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The ride was quiet and a little tense, with only short instructions from Angel on where to turn. Giles was driving as slow as usual, until Buffy finally asked how fast they were going. Giles mumbled something under his breath. Buffy peeked over Giles shoulder at the speedometer.
"Giles, when are you going to get a grown-up car?" Buffy asked.
"It's a perfectly fine car and there's no reason to get a new one," Giles snapped.
"Of course," Buffy said mockingly. Giles made an exasperated sigh and Angel gave that half smile of his. He didn't usually get to see Watcher and Slayer interact in anything, but an all business mode. It was something he'd missed and was glad he was able to see it now. They arrived at Angel's apartment a few minutes later. Buffy, Angel, and the second mage got out of Giles car. Trisn and two other gypsies got out of the van and followed Buffy and Angel into his apartment. The body lay, neatly wrapped on Angel's living room floor. The gypsies went over and inspected the body. Angel looked on, while Buffy wandered about the apartment. She tried not to watch, as the gypsies bent over the body, feeling as if she was intruding somehow.
"You did a good job, wrapping it. There's not much left to do," Trisn said, as the gypsies rearranged the hands of the corpse. Buffy glanced over at the half unwrapped body and gasped.
"That's the other man from my dream!" she said, pointing to the dead gypsy and coming over to stand beside Angel.
"What?" Trisn asked confused.
"Who was he in your dream?" Angel asked.
"He was the mean one, who came at me with a knife," Buffy said.
"You dreamt of Beshok? And he attacked you in this dream?" Wensil asked.
"Well, kind of. It was all really strange," Buffy said suddenly uncomfortable under the mage's intense gaze.
"Have you ever seen Beshok before?"
"The corpse? No, of course not."
"Beshok was the leader of our expedition. He was one of the greatest Angelus haters in the clan. Was anyone else in your dream?"
"Yeah, Trisn was," Buffy admitted reluctantly, "He and that guy were fighting. This Beshok apparently won and came after me with a knife."
"Trisn did fight with Beshok about the ethics of our mission. It seems that you have more power than you have told us." He looks at Buffy in a new light. "If your dreams have proved prophetic once, they are likely to be so again in the future. Have you ever known someone was your enemy, before you had any reason to think so?" the mage asked.
"Maybe, look, what's with all the questions? I thought I was like an official friend now or something?" Buffy said annoyed and disturbed by his questions.
"You are a friend to every gypsy here tonight. I am trying to see the extent of your power and see what I have befriended," the mage replied. Buffy looked up at Angel, he nodded encouragingly.
She sighed dramatically, before replying. "Sometimes I get weird feelings that someone just isn't right, but I don't think it means anything. I've had people pull the wool over my eyes lots of times."
"Is it only humans that can fool you?"
"I ... think so. When I talk to a vamp, I can usually tell they're a vamp, but I can't sense them in crowd or anything. I even had one almost ax me, 'cause I thought she was on our side and I turned my back to her."
"So there was only that one incident, where you did not know the creature was a vamp after you talked to it." Buffy nods. "Did it have the face of someone you knew?"
"Yeah, the girl tied with me for worst kid in school. She was supposed to help me set up the school."
"Worst kid in school?" Wensil asked skeptically, "Did you trust her when she was human?"
"No, but I figured she could be trusted to watch my back in a fight and help me against Spike and his goons."
"So if you had gotten a bad feeling, you would have assumed it's because you knew she couldn't be trusted."
"Yeah, I guess so."
"Very interesting," Wensil said with a Giles like interest. He looked at Angel and then back at her, "Did you know he was a vampire the first time you talked to him?"
"No. Of course, these things didn't start to really happen until I di- I mean until after Spring Fling. I'd know Angel for awhile at that point."
"When he lost his soul, did you know it immediately?"
"No," Buffy said avoiding the mage's eyes, "I was asleep at the time."
"What about the first time you talked to him after that?" the mage asked.
