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Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all the characters that appear on the show are the exclusive property of Joss Whedon, the WB and Mutant Enemy, Inc.
Author's Notes:The character of Gabriel was introduced in a previous story I wrote entitled 'Divergent Paths'.
Part 1
Buffy squirmed and thrashed under her bedsheets, her mind caught in the throes of a dream. Gabriel was with her in the dream, just like he had been the last time. Soft, faintly wavy auburn hair, bow shaped lips and endlessly deep green eyes marked with a halo of gold. He touched her, carefully putting his hands on her hips and leaning close to her cheek. Behind him, the sky was black, shot through with veins of fiery red.
"I miss you." He whispered, his lips delicately brushing the skin of her ear.
She closed her eyes and allowed herself a moment of comfort in his arms, basking in the warmth of his body, then pulled back enough to look him in the face. The auburn haired young man was gone and it was Angel who was holding her now. Behind him, the world had become a river of rushing traffic and bright, gaudy lights.
"I miss you." He whispered, releasing his hold on her waist and stepping back, away from her.
She reached out for him, but he was too far away, fading into the background. He was still Angel, but now his hair was auburn and his eyes were gold on green. Flames leaped up around him and he smiled, backing into the inferno.
"The fire will bring me to you." He called, his body dissipating completely into the air. "Remember the fire. It will save you."
She started and sat up straight in her bed, her heart pounding in her chest and her lungs pumping with quick, short breaths.
"That's the fourth time this month." Buffy rubbed her eyes and yawned as she strolled slowly along the sun-drenched sidewalk, "It's getting so a girl can't get a decent bit of beauty sleep anymore."
Beside her Willow kept pace, her hands folded in front of her at her waist.
"It's got to be a prophecy." she reasoned, "Normal dreams don't recur like that. Plus, you've got a track record. But Angel and Gabriel have both been gone for months, it doesn't make sense."
Buffy remembered the partings well. Three months ago, not long after he had arrived in Sunnydale, Gabriel had lost his father and, with him, his apparent zest for life. Buffy, Giles and the others had done what they could to console him, but nothing seemed to have an effect. One afternoon, he was just gone, leaving only a short note behind as explanation.
Two months later, Angel had left as well, pausing to gaze at her one last time from a distance, a forlorn, heartsick look in his eyes. Mayor Wilkins was dead and the Ascension had been thwarted. They had both known that it was time for him to leave.
For Buffy, the past month had been filled with bittersweet memories and longing.
"It must mean something." Willow's brows knitted together in thought. "Is there any kind of pattern to the dreams?"
"Yeah," Buffy nodded, "Every time, Gabriel stays longer and Angel looks like he's in a different place. Except the last two times he's been in a big city with lots of lights."
Willow tugged open the top of a small, cloth bag and began digging around inside. "Maybe I can work a little mojo to clear things up. If we figure out what they mean, the dreams might go away." She muttered to herself, "There must be some casting stones in here somewhere. It's just a guess, but from the sound of it, maybe Gabriel's coming back."
Buffy froze and laid her hand gently on her friend's arm.
"Nice guess, Will. Remind me to get you to buy me a lottery ticket later, okay?" She whispered, recognizing the unmistakable form of a young man up ahead, silhouetted against the bright late-day sun.
His hair was longer than she remembered, falling in loose, tousled waves into his eyes, and the skin of his face was tanned from exposure to sun and wind. The clothes he wore were worn and dusty from long days on the road. He carried a tightly packed travel bag across one shoulder.
"Hi." He smiled dazzlingly, his vibrant green eyes glued to her, and tilted his head, allowing the gentle breeze to lift the hair out of his face.
"You're back." She commented awkwardly, unable to find the words for what she really wanted to say. "You look different."
More than his appearance had changed in the last three months. The last time she had seen him, he had been morose and distant, preoccupied with guilt over his father's death. Now, he seemed older, stronger, his inner turmoil replaced with a sense of calm serenity.
"Yeah," his eyes went wistful for a moment, "I had some . . . things to work out. But I'm back now. To stay."
