any movement in the darkness, every little noise in the bushes raised her attention. Suddenly she heard a faint sound which seemed to come from below the ground.

"What's that?" Willow asked under her breath.

Buffy gestured her into silence. There it was again. Like a cry. It grew louder as they approached.

"Sounds like a child," Willow remarked, and out of a sudden, she stumbled and had to struggle not to fall. The girls noticed a big hole in the ground, just before their feet.

Carefully, Buffy examined the opening.

"I want my mom," the child cried, "And Gillian!"

"He must have fallen down. Help me, Will, let's get him outta there." She spoke to the boy in a calm and tender tone. "Hi. Don't be afraid, we can help you out. I'm Buffy, and that's my best friend Willow. Give me your hand."

"I'm afraid."

"You needn't. I will protect you."

As she pulled the child out of the hole, she noticed his old-fashioned clothes and the sad look in his eyes. She fancied she had seen it somewhere before.

He looked at them sceptically. "My mom and Gillian say a decent girl wears only dresses."

"Do they." Buffy smiled. "What's your name?"

"Liam."

The name raised an emotion in Buffy she could not define. Yet she went on. "Can you give me your parents' address or phone number? I'll call them so they can pick you up."

Liam looked confused. "What do you mean, phone number?"

"Where I can reach them. You do have a phone, don't you. You don't live in a van or something?"

"I don't know what you mean," Liam said stubbornly, "I was playing hide and seek with my sister Gillian, and then I fell into this hole, I screamed for help, it was getting dark, and then you found me. But I can't find the way home. When you pulled me up from the hole, the trees, the sky, ... looked so... different."

"Every place in Sunnydale is DIFFERENT," Xander said sarcastically.

"Sunnydale..." The child looked even more confused.

Willow's eyes widened. "Liam, where are you from, I mean, the town where your parents live."

Buffy looked puzzled. Why was Willow asking such an obvious question?

"Here," Liam said, "Here at Galway."

The Ancient One will make the river stagnant,

And the chosen shall face the innocence of the doomed.

Giles was worried. "In mythology, time has often been compared to a river. Heraklit said you can't bathe in the same river twice, because the second time it has already changed. Pantha rei, he called it."

"I beg you, spare us your Greek," Spike said impatiently.

"Well, if the river of time becomes stagnant, perhaps if an ancient soul calls to Diernon, Lord of Time, this law no longer applies. I believe there are now holes in time, because of the ritual which went wrong, and this boy has obviously fallen through one which sent him here. He's long been dead in our time, he was born some time back in the 18^th century, but the Ancient One causes past, present and future to melt, in a kind of temporal nexus."

"And who is that Ancient One?"

"I can only guess. Probably the voice Doyle heard in his vision. A soul stronger than that of the would-be priestess. It's all in the prophesy - I just can't figure out the other sentence. The chosen..."

"That's probably me," Buffy said. "And the doomed... A ghost or something."

"If you were right once in your life, Willow," Spike said scornfully, "then it was when you said everyone here was blind to reality."

Buffy was really upset now. "So, Spike, you're gonna share with us your very wise wisdom!"

"I at least looked at the child twice. You did not."

"What do ya mean?"

"Am I the only intelligent life form in here? Oh, I guess I'm not a life form, after all. At least I'll just have to wait for a few years, then there'll be two of us." He pointed towards the kitchen where Anya was baking cookies for the child.

Buffy rushed towards the chair and pressed the vampire against it very hard. "Shut up! You couldn't possibly harm the child, you're impotent, already forgotten?"

"I'm not the only one in that, either. Never wondered why the boy is here at Sunnydale? That time tunnel of yours could have thrown him anywhere, but he's HERE! He says he is from Galway in Ireland, he was born back in the 18^th century, and his name is Liam. Liam, like mine was William. Does that ring a bell?"

Buffy let go of him. She turned pale. "You're not saying that..."

Before she finished the sentence, Anya led Liam back to the living room. Buffy looked at the child in a different way than before. The name, the time he came from, the expression on his face, his extraordinarily calm movements.

"Our chocolate cookies are ready," Anya announced proudly.

Buffy sat down. "Liam, would you come over here and talk to me for a minute."

"Sure." The boy went up to Buffy. "Will you take me home to my mom and Gillian?"

Again she looked into his eyes and thought she had seen them before. "I promise," she said.

"Will you visit me?"