Buffy continued to avoid his gaze and shifted uncomfortably. Angel took her hand and she looked up at him. He was looking at her worriedly. Worrying that this was too uncomfortable to talk about. Worrying that maybe thinking back on what he'd done, she was having second thoughts about forgiving him. She smiled up at him and squeezed his hand, taking comfort from his presence. "I wasn't sure at first. I had a bad feeling, when I woke up and it stayed with me all day. When I finally saw Angel, he ... he didn't act like Angel. It was more than what he said, tones of voice, the way he moved, and his eyes were different. When he left, I think I knew he didn't have his soul anymore," she replied looking around the room and trying to replay the scene in her mind.
"You knew ... hmm," the mage said half to himself. "Prophetic dreams and those types of feelings are very unusual. They come from a certain place inside oneself and have a different feeling to them, then an ordinary hunch or dream. Do you know what I'm talking about?"
"Yes," Buffy said a little uncertainly.
"Do you trust him?" Wensil asked gesturing toward Angel, "Does that *place* inside tell you, you can trust him?" Angel stiffened, beside her.
"The only feelings I get from that place about Angel are good ones. I trust Angel with my life," she replied, then looked up at Angel, "and more." Angel pulled her into his arms and gazed down at her, oblivious to the gypsies standing near by. He gazed down at her and searched her eyes to see if it was true. She looked up at him lovingly and he knew that it was. One of the gypsies cleared their throat rather noisily and the couple were brought back to their surroundings. Wensil was staring wonderingly, as if he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. Buffy blushed and went back to standing beside Angel, although she now looped her arm through his. Wensil nodded wonderingly.
"Yes, you do don't you. You have a great deal of power, not to mention a great deal of strength considering how well you seemed to hold your own against those vampires. Hmmm," he said wonderingly.
"Mage," Trisn said.
"Oh yes," the mage said, startled out of his reverie. He walked back to the body and stood across from one of the warriors. The four gypsies picked up the body in unison and carried it out to the van. Buffy and Angel followed them up the stairs and stood at the top watching them. Once the body was in the van, one of the warriors jumped into the van, while Trisn and the other warrior went towards Giles car. Wensil however, came back and stood in front of Angel. Trisn and the other warrior stopped at the doors of Giles car and turned to see what he was doing. The other warrior that had helped with the body, also looked out of the back of the van to watch. Wensil looked over at Buffy, resolution written on his face. "Well, if you trust him young one, that's enough for me. Angel, I will be your friend whenever you need one and I will do my best for you back at the council," Wensil said holding out his hand to Angel. Angel smiled and took his hand. The jaws of two warriors dropped, as they watched the two shake hands.
"Thank you. I was not expecting forgiveness, much less friendship," Angel said humbly.
"There's nothing to forgive. If she had one of those bad feelings about Angelus and a good one about you, there's no way you could be the same person. I may be a stubborn old fool and stick to the politics I've got, but when magic speaks, I listen." The mage turned back to Buffy, "and as for you, I am very glad you became our friend. I have a feeling that having you as an enemy would be great folly." Wensil turned back and walked over to Giles car and got in. As the mage walked back, Trisn determinedly walked over to Angel as well.
"I too, would be honored if you would consider me a friend," Trisn said holding out his hand.
"Of course. Thank you," Angel said shaking his hand. Trisn smiled and walked back to the car and got in. Giles and Oz pulled away, with the two warriors who had watched still wearing looks of amazement on their faces. Angel watched them go, still a little stunned that they had actually made him a friend according to gypsy code and custom.
"I hope they can do something for me, back at the gypsy council. I got the distinct feeling that the gypsy council really doesn't like me. I'm just glad that they won't hurt any you. Now if they come after me, they'll have to come after me directly, and it will only be me in danger," Angel said walking back down the stairs to his apartment.
"Oh that's a comforting thought," Buffy said sarcastically, following him down the stairs to stand with him by the door. "Angel, I am in danger. If they come after you, I'm not going to just sit around and let them kill you. I'll be in their and beating them up and probably be on their enemy list quick as a wink.." Angel gave her a dour look at her light talk. "Come-on. I'm in full predict no evil mode. With two friends there, one of whom's a mage, maybe they'll at least take you off the enemy list. Heck maybe they'll even know what's good for them and not come after *my* boyfriend." Angel laughed at her possessive tone. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Now, that's much better."