"Well, I-it's good to have you back." She stammered, dropping her gaze to the sidewalk. After he had left Sunnydale, she had not expected to ever see him ever again. His reappearance surprised her and she was only now regaining her composure.
"I was on my way to Uncle Rupert's, but I felt you nearby and I had to see you first." He took her hand in both of his and smiled at her. "Can we get together sometime?" he asked boldly, "Tonight? I want to talk to you about some . . . things."
"Uh, I, um," she felt her heart start to race as his hands closed around her slender fingers and the familiar tingle that always accompanied his touch flowed through them. "I was supposed to go to the Bronze with Willow. . ."
He turned to Willow, determined.
"Do you think you could go without her tonight, Willow?" he beseeched with an endearing smile, "I'd be forever in your debt."
Willow looked to Buffy and grinned. "I guess I could schedule a little personal time with Oz instead. Besides, I like it when people owe me. It makes me feel special."
"Thanks, Willow. You are special." He threw his arms around her in a quick hug, then turned to Buffy. "What do you say? Is it a date?"
"I-I don't know." She turned her eyes away from him uncertainly, "My Mom is expecting me home early tonight." Everything was happening so fast, she needed time to think, to regain her bearings.
"I thought you were planning on going to the Bronze tonight?" he smirked, raising his eyebrows in question.
"I-I was." She backpedaled, "I just wasn't going to stay late, that's all."
"Not a problem," he offered easily, "We can see the early show at the theatre and maybe get something to eat. I promise I'll have you home before ten. Please."
The familiar tingle in her fingers increased as he gave her hand a soft squeeze, reminding her of the pleasant times they had once shared.
"All right." She relented with a helpless smile, "But I get to pick the movie, okay?"
"Deal!" he grinned, letting her hand drop and bouncing back a few steps, "I have some things I have to do first, but I'll be by your house to get you at around seven."
He waved goodbye and walked quickly, backwards down the sidewalk, watching her still and grinning from ear to ear. Unintentionally, she smiled back, caught up in his infectious good mood. She had to admit, it was good to see him again.
A gold sports car with black painted windows whizzed along the highway, past a huge, weather-beaten sign, which read 'Now Entering Sunnydale' in bold, white letters.
"Oh, for cryin' out loud, Dru!" the blonde-haired vampire complained as he steered the black windowed car through the late afternoon traffic, "I can't believe you want to come back to this dump, after all we've been through."
"Because this is where it all started, love." Drusilla cooed, curled up in the passenger seat with a small crystal globe cradled in her delicate hands. "This is where we were all together, like family. Don't you remember, Spike?"
"Yeah, I remember." He growled petulantly.
"And when we get Angel back," she continued, oblivious to his sour mood, "we'll all be a happy family again."
"I keep tellin' you, Pet. Angel has gone choirboy again. He won't want to play ANY of the games you like, not like I do. This whole trip is just a big fat waste, if you ask me."
"Not a waste." She giggled, holding the crystal orb up to her face and staring, cross-eyed, into it. "With this, we can make him fun again, like he used to be. Then we can all be a family again."
Spike slumped down behind the steering wheel.
"Big, happy family, yeah." He brooded, "Whoopee."
They walked out of the movie theatre and onto the street hand in hand. It had started innocently enough. Gabriel had reached back to straighten his seat and his fingers had brushed softly across the back of her hand. Part way through the movie, he had leaned over to whisper something in her ear and she had been so preoccupied with the closeness of his lips, that she hardly noticed when he had slipped his hand over hers. Now, she wondered with a pleased smile, if he ever intended to let it go.
"How was Giles when you saw him?" she asked, enjoying the slow, meandering pace of their walk, "Did he miss you much?"
"Well, you know Giles." He smirked, "He was careful to be nice, while at the same time biting back a lecture on responsibility. He said a lot's changed in the last three months. He told me about Angel and what happened with. . .Faith."
His jaw tightened in a shadow of his former pain. After his brief yet tortuous encounter with Faith the last time he had been in Sunnydale, Buffy was not surprised to see that he still held a grudge.
"It was a tough fight." She nodded sadly in response, "It's too bad it had to end that way."
