Chapter Nine

As It Is Written

Throwing open the door to the vampire nest he walked inside and started swinging his battle-ax left and right. He didn’t stop to look to see what he was killing he didn’t care. The bloodlust running through him took over and he completely destroyed the nest in a matter of minutes.

When he was done wreaking his carnage he dropped his ax and stared into space. He fell to his knees, leaned his head back and screamed at the top of his lungs to the Powers That Be, cursing them, cursing the gypsies, but mostly cursing himself.

The dreams were his enemy and best friend at the same time. He knew that they meant something, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. Was someone trying to tell him that he had to make things right? Was his lover really falling into such despair that she would blindly walk into the darkness? He had felt that immediately from her in the dream. He sensed the darkness that had crept into her soul slowly consuming her thoughts and actions, driving her to do things that she would never do.

God the guilt was killing him. He did that. He hurt her more than he could ever have known when he was only trying to do the right thing.

Then there was the demon. For some reason he could feel him at the surface all the time now. He no longer lingered in the pits of his blackness. He was always there berating him for what he did and smoothly trying to cajole him into doing what the demon wanted; get Buffy back.

While he sat there he thought that maybe the demon was right. Maybe by his actions he not only damaged her but himself as well. Maybe he needed to come to terms with what he did and beg and plead for her forgiveness.

But nothing had changed, he still couldn’t take her into the light, he still couldn’t give her children and the white picket fence. How could he be the man she needed him to be if he couldn’t even touch her?

He got up and left the building heading back to the hotel his thoughts and emotions running wild. He opened the door and walked inside heading to the staircase. He was tired he just wanted to lie down and try to get some sleep.

He was half way up the stairs when he felt a presence in the room. He stopped taking a whiff he scanned the darkened shadows searching for the owner of that scent.

He turned and looked around the lobby his eyes landed on a figure sitting in the corner chair. “Who’s there?”

“I’m insulted. Has it really been that long that you don’t know my scent?” came a voice out of the darkness.

Angel walked down the stairs gripping his ax ready to battle whatever demon was in his home. The voice sounded familiar but it couldn’t be. He hadn’t seen him in years.

“Whistler?” he cautiously asked.

Whistler stood up and stepped into the moonlight that shone through the window “Ah see you do remember me. It fills an old man’s heart with glee.” He patted his heart.

Angel relaxed his grip on the ax and walked towards him “What are you doing here Whistler?” He was filled with trepidation because seeing Whistler couldn’t be a good thing.

Whistler chuckled at Angel’s obvious nervousness “Relax Angel I’m here for a good reason, trust me.”

Angel didn’t smile back at him “I don’t trust people too easily these days Whistler, especially demons that seem to come into my life and cause chaos.”

“Chaos, now you’ve insulted me again. What chaos have I caused you? Showing you your destiny? That was chaos ah?”

Angel walked over to the couch and sat down “Whistler what do you want? And make it quick I need to rest.”

Whistler studied Angel’s face and shook his head “You know Angel I like you I really do, always have and probably always will. But you my friend, if you don’t mind me saying so, are a schmuck.”

Angel raised his eyebrows at the demon.

“See you were given a gift my friend a gift that was predetermined and you, being all noble, turned it away.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the light buddy. I’m talking about how you turned away from the light. How, through your own callous actions and words, you made the light turn into darkness.”

Angel had his eyes closed and he was rubbing his temples. “Whistler I’m very tired and I have no patience for riddles so please just spit it out.”

Whistler stood in front of him obviously upset by Angel’s lackadaisical attitude. “I’m talking about your mate you moron!”

Angel lifted his tired eyes to Whistler, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He got up and walked over to the counter, placing his hands on the top he lowered his head trying to keep his raging emotions under control.

Whistler looked at Angel’s back and decided it was time for a wake up call. “How convenient for you. Let me give you a taste of what I’m talking about.” Whistler made a small gesture and frowned in concentration.

Angel suddenly found himself an eyewitness to the pain and darkness he’d caused in his mate. They were little more than rapid-fire clips of the lows her life hit. Just a glimpse really of how far she’d fallen, including all the times she fucked Riley. He saw the emptiness in her eyes and felt the coldness of her heart as she did it.

Just when he thought he couldn’t take anymore, he found himself back in the Hyperion with his head in his hands. His was consumed with possessive rage at the images of his mate fucking that boy. His livid growls echoed off the walls and Whistler smirked.

“Now that I have your attention and I’m sure you know who I’m talking about, let me enlighten you as to exactly what you’ve done.”

Angel closed his eyes desperate to control his rage. He knew that Whistler was here for a reason, and he had to be sharp, because when it came to this particular demon, you never knew what you were going to be hit with.

