Timeline

Chapter 23


Illyria agreed to come back with them to the house, so long as Gunn stayed with her. Angel had told Kennedy and Faith to stay on alert , should Illyria try anything .
Buffy got the girls set up in the bedrooms upstairs, put the two watchers in an attic room and set Liam and Spike up in the back room with the sarcophagus. Faith and Kennedy settled in the drawing room with Willow. Finally at about midnight , Buffy got into bed and waited for Angel.
Angel came out of the bathroom , hung his clothes over a chair and got into bed. He sighed deeply.
"We haven't had much time have we, since , well , everything" Buffy said , laying her head on his chest.
"No " he kissed her on the top of the head and wrapped his arms around her.
" Just like old times, always one apocolypse or another"she said
"Only more of them and more frequent.Buffy? " they sat up." What if I could turn back time without changing you?
"I thought we had been over this already? " Buffy got out of bed "What do you mean when you say that?"
"I mean , I could send Liam back and not change my history , I could still be what I was and fight and I could stop Illyria happening"
"How can you do that without changing us and the baby?"Buffy paced the room.
"Back at the hotel , in L.A, I have got the eye of mehghon. Its a mystical device that can change or alter time , but , it only alters what you want."
"Whats the catch, theres always a catch"
" You have to give up something that means alot to you"
"Like your humanity" she said with sadness in her voice.
"Yes " Angel whispered.He couldn't look at Buffy. " I know you don't like the idea, but look at this mess, Illyria, Cordy, Liam, and there's still the prophecy about the baby to deal with"
"We'll deal, Cordy's going to wake up and still be the same self centred person she always was , now that the demons gone, Spikes got her visions so thats covered.From what has been found out about Illyria , she was preordained to happen anyway. I'm sorry that sounds harsh ,but thats our lives , Willow can send Liam back and we can give him times and dates. As for our baby , again we'll deal , how bad can the prophecy be? Our baby was made from our love , both parents are warriors for the cause of good and both are human." She emphasised the human part.
"You have it all worked out don't you?"
"After years of living and dying on the hellmouth , yeah, kinda habit .Plus maturity, you should try it some time" She got back into bed and laid across him "We'll work it out"
It didn't take her long before she fell asleep.Angel didn't have that luxury, he couldn't stop thinking about everything. He got up and went into the kitchen.
Spike heard him get up and followed him down to the kitchen.He sat on the table and put his feet on a chair.
" Any beers in there mate" he asked ,
"No, and I'm not your mate" Angel was rooting through the fridge and came out eating an apple.He threw a pouch of blood at him.
"Thanks. You got this brooding thing of yours patented ,cos you bloody well should"
"No" he snapped at him. Angel grabbed a chair and sat down " What do you want Spike"
"You look like a guy that needs to chat , is all" he answered.
Angel huffed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, and took another bite of the apple. Slouching in the chair, he looked at Spike " You would think it would be easier , wouldn't you"
"What's tough ? You have the girl of your dreams , finally human after some two hundred odd years, a kid on the way and a group of people who respect you and would fight to the death for ya"
"Sounds good in theory, the baby and Buffy are good don't get me wrong , but look at the crap thats come with that"
"Look , I won't lie to you , mainly cos I think your a jammy git and hate you for it. The only thing you can blame yourself for ,is Liam.Sort him out and your all square"
Angel looked at Spike.He knew what he said was right.Spike always was one for telling it straight .They sat in silence , Spike drinking the blood , Angel eating his apple.
"So, partners again after all this time ,eh" Angel finally said
"Yep , You and me"Spike replied.
"I best go see Lilah , check she's 'comfortable' Angel got up .
" Yeah and I guess I go babysit your alter ego" Spike stood in the doorway "We're a good team ,all of us , we fight the good fight and get done what needs to be , everyone looks to you , your still in there, that won't change cos your human now" Spike left.
Angel thought about what Spike had just said "Thankyou ".


