Chapter Four
Wiley Watcher & Virtuoso Vamp
“Angelus, please come in” he walked into the Master’s chambers and closed the door. He didn’t know why he was summoned here; he assumed it was because of the outbreak in the hall.
“Master I apologize for my disruption of the feast.”
The Master waved his hands “It does not matter my child. Tell me what do you think of our newest Slayer?”
He watched his child’s face looking for any hint of his true thoughts because he was sure that he would not tell him the truth.
“I’m not sure how to answer that sire, I only just saw the girl.” There was no way in hell he was going to admit that he was pulled to her the second she walked in to the room. Angelus, The Scourge of Europe, did not show weakness even if it was in the face of his Master.
The Master chuckled it was as he expected “Did you feel her power, her strength? Were you pulled to her by her beauty?”
“I did feel her power sire and it is undeniable that she is beautiful.” All true he thought.
The Master got up and walked around to pour himself a drink “Angelus you have never believed in the prophecy of the Chosen One. Now after seeing her for yourself, after breathing in her scent can you still deny it?”
Angelus knew that he could not deny it but does he admit it?
“I’m not sure Master she has only just arrived. Who is to say whether or not she is the Chosen One? From where did Willow find her?”
The door opened and Giles stepped in “We have been watching her for five years Angelus. She has proven herself to be very…resourceful. There is no doubt in our minds that she is the Chosen One.”
“She called me her Angel and that she missed me, that she had died, what did she mean?” He wanted to know and felt no shame in asking.
Giles smiled at him here is where the story began “Every dimension is the same on some level Angelus. People are sort of mirrored throughout dimensions but with differences here and there. Here in our dimension are some of the faces of people that Buffy has known her whole life except here they are slayers or vampires. But the biggest difference is that in her dimension she is the only slayer trained by the Watchers Council to fight and kill vampires.”
He nodded “Spike told me that but I didn’t believe him.”
The Master chuckled “Well for once he was telling you the truth. In her world she is destined to be the only slayer breed for fighting, willing to sacrifice all that she has to save the world. This makes her strong and powerful. This makes her a force to be reckoned with.”
Giles shook his head “Yes indeed and in her eyes she knows you because you are in her dimension albeit with a soul.”
Angelus affronted by the very idea barked out “A SOUL?”
The Master chuckled and Giles continued “Yes you see in her dimension Angelus the Scourge of Europe was cursed with a soul after feeding on a gypsy girl. And he walks the earth saving humans in an effort to redeem his soul.”
He assumed the gypsy girl was Drusilla but it still felt strange to think that there was someone wearing his face and walking around with a disgusting soul. He couldn’t possibly comprehend what that must feel like. ”So he fought by her side, he was her friend?”
Giles straighten his glasses “Yes and no. They were lovers.”
One finely sculpted eyebrow perked up, this was getting interesting. “Lovers?”
“Yes it is written in all their books, the great love between the Vampire Slayer and the Vampire with the Soul, it was destined to be, as was their break-up.”
He scoffed because he didn’t believe in love and of course his souled other dimensional self would eventually break it off with her when he saw the error of his ways “Why did they break-up if their love was so great?”
“Because on her seventeenth birthday they consummated their love and Angel lost his soul becoming once again The Scourge of Europe. There was a clause in the curse that they didn’t know about. After months of him running around without a soul he tried to destroy the world and Buffy was faced with having to kill him. Willow was able to restore his soul but not before he had opened a portal to hell. Buffy killed him sending him to hell where he stayed until her love brought him back. They were together again as a couple albeit not in the physical sense, but in the end he left her so that it would not happen again.”
“The rest, as they say, is history. He moved on and so did she, on the outside that is. She dated other men; Riley in fact was one of them. But inside she still loves Angel and still believes that one day they will be together.”
The mental image of her being physical with Riley turned his stomach and unbeknownst to him he growled. But the sound was not lost on The Master who just smiled.
“Why are you telling me all of these?” he had a sinking feeling that he knew why but he needed to ask.
The Master stood up and walked over to him “Because Angelus, Giles and I believe that you are the Champion and that Buffy is the Chosen One.”