She had to fight to keep her voice under control. "I'm afraid that won't be easy."

"I see. But... I will remember you." Just when she had again the strong feeling of déjà vu, she noticed a profound change in his eyes, an almost desperate look, when he added: "Buffy..."

Her eyes filled with tears. "Oh my God," she whispered, "Angel."

"There is only one way to be sure if this child really is Angel's former self. I won't rely on Spike's speculations or your feelings. Call Angel in LA."

"No," Buffy protested immediately, "I can't bring myself to do that."

"Well, I can," Giles said with determination.

"If he confirms it, what are we to do? Send him back to die? Even if we knew how... It would break Angel's heart to send the boy back to Galway to become a vampire.. and mine."

"What do you suggest, keep him here till he's grown and marry him?" Xander asked sarcastically.

Buffy gave him a look that would have made him drop dead if looks could kill. "Rather than marrying you."

"Your insulting each other doesn't help," Giles said.

"But it's true," Xander protested. "We have no idea what we're gonna do now! If he is Angel or not, he does not fit in here, he's from the past!"

Buffy sought Willow's eyes for support. "I said I would protect him, no matter who he is, and I meant it. In any case, I have to warn him."

"No," Giles said immediately, "You mustn't. We mustn't change the past, we have no idea what effect this may have on the future. We will find a way to send him back and make him believe it was just a dream."

"If we send him back without a warning, he will be made a vampire by some village prostitute! What kind of people are you that you are willing to accept that an innocent person will be turned into an undead?" Buffy reproached.

"That's ridiculous," Giles replied, "And you know that. It has already happened! Nobody asks for my opinion, or yours, Buffy."

"Giles, if you let me prevent this, many people will have a chance to live a life that was taken from them before their time. Think of Drusilla – she lost everything to his raving. Or Spike."

"You can't simply change an event in the past!" Giles insisted.

"Never thought of bringing Jenny back?"

He turned away. "You're being extremely unfair." Giles took off his glasses and wiped his eyes. "Anyway... you cannot just pick the positive consequences. How many times has Angel saved your life? If Liam had not been made a vampire, he would have died in the 18^th century, Angel would not have been there to assist you, and you would probably be dead. We don't know what happens if you interfere with the past. We can't run the risk."

If I had to give my life to save his, the price would not be too high, Buffy thought, but did not say it aloud. "If he were in my place, he would do it," she said.

"But he isn't," Giles said. "As your watcher, I forbid it."

"You know perfectly well you're not my watcher any more."

"Giles, please, call Angel in LA, he's the only one who can talk her out of this madness," Willow implored.

"All right. Do you have the number?"

They sat in the car, parking in front of Giles' house. Buffy turned off the engine. Angel stared into the rain.

"I remember the day I got lost in the forest. I was six or seven. Gillian had taken me out to play hide and seek with me. I remember I fell and broke my ankle. It was getting dark. I lay there for three hours until they found me. My mother was very upset with Gillian for not looking after me properly." He paused for a moment.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Strange. I haven't thought of my family for a very long time. You would have liked my mother. She was a gentle and caring woman, with beautiful dark eyes."

"What happened?"

"She died from a fever. I was sixteen. I'm glad she never knew what became of me."

"You never told me you had a sister."

"To tell the truth, I had three sisters, but two of them had long been married when I was..." He broke off.

"And Gillian? What became of her?"

"She was always there, I loved her well. I don't want to talk about it any more." He turned away and hid his face in his hands.

Buffy touched his shoulder. "Perhaps you would feel better if you told someone."

"Buffy... When you become a vampire, your whole personality changes. Your only concern is to kill and torment people, especially those you loved before the... transformation. Gillian had been my sister, I had loved her. I still see her before me, the expression on her face when I... when I killed her."

"Not you. Angelus killed her," she said softly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"Thanks for coming to the airport." Angel cleared his voice. "Take me to the child."

"What do we have here? The prince of darkness and his Transylvanian concubine!"

Angel prepared to give Spike an answer. "And a would-be vampire who is incapable of knocking down a..." He was never to finish his sentence. He saw Anya sitting on the sofa, a book of fairy tales in her hand, and a sleeping child next to her.

The others stopped in their conversations immediately. Now that Angel stood among them, the similarity to Liam struck them.

Angel fought for self-control very hard.

Buffy's emotions were in a chaos.

