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A closed down garage on the outskirts of Sunnydale had seemed a good place to set up camp. Rhys returned there shortly after his encounter with Stefanie for a moment of rest. And to wait and see if his feathery friend could gather any information on the two vampires he had yet to take vengeance on.
Rhys sat in a dusty old chair in the corner of the room, staring out into space. The crow, he knew, was out flying over the city, and he was able to view its entire search through its eyes. Finding Angel had been easy that way, but the other two were proving more elusive. He was beginning to doubt that they were even in Sunnydale.
Eventually, with a sigh, Rhys gave up on the secondhand observation, his thoughts going to Lysette and how much he had loved her. He could still see her and Toby, clear as day, but it brought with it a dull ache.
Rhys didn't know how long he remained in his reverie, but it was interrupted by the last person he wanted or expected to see. By the time he was aware of Angel's presence, the vampire had already taken the liberty of emptying the shotgun.
Rhys stood, half in awe and half in rage. "You can't be here!" he cried, confusion clouding his mind. "I killed you!"
Angel threw the gun aside, taking a step closer. "Well, it appears that neither one of us did as good a job as we thought," he said calmly. After a pause, he added, "I'm not here to fight. I want to help..."
Rhys sneered. "Where was your will to help years ago when you killed my wife?!?" he shouted angrily. "When you and your friends stole my reasons for living?!?"
Angel averted his eyes, a hurt look on his face. "I can't alter what I did," he whispered. "But I can atone for it..."
Rhys took two steps forward, eyes burning with barely controlled fury. At any other time, he would have consented to be reasonable, but with this creature, he knew it just wasn't possible. Without letting Angel finish, Rhys drew a sharp dagger from his belt and lunged forward to attack.
The vampire was caught slightly off guard, but flung himself backward in time to avoid having his throat cut. When he got up a second later, it was with a growl, his demonic features activated.
"Now, that's the face I remember," Rhys said tightly, holding the knife in readiness should Angel get any closer. "Only this time, I'm hardly the helpless mortal I was then."
Angel, although he could easily have disarmed Rhys in a split-second, held back, wanting answers more than anything. "Who are you?" he asked.
Rhys gave another cruel smile. His words were short and simple, but confusing nonetheless. "I'm you," he said cryptically, going in for the kill...
Less than half a mile from the garage, Buffy and Stefanie were on their way to prevent a disaster. Both were worried sick since Giles had called to tell them what was happening, even though he suspected that Angel would hate him for it later. The news had certainly thrown Buffy into a frenzy, and Stefanie was worrying about her girlfriend's health as well.
Right now, Angel's presence screamed to her senses loud and clear, and Stefanie knew they were getting close. She told Buffy so, then added, "We're not too late."
"Thank God," Buffy whispered, hands resting on her swollen stomach. "How much further?"
Stefanie glanced around, focusing on the garage as it came into sight. She parked across the street and exited the car, putting on the same visage Angel wore as she rushed inside.
The sight that greeted her nearly froze Stefanie in her tracks. But Rhys' back was to her, and she could only see that he and Angel were in a scuffle, dagger in plain sight. Without thinking, Stefanie launched herself across the room, grabbing Rhys from behind and pulling him off her friend, tossing him in the direction of the entrance.
Stefanie and Rhys faced each other seconds later, neither showing signs that they recognized the other. Rhys, because she looked the exact opposite of the lonely girl at the Bronze. Stefanie, because she could barely see past her rage at her friend being attacked like this.
Rhys scanned the girl before him for a weakness, then was startled when she suddenly softened, staring at him in what looked like shock. He seized the opportunity, grabbing her and jabbing the knife into her shoulder.
A loud growl escapped Stefanie's throat, but her instinct to fight was gone. She started to transform back, intending to let him see who she was, but Rhys had already flung her aside and was starting towards Angel once more.
But, by this time, Buffy had arrived on the scene. She was kneeling beside her boyfriend, checking him for injuries when she became aware Rhys was approaching. Frantic, she clutched Angel in her arms. "Leave him alone," she pleaded.
Rhys stopped, struck by how ironic this scene was. Not eighty-four years ago, Lysette had been holding him in a similar fashion, begging that his life be spared. "Tell me," he said to Buffy, "why I should bother having mercy on him when he couldn't extend the same courtesy to my family and I."
Angel looked up with a face that was all too human, choosing to speak for himself. "I was a different person then," he said in a weary voice. "Savage. Uncaring... But the ironic part is, I got my humanity back just six days after we met, Rhys." He paused, looking at Buffy and seeing the understanding in her eyes. "I've regretted every single life I took since that day. You have no idea what it's like yo have that much blood on your hands."
Rhys took a moment to weigh the sincerity of his enemy's words. While this was going on, Buffy looked up to regard the other girl in the room. "Are you okay, Stefanie?" she asked.
Startled, Rhys turned, getting a better glimpse at the young woman who he had confronted moments ago. Much to his horror, it was the same person he had shared a few dances with earlier this evening.
"I'm fine," Stefanie answered, her eyes never leaving him. The two of them stared at each other a long moment, a secret and painful understanding passing between them.
Buffy helped Angel stand, resisting the urge to laugh when she heard his voice in her mind. *I have to stop getting rescued like this. It's not doing my image any good,* Angel said telepathically.
*Oh, you love it,* Buffy argued.
Meanwhile, Rhys looked back and forth between Stefanie and her two friends, eventually deciding that for her, he would give Angel a chance. Upon realizing this, Buffy suggested that they go back to her house to talk. "It's definitely safer than this place," she gave as a valid reason. "Too many bloodsuckers out tonight."
And so, the four of them set out, each one determined to get some answers while the night was still relatively young...