Her own last encounter with Faith had been a little confusing and brought up a lot of 'what if's'. Buffy still occasionally wondered if she could have done something to help her instead of putting her in a coma.
"So, you're staying with Giles now?" she banished the memory and tried to focus on the present.
"I dropped my bag off this afternoon." He answered with a nod, "He wants me to move back in for good, but I don't think I will. I'd rather find a place of my own."
"Your own place." she looked at him appreciatively, "You're really serious about sticking around this time, aren't you?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" he arched an auburn eyebrow in her direction, "I like it here."
They strolled in contented silence for a while, merely enjoying each other's presence. The night air was cool and refreshing, filled with the sweet summer scents of pollen and nectar. Finally, Buffy broke the silence.
"You never actually said why you came back." She mentioned casually, leaning her head against his shoulder as they walked.
He was wearing a long sleeved white cotton shirt with the top button carelessly undone and a pair of stylish, gray pants. His hard heeled, black shoes made almost no sound as he walked.
"I imagined you'd figure that one out for yourself, by now." He grinned, leading her around to face him, drawing her in close, and dropping his hands down around her waist, "Guess I was wrong."
"How about giving me a hint?" she cocked her head and leaned back, placing the palms of her hands on his chest, a token resistance to his closeness.
He brought her hand up to his face and kissed her knuckles tenderly, his eyes holding hers. "I missed you." The words sounded like a bizarre echo of her dreams. "Is that enough of a hint for you?"
"I don't know." She frowned in feigned confusion, sliding her fingers up over his shoulders and hooking them behind his neck. "Maybe you should give me another one."
She inhaled slowly, drawing in his familiar scent, feeling the pleasant hum of the blood in her veins.
"A hint?" he smirked, "or a kiss?"
He bent close to her, his eyes warm and dilated. She stepped into his embrace, her lips parted and her eyes closed.
"Well, well, well, take a look at this." A familiar, sarcastic voice sneered, shattering the moment.
"Spike?" Buffy gasped, "What are YOU doing here?"
"Call it a bit of holiday, I guess. I got my Dru back, see?" The blonde vampire smirked as his dark paramour stepped into view from behind him, slinking seductively around his torso. "I told you I'd get her back. Looks like you haven't been wasting any time, either, have you? The hearth wasn't even cold and here you are with a new flame already."
"Out with it, Spike." Buffy demanded, ignoring the barb, "I have a feeling this isn't just a pleasure trip."
Drusilla spied Gabriel and, her eyes wide, cowered behind Spike's shoulder, moaning fearfully.
"Spike." She whined, pointing around her lover's shoulder at Gabriel. "It's him, Spike. The nasty boy from Prague, the one who hurt me."
"Well, bloody Hell. I think you're right. I knew he looked familiar." The blonde vampire spat, "Now how did a little pisher like you end up here, of all places?"
"William the Bloody." Gabriel nodded in grave recognition, folding his arms across his chest and glaring at the vampire, "It's been a long time. Seems your girlfriend has recovered. How's your eye?"
Spike's hand flew instantly to the scar that marked his left eyebrow.
"Just fine." He snarled angrily, "Which is more than they'll be able to say for you when I'm finished with you."
Gabriel cut short the vampire's bravado with a cocky smile. "I almost killed you both the last time we met. I've matured since then and I'm not alone this time." He glanced casually in Buffy's direction, "I seem to recall that you've never had much luck against either of us. How good do you think your chances are against both?"
Drusilla hissed and spat at him like an angry cat, crouching cautiously behind Spike's arm.
"Lucky for you, we're not here for YOU." Spike sneered, "Just stopped by to see an old friend." He bared his teeth at Buffy, "How is Angel nowadays, anyway?"
"All your friends from around here are dead now, Spike." Buffy quipped angrily, "And Angel is . . .gone. This is hardly the best place to be looking for a party." She cracked her knuckles meaningfully, "But don't get me wrong. I DO hope you're looking to party."
Spike took a sharp step forward with a savage snarl, his face contorted into a vampiric mask. Gabriel stepped into his path, hands raised into fists and a grim look of warning on his face. Beside him, Buffy was also ready for a fight.