Anya was the first to find her speech again. "You were a very calm child," she said.

"What a surprise!" Spike had to join in.

"A second chance," Angel said thoughtfully, "And Gillian was the one who granted it to me."

"We don't know for sure," Giles said, "It is just a conjecture."

"I know. More important is what we are to do now."

Spike smiled viciously. "If you ask me, there's just one conclusion."

Buffy suspected that Spike's suggestions would only add insult to injury. "What?" she asked, though her undertone said, One wrong word, and I'll drive a stake into your heart.

"Kill him," Spike said. Everyone stared at him, shocked. "It's logical," he went on, "You can't change the past, even if you told ... LIAM ... what will happen, do you truly think he will believe or remember when he's twenty? If you want to... save me, or Dru, or anyone, you must kill the child."

Angel paced through the room restlessly.

"Angel, don't listen to him," Buffy said. "He's evil, he's frustrated, he..."

"He's right."

Buffy thought her ears had deceived her. "What?"

"Buffy, I knew what I was like when I was turned. I had no perspective except drinking, gambling and spending my father's money. The world would have been better off without me."

"You can't be serious."

"Never been more serious."

Buffy's rage turned on Spike now. "Fine! Are you happy now?"

"Perfectly!"

"C'mon, Giles, tell Angel how absurd this is."

Giles said nothing.

"What?" Buffy asked.

Giles cleared his throat. "Perhaps it is not that absurd. All that happened so far corresponds to the prophesy. While you – the Slayer – were sleeping, the Ancient One, probably Angel's sister, called on Diernon, the river of time changed and opened the gateway to the past, and you were confronted with the innocent child Angel used to be before Angelus came to existence. The Ancient One will make the river stagnant, And the chosen shall face the innocence of the doomed. It may be your destiny to do this, Buffy. And then, Spike's incapability to do harm, and the earthquakes. The prophesy says they are signs for the end of the world. I don't agree with Spike, absolutely not. Yet we cannot run the risk to have the apocalypse on our hands. You must kill Liam to prevent it. As the prophesy says,

Beware, thou who hast slain whom thou loved before the very gates of hell,

Thou shalt do so once more. I'm sorry."

"You're sorry!" Buffy shouted, "You're sorry! No, Giles, I'm sorry, I won't do that."

"You must."

"No! This is just a piece of paper, it doesn't signify anything! It's like a horoscope, you can interpret it any way you will have it! Anyway, if the apocalypse were near, others would receive signals, too!"

Into the silence that followed Buffy's words, Angel said: "I did. The oracles told me about these dangers."

"What are the oracles?" Giles asked.

"That's a long story."

"When did they tell you?" Buffy asked.

"That's an even longer story."

"Angel, can I have a word with you in private?"

"Buffy, I know how difficult this is for you. For me, too, believe me. But it is the right thing to do."

"Can't you see the madness in this plan? I don't care about all your prophesies, it is just a coincidence! If your great prophet was right, then, why did he talk about some slayer lying with the cursed messenger of the Gods AGAIN? According to your so-called prophesy, that would be you and me, and I don't have to remind you this never was and never will be AGAIN."

"The fact you don't remember does not mean that nothing happened."

"What?"

"I can't tell you now, just accept that the prophesy is not contradictory. Buffy, whether you like it or not, it is your duty."

"No!" She made no effort to hold back her tears. "According to you, everything is my duty – we have already given up so much for the good of the world, ..."

You don't know how much, Angel thought.

"... you can't expect me to kill you!"

"Why?"

Because I love you. "Because I'm the slayer, I am sworn to protect the innocent, not to kill them."

"You just see the sleeping child, and a vampire with a soul, whom you loved. You don't know what was in between, what became of the child."

"I knew Angelus!"

"I didn't mean Angelus. I meant Liam. I was a drinker, a gambler, and I stopped counting how many women I disgraced. Even if I had been given the chance to be thirty, fifty or seventy, I would not have become what I am now. It's better like this, believe me. I'd rather be dead than useless. Buffy, if you ever loved me, do it."

"So this is good-bye. You'll be gone, and nobody will remember."

"You will remember."

Giles tried to sound reassuring. "You're doing the right thing. We're all very proud of you."

"We'll be here when you come back," Willow said.

Buffy said nothing. She took Liam's hand and led him away from the others.

"Are you taking me home?" he asked.