Whistler walked over to the couch and sat back down. “You see Angel there’s a girl, one girl in all the world whose job it is to fight the darkness and things that go bump in the night. See this girl she’s young but the prophecies foresaw her calling and it’s written that she will be the greatest slayer that ever lived.”

“I know this story Whistler.” Angel tiredly said he didn’t want to relive things.

“Yeah I guess you do don’t you?” Whistler shrewdly looked at his friend’s back. “Well let me tell you something you don’t know…it’s a love story.” Angel was about to interrupt but Whistler held up his hand “No you have to listen to this it’s a beautiful story, filled with passion and love, hatred and angst, life and death.” He put his hand over his heart “Why it just breaks my heart.”

Angel turned around. “Look Whistler I don’t want to hear this…any of this! These things are in the past and there’s no going back…especially now.”

“What you think you can take the easy way out and just ignore me and The Powers, I don’t think so Angel you have no choice in this matter. Like I said it’s your destiny, she’s your destiny. Now shut up and let me continue with my heartbreaking tale.”

“See it’s written that this small slip of girl would have great peril in her life. She will have to many times sacrifice things that are important to her. There will be grief and death. It’s crushing really so much sadness in one girl’s life. “He shook his head.

“But the outcome of these life-altering moments will be good, because she will overcome all of them and in so doing she will become stronger, more powerful. It’s these moments in her life that will make her legendary. But the real adventure for this lovely lady begins with the coming of a demon, a demon that in his own right, is a legend the most vicious and brutal demon to ever walk the earth.”

Angel snorted, “Gee I wonder who that could be?”

Whistler just glared at him, “You know boy, I could give you a taste of hell if I chose. I suggest that you shut up. You’re ruining my story. As I was saying, it was written that this demon would enter her life at a time when he himself was lost. They would come together and become allies against the darkness. Now the Powers they had a hard time believing this because well c’mon they are natural enemies. But circumstances made the demon slumber and the soul had control, and the soul took them on the path towards redemption.”

Angel yawned “I’m really getting tired here Whistler why don’t you tell me something I haven’t already lived through.” He just wanted to get this over with.

“You know I’d have thought you’d learn patience in your 250 odd years, but obviously not. You’re making me angry and, trust me; you won’t like me if I’m angry.” He glared at Angel again and the faint aroma of brimstone seemed to filter into the hotel

He abruptly stood up and faced Angel. “Alright I won’t beat around the bush anymore I’ll just jump right in and tell you what an asshole you’ve been. How because of your own actions you have unknowingly changed her path and yours. Because of you the balance between the good guys and the bad guys is slowly diminishing. Because of you she is falling off the path of light and slowly succumbing to the darkness. Because of you, your own fate and redemption hang in the balance. Why? Just tell me why?”

Angel was mad now too he jumped off the counter and stood in front of Whistler “Why? I can’t believe you even have to ask that question! You know why! I can’t be with her! She can’t be with me! What was I supposed to do when she came to me pleading with me to give her what we both wanted and I COULDN”T? Tell me Whistler what was I supposed to do AH?” He was screaming in his face now because damn it! What the hell did the Powers want from him.

Whistler took pity on his friend “You know you two make me laugh, the both of you seem to think that the Powers have something against you. Do you honestly think that they would treat their champions so heartlessly?”

Angel turned away “What the hell am I supposed to think, I’ve never seen signs of anything else.”

“I’m going to let you in on a little secret everything that has ever happened to you was written, it was all meant to be. You two meeting, falling in love, the slip up on her birthday, everything was as it was written. And it was going great too until you screwed it up!”

Angel was pacing back and forth. “Arrgghhh…what do you people want from me? I didn’t know what else to do! I want her to move on, have a normal life! Have all the things a normal girl should have, all the things she can’t have with me! What was I supposed to do?”

“You were supposed to embrace her. You were supposed to take her back into your life. You were supposed to go back to Sunnydale with her.”

He stopped pacing and faced him “How Whistler? Ah? How am I supposed to do that when I can’t even touch her? How can I embrace her when every time I’m near her I have to hold the demon back and not take her?”

Whistler stepped in front of him “That’s what I’m trying to tell you, you pig headed fool! You’re not supposed to hold back…you don’t have to…at least not anymore.”

He took a step closer. “What?”

Whistler sighed, “You know I thought you were a lot smarter than this.”

Angel growled at him.

“Well I guess not…” Whistler was exasperated with how slow Angel was in getting this. “You’re a vampire Angel you should already know the answer to this.” He waited to see some sign of recognition but he didn’t. “BLOOD ANGEL! It’s always about the blood.”

When he saw the blank look on Angels face he sighed deeply. He turned away looking at the pictures on the wall. “Angel what’s the clause in your curse?”