"No, Spike, no!" Drusilla clawed fearfully at his shoulder, pulling him back, "The nasty boy is looking at me with those terrible eyes. He sees me, Spike! He sees how terrible I am inside!"
"Quiet down, Baby." Spike grabbed her roughly by the arms, his face twisted with frustration as he fought to hold her still and pacify her, "He's just a punk kid. I said, quiet down!"
Her strugglings slowed at the stern note in his voice and she calmed somewhat.
"I see Drusilla's still a therapist's dream." Buffy observed blithely.
"This isn't over!" the blonde vampire declared, crushing Drusilla to his chest with one arm and guiding her with him as he backed away. "We'll be sticking around and you better watch your back. Both of you." He retreated cautiously into the alley he had emerged from, Drusilla gibbering and muttering madly under the protection of his arm.
"Should we go after them?" Gabriel watched the dark alley intently.
"No." Buffy shook her head, "I think they're done for the night. Drusilla's probably going to need shock treatments or something. What was she talking about? Do they know you?"
Gabriel inhaled deeply and blew out a long sigh.
"It was two and a half years ago," he began, "just after I turned fifteen. My father decided it was time to put my skills to the test."
"I see." She nodded. She had gone through a similar experience on her eighteenth birthday. Her powers chemically subdued, she had been trapped in an old mansion with a psychotic vampire and forced into a life or death struggle. She had barely escaped alive.
"He took me into Czechoslovakia, to the capital, following rumors he hoped would lead him to the two most famous vampires in eastern Europe. Spike and Drusilla were there, practically running the night life. He told me it was up to me to stop them."
His lips tightened at some painful memory and his eyes went out of focus, staring into the past.
"I turned the townspeople against them, almost had them." He clenched his fist angrily, "But I had no idea how evil a vampire could be. Spike got desperate, caught me off guard, and they got away. Father told me to let them go. He said I had passed the test by defending the people of Prague. I wouldn't have listened if I had known then what he was really like."
Buffy laid her hand consolingly on his arm. The subject of Gabriel's father was a touchy area, for both of them, one she preferred to avoid for the moment. "When they showed up here two years ago, Drusilla was weak and still recovering. They must have been running from you."
"I guess that's why she was so happy to see me again." He smirked, his anger ebbing slowly.
"Yeah, well she and I have some pretty shaky history, too. She killed a good friend of mine. If the two of them are back in town, it can only mean trouble." Her face clouded with worry.
"They have both of us to deal with now." He placed a reassuring arm around her shoulders, "Whatever they're up to, I'm sure we'll be able to stop them together. What do you say I walk you home now?"
"Considering the circumstances," she watched the dark alleyway with concern, "we should probably go straight to Giles' place and let him know Bonnie and Clyde are back in town."
"Who?" he asked, puzzled.
"Never mind. I forget that you missed out on some of the basic childhood necessities like TV when you were growing up." she chuckled, "Let's just go talk to Giles."
She knitted her fingers through his, and walked beside him. After a moment, her face screwed up in thought and she turned her head up to look at him.
"What a minute." She considered cannily, "If you were fifteen two and a half years ago, then that means that you're . . . younger than me."
"Yup." He smiled in response to her astonished expression, slipping his arm around her waist "I don't turn eighteen until September."
"I can't believe this." She muttered to herself, flabbergasted, "I've NEVER gone out with a younger guy before."
"Damn it!" Spike snarled, smashing his fist into the wall. "Every bleeding time! I HATE that Slayer!"
The first place they had stopped upon returning to Sunnydale had been their old mansion lair. Finding it empty, they had quickly moved themselves back in.
Drusilla sat on the floor, against the opposite wall, staring blankly into the empty fireplace. A small, bedraggled, porcelain doll sat staring just as blindly on the floor next to her. Absently, she rolled the Orb of Thesulah back and forth across the floor between her hands.
"He's gone, Spike." She moaned softly, "But every time I close my eyes, I know he's watching me. He's going to tell Mummy what a bad girl I've become."
Spike's mouth twitched in anger.
"If it wasn't for all this mystic prophecy garbage and their 'super-powers', we'd be sitting on full bellies now and they'd be taking up space in the city morgue." He grumbled, more to himself than to her.