The trust in his eyes tortured Buffy beyond words. "Yes," she said, her voice hardly more than a whisper.

"I'm happy to go home. Why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying."

"Yes, you are, I can see it."

Without saying any more, Buffy embraced the child. She closed her eyes for a moment, as if she hoped she would wake from the nightmare. She heard Angel's voice in her mind. If you ever loved me, do it. She saw herself standing there with Angel, the gates of hell opening behind them, the grey statue of the demon Acathla, as if he mocked them. Angel had no orientation, no idea about where he was or what was going on, Angelus, Jenny's death, the end of the world. She had kissed Angel with a traitor's kiss, and it had taken him completely by surprise when she killed him. Then the agony, the desperation, when he called her name.

Beware, thou who hast slain whom thou loved before the very gates of hell,

Thou shalt do so once more.

"Not this time." Buffy did not realize she had said it aloud, yet she stood up and raised her arms towards the sky. "Diernon, I call on you."

"What is she doing?"

Giles dropped the binoculars out of a sudden. "No!" he shouted. "Buffy!"

She heard the approaching steps and voices of the others. Yet she continued in a calm and resolved way. "Diernon, Lord of Time and Space, I don't know the ritual to invoke you, but I'm calling to you! You are my only hope! If you hear me... A second chance for my lover who never had a chance to live."

"What's that?" Liam asked suddenly.

Buffy opened her eyes and saw a shimmering, greenish light a few steps ahead.

"Buffy, no!" she heard Giles shouting. "What are you doing?"

... you cannot just pick the positive consequences. How many times has Angel saved your life? ... you would probably be dead. We don't know what happens if you interfere with the past.

"What are you doing?"

Buffy took Liam's hand. "I'm running the risk," she said, as they walked into the center of the time gate.

"She's mad," Anya said, "Nobody can guarantee this Diernon will allow her to come back!"

"That's YOUR fault," Xander accused Angel.

"I told her to follow the instructions of the prophesy!"

"You made Buffy turn to the evil and invoke a demon!" Xander insisted.

"At least she just invokes a demon instead of sleeping with one," Spike remarked.

"Ex-demon," Anya protested.

"I don't need you to defend me," Angel chided Spike.

"Never intended that!"

"Stop it, all of you!" Willow cried desperately. "Don't you think we have other things to do? What if we never learn what happened to Buffy, I mean, she could be anywhere!"

"Any way, you WILL learn," Spike said, "If Angelus and I vanish, and Jenny Calendar turns up, you will know."

It took a few seconds till Buffy's eyes got accustomed to the light. Dusk. Trees. The air was fresher than the one she was accustomed to. The worried voice of a girl. "Liam! Where are you? The game's over!"

"That's Gillian," Liam explained. "She's looking for me."

Buffy realized that she had never thought of what she was planning to do except taking Angel – no, Liam - through the portal. The boy made the decision for her. He ran towards his sister, shouting: "Gillian, I'm here!"

Gillian ran into their direction and embraced her brother. "Thank God you're alright! I've been looking for you for an hour! It's getting dark." Her eyes fell on Buffy and the clothes she was wearing. Gillian looked at her suspiciously.

"That's Buffy," Liam said, "She found me – I fell into a hole, and she pulled me out. She's a heroine," he added proudly.

"Is she." Gillian looked a bit more friendly than before. "Well, thank you for bringing my little brother back. But, your clothes are dirty, I'm sorry he caused you that much trouble."

"No, he didn't cause any trouble. In fact, he's an angel."

Gillian laughed. "It's clear you don't know him. Again, thank you. Is there anything I can do for you in return? Have you had any supper yet? Would you join us?"

Buffy was about to refuse, yet she decided this was too good an opportunity to let it pass. Perhaps it would help her to find some way to alter the present... the future if she learnt more about Angel's past. "Gladly," she said.

"Fine. Yet I'd suggest we get you something decent to wear."

"I... I'm not from Ireland, just visiting relatives. And... my clothes... That's fashionable where I'm from," Buffy made a poor effort to explain her jeans.

"And I guess your name's fashionable there, too," Gillian said.

Buffy wore one of Gillian's dresses over her casual clothes. Gillian had given it to her before she showed her to the living room. Curiously, Buffy looked around. She noticed a figure sitting near the window who was mending a dress.

At seeing Gillian, she got up, hastily putting aside her work. "Have you found him?" she asked anxiously.

