Energy (A Buffy fanfic)

Epilogue: Explanations

As tired as I was, and as much as I wanted to sink into the oblivion of sleep, I simply couldn't manage it. I had gotten Mom home, and no doubt she was fast asleep, given the late hour.

It wasn't only the fact tha Angel was a vampire that kept me awake - a large part of it was why. Why would he help me? He saved my life from that trio of vampires. He'd slept in my room and hadn't killed me. I also wanted to know exactly who that blonde vampire was - I've seen her before, but what did she mean to him? Why hadn't she killed him when she had the chance? I needed to know the answers to all these questions, and I knew I wasn't going to find them here, nor get any sleep. So I decided to go and look for Angel. I doubt it'll be too hard to find him, I'm sure if I wander down enough dark alleys I'll find him soon enough.

I quickly get dressed, fighting the urge to wear my best clothes. Surely I can't still be attracted to him, not now that I know he's a vampire? If only things worked that way. When I'm done, I climb out of the window, trying to make as little noise as possible, because Mom might be awake. Most of the houses in Sunnydale seem ideal for climbing in and out of. I suppose that's what happens when one lives on a Hellmouth.

And so I commenced my wandering of the night-time streets, and not once did it occur to me that Angel wouldn't show.

Giles 

It had struck me, after Theo had begun his exceedingly strange tale of what had happened when he encountered the as yet nameless blonde vampire, that I had been using the wrong strategy to try and find out about him. I had concentrated more on the skills he has, in attempt to find out what manner of being he is, rather than focusing on how he got here. After all, it is exceedingly strange that someone with no memory of his past whatsoever would turn up here and just happen to help the Slayer, is it not?

So, after Theo had finished telling me what happened, I had gone to the library rather than back home, as I can never sleep if I have an upcoming project such as this. In Sunnydale, I seem to have one every other day. I had a good feeling that changing my focus would throw up all sorts of interesting information. I though I'd start with the Watcher diaries, perhpas influenced by my recent discovery of Angel's past in them. Strange, that a vampire can do good acts - I had always considered them incapable of them. Well, sometimes it's nice to be proved wrong.

Theo had, as usual, accompanied me back, and was more than usually silent. As soon as we got back, he booted up one of those infernal computers and started typing God-knows-what, which is rather strange behaviour for him. It had always seemed that he had never even noticed that they were there, before. Normally he retreats somewhere into the Stacks, but God only knows what he does there. I seem to thinking that phrase a lot right now - maybe soon I'll know what aswell, if all goes well.

I settle down to good couple of hours of research. Despite what the others think of me, I do not overly love research. I'd much rather be, at this very moment, asleep in my warm, cosy bed. But there's no point thinking like that, not when there's work to do.

Buffy

It had taken far less time than I had thought to find him - or, rather, for him to find me. One moment I had been casually walking down yet another back alley, when suddenly Angel appeared in front of me, as if by magic. It nearly gave me a heart attack, but I tried to stay as composed as possible. Let him put my rapidly beating heart down to its usual cause - being close to him. Not that that is much better.

He looks at me silently, his face impassive. Waiting for me to speak. However, now that I was here, face-to-face with him, I had no idea what to say. Oh, all the questions were still in my head, whirling around, but they faded to the background. For the first time in my life, I was tongue tied. Normally, I managed to say nothing, no matter how foolish it might be, but I'd never been struck dumb before.

Fortunately, after the silence had stretched for too many uncomfortable moments, Angel decided to speak. Again, the sudden sound of his deep voice scared me. What is wrong with me? "What do you want?" He asked brusquely, without preamble. Then, as though the floodgates had opened, all the questions and all the things I wanted to say to him poured into my mouth, queuing up on the tip of my tongue to be spoken. I had to be careful not to let them all spill out. No need to look more foolish than I already do.

"Angel" I began, slowly, savouring the sound of his name on my tongue "I need to know things, things about you. Why aren't you like normal vampires? Who was that blonde, how did she know you? why would you help a Slayer?" I managed to say these questions slowly and distinctly, not blurring them into each other or stumbling over my tongue as I had feared I would.

Angel sighs, and seems to relax, although the difference between how looked tense and relaxed are almost imperceptible. He looks just as impassive as ever. Then he too begins to speak slowly. "Once, several centuries ago, I was human. Oh, and what a human I was! I was a drunken wastrel, fit for nothing. Then she came. Darla, the woman - the vampire - I killed last night. I don't know what she saw in me, but she turned me into a vampire. Then, for decades we killed and slaugtered and tortured without mercy, leaving bloody death to anyone we met. Then, one day, I met a Romany girl, a gypsy. Beautiful young thing, or she was until I got her. I - you don't want to know what I did to her, but her tribe wanted revenge. You see, once a human is turned, their memories, the way they think, everything is still there. But not the soul. That's is gone forever. That's why we could pillage and destroy without any remorse. But those Romany, they were clever. They devised a perfect curse. They gave my soul back. You can have no idea what it's like to have done what I have and care."

He told the entire story in a monotone, all save the last line. It served only to make the horror of his tale more evident. I couldn't resist enveloping him in a hug, but whether it was to comfort me or him I will never know. After stiffening briefly, he tentatively hugged me in return. I don't think that I've ever been so happy in my life.

Giles

I'm surprised by the sheer quantity of accounts of the most diverse beings, ranging from Slayers-  to demons to ordinary humans, Champions who had fought a great battle against the Dark, and almost always been heped by someone mysterious, with little or no past, who frequently had strange powers of some kind. These ranged from being telekinetic, mind reading, seeing the future - so many accounts! To think I could have found out about him weeks ago, if only I had looked in the right place. 

I decided to tell Theo right away, because after all, who has more right to know than him? "Theo?" I say softly, not wanting to disturb him more than is necessary. "Mmhh?" he replies distractedly, without stopping his typing. I must say I found the sound strangely soothing.

"I may have found out soething about you." I proceeded to tell him everything I had just discovered. He seemed curiously unmoved, but then his reactions to things has always been somewhat strange. He asks "And what about these memories of dead people that I have in my head? That surely can't be normal."

"No, indeed not. None of my books mention anything about that particular phenomenon, but they do mention, umm, flaws with the people. For example, pain when they use their gift, or a lack of control. I believe that these memories may well be yours."

"Fair enough." He says, unconcerned. Pah! After all those times of him being so eager to know about himself, when I do, he doesn't even seem to care. It must be something to do with what whatever he's typing. I ask him what it is. "Computer program. I'll show more at that scanning project thingamajig after school, if you like?" He says shortly, eyes never leaving the screen. I decline politely, and head home. Some of us have to get some sleep.

End of Book Six.