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“I assume you all know about the Slayer and her friends. They require our assistance and shall receive it,” Ireena spoke in Romanian a few hours later. They had gathered at the town hall, securing all the entrances with guards to prevent the Slayer from listening in on their plans. The powerful members of the clan had shown up. Ireena and Arianna were directing the meeting.
“But why? She has brought Angelus with her. She has turned him human. She has allowed him to receive true happiness once again. He doesn’t deserve that,” a middle-aged man said dangerously. A chorus of agreement rose around the table and Ireena silenced them with a look.
“Very true. We shall deal with him later. She has angered a vampire named Leonna, who was one of us before she was turned. She retained her ability to dissipate into thin air and return in a different spot. All they require is Leonna’s power stripped from her for the battle,” Ireena replied. Small talk broke out around the large table, most infuriated that they had agreed to help. Ireena allowed them to talk for a few moments, allowed their anger to surface.
“We don’t need to do this for them. They have done nothing in return. They deserve nothing. The nerve of bringing Angelus here...” a woman trailed off.
“She sleeps in the same room as he. They share a bed,” the girl Buffy had seen in the garden earlier said. Cries once again rose around the room.
“Focus on Angelus later, okay?” Arianna said, annoyed. “The point is they’ve brought with them a powerful vampire. And their argument is it’s our fault. Everything is our fault. Regardless of the fact that it was the Slayer’s fault Angelus returned, of course. It’s our fault he came back. It’s our fault Janna is dead,” she spoke in a low tone. A hush fell over the table. The others stared in shock, glancing around at each other wildly.
“How dare they?”
“Of course they would blame it on us--”
“It’s all our fault--”
“Silence,” Ireena ordered. The table once again fell silent. “I don’t agree with it anymore than you do. But the point of the matter is I have given my word. We have no choice--”
“We have a choice in the matter. *You* gave your word. We did not,” the man who had first spoke said. She stared at him in shock. “We will not help these people. They were responsible for Janna’s death. We do not deal with murderers.”
She stood still, letting it sink in. She looked with anger and authority filling her gaze. “I have given my word,” she said lowly, dangerously. “We will help them. My vow cannot be broken. As head of this clan, I say we will help them. Now go. Tomorrow night, we shall meet with them to discuss this.”
With that she turned and left the conference room, leaving the stunned members of the clan behind.
Buffy brushed her teeth and washed her face in a daze. She was so exhausted, she could barely see straight. She spit the remainder of the toothpaste into the sink and rinsed her mouth before switching off the light in the bathroom. She noticed Angel was already in bed, propped up against the headboard. His head bobbed as he fell asleep, only to wake an instant later. She smiled sleepily and sat down on the bed, holding her head in her hands and rubbing her temples. She felt Angel’s hands cover hers and she smiled, leaning into him.
They lay down together, drawing the covers over their bodies as they snuggled together. Whispered I love yous floated around the room as they fell into a dreamless sleep, clutching onto each other.
In the next room over, tension lingered. Giles and Katrina lay in their separate beds, facing away from each other. Fighting their mutual attractions. Giles felt his heart weep for Jenny, his lost love. He was confused, how could he feel something for Katrina when it had been such a short time since Jenny’s death? He saw her in the eyes of Ireena and Arianna. He could tell that they were related. He missed her beyond words, beyond comprehension. He felt strangely envious of Buffy and Angel. They had been given a chance. Why hadn’t he and Jenny? He fell into a distressed sleep.
In the other bed, Katrina lay awake for a long time, mulling over her
feelings. She knew she could not get involved, yet she felt as though
an invisible force was pushing her towards Rupert. Katrina knew he had
had a horrible loss and hadn’t even begun to mourn it.