Bad Tidings.
Part I


A small garden of remembrance, just north of Kensington, London.


“Why is it that we only ever see each other in cemeteries these days?”

“We do dangerous jobs.”

“Yeah, we do, but it always seems to be our friends who die on us.” Buffy finally turned to look at Angel, he turned away to try and hide the burns and scars on his face. “I’ve seen you look worse you know?”

“Yeah, I know, but this time I look like I’ve been chewed and spat out by a dragon. Which is pretty much what happened. I wish it had been me.” The sudden change of tone and subject caught Buffy off guard.

“Wish what was you?” Slightly confused she moved closer to the man who was, is, will always be, the love of her life.

“It should have been me that died Buffy, not Wes. He was a good man, he didn’t want to do it, deep down, I know he didn’t want to do it. But he went along with it, because of me.” Pain deeper than the scars on his face welled within the vampire; he winced in pain as a single salty tear ran through a still open wound.

Another figure joined them in the dark shading under their tree. “It’s over. I really am, the last of the Watchers now. With more slayers coming each day, I could have used Wesley, he was a good man.” Rupert Giles looked pained as he spoke.

“Remember,” Buffy said, “when he first arrived in Sunnydale? You could have whipped him with a wet cloth.” All three laughed gently, remembering the bumbling fool who stumbled into their lives just 6 years previously.

“He died well.” Another figure appeared a short distance away from the group. As was his right, he was avenged.

“Illyria, I thought I had told you about doing that ‘popping up in the middle of conversations thing’!” Angel looked exasperated as he spoke to the young woman.

“I don’t think we’ve been introduced, I’m Buffy.”

“Yes, you are the slayer. The one who bested my mother.” Illyria spoke gently.

“Your mother?” Buffy asked

“Yes, you know her as The First. She who is mother to all evil. Even as I slumbered deep in the well, I heard rumblings of her defeat; you must be a great warrior? Better than the fool? I would challenge you.”

“The fool?” Buffy looked confused.

“She means Spike. These two became sparring partners for a while. Well, more like Spike became her punch bag for a while.”

“The half breed amused me for a while, but now he is broken. I wish to fight again.”

“Where is Spike? I thought he might be here, is he, you know, OK?” Buffy was glad of the opportunity to bring the subject of Spike up, he couldn’t be sure how Angel would have reacted.

“He’s in a bad way. A Gth’Ark demon ripped one of his arms right off at the shoulder and a Skilearn took a fair sized chunk out of his left leg. Nothing major in other words, but he’s still feeling a bit shy about showing up in public. I’ve tried to get a necromancer to look at him, but, well, our contacts list kind of dried up when we took down the circle of the black thorn. The Wolf, the Ram and the Hart have put the word out about us, so we’re persona non grate with most of the high level mages.”

“I know of a few who may be willing to assist. But please, for the love of God, don’t tell Spike who introduced you to them.” Giles looked slightly shamefaced as he made the offer to help one of the creatures he had been brought up to despise. “I suppose I do owe him for what he did in Sunnydale. Saving us and all that.”

“I’ll be sure to keep your name out of it Rupert, and, well, thanks. I…”

“AAAARRRGGGHHH” The woman introduced as Illyria doubled up in agony. “Something is coming. Something so dark, not even the sun can show it.” She winced again, as if even speaking caused her great pain.

“What’s coming Illyria, what?” Angel was at her side supporting her as the woman’s form shifted; she looked almost the same, except blue.

“I do not know, Vampire. But I do know, it is more evil, more powerful than anything you have faced so far. This is the end. Not just of your world, but of them all.”

“She aint just whistling Dixie Angel. This is the big one. Everything you’ve faced till now were the preliminaries. This is the main event.”

Angel spun on his heels to seek the source of the familiar voice, and there before him stood the glowing form of…



Seattle.

“Buffy? Is that you?"