Lilah had been locked in a room .She had finally fallen asleep on the bed . Angel walked in and put some food and a drink of water on her bedside . He turned to leave. Lilah woke and watched as he walked across the room.
"So , how's the mission going ,champ" she scoffed
"Go back to sleep" He snapped at her.
"Did my file help save the texas twig or was it too late?"
"Why do I get the feeling you already know the answer to that"
Angel was still .
" Wolfram and Hart have the expertise to deal with her, we could help"
"We don't need your kind of help"
"Funny , you weren't saying that before you took the file. But then you have another plan don't you. Does the little wife know"
"You don't know what your talking about Lilah"
"No? So your not going to use the eye. "
Angel huffed at her and gritted his teeth. " How do you know about that"
Lilah laughed " After all these years and your still naive. Where do you think it came from , who do you think gave it to your lackeys"
"Wolfram and Hart" he shot over to Lilah and grabbed her by the lapels " Why"
"Isn't it obvious. They want Liam out of the way .Your human and vunerable but with him here it's like having you back to normal, the vampire with his shiny soul" She was trying to hold back her laughter.
"You better tell me everything you know"
"Or what? You don't quite have the same bite you used to "
"No , but I do" Spike said as he walked in, vamped out.
"What are you doing here Spike" Angel let Lilah go.
"Partners remember, couldn't let you have all the fun, besides this bint is right. You don't scare her anymore"
Spike walked over to Lilah "Lets see what we can do about that"
Angel walked away and sat in the chair beside the bed. Spike grabbed Lilah and pulled off the bed. He stood behind her and bent her head , leaving her neck exposed.
Angel crossed his legs at the ankles and folded his arms across his chest. "Now , we'll try again, tell me everything you know or Spike here gets snacking"
Lilah's heart raced and her breathing quickened.She licked her lips and struggled against Spike.
" I like it when they wiggle " Spike said laughing . He licked her neck for effect.
Angel hated what was happening , but sacrifices had to be made, he knew that better than anyone.
Lilah felt the coldness of Spikes tongue and the sharp edge of this fangs on her neck "You think Wolfram and Hart will let you get away with this ?"
"Not my problem Lilah" Angel said " You see a little birdy has whispered in their ears and now" He chuckled " They think your a traitor"
Lilah's eyes widened.
"You may as well give us all the information now, or else "
"Part of me hopes she don't , been a while since I drank from a human , from what I hear , it's like riding a bike" Spike said with a smile.
Angel inwardly grimmaced.
"Lets start with Illyria . How did you get the sarcophegus out of the deeper well?"
Lilah remained silent.Spike dug his fangs into her neck and withdrew them.
"Wrong answer , try again and believe me , the next wrong answer will cost you" Angel snarled.
"O.K O.K . The sarcophegus was meant to arrive , it was planned long ago. The Senior Partners arranged to have it transported to the offices . Illyria needed a host, we had some of her followers lined up to be her host, but then the slayer took it before we had a chance"
"Progress at last,. Why did the Partners want Illyria?"
Lilah tried to free herself from Spike again . "She's like an assasin , work it out yourself"
"To take me out"
"We have a winner"Lilah said sarcastically.
"Only now the plan's backfired .We have her instead of your bosses." Angel stood up and walked back and forth.
" She's unstable . Wolfram and Hart had the resources to deal with her. We had our labs and researchers work day and night to gather all the information on Illyria , so we would be ready for her arrival. All the data pointed to a cataclismic event involving her" She looked at Angel and then at Spike.
"So we need that data " Angel said
"No can do" Lilah flinched ,waiting for Spike to react.
" Give me one good reason why not"
"What do you think the Senior Partners would do to me if I gave you that info"
"What do you think I will do to you if you don't"
"She's probably got the info on her laptop" Spike said " so can I just eat already"
"Spike!"
Angel left the room and came back in after a few minutes. He slammed the door and opened the laptop on the bed .He turned it round to Lilah. " Password"
Lilah typed in the password and huffed at Angel.Angel sat on the bed and searched through her document file.Finally he came to one that was simply named with a glyph.Angel turned the laptop back to face Lilah.
"What's that" Angel pointed to the glyph.
"No idea"
"Spike ,remind Lilah what will happen if she doesn't say what we want to hear"
Again Spike sank his fangs into Lilah's neck.This time ,he went in deeper and gave a few sucks. Lilah shrieked. The pain shot through her neck and through her body. Spike withdrew his fangs and licked his lips. Angel looked away.
"It's the prophecy" she croaked out.
Angel uploaded the file and put the memory stick in his pocket. He continued his search through the files.
"I can't see anything on here that relates to Illyria.Where are they ?"
" Try the files under Special Projects"
Angel scanned the hard drive and found the file.He opened it and there were three files hidden within it . One was under the heading ' Hyperion' , one was headed 'Sunnydale' and the other was headed 'Illyria'. Angel browsed them all and then uploaded them to his memory stick. He would get Willow to go over them with Wesley later.
" Spike let her go" Angel ordered.
Spike let go of Lilah and wiped his mouth. He hadn't fed off a human for a long while. He found it hard to believe, it actually made him feel sick. He put on a front and turned to Lilah "She tasted sweet, all that fear , I could taste the evil in her.Like nectar going down."
Angel gave Spike a glare ." Got what I came for , lets go"
They left her sat on the bed ,clutching at her neck ,Spikes bite weeping and clearly visable.