“You know what it is…perfect happiness.”

“Right a moment of true perfect happiness that unleashes the demon. Contradictory don’t you think, a moment of perfect happiness that frees the greatest evil that ever walked the earth?”

Angel wasn’t sure where Whistler was going with this but he actually never looked at that way. “Yeah I guess so.”

“So tell me then what else is a contradiction?” He continued to walk around the room his hands in his pockets.

Now Angel was really confused. He ran is hand through his hair shaking his head trying to clear his thoughts. “What do you mean?”

“Well would you say that a Vampire Slayer selflessly putting her own life in jeopardy all in the name of love, to save a vampire her natural enemy, would you call that a contradiction?”

“I guess so.”

Whistler waited for him to put it all together. When he realized that he wasn’t he just shook his head again. “Geez Angel are they spiking your blood with stupidity these days? I don’t remember you being this dense. Of course it could just be that your cruel denial of your soul mate is costing you brain cells.”

Angel was ready to rip Whistler’s head off, “Will you stop sniping at me and just tell me what the hell you’re talking about?”

“The blood Angel…Slayerblood, the most potent blood in the universe, did you know that?

Angel closed his eyes yes he did know that. He could remember the taste and how it made him feel powerful and alive.

“Did you also know that Slayerblood is the cure to your curse?”

His eyes snapped opened and landed on Whistler slowly he started to put things together. How could he have missed this? Of course Slayerblood is the most potent. He could attest to that himself. Wasn’t Slayerblood the only cure from the poison on Faith’s arrow? Why did he never think of it before?

He looked at Whistler who was walking around the lobby inspecting everything, giving him time to take it all in. He spoke softly and slowly, wanting to be clear. “Are you telling me…that my soul is mine and that drinking the blood of a Slayer cured the curse?”

“Not just any Slayer’s blood…love is a powerful thing Angel. It fuels the fire inside of us; it makes us strong inside, makes us feel invincible. Buffy gave you her blood because she loved you, she couldn’t stand the thought of you dying. It was a selfless act given unconditionally all in the name of love… beautiful really don’t you think? But yes it started to break down the curse.”

“What do you mean break down?”

“Well the curse is pretty heavy mojo you know that. And you can only fight that kind of magic with heavy magic of your own. Love and Slayerblood what a mixture! I’m telling you if we could bottle that stuff we’d make a fortune!”

“Whistler…” Angel growled at him.

“Alright geez lighten up. Anyway, when you drank her the first time it sort of caused a crack in the curse, so to speak. Think of it as a thin layer of glue that with every soul you’ve saved, every good deed that you’ve done and every evil that you’ve destroyed, thickens the glue causing it to get stronger, building it up, like a shield. Take the day that never was for instance…”

Angel glared and growled at him, he didn’t want to talk about that day.

But Whistler ignored him, “…that day you gave back the one thing that you always wanted, your humanity. You, without even knowing it, committed a selfless unconditional act of love, an act which pretty much sealed your curse.”

He turned around and looked at Angel. “You were only missing the final ingredient.”

Angel was mentally kicking himself in the ass because he finally understood where Whistler was going with this.

“Since it’s all about the blood, Buffy’s blood started the process and her blood was supposed to finish it. So when she came to you after the incident with Faith, you were supposed to take her back. You two were supposed to get so lost in your passion and love for one another that you would have slipped and…”

Angel continued for him, “we would’ve made love and while doing it I would have bitten her again and sealed the curse.”

Whistler was grinning now. “See you are pretty smart!”

Angel wasn’t grinning; in fact he was down right pissed off. “SHIT!

“Have no fear my friend, the Powers they know you sent her away with the right intentions even though they weren’t too happy with how you did it.”

Angel lowered his head in shame.

“But they need you two together and now. They knew it would take too much time for you to get back into the Slayer’s good graces. So they came up with the dream scheme. A place where you two could meet, talk, maybe work things out, and be together without the fear of the demon emerging. Drinking her blood in the dream had the same effect as if it was real, because technically since the Powers instigated the whole thing it was more like being on another plane as opposed to a dream. So you drank, her blood sealed the crack, and poof, the soul and demon are now merged. He’s not gone, he’s kind of just hanging out at the surface, he could take control at times but he can’t get out no matter what. Hence the mix feelings you’re getting from him.”

For some weird reason everything seemed to make sense to Angel. It was easy for him to believe every word that Whistler said because it was just the usual fucked up crap that always seemed to happen to him.

So the question was what now? There was no way she was going to accept his help or believe him when he told her. She didn’t believe it when he told her in the dream there was no way she would believe him for real. She would probably stake his sorry ass before he even had a chance to tell her.

