Chapter 16: Lies Exposed.


No-one spoke for what seemed like hours. Everyone was in state of shock.

“Darla?” Giles finally repeated, removing his glassed from the bridge of his nose as he massaged his temple. “Darla was killed, by Angel, over two years ago now.”

Buffy nodded in agreement. “I was there, I saw him stake her.”

“Where would you get a ridiculous idea like that from?” Xander said with astonishment. “I mean, that’s a stretch not even I would have suggested.”

“She’s alive. I’m telling you she is.” Spike insisted. “When Dru was in town --“

“That’s your source?” Buffy said with a scornful laugh. “She’s insane Spike, she could have imagined it.”

“She BLOODY well did not. She told me all about their little escapade in LA that night with you in my crypt.”

Willow looked at Buffy curiously, completely unaware of what it what Spike was talking about.

“Not only did she tell me, she showed me the burn marks from when the poof set them on fire. Both of them” Spike he said emphatically. He turned his glare to Angel.

Buffy gasped at the disclosure. “You knew.” She whispered, the betrayal she felt evident in both her words and her eyes. She was in utter disbelief. How could Angel not tell her this?

“You knew and you didn’t…” she trailed off with a shake of her head, turning her eyes away from Angel.

“Buffy I…” Angel started.

“Don’t!” she said, raising her hand to stop him from continuing. She didn’t want to hear his excuses. “Just… don’t.”

“You didn’t TELL them she was back?” Spike declared angrily.

Angel’s eyes flashed yellow. “Stay out of this Spike.” He said, spitting out the name of his former partner in crime. “This doesn’t concern you.”

“Bollocks it doesn’t!” Spike shouted in return, taking a threatening step towards the older vampire.

Angel didn’t back down, in fact he mirrored Spike’s actions and moved towards him. “Spike you’re not needed here so why don’t you go find someone else to annoy.”

Spike had enough, balling his fist he shot out a punch at Angel’s nose. Angel’s head snapped to the side from the force of the blow, a snarl crossing his face as he returned the favor and swung a punch back at Spike. The hit landed on the side of his jaw and it sent him reeling to the side, hands pressing against the wall behind him, which he used to spring himself at Angel.

Everyone else in the room stood up and backed away from the pair who were oblivious to their shouts of alarm. Buffy lifted herself to her feet slowly, shaking with rage as the two vampires slugged at each other.

“Giles!” Willow called out in alarm when the two vampires crashed to the floor in the middle of the room, shattering the wooden coffee table that had been standing before Buffy.

“ENOUGH!” Buffy shouted as she reached down and grabbed at the collar of Spike’s duster and yanked him off Angel with all the strength she could spare.

“BOTH of you, just cool it.” She snapped, looking from Angel to Spike and back again.

As if they only just realized what they had been doing, it became apparent to them both of the destruction they had caused.

“Buffy I--“ Angel attempted to apologise.

“I don’t want to hear it.” Buffy cut off. “From either of you.”

Angel strode over to the other side of the room, putting some distance between him and Spike.

Buffy moved back to the sofa and sat down slowly, wincing at the small stings of pain from her wound. But she would welcome the pain over how she felt right now. Willow sat down beside her, offering her a lop-sided half-hearted smile.

This whole situation was a great big mess, and she could only imagine what Buffy was thinking right now.

“You could have informed us of this sooner Spike.” Giles said sharply.

“I didn’t know.” Spike defended himself, managing to keep the whine out of his voice which accompanied his thoughts. “I mean I knew she was alive, but I just didn’t connect the dots. Plus I didn’t think that nancy boy here would hide the second coming of his sire from you lot.”

He refrained from pointing out that Giles hadn’t figured it out either, and he had given all the information he had on the attack. He silently cursed himself. Now that he thought back it all kind of made sense. The sadistic nature of the attack on Buffy in the graveyard reeked of Darla’s handiwork. And he had seen blond hair. Why had he thought of Harmony but not Darla?

“Well I guess we have our suspect then.” Xander said. “I mean… female which explains the mention of she all those vamps were going on about. Also, homicidal vampire connected to the Order… AND she has a serious grudge against Buffy. Do we need to search any further?”

“I think not.” Giles replied, drawing the same conclusions as everyone else in the room.

“That’s good right?” Willow said with a worried smile. “I mean, we know who to look for now. Right?”

“No thanks to the poof.” Spike muttered under his breath, silently thinking the same thing about himself.

“Spike I think you should leave, sarcasm really isn’t helping us right now.” Buffy pointed out.

Spike’s expression clouded with confusion and hurt for a moment before it became blank, stoic. For a moment he considered arguing with her, protesting that he was needed, that he could be of help, but he could see from the look in her eyes that it wouldn’t do him any good. Not right now.

He nodded once in response to her request, shooting a scathing glare at Angel as he moved past the dark haired vampire and towards the door. Looking over at Buffy once more, he ducked his head, turned and walked out of the house, closing the door behind him.

She inhaled deeply before looking towards Angel. They needed to talk.

“Guys, do you mind if I speak to Angel in private. Please?” Buffy asked.

Giles frowned for a moment before dipping his head in acknowledgement. “It is getting rather late.” He pointed out. “Perhaps we should continue this tomorrow.”

Buffy nodded in agreement to this plan, and her friends slowly began to rise from their seats. Willow gave Buffy’s hand a reassuring squeeze before both she and Tara left the house. Anya immediately took Xander by the hand and began dragging him towards the door after Willow and Tara.

“We’ll drive them home.” Xander said. “See you tomorrow Buffy.”

He looked at Angel for a moment, feeling his protectiveness for Buffy beginning to rise within him as they said goodnight and left.