Angel and Spike went back into the kitchen.
"Did you have to revel in it as much" Angel snapped at Spike as he shut the door.
"What did you want me to do ? Beg forgiveness and show the bitch that I hated every minute of it? Like you said we do what needs to get done"
Angel huffed . He knew Spike was right , but it still didn't make it feel any easier.
"So , whats next on the agenda then? Spike asked
"We'll get Willow and Wes on these files . As for Lilah , we let her go once we know the information is legit"
"What wil stop her sending the big bads after us ?"
"We have something they were very keen on keeping . If we play this out right, Illyria could be a force for good and help bring them down". Angel said with a glimmer of hope in his voice.
Spike looked at the time, it was five am. "Most of them upstairs will be waking up soon"
Angel went to the fridge and started getting groceries out. "Best be making breakfast then" he said.
"Since when did you cook" Spike said trying to hold in the smile , but not quite managing it.
"I just picked it up, if you tasted Buffy's cooking then you would too" he joked . The two of them laughed.
"Well I think I'll leave your Buffy whipped ass to it." Spike left the kitchen.


Everyone started to rise and come downstairs after six am. Buffy was one of the first . They sat around and chatted about the days agenda . Illyria and Gunn came down together. She stood by a house plant, stroking the leaves. Buffy frowned , shrugged her shoulders and looked back at Faith and Gunn.
"She don't sleep" Gunn yawned " Not in the conventional sense anyway. She mumbles to herself too, all in all , didn't get any sleep"
Liam came in and sat near Buffy. "Mornin' slayer and how's ye today" He smiled wickedly at her
Buffy moved away and stood near the fireplace "I don't remember Angel ever being stalker guy like him" She said to Giles "He gives me the creeps"
Giles smiled at her and rubbed his forehead "He does seem more like Angelus at the moment"
Buffy shuddered at the thought. "Just glad we don't have a puppy or fish" the comment lost on most.
"Back to today, I think it's fair to say that we earned a rest , most of you can just chill out, for key figures and you know who you are, it's heads down as usual.Illyria is our main concern" Buffy said.
Illyria looked up and cocked her head to one side at the mention of her name.She went back to her focus on the plant.
Angel came out of the kitchen and stood beside Buffy. He whispered in her ear and she smiled . "Breakfast is ready " he finally said to the gang.
Illyria watched them all leave except for Buffy and Angel. "I do not need nourishment " She said and continued her 'petting'.
Angel told Buffy about the information he had gathered from Lilah's laptop . He didn't tell her how they had retrieved it, best not to he thought. She was pleased and had offered Willows services. They got up and went into the kitchen with the rest. Illyria followed.
" I wish to watch you . Learn how you function ."
Everyone more or less ignored her . They found it easier to deal with their grief if they ignored her. Gunn tried to ignore her ,but felt drawn to her .
" I can feel the grief hanging off you all like rotted flesh" Illyria said out of the blue.
The group all grimmaced and push their breakfast's away from them.
"I wish to explore it further" She continued.
Angel looked at Gunn, worried how he would react to her. Gunn closed his eyes and sighed.Gunn left the room.
Illyria went to follow him, Angel caught her arm. She looked at Angel ." You have grown bold human.Take your hand off me"
"Leave him. He needs time to heal" Angel said.
"Why does he need to heal when he is not injured"
"It's a phrase, he needs time to adjust to you , walking around ,looking like her"
"The shell , he felt affection for the shell. It repulses him to see me in it's form"
"Yes"
"I will leave him , because I wish it , not because you ordered it" She stood by the plant again.