His dark eyes followed the orb back and forth as it rolled between her hands. A plan was forming in his mind and, slowly, an evil smirk bent his lips.
Crouching down before her, he pressed the tip of one finger to the top of the orb, stopping it in mid-motion.
"What exactly did you say this little trinket was used for, Luv?" he asked, "Transferring souls, is it?"
"Yes, Spike, it does all sorts of tasty things." She looked to him curiously, "Miss Edith wanted me to use it on Angel, but he's gone now and that nasty boy is here instead."
"How would you like to make him pay for what he did to us in Prague, Pet?" he offered with a smile as he picked up the orb and held it up to his eyes, turning it and watching the tiny motes of refracted light flicker inside.
"What are you thinking, Spike?" she grinned, rising to her knees and leaning in close to him. She picked up the doll in her hands and held it in front of her face, "Miss Edith says she recognizes that look in your eyes and she is very excited. Are we going to do something fun together?"
"You bet your stockings, Luv." He nodded with a sly grin, "It's time we evened the odds a little bit."
Buffy paced back and forth in front of the mall entrance, checking her watch impatiently. She had spent the better part of the early afternoon shopping for 'college clothes' at her mother's insistence. She had hardly needed any prompting and when Joyce had dropped her off, she had attacked the task with relish. Now with three bags full of new apparel, she waited for her mother to return and pick her up again. Unfortunately, Joyce was almost half an hour late.
Buffy didn't mind much, though. The day had been a welcome change from the stress of the previous night. After the threat of the Mayor had been averted, most of the local nightlife had fled or been destroyed and Sunnydale had settled down somewhat. She couldn't help but feel that the return of Spike and Drusilla foreshadowed a resurgence of the darkness.
"Hi." A familiar voiced sounded close behind her.
She jumped nervously, dropping her bags, and whirled around. Gabriel hopped back a step, defensively, a wan smile on his face. He carried a tangle of bags in one hand and a medium brown box under the other arm.
"Whoa, Summers, relax." He chuckled, "It's daytime, remember?"
"Sorry," she blew out a stressful sigh, dropping her hands to the handles on her bags and gathering them up again, "I'm still a little jumpy after last night."
"So it was a good date after all then, was it?" He grinned at her unintentional allusion.
"I MEANT the vampires." She clarified with a roll of her eyes and a smirk tugging at her lips.
"Oh, so the date was no good?" he raised his eyebrows in question, "I thought it went pretty well."
"No-ooo." She shook her head, flustered, "That's not what I meant. The date was fine. I had a good time. It's just that the evening sort of got overshadowed by the return of the twin terrors."
"Yeah," he agreed, "I couldn't have imagined worse timing."
"So if you had a good time last night," he stepped closer to her and reached out, tenderly tucking a stray blonde lock behind her ear, "can I assume that you might agree to go out with me again?"
She blushed a little at his earnest attention. She always felt that whenever he was looking at her, it was like nothing else in the world mattered to him. It was very flattering.
"I might consider it." She smiled, looking up into his eyes, "Of course, you'll have to leave any old vampire pals of yours home this time."
"I was just thinking the same thing." He smirked, his eyes happily alight.
She turned her head up, her breath soft and tantalizing across his chin. He stared at her, openly admiring, his heart pounding in his chest. Her bags slipped out of her hands and fell to the concrete slabs, unnoticed. He touched his hand softly to her cheek and her throat felt tight and dry as his lips inched ever closer to hers.
"Buffy, I've been waiting out front for almost a half an hour," Joyce scolded, coming out through the mall doors, "Where have you-" she froze in midstep, stunned, "-been?"
"Mom!" Buffy jolted, backing quickly away from Gabriel and turning to face her mother. "I thought you were supposed to pick me up out here."
Joyce looked Gabriel up and down, a trace of suspicion in her expression.
"I'm sorry I made you wait, Mom. Don't you think we should be going now?" Buffy nervously snatched up her bags and tugged insistently on her mother's arm, "I know how you hate to wait around these places."