The sounds of a car starting up and pulling out of the driveway could be heard inside the house. At that moment Buffy realized that Giles didn’t have a ride home, not unless Angel was to leave now, which he wasn’t.

“And I’ll just --“ Giles started.

“Did you want to stay the night?” Buffy offered, interrupting whatever Giles was about to say.

Giles was appreciative of the offer and was about to decline when Buffy insisted.

“I’d feel better knowing that there was someone else here tonight, and I know it’d make Dawn happy. Please?” she implored with a look.

Unable to say no to her, Giles nodded in acceptance, grateful that he wouldn’t have to walk home.

“You can take my room since I’ll be sleeping here… or Mom’s.” Buffy said, her expression becoming forlorn for a brief moment before she masked it with a calm smile.

“Thank you.” Giles said as he moved to pick up his books and notepad. Out of respect for Joyce, he mentally decided on taking Buffy’s room. He said his goodnight and ascended the staircase to the second level.

Buffy fidgeted uncomfortably when she found herself alone with Angel. A million questions flew though her mind and she was trying to order her thoughts.

“Why?” she blurted out. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Angel shifted nervously from his place against the wall and moved closer, hesitantly taking the armchair beside the sofa where Buffy was sitting. He perched himself upon the edge of it, his hands clasped between his knees and his gaze on the floor as he tried to explain his actions. Or lack thereof.

He took a deep breath before he began to tell Buffy how it had all come to this. “She was human. When she came back, Darla was…” he trailed off. He was doing this all wrong.

“Human?” Buffy repeated, once again shocked by what she was hearing. This was a night for surprises that was for sure. “But how… how is that possible?”

Angel had expected Buffy’s shock. “Do you remember me mentioning Wolfram and Hart, the law firm that has been giving me trouble in LA?” he asked softly.

Buffy just nodded.

“Well this was one of their great ideas. Just another way to mess with me.” His jaw ticked as a scowl passed over his face. He balled his fists in his lap as he relived what had happened the last few weeks over in his mind.

“Is she…? Still?” Buffy couldn’t even think straight.

“Still human?” Angel filled in. “No. When they brought her back they brought her back wrong, she was dying. Her second chance at life and they bring her back diseased with no chance of survival. I tried to find a way to help her.”

Buffy couldn’t help but feel jealous at the anger that she could see reflected across Angel’s face, the concern that he obviously had felt for Darla visible in his eyes, the anguish at not being able to help her.

“Did you… did you turn her?” Buffy asked.

The look of astonishment that followed her questioned answered it clear enough. Angel looked disgusted that she would even suggest such a thing. “Of course you didn’t.” Buffy said quickly. “But then who was it?”

“Drusilla…”

Buffy didn’t know what to say, and Angel seemed reluctant to continue. Her thoughts turned to Dawn, and the dreams she had been having. A new purpose for the conversation entered her mind.

“Do you know why she’s in town? Why she wants me dead?” Her tone was accusatory, spiteful, her dislike for the other blond more than evident.

“I don’t.” Angel said quietly.

And it was the truth.

He had heard through an informant a couple weeks after he had last seen Darla that she had left LA, and at first he had been relieved. But then he had found out her planned destination and panic had set in. “An informant told me where she was going, but not what she had planned.”

Buffy accepted his answer and was about to ask another question when she was hit with a sudden realization. She had thought Angel had come to town to see her, that the timing of his arrival had been impeccable as it usually was. This piece of information threw that out the window. He hadn’t come to Sunnydale for her; he had come here because of Darla.

“Oh my god!” Buffy gasped, voicing her thoughts. “You came here because of her. I thought that…”

Her eyes fell to her hands in her lap, suddenly finding the stitching of her jeans incredibly interesting.

Angel realized what Buffy had thought, what she had been thinking and he drew in a deep breath, awash with new guilt. He had hurt her, again. “Buffy…” he started.

“Don’t.” she interrupted, silencing him with a look. “Please, just leave.”

Regret flooded Angel’s gaze, and he wished that he could do something that would take away the expression of complete betrayal, which Buffy wore openly.

“I’ll come by tomorrow at sunset.” He said quietly as he stood, giving her one last look of apology before he turned and left the living room and quickly exited the house.

The door clicked closed quietly as he left, and Buffy inhaled a shuddering breath. She was still in shock about the whole revelation. Darla was in town. Darla was alive. Darla had been human. And Angel had hid it all from her. He had come to Sunnydale… for her. She felt betrayed.

Even worse, she felt as if she had been replaced.

~~~

Spike watched from the shadows beside the house as Angel walked out and immediately moved to his car. Moments later the convertible backed out of the driveway and tore off down the street.

She didn’t let him stay… he thought, his mind flooded with instant relief.

Inhaling the last drag of his cigarette he let that relief wash over him for a moment as his mind began to tick over possible locations that he could search tomorrow night. He would find where the bitch was holed up, he would find her and tell her exactly what he thought of her and the rest of the bloody Order.

This needed to be dealt with quickly. The last couple of weeks had given little activity from Glory and her group of obsessed followers. But the quiet wouldn’t last for long and if there was one thing Spike knew from experience, it would most likely go down at the worst possible time.

Dropping his cigarette butt on the ground, he extinguished it with the toe of his boot. When the light in the living room flicked off Spike turned on his heel and began walking down the street in the direction of his crypt.

~~~

Buffy wrapped her blanket tightly around herself as she settled down onto the sofa. She was unbelievably overwhelmed by everything that was going on, and Angel’s unintentional revelation still had her reeling.

Closing her eyes she tried to push the thoughts out of her mind and get some sleep.

So far, it wasn’t working…



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