“There’s some serious stuff going down at The Hellmouth and if you don’t go back and set things right you’ll never get another chance.”

Angel frantically looked at Whistler the worry evident in his chocolate gaze. “What’s that supposed to mean? Is something going to happen to her?”

Whistler turned and started to walk towards the door. “Angel she’s lost, didn’t you sense that in that dreams? Didn’t you feel the darkness that was taking over her soul? You destroyed all the hope that poor kid had in the world. She doesn’t think there’s anything left worth fighting for. She’s slipping…hunting not for the cause but for the kill.”

It was true he had felt all those things from her in the dream. The demon had raged at him for it too because he didn’t want to see her in the darkness either. He was attracted to her light, her heat. He didn’t want her to be cold and indifferent, evil…like him.

“Kind of like you ah?”

Angel looked sharply at Whistler.

Whistler just stared at him right back. “Not caring only going through the motions and doing what everyone is expecting you to do. You’ve lost your reason for the fight too. By pushing her away you condemned yourself as well as her. You need to get your ass back there and save her from herself. That shouldn’t be too hard, right? I mean that is what you do isn’t it? Save souls?”

He turned around ready to walk out. “Remember by saving her you save yourself. There are great things in store for you two and you have to be ready…like I said it’s all written.”

“Whistler?”

He stopped at the door, “Yeah?”

Angel took a step closer. “She’s really stubborn you know she’s not going to believe me, she didn’t believe me when I told her in the dream.” He was nervously rubbing his hands together at the thought of just how stubborn Buffy could be.

Whistler looked at Angel and smiled at him. “Well I’m sure that your patient intact soul and your dominant alter ego will be able to change her mind.”

Angel smirked back at him as the nervousness disappeared and all the pleasurable images of changing her mind filled his head. “Yeah, I think we can do that.”

Whistler turned around and headed out the door. “Good. Now get going and tell that firecracker of yours I said hi.”

Whistler left and Angel was standing there smiling like an idiot when Cordelia and Wesley walked in.

“Who was that?” Wes asked.

“Who cares, as long as he’s got money to pay he’s okay by me.” Cordelia answered.

They stopped dead in their tracks and looked at their boss. “He’s smiling, this can’t be good.” Cordelia whispered to Wesley.

They each grabbed the stakes that they carried. “Yes I think I would agree with you.”

Angel looked at them and laughed. They stood there staring at him with their mouths open. Cordy whispered, “Is he evil?”

“No Cordy I’m not evil, at least not now. And that was Whistler.”

“Who’s Whistler?” Cordelia asked.

He turned away and headed toward the stairs. “Pack a bag guys we’re going to Sunnydale.”

Wesley released the breath he was holding. “Oh thank god he has finally come to his senses.” He put away his stake. “Well I for one am ready, I already packed.”

“Yeah me too I got mine behind the counter.” They each went to retrieve their bags as Angel came bounding down the steps with his bag in hand.

“You guys ready.”

“As ready as I’ll ever be to go back to the Hellmouth.” Cordelia said.

They were just heading out the door when Kate walked in. “Hey guys.” She saw the bags they were holding “Where you guys off too?” She walked over to Angel and went to give him a kiss on the lips but he stepped away from her and Cordelia snickered.

“Oh we’re off on a little trip to help out some very…very close friends.” Ah her favorite part, the part where Angel blows the bitch off. She leaned against the wall she couldn’t wait to see this.

Kate looked at Angel. “What does she mean? What friends? Maybe I can help.”

Angel looked back at Kate. A few months ago he probably would have tried to appease her and make her feel better, let her down easy. But now, with the demon so much more apart of him he had no problem with blowing her off. He didn’t really care he had more important things to do than make Kate feel better. He had to save his mate. “Sorry Kate you can’t come. It’s family business.” He tried to walk away but she grabbed his arm.

He looked down at her hand on his arm and he shocked her when he started to growl. She took a step back. “F…family? What are you talking about you don’t have any family?”

Wes stepped up to her. “Actually Kate, we do have family and they need our assistance, so if you don’t mind…” he took her by the arm and lead her towards the door, “you’ll have to excuse us. Perhaps Angel will contact you when we return yes.” He stood there smiling at her and she just looked back at him with anger in her eyes. “What? Angel!”

“Sorry Kate. We have to go I’ll talk to you later.” With that said he took a grinning Cordy by the arm and dragged her out the door.

“Bye Kate, have a nice life.” She giggled out the door and Wesley followed them

Kate was left steaming, he couldn’t do this to her. Use her and then just throw her away when he didn’t want her anymore. Who the hell did he think he was? Well I’ll just follow them and then we’ll see who’s leaving whom.

Chapter Ten