He looked at the serious expressions on both The Master and The Watchers face; they had to be joking so he laughed “Me! What makes you think that I am the Champion?”
The Master not affronted by his outburst continued, “You cannot deny that you were pulled to her, that you feel a sense of…ownership toward her?” The Master asked
“No I can’t deny that but so did every other vampire in the room. It is her scent the power that she reeks of.”
Giles stepped up to him “Yes but not every other vampire in that room felt as if they have known her, that she was theirs. Not every other vampire in that room felt a warm humming sensation go through them when she stepped in to the room.”
Angelus quickly looked at Giles “How did you know that?”
He smiled “Because it is written. He who is the Champion will be pulled to the Chosen One by a warm humming sensation that fills his entire being, making him unable to resist the lure of the pleasures that await him in the arms of the Chosen One.”
Angelus turned away scowling, he didn’t like not having control over his own fate.
“I have proof.” Giles said.
He spun around “What kind of proof can you have Watcher, an old torn page from an ancient book?”
The Master scowled back at his favorite child “Angelus you will speak with respect when you address the Watcher.”
Angelus frowned and bit his tongue “Sorry Giles.” It went against every natural instinct in his predatory body to apologize to a human but in the angry face of his Master he would do it, just to stay alive.
Giles who didn’t seem flustered at all by Angelus’ attitude just nodded “Yes, yes of course. The proof you seek is on her person.”
He continued to frown, why does this Watcher always speak in riddles? “What do you mean?”
“On her neck if you look closely you will see a faded scar. That scar is the bite of a mate, given to her by the Angelus in her dimension.”
The frown disappeared and was replaced by disbelief “So you’re telling me that a Slayer trained to kill Vampires allowed one to mark her?”
“Yes well to keep it short he got poisoned and only the blood of a Slayer would save him so she gave herself to him.”
“She fed herself to him? And he took it?” He suddenly had a different look at this souled version perhaps he wasn’t that insipid if he willingly took what she so freely offered.
Giles coughed “Well...ahem…no actually he fought her as much as he could. But in the end he was to week to resist her assault, literally I might add, and the demon came forth and marked her.”
He snorted, too weak, that was what happened when one was polluted with a soul.
“So your proof is in the mark.”
“But it’s not my mark? So what does it prove?” He wasn’t going to fall into this that easy.
The Master walked over and poured him self a goblin of blood. “Angelus you know the taking of a mate is the strongest bond there is in the vampire world.”
“Yes but as I said, it’s is not my mark it’s his.”
The Master scowled into his cup, his child was stubborn. “Angelus do you deny the pull toward the girl?”
“No Sire I cannot.”
He turned around and fixed him with a stare as cold as ice “Why do you think it is that you were the only one to feel such heat, such possession? The mark of a mate knows no bounds Angelus, whether it be here or there, you and he are basically the same, albeit a few minor details. Do you agree?”
Angelus most certainly did not agree, he was unique there was no other like him. But he could not deny the pull to the girl. He could not deny the absolute feeling that she was his. And he could not deny that the mark of a mate was stronger then blood. But he could not voice his agreement; instead he just gave his Sire a quick nod.
“Excellent. ” He continued over the ever-darkening frown on Angelus’ face. “In time you will come to understand and believe in the prophecy. You may go now.”
Angelus seriously doubted that but he wasn’t going to argue with The Master so again he nodded his ascent. He rose from his seat, bowed and headed toward the door.
“Giles perhaps you should arrange for her to spend time with the Master Vampires, you know, just in case we are wrong.”
Giles nodded at him.
Angelus stopped because the mere thought of her spending time with another vampire that was not him made his insides quiver with rage. He turned around “Excuse me Sire, but if you believe me to be the Champion why must she spend time with others?”
Giles smirked at the Master’s ingenuity.
The Master looked coolly at his child “Well as you said yourself, you may not be the Champion. If that is the case, and of course you may very well be right my child, she will need to get to know the others as well. To see if there is the same connection.”
Angelus looked darkly at his Sire but had no answer. So he bowed again and left.
Giles and The Master stood there smirking at each other “Brilliant, just brilliant.”