Joyce saw past her daughter's hastily erected smokescreen and kept her attention focused on Gabriel.
"That's all right. Who's this?" she asked politely.
"Uh, he's . . . a friend." Buffy paused, her face tingling with embarrassment, "Come on, it's getting late. Are you sure you don't have to be somewhere?"
Joyce grew even more interested in the face of her daughter's evasiveness. "Does your friend have a name?"
Gabriel stepped up and offered his hand. "Gabriel Giles, Miss Summers." He smiled congenially, "Pleased to meet you."
"Giles?" She considered, taking his hand and shaking it, "You're not related to Rupert, by any chance, are you?"
"My uncle." He nodded, his eyes smiling.
"Moomm!" Buffy implored, giving her mother's arm another tug, "I REALLY think we should be going now."
"All right, then, Buffy." Her mother relented, "But I was just thinking that it would be nice if we invited Gabriel over for supper tonight. So we could all get to know each other a little better, don't you think?"
"Uh, I don't know, Mom." Buffy hesitated, shifting uncomfortably. She could feel the flush in her cheeks deepen. "I think he's probably too busy to have supper with us tonight. Aren't you, Gabriel?"
"Actually, I'm finished all my errands. I'd be happy to." He smiled wryly at the awkwardness of her situation, "How does six o'clock sound?"
"Perfect." Joyce smiled touching her hand to his arm, "We'll see you then."
Buffy hastily dragged Joyce back inside the mall, hoping to at least contain the damage, pausing to shoot him a glance that promised payback for the good-natured torment. He smiled sweetly back at her and waved.
"See you later."
Willow carefully cut the crusts off her peanut butter and jelly sandwich, while Xander finished the last of his own, his attention absorbed in the pages of a magazine. Buffy paced back and forth across the kitchen in agitation.
"So Spike and Drusilla are back together again, huh? That's not very comforting." Willow carefully sliced off a stray piece of crust and flicked it across the counter toward the garbage, "Kinda romantic in a twisted sort of way, but not comforting at all."
"If they're as much fun as I remember them being, I don't see what the problem is." he noted sarcastically, his hand unconsciously snapping up the crust and popping it into his mouth.
Willow regarded him steadily for a moment. "Why can't you do stuff like that when we're fighting vampires?" she asked in disbelief.
"I dunno." He shrugged apologetically, "Maybe it's a skill reserved solely for PB and J."
"Hey, guys?" Buffy raised her hand, wiggling her fingers. "This isn't really helping."
"Don't worry, Buffy." Willow smiled, nibbling on her sandwich, "You've fought Drusilla and Spike before. It shouldn't be any harder this time."
"Drusilla and Spike?" Buffy frowned, "Forget about THEM. Gabriel's supposed to come over to my house in a little while. How am I supposed to avoid my mother's inevitable meddling? I've already filled my embarrassment quota for the week."
"Okay, I think I missed something." Xander looked up from his magazine, "Gabriel's back? Here?"
"Yeah," Willow shared the exciting tidbit of gossip gleefully, "he just appeared, right out of the blue, just like he used to."
"So what new doom did Grumpy bring with him this time?" Xander furrowed his brow, "Lemme guess? He brought his six older brothers along for the ride. Greed, Gluttony, Envy, Lust, Pride and . . .and . . .I always forget these."
"Sloth." Willow supplied, "U-unless that one's supposed to be Gabriel, in which case his last brother would be Wrath."
"No." Xander decided quickly, "From what I remember about Ol' Green Eyes, Wrath would definitely be his deadly sin of choice. Hey, maybe you'll get lucky, Buff, and he'll just disappear again like he did last time."
"Right now, that almost seems like a good option." She sighed, glancing at her watch, "Look, I better get going. Maybe if I talk things over with Mom a little beforehand, she won't be quite so mortifying while he's there."
"You want to Bronze it tonight?" Xander queried, catching her just as she opened the door.
"Maybe, depends on how things go at supper." She answered, "I'll call you. See ya."
"Bye." Willow and Xander both waved as she jogged down the driveway for home.
"Three new arrivals in one day." Xander shook his head, "Aren't WE just the cozy little vacation spot?"