"Yes, he's alright, he just didn't find the way."

"Thank God!" She looked at Buffy inquiringly.

Gillian gestured towards her. "This is Buffy. She found Liam and took him back to our house."

"Well, thank you... BUFFY. Nice to meet you. I'm Rose."

Buffy felt a strange familiarity with this woman. Her tone was calm, and there was a kind of music in her voice as she spoke. Her long brown hair, which hang down to her waist, was neatly braided. Though not really young any more, she was beautiful.

"I know, I'm too worried about my children. But I know they're going to have their way. I'll be proud of my daughters when I'm old and grey, and of Liam, too."

"You'll have good reasons," Buffy said.

"Sorry?" She looked confused.

"Nothing."

"This is what we will do," Giles resumed. "This ritual will take Buffy back to our time, hopefully before she has any opportunity to change anything."

"Of course, there's no doubt it'll work," Spike said sceptically.

Giles glanced at him over the rims of his glasses. "There is always a slight possibility a spell fails."

"What would happen?" Angel asked, sounding concerned.

"Nothing serious," Spike said, "She'd just be lost between the dimensions."

"Not exactly reassuring." Willow wondered if anyone here was to be trusted to know what they talked about.

"This is a risk we have to run," Giles said.

Spike smiled with an air of contemption. "Why do I seem to have a déjà vu?"

"... and so, the beautiful Princess Bethany married the prince, and if they haven't died, they still live today."

"What happened to the evil witch Drumilla and her minion Spite?" Liam asked.

"Um... they were banished from the kingdom and never seen again."

"And the ugly goblin Rhyelay?"

"He was kept at the court, they allowed him to take care of the magic cows. But you should really sleep now, it's late!"

"I have to know first what happened to Queen Cornelia!"

"She... She became Princess Bethany's chambermaid. That's all, there's nothing more to say. Now you've heard the whole story. Good night."

"Buffy?"

"Yeah?"

"If the princess and the prince loved each other so much, why did it take them so long to get together? Why did they never tell each other?"

Buffy smiled. "Fairytales are always like that. If there are no problems, the tale's not long enough for children to fall asleep. Well, I guess, in your case, it didn't work anyway." She put her finger on her lips. "We won't tell anyone, right?"

"Okay."

"Sleep well, love."

She closed the door from outside.

Rose smiled at her. "That's the first time he went to bed without complaining. You're really a remarkable girl, and you have a very vivid imagination – how did you come up with such a story? A beautiful princess fighting the evil and rescuing a prince, how odd an idea."

"But it worked!" Buffy announced proudly.

Rose sighed. "He'll have a hard time tomorrow when he finds you gone. You're sure you don't wanna stay for another day or two?"

"I need to leave," Buffy replied. "They expect me at home [at least I hope so]."

"We understand. Surely you have a husband waiting for you."

"Well... one could say so, I suppose."

"It's a pity Liam's not ten years older. Wish I could find someone like you for him when he's grown. Hope I'll live to see that. We're all in God's hand, aren't we."

Buffy felt as if a hard grip tightened around her heart. "He will find someone, I promise you."

Rose looked disturbed. "It's just... I keep having these dreams. I see Liam, he's around twenty, I see him, he's drunk, and there's a blond woman, she leads him outside a tavern, he's trying to kiss her, but then... her face turns into a horrible mask, and she... drinks his blood, and I stand there, I see it, but I can't do anything, I try to pull her away from him... but it is as if I was mere air, I cry, and they don't hear me, as if I was... dead." Rose broke off, crying.

"Rose." Buffy touched her shoulders gently and made her look at her. "Listen to me. This is important, don't think me mad. There is something I must tell you."

"Ugh, that smells like dead, rotten meat!" Xander tried not to breathe in too much of the herbs Giles was throwing into the cauldron.

"What's wrong with the smell?" Spike asked, completely without understanding.

"Shut up, Giles needs silence for the spell," Willow chided them.

"Passing over space and time,

Gate will open on my rhyme,

Gate will open on my songs,

Take her back where she belongs."

Buffy felt a sudden chill. Then her surroundings seemed to turn around her, moving faster and faster, she felt she would lose her consciousness. Then her sight failed, and there was just the greenish light. Buffy was already unconscious when her body hit the ground.

"Where is she?" Willow asked confused.