"I love you," he said gazing down at her.
"I love you, too," she said, as she reached up to kiss him. He leaned down to meet her for a kiss, which quickly became passionate. Buffy pulled away breathless and heated. "Do you always react like this, after a battle?" she asked him teasingly.
"No. It was just a close call. After so close a call, I just-"
"Don't want to let go," Buffy said quietly, looking up into his eyes, "I know, but I have to go. School night and all. But I'll be by in the morning to make sure your not late for work." His mouth twitched up in a half smile and she kissed him again. She smiled at him, before she turned and walked up the stairs. He stood in the doorway and watched her go, until she was out of sight before going in.
Buffy walked into school the next morning with a smile on her face. She had gone over to Angel's again this morning and had a lovely time. She was beginning to rethink her idea of buying him an alarm clock. Willow and Oz joined her on the way to the library. "You look happy this morning. Would that be because it's Friday or because of Angel," Willow asked.
"Angel," Buffy said simply, as they walked into the library. The girls smiled at each other and Willow glanced over at Oz, before the two broke into giggles. Oz was rather perplexed by the silent exchange, but simply smiled and sat down next to Willow on the stairs. "So how'd everything go last night? Did you get all the bodies? Have any trouble?" Buffy asked as she sat down in a chair.
"We got all the bodies and dropped them off at their hotel," Oz said as Giles came in from his office.
"Yeah, they took them right past the desk clerk and he didn't even notice," Willow said.
"Very weird," Oz added.
"Yes, I suspect the two mages had something to do with that," Giles said, as Xander and Cordy walked in.
"To do with what?" Cordy asked.
"Getting the dead bodies past the check-in clerk at the hotel," Willow said.
"Eeww," Cordy said, "Why do I even ask?"
"So there like Fed-Ex for corpses. You kill 'em, we ship 'em," Xander said. Giles scowled at Xander, as the others gave him peculiar look.
"They assured me that, with so many gypsies of the tribe having us as official friends there was no doubt we would be put on the clans list of friends," Giles continued.
"What about Angel?" Buffy asked.
"Trisn said that never in history has an enemy remained an enemy of the clan, once he was no longer an enemy of this many," Giles said, "Especially for a reason like saving one's life, but never before has an enemy been alive and an enemy so long. They have carried grudges for centuries, but that's usually against a family or rival. On member of the enemy group can easily be made a friend. Trisn is hoping that with two considering him a friend, it will be enough to ... remove Angel from enemy status. Trisn believes they will take him off the list, but they have hated him for many years. ... The second mage, Wensil, I think, was babbling something about you and power. He said he would tell the other mages about it and they wouldn't dare go against you. Did you tell them you were the Slayer?" Giles asked.
"No. He just asked me some questions. The corpse at Angel's apartment was the mean guy from my dreams. I kinda blurted it out, and he started asking me questions about my dreams and my wiggin's," Buffy said.
"What did he ask you exactly? Did he tell you anything?" Giles asked, slipping into Watcher mode.
"He knew they felt different and told me they came from a certain place inside myself. He asked me if I knew what he meant, and after he said it I realized they did sort of feel the same. He asked me what that place told me about Angel. I said it gave me a good feeling when he was near. He said to trust the dreams and feelings and stuff and that I was very powerful, not to mention my physical strength, which he and probably all the other gypsies noticed. He said that if I trusted Angel that was good enough for him. And something about he didn't like changing politics, but he listened to magic."
"Magic ... inner place ... hmm well this will definitely take some looking into. I'll of course want you to explain more in detail this inner place, and if this is magic or slayer abilities, and see if you can call up-" Giles scholarly ramblings were cut off by the bell, much to Buffy's relief.
"Gotta go, Giles," Buffy said, as she jumped up and rushed out the door.
"Bye Giles," Willow said following Buffy. A chorus of bye's followed Willow's, as the teenagers went off to their classes. Giles sighed as he watched them go. The questions would have to wait 'till later, but at least his books couldn't walk out on him.