Gunn sat outside in the garden. He looked back on his time with Angel. He had done more good while working alongside Angel , but he had known more heartache as well. Gunn hung his head in his hands and ran them over his shaved head.Fred had loved to do that. He stopped doing it .
Buffy watched him out of the window, she worried about him.She hadn't really got to know him that well , but she knew what he felt.She had gone through the same thing when Angel had lost his soul and became Angelus.Angel came up behind her and wrapped his arms round her.
"I think I should go and talk to him"
"Maybe. Gunn's a strong person .He's had to be. He just needs time."
"People say that , but it's not true. Even the strongest of people need comfort in others. I know what he's going through"
"Buffy"
"Angelus walked around , looking like you, but he wasn't you . He was there all the time and I had to deal"
Angel couldn't argue with her, he knew what Angelus had done and she was right.
"You do what you think is best and I'm sure Gunn would appreciate it" He kissed Buffy and left her to it.

Gunn still sat under the tree , throwing stones at Liam's grave.Buffy slowly approached him.He noticed her out of the corner of his eye.
"Come to check on me"
"Yeah and no" She said.
"I'll be K. Just need some space unno"
" I do"
Gunn looked at her . "No you really don't"
"Gunn, has Angel ever told you about his time in Sunnydale?"
"No, I'm not sure I'm in the mood for a history lesson either"
"He became Angelus after we made love for the first time." she paused and watched Gunn " I had to watch a demon walk around with the face of my lover"
"Your trying to say you get what I'm going through?"
"Yes"
"Thanks, I mean that , and I know it must be the same thing to you, but at least you got your lover back , I can't"
Buffy looked down at Gunn and rested her hand on his shoulder " I'm here for you if you need me" She walked back to the house.


Willow and Wesley sat at the computer going over the files. The file on Illyria on the list first. It was extensive and Willow was trying to explain it to Angel .
" Basically it says that the body isn't strong enough to contain all of Illyria's powers. It means she will spontaneously combust or something, only the blast will be so strong it would be like a nuclear bomb going off"
"How do we stop it" Angel asked
"It says there's one way, but Angel , the equipment you need is in the lab at Wolfram and Hart."
"Dammit!" Angel thumped the desk.
Buffy walked into the drawing room , after hearing Angel's raised voice.
"Not good news then " Buffy said
"Understatement of the year" Willow replied.
She took a few minutes to go over it with Buffy.
"So we go back and get it" Buffy said " The offices were cleaned out when we went in before, how hard will it be"
"I'm not letting you go back there. These lawyers and the Senior Partners don't stay down for long"
"Let me plan something , give me ten" Buffy left them and went ino the kitchen with Faith.

"We take big blue with us?" Faith asked with a touch of disbelief in her voice.
"Yeah, we take her to the lab. It's where the gadget we need is ,and it says in the file they had prepared for the explosion or whatever it is the smurfs gonna do."
"What if they have restocked and opened for business again"
"We go in heavy " Buffy said determined.
Faith paced the room. She knew it made sense , but , she had dealt with them , knew what they were capable of.
"What if Illyria won't come out and play with us" Faith asked
"We explain the situation to her and hope she see's it how we do, if she doesn't she'll cease to be, we're saving her from going kaboom, end of story" Buffy said.
"Lets round up the troups then " Faith left to tell the others about the plan.