Giles skimmed through the pages of the old book. "I was so sure it would work," he said helplessly, "I sent her to the place she belongs to, and this should be here. I do not understand why the spell failed."

"But where IS Buffy?"

"I have no idea."

She woke on wet grass. Slowly, with every muscle aching, she managed to rise, but her legs felt like stones. Suspiciously, she regarded the scenery. Obviously she was no longer in the 18^th century. Before her lay a spacious house with a large garden around it, and a white fence.

A small boy was standing there and staring at her.

Her heartbeat seemed to stop when she looked at him more closely, disbelieving. He was the very image of the child she had put to bed just minutes before. "Liam?" she asked.

"No," the boy replied, "And my dad told me not to talk to strangers, not even in our garden."

Buffy had no idea where she was, but couldn't help being amused. "Your dad must be very clever," she said.

"I hope so," she suddenly heard a voice behind her. "Will, get into the house, you still have homework to do."

The child obeyed at once.

At the sound of the voice, Buffy slowly turned around.

In the bright sunshine, there stood a man, probably in his late thirties. His skin was slightly tanned, as if he was spending a considerable amount of time outdoors. He was dressed all in white, and although he looked strikingly different, it did not take Buffy a second to know who he was.

"Angel," she whispered.

He smiled at her. "Buffy. I knew you'd come. Beautiful weather, isn't it."

"My, you look... old." With these words, she flung herself into his arms.

"Thanks for the compliment," Angel said. He held Buffy and let her cry. It took her minutes to realize tears were streaming down her face.

"What happened?" she asked when she had recovered, "You are..."

"Human, yes," he said. "Welcome. This is your home, our home, the place you've always belonged to."

"And, the child, you called him Will, is he...?"

"Buffy, I know how confusing this must be for you."

"No, I'm sure you don't... Angel, I have but one question: HOW?"

"I may not tell you. I'm not allowed to. The Powers, you know. All I can tell you is that I'm human, and we're together. And that my present is your future. If you do the right thing in your past."

"I'm not going back," she said stubbornly, "You said I belonged here, so this is precisely where I'll stay."

Again he embraced her. "You're here already. You can't just skip the years in between. I know what happened, that you went through a time gate, and were about to tell my mother everything. That's a mistake, Buffy."

"She wouldn't have believed me."

"Probably not. But you were prepared to call on Diernon once more to take you to the year I was turned by Darla, to prevent it. Was that your plan?"

Buffy avoided his eyes. "I might," she said.

"You didn't in my reality. And you won't in yours."

"Why?" she asked in a challenging tone, "Is it so wrong that I want you to live the life that was taken from you, when we can't be together anyway? Tell me one good reason why I shouldn't slay Darla before she has any chance to turn you. Why? Because you give me orders?"

"Because it is not the way. I do not give you any orders. Fate does. Giles was right about the prophesy, Spike's wearing the Gem of Amarra was a sign for the apocalypse, as was our... lovemaking."

"Our WHAT?"

Buffy insisted on knowing the truth so much that Angel eventually told her the whole story about how the demon blood had made him mortal, and how he had to give it up again.

"The chosen shall drink from Lethe," he closed, "The doomed shall suffer from the memory.
They gave us back the day. You forgot, or as Giles would put it, you drank from the river Lethe, the river of forgetfulness. I had to live with the memory of these 24 hours."

Buffy looked at Angel, suddenly understanding. Slowly, she began to quote.

"The slayer will lie sleeping,

And from her sleep, an old soul will awaken,

Older than time and older than the light-bearer's pain.

If I'm not mistaken, they mean Lucifer, the light-bearer. And the old soul, that is Diernon, he existed before there were good and evil in the world, because he is timeless.

The Ancient One will make the river stagnant,

And the chosen shall face the innocence of the doomed.

Time stood still, and I was confronted with Liam, with you as a child.

Hark, for I foresee the end of the world we knew.

When the slayer shall lie with the cursed messenger of the Gods

Once again,

In the city of angels,

Then the ground shall soon thereafter shake,

And the end of time and space shall be near.

After what you told me about LA, I don't think this needs any further explanation."

Angel shook his head. "We've always understood each other, Buffy." He gently stroke her hair. "It's time I sent you back through time. I trust you will know what to do."

"Will I be seeing you?"

"Never fear," he said, "I'll be waiting." Angel raised his hands to the sky and said in a calm voice: "Diernon, I call on you. Let us finish this as it was, and as it shall be."

"You DO look old." Buffy saw the green light beams forming a gate in the garden. Before she walked through it, she turned once more to look at Angel. "You've never been more attractive to me in my life."

Angel waited until the gate closed behind her. Then he walked through the sun-flooded garden to the house where Buffy was waiting.

Buffy found herself in front of a tavern. She was still wearing the dress Gillian had given to her over her clothes. Her mind was still confused. She had come to the past with the strong resolution to rescue Liam from his future, without caring about the consequences. As she was here already, nobody could force her to return, she could stay, no vampire, no curse, they could be together. Almost physical pain overwhelmed her as she thought of her 17^th birthday.

And now Angel told her to let the opportunity pass by. She had a feeling of nausea, yet fought it down to enter the tavern.

It did not take her long to spot him. He sat at a table with Darla. They laughed together.

"Let's go to a quieter place."

Buffy felt for the stake hidden in her dress.

Darla and Liam rose from their chairs. His hand in hers.

They walked towards the door.

Darla stood right before her, trying to push Buffy aside. "Excuse me," she said.

"No." Buffy's fingers closed around the stake, she was ready to draw it and finish Darla off. Slowly she pulled the stake out.

The very second she prepared to drive it into the vampire's heart, her eyes met Liam's gaze. There was a strange sign of recognition in his eyes. Time stood still.

"Do I... know you from somewhere?" he asked slowly.

It's unfair. You deserve to live. You deserve happiness. Letting her kill you is like killing you myself. We should be together. And... it is not the way.

The moment passed. Buffy cast down her eyes. "I don't think so."

"It's a shame," Liam replied and smiled at her.

"Come on, let's go," Darla rushed. The couple left the tavern together.

Buffy watched Liam go, his last steps as a human being.

From the depths of her consciousness, she seemed to hear a voice.

Beware, thou who hast slain whom thou loved before the very gates of hell,

Thou shalt do so once more. Well done, slayer. It is time to go home now.

She shivered. And then there was only darkness.

Buffy was lying on her bed in her dorm room, not sleeping. She did not get up to open the door. "Come in, Angel," she said.

He entered the room. "How did you know it was me?"

"I knew."

"Just wanted to say good-bye."

"So you're leaving for L.A." She sat up. "When?"

"Tonight."

"Well, then, have a good trip."

"Thanks."

The silence was uncomfortable for both of them.

It took a long time till Angel broke the silence. "What happened after you went through the gate, Buffy?"

Buffy sighed. "I told you and the others a thousand times. I was separated from Liam, who was probably thrown back into his time, and then I drifted through emptiness until I found myself again at Giles' house where he had performed a ritual to bring me back."

"I know what you told us. I'm asking what REALLY happened."

"I don't know why you don't believe me."

"Because you're lying."

"If I were, would it make a difference?"

"To me it would," he insisted.

"All right!" Buffy said angrily, "I went into the future, you were human, we were married, are you happy now?"

Angel sat on her bed with a melancholic smile. "Nice try," he said. "If you won't tell me, that's okay with me. Just don't lie to me." He got up and walked towards the door.

Buffy's plan had been to keep her stay in the past a secret from him, as he had not told her about the 24 hours in LA that she had lost. However, as he now turned his back on her to walk out of her life once more, she could not bear it.

"Angel, wait!" Buffy jumped from her bed and ran after him.

Angel stopped and faced her. "What?"

Instead of an answer, Buffy kissed him, for minutes, passionately. The cross she was wearing was burning his skin even through the clothes he was wearing, yet he could not stop. The kiss brought back the painful memories of his day in the sun and the night in her arms, yet he could not stop.

When Buffy finally withdrew to breathe again, he whispered: "Buffy, we both know..."

"Just wanted to say good-bye."

"We both know this doesn't help anyone."

"Angel, did you ever wonder... in fairytales... if the princess and the prince loved each other so much, why did it take them so long to get together? Why did they never tell each other?"

Not knowing where the answer came from, Angel replied without thinking, "Fairytales are always like that. If there are no problems, the tale's not long enough for children to fall asleep. Well, I guess, in your case, it didn't work anyway." He put his finger on her lips. "We won't tell anyone, right?"

"Okay."

"I'll be seeing you." Angel closed the door from the outside.

Buffy remained alone in the room.

"Never fear. I'll be waiting."